Hello mystery fans! If you’ve yet to discover Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi on Hulu, the second season just dropped and it’s a great show that gives you travel, food, culture, people, and is equally funny and heartfelt.
And if you haven’t checked it out yet, Book Riot has a new podcast called First Edition. There’s been a fun and interesting chat about revisiting Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. as an adult, the fun game of “what book will be the IT book of the month?”, and most recently The Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini talked about the long process from the idea of his book to how it actually became a huge hit. You can check out all the great episodes of First Edition on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your podcatcher of choice.
Bookish Goods
New Releases
Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal
For fans of contemporary that has a background threaded mystery.
The novel follows the lives of three domestic workers in Singapore: Angel is worried she’ll lose her caregiving work, Cora had retired to the Philippines but has mysteriously returned, and the youngest Donita is new to Singapore and documenting her life on social media. While the focus is on their lives and work, they also suddenly find themselves needing to know the truth behind a Filipina maid accused of murdering her employer…
Remain Silent (Erin McCabe Mysteries #3) by Robyn Gigl
For fans of legal thriller series!
Defense attorney Erin McCabe has a lot on her plate, including the tiny little problem of being a suspect in a murder! Why? Because the time of death is supposedly when Erin was having a consultation with the victim at his home. And her other case is a mother charged with her own child’s kidnapping and since Erin won’t reveal the mother’s location, the prosecutor wants Erin in jail.
If you want to start at the beginning, pick up By Way of Sorrow.
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Here are two great middle grade novels I think are great reads for adults too that contain competitions.
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
For fans of food show competitions, family, and trying to prove someone incarcerated is innocent.
The summer before 7th grade, Zoe Washington gets a baking internship, a condition her parents required to allow her to apply to a baking competition. She also ends up embarking on the mission to get her imprisoned bio dad’s case before an organization that works to free wrongly incarcerated people. And if you audiobook, Bahni Turpin narrates!
And there’s now a sequel, On Air with Zoe Washington.
The World’s Greatest Detective by Caroline Carlson
For fans of mystery competitions and detectives!
Toby Montrose is a 10-year-old who has had many homes since his parents’ disappearances. Now he’s living with his detective uncle on Detectives’ Row hoping that winning a detective competition (which he lied to get in) will win him cash to solve his problems. But Ivy is also in the competition and she loves finding trouble and donning disguises. They might clash in many ways, but soon they’ll realize they need to partner up to win…I am forEVer hoping that this turns into a series!
News and Roundups
A Month-by-Month Guide to Summer’s Biggest Mysteries
Rebecca Makkai Has Qualms with True Crime Media (and Makes That Critique in Her New Novel)
The Making of a Cuban-American Detective Novel
New Jersey Proposes Anti-Book Ban Legislation
Central York High Schoolers Protest Book Bans (Again). Here’s What They Have To Say.
BBC Studios & Disney+ Hotstar Reveal School of Lies
The French Crime Thriller That Claimed Netflix’s Number 1 Spot
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 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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