Hello, mystery fans! So January was ten billion years long, and February was a blink? Someone is messing with time, yes? Maybe March will be a normal length between the two.
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Bookish Goods
Crochet Flower Bookmark by AnhsEmFash
If you’d like a handmade flower bookmark, I found these to be lovely. ($11)
New Releases
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez
For fans of contemporary family novels with a missing person thread running through (resolved at the end)!
This was one of my favorite books of 2023, and it’s now out in paperback!
In high school, Ruthy Ramirez disappeared after track practice and has been a missing person case since. We get to know the women in her family, her mom and two sisters, their childhood and adult lives, as they’ve carried the weight of Ruthy’s disappearance with them. Now, one of Ruthy’s sisters swears she recognizes Ruthy on TV — in a reality show, no less — and they’re determined to find that woman and see if it’s their Ruthy. This is one of those genre-blended novels that shows the weight and aftermath of a missing person case and how trauma is carried by those affected.
For audiobook readers: Claire Jiménez does a wonderful job bringing to life the Ramirez women and the rhythm of their voices.
(TW mentions of past child abuse/ talk of diet culture/ recounts of past child sexual assault, not graphic/ mentions past domestic abuse)
Last Seen in Havana by Teresa Dovalpage
For fans of past family mysteries, alternating past and present POV, and armchair traveling to an island!
Mercedes Spivey grew up in Cuba, where she lost both her parents and was raised by her abuela: her father died as a soldier in Angola after her mother had mysteriously vanished. Her abuela, now ill, has Mercedes packing her bags in Miami to return to Cuba, and the visit home rekindles her need to find out what happened to her mom…
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
It’s a new month, so I’m picking two more prompts from this year’s Read Harder challenge. Bonus: these are just great recommendations, even if you’re not playing along.
Silent Parade (Detective Galileo #4) by Keigo Higashino, Giles Murray (Translator)
For #23: Read a “howdunit” or “whydunit” mystery.
For the overachievers out there, I’ve got a book that hits the howdunnit, whydunnit, and whodunnit all in one book!
This is a great detective series for fans of the way that classic mysteries walk you through the whole case, and each one reads as a standalone, so you can start here.
Chief Inspector Kusanagi turns to physics professor Manabu Yukawa (AKA Detective Galileo) when he needs help figuring out a case. This time a body of a missing young woman is found three years later, the body of a prime suspect’s stepmother is found 23 years after the accusation, and there’s a new locked room murder mystery during a parade. So much to solve, so many suspects!
Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig
For #18: Read a book about drag or queer artistry.
This is a fun YA novel that’s like Ocean’s 11 was partying with RuPaul’s Drag Race, and it got crashed by Hamlet. Basically, a group of teens, led by an L.A. socialite, go Robin Hood — but in drag — and pull off heists to steal from the rich. Will they get in over their heads? Of course! Come for the heists stay for the found family!
(TW addiction)
News and Roundups
Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Casts Eugene Levy
Erica and Vanessa chat about Black YA books, including Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis and The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson on the latest Hey YA!
20 Must-Watch Japanese Noir Movies
3 British crime shows on Netflix you should watch in March
More women may be psychopaths than previously thought, says expert
SNL Weekend Update: Truman Capote on Women’s History Month
Utah’s Draconian Book Banning Bill Close to Passage; An Anti-Book Ban Bill Proposed In Response
Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2024 releases and mysteries from 2023. 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.
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