Hi, mystery fans! I just started Bodkin (Netflix) about a podcast group investigating a mystery in Ireland (so much catnip for me) and Interview With the Vampire (AMC+ and possibly other places), which I originally was excited for, but I didn’t record all the episodes on my Tivo in time, so take 2 (vampires, also catnip)!
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Bookish Goods
New Releases
What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
For fans of a character returning home and legal thrillers!
Deena Wood has had a rough time as of late: her mother died, she’s divorced, and she lost her job at an Atlanta law firm. So she returns to her hometown of Brunswick, Georgia. Except things aren’t better there either: she’s not a fan of her new stepmother, and an elderly man points a shotgun at her, confusing her for a real estate agent trying to take his property. She later discovers that the man is now missing and there is a “for sale” sign on his property. She starts to investigate only to find that her community might be in danger…
Backlist readers should also definitely pick up All Her Little Secrets and Anywhere You Run.
Blood in the Cut by Alejandro Nodarse
For fans of neo-noir, Miami, suspense, and a character just released from prison!
While Iggy Guerra was in prison for selling drugs, his mom died, and it’s only one of the things he has to face now that he’s been released from prison. His dad is grieving and in debt, and the family might lose the butcher shop that’s been their business for generations. Iggy is forced to find a way to save the business and deal with his family problems, all while trying to build a life after being incarcerated…
The audiobook is narrated by actor Danny Pino, who you may know from ten years as Detective Nick Amaro on Law & Order SVU!
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Here are two nonfiction titles about undercover cops and spies.
The Kneeling Man: My Father’s Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. by Leta McCollough Seletzky
For fans of memoir and biography blends, civil rights history, and family stories!
Marrell “Mac” McCullough was an undercover police officer in Memphis — who was in the famous photo of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination — and also worked for the CIA. Here Leta McCollough Seletzky, a litigator and essayist, delves into history and her father’s life to uncover his secrets while trying to reckon with it all.
MI5 and Me by Charlotte Bingham
For fans of humorous memoirs and nonviolent true crime!
At 18, Charlotte Bingham had two bombs dropped on her life when her father summoned her to his office: he was a spy for MI5, and he was forcing her to join the organization. (This was 1950s England, and not being 21 yet, she had to do as her parents said.) Truly against this idea, she tried to catch pneumonia to avoid this fate. Ultimately, she remained healthy and had to go work for MI5, where she hoped that communism would end so that her dad could be a “normal” father and she could quit her job.
News and Roundups
Your 101 Guide To Fighting A Local Book Ban
Amazon Editors Best Mysteries, Thrillers and Suspense Books of 2024 So Far (and if you want all the genres: here you go)
BBC’s new crime drama reveals first look at cast joining Jenna Coleman
10 Highly Rewatchable Mystery TV Shows
60% of Netflix’s Most Popular Shows Are Based on Comics or Books
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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