February's blue skies can't fool me; I know there are plenty of cold and snowy days ahead. I'm not complaining (too much) though, because indoor living means more time for reading. A blustery late-winter night provides just the right atmosphere for a spine-chilling thriller or mystery. Here are five of this month's thrillers that might have escaped your attention. It's never too late to give them try.



The Winter Sister by Megan Collins (Atria, Feb. 5): When Sylvie moves back home to tend to her sick mother, she is confronted with the past she's tried to forget. About 16 years earlier her sister went out on a forbidden date and was never seen alive again. The killer remains identified, but as Sylvie settles back into her childhood house, she discovers secrets and unearths new information. Among the suspects is the male nurse who is currently working at the cancer center where Sylvie's mother is being treated. Opening line: When they found my sister's body, the flyers we'd hung around town were still crisp against the telephone poles.



In the Dark by Cara Hunter (Penguin Books, Feb. 19): Detective Inspector Adam Fawley is called to an Oxford house where a woman and child are found locked in the basement and near death. The woman is too traumatized to offer any help. Fawley must figure out if the bad-tempered owner of the house, suffering from dementia, is responsible or if there was another way the victims could have been imprisoned. The case reopens an older missing persons investigation, a body is found buried in the back garden, and Fawley is dealing with his own family issues. Opening line: She opens her eyes to a darkness as close as a blindfold.



Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce (Grand Central, Feb. 19): Allison, a lawyer on the rise, is finally given a murder case. She is to defend a woman who is accused of killing her husband. One problem: the woman says she did it. Allison, though, thinks there's more the case than meets the eye. Another problem or two: Allison is drinking too much, is unfaithful to her husband, and is neglecting her young daughter. What's worse, someone is threatening to reveal all her secrets, which would dismantle her family and her career. Which of these women will be saved, and who will do the saving? Opening line: The October sky lies gray above me and my wheelie bag's heavy but I wait for the bus and count my blessings.



The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (William Morrow, Feb. 19): A group of nine college friends, now in their 30s, continue their tradition of getting together and staying close. This year, they agree to a New Year's Eve trip to a cabin in the Scottish Highlands. After all have arrived, winter descends with a vengeance, snowing them in for the duration. With plenty of food and drink, they're unconcerned, until one of the friends goes missing. This is a classic closed-room mystery in which all the suspects claim to like each other. But, wait! What about the gamekeeper and other locals, who may be very comfortable wandering outside despite the storm? Opening line: I see a man coming through the falling snow.



The Syndicate by Guy Bolton (Oneworld, Feb. 7): Erstwhile Hollywood fixer Jonathan Craine has given up big-city life, living peacefully with his son in rural California until he's given an offer he can't refuse from the LA mafia. In the summer of 1947, mob leader Bugsy Siegel is found murdered in his Beverly Hills home. Craine has five days to identify the killer or both he and his son will be swimming with the fishes. Without access to police records or crime scene data, Craine scrounges to find help, coming up with an elderly hit man and a dubious female reporter. Period details and the Mafia vibe add flavor to this thriller. Opening line: He parked the car half-way down Linden Drive and went the rest of the way on foot.