Category: Unusual Suspects

Hi mystery fans! I have an upcoming newbie PI from one of my favorite authors, a no longer newbie PI from a favorite series, and a dysfunctional family that takes readers on a hell of a road trip.

And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall: Here’s a September release I very much enjoyed, and in the meantime if you’ve yet to read Rachel Howzell Hall you should really get on that. She has a great modern Agatha Christie retelling with They All Fall Down (Review) and one of my favorite detective series Land of Shadows (Review).

And Now She’s Gone is especially a must-read for fans of Detective Elouise Norton’s series. But rather than a police procedural we have a newbie PI, Grayson Sykes, who is given her first solo PI case: a doctor who wants proof of his ex-girlfriend being alive and his dog returned. But if Sykes was hoping to get an easy case to help her learn the ropes of the job, she’s seriously out of luck. The doctor seems less concerned for his ex’s wellbeing, there’s accusations of abuse, and every single step Sykes takes into this investigation gets more complicated and feels less real.

Sykes is a bit of a mysterious character, with a difficult past, who unfolds as the case does, creating a mystery where the reader also never feels like they have a solid footing–which I love. She’s trying her best to establish a new life through work and trying to find a found family, even if she keeps people at bay. If you like complicated cases, and characters, this one’s for you! (TW suicide attempt, past suicide, detail/ partner abuse, on page/ addiction/ past cancer death/ stalking/ mentions past rape, no detail/ homophobia scene, slut/ past miscarriage/ mentions case about investigating person’s birth gender)

Once You Go This Far (Roxane Weary #4) by Kristen Lepionka: Weary is my favorite hot mess PI, but honestly she’s not much of a hot mess anymore. Her evolution from the start of the series (grieving her dad, toxic relationship, drinking too much…) to now has been an exercise in how hard it is to change, but how wanting to and taking steps to will certainly work to get you there. She still, however, has not figured out how not to get her current case dropping massive danger at her door–which as a thriller fan I’m grateful for (sorry, Weary!).

This time around a case of a woman who fell while hiking makes her question if she’s being warned off when her hotel room is broken into and someone dies where her PI office is. There’s a cult-y religion, an ex-cop ex-husband, a scared teen in the wind, a grieving exhausted new mom client, a women’s health group, and more questions and mysteries than answers–but Weary doesn’t ever give up! (TW past suicide mention, detail/ past domestic abuse, not graphic)

He Started It by Samantha Downing: The beauty of this book for me was that I had no idea where it was going, or how it was a thriller when I started, which is a thing I love and rarely get to experience. Basically, I got on one ride and found myself on a totally different ride, to my delight. Three Morgan siblings–Beth, Portia, and Eddie–are set to inherit a 3+ million inheritance after their grandfather’s death. Of course there’s a catch!

This dysfunctional family needs to recreate the road trip they took as children with their grandfather. Doesn’t sound so hard. Except: they are all basically estranged–plus, Beth’s husband and Eddie’s wife have tagged along; there is a stipulation in the will that if anyone gets jailed, deviates, or doesn’t complete the original trip they all get zip, nada, nothing; their grandfather is once again on the trip–as ashes they can’t lose; they’re all a-holes. What could go wrong?! Not only are we treated to the current road trip from hell–seriously, they’re all having marital and/or personal problems, are liars, and are filled with secrets, so make popcorn for the family drama–but we also get to learn about the original road trip taken, which holds the key to why they’re currently recreating it… Strap in and enjoy! (TW past partner abuse discussed discussions of molestation, not detailed or graphic)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases and 2021. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.

Hello mystery fans! I’ve got a bunch of great things for you to click this weekend, for all kinds of crime readers and moods, and there are some just-released books having brief Kindle ebook sales!

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

6 of the Best Audiobook Mysteries That Will Take You Around the World

10 Audiobook Thrillers With Complicated Relationships

Grief & Crime: Mysteries To Read After DEAD TO ME

Book Riot’s round-up of the best books of 2020

Liberty and Kelly discuss The Cold Vanish (and more) on All The Books.

(Just finished reading an advanced copy of the book and it’s really good!) Excerpt: And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

7 Dark Thrillers About Friendships Gone Wrong

Africa Scene: Murder out of Africa

21 New Thrillers and Mysteries You Won’t Stop Thinking About This Summer

 

A Brief History of Queer Women Detectives in Crime Fiction

What’s on Dervla McTiernan’s Crime Bookshelf?

Win a one-year subscription to the TBR Hardcover level, which includes three new books every three months!

Enter to Win $250 to Spend at Barnes and Noble: July 2020

News And Adaptations

Paramount Television Studios Acquires ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ Novel For Series Adaptation

James Patterson Inks Multi-Project Development Deal With Audible; Aaron Paul, Krysten Ritter, Nathalie Emmanuel to Star in First Series

Golden State Killer’s ‘unusual’ plea deal allows victims their day in court

Kindle Deals

A secluded school that asks a lot of students may (shockingly not surprising) be hiding secrets: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas is $4.99!

Looking for an unsolved murder mystery, small-community, with multiple POV? This is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf is $3.99 (Review) (TW partner abuse/ statutory and sexual assault recounted/ suicidal thoughts/ animal deaths/ child abuse/ parent with dementia)

 

A gritty LA crime novel that puts women’s voices first: These Women by Ivy Pochoda is $2.99!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases and 2021. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.

Hello mystery fans! It’s been a minute since we chatted crime books since Friday was a holiday weekend and rather than telling you about books I caught up on reading. But now I’m back to tell you about three excellent books to read: an upcoming suspense that you won’t be able to stop thinking about; a narrative nonfiction about a badass spy; a twisty mystery where the past comes back.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson: This is a September release that I’m shouting about early because 1: fall book releases are going to be packed and I don’t want it to get lost. 2: It’s THAT good. 3: In the meantime if you haven’t read Jackson’s catalog you should! She’s writing fantastic mystery/crime books for and about Black girls and each book is different enough to satisfy different reading moods while all being great and very much written by Jackson. Allegedly (Review) will satisfy your twisty thriller wants, Monday’s Not Coming (Review) is for your mystery loving heart, Let Me Hear A Rhyme (Review) blends coming-of-age with mystery and is a love letter to the ’90s and Brooklyn.

And now about Grown. This book will grab you and shake you hard. It’s about Enchanted Jones, a Black girl swimmer and oldest child of a large family who wants nothing more than to become a professional singer. We start with her in a room covered in blood and then get taken back a bit to work our way to that moment. It’s a bit of a who and why mystery but, more importantly, this is a how crime novel. Because those are always the wrong questions asked about victims: How did they let it happen? How did their parents not know? This was a lot like the parable of the frog: if you put a frog into boiling water it’ll jump out. But if you put it in tepid water and slowly heat it to boiling, it won’t realize the danger it’s in in time and will boil. So this is a super tense novel that shows how a smart girl with a great family becomes prey. (TW attempted rape, on page/ sexual assault, on page/ partner abuse, including emotional and manipulations)

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell: This is a fantastic narrative nonfiction (it reads like a spy thriller!) about a woman you’ve probably never heard of, Virginia Hall, even though, as the title says, she helped win the war as a spy! She was an American woman who, because of being a woman and having a prosthetic leg, was basically sidelined but kept pushing forward, which is how she ended up being sent into Nazi-occupied France as one of the first British spies sent in. This is a fascinating story about Hall–who deserves all the awards–and is an excellent read for fans of spies, secret agencies, history, hero stories, and the untold stories that deserved at least a chapter in our history books. Highly recommend the audiobook. (TW past attempted suicide, detail/ mentions types of tortures used, details, including rape/ alcoholism)

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda: It’s been a while since a book felt like a psychological thriller to me and actually worked for me, so kudos to Miranda. We follow Arden Maynor, who is like a Baby Jessica, and disappeared as a young child and days later was located having held on to a storm grate the entire time, close to death. As an adult she changed her name and tried to be a different person, wanting to no longer be followed by the media/society circus obsessed with her story.

But now the sleepwalking, which got her accidentally trapped in the storm drain as a child, has started again. And then there’s a murder and she’s a suspect. So it’s only a matter of time before someone figures out that she’s the miracle child from the storm drain, and that there’s a connection between her and the dead body… This was a page turner for me because it felt like no one could be trusted as Arden–very much a wounded bird who has never quite figured out how to relate to others because she’s always guarding the secret of her childhood–tries to figure out what is happening and how much she may know, if only she knew what happens when she sleep walks. So if you’re looking for one of those what-is-happening page-turner mysteries, grab this one. And it was great on audiobook. (TW mentions possible past sexual assault, not graphic/ past professor and student relationship/ addiction in past, not MC/ past suicide mention, detail/ panic attacks, PTSD/ past ODs, not detailed or graphic/ past child abuse)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.

Hi mystery fans! As promised I am here this time with my favorite backlist reads this year. Basically, if I would have read these books the year they were released they would have been on that year’s Best Of list. And no amount of time will stop making these great reads!

A Gentleman’s Murder by Christopher Huang: Here’s a great read for Agatha Christie mystery fans and historical fiction fans. Set in an exclusive club in 1924 London, a friendly bet ends with a murdered man in a vault. Lieutenant Eric Peterkin, a member of the club, is currently editing mystery novels as his job and thus finds himself qualified to solve this murder…I enjoyed this so much–the setting after WWI and Peterkin’s sister–that I actually want this standalone novel to instead be the start of a series. (Review) (TW PTSD/ addiction/ suicides mentioned, with detail)

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson: This was one of those books that is SO good that I was kicking myself while reading it for not having already read it. And if you’ve been reading books from anti-racist lists this should certainly be your next read. It’s also an excellent narrative nonfiction book for fans of Law & Order, legal procedurals, and/or true crime case shows. Bryan Stevenson goes into how he started his legal practice, Equal Justice Initiative, which focused on helping those most in need by talking about the cases, and most importantly the victims he’s worked to help. This really gives you a sense of how our legal system was designed to only work for some and against most. It’s equally frustrating, heartbreaking, but also hopeful and inspiring. The audiobook narration is fantastic and there’s a YA edition of the book, plus a film adaptation that stars Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. (Review) (TW suicide, attempt/ racism, racial slurs/ accidental child murder/ lynchings/ executions/ domestic and child abuse/ stillbirth/ rape/ ableism)

No Exit by Taylor Adams: Here’s a fun, edge-of-your-seat thriller perfect for fans of Die Hard and locked-in/snowed-in type mysteries. Darby Thorne, a young woman with emotional baggage she’s processing, is driving to see her terminally ill mother but instead ends up snowed in at a rest stop. And that’s where things get even worse for her: Thorne sees that there is a young child in a cage in the back of a van while trying to get cell phone reception. With a handful of people inside the rest stop anyone can be the owner of the van, and she realizes that she has to figure out how to get the child out and themselves to freedom while not tipping off whoever the abductor is… I know this sounds harrowing because of the kid in a cage, and it does deal with emotional things, but this is in the fun thriller category that you’ll get so absorbed in you’ll forget about all the real stuff happening in the world. (Review) (TW racial slurs/terminally ill parent not on page/pedophile not on page)

Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne: I want to be best friends with Doris Payne! Her lifelong career has literally been as a jewelry thief: she walks into jewelry stores all over the world and walks right back out with an expensive jewel. Here she recounts her life–with a few stories that had me laughing so hard– as her unapologetic, smart, cunning, and brave personality shines through. If you like to feel like you’re out to lunch with someone telling you a fascinating story go for the audiobook, narrated by Robin Miles. (Review) (TW domestic abuse/ elder abuse)

Remember to tell us more about yourself in our Reader Survey (it’ll only take a few minutes) and potentially win an ereader!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.

Hello mystery fans! This was a quiet week outside of the very loud news pertaining to all the world issues so there isn’t a whole ton of links and deals but I searched and searched until I found some things.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Rincey and Katie talk about lots of new award nominees that have been announced and pick out books featuring LGBTQ+ characters for Pride Month on the latest Read or Dead!

Queer True Crime: A Reading List

You’re not alone: Thrillers and mysteries that also feature characters stuck in isolation

Fall 2020 Announcements: Mysteries & Thrillers

25 Best Thriller Books That’ll Keep You Turning the Page

21 TV Procedurals to Watch That Aren’t About Police

Win a 1-year subscription to Audible!

Enter to Win $250 to Spend at Barnes and Noble

Tell us more about yourself in our Reader Survey (it’ll only take a few minutes) and potentially win an ereader!

News And Adaptations

“The estate of Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is suing Netflix, Legendary and the author, writer and director behind the upcoming film Enola Homes over copyright and trademark issues.”

Oprah’s New Book Club Pick: Deacon King Kong by James McBride

No longer a trilogy: Everything you need to know about Maureen Johnson’s next Truly Devious novel, The Box in the Woods

Paramount Television Studios Acquires ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ Novel For Series Adaptation

‘Lucifer’ Renewed For Sixth & Final Season At Netflix

Slaughter’s 20th book to be marked with SlaughterFest weekend

Alex Segura announced his upcoming novel and it rings so many bells for me: Miami native in 19070s NY; comic book industry; murder-mystery! And it went to Zachary Wagman–I love the books he works on. So, as you may have imagined, I am super excited for the upcoming Secret Identity by Alex Segura.

This isn’t an adaptation but it’s totally bookish, has a Nancy Drew comp, and sounds awesome: “The story follows a frustrated Asian American female YA author who suddenly finds herself transported into one of her own books. As a result, she must work with the titular character she created — who she now hates — to solve an unfinished mystery.”

Watch Now

HBO: The six part documentary based on Michelle McNamara’s true crime memoir of the same name, I’ll Be Gone In The Dark, starts this weekend on the 28th. It’s her investigation into the serial killer she dubbed The Golden State Killer, who she sadly did not get to see finally be brought to justice as she passed away in 2016 while writing the book. Here’s the trailer. And a review: HBO’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark Celebrates an Author’s Legacy by Humanizing the True Crime Genre.

Kindle Deals

For a slowburn psychological that doesn’t use mental illness for sport: Remember by Patricia Shanae Smith is $4.99 (Review) (TW alcoholism/ social anxiety, panic attacks, agoraphobia, PTSD, on page/ past suicide mentioned)

Start a great Scottish procedural series: Raven Black by Ann Cleeves is $2.99 (Review) (TW partner abuse)

For podcast fans: Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink is $2.99

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.

Hi mystery fans! So it’s the halfway mark of this year and I thought I’d roundup the books so far on my Best Of The Year list that have published January through June. Keep in mind this is obviously out of the pool of books I’ve been able to read that have published so far this year. With that in mind I’m planning on doing my best backlist reads this year for next week since of course there are books that would have been on that year’s published Best Of List had I read them then.

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara: This is an excellent adult novel that is mostly told from the point-of-view of children looking into the disappearance of a school friend because they feel the adults and police are not taking it seriously enough. It starts with the feel of a coming-of-age novel and travels deep into noir territory while keeping the focus on victims and those whose voices are silenced. (Review) (TW child, domestic abuse/child deaths)

 

Vera Kelly Is Not A Mystery (Vera Kelly #2) by Rosalie Knecht: This is a series that easily stands out from the rest, taking the spy thriller into character driven territory, with a lesbian lead, and focus on historical moments usually not explored. It also morphs from a CIA spy novel into a PI, with CIA ties, in the sequel. And instead of being a loner PI it’s a young woman seeking her found family.  (Review) (TW alludes to teen predator/ homophobia/ mentions past suicide, no detail)

 

Deacon King Kong by James McBride: An expertly written novel that brings to life the Brooklyn Cause Houses housing project in 1969, we follow along to find out why a church deacon shot a known drug dealer in front of everyone. An action that, as you can imagine, sets off a series of events, including a long buried mystery. Come for the whydunnit and stay for the amazing characters and community–including the Colombian ants. (Review) (TW alcoholism/ slurs/ past child abuse/ suicide)

 

The Silence of Bones by June Hur: This one made it on my list for the main character (a wounded-by-past-life-events, scrappy, sensitive, quick learner) and the unique setting (1800, Joseon Korean dynastic kingdom). Orphaned as a child, Seol is now an indentured servant to the Capital Police Bureau because Confucius’s law doesn’t allow men to touch women they aren’t directly related to, even in death. But a current case of a dead woman puts suspicion on the Inspector she works for… (Review) (TW past suicides mentioned, detail/ mentions public groping/ torture/ past child murder mentioned/ dog killed, skippable)

 

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier: This is a page-turning twisty thriller with an exploration of grief, resentment, and anger at its core. Marin Machado was wealthy, successful, and happily married when her four-year-old son was abducted. A year later the case remains unsolved and Machado has secretly hired a PI who uncovers not what happened to her child but, rather, that Machado’s husband is having an affair. Now Machado has something new to point her grief and anger at… (Review) (TW child kidnapping/ mentions self harm, not detailed/ domestic, child, partner abuse/ attempted past suicide, detail, suicidal thoughts/ suicide)

 

What You Don’t See (Cass Raines, #3) by Tracy Clark: I really enjoy this series about an ex-cop who manages a small apartment building she owns and takes on cases as a PI, usually reluctantly. In this case, super reluctantly as a favor to her old cop partner because the person she’s assigned to protect from a stalker is a captain jerkface who Raines probably wants to murder before protecting. Come for the twisty cases that take you through the streets of Chicago and stay for the found family. (Review) (TW suicide/ past animal cruelty, skippable and not graphic)

 

A Murderous Relation (Veronica Speedwell #5) by Deanna Raybourn: This is easily one of my favorite historical mystery series. It has a great lead (a smart, mouthy, and adventurous butterfly collector) partnered with a grumpy natural historian. Once again I was treated to laughs, adventure, mystery, secrets, the monarchy, and more will-they-won’t-they tension! Every year this series puts out a book is a year it’s on my Best of List. (TW attempted groping/ mentions past suicide, no detail)

 

The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird by Joshua Hammer: This is a great narrative nonfiction (reads like a novel) that is perfect for fans of The Feather Thief, history, adventure, nonviolent true crime, and nature, about a guy whose career was stealing rare bird eggs and the Wildlife Crime Unit detective determined to catch him. (Review) (TW talks of past crime cases that include suicide, detail; rape, no detail; child deaths, no detail/ some animal harm, but I’d say more what you find in animal documentaries)

 

Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing by Maryla Szymiczkowa, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translation): A mystery for fans of Agatha Christie, centering a bored, witty, opinionated housewife who finds herself secretly working on a missing persons case. Come for the Christie style mystery stay for the interesting history. (Review) (TW mentions infertility/ discussions of addiction/ past domestic abuse mentioned)

 

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.

Hello mystery fans! I found a lot of things worth clicking (including exciting book announcements), HBO has a new Perry Mason show, and there’s another great round of Kindle deals.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

15 Paranormal Mystery Books to Read Right Now (HIGHLY recommend Half-Resurrection Blues in audiobook.)

Cover Reveal: PRIDE AND PREMEDITATION By Tirzah Price

‘The Luminaries’ Is The New Murder-Mystery That’ll Have You Hooked

The Best British Murder Mystery Shows to Watch Right Now

Ottessa Moshfegh offers an eccentric murder mystery

What Rachel Howzell Hall reads

Lamar Giles on What Should I Read Next

Kellye Garrett just played “5 things in my WIP” (work in progress) and GIVE IT TO ME NOOOOOOOW!

June Hur announced her next novel and also all the gimme hands: THE RED PALACE is a YA historical mystery set in Joseon Dynasty Korea (again Hugging face) & my most ambitious project to date.

30 Thriller Books That Will Pretty Much Guarantee You Never Get Another Good Night’s Sleep

Oscar Isaac is attached to star in the movie “London,” based on a short story by Jo Nesbo, with Ben Stiller on board to direct.

(TW) “His [Chris D’Elia] role as a comedian and pedophile in You’s second season in late 2019 has prompted a flurry of allegations from women that his character in the Netflix series mirrors his actual life almost exactly.”

Enter to Win $250 to Spend at Barnes and Noble

Watch Now

HBO: Perry Mason is back (kind of)! On June 21st the new series on HBO will focus on the character created by Erle Stanley Gardner: Perry Mason. The show is Mason’s origin story and stars Matthew Rhys, Tatiana Maslany, and John Lithgow. Watch the trailer here. (Related: HBO streamers messy and confusing!)

Kindle Deals

Here’s a great small-town past and present mystery: Fallen Mountains
by Kimi Cunningham Grant is $1.99! (Review) (TW domestic violence/ addiction/ suicide)

For historical mystery fans: The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang is LESS THAN A DOLLAR! (Review)

For a multi-point off view, Scandinavian whydunnit, mixed with courtroom drama: A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson, Rachel Willson-Broyles (translation) is $2.99! (Review) (TW rape on page, statutory/ domestic abuse/ partner abuse)

If you still haven’t picked up this great nonfic what are you waiting for? It’s worth the full price and ridiculously priced right now: The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater is $2.99!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.

Hello mystery fans! I have three mystery books perfect for escape-reading, depending on your mood: cozy, historical, fun thriller. Also, for fellow horror/Gothic/suspense fans, I just finished the audiobook for Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and you should definitely pick that one up to hit your creepy-house-vibes craving (TW suicide/rape).

A Deadly Inside Scoop (An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery #1) by Abby Collette: This was exactly what I needed to read to destress. Bronwyn Crewse is a great-at-marketing MBA grad who moves back to her hometown to take over the family ice cream shop. It was originally started by her grandparents and her plan is to bring it back to its old glory, but she’s going to have a lot of challenges, including opening up during a snowstorm and other pesky things, like finding a dead guy. And her father is a suspect.

Clearly she isn’t going to have any of that, so she’s going to have to figure out who the murdered man was, who murdered him, and why. But first, she’s gotta keep thinking up the most delicious ice cream flavors to entice customers, and you may need to use the book’s pages to wipe the drool while reading the descriptions. Seriously, keep a pint of ice cream handy; you’re going to have a craving. This is perfect if you need a gentle read, following a woman with a great support system and family. And bonus for being a really good audio listen.

Vera Kelly Is Not A Mystery (Vera Kelly #2) by Rosalie Knecht: Here’s a super good character driven series that goes from 1960s CIA spy novel to PI novel. Vera Kelly is having a rough time: she’s left the CIA; her girlfriend has dumped her, which Kelly didn’t even see  coming; her job has fired her for being a lesbian. What’s a woman to do? Apparently, put an ad in the paper about your services as a PI.

Kelly’s first case is finding the son of Dominican exiles who ended up in the New York foster care system and has since disappeared. Between her favorite local bar, and a bartender she likes, to the Dominican in search of answers, we get to know more of Kelly as she struggles to make sense of the past and find balance between her reserved demeanor and search for found family. If you’re looking for a cold war spy series not like the others and enjoy dry witted, clever women trying their best to find their way, this is your next great read! (TW alludes to teen predator/ homophobia/ mentions past suicide, no detail)

You Can’t Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie: This was the perfect balance of not too ridiculous so I can stay focused and care, and not too realistic where it’s dark and not fun. Which is why I always pick up McKenzie’s books; I’m always guaranteed a hook I can’t look away from, and then a fun ride. Basically, exactly what I was looking to read right now. It also managed to hit upon so many things that I am just naturally drawn to, starting with a cult.

Which is Jessica Williams’ past, having escaped a doomsday cult she was born into. That was 12 years ago, when she was eighteen and escaped with the help of a man who became a mentor, and a crush in the process. Now, she’s the woman known all over the internet for having copy/pasted someone else’s story as her own. So she’s been fired and publicly dragged. She decides to go to Mexico and disconnect from the world for a while, which only makes things worse because she very naively plays a game in the airport with a woman who has her same name. That game was a setup for that other “Jessica Williams” to steal her identity and empty out her bank accounts.

It’s only a matter of time before it occurs to Jessica Williams 1 to find out if this little game had been played before and if there were other victims, then leading her to those women who, all together, devise a trap… You get the current plot line as the Jessica Williamses team up to catch the fake one and get justice–or at least their money back; the past life of Jessica Williams 1 growing up in the cult, her support group with other cult members, and her relationship with the man who saved her. (TW child predator, past not graphic/ suicide past, detail, note/ child abuse/ alludes to past rape, no detail)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.

Hi mystery fans! It’s time to click all the mystery things. I found a bunch of posts, podcasts, and news, and I have a handful of really good books in Kindle deals that are all really different from each other for whatever reading mood you may be in.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Getting Gritty: 11 Authors like David Baldacci

9 Great British Mystery Series You Won’t Want to Put Down

Rincey and Katie talk about the new James Patterson and Bill Clinton book, a new Lisbeth Salander adaptation and mystery short story collections on the latest Read or Dead.

How Publishers Determine When to Release Hardcover Books in Paperback

10 Thrilling Spy Book Series for Espionage Lovers

New Unlikable Female Character episode: Kristen, Layne, and Wendy kick off Pride month by talking about the hot gay ladies you should watch out for, from Orange is the New Black to Killing Eve to the heroines of their own novels.

Crime Writers of Color podcast: Walter Mosley–Writing, Rejection and Trouble is What I Do

Over 1,000 Publishing Workers Strike to Protest Industry Racism

We’re giving away five copies of The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Enter to Win $250 to Spend at Barnes and Noble

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News And Adaptations

Grace Edwards, Harlem mystery writer, dead at 87

Here’s the trailer for the adaptation of Daniel Kehlmann’s psychological thriller You Should Have Left, starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried. It will be available on demand on June 19th.

We’re getting a sequel to Danny Gardner’s A Negro and an Ofay (Review) in fall and here’s an excerpt!

 

We have a trailer for the HBO docuseries based on the true crime memoir I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara.

J. K. Rowling, who also uses the pen name Robert Galbraith for her mystery series, once again made transphobic statements on Twitter. Daniel Radcliffe wrote a response essay on the Trevor Project’s website. It has also been questioned whether it’s a coincidence, after all of Rowling’s harmful statements, that she chose Robert Galbraith as her pen name being that Robert Galbraith Heath was an American psychologist who experimented with the cruel practice of conversion therapy. As of me writing this, Rowling has posted a super long anti-trans manifesto that I won’t be linking to because it puts marginalized people in danger. This thread, however, is a point-by-point response to her inaccuracies, fear mongering, and transphobic dogwhistles, amongst many other things.

Watch Now

Netflix: The Woods, a Polish crime drama series adapted from the Harlan Coben novel of the same name, about a twenty-year mystery set at a summer camp where a girl was murdered by a serial killer is now streaming. Watch the trailer.

Kindle Deals

If you’ve yet to read Jackson you need to remedy that–all her books are different from each other while fantastic: Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson is $1.99! (Review) (TW: domestic abuse/ child death/ pedophilia/ rape/ suicidal thought mentioned)

For a coming of age + mystery: Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay is $2.99! (Review) (TW addiction/ discussions of sex trafficking/ past rape, not detailed)

If you need cozy feels and laughs: A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery Book 1) by Dianne Freeman is $1.99! (Review)

If you want a whodunnit with a horror movie body count: White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig is $2.99! (Review) (TW: rape)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.

Hello mystery fans! I recently finished an excellent crime audiobook that left me thinking about mysteries that are either set in communities where you get to know a lot of the residents and/or mysteries set in a community where the community itself feels like a character. So–as you’ve certainly already guessed–that’s what I’ve rounded up for you today:

Deacon King Kong by James McBride: Set in1969, readers are taken into the Brooklyn Cause Houses housing project, which is filled with interesting characters, many of which are known solely by their nicknames. Like Sportcoat, a church deacon who’d taught a youth baseball team, who is also known as the drunk. In front of everyone, he walks up to the known drug dealer, Deems Clemens, and shoots him.

This surprises everyone, including Sportcoat who isn’t really aware he was responsible for the shooting and ends up with a price on his head for it. We follow the members of the community–including Colombian ants (yes, the actual insects)–after the shooting and get the history of so many characters–Latinx, white, Black, Italian–bringing not only this time period and place to life, but why Sportcoat shot Clemens, along with another mystery buried somewhere in the community… I can’t recommend this one enough: the writing is exceptional, the characters are fantastic, even though the subjects seem like it would make this a heavy novel it is not at all, and the audiobook is narrated by Dominic Hoffman who you may (should!) know as Whitley’s boyfriend from A Different World.  (TW alcoholism/ slurs/ past child abuse/ suicide)

Four Rabbi Small Mysteries: Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry, Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home, and Monday the Rabbi Took Off (The Rabbi Small Mysteries #1-4) by Harry Kemelman: This collects the first four novellas (a bit over 200 pages each) in the Rabbi Small cozy mystery series. Also set in the 1960s, but this time in the Barnard’s Crossing’s Jewish community in Massachusetts, a small-town not lacking in small-town drama, and follows Rabbi David Small. We start with Friday the Rabbi Slept Late where a nanny has been murdered and the Rabbi is trying to solve the case, while also being a suspect… This is a really good series for fans of cozy mysteries, especially if you’re looking for characters and a community we don’t get to see a lot of in mysteries. Plus, there’s 12 books in the series for a nice marathon.

IQ (IQ #1) by Joe Ide: Taking us to modern day, and to the side of gritty crime novels, is Ide’s series set in East Long Beach. The series starts by jumping between Isaiah Quintabe’s (a character influenced by Sherlock) childhood and his current life as a PI where he helps his community by taking on cases for whatever the person can afford (sometimes chickens!). This series currently has four novels following IQ, and his reluctant side kick of sorts, Dodson (rhymes with Watson!), and really brings to life East Long Beach’s various racial and ethnic groups to life without feeling stereotypical. This is a great series for fans of modern, gritty crime novels, Walter Mosley, and characters that aren’t just good or bad caricatures but human. (TW I would say over the course of the series it probably hits on all the major ones.)

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara: And for fans of standalone novels here’s one of my favorite reads of this year. It’s an adult novel, following child characters, that shines a light on underserved communities, treatment of women, and the voices ignored by those in power while keeping focus on the victims and those silenced, rather than the perpetrators. A trio of kids head out through a slum in India to find a missing classmate; Led by nine-year-old Jai, a boy who has watched so much procedural shows that he believes himself able to solve this mystery. But as more kids go missing it quickly becomes clear this is nothing like fictional PI shows and this is far from a Nancy Drew mystery. Anappara brings to life an underserved community filled with different types of people, showing their lives and desires rather than creating a trauma porn novel. If you’re an audiobook listener, I highly recommend that format as Indira Varma, Himesh Patel, and Antonio Aakeel are fantastic narrators. (TW child, domestic abuse/ child deaths)

And here are three upcoming titles (totally worth prebuy dollars/telling your library to purchase) that are very much community focused:

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole: A super good suspense novel you won’t be able to put down that is set in a gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood… (TW mentions past domestic violence/ panic attacks/ past suicide mentioned, detail)

The Silence of the White City (Trilogía de la Ciudad Blanca #1) by Eva García Sáenz: This is the start to a great translated serial killer series that will take you on a tour of northern Spain’s Basque Country. (TW child murders, not graphic/ attempted suicide and suicide/ partner, child abuse/ nonviable pregnancy/ date rape/ past statutory not on page)

Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden: One of my favorite characters is Virgil Wounded Horse, a vigilante for hire living in Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, who is forced to team up with his ex-girlfriend and the FBI… (TW addiction/ mentions suicides, one with detail/ past rapes including children mentioned, not graphic/ child death/ pedophile, crimes off page/ fat shaming)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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.