--- description: Find out why 'When Death Comes Stealing' by Valerie Wilson Wesley made the list. title: When Death Comes Stealing: The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt874272ea85b88868/698a407a457a522c5fd67f51/WhenDeathComesStealing.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 03, 2023 # When Death Comes Stealing by Valerie Wilson Wesley by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  In Valerie Wilson Wesley’s 1994 novel, investigator Tamara Hayle’s personal and professional lives collide. Tamara’s ex-husband is grieving the loss of his two sons from previous relationships, both of whom died tragically young and under mysterious circumstances—and he’s hiring her to uncover what really happened to them. For Tamara, the cases have extra urgency: She’s fearful that Jamal, her own son with DeWayne, might be next. The first of eight books in Wilson Wesley’s _Tamara Hayle_ series, the novel addresses the all-too-real issues of police violence and racial discrimination. But Wilson Wesley, a former executive editor of _Essence_ Magazine, adeptly balances the heavy subject matter with moments of levity and wit, as well as a measured sense of suspense that keeps readers rapt until the book’s gripping conclusion. —_Cady Lang_ **Buy Now:** _When Death Comes Stealing_ on [Amazon](https://amzn.to/45tQ5rY "undefined") When Death Comes Stealing: The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309198/when-death-comes-stealing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309198/when-death-comes-stealing/"},"headline":"When Death Comes Stealing: Best Mystery and Thriller Books","datePublished":"2023-10-03T12:01:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:21:12.320Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309198/when-death-comes-stealing/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt874272ea85b88868/698a407a457a522c5fd67f51/WhenDeathComesStealing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt874272ea85b88868/698a407a457a522c5fd67f51/WhenDeathComesStealing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309198/when-death-comes-stealing/","name":"When Death Comes Stealing: Best Mystery and Thriller Books"}}]}] ```