Sponsored by The Salt Fields by Stacy D. Flood.
On the day that Minister Peters boards a train from South Carolina heading north, he has nothing left but ghosts: the ghost of his murdered wife, the ghost of his drowned daughter, the ghosts of his father and his grandmother and the people who disappeared from his town without trace or explanation. In the cramped car, Minister finds himself in close quarters with three passengers also joining the exodus from the South—people seeking a new life, whose motives, declared or otherwise, will change Minister’s life with devastating consequences.
Welcome to Read This Book, the newsletter where I recommend a book you should add to your TBR, STAT! I stan variety in all things, and my book recommendations will be no exception. These must-read books will span genres and age groups. There will be new releases, oldie but goldies from the backlist, and the classics you may have missed in high school. Oh my! If you’re ready to diversify your books, then LEGGO!!
Although I don’t read them often, I love a good mystery. For as long as I can remember, I could never resist a whodunit story. When I was a young gal, I couldn’t get enough Nancy Drew. As an adult, I don’t have a favorite mystery writer or detective, but it is still one of my favorite genres to read. Today, I’m recommending one of the more recent mysteries I’ve read. What makes this book so special is that I discovered it through Book Riot. That’s right! I took one of our many quizzes to find my next read, and said quiz put this fabulous book on my radar.
Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett
Semi-famous, mega-broke actress Dayna Anderson doesn’t plan on solving a murder, but the $15,000 cash reward will help Dayna get back on her feet and save her parents’ home. What starts as simply solving a hit-and-run turns into a full-blown investigation. As Dayna learns more about the victim’s life, she becomes more concerned with finding the killer than collecting the reward money. When Dayna gets closer to connecting the dots, she finds herself in the killer’s cross hairs.
One of the best aspects of Hollywood Homicide was the main character being a Black woman! As an out-of-work actress turned amateur detective, Dayna Anderson is totally relatable. I actually enjoyed how Dayna and all the other characters interacted with one another. Dayna was Lucy to her BFF Sienna’s Ethel. Even when they were in some serious danger, the book still managed to get a few chuckles out of me. Dayna and Aubrey worked well as strangers (and slight adversaries) who actually work well together to solve the crime. I also enjoyed the romance vibes between Dayna and Omari.
Despite a couple of murders, Hollywood Homicide is kind of a romp of a read. Garrett isn’t shy about letting the reader know how people in the story died, but it wasn’t very gruesome in my opinion. If you enjoy a good mystery, but want to avoid the graphic blood and gore, then Hollywood Homicide is the must-read book for you. Also, if the end of the book leaves you wanting more, then I have even more good news for you! Hollywood Homicide is the first book of the Detective by Day series! Happy reading, bookish sleuths.
Until next time bookish friends,
Katisha
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