Category: Unusual Suspects

Hi mystery fans! I have for you a bunch of great links to click and read, a new adaptation to watch if you have Apple TV+, and of course I found you even more Kindle deals if you’re not spent from Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Rincey and Katie recommend great mystery and thriller books to gift–you are included as a giftee–on the latest Read or Dead.

Great Noir By Women

#BongHive Reads: 4 Books for Fans of the Movie PARASITE

The second episode of The Catch And Kill Podcast with Ronan Farrow is up.

NPR’s Book Concierge (so many great crime books!)

Reese’s Book Club chose Denise Mina’s Conviction for their December read!

Author Steph Cha on recognizing ‘the others’ on the page

How Tana French’s Dublin Murder thrillers developed their cult following

Best of the Decade: How Gillian Flynn broke barriers with Gone Girl

Sherlock Holmes can never die. New books about the great sleuth are making sure of it.

News And Adaptations

Stacey Abrams Producing CBS Drama Based on Her Novel (Yes, that Stacey Abrams–she writes romantic suspense novels under the pen name Selena Montgomery.)

HBO Max Takes U.S. Rights To Stephen Graham-Fronted ITV Crime Drama ‘White House Farm’

The new Bond trailer is here: No Time To Die (I am super here for the new 00 agent and Phoebe Waller-Bridge having rewritten the script.)

Watch Now

The Apple TV+’s adaptation of Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber starts today (the 6th) if you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, armchair detectives, and family drama. It stars Octavia Spencer, Aaron Paul, and Elizabeth Perkins so I’m watching! You can watch the trailer here.

Kindle Deals

If you like to travel in your mysteries and enjoy some family drama Beijing Payback by Daniel Nieh is $2.99!

If you’re looking for a mystery, part court room trial told in three parts from the different family members 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)

This seriously great start to a historical mystery series is $1.99: A Death of No Importance (Jane Prescott #1) by Mariah Fredericks (Review) (TW pedophile)

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! With the rush of the holidays, all the Best of Lists already written, everyone just trying to survive the end of the year, and publishing taking a snooze, it can be hard for books that release at the end of the year to get some attention. So I’ve rounded up some recent and upcoming releases along with recent paperback releases that I’m either currently reading, planning on reading, or read.

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh: I just started this one in print and immediately loaded the audiobook on my phone because those holiday decorations aren’t going to hang themselves. Anyhoo, Singh is a really popular romance/sci-fi/fantasy author and this seems to be her first thriller/suspense. It’s set in a remote town on the West Coast of New Zealand–and that was enough to sell me!–where years back a bunch of people disappeared. And now there’s a missing young woman. Dun, dun, dun! I can’t wait for all the small-town secrets to come out.

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison: A few years back Ellison wrote a twisty thriller, No One Knows, that I inhaled so I always keep an eye out for her books. This time we have a rich people prep school with a secret society, a death, and “there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.”

Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls by Jessica McDiarmid: If light holiday reading isn’t your thing, here’s a true crime book. The Highway of Tears is what an isolated stretch of highway in northwestern British Columbia has come to be called because for decades it’s where Indigenous girls and women have been murdered or disappeared from. “…a powerful story about our ongoing failure to provide justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and a testament to their families and communities’ unwavering determination to find it.”

Shatter the Night (Detective Gemma Monroe #4) by Emily Littlejohn: For procedural fans, here’s a series starring a Colorado police officer, Detective Gemma Monroe. It’s set around Halloween when a judge confides in Monroe that he’s been threatened and then things go BOOM–literally. With more murders, a cursed production of Macbeth, and a copycat killer Monroe better figure out what is happening fast…

Newcomer (Kyoichiro Kaga #2) by Keigo Higashino, Giles Murray (Translator) (Paperback): First, don’t worry about it being the 2nd in the series, these aren’t even being translated in order–it’s technically the 8th in the Japanese series. Second, this is a great mystery–surrounding a murdered woman–that also takes you into the business district of Nihonbashi, Japan as you follow different characters. Everyone has drama, and secrets, and day-to-day life problems making the detective have to work to unravel what may be connected to his case and what is not… If you shy away from Japanese crime novels because they’re usually labeled dark, this one doesn’t go into gritty details and instead focuses on the lives of the possible suspects. Great mystery to curl up with during winter.

Seventeen by Hideo Yokoyama, Louise Heal Kawai (Translator) (Paperback): Yokoyama wrote Six Four, which was a really detailed procedural that gave you the politics of the job in Japan and then flipped the thriller switch for the very end. And that’s why I’m excited to read his second book which is also politically fueled inner workings this time of the newspaper world set in 2003 but linked to the deadliest airplane crash in the ’80s. I am here for human drama and these slow-burn mysteries.

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 am properly stuffed with pecan pie and finishing off my holiday shopping. Inspired by that I have a list of gifts for mystery fans and a couple bibliophile gifts–sorry, technology doesn’t let me share my pecan pie via newsletter yet. Oh, and I found a bunch of Kindle ebook deals for you!

Stickers for any reading fan: Bibliophile stickers

This pin set is so adorable how do you not wear all 3 at once? Book Lover Pin Pals Gift Set

For fans of bookmarks and quotes: The Hate U Give Angie Thomas Quote Bookmark

For Star Wars, pun, and detective fans: Best detective mug

Because who doesn’t love Murder, She Wrote: Murder, She Wrote t-shirt

And who doesn’t love Jessica Fletcher! Murder, She Wrote unisex tshirt

Where are my Veronica Mars fans at? I’m a Marshmallow mug

For all the armchair detectives with unicorn souls: Armchair detective mug

For the Sherlock fans: Sherlock Holmes – Literature Rocks Glass

For fans of purdy books: The Folio Society has a section of crime & thrillers classics special editions.

And for true crime readers: In Cold Blood enamel, gold plated, pin.

Kindle Deals!

Start a great procedural series with Attica Locke’s Black Water Rising for $1.99!

Start another awesome procedural with Kathleen Kent’s The Dime currently $2.99! (Review) (Don’t remember TWs, sorry!)

And one more procedural series to start for $2.99! The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey (Review) (TW domestic violence/ rape/ suicide)

A great Chicago PI mystery: Broken Places by Tracy Clark is $2.99! (Review) (TW suicide)

A great P.I./Bounty Hunter teamup thriller: Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna is $2.99! (Review) (TW child cruelty/ pedophilia/ suicidal thoughts)

For a twisty past prep school mystery The Reunion by Guillaume Musso is $2.99! (Review) (TW talk of rape/ suicide, thoughts/ teacher student relationship)

If you like to see the fallout of a crime in a small community Alison Gaylin’s If I Die Tonight is $1.99! (Review) (TW suicide/ addiction)

Ben H Winter’s procedural meets apocalyptic is $1.99: The Last Policeman (If you’ve been waiting to read this trilogy the sequel and final book are also each $1.99: Countdown City and World Of Trouble)

If you’re looking for a small-town unsolved mystery Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus is $1.99! (Review)

Start a great cozy series: Friday The Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman is $1.99!

Jo Nesbo’s Macbeth retelling as a procedural is $4.99!

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! It is that time of year where I look back at all I read this year and tell you my personal favorite reads. And I rounded up your personal favorites too!

My Favorite 2019 Crime Reads

The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina, Ezekiel Kwaymullina: A beautiful crime novel about grief, death, family, and friendship–starring a ghost. (Review)

Heaven, My Home (Highway 59 #2) by Attica Locke: Locke is one of THE BEST crime writers. (Review)

Know My Name by Chanel Miller: One of the best memoirs, true crime books I’ve ever read. (Review)

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay: Excellent mystery and coming-of-age! (Review)

Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha: I’m still thinking about the characters in this novel. (Review)

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson: Not like other spy novels! (Review)

The Other Americans by Laila Lalami: Exploring the fallout of a crime–perfect for character driven and literary fans. (Review)

A Deadly Divide (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak #5) by Ausma Zehanat Khan: My favorite entry in one of my favorite procedural series. (Review)

As Long as We Both Shall Live by JoAnn Chaney: My favorite thriller this year! (Review)

The Lost Man by Jane Harper: Makes the atmosphere a character! (Review)

Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig: Fun, heartfelt, and full of found family! (Review)

The Stories You Tell (Roxane Weary #3) by Kristen Lepionka: Great PI series with a character I’m always rooting for. (Review)

Code Name: Lise. The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII’s Most Highly Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis: Page-turning narrative nonfiction! (Review)

Alice’s Island by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo: So many surprising turns! (Review)

The Vanished Bride (Brontë Sisters Mystery #1) by Bella Ellis: Fun and clever reimagining of the Brontë sisters as detectors! (Review)

And The Art of Theft (Lady Sherlock #4) by Sherry Thomas and A Dangerous Collaboration (Veronica Speedwell #4) by Deanna Raybourn are both series that any year there is a release it’s one of my favorites. (Review) and (Review)

Your Favorites! (I asked and you told me: here’s a big selection of what your fellow newsletter readers loved reading this year!)

7 votes for Jane Harper’s The Lost Man: “This book has a great mystery, great characters, and made me ugly cry.”–Aimee Dars Ellis

2 votes for The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

2 votes for Pete Fernandez conclusion Miami Midnight by Alex Segura: “A perfect encapsulation of the evolution of the character and Segura’s skills as a writer.” –Scott Cumming

2 votes for Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling’s Lethal White

Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware: “I was completely lost in the story within the first couple of pages. The suspense kept me going and I could not stop reading until I was finished.”–anonymous

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold:  “It’s a fascinating look at the lives of Victorian women and how the lives of victims of a terrible crime are often overlooked or misrepresented while the (usually male) criminal is glorified into a cult figure.”–Greg Baird

Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand: “Incredibly well-researched and written Historical Fiction. Feels like a true crime novel with references to well known historical figures, a movie studio, and a long gone amusement park. Added bonus for it’s respectful treatment of gender identity and mental health issues. Gritty, but not gory.”–Heidi

4 votes for A Better Man by Louise Penny (and for the series): “The entire series is amazing and each book seems to get better and better. I love the characters and wish I lived in Three Pines with them.”–Anne Egbert

2 votes for The Whisper Man by Alex North: “phenomenal! Intense & creepy, awesome debut.”–Rhonda

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim: “was a unique story told by a group of interesting characters and an exciting courtroom drama.”–anonymous

Heaven, My Home by by Attica Locke

Heart of Barkness (Chet and Bernie Mystery #9) by Spencer Quinn: “Chet the Jet is why I loved it so much.”–TVL

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips: “Interesting geographical location, good characters, unique story about how one crime impacts how other people alter their behavior or thinking.”–Rachel Gould

Knife by Joe Nesbo: “This series by a Scandinavian Author is always so complex you just can’t put it down.”–Cherre Grunert

2 votes for American Predator by Maureen Callahan: “This one was really scary, in large part because of the ruthless, random, anyone-could-be-the-next-victim nature of Israel Keyes’ crimes.”–Amy Pickett

Backlist

3 votes for My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite: “not like anything else I’ve read.”–Craig Pittman

The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones: “Tokyo is a big part of the story and a city I seldom read books with that setting. It features a very unlikeable main character but I was still rooting for her. Extremely unsettling ending.”–Carol

Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

In the Woods  and The Likeness by Tana French: “When the detectives make you more anguished than the criminal.”–Daniela Lopes Araujo / “Re-read in prep for the tv show! I love this series so, so much!”–Kristen

Bearskin by James A. McLaughlin: “Wilderness and crime”–Sandy

The Secret History by Donna Tartt: “One of my top five books of all time and I reread it every year or two.”–Leona Judge

The Third Squad by V. Sanjay Kumar: “I thought the writing was strange, something about the way we sat in any particular character’s viewpoint was offkilter/unstable, which completely adds to the noir setup.”–April Lott

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

The Knowledge (Richard Jury #24) by Martha Grimes: “Grimes writes beautifully, and I love the idea of a secret bar for cabbies!”–anonymous

A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem: “brilliant writing, well-drawn characters and thoughtful plot.”–Lora Martin

“I think the Stumptown series by Greg Rucka is really enjoyable. The various misadventures of a down on her luck bisexual PI picking up cases was interesting and sometimes, funny.”–Ash

“I loved Bones of the Earth by Eliot Pattison because it’s the last of a wonderful series, contains pre-Buddhist Tibetan religion and environmental protest. I also loved seeing Eliot Pattison speak about this book at the Bay Area Book Festival.”–Linda Frankel

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! It’s the end of the year so publishing is starting to take some naps in preparation for the big book explosion that comes in the new year. But I still have links to click, Kindle deals and such. Next week, I’ll have my favorite reads of 2019 and yours–so many of you told me your favorite reads, I love it!

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

United States of a Mystery: Essential Georgia Crime Fiction

8 Edge-of-Your-Seat Thriller Novels You’ll Want to Read In 2020

QUIZ: How Many Teen Detectives Can You Name?

Enter to Win $50 to Your Favorite Indie Bookstore

“When I sold [Gone Girl] in 2006, no one wanted it,” Gillian Flynn told EW last year. “They said men don’t like to read about women, and women don’t like women like this woman. We’ve come a long way, but it’s important to have this vocabulary. It’s dangerous to pretend women don’t have anger.” —The unreliable narrator is the biggest book trend of the decade

Take a break from turkey and stuffing to dig into these 6 paperback titles

Best Crime Fiction 2019

Crimen Latino: Latin Crime Fiction Is the Genre’s New Wave

News And Adaptations

I am making ALL the popcorn for USA Networks’ adaptation of Megan Abbott’s Dare Me!

Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs and Alison Gaylin’s If I Die Tonight adaptations in the works.

Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen Are Incredible in ‘The Good Liar’ Adaptation

Dean Koontz reveals 6 new thrillers — and why you won’t find them in bookstores

Kindle Deals

Dark Chapter by Winnie M Li is $4.99. A novel Li wrote a decade after having been raped, exploring her ordeal from her and the attackers point of view. (Review)

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine is $1.99 and one of those books I’ve randomly had recommended to me a lot so time for me to read it!

 

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

The end of the year always makes me restless to read all the books I was really excited to read outside of the crime genre so that’s what I’ve been doing. My libro.fm pick last month was Jaquira Díaz’s memoir Ordinary Girls (all the trigger warnings) and I loved it! This has certainly been an exceptional year for memoirs/nonfic, especially new voices loudly proclaiming they are here. I inhaled Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (TW suicide) which is funny and perfectly weird and Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capo Crucet, which bathed my soul with violetas. They all have fantastic narrators on the audiobooks too!

My crime reads were/are: The Missing American by Kwei Quartey which I really liked–especially the internet scam view it gave and I’m excited it starts a series! (TW attempted rape on page/ suicide on page/ heads-up for ableism re autism) And I’m halfway into The Burn (Betty Rhyzyk #2) by Kathleen Kent and I love this character and series so much–if you’ve yet to read the first, The Dime, I highly recommend you do so before the sequel release next year.

Hope you’re reading something great!

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 that time of year where there are tons of Best of Lists which always reminds me that those lists are based on the writers’ limited reading and most likely publishing’s marketing. There is a misconception that books with low number of reviews aren’t good. But the case is usually that the book just didn’t get a lot of marketing (if any), got the wrong marketing, or other factors like it released when other things were very loud, and it never had a chance to get heard. So with that in mind I want to list books from this year that are under the radar but definitely deserve more noise and readers. They’re good books! (I have limited space so for full reviews/TWs click the links.)

A Prayer for Travelers by Ruchika Tomar: This was one of my favorite reads of the year, and if you were a big fan of last year’s hit Sadie by Courtney Summers you should definitely pick this one up. In a small Nevada desert town, Cale is dealing with her dying grandfather–who raised her–and trying to find her missing friend Penny. A friend who only she seems concerned to find. (Full review)

The Black Jersey by Jorge Zepeda Patterson, Achy Obejas (Translation): A whodunnit on the tour de France that’s an entertaining read even if you have zero interest in cycling. Marc, and his best friend, are racing on an elite Tour de France team when accidents start to happen. Accidents that sure could be construed as eliminating the competition. But whose competition?… (Full review)

Second Sight by Aoife Clifford: This is a great read for fans of past and present mysteries, Australian crime, missing person case, legal cases, towns reckoning with their past, and family drama. And it opened with a hell of bang! (Full review)

Girl Gone Missing (Cash Blackbear mysteries #2) by Marcie Rendon: There’s a lot of voices missing from the crime genre that I want a lot more from and Rendon is one. This is a character-driven crime novel (reads as standalone) with suspense that follows 19-year-old Chippewa woman Renee Blackbear, known as Cash, living in Fargo in the 1970s who has dreams of missing women calling to her… (Full review)

A Deadly Divide (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak #5) by Ausma Zehanat Khan: This is one of my favorite procedural series which follows two detectives working on minority cases in Canada that travels around the world and really explores a lot of social issues with nuance. (Full review)

Spin by Lamar Giles: Giles gives us three different girls, with different families and struggles who are all trying to find their way, while shining a light on the inequalities of social justice, obsession, and the dark side of social media and fame as everyone tries to find out who murdered an up-and-coming DJ. (Full review)

Borrowed Time (Cass Raines #2) by Tracy Clark: This is a great new detective series, set in Chicago following an ex-cop, that is great for fans of Sue Grafton type series. I love that this one follows Raines’ steps through the investigation from clue to clue and has character growth as her ex-partner, nun friend (who is awesome), and possible romantic partner keep orbiting her, trying to be let in. If you like solid mysteries with explosive endings and funny no-nonsense leads, you’ll really enjoy this series. (Full review)

Iced in Paradise: A Leilani Santiago Hawai’i Mystery by Naomi Hirahara: This was such a a great mystery read that is filled with family, culture, food–and if you didn’t already want to go to Hawai’i you certainly will now. I think this one works really well for fans of cozy mysteries, but also for those who shy away from cozy mysteries thinking they’re too slow. (Full review)

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! Got you some interesting things to click, Kindle deals, and some of my recent reading. And I want to know what your favorite crime reads have been this year so I can round them up and share! You can tell me here. Don’t worry it’s just two questions–short and quick.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Rincey and Katie talk mystery awards and crime nonfiction in the latest Read or Dead.

4 Genderbent Sherlock Holmes Novels for the 21st Century

QUIZ: How Many Teen Detectives Can You Name?

One Of 2019’s Best Crime Novels & More Must-Read Mystery & Thrillers

Four Women Who Forever Changed the Gilded Age Mystery Genre

Chanel Miller Reads Powerful Poem About Sexual Assault Survivors at Glamour Women of the Year Awards

Tana French Is Our Best Living Mystery Writer

Did your first round picks make it to the second round? Vote in the semi-finals Goodreads Choice Awards.

Adaptations And News

Samantha Downing’s next novel title and cover made me laugh.

If you haven’t watched ‘You’ yet, you better get on it because season 2 is coming soon

With “revenge porn” popping up more and more in crime novels here’s Kamala Harris explaining why it should be termed “cyber exploitation” instead.

SCOOB! Trailer Shows The Origins Of Scooby-Doo And Mystery Inc.

Brad Meltzer gets kids to care about history in PBS’s ‘Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum’

Kindle Deals

Two books in Inspector Singh Investigates series are on sale! A Curious Indian Cadaver and A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree are each $3.99!

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley is $1.99 if you’re looking to start a long running delightful British mystery series.

And Paula Hawkins’ last thriller Into the Water is $4.99 (Definitely had TWs but I don’t remember them, sorry.)

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

Started reading: The Missing American by Kwei Quartey, which so far follows a fired cop in Ghana becoming a PI, the people who create email scams asking for money (super interesting to see the other side of it), and a widowed American who has just fallen for one of the scams and traveled to Ghana.

Finished: I listened to and really enjoyed The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott, which is a historical fiction that follows various women during the Cold War who were secretaries and spies. (TW groping/ attempted rape, on page/ sexual harassment/ past suicide mention, no detail) And I read Front Desk by Kelly Yang about a girl working with her parents at a motel and this is an all time favorite book for me.

Super excited galley scores: I got the next books in two of my favorite historical mysteries series! A Murderous Relation (Veronica Speedwell, #5) by Deanna Raybourn and Death of an American Beauty (Jane Prescott #3) by Mariah Fredericks.

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! This week I have for you a British spy/coming-of-age novel, a character driven mystery, and Ronan Farrow’s true crime/memoir.

Reluctant British Spy! (TW mass shootings, terrorist attacks/ child deaths/ past attempted suicides mentioned)

East of Hounslow (Jay Qasim #1) by Khurrum Rahman: This was so good I listened to it in one day. It’s one of those novels where the character’s voice just grabbed me immediately and I honestly was rooting for him throughout, no matter what he did or said–which, for me, is always an indicator of how much I love a character.

Jay, a young man in West London, doesn’t have anything in his life figured out yet, other than selling drugs to make money and owning a BMW. That is, until a series of events leads to him getting into trouble with his supplier, and MI5 using this as a perfect opportunity to recruit (blackmail?) him into going undercover for them. MI5 sees a young Pakistani Muslim who can infiltrate an extremist group and report back information. Jay, on the other hand, would much rather stay out of religious and political issues, and as a young man who drinks, enjoys sex, and visits the Mosque when he feels like doesn’t believe in judging people’s degrees of religious participation.

Everything is now going to change for Jay as he’s forced to interact with people on opposing sides of issues and those in between, which will lead to him having to make a lot of difficult decisions–and not get caught working for MI5. This is mostly told from Jay’s perspective, although POV does change a bit, and is a great immersion into a community in London, a nuanced look at current political issues, and a great coming-of-age tale.

The narrator on the audiobook, Waleed Akhtar, is perfect! (I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla, Amazon has it currently for $6.95, which is ridiculously priced and I can’t recommend enough–but it looks like the e-book and paperback release in the U.S. in 2020. There’s always the option of bookstores like Waterstones and Book Depository that ship worldwide–it’s that good!)

For Literary Fans (TW hunting, animal cruelty)

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translation): This is a character driven novel in a remote setting where murders have occurred. We follow along–mostly listen to–as Janina describes the remote Polish village she lives in, her neighbor’s death, and tries to discover what may have happened to Big Foot (the neighbor, not the creature)–hunted animals revenge?

When more bodies are found she tries to help but no one pays much mind to a single elderly lady who is a nature lover, waxes on about astrology and philosophically about various beliefs–including the evils of SUV drivers and their tiny penises. She contacts the police various times trying to be heard, but even they pay her no mind. What is happening and will Janina get to the bottom of it and find peace? If you’re a fan of translated literary works this is fantastic (quirky, character driven–with a super satisfying ending) and I loved the narrator, Beata Pozniak, who really brought this character’s specific way of speaking to life.

My Great Nonfiction Streak Continues! (TW rape/ sexual harassment)

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow: I had planned on reading She Said by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey first and then Farrow’s book but library holds dictated my order instead and Farrow went first. This was a great read for fans of journalism and following along to see how reporters get sources and put together breaking stories.

In Farrow’s case, as he looked into Harvey Weinstein’s predatory behavior and spoke to women who’d been attacked he didn’t get the support from NBC that one would think a network would give with a story this potentially huge. Here, Farrow recounts the hoops they put him through and, ultimately, how he was sidelined and asked to stop working on the story. While it focuses on Weinstein’s story–along with a few other predators–the book shows that no one operates alone and how systems and our culture not only enable but protect this kind of behavior.

I really like how Farrow basically just laid out facts of events–even showing himself in not the greatest light sometimes, including a fight he had with his sister over Woody Allen. And you know I always go with the audiobook when narrated by the author. I loved the audiobook because Farrow does some ridiculous accents for people he had conversations with, which, for me, acted like pressure relievers on a very serious topic–but some may find this annoying or distracting so listen to a sample. He also has little blips of his sarcastic thoughts, which I enjoyed. And even though he’s always been a very private person he has conversations with his now fiancé in the book (related to the case and how he’s working himself into the ground), which were really sweet and funny and a reminder of how important support systems are.

Recent Releases

Goldie Vance Graphic Novel Gift Set by Hope Larson (Author), Jackie Ball, Brittney Williams, Elle Power, Noah Hayes (This is a great gift for comic and Nancy Drew fans as it collects the first four volumes of the very awesome Goldie Vance.)

Queen of Bones (A Havana Mystery Book 2) by Teresa Dovalpage (TBR: mystery series set in Cuba)

Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens (TBR: small-town crime novel.)

The Black Ghost #3 (of 5) by Monica Gallagher, Alex Segura,  Greg Lockard, George Kambadais (New noir + superhero/vigilante comic series.)

The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle by Kent Alexander, Kevin Salwen (Currently reading: True crime book that looks at the 1996 Olympic bombing, the security guard that went from hero to accused, and how most of what is remembered is wrong.)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest 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 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 your weekly links roundup, two great Kindle deals, and a few things to watch as we slide into the weekend.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Want To Borrow A Library Ebook? Why It Might Become More Challenging (& How Libraries Are Fighting Back)

Here Are All 56 Original Nancy Drew Books, Ranked Worst to Best

Exclusive: Read a Bone-Chilling Chapter From Simone St. James’s The Sun Down Motel

You have until the 10th for first round voting in this year’s Goodreads Choice awards. Here’s mystery & thrillers, Debut Novel, Young Adult Fiction, and Nonfiction –all of which have crime books.

Attica Locke: “My unconscious is a better writer than I am.”

Racial Unrest Of Early ’90s Los Angeles Resurfaces In ‘Your House Will Pay’

The World’s Most Luxurious Murder Mystery Vacation

News And Adaptations

Lady Gaga to Star in Ridley Scott’s Gucci Murder Movie

Stumptown and TV’s Legacy of Hard-Boiled Detectives

Anna Chlumsky & Julia Garner Among 5 Cast In Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix Series Based On Anna Delvey

Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ Is a Big Lie. Here’s What Really Happened to Jimmy Hoffa.

Watch Now

On Starz November 10th: Dublin Murders the adaptation of Tana French’s first two novels, In The Woods (Kindle deal!) and The Likeness. Since I don’t have Starz channel I have looked it up and you can add on Starz to your Amazon Prime subscription and your Hulu subscription for a monthly basis if you were looking for options on how to watch the show. And here’s the trailer.

On DVD: The Kitchen starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss as mob bosses who take over the business when their husbands go to prison. It’s based on the graphic novel by Ollie Masters, Ming Doyle and you can see the trailer here.

On Amazon Prime: Jack Ryan, the character from Tom Clancy’s novels Patriot Games and The Hunt For Red October, now has season two (8 episodes) streaming. Check out buff Jim Harper in the trailer.

Kindle Deals

Broken Places (Cass Raines #1) by Tracy Clark is $1.99 and a great start to a recent PI series! (Review) (TW suicide)

In the Woods by Tana French is $1.99 if you still haven’t started the Dublin Murder series! Seriously, she’s one of the best current crime writers and perfect for procedural fans. (TW child death/ rape)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest 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 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 week I have for you Lady Sherlock, a P.I. at a magic school, and a delightful cozy mystery!

Still My Favorite Sherlock

The Art of Theft (Lady Sherlock #4) by Sherry Thomas: This is one of those series where I highly anticipate the next book in the series all year and am never disappointed. Charlotte Holmes is funny, clever, resourceful, and highly entertaining as she solves crimes under Sherlock Holmes’ name. This time around she has a gang of people helping out, which really added to the fun and intrigue for me. There’s blackmail, past love and new love–Holmes takes a backseat–a priceless painting, French chateau, fake identities, disguises… I love that I can always count on a solid mystery, fantastic characters and relationships, some laughs, and a great time! And here’s something I never say: A lot happens in this series so it’s best to start at the beginning.

P.I. Sprinkled With Magic!

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey: This is first and foremost a P.I. novel, however it has the spin of being set at a school for magic (yes, real magic) but it’s all set in our real world. Ivy Gamble isn’t magic, she’s a P.I. Her twin sister Tabitha however is, and always has been, magic. They don’t speak. Until now, when a murder at the school where Tabitha works brings Ivy in to investigate. Ivy is very closed off, matter of fact, and is forced to deal with her estranged relationship with her sister as she tries to figure out who committed this gruesome murder. Ultimately, you get a good P.I. novel with a great exploration of grief and family. While this is a standalone if it ever gets a followup I’d definitely read it.

Fun, Cozy Historical Mystery

A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #1) by Dianne Freeman: Frances Wynn, an American woman living in Victorian England, has just passed the grieving stage after her husband’s death. He married her for her money and died in bed with his mistress so let’s say Wynn is ready for this new stage of her life. Which quickly turns into her mom pawning her younger sister off on her to be introduced into society. And then Wynn is accused of having murdered her husband. And then of jewelry thefts. Seriously, she just can’t catch a break. So she does what any woman in her position would do and starts trying to figure out who wants to frame her while also trying to keep her sister from falling into a bad marriage. This was a humorous and entertaining mystery with a delightful main character. The audiobook has a wonderful narrator, I’ve already gotten the sequel, and noted that the third should publish in 2020.

Recent Releases

The Ninja Daughter by Tori Eldridge (Currently reading: Young woman literally out for vengeance!) (TW attempted date rape on page/ domestic abuse)

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (Currently reading: A woman adopted as a baby inherits her birth family’s home and the secrets that come with it…I always enjoy falling into Jewell’s characters lives and seeing how they get woven together.) (TW past domestic abuse/ date rape on page/ past suicide)

City of Scoundrels (Counterfeit Lady #3) by Victoria Thompson (Historical mystery series set in early 1900’s NY.)

The Angels’ Share (Wine Country Mysteries #10) by Ellen Crosby (Modern day mystery with secret society and bootleg Prohibition wine.)

The Last to Die by Kelly Garrett (Intrigued by the premise of teens swapping keys/alarm codes to break into each other’s homes until they up the game to a classmate not in their circle of friends and someone ends up dead.)

Lives Laid Away (August Snow #2) by Stephen Mack Jones (Paperback) (I really enjoy this series that is P.I. plus action movie scenes–Review) (TW suicide/ human trafficking/ rape)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest 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 Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own you can sign up here.