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Unusual Suspects

Louise Penny sets the record straight on the ‘cozy mysteries’ myth

Hi mystery fans! And just like that we close out a whole year and dip our toes into a new one — may it be gentle with us. Thank you all for spending a little time with me each week.

If you’re excited for a new year of reading and looking for a reading challenge, Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge is up and you can subscribe to the newsletter!

Bookish Goods

a DIY kit to make a little book shop to slide between books on bookshelf

DIY Miniature Kit Book-Nook by HandsCraftUS

This is so cute! Make your own little book shop to squeeze between your books. ($49.99)

New Releases

cover image for Hide by Tracy Clark

Hide (Detective Harriet Foster #1) by Tracy Clark

As a big fan of Clark’s first PI series, Broken Places, I am super excited to see she has a new series! For fans of procedurals and fictional serial killers. Detective Harriet Foster is having to get to know a new partner while grieving her last as she lands a murdered woman case in Downtown Chicago. Soon another victim has the same lipstick markings around the wrists and ankles and Foster is hunting a serial killer…

cover image Devil's Delight

Devil’s Delight (Agatha Raisin #33) by M.C. Beaton, R.W. Green

If you’re looking for a long running cozy series that has an adaptation here you go! M.C. Beaton passed away in 2019 and R.W. Green has continued the series. Agatha Raisin and her PI partner Toni Gilmour are on their way to a wedding when a nudist runs at their car shouting he’s seen a dead body. But when they go to see, the body has disappeared. Agatha and Toni need to figure out what happened and it looks like going undercover in the Mircester Naturist Society is the best way…

If you want to start at the beginning pick up The Quiche of Death.

Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

And I’m going to finish off the year with two more novels from this year that I didn’t have enough time to read but will be rolling onto my 2023 reading pile.

cover of The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang

The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang

A family saga and a murder trial set in Haven, Wisconsin with a family owned restaurant as the backdrop. Three adult sons come home for Christmas — certainly one is meant to inherit the family restaurant. But all is not as it was, including their mother who is absent from the day to day because she’s joined a Buddhist nunnery. When the father is found dead, suspicion of murder points to their sons…

cover image for Vera Kelly Lost and Found

Vera Kelly: Lost and Found (Vera Kelly #3) by Rosalie Knecht

I love the character in this series and watching her slowly go from spy to PI while navigating her private life and dealing with her childhood. In this third book Vera has the hardest case yet when her girlfriend goes missing while visiting her family…

If you want to start at the beginning pick up Who Is Vera Kelly?

News and Roundups

Jinkies! HBO Max’s Velma Series Has a Release Date

Louise Penny sets the record straight on the ‘cozy mysteries’ myth

8 Sunny Murder Mysteries to Watch After Glass Onion

The Best Crime Thrillers Streaming Right Now

The Best Debut Crime Novels of the Year: 2022

Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor review – India’s answer to The Godfather

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2022 releases and upcoming 2023 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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