Hello mystery fans! Hope you’re in the need for some new releases, love books within books, and mystery news and roundups, because that’s what I have for you.
New Releases
The Black Girls Left Standing by Juliana Goodman
For fans of contemporary social mysteries! Katia Willet is killed by an off-duty police officer who claims she was breaking and entering but her younger sister Beau knows that can’t be true. She’s certain she can prove it since Katia’s boyfriend was a witness, but he’s gone missing. So she and a friend use social media to get anonymous tips and start trying to solve what really happened to her sister…
Vera Kelly: Lost and Found (Vera Kelly #3) by Rosalie Knecht
For historical mystery fans (recent, under-the-radar history) this is a great series that has followed Vera Kelly from her start as a government spy to a private investigator. Now she may have her most important case: after visiting her girlfriend Max’s estranged family in LA, Max goes missing. Will Vera find the answers she needs traveling across California to find her? If you’d like to start at the beginning pick up Who Is Vera Kelly?
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
This week I’m going for main characters who are writing a book, while you read a book about them.
After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill
This is a twisty tale about Madeleine d’Leon who is writing about another author, Patrick McGinnity, who is a murder suspect. But as she gets more into her writing process and interacting with her fictional character, we see that Patrick McGinnity is also writing a book, and his main character is named Madeleine d’Leon. So who is real and who is the fictional character?..
The Stranger Diaries (Harbinder Kaur #1) by Elly Griffiths
This is for fans of books within a book—in this case a gothic short story. We start with Clare Cassidy who is writing about a fictional Gothic author who once lived in the school she works at when her friend and coworker is murdered. And then strange things begin to happen… The book follows Cassidy, her teenage daughter, police detective Harbinder Kaur, and weaves in R. M. Holland’s short story. And there is a “sequel” book that is unrelated to this book but does follow Harbinder Kaur and a slew of new characters which is also great: The Postscript Murders .
Upcoming and Roundups
“Once the Books Start Coming Off the Shelves, We’ll See You In Court.”: Book Censorship News, June 17, 2022
The Spy And I by Tiana Smith was purchased by Berkley Romance and is an action-packed romance about a woman confused for her spy sister! I am SO excited for this!
cover reveal: A Cozy Gaslamp Mystery and Sapphic Romance in The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
Decades After Vincent Chin’s Death, Recent Attacks Haunt Asian Americans
7 thrilling books by Black authors you need to read now
Suddenly Many New Fictional Detectives Are Sniffing for Clues on the Streets of Bombay
Al Pacino Wants Timothée Chalamet to Star in ‘Heat’ Prequel Based on New Novel
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2022 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!
Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.
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