Hello, mystery fans! Wishing you all safe travels into 2024.
It’s happening, readers — we’re bringing paperbacks! Whether you (or a reader you know and love) hate carrying around bulky hardcovers, you’re on a budget, you want a wider range of recommendations, or all of the above, you can now get a paperback subscription from TBR, curated just for you by one of our Bibliologists. The holidays are here, and we’ve got three different levels for gifting (to yourself or others) to suit every budget. Get all the details at mytbr.co.
Bookish Goods
New Releases
And one more round of something a little different to end the year: two great literary titles from this year — from authors with fantastic backlists — whose 2023 releases also had crime/mystery blended in. So, while these are not mystery books, if you are looking to try a literary novel or already read the genre, the “mystery” bit I mention below may entice you.
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
This is historical fiction (late 1800s England) based on the real Tichborne case, which questioned whether the heir to a very wealthy family was, in fact, the person he claimed to be.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
This historical novel takes you to Pennsylvania to a Jewish and African American immigrant neighborhood, Chicken Hill, during the ’20s and ’30s. But the novel opens in the ’70s when a skeleton is unearthed at the bottom of a well…
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Let’s end the year with two adaptations from this year worth a watch!
Triptych (Will Trent #1) by Karin Slaughter
For fans of dark procedurals!
Book: A serial killer is brutally murdering women, and since Det. Michael Ormewood hasn’t caught the killer yet, and Will Trent, who works for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Special Criminal Apprehension Team, is brought in.
Adaptation: aired on ABC and is streaming on Hulu (second season coming in February 2024). Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) is a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations who grew up in the foster care system and has a special bond with Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen), an Atlanta PD Homicide Detective whom he grew up with. The show handles dark cases — but airs at 10 p.m. on ABC, which should give you an idea of what it’s allowed to show — gives past and present personal lives of the characters (including an adorable dog) and should be enjoyable for fans of thrillers, murder mysteries, and “partner” detective shows.
The Gold: The real story behind Brink’s-Mat: Britain’s biggest heist by Neil Forsyth and Thomas Turner
For fans of heists!
Both are written by Forsyth, but I’m not sure which came first, the book or the series? Either way, the book gives the real story for the series: the Brink’s-Mat millions, stolen in the ’80s from a storage facility in London, which at the time was the biggest theft in Britain’s history.
The series The Gold, aired on BBC One, and is now streaming on Paramount+.
News and Roundups
Liberty and Tirzah chat favorite 2023 fiction on All The Books! — including Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby, Happiness Falls by Angie Kim, A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis, Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy, and Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley. (100% great choices!)
FOX orders Kristin Kreuk’s Canadian crime drama for 2024-25 season
Yup, yup, will watch: “Another high-profile title is Self Reliance (Jan. 12), a comedic thriller written and directed by New Girl’s Jake Johnson, who also stars in the film alongside Anna Kendrick and Andy Samberg (as himself). Johnson’s character gets wrapped up in a reality game in which he has to outrun assassins trying to kill him.” What’s New on Hulu in January 2024
Greta Gerwig once picked her favorite crime movie
Tampa Bay Times: Best Books of 2023
Murder mystery puzzle book Murdle tops UK Christmas bestseller chart
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.
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