Hi mystery fans! I’ve got a witchy girl, tarot card reader, and an FBI investigator for you this week!
The Craft Meets Veronica Mars Is As Awesome As It Sounds! (TW suicide)
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson: Mila Flores is naturally having a hard time since her best friend’s death. The problem is that she’s certain Riley didn’t take her own life, but no one believes Mila. Instead, they think she’s refusing to accept her best friend’s death. But Mila is head-strong and won’t let it go so she conjures up a spell in hopes of bringing back Riley to find out what really happened. And that’s when things really take a turn because Mila isn’t an experienced Wiccan, and not only does she bring Riley back but she also brings back two recently dead girls who she really didn’t like. And they’re all going to be around for seven days until the spell ends. Hopefully they can all work out their issues and come together to solve who exactly murdered them… A fun, smart, and excellent read with a great lead.
Sponsored by Penguin Teen
Quiet, shy Elyse can’t believe it when she’s cast as the lead in her high school’s production of Romeo and Juliet. But when someone at rehearsals starts to catch her eye–someone she knows she absolutely shouldn’t be with–she can’t help but be pulled into the spotlight.
Austin native Gabe is contemplating the unthinkable–breaking up with Sasha, his headstrong, popular girlfriend. She’s not going to let him slip through her fingers, though, and when rumors start to circulate around school, he knows she has the power to change his life forever.
Gabe and Elyse both make the mistake of falling for the wrong person, and falling hard. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive.
Would You Pretend To Be Someone Else For An Inheritance?
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware: Hal has been struggling since her mom’s death. While she took over her mom’s tarot card reading business it hasn’t been enough to pay the rent, and now she’s in way over her head after a bad loan. That’s why when a letter clearly wrongly addressed to her arrives, she decides to pretend to be someone else. If there really is an inheritance awaiting the person the letter was meant for, maybe it’ll save her. And so she makes the trip to Mrs. Westaway’s mansion and decides to use her tarot card people reading skills to pretend she’s the person the letter was meant for. At first her fear is that she’ll be discovered, but there’s just something off about this family and maybe she’s made a grave mistake… A good suspenseful mystery novel with a character I was rooting for from the beginning.
Great Atmospheric Procedural (TW domestic violene)
A Sharp Solitude (Glacier Mystery #4) by Christine Carbo: FBI investigator Ali Paige knows better than to investigate a case not assigned to her–especially, since the suspect is Landon, her daughter’s father. And yet, she can’t stop herself. She’s quickly lying to her partner and doing seriously questionable things in order to prove the investigation is focusing on the wrong person. Told in alternating POV between Ali and Landon, you get to watch Ali try to prove his innocence while slowly watching Landon’s life up until the photographer he was accused of murdering is killed. I really love procedurals like this that give you a good look into a case but also the personal lives of the characters–especially when there is an interesting job involved like Landon’s, who uses a dog for finding animal scat in the woods for scientific research. (The series is linked only by setting so it reads as a standalone. If you’re curious about the previous book in the series, The Weight of Night, I reviewed it here.)
Recent Releases
The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker (Paperback) (For fans of serial killer arcs on procedural shows–full review) (I don’t remember the TWs but there are, think horror movies.)
The Accidental Mistress (Justice Hustlers #3) by Aya de Leon (Series I love about women who steal from crappy rich men to fund their women’s health clinic.)
Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts
AND Book Riot is still giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice!
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.
Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.
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