Hi mystery fans! This week I have for you a great thriller-ish whydunnit, a dark edge-of-your-seat thriller for horror fans, and a British police procedural!
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Starts With A Murderer’s Confession… (TW past attempted murder suicide, discussions/ past domestic abuse mentions/
When I Am Through with You by Stephanie Kuehn: Ben Gibson starts by telling us he murdered his girlfriend, as he’s currently in juvenile detention, and takes us through the story. While this one started off by giving me vibes of the show You, it quickly turned into something else filled with twists, reveals, explorations of trauma and mental illness, and a reminder that I have zero desire to go camping. I’m not saying much on plot because for me I really enjoyed just starting off with Ben telling me what he’d done and then letting him walk me through the whole thing. I will say that I really enjoyed the audiobook–I recommend it if you liked the show You‘s style of Joe narrating. Just note it’s a different character–and this one works well for fans of whydunnit and YA relationships.
A Mystery Thriller For Horror Fans (TW suicide, including murder suicide and assisted/ graphic violence/ stalking)
Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly: This started out completely bonkers–sole survivor of a family massacre moves back into her childhood home where the massacre took place–and turned into a great exploration of trauma. Dixie Wheeler was a baby when her father murdered the entire family with an ax before turning the ax on himself. Now, a grown adult, she impulsively decides to move into the childhood home where the event occurred and finds herself suddenly questioning if maybe her uncle, the only person who believed her father was innocent, wasn’t on to something… With the house appearing to be haunted, Dixie hearing her long dead family members, her boyfriend having none of her new antics, and her aunt furious she would move into that house, Dixie starts digging into the case, starting with finding the now retired detective who’d worked on it. This one works really well for fans of dark mysteries, psychological thrillers, and horror–you’ll be kept on the edge of your seat and on your toes the entire time.
British Police Procedural! (TW suicide/ mention with detail sexual harassment/assault at work)
Stone Cold Heart (Cat Kinsella #2) by Caz Frear: I’m going to start by saying something I never say: you have to start with the first book, Sweet Little Lies, where Detective Constable suspects her father is suspect numero uno in her murder case because this book reveals the solve. Okay, now onto the sequel book in the series: DC Cat Kinsella is working on a murdered Australian woman case where the suspect offers his wife as an alibi and the wife says, “Nope, he wasn’t with me.” I know! You’re taken through the case in its entirety, with plenty of police scenes, while also getting a look at Kinsella’s private life which has family drama (they’re not upstanding citizens) and her boyfriend, who she’s keeping a secret because you’re not supposed to date a previous case’s victim’s relative. Kinsella is observant, judgmental, and snarky and you get to hear all her thoughts as she navigates around London working on the case, interviewing witnesses and suspects. A great read for fans of British procedurals and bonus: both books have a great narrator, Jane Collingwood, on the audiobooks.
Recent Releases
Beijing Payback by Daniel Nieh (Current read: Really enjoying this story about a college student who finds out after his dad’s murder that his dad had secrets. Ewan Chung does a great narration on the audiobook.)
Lady In The Lake by Laura Lippman (Current read: Lots to like so far including middle-aged reporter looking into a missing woman case in 1960s Baltimore.)
The Tell Tail Heart (Cat Cafe Mystery #3) by Cate Conte (Cozy mystery)
My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams (Looking forward to this nonviolent true crime.)
Temper by Layne Fargo (Psychological thriller)
It All Falls Down (Nora Watts #2) by Sheena Kamal (Paperback) (Great PI series: Review) (TW rape/ suicide)
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 Canavés.
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