Hi mystery fans! Getting me through this week is the chaotic messy press of Don’t Worry Darling and Chris Pine amazingly keeping it together, disposable camera and all. And loving Gemma Chan’s red carpet dress. Now for the books! Here are some new releases, backlist, news and roundups!
Bookish Goods
Books Halloween Ghost Shirt by Lisasavagem
My body is ready. $14 (on sale as of me writing this for $10)
New Releases
South Central Noir (Akashic Noir Series) edited by Gary Phillips
Akashic’s noir series are great for readers looking to be immersed in a place and looking to discover new crime authors. The latest collection is edited by Gary Phillips with fourteen stories set in South Central Los Angeles. Some of my favorite authors included in the anthology are Steph Cha, Tananarive Due, and Naomi Hirahara–and I look forward to discovering more new-to-me writers!
Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King
For fans of Laurie R. King (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes / Kate Martinelli series) she’s back with a new standalone! An estate in California is being renovated when a skull is found–dundundun. But it’s far from an easy case for Inspector Raquel Laing being that 50 years ago the estate was a counterculture commune filled with people. And looking at the past brings up that at least three people disappeared from the commune…
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Now for some backlist crime books blended with a coming-of-age feeling.
East of Hounslow (Jay Qasim #1) by Khurrum Rahman
This is a fun thriller series starring the most reluctant spy ever. Javid Qasim is a British Muslim who lives with his mom, sells pot, and thinks his new car is the world. Then MI5, in need of someone like Qasim to infiltrate a terrorist group, comes to mess-up his life. Literally, they basically give him little choice but to become a spy and accept this mission, even though Qasim is really not interested in politics. Who he is and what he believes are all about to be challenged as he’s forced to grow up pretty quickly. Highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Waleed Akhtar.
(TW mass shootings, terrorist attacks/ child deaths/ past attempted suicides mentioned)
Dare Me by Megan Abbott
I love that Megan Abbott writes these quietly intense stories that are always focused on some kind of sport/work obsession. In this case we have high school cheerleading. The school hierarchy has been set and Addy Hanlon and Beth Cassidy, best friends and cheerleaders, are at the top. Until a new cheerleading coach shows up, there’s a death, and an investigation… You can watch the adaptation on Netflix.
(I do not remember TWs, sorry.)
News and Roundups
The best recent crime and thriller writing – review roundup
Deanna Raybourn in conversation with Liberty Hardy
Courtney Summers in conversation with Nina LaCour
23 True-Crime TV Shows That Prove Fact Is Stranger Than Fiction
Ellen Hart to be honored at upcoming world mystery book convention in Minneapolis
How One Modernist Building in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest Changed Cinema Forever
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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