Author: Jamie Canaves

A Q&A with Attica Locke, A Very Agatha Christie Halloween, and More

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 10, 2017

Hello fellow mystery fans! He did the mystery mash! The mystery mash. It was a forensics smash… (Sorry, not sorry.)

Sponsored by The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey

Rosalind’s secrets didn’t die with her.

Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is deeply unnerved when a high school classmate is found strangled, her body floating in a lake. And not just any classmate, but Rosalind Ryan, whose beauty and inscrutability exerted a magnetic pull on Smithson High School.

Rosalind’s enigmas frustrate and obsess Gemma, who has her own dangerous secrets—an affair with her colleague and past tragedies that may not stay in the past. Brilliantly rendered, THE DARK LAKE has characters as compelling and mysteries as layered as the best thrillers from Gillian Flynn and Sophie Hannah.

Great Start to a Very Long Running Mystery Series:

A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone, #1) by Sue Grafton: I did something I rarely do and started all the way at the beginning of a very long running mystery series! How long you ask? Well the series has a title for every letter of the alphabet and is currently at Y (Y is for Yesterday). The final in the series looks to release in 2019, so I’ve got a lot of reading to do!

The first book in the series introduces us to Kinsey Millhone, a thirty-two year old California PI with two ex-husbands and zero kids. She’s mouthy, observant, a good liar, and while I love me an unlikable female character, for those who don’t, she doesn’t cross into that territory. Her current case is a woman just released from prison after finishing her sentencing for murdering her husband. Except she claims she never did, and wants Millhone to find out who actually did. Being that the murdered husband was a womanizing divorce lawyer, Millhone has plenty of suspects to reevaluate while also keeping an eye on the widow–wouldn’t be the first time someone claimed to be innocent who was not. Millhone isn’t all business though, as she seems to have an eye for the fellas… A solid mystery, great detective character (reminded me of my love for Kat Colorado), humorous, and with a bit of action. I totally get why so many people love Millhone and this series and look forward to continuing.

A Little Q&A: Attica Locke (I give authors I’m excited about 5 questions and let them answer any three they’d like.)

bluebird bluebird And ohmygod I’m so excited! Attica Locke is one of those writers that I will pickup any book she writes–and watch any show she is a producer/ writer for: Empire. She wrote one of my favorite opening scenes in a novel which takes place in a historic plantation house: The Cutting Season. And her recent novel Bluebird, Bluebird (which you’ve heard me raving about for months) and the Texas ranger character Darren Mathews are now all time favorites of mine. Locke is not only a great writer when it comes to plotting mysteries but my favorite thing about her writing are her characters–who are always completely alive in my mind from their introduction–and her ability to 100% immerse me in her settings.

And here’s Attica Locke:

Attica Locke photo by Mel Melcon, Los Angeles Times

If you were forced to live the rest of your life as one of your characters who would it be?

Darren Mathews in the newest book, Bluebird, Bluebird ’cause he gets to carry a gun. And I like bourbon probably as much as he does.

If you were to blurb your most recent/upcoming book (à la James Patterson):

“It’s my favorite, but don’t tell the others.”

The last book you read that you loved?

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Thanks Attica! I’m going to have to bump Eleanor Oliphant up on my reading list. And I really hope that Bluebird, Bluebird is the beginning of a series because I need more Darren Mathews!

Cozy Mystery October Read!

Hallowe’en Party (Hercule Poirot #36) by Agatha Christie: I’ve been wanting to reread Christie for-EV-er, and while I was planning on finally reading her in order, I couldn’t pass up reading this one for Halloween. It was an entertaining, cozy reread for me, but does have some political and societal things that may have gotten some side-eye– like every character believed the only answer to who the culprit could be was a mental patient released because of overcrowding. The adults really didn’t seem to like children much, which for some reason I found amusing, and I enjoyed the look at Halloween and the games played in the opening. It’s certainly not a happy Halloween party (a thirteen-year-old girl is found “drowned” in the apple bobbing bucket). But Poirot, asked by the host of the party to look into it even though the police are on the case, will solve the cas,e and all will be explained by the end of the book. (You can read Christie out of order, except leave the final Poirot novel for last.)

Links to Click:

Over on Book Riot I added even more books to The Past is Gonna Get ‘Cha mysteries.

I’m so freaking excited that Kathleen Kent’s The Dime has a script commitment because it’s a fantastic book perfect for an adaptation.

Excited for Riverdale‘s season 2? Here’s an interview with Ashleigh Murray (Josie): “We’re only just getting into the thick of the turmoil that’s happening between Josie and the Pussycats.” (Premieres Oct. 11th on the CW)

Speaking of S2 premieres: Good Behavior will be back on TNT Oct. 15th. If you need a s1 recap here you go.

Netflix’s Mindhunter (based on the true crime book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit) will be streaming Oct. 13th.

Great Books In Kinds Deals! (But there’s a caveat: I have no idea when the sales expire! As of me sending this out they are on sale, fingers crossed they stay that way until you get your ebook.)

Speaking of the fantastic Attica Locke Black Water Rising (Jay Porter #1) is $4.99

Megan Abbott’s noir novels Bury Me Deep and The Song is You are each $3.99

Silent City (Pete Fernandez Mystery #1) by Alex Segura is .99cents (Miami journalist turned PI throughout series.)

The Undertaker’s Daughter by Kate Mayfield is $4.99 (Memoir of growing up in a small town as the mortician’s daughter.)

And Sometimes I Wonder About You (Leonid McGill #5) by Walter Mosley is $4.99 (NYC-based PI.)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Unusual Suspects

Kristen Bell Gets a Mystery Podcast, and More!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date October 3, 2017

Hello fellow mystery fans! Kristen Bell and Anna Chlumsky have a new dark comedy murder mystery series podcast, Deadly Manners, and I’m going to drop everything and go listen. Er–I mean first newsletter, then listen!

Sponsored by GANGSTER NATION by Tod Goldberg, published by Counterpoint Press

It’s been two years since the events of Gangsterland, when legendary Chicago hitman Sal Cupertine disappeared into the guise of Las Vegas Rabbi David Cohen. Now, in September of 2001, Sal wants out. He’s almost made enough money to slip away and start fresh, but when his cousin falls into the hands of a former FBI agent, he’s suddenly trapped in Las Vegas, with the law, society, and the post-9/11 world closing in around him. With the wit and gritty glamour that defines his writing, Goldberg traces how the things we most value in our lives have been built on the enterprises of criminals.

Interesting “Past and Present” Mystery:

The Last Day of Emily Lindsey by Nic Joseph: This was a page-turner for me for two reasons: Even though it isn’t fabulism, it felt like it could be; the detective character was unique and intriguing. Detective Steven Paul was raised in foster care before being adopted by a loving couple and he’s spent his life with night terrors that no one can figure out, but that have taken a toll on his life. His wife divorced him and is making it difficult for him to see her son (who he’d raised with her), and an incident at work has his partner and boss doubting his ability and stability. Then he gets the case of a woman covered in blood and holding a knife who draws a symbol from his terrors–what is happening?! In between the current chapters of Paul trying to solve the case while keeping his life from crumbling any further are chapters with another storyline about a group of kids who are communally parented and are trying to solve a mystery of their own. Good read especially for fans of “then and now” and novels that mix adult and child POV.

Links Worth a Click:

On Book Riot: Inclusive Mystery/Thrillers From September and October (Some of the year’s best mysteries are on the list.)

Over on Bust: Rioter Jaime R. Herndon interviewed Sarah Perry: How “After The Eclipse” Author Sarah Perry Wrote A Memoir About Her Mother’s Murder

Rincey and Katie talk Miss Fisher’s Kickstarter and books, plus the mysteries they’ve recently finished and just picked up on Read or Dead.

Whoopsie: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sought an apology when the Who Shot Biggie & Tupac? documentary aired the wrong police photo.

Sarah Phelps is adapting Tana French’s 1st two novels in the Dublin Murder Squad (In the Woods ; The Likeness) for the BBC.

In true crime news: Thanks to DNA advances there’s finally been an arrest in a nearly 30 year cold case of a killer dressed as a clown having fatally shot Marlene Warren.

For fans of Dick Wolf (Law & Order creator): CBS ordered a 13-episode procedural for the 2018-19 season tentatively titled F.B.I.

Never a fan of authors talking about not being readers in what they write, but here’s an interview with Dan Brown on Origin, his 5th book in the Robert Langdon series. (And the book is officially released out into the wild so you can finally read it!)

Students Conquering Cold Cases: “At the University of Pittsburgh, there’s a student club devoted to solving crimes, one that’s taken seriously by law enforcement. And it’s run by young women.”

The Behind Her Eyes Author is Back with a YA Mean Girls Mystery:

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough: 13 minutes is the amount of time Natasha was dead before being pulled from the river. She has no memory of how she ended up there or why she escaped from her bedroom window in the middle of the night. But her brush with death now has everyone wondering if she accidentally fell in, or if someone had tried to murder her? As the popular girl in school, her surviving has thrown the social order at school into chaos now that she’s back and reviving an old friendship with Becca, an outcast. But really how dangerous could a potential murderer be when you have to compete with mean girls?

Suspense With a Bite (Trigger Warning: Domestic Abuse):

White Bodies by Jane Robins: Callie is worried about her sister Tilda: She thinks Tilda’s boyfriend Felix is abusing her. There have been moments that she witnessed that don’t feel right and now her sister’s arms always seem to have bruises. But Tilda doesn’t want help, she’s in love and Felix is quickly becoming her everything. Callie, needing to do something, joins an online support group in hopes of getting advice on how to save her sister. After befriending two other members Callie finds herself in the unwanted position of being offered a trade: Felix will be murdered if Callie will murder another abusive spouse. What will Callie do?

Kindle Monthly Deal:

Good Behavior by Blake Crouch is $1.99 (Con artist crime novel that has been adapted into a TNT series. You can stream the 1st season on Hulu and season 2 returns Sunday, Oct. 15 at 9/8c on TNT.)

I Have To Go Shopping Now:

I am Sherlocked Geekery Bicycle Art Print by DexMex

Nancy Drew Book Pin by JaneMount

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Unusual Suspects

True Crime Memoirs, Miss Fisher’s Movie Gets Pushback, and More

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date September 26, 2017

Hello fellow mystery fans! Have you heard of this awesome story about Wanda Steward? She was illiterate in her mid-forties but thanks to a Philadelphia nonprofit she learned to read and then wrote a children’s book which was read by Idris Elba for #ProjectLiteracy’s bedtime story.

Sponsored by The Darkness Within by Lisa Stone

No-one is born evil…are they? A lorry crashes on a dark wet road. In the wake of the tragedy, a dying man receives another chance at life – but does he really deserve it? And if he lives, will those around him wish he hadn’t? When critically ill Jacob Wilson has a heart transplant, his behavior becomes very strange. His worried parents and girlfriend try their best to understand his sudden mood swings, but as things worsen, they begin to live in terror of what they might find in their son’s bedroom next – and as Jacob’s personality morphs, so too do the lives of those around him… The Darkness Within is a spellbinding crime novel with a dark heart.

Another Great, Yet Heartbreaking, Memoir True Crime: (Trigger Warning: Rape/ Suicidal Thoughts)

After the Eclipse: A Mother’s Murder, a Daughter’s Search by Sarah Perry: While I can’t imagine how they find the strength to write about the tragedies that altered their lives, I find I prefer the true crime memoirs written by survivors or relatives over true crime written by strangers gazing in. They tend to focus more on the actual humans affected over the actual crime and perpetrator, reminding us that people are more than the tragedy. In After the Eclipse Sarah Perry not only recounts the night her mother was murdered in the room next to hers when she was twelve, but also her mother Crystal’s life. The book is written in chapters that alternate between Crystal’s life before and up to her murder, and Sarah’s life after her mother’s murder. Then in 2005, years after the crime, Sarah gets the call that they solved the crime and the book ends with Sarah’s experience with the trial and finally speaking to Crystal’s family and friends about the past. It’s heartbreaking to not only see Crystal’s young life cut short and the effect on her daughter, but also Sarah’s struggle afterwards being passed around homes and the police never quite believing her that she didn’t know who murdered her mother. Sarah’s look at how slut shaming, sexism, and misogyny puts women’s lives in danger makes this an especially worthwhile read.

Links Worth a Click:

Rioter S.W. Sondheimer had an amazing chat with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. (And he has a lot of book/comic recommendations!)

Also on Book Riot: 8 Great Missing Person Mysteries on Audio

and Google Search Now Checks Your Local Library for Ebooks.

According to Rolling Stone: Ten True Crime Shows to Watch this Fall

Lifetime’s straight-to-series psychological thriller drama You (An adaptation of Caroline Kepnes’ novel) has cast Hari Nef in a recurring role.

Kenneth Branagh, director and star of the upcoming adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, has also recorded an audiobook of Agatha Christie’s classic novel. You can hear an extract here.

Widower Patton Oswalt tweeted that Michelle McNamara’s true crime book, which she was working on when she died, will be published in February 2018. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is based on the Golden State Killer and has an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterward by Patton Oswalt.

The Miss Fisher movie Kickstarter is a thing and it was funded in 2 days. There is also pushback from Australia: Why we’re not supporting the “Miss Fisher” the Movie Kickstarter.

Former President Bill Clinton and James Patterson sold the rights to The President Is Missing to Showtime to be adapted into a TV series.

Page-turner to Curl Up With This Fall:

Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben: I could not remember for the life of me if I’d read Coben before (which is not a statement about his writing, but about my terrible memory pre-Goodreads) so I picked this one up and honestly inhaled it. If you need to disconnect and to read a quick-ish page-turner, this one worked for me. You have a detective who has never been able to let go of his past: his brother’s death and his high school girlfriend’s disappearance. Then his ex-girlfriend’s prints show up at a murder scene. (I just realized that sounds a bit similar to his TV show The Five.) I’ll be honest I had to read through more stereotypical gender stuff than I personally care for but this was also a rare mystery/thriller that treated mental illness with kindness which was really appreciated. You get a mystery, a dash of romance, a bit of a thriller with a twist!

A Good, Important, Crime Novel: (Trigger Warning: Rape)

Dark Chapter by Winnie M. Li: This is a crime novel that follows two characters before, during, and after a rape. Vivian is an American filmmaker working in London who loves to hike and Johnny is an Irish teen whose family are travelers living in a caravan. It is not written in the puzzle solving mystery fashion but rather as a crime novel that explores how a boy can become a rapist and how a woman’s life is changed. Watching Vivian navigate through friends not knowing how to help, dealing with the 72 hour window for PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) emergency HIV prevention medication, all the interviews, police procedures, witness stand, and rape culture’s effect on a boy made this a sometimes difficult read, but ultimately an important one. Hopefully it will lead to more dialogue that not only helps victims but places more emphasis on not raising boys to be rapist.

Recent Paperback Releases:

IQ by Joe Ide (Great new series with the sequel coming out in October which is excellent.)

Different Class by Joanne Harris (Literary Crime)

Turbo Twenty-Three (Stephanie Plum #23) by Janet Evanovich

The Sleeping Beauty Killer by Alafair Burke and Marry Higgins Clark

The Lost Woman (Louise Rick series) by Sarah Blaedel (My review)

A Perilous Undertaking (Veronica Speedwell #2) by Deanna Raybourn (Delightful historical feminist mystery– my review)

The Lost Boy by Camilla Läckberg (For fans of dark Scandinavian mystery/thrillers)

The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life by John Le Carre´ (How can the memoir of a man who was a spy and then became a best-selling author of spy novels not be great?!)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Unusual Suspects

1800s True Crime, and More Mysteries!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date September 19, 2017

Hi fellow mystery fans! We’re two days away from the official start of fall but I’m already watching Halloween movies and decorating with ghosts. Take that, official days!

(9/13) Innocent Man Saved From Death Penalty by CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM & More!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date September 12, 2017

Hello fellow mystery fans! Vision for Baltimore was created to bring eye exams and glasses to kids in need because kids who can see, read better and perform better in school. Hopefully programs like this will be created in all needed areas.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land.

Milly’s mother is a serial killer. Though Milly loves her mother, the only way to make her stop is to turn her in to the police. Milly is given a fresh start: a new identity, a home with an affluent foster family, and a spot at an exclusive private school.

But Milly has secrets, and life at her new home becomes complicated. As her mother’s trial looms, with Milly as the star witness, Milly starts to wonder how much of her is nature, how much of her is nurture, and whether she is doomed to turn out like her mother after all.

When tensions rise and Milly feels trapped by her shiny new life, she has to decide: Will she be good? Or is she bad? She is, after all, her mother’s daughter.

Best 2017 Mystery

bluebird bluebird Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke: This is Locke’s best work, which is saying something since she wrote for the hit TV show Empire AND has three great previous novels. This time around, Locke introduces us to a black Texas Ranger who is technically on suspension after an attempt to be a good samaritan backfired on him. That doesn’t stop him, though, from needing to figure out how a black man and white woman were murdered in a small Texas town. It’s the kind of town that holds dearly to its racism and secrets and wants no outside help, especially from a black man. We may be leaving the heat behind for fall weather, but Locke’s amazing writing will have you slicked in sweat as she places you in Texas. A fantastic mystery from beginning to end that unfortunately could not be more timely in its look at race and the justice system in the U.S.

Over on Book Riot: Mya Nunnally put together a list of Books For Fans of How to Get Away With Murder

On the Oxygen Channel website (because they’re all true crime now): New Netflix Doc Tells Amazing True Story Of How ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Saved Innocent Man From Death Penalty (Longshot will be on Netflix on September 30: watch trailer.)

Watch the trailer for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s comic book Mycroft Holmes and The Apocalypse Handbook.

I never got around to watching season two of True Detective but I’m 100% watching season 3 since it’ll be starring Mahershala Ali!

Fall Mystery & Thrillers via Bookish

Watch the trailer for Alias Grace: Netflix’s upcoming mini-series based on Margaret Atwood’s novel about an Irish immigrant in Canada and a stable hand who were convicted of murdering their employers in 1843.

Funny!

March of Crime (The Murder-by-Month Mysteries) by Jess Lourey: Packed with charmingly ridiculous characters, I laughed my way through this small town mystery. Mira James has a few jobs, including being a librarian—she took a serious pay cut in hopes of keeping the library open—and PI. The PI part she’s still working on, since Minnesota mandates that before using a PI license you have to work 6,000 hours of supervised investigation. She’ll probably get through those hours quickly, though, since she seems to have the I-keep-finding-dead-bodies syndrome. This time around, one of the life-size creepy dolls a town resident has been making has a hidden surprise: A very bad surprise of a dead body. Now James, who either loves or hates you, is trying to figure out who committed murder, while working at the library, and taking on a side job as a phone sex operator for those looking for a Minnesota accent—hilarious. If I had to pick a favorite thing about this novel, it would be James’s octogenarian best friend, who is a kiss-my-grits, tells it like it is, lives life to the fullest, thong bikini-wearing lady. All the emoji-heart eyes. (You can jump into the series here, like I did, and not feel lost, but it does give away the ending of the previous book. I’m fine with that because I plan on starting at the beginning of the serious and will have forgotten by the time I get to it.)

Also Out This Week:

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye (Millennium #5) by David Lagercrantz, George Goulding (Translator) (The newest in the Lisbeth Salander series which was taken over by Lagercrantz after the creator, Stieg Larsson, passed away.)

Trell by Dick Lehr (YA inspired by a true story of a wrongful conviction)

Dark Chapter by Winnie M Li (TW: rape. Follows the victim and the rapist before, during, and after the assault.)

Lies She Told by Cate Holahan (While on deadline writing a thriller it appears the writer’s life starts to blur with her writing.)

More Kindle Deals!

The Zig Zag Girl and Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths are each $2.99 (The first two in the Magic Men series)

The Constant Gardener by John le Carré is $1.99

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Unusual Suspects

Charlotte Holmes is the Best Sherlock, & a Chat With Megan Abbott

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date September 5, 2017

Hello fellow mystery fans! People are getting excited about pumpkin-flavored things and other people are annoyed by those people so fall reading is almost here!

Sponsored by PORTRAIT OF VENGEANCE by Carrie Stuart Parks

Gwen Marcey has done a good job keeping the pain of her past boxed up, but as she investigates the case of a missing child in Lapwai, Idaho, details surface that are eerily similar to her childhood traumas. What’s going on?

No one knows more about the impact of the past than the Nez Perce people of Lapwai. Gwen is an unwelcome visitor to some, making her investigation more difficult. Questions pile up, answers come slow—and the clock is ticking for a missing girl.

As Gwen’s past and present collide, she’s in a race for the truth.

Charlotte Holmes is My Favorite Sherlock!

A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock #2) by Sherry Thomas: I read this a few months back and have not stopped raving about it because it’s one of my favorite series and it’s my favorite Holmes and Sherlock team. Thomas has not only gender-swapped Sherlock and Holmes, but has brilliantly made it so that the quirks we’ve associated with Sherlock aren’t a random personality trait so much as a push-back to society’s treatment of women. It’s so well done. In this second novel, Charlotte and Mrs. Watson are back with a rather delicate case involving a married woman looking to find a past lover–her true love. Scandalous! Making the case super-complicated is the fact that Charlotte knows both the woman’s husband and the true love. It’s packed with mysteries, ladies not here for society’s rules, improper flirting, learning to fight, and more; and I loved every moment of this book!

A Little Q&A: Megan Abbott and Alison Gaylin (I give authors I’m excited about 5 questions and let them answer any three they’d like.)

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while you know my love for Abbott–especially, her early noir–so you can imagine how quickly I moved to get my hands on her crime graphic novel: Normandy Gold. After inhaling the first issue, and immediately needing the next issue in the series, I realized it was a duo writing team and that I needed to get my hands on Gaylin’s work pronto! In Normandy Gold you have a detective who goes undercover as a call girl in order to find out what happened to her sister, and it’s set in the ’70s and written by two awesome mystery writers! (illustrated by Steve Scott)

And here’s Abbot and Gaylin:

What would you like to see more/less of in the mystery genre?

Less of….

Megan: Copycat books

Alison: Dead women driving plots.

More of:

Megan: Diversity, of every kind

Alison: Living women driving plots

If you were to blurb your most recent/upcoming book à la James Patterson:

Megan: “Normandy Gold: as if Brian De Palma remade Dirty Harry starring Pam Grier and with a Bernard Hermann score.”

Alison: “To paraphrase one of the characters, Normandy Gold is hotter than Satan’s g-string — and twice as lethal.”

The last book you read that you loved?

Megan: Laura Lippman’s upcoming Sunburn, note-perfect noir and not to be missed.

Alison: I haven’t read Sunburn yet, but I am so excited for it. Also Karen Ellis’ (aka Katia Lief) absolutely riveting psychological thriller, A Map of the Dark, out in January.

Thanks Megan and Alison! I look forward to more Normandy Gold and now have two more books added to my TBR list!

Add Now and Watch on September 15: Strong Island, a Netflix true crime documentary that focuses on racial injustice. Yance Ford takes an emotional and unflinching look at his family’s devastation and lingering pain after the murder of their son and brother, William Ford. Trailer here.

A Tale of Four Cities: Must Read International Thrillers via Bookish

On All The Backlist podcast Liberty talked about two very long running mystery series which now I have to read because they sounded interesting: Kinsey Millhone series (has a book for each letter of the alphabet!) and The Cat Who series (a reporter and his Siamese cats who help solve crimes!).

Rincey and Katie talk about mystery writers who have real life mysteries/crimes on Read or Dead!

Psychological Suspense (TRIGGER WARNING: Date rape)

Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land: I’m going to do this review in two parts: first, for those who like to know as little as possible beforehand so they can be surprised by as much as possible; second, a little more for those that need to know what they’re getting into.

1st: Milly is a teen temporarily living with a foster family who has not only taken her in but the father is preparing her for a court appearance. Things are awful for Milly before she arrives and seeing as her foster sister hates her on sight things aren’t going to get any better… (Told in 1st person readers get front row seats to Milly’s thoughts as she navigates this new life while trying to reconcile with the past.)

2nd: Milly’s mum is a serial killer and Milly is the reason she was finally arrested. Now Milly must testify. Between the stress of that, a foster family where the daughter is bullying her, and a new life where no one seems to understand her or know her secrets how is Milly going to come out of any of this?

More Out This Week:

To Funk and Die in LA (D Hunter #4) by Nelson George (Ex-bodyguard tries to solve the shooting of his uncle in LA.)

Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions (Kopp Sisters #3) by Amy Stewart (Historical fic based on real Kopp sisters, one of America’s 1st female deputy sheriff.)

That Last Weekend by Laura DiSilverio (Group of friends reunite but is there a killer among them?)

A Murder in Music City: Corruption, Scandal, and the Framing of an Innocent Man by Michael Bishop (True crime)

March of Crime (Murder-By-Month Mystery #11) by Jess Lourey (Funny cozy mystery.)

A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré (George Smiley is back.)

I Found You More Kindle Deals!

Girl Waits with Gun and Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart (1st two in the Kopp Sisters series) are each $2.99

The Nine Mile Walk: The Nicky Welt Stories by Harry Kemelman for $1.99

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Unusual Suspects

Just a Ton of Mystery/Thriller Reading Recommendations

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date August 29, 2017

Hello my fellow mystery fans! Let’s end August with a ton of mystery books!

Sponsored by Hunting Hour by Margaret Mizushima—the third Timber Creek K-9 Mystery from Crooked Lane Books.

Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo get called to track a missing junior high student, until they find the girl dead on Smoker’s Hill behind the high school. But before they can catch the killer, another child goes missing―and this time it’s one of Cole Walker’s daughters.

Knowing that each hour a child remains missing lessens the probability of finding her alive, Mattie and Robo lead the hunt while Cole and community volunteers join in the search. It seems that someone has snatched all trace of the Walker girl from their midst. Grasping at straws, Mattie and Robo follow a phoned-in tip into the dense forest, where they hope to find a trace of the girl’s scent and rescue her alive. But when Robo does catch her scent, it leads them to information that challenges everything they thought they knew about the case.

Great Procedural With A Bit of Horror:

I Know a Secret (Rizzoli & Isles #12) by Tess Gerritsen: Rizzoli and Isles–a detective and medical examiner–are perplexed with their recent victim: she’s dead (seeing as she’s holding her eyeballs), but there doesn’t appear to be a clear cause of death. Has an unhinged fan killed a horror movie creator and staged it to look like a scene? Or is there much more to this case?–hint: much more! Also mixed in with the mystery solving are Rizzoli and Isles current personal lives, mostly family issues. If you’ve only watched the show, the characters’ personal lives are different in the books (which I love because it allows me to read and watch while being comforted by the similarities in the personalities, but getting fresh stories/plots). Gerritsen does a great job writing her series (and Rizzoli & Isles, who are very different, while having a great relationship) where you can jump in here and not feel “lost.” And if the personal issues make you want to know more of what you missed, then you can decide to start at the beginning. (A great Little Q&A with Tess Gerritsen.)

Over on Book Riot a guide to Nancy Drew readalikes and a Sherlock edition Book Fetish.

While you wait for the second book in the Lady Sherlock series to release next week (it’s SO GOOD I LOVE IT!) here’s a stand-alone short story set in the universe: Charlotte Holmes and the Locked Box.

Marcia Clark is developing a series for ABC that may sound really familiar because it sounds a lot like her life! (Will 100% watch!)

Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown will be adapted.

The adaptation of Stephen King’s suspense novel Gerald’s Game will premiere on Netflix on September 29th.

All the Trigger Warnings: Fantastic Mystery That Explores Trauma and Living With Grief

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter: I cracked this novel open right before bed and ten minutes later felt like I’d been running for my life and was going to have a heart attack. And this continued to happen to me randomly throughout the book because Slaughter explores violent crimes and trauma with writing that places you right there with the characters.

The novel begins by introducing you to the Quinn family, who have just had to move because their home was burned down by someone angry with their father who is a criminal lawyer–the kind of lawyer who represents rapists/murderers. And then the family is attacked, destroying their world. Almost thirty years later, Charlie, the youngest daughter, finds herself in another violent tragedy. Still living in the small town she grew up in, things really hit the fan when her father decides to represent the person accused of the crime Charlie just witnessed. This event dredges up the tragedy Charlie survived as a child, and as much as she wants to forget it, she’s now about to relive it. The characters have so much depth, the mystery has plenty of twists, the lawyering scenes are excellent, and there are tiny bursts of humor throughout that perfectly deflate the tension, making clear Slaughter is a gifted writer.

A Park Police Officer and A Crime Scene Investigator Make a Perfect Team:

The Weight of Night image cover: a forest fire The Weight of Night (Glacier Mystery #3) by Christine Carbo: Gretchen Larson (a crime scene investigator) and Monty Harris (a park police officer) work together to try and recover human remains found near Montana’s Glacier National Park. Problem is there’s a raging fire that firefighters have been working to put out, so Larson can’t treat this with the care a crime scene needs—they literally need to get what they can and run! Told from alternating point of view between Larson and Harris, this procedural takes you through the case as they try to identify the remains and also find a boy who was camping with his family and disappeared. Both Larson and Harris have past traumas they carry, while Larson also has a sleeping disorder she keeps hidden and refuses to get close to anyone because of it. Great read for fans of procedurals who are looking for a new setting.

More Books Recently Released Because What’s a TBR For if It’s Not About to Explode:

The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun, Sora Kim-Russell (Translation) (Slow-burn suspense)

Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka (I love novels that give both YA and Adult POV)

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt (Liberty Hardy loved and reviewed)

Atlanta Noir edited by Tayari Jones (Currently reading: almost had to sleep with the lights on after the first, super good, story!)

Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent (Seeing this one mentioned a lot.)

A Thousand Cuts (Spike Sanguinetti #5) by Thomas Mogford (Thriller set in Gibraltar)

Death By His Grace cover image: blue background with graphic design images of priest clothes, bride and groom, and Dashiki Death by His Grace (Darko Dawson #5) by Kwei Quartey (Really enjoyed.)

On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service (Her Royal Spyness #11) by Rhys Bowen (Historical mystery)

From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon by Mattias Boström, Michael Gallagher (Translation) (Sounds interesting.)

The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes (Looking forward to reading this one!)

The Dire King (Jackaby #4) by William Ritter (Enjoying reading this series that’s like a Sherlockian fantasy!)

Normandy Gold #3 by Megan Abbott, Alison Gaylin, Steve Scott, Lovern Kindzierski, Claudia Ianniciello (Detective goes “undercover” as an escort to find out what happened to her sister.)

Snap Judgment (Samantha Brinkman, #3) by Marcia Clark (My review of the 1st two in the series)

Glass Houses (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #13) by Louise Penny (Latest in this great series!)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Unusual Suspects

Must-Read Upcoming Mysteries, Watch Now, & More!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date August 22, 2017

Hi my fellow mystery fans! We are once again at the newsletter issue where I recommend you pop some popcorn and watch some mysteries. (Don’t worry, plenty of book-talk too, including must-read upcoming mysteries and Kindle deals!)

Sponsored by The Dire King by William Ritter

In the epic conclusion to the bestselling Jackaby series, the Sherlockian detective of the supernatural and his indispensable assistant, Abigail Rook, face off against their most dangerous, bone-chilling foe ever. EntertainmentWeekly.com calls the series “fast-paced and full of intrigue.” The Dire King is filled with everything fans could hope for: new mythical creatures, page-turning action, surprising plot twists, romance, and an apocalyptic battle that will determine the fate of the world.

Streaming on Netflix:

Shimmer Lake screenshot: 2 cops sittings, 2 FBI agents standing looking at a young woman sitting who is looking back at camera

Shimmer Lake: This isn’t a book adaptation but because of the unique structure of the film I have a book recommendation for fans of it: All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. (Or if you read and liked the book, here’s a movie rec.) First the film: a small town bank (owned by a judge) is robbed and the police are looking for the robbers. Being a small town, things are a bit sensitive in that everyone grew up together, and the sheriff and one of the robbers are brothers. Adding to the mix are two non-local FBI agents who are there to do the bare minimum (Not that I would expect anything more from Berger–the guy who broke up with Carrie Bradshaw on a post-it.). This is a crime film, with humor, where you watch the criminals plot and carry out their heist while also watching the police and FBI try to catch them. The unique part is that it’s told backwards. It starts on Friday, after the robbery has taken place, as the criminals are hiding and the police and FBI are after them, and works its way back to how it began.

The backwards storytelling has a thin line to walk to be successful: it has a lot of unexplained things, but can’t be confusing or frustrating. Both Shimmer Lake and All the Missing Girls achieve this tightrope walk successfully.

All the Missing Girls is a thriller, the kind where a woman goes back to the hometown she left years ago–in this case to help her brother sell the family home. Nic left after her best friend went missing (still an unsolved case) and everyone in their group of friends, including Nic’s brother, were suspects. Nic isn’t back very long before another girl goes missing… You get a mystery, thriller, and a novel mostly told backwards, which is a refreshing change in the genre. My favorite part of the novel was the exploration of how Nic reviewed her childhood friendships now through adult eyes.

Both film and novel look at the relationship in small towns, play with structure, and are twisty. While the novel has more depth and thriller tension, the film sets out to entertain and succeeds.

Riverdale poster: Archie, Veronica, Betty sitting in diner with shakes while Jughead, Josie, Cherly look in from outside window

Riverdale: Confession time: I was not expecting to like this as much as I did because I was honestly never a fan of the Archie comics growing up (sorry, love triangles have just never been my thing), and I will forever be mad at The CW for cancelling the amazing show No Tomorrow (s1 on Netflix). Yet, here I am recommending Riverdale for anyone looking for a bingeable show because it sucked me in.

This isn’t really an adaptation of Archie, but rather a very loose reimagining of the characters mixed with some semi-woke 90210 and Twin Peaks murder/mystery darkness (not weirdness) overlaid on top. For starters, this isn’t original Archie so much as Mark Waid and Fiona Staples a bit hotly drawn Archie in the recent comic reboot (no murder/mystery in the comic). And in Riverdale, their families are steeped in drama and criminal activity. Oh, and most importantly, there’s been a murder! Yup, one of the students has been found dead and the more his death is looked into, the more this “idyllic” small town looks anything but. And there are so many options when it comes to possible suspects. So while Betty, Veronica, Archie, and Jughead (and friends) are trying to navigate teen life and all the social issues that comes with it. they’re also turning into those meddling kids who just won’t stop investigating this murder. My favorite part was that they steered mostly away from the love triangle–although the whole teacher/student plot was gross and not handled well. so I’m glad that went away rather quickly. I’m looking forward to season two, which will bring in Mark Consuelos to play Veronica’s father and have my fingers-crossed that season two will also gives us more Josie and the Pussycats and Barb storylines!

If You Like To Pre-Buy or Be First In Your Library Hold Line, Here Are Upcoming Books I Loved That Are A Must-Read!

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke (Mulholland Books, Sept 12) : My Best-Read pick for June!

A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock, #2) by Sherry Thomas (Penguin, Sept 5): My Best-Read pick for July!

Force of Nature by Jane Harper (Flatiron Books, Feb 6, 2018): If you loved The Dry and are anticipating the sequel you won’t be disappointed it is as good!

I Poked Around The Kindle Deals and Found You These!

One Kick (Kick Lannigan #1) by Chelsea Cain for $1.99 (Perfect timing for my I-must-read-all-the-Chelsea-Cain!)

The Boy in the Suitcase (Nina Borg #1) by Lene Kaaberbøl, Agnete Friis for $1.99

And I’ll Leave You With Some Interesting Links:

BBC One tweeted this trailer for the adaptation of The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (really J.K. Rowling) which will premiere on the 27th in the UK–when can we see it in the U.S.?!?!?!

In stranger than fiction news: Chinese crime writer arrested for four cold-case murders.

Over on Book Riot Emily Martin makes a case for Why We Should Stop Searching For the Next Gone Girl.

Rincey and Katie talk cozy mysteries (and more) in the latest Read or Dead: Murder at a Chippendales. (A+ show title!)

Watch the season 2 trailer for Good Behavior. (TNT’s adaptation of Blake Crouch’s Good Behavior.)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Unusual Suspects

One of 2017’s Best Mysteries, and More!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date August 15, 2017

Hello fellow mystery fans! If like me you’re still melting and looking for “chilly” mysteries, Linda Greenlaw’s Shiver Hitch is set during a Maine winter. Bring on the brrrrrrr.

Sponsored by Gone to Dust by Matt Goldman

A brutal crime. The ultimate cover-up. How do you solve a murder with no useable evidence?

A woman has been found murdered in her bedroom, her body covered with the dust from hundreds of emptied vacuum cleaner bags, all potential DNA evidence obscured by the calculating killer.

Praised by Lee Child as “a perfect blend of light touch and dark story,” and Harlan Coben as “Irreverent and insightful…sure to become a fan favorite,”Gone to Dust is the debut private eye murder mystery you don’t want to miss.

Start Reading Gone to Dust today!

Amateur Sleuth (I Want to Be BFFs With) Needs Reward Money:

Hollywood Homicide (Detective by Day #1) by Kellye Garrett: Dayna “Day” Anderson needs money (and fast) or her parents are going to lose their house. Day has quit her dream of becoming an actress and is trying to land work when she decides to solve a hit-and-run case that is offering reward money. Day is one of those characters who I loved from the very beginning (she’s smart, determined, funny, a good friend), and while in my head I’m certain my friends and I solving a murder case would look as efficient and competent as Veronica Mars, we’d probably be more like Day and her friends: disaster-ish and pointing the finger at everyone. Garrett has written a novel with great voice, characters, hilarious moments, and a lot of Hollywood, which is a perfect start to a series. Also, if anyone wants to turn this into a TV series you can count me in as a viewer! (You can read Kellye Garrett’s great Little Q&A here.)

The ear piercing squeal you just heard was me finding out there is a novel (Back to Brooklyn by Lawrence Kelter) that updates where Mona Lisa Vito and Vinny Gambini are today: My Cousin Vinny updated by new novel. I need to go get a copy and read this–I feel like it’s either going to be awesome or terrible, and either way I’ll be entertained and love it. Maybe? I’m gonna go find out!

Over on Book Riot Derek Attig has some awesome crafty finds for Nancy Drew fans.

And I recommend mystery comics based on 3 popular TV shows.

Sarah M. Chen sits down with Danny Gardner to discuss his new (great) book A Negro and an Ofay.

I imagined a book club for those meddling kids on Riverdale.

Louise Penny will write three more novels for her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series and Lisa Jewell (The Girls In the Garden ; I Found You) has closed a deal for two domestic suspense novels according to PW book deals.

Gin Phillips on her new thriller Fierce Kingdom.

Watch the season 2 trailer for BBC America’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency adapted from Douglas Adams novels.

A Little Q&A: Kathleen Kent (I give authors I’m excited about five questions and let them answer any three they’d like.)

The Dime was a total surprise for me, in that it didn’t go at all the way I thought it would–which is always a huge plus in this genre. It has a great mystery plot and an excellent detective who, while made of hard edges, also has heart. Betty Rhyzyk is carrying around the ghost of her uncle and trying to balance work with being a good partner to her doctor girlfriend. I was probably less than a 1/4 way into the book when I was already hoping that it would be turned into a series! (You can read my original review here and listen to Liberty Hardy rave about it here.)

And Here’s Kathleen Kent:

If you were forced to live the rest of your life as one of your characters, who would it be? “I would have to pick Detective Elizabeth (Betty) Rhyzyk, my lead character from The Dime. She does and says things that I think about doing, but don’t have the nerve, or muscle strength, to accomplish. While I like to think that I’m fiercely loyal to my family and friends, and fairly pain tolerant, I’m a lousy marksman, tend to drive the speed limit, and take the middle way when confronted by Yahoos (Yankee speak for obstreperous, combative or willfully ignorant citizens).”

If you adapted a well-known book into a Clue mystery, what would be the solve? “Lisbeth Salander, tattooing gun, in the bedroom.”

If you were to blurb your most recent book: “If you don’t love ferocious, courageous, never-say-die female detectives who don’t like being ‘tied down’, don’t read The Dime. Stick with Nancy Drew.”

Thanks Kathleen! I can’t wait for Detective Betty #2!!!!!!

Mic Drop Climactic Scene!

The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh: Imagine a town so small, most people don’t know it exists. Now place there criminals and innocents (those who witnessed crimes/testified, etc.) who have had different degrees of their memories altered so that they just don’t remember the crime(s). That’s The Blinds, as it’s nicknamed. While the world knows about them–and the residents get to watch the news and have a delivery truck bring them supplies–they aren’t allowed to contact anyone outside their town, or leave. Technically, they can leave, but if they do they can’t come back and their previous life can find them. But how safe are they in The Blinds when there’s been a suicide and a murder? Sternbergh does a great job of slowly unfolding the workings of the town and the people living in it while threading through a mystery that explores who a criminal would become if their crimes were erased from their mind. A fantastic read, perfect for mystery and crime readers, that is one of 2017’s best releases.

I Poked Around The Kindle Summer Deals and Found You These Great Reads!

Monday the Rabbi Took Off (The Rabbi Small Mysteries) by Harry Kemelman for $1.99 (My review)

Blood Defense and Moral Defense by Marcia Clark (the first two in the Samantha Brinkman series) each for $1.99 (My review)

The Spellman Files: Document #1 by Lisa Lutz for $1.99

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Unusual Suspects

The Best “Past is Gonna Get’Cha” Mysteries & Kindle Deals!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date August 8, 2017

Hi my fellow mystery fans! I realized that many of the books I was recently reading had a similar theme where a character(s) past had come back to get them–dun dun dun!– so I rounded-up some of my favorites from recent releases for you.