Category: Unusual Suspects

Hi mystery fans! I don’t know where August went but it just means that fall books are coming to get us! Also, fall TV/films which are bound to have a bunch of adaptations because everything gets adapted now–or so it feels. Anyhoo, here are your links and Kindle deals for the week! Hope you’re reading something awesome!

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Liberty and Tirzah talk about a couple mysteries that released this week on All The Books!

The United States of Wrongdoing: 50 Great Books About True Crimes

Women Have Always Loved Reading Thrillers—Just Ask the Victorians

Lisbeth Salander is back — and angrier than ever

5 Campus Crime Novels For Back-To-School

Has DISCLOSURE Aged Well in a MeToo Era?

15 Romantic Suspense Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down

Adaptations And News

7 of the Best Books for MINDHUNTER Fans

‘Bond 25’ Title Revealed

MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN – Official Trailer (Adaptation of Jonathan Lethem novel: “a lonely private detective living with Tourette Syndrome, ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend.”)

Briarpatch | Official Trailer – Starring Rosario Dawson | on USA Network (Adaptation of Ross Thomas novel: The sibling of a murdered homicide detective decides to search for the killer.)

The 11 Books You Need to Read to Keep Up With Fall Movie Season

Kindle Deals

Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan is $1.99 if you’re looking for 2 Jesuit priests solving crimes! (Review) (TW I don’t remember but children are the victims.)

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson is $2.99 if you’re looking for a double mystery and great start to a trilogy–Full review.

 

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

Reading: Tayari Jones wrote one of my favorite novels ever–Silver Sparrow –and I realized that I still hadn’t read her novel Leaving Atlanta so that is getting rectified. I was gifted The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death by Corinne May Botz because I am fascinated by Frances Glessner Lee who in the 1930s made true crime dollhouse scenes and founded the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard. And I’ve been listening to Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia as my crime break which mixes Mexican mythology and sci-fi for an awesome adventure story.

Finished: The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis is an utterly delightful, smart, and great fun mystery. It reimagines the Brontë sisters as detectors who set out to solve a missing woman case. I loved it! And you don’t have to know, or care, about the classic works to thoroughly enjoy this book, especially if you enjoy historical mysteries.

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.

Hello mystery fans! This week I’m coming at you with a historical fiction mystery I loved, a dark-ish British serial killer with a past and present mystery, and an exploration of true crime.

Historical Mystery (TW suicide)

The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony #1) by Ovidia Yu: Set in 1936 Singapore a local teen, SuLin, was orphaned young and left with a limp from Polio but, thanks to her aunt, received an education. Now, rather than allowing herself to be married off, she wants to work. Which works out for her because the nanny in the Acting Governor’s house is murdered and a new nanny is needed. Not the work she wanted but SuLin–who is smart, perceptive, and kind–finds herself trying to help the girl in her charge while navigating the upstairs, downstairs and racial politics–Oh, and figuring out what happened to the nanny! She finds herself working in a way with Chief Inspector Thomas LeFroy as he tries to solve the murder and she tries to get a handle on the family living in the Governor’s House. Then there’s another death…I especially loved the setting, characters, “partnership” and am really glad it’s the start of a series with two more books already out!

British Serial Killer (TW addiction/ child abuse, murder/ pedophile)

The Whisper Man by Alex North: If you’re looking for a dark-ish British thriller and enjoy past and present mysteries, this was a good read–and audiobook! A recently widowed father, Tom Kennedy, moves to a small-town, Featherbank, with his young son hoping for a fresh start. But it’s hard to make a fresh start when a town has a grizzly past–a serial killer that preyed on children 20 years before. Now with a young boy missing, two DI’s on the case–one who thought he’d caught the serial killer years ago, but never found one of the children–and Tom’s young son seeing things and talking to an imaginary girl in their new home things take a creepy turn. What is happening now, and what happened all those years before?… It’s told from multiple points of view–giving you part procedural, part family drama–with a monstrous serial killer weaving in terror, but the core of the book is about father and son relationships.

Exploration Of True Crime (TW basically everything)

Savage Appetites: Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession by Rachel Monroe: I have so many thoughts on this book I could write an entire review for each of the four sections. It starts and ends with the author attending a true crime con. In between it focuses on one fascinating woman and three cold cases which are looked at from a different angle then just the actual case–women’s obsession is the “thesis” for the book. First, we learn about Frances Glessner Lee who in the 1940s created true crime scene dioramas like dollhouses and was very influential about creating what we know as forensics science today. I loved learning about her and think she should be widely known! I could have done without blips of the author’s harsh-ish judgement of Lee which seemed unwarranted, and even if warranted unnecessary. The second section is about a woman who burrowed her way into the Tate family and I only read half of it–I’ve been done with everything Manson related for a long time. The treatment for so long has upheld everything that is wrong with true crime, and while it completely makes sense it’s in this book, I just personally couldn’t. The third section was back to fascinating for me: It focuses on a N.Y. landscape architect who saw a documentary about a convicted child murderer (West Memphis Three) and sought him out, married him, then dedicated her life to proving his innocence. This was one of those (in)justice system stories that should have more focus and brought me back to why I’d picked up this book. And finally a young woman’s obsession, and pockets of the internet/social media, with Columbine and her own attempt at a mass shooting–which sadly could not be more timely. If you read true crime and don’t know these stories this book will most likely work really well for you. If you read true crime and are starting to branch out in exploring the genre’s issues this is also a good pickup. If you firmly sit in the camp that true crime is exploitative and all the genre’s issues need to be addressed this book will probably meet you 1/2 way but everything else you want said will be just out of reach.

Recent Releases

Wonton Terror (A Noodle Shop Mystery #4) by Vivien Chien (Currently reading: Always enjoyable cozy mystery that leaves me starving for Chinese food.)

A Better Man (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #15) by Louise Penny (Excellent series for fans of procedurals/detectives who want a Canadian setting.)

The Truth Behind the Lie (Kouplan #1) by Sara Lövestam (TBR: Iranian refugee PI working in Sweden for clients who can’t go to the police.)

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.

Hi mystery fans! Book Riot recently did “crime day” on the site so I got the link to all those awesome posts, some news–which will start gearing back up now with fall, I promise–your kindle deals, and some more things I think you’d like to know!

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Aya de Leon: Fiction of Empathy and Escapism

We’re Celebrating Crime Day!

True Crime: Beyond Serial Killers And Sensationalized Crimes

10 of the Best True Crime Books

12 (Mostly) Enamel Pins For Mystery and True Crime Fans

Rincey and Katie talk news, recent releases, and mysteries for Women in Translation month on the latest Read or Dead!

5 Historical Mysteries That Combine Real History With Whodunnit

Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike Series in Order

10 Canadian thrillers and mysteries to check out this summer

What Book Does Ruth Ware Call ‘Truly Terrifying’?

News And Adaptations

BBC Studios-Backed Firebird Pictures Developing TV Adaptation Of Snowboarding Thriller ‘Shiver’

BBC Buys ‘Vienna Blood’ Crime Thriller Series from ‘Sherlock’ Writer (EXCLUSIVE)

Look of the Week: The style casebook of Joan Watson on Elementary

This one scene explains what makes Netflix’s Mindhunter so scary

Kindle Deals

If all my shouting about Sherry Thomas’ A Study In Scarlet Women still hasn’t gotten you to read it maybe its current price of $2.99 will?! (Review) (TW past rape–if memory serves right.)

If “a fractured family is forced to reunite literary novel that is held together by a mystery and sprinkled with suspense” sounds like your jam Dead Letters by by Caite Dolan-Leach is $4.99! (I do not remember trigger warnings, sorry.)

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

Started: Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly on audio, which seems like a real fitting read right now.

Finished: How Quickly She Disappears by Raymond Fleischmann (Jan 14, 2020) which is a great historical suspense with a running thread of low level creep factor throughout. (TW child abuse/ suicidal thoughts/ pedophile)

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.

Hello mystery fans! After having tripped–for the third time–on a pile of upcoming books that I’m dying to read I decided that for this week’s newsletter I’d talk about upcoming books to have on your radar. This way you can request from your library (and hopefully be first in line!) or if you’re a pre-buyer you can start reading the day the book publishes.

Fall Releases

The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis (Sept 9th): I didn’t realize how very much I wanted a historical mystery where Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Anne Brontë (the Brontë sisters!) are detectors until this landed on my doorstep.

Iced in Paradise: A Leilani Santiago Hawai’i Mystery by Naomi Hirahara (Sept 3): Set on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i (!) Leilani Santiago is working at the family’s shaved ice shack when she ends up having to solve a murder to prove her father didn’t do it. I know!

The Furies by Katie Lowe (Oct 8th): Elite private school. Small coastal town. 17th century witch trials history. Dead girl. Narrator recounting events that led up to the murder. So much yes for me!

In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery #1) by Diana Peterfreund (Oct 8th): As a kid I was obsessed with the movie Clue, Agatha Christie, and both the Clue board game and VCR game so obviously this book–which begins a YA trilogy–was written for me.

The Art of Theft (Lady Sherlock #4) by Sherry Thomas (Oct 15th): You will have to pry this delightful and fantastic reimagined Sherlock series from my dead cold hands I love it so much!

Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré (Oct 22nd): A new standalone novel from the master spy author–I mean if you’re gonna read a spy thriller you can’t go wrong reading one written by an author who once worked for MI5 and MI6. Just saying.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (Nov 5th): For fans of Lisa Jewell (me!) we’re getting a new novel! 25 years ago a baby was found in a mansion with 3 dead bodies and 4 children missing. Now a woman discovers who her birth parents were and inherits a mansion…

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh (Dec 3rd): A small-town mystery in New Zealand where people have vanished and now the past has come back and people’s secrets are gonna come out!

Recent Releases

The Paper Bark Tree Mystery (Crown Colony #3) by Ovidia Yu (Great historical mystery series following a teen sleuth in 1930s Singapore.)

Savage Appetites: Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession by Rachel Monroe (Almost finished: A look at true crime by focusing on 4 cases or historical moments that has a lot of interesting information. I’ve had a lot of thoughts while reading this one so will certainly be reviewing.)

The Last Widow (Will Trent #9) by Karin Slaughter (Certainly an alarm has been sounded because there’s a new Slaughter! If you’ve yet to read her work it’s fantastic, dark, and intense.)

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.

Hi mystery fans! I’ve got some interesting links I collected for you, of course some Kindle deals, and I asked a mystery author to do my “week in reading” this week because fun!

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Y’all, I’m Getting Pretty Excited About Agora’s Diverse Crime Fiction

9 Spine-Tingling Psychological Thrillers About Motherhood

Chris Evans Will Star In This Legal Mystery & Other Favorite Mysteries & Thrillers!

Smart And Snarky, ‘The Westing Game’ Provides Lasting Laughs

How Tana French Inhabits the Minds of Her Detectives

Why Do So Many Women Read Thrillers? Because It’s A Safe Space To Own Their Fears

True Crime

‘American Crime Story’ Season 3 to Tackle Clinton Impeachment With Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky

The Harvard Professor Scam Gets Even Weirder Six other men describe their encounters with the same mysterious Frenchwoman.

South Korean cult leader who held 400 people captive in Fiji jailed for six years

Edward Snowden book coming out Sept. 17

Kindle Deals

All These Perfect Strangers by Aoife Clifford is $5.99 if you’re looking for a good Australian crime novel! (Review) (TW rape/ past suicide mentioned/ past child and domestic abuse mentions)

And this one is from my TBR list: The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is $3.99 if you’re looking for a crime type Sliding Doors--which apparently is a thing I didn’t know I wanted.

A Bit Of Someone Else’s Week In Reading!

Since I love hearing what authors are reading and enjoying I thought I’d ask Alex Segura (Archie Comics Co-President, co-writer/co-creator of the Lethal Lit podcast, and author of the Pete Fernandez P.I. series) if he’d like to take over this week’s “what I’m reading” for me. He was nice enough to say yes, and so here is a bit of Alex Segura’s week in reading:

Currently Reading: #FashionVictim by Amina Akhtar – which is kind of like The Devil Wears Prada starring Rebecca DeMornay’s character from The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Akhar knows the fashion world from her own career as an editor, and her writing is crisp, funny, and wicked. I’m almost done with this book and my biggest thought is “What the hell took me so long?”

 

Finished reading and really liked: Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett was a blast – a dark, unsettling and brutally lovely Florida crime novel? Yes, please. Arnett’s prose is dazzling and this felt like the right book at the right time. The kind of novel that sticks with you and makes you rethink everything. I also absolutely loved Laura Lippman’s latest, Lady in the Lake which takes you back to 1966 Baltimore in a crime story that echoes many things going on today – race, identity, the patriarchy and more, all told in Lippman’s fluid, comfortable style. Her best yet. Also amazing? Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha – a powerhouse standalone from the author of the can’t-miss Juniper Song series. Violent, evocative and thoughtful, it’s a masterwork.

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.

Hi mystery fans! This week I have for you a missing person (which happens to be a favorite read this year), a historical British procedural, and a nonviolent true crime that is super good!

One Of My Favorite Reads This Year! (TW sexual assault on page/ terminal illness/ past child abuse/ talk of suicide with some details)

A Prayer for Travelers by Ruchika Tomar: I feel like recently I’ve labeled a few books as unique and this one gets tossed in that pile too! The chapters are basically out of order–not in a confusing way at all, but basically the 1-whatever number of chapters were written and then it’s like they were reordered. You may be raising an eyebrow at me saying, “that does sound confusing,” but I promise it isn’t–it’s very easy to know whether you’re pre-missing woman, post-missing woman, or in childhood–and while sometimes things like this being done feels pointless, it didn’t in this case. Now enough about format here’s what happens: 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. No matter how much those who also knew Penny and the police keep assuring Cale that people sometimes just pick up and leave for a different life, she won’t let this go and sets off to find Penny, or at least to find out what happened to her… I really recommend this for fans of Courtney Summers’ Sadie, fans of the tough woman because of circumstances that is also vulnerable, missing person mysteries, and small-town settings. It’s one I’ll be thinking about for a while.

Historical British Procedural! (TW  rape/ sexual harassment, groping/ suicide/ homophobia/ xenophobia and racism, including slurs)

She’s Leaving Home (Breen and Tozer #1) by William Shaw (This book also has the title: A Song From Dead Lips): I started reading Play With Fire (the fifth in this series, out now) when Rioter Liberty pointed out she would be starting at the beginning of the series. In case you were wondering what would get me to finally not jump randomly into a series, it was that–thanks Liberty! So anyhoo, this series begins in London in 1968 and uses The Beatles fandom and news at the time as a fun backdrop. While dealing with the aftermath of a case gone wrong Detective Sergeant Cathal “Paddy” Breen is assigned a murdered young woman case who is found just outside The Beatles’ recording studio. He’s also assigned a woman officer, Helen Tozer, to help him in a sexist police department. As they work on the case, there’s a clash of conservatism vs the young’s new freedom beliefs, along with sexism, racism, and xenophobia at immigrants as a backdrop that bleeds into their work. This was a solid start to a procedural series I’ll definitely stick with–especially since I love his most recent series: The Birdwatcher and Salt Lane–and it works well for fans of procedurals where the leads aren’t hotmesses but are definitely fallible, and have a personal relationship.

Super Good Nonviolent True Crime! (TW briefly mentions domestic violence and eating disorder)

American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton: If you like narrative nonfiction and have enjoyed nonviolent true crime books like The Feather Thief and Bad Blood–and like me hadn’t gotten to this one yet–run to it. It’s pretty bonkers but also “Holy white privilege, Batman!” Basically, this young guy took his libertarian beliefs to the max by building the Silk Road on the Dark Net, essentially allowing people to sell and buy anything. Beginning with his belief that people should be allowed to do drugs because it is a person’s right to do with their body as they wish, the site started by letting people buy illegal drugs and finding a way to mail them throughout the world. The book takes you into how he created the site, the decisions he was faced with as it expanded, the law enforcement officers that would not let go of figuring out who the Dread Pirate Roberts was, and how it all came to an end. I love these nonfiction books that read like thrillers, plus, the case and “plot-twist” were super interesting but, beyond that, this book is a hell of a look at privilege starting with Ross Ulbricht. And in a time where tech companies are forgoing moral and ethical thought because everyone seems to ignore the “just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should” message, there’s a lot to sit back with and think on.

Recent Releases

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translation) (Currently reading: This is a unique suspense about a remote place where a woman finds her neighbor, who she hated, dead.)

Miami Midnight (Pete Fernandez Book 5) by Alex Segura (Currently reading: Final installment in the Miami Noir P.I. series!)

A Keeper by Graham Norton (I didn’t realize the Irish TV host was also a mystery writer!)

The Retreat by Sherri Smith (Currently reading: A fallen from grace child star goes with her sister-in-law to a retreat and drags a few friends. Still waiting for what will happen, but enjoying it so far.)

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier (Paperback) (Dark Serial Killer —Review) (TW: rape scenes/ domestic violence/ pedophile off page)

All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth (Paperback) (Prep School With A Secret Society–Review) (TW: suicide/ domestic abuse/ rape)

They All Fall Down by Tammy Cohen (Paperback) (Psychological thriller–Review) (TW suicide/ rape/ self-harm, cutting/ eating disorder)

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.

Hello mystery fans!

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

10 Great Historical Crime Novels

6 Cozy Mystery Titles With Truly Magnificent Puns

Listen to an Audiobook Excerpt of THE TURN OF THE KEY By Ruth Ware

Rincey and Katie have news, Scottish mysteries, new releases and what they’re reading on the latest Read or Dead.

Manson Girls: A Reading List for ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

These 5 Suspense Novels Are Worth Losing Sleep Over This Summer

In ‘Beijing Payback,’ The Immigrant Experience, But Make It A Crime Thriller

These 10 Thriller Books Are About to Become Star-Studded Films

Watch Now

The Kitchen, adapted from Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle’s graphic novel, stars Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss as mob bosses wives who take charge when their husbands are imprisoned. Official trailer.

Kindle Deals

For bibliophiles and fans of nonviolent true crime The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett is $4.99! (Review)

If you’re looking to start a cozy mystery series Kellye Garrett’s Hollywood Homicide is $5.38! (Review)

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

Okay, so confession: my reading life is a mess right now because I keep starting books–I’m like the dog in Up (Squirrel!) when I get a new book–and so I’m just reading like a million books right now!

I read Lindy West’s upcoming essay collection The Witches Are Coming and it’s Lindy West at her best–including her essay “Ted Bundy Was Not Charming–Are You High?”–and everything I needed to read, hear, digest, and think about right now. I’m reading Alex Segura’s Miami Midnight which is bittersweet because it’s the final for the series so “yay for completion” but also “boo for it ending.”

And I leave you with three upcoming titles to mark on your calendar! Walter Mosley’s Leonid McGill returns in 2020 in Trouble Is What I Do. Joe Ide’s IQ, Dodson, and Derando are returning in Hi Five. And Kathleen Kent’s Betty Rhyzyk returns in The Burn. So many muppet arm worthy series having new books in 2020!

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.

Hi mystery fans! I have a whodunnit on the Tour de France, an Australian crime novel, and a historical mystery for you this week!

A Whodunnit On The Tour de France!

The Black Jersey by Jorge Zepeda Patterson, Achy Obejas (Translation): I picked this up because of the author since I have zero interest in professional cycling and the Tour de France. I tell you this because if, like me, you don’t care about cycling this novel is still thoroughly enjoyable–including the interesting parts about the Tour de France and cycling. It’s kind of like Agatha Christie meets a sports memoir in a novel which turned out to be very entertaining. 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? Asked by an investigator, because of his military background, Marc decides to secretly help the police investigate who may be committing these crimes… A good read if you’re looking for a whodunnit in a setting you haven’t read before, as the main character takes you into his current race, relationships (romantic and not), the investigation, and how his life led him into racing.

Past And Present Australian Crime! (TW suicide/ rape on page)

Second Sight by Aoife Clifford: Ever since reading Jane Harper I lunge for Australian crime novels and Clifford has fast become another favorite of mine. This one starts with action right from the start as Eliza Carmody is visiting her home town because of a case she’s on when she witnesses a crime. From there, the past and present are just two trains speeding towards each other! Carmody is a lawyer working on a case basically against the town she grew up in. The town where her father, and now brother-in-law, were/are the police. The town where her best friend disappeared from when they were teenagers, a case her father worked on. Now Carmody will have to deal with a town full of secrets about to find out who she’s working for, a sister she doesn’t get along with, a dying father, the crime she witnessed, and what really happened the night her best friend disappeared. This is a great crime read for fans of past and present chapters, missing person case, legal cases, towns reckoning with their past, and family drama. So good, I inhaled this one!

Unique-ish Historical Mystery!

Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman: This is a historical mystery with a suspenseful ending that I think will work really well for fans of historical novels and women trying to pave their way in the world. In Baltimore, 1966, Maddie Schwartz leaves her husband and decides to become a journalist. A tall order for the time. As she tries to fight her way into being taken serious as a newspaper journalist, and keep her sexcapades with a Black police officer secret, she’s haunted by the case of Cleo Sherwood–a dead woman police and journalist don’t seem to care about. While the novel focuses on Maddie’s “new life” and two murdered women cases there’s an undertone of noir threaded throughout and a really unique thing brings this Baltimore community to life: throughout the novel there are chapters that take you into random character’s lives, people who were just in contact with Maddie. From a jewelry store worker to whom Maddie tries to sell her engagement ring to a pervy movie theater patron. If you like to sink into a story, characters’ lives, and have a community and time period really come to life on the page, this is a great read. Also, the audiobook had a great narrator, Susan Bennett, who also narrated Sunburn.

Recent Releases

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (Looking forward to my library audiobook coming in! I’ve enjoyed all her books–In A Dark, Dark Wood; The Woman In Cabin 10–and this one is about a nanny in jail that slowly reveals what happened.)

Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron (TBR: A suspense about a professional organizer–with a hoarder husband–who finds herself possibly in criminal territory from new clients.)

Swipe Right for Murder by Derek Milman (Currently reading: Like gay Tinder meets a thriller!)

Bad Day at the Vulture Club (Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation #5) by Vaseem Khan (Delightful series about an Indian P.I. with a baby elephant.)

Blackout (Pete Fernandez Mystery #4) by Alex Segura (Paperback) (Modern noir Miami P.I. series!) (TW pedophile)

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.

Hello mystery fans!

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

10 YA Thrillers You Won’t Be Able to Put Down

7 Unconventional Missing Person Stories

(SPOILERS) VERONICA MARS Reminded Us It’s Noir And That’s Okay!

The millennial scammer is alive and well in these fascinating new books

The Dark History Behind the Year’s Bestselling Debut Novel

Rincey highlights a few new crime releases in this week’s New Release Tuesday.

Adaptations And News

Candace Cameron Bure Returns This Summer with Three New AURORA TEAGARDEN MYSTERIES

‘Orange Is The New Black’ Launches Foundation To Support Incarcerated Women

Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes 3 to Receive Near-Record $20.8 Million in California Tax Credits

True Crime

50 States of True Crime

20 Best True Crime Books That’ll Make You Want to Sleep With the Lights On

‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ Tarantino and When Violence Against Women Is a Punchline

Kindle Deals

Yesterday by Felicia Yap is $3.99 if you’re looking for a unique thriller with bite! (Review) (I don’t remember if it has TW, sorry.)

The Widow by Fiona Barton is $1.99 if you’re looking for a twisty mystery! (Review) (I don’t remember if it has TW, sorry.)

The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman is $1.99 if you’re a literature fan and true crime fan. (Review) (TW suicide/ pedophile/ rape)

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

Audiobooks: Just started City of Windows by Robert Pobi so I’m about to find out if I can do a political thriller in our current climate. And The Whisper Man by Alex North which is a dark British serial killer novel because who likes to sleep without nightmares? I finished Daniel Nieh’s Beijing Payback, which had a great narrator, and traveled from the U.S. to Beijing (duh) and back as a college student learns of his father’s criminal involvement after his death. And I inhaled my mystery break Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon which was everything I wanted it to be.

I am super excited to have acquired these egalleys: Iced in Paradise (A Leilani Santiago Hawai’i Mystery) by Naomi Hirahara; Emily St. John Mandel’s The Glass Hotel; Francesca Momplaisir’s My Mother’s House!

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.

Hi mystery fans! Let’s say goodbye to July with a fun serial killer novel, a great legal mystery, and a slow-burn suspense about secrets.

---

Sponsored by The Hound of Justice by Claire O’Dell.

After the Brotherhood of Redemption extremists launched a failed assassination attempt on the president that caused mass destruction, covert agent Sara Holmes takes on the task of investigating the Brotherhood – then abruptly disappears. When Dr. Janet Watson receives a mysterious message that Holmes’ disappearance might be connected to the Brotherhood and to Adler Industries, Watson goes on a high-stakes mission to reunite with Holmes once more. It is a thrilling, action-packed journey through the deep South to clear Holmes’s name, thwart the Brotherhood’s next move, and bring their nemesis to justice for the atrocities she’s committed in the New Civil War.

---

Fun Serial Killer! (TW child abuse/ stalking/ suicide/ past domestic abuse mentioned)

Find You In The Dark by Nathan Ripley: This really worked for my need for a novel that would let me disconnect from stress and all the horrible things happening, which you may be raising an eyebrow at me considering this is a serial killer book but it’s like watching shows like Castle and Dexter where it isn’t believable enough so it gets to be fun. Yes, you can judge me. Anyhoo, I really liked the premise of this one: Martin Reese pays a cop for unsolved cases and then solves the part of finding where the body is buried, which he then calls into the cops anonymously. No one, including his wife and teen daughter, know what he does. But he’s only going to get to play vigilante for so long before he’ll have to answer questions and possibly pay with his life because his crooked cop partner is questioning their arrangement and a killer is not happy with him finding buried bodies… I like that this gave us a romantic relationship between two cops looking into this case–including the hardship of dating in their profession–and a balance between Martin’s body-hunting/mental rationalizing he’s doing good work and his relationship with his wife and daughter.

Legal Mystery! (TW child murder/ discussion of statutory rape/ pedophile/ homophobia/ fat shaming/ suicide)

Defending Jacob by William Landay: This is one of those solid mysteries from beginning to end that follows an assistant district attorney working on a murdered teen boy case when his son is arrested for the crime. I know! It takes you through the whole thing, which procedural fans will appreciate, as Andy Barber works on the case–from interviewing fellow students of the murdered child to harassing a pedophile he thinks is responsible–then follows as he has to hire a lawyer for his son’s defense case, that case, and him being a witness in court. You get a lot of good court scenes, an entire book of “did he or didn’t he,” and a look at how something like this affects and changes a family. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming Apple streaming adaptation of this book which will have Chris Evans playing Andy Barber–so very much here for his “my kid didn’t do it” portrayal. And Michelle Dockery will play the wife, whose character I loved and she’s fantastic in Good Behavior so really we’re about to find out how good Apple is at adaptations.

Slow-burn Suspense! (TW past domestic violence/ fat shamming/ alcoholism/ eating disorder/ statutory rape)

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson: If you’ve been following along for a bit you know I like a lot of things in this book: slow reveal of past incident; secrets coming to get you; slow-burn suspense; interesting job. And since I read a lot of these types of novels it’s always a bonus to find one that feels different in a way. This one surprised me with a few turns it took and I really loved the stepmother and daughter relationship which in itself went against the tired evil-mom trope. We start with a group of women at a book club who end up playing a “have you ever” type game that has ramifications when one woman uses it to blackmail another woman: Amy Whey, a scuba instructor and mom, is suddenly faced with the predicament of what would she do to keep her past a secret? Except this isn’t the over-the-top Lifetime thriller type plot (not that I don’t like those too) which looks at quite a few things including how long do we have to pay for terrible mistakes? This one works really well for fans of slow-burn suspense, secrets, and domestic dramas. I also really enjoyed the audiobook–narrated by the author!–which is one of the very few audiobooks where child voices are done that did not annoy me at all!

Recent Releases

A Capitol Death (Flavia Albia Mystery #7) by Lindsey Davis (Historical mystery set in ancient Rome that caught my attention so I just got the first in the series: The Ides of April.)

Someone We Know by Shari Lapena (In a NY suburban neighborhood a teen has been breaking into homes and learning everyone’s secrets… Author of The Couple Next Door and An Unwanted Guest.)

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Paperback) (One of my favorite reads–Review) (TW child abuse/ domestic abuse/ 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.