Hello mystery fans! Early voting has opened in many places for the Nov 8th election and there’s a lot of important stuff on the ballot like fighting against cruelty and book banners, so go go go and vote! And then check out this week’s new mystery releases, backlist now in paperback, and news and roundups.
Bookish Goods
New Releases
River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan
This was a book that hadn’t been on my radar until I came across the audiobook and decided to just press play and then I found myself fully immersed in a past and present mystery with a bruja at the center (not fantasy)! Eva Santos Moon watched a friend drown as a teenager and now a woman working with her husband has been found murdered in the river. Soon her husband is taken into custody, an affair suspected, and Eva doesn’t know what to believe, who to trust — including herself because of recent blackouts. She’s a glass artist who has been dabbling in black magic lately, against her husbands wishes, hoping to get her creativity back. Has she brought all this upon her family? Did her husband really commit murder or is he trying to protect Eva? Does her childhood best friend’s death make Eva a suspect again?…It’s a great read for fans of unreliable narrators, characters making messy decisions, brujeria, and a central past and present murder mystery. I really enjoyed Kyla Garcia’s narration on the audiobook which really sunk me into Eva’s head.
(TW mentions postpartum depression/mentions domestic violence)
A Murder at Balmoral by Chris McGeorge
For fans of remote mysteries, royals, Christmas, and Scottish settings. For the holidays, a fictional royal family is celebrating in the Scottish Highlands. King Eric plans on making an announcement (will it be the next heir?) that will impact the monarchy, except he drops dead from poisoning. And that’s how the King’s personal chef, Jon, ends up investigating a murder…
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
For readers who wait until the paperback version of a book releases, here are a couple great reads that are finally out in paperback this month.
Reprieve by James Han Mattson
This is a character-driven literary mystery that also works for “slasher” horror fans in that there are scenes in a full contact haunted escape room. Someone has been murdered in a full contact escape room and there’s a court case. The book focuses on following the lives of the four people who were at the escape room leading up to the murder, and in between those chapters you get to see what happened the day of the murder.
The audiobook is narrated by JD Jackson, who also narrated The Nickel Boys.
(TW homophobia/racism/tells a fake horror story about a witch killing kids/parent death/brief mention of past sex worker attack)
The Collective by Alison Gaylin
And here’s a thriller that explores grief and the cost of revenge. Camille Gardner’s daughter’s accused killer has not faced any consequences and is being awarded a humanitarian award. Camille shows up at the event and creates quite a scene, putting her on the radar for the collective, a secret group with a chatroom that enacts revenge for people who have lost a loved one where justice was never served. Now Camille might have a chance to get justice for her daughter if she’s willing to help others first. But at what cost?
This was one of my favorite reads last year and Gaylin has an extensive backlist if you like to dive into an author’s past work.
(TW panic attacks/recounts past suicide attempt, detail/mentions of suicides, detail/brief ableist language/date rape/dead name used/mentions rape cases, not graphic)
News and Round-ups
Moira Macdonald returns with her mystery column, The Plot Thickens
The Secret History: A murder mystery that thrills 30 years on
10 Mystery Thriller Books to Read This Fall
Best Books 2022: Publishers Weekly
The Sherlock Holmes Books In Order
Tirzah Price is bringing us more Lizzie and Darcy mysteries!
Censorship News (Get involved in your local library and school boards/meetings, vote against book banners trying to hold these positions, and actively fight book bans!)
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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