Hello, mystery fans! I have abandoned the last three romcom films I’ve started watching for not being good, so fingers crossed I’ll finally hit a watchable one with The Idea of You. It’s streaming on Prime as of May 2nd and stars Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine.
Looking for a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift? Go beyond the tried and true flowers and chocolate and give the gift of reading with Tailored Book Recommendations! Our bibliologists are standing by to help your mom find her next favorite read, delivered right to her inbox or doorstep. And with gifts starting at just $18, there’s something for any budget! Head to mytbr.co/gift to send the gift of reading to the book nerd in your life!
Bookish Goods
Cute dino reading sticker by PagePalsStickers
Look at this little pudding pop reading! ($4, size and finish options).
New Releases
Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett
For fans of fictional true crime, influencer culture, and murder mystery domestic thrillers!
Bree Wright is at the beginning of a relationship with Ty Franklin and is excited to go on a weekend getaway to a rental home in NJ. Despite Ty working too much, Bree thinks his assurance that he’ll now focus on her for the rest of the trip will be exactly what they need. Cue Bree waking up alone and finding a dead woman at the base of the stairs. Ty, now missing, becomes the suspect of the woman’s murder. Bree isn’t certain what is happening, but she’s fully aware that she and her boyfriend being Black and a dead white woman—one that a TikToker is using in a social media campaign for justice—mean danger for them. Plus, Bree was arrested a decade ago which she’s been hiding ever since…So Bree reaches out to a person she was happy to never speak to again, a best friend from college she had a massive falling out with, but who is now a lawyer. She really needs a lawyer…
I’ve been a big fan of Kellye Garrett since her debut and read her books as soon as I get my hands on them. If you’re a backlist reader looking for a cozy mystery, pick up Hollywood Homicide. If you’re looking for a murder mystery with sisters, pick up Like A Sister!
(TW assumed suicide)
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
For fans of fictional true crime and YA thrillers!
At the age of two, Bel was found in her mother’s car, her mother nowhere around. Now Bel is 18 and she still has no idea what happened to her mother, Rachel Price. Everyone has opinions, from the town believing Bel’s father killed Rachel to Bel’s own belief that her mom chose to leave. So when the Price family decides to help film a documentary about Rachel Price, the last thing anyone expects is for Rachel to show up—and for her reappearance to only be the beginning of more questions and mysteries…
For backlist readers, pick up the twisty YA trilogy starter A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (bonus: it reads as a standalone)!
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
If you read, or look at enough books, you’ll start to notice cover image tropes. The silhouette of a person’s face is pretty common in the mystery/thriller genre and that’s what these two backlist titles have in common! Bonus: they’re also two books where going in knowing the least possible about them makes them more fun.
The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong, Chi-Young Kim (Translator)
For fans of slow-burn psychological suspense, translated crime novels, and whydunnits!
I’m not gonna give away a lot for this one because I like the way it unfolds, slowly revealing long-held secrets. The novel starts with 20-year-old Yu-jin covered in blood, no memory, and his mother dead.
(TW: stalking/ suicide)
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
For fans of genre blends: speculative fiction mystery!
Beatrice’s boyfriend Jim died by suicide the previous year and she hasn’t seen the group of friends they belonged to since. Until now when they have a night of partying in which Beatrice is prepared to finally talk to them and say that Jim’s death never felt like a suicide to her.
News and Roundups
Why Patricia Highsmith’s most famous creature, Tom Ripley, continues to fascinate
Get a first look at Al Roker’s new book Murder on Demand
Georgia Is Stopping a Bookstore from Sending Books to Prisons
Sony Will Be the Latest to Try to Remake Clue, This Time for Both Film and TV
The Spy Inside Your Smartphone: Around the globe, journalists, human rights activists, scholars, and others are facing digital attacks from Pegasus, military-grade spyware originally developed to go after criminals. Some of the people targeted have been killed or are in prison. In this episode, Reveal partners with the Shoot the Messenger podcast to investigate one of the biggest Pegasus hacks ever uncovered: the targeting of El Faro newspaper in El Salvador.
Witty Retro Crime Drama Chief Detective 1958 Has U.S. Debut In May
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.
If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.