Hi, mystery fans! I was a huge fan of the film Point of No Return and watched the big films Bridget Fonda was in at that time, so when I was looking for a comfort watch and saw that It Could Happen To You was on Netflix, I immediately hit play. When I got to the courtroom scene with Rosie Perez, I started thinking about how the ’90s had a lot of great courtroom scenes in films — A Few Good Men (You Can’t Handle the Truth!); My Cousin Vinny (so many, but Marisa Tomei really steals the show) — and now I want to rewatch all the ’90s legal thrillers.
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Bookish Goods
Personalized Reader Candley on Etsy by CrudeWicks
This candle can be personalized, and you can choose from five different scents. ($23)
New Releases
Cold to the Touch by Kerri Hakoda
For fans of remote settings (Alaska) and fictional serial killers!
Anchorage homicide detective DeHavilland Beans takes his new case personally, having known the murdered young woman, Jolene Nilsson, for years — she served him coffee at a local café. Because of the condition the body is found in, he first needs his ex-wife’s expertise, wildlife expert Raisa Ingalls. Then when more baristas are murdered, he also needs the FBI’s help. Can they identify and stop this serial killer?
The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass
For fans of thrillers, a wife trying to solve a husband’s mystery, and two POVs.
Cassidy Abbott is managing the apartment complex Sycamores, and blackmailing crappy men on the side, when a new tenant moves into her deceased husband’s art studio. Anna Hartley is a reporter whose husband called her out of the blue, confessed to killing someone, and then Anna heard a gunshot. Her husband was later found dead, suicide assumed. Anna has instead decided to find out exactly what was going on in her husband’s life by moving into the studio he was renting and learning about all the other tenants…
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Here are two new adaptations to watch for in April!
Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo, Casey Loe (Translator)
This is a delightful and hilarious manga series that follows a “family” who have each found each other because of a secret they hold and are not sharing: Loid Forger is a spy who needs a family cover in order to infiltrate a private school to get to a target; Yor Forger is an assassin who needed a marriage cover because of a lie she told her brother and because she was told by coworkers that single women of her age looked suspicious; Anya Forger is a mind reader who uses her abilities to make Loid think she’s the perfect kid for him to adopt. They are all on their own missions while pretending to be a family, which creates plenty of fun action, spy plots, shenanigans, and secret-keeping! This was the first manga I ever read, and I am so glad I did: it opened me up to an entire genre I deeply love.
Adaptation: Spy x Family Code: White, playing in theaters on April 19th (trailer), and there is an animated series that you can stream on Hulu or CrunchyRoll.
Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen #13 ) by Joanne Fluke
For cozy mystery fans who love a baker.
Hannah Swensen has plenty of work keeping her busy, from an eleven-hundred-cookie order to an apple turnover stand. But it’s accepting being a magician’s assistant for a charity event that puts her on a murder case — a man both she and her sister once dated is found dead holding one of Hannah’s turnovers!
If you want to start at the beginning, pick up Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.
Adaptation: You can watch One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (preview) on Hallmark Mystery, Wednesday, Apr. 10 at 7 p.m. ET and Saturday, Apr. 13 at 9 p.m. ET
News and Roundups
Sexual Assault Awareness Month & Book Banning
7 Cozy Mysteries To Stream When You’re In The Mood To Sleuth
Elsbeth and the 7 best “howcatchem” mystery shows on TV to watch
Japanese murder mystery novel explores family bonds, the many ramifications of sacrifice
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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