Categories
Unusual Suspects

The Alphabet Now Ends At Y

Hi fellow mystery lovers! It’s that time of year where everyone is writing the wrong year, mostly confused as to what day it is, and publishing is pumping out all the books. Before I get to some of those books, thank you to everyone who responded with your opinions about the newsletter. I heard you all and will be doing my best to implement your thoughts. (And feel free to still fill out if you were busy over the holidays.)


Sponsored by Heart on Fire by Amanda Bouchet

The riveting conclusion to the Kingmaker Chronicles

The destiny Catalia “Cat” Fisa has spent her entire life running from has finally caught up with her. To become Queen of Thalyria, Cat and her dedicated husband Griffin Sinta will have to go to war with the severely oppressed Fisa—and it’s violent alpha…Cat’s homicidal mother. When Cat’s magic refuses to work like it should, she has to unleash the power she’s been afraid of. And when her misuse of the God’s gifts lands her in Tartarus, a land reserved for eternal punishment, Cat will have to accept herself—past, present, and future—if she wants any chance of making it out alive.


Perfectly Snarky L.A. Detective:

Land of Shadows cover image: sunrise LA city image blended into a dark street image with a silhouette of a person walkingLand of Shadows (Detective Elouise Norton #1) by Rachel Howzell Hall: L.A. detective Elouise “Lou” Norton and her new partner are working to solve the case of a teen girl found murdered on a construction site. While Lou may be rich now, she knows the struggling community the victim comes from because it’s where her and her sister grew up, except her sister may never have grown up since she disappeared as a teenager, leaving behind only a shoe. It’s a case Lou is still working on, and starts to think is tied to this new case. Between the new partner, her need to solve her sister’s case, and her cheating husband, Lou has a lot to deal with and fight through, and I cheered her on through the entire book. Great start to a detective series and I look forward to reading the next three books in the series.

And On the Other Coast (N.Y.) an FBI Agent (Trigger Warning: cutting/ child abuse)

A Map of the Dark cover image: dark image of forest trees with title text in centerA Map of the Dark (The Searchers #1) by Karen Ellis: Elsa Myers is an FBI agent tasked with finding missing children. It’s her entire life. Even though her dad is dying, which is bringing up many painful childhood memories for her relating to the abuse she suffered at her mother’s hands, nothing can get in her way of work and her finding Ruby, and the possible serial killer behind the abduction. This was a good procedural/thriller that explores that effects of abuse and how some internalize it into self-harm and fear and others make the choice to become predators.

Links to Click:

If you’re feeling lucky in the new year and haven’t entered yet Book Riot has a giveaway for 20 (yup, 20!) of 2017’s best books.

9 mystery & thrillers releasing in 2018 that I’m excited for!

Rincey and Katie discussed their favorite 2017 mystery titles on Read of Dead.

In sad news Sue Grafton, author of the Alphabet series, passed away. Her daughter Jamie (not me) posted on Facebook: “Sue always said that she would continue writing as long as she had the juice. Many of you also know that she was adamant that her books would never be turned into movies or TV shows, and in that same vein, she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of all of those things, and out of the deep abiding love and respect for our dear sweet Sue, as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y.” And yes, I think fans of the series would agree the alphabet ends in Y. (My review for the 1st in the series; and Liberty’s review for the last in the series.)

(From 2016 but new to me, and maybe you) Thanks to Dan Brown, and his money, ancient occult books will be digitized at the Ritman Library.

NPR has a great article about Mary Higgins Clark, who is 90!, and still writing best sellers. I read all of MHC’s books (that existed at the time) when I was in high school and always have fond memories of her keeping me up super late to read her books in one sitting.

Small Italian Village with a Past Mystery (Trigger Warning: suicide/ PTSD) 

Beneath the Mountain cover image: black and white image of mountainsBeneath the Mountain by Luca D’Andre, Howard Curtis (Translation): Jeremiah Salinger, a U.S. filmmaker, moves with his wife and young daughter to a remote village in Italy where his wife is from. Suffering with PTSD and refusing to follow doctor’s care instructions, his wife ends up giving him an ultimatum that he needs one year of no work. But after hearing the story of the brutal murders of three young town residents in the ’80s, solving the mystery is all he can think about. Soon he’s lying, manipulating, and getting himself literally beat-up by town members as he can’t let this go. In a remote village you’re either one of them or an outsider, which places Salinger in a dangerous position as his wife is one of them but he is not and he’s now digging into the residents past needing to know who is responsible for the gruesome murders and why.

Recent Releases:

The Dry by Jane Harper (In Paperback)

The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda (In Paperback)

UNSUB by Meg Gardiner (In Paperback)

cover of The 57 Bus by Dashka SlaterThe 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater (True crime, high on my TBR, recommended by Liberty)

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp (Alaskan small town mystery, mental illness.)

Dominic by Mark Pryor (MC a DA and literal psychopath.) (Trigger Warning: suicide)

The Plot Is Murder (Mystery Bookshop #1) by V.M. Burns (Currently reading, book within a book.)

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (pseudonym for Daniel Mallory) (Currently reading, this one has tons of publicity behind it.)

Kindle Deals:

The 1st in Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series, “A” is For Alibi, is $2.99 (My review)

The Obama Inheritance: Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy Noir by Gary Phillips (Editor) is $1.99 (On my TBR)

Uptown Thief (Justice Hustlers #1) by Aya de León is $5.99 (Romance/Crime, my review) (Trigger Warning: Sexual/Domestic Abuse)

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

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

Categories
In The Club

In The Club Jan 3

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.


We’re giving away a stack of our 20 favorite books of the year. Click here to enter, or just click the image below.


Start off the year easy: We’ve got a book list for when you don’t really feel like reading. Most of them are centered around activities, and therefore perfect for a low-key book group meeting!

Ready to plan your page-to-screen viewings for 2018? Here are 13 you won’t want to miss. The Crazy Rich Asians adaptation cannot come soon enough, I tell you.

Love mystery shows but not so sure about comics? We’ve got some pairing suggestions to help your group find the right one(s). Any mention of Orphan Black has my immediate attention.

Ready, set, hold: 46 books by women of color coming in 2018!  Some writers might already be familiar (Tayari Jones, Zadie Smith, Roxane Gay), but there are also quite a few debuts and new voices to discover here.

Want to go off the bestseller list? LitHub asked booksellers what books from 2017 deserved more attention, and here are 40 of them for your consideration. They run the gamut — fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, you name it.

Read like David Bowie! His son has started a book club in his honor, and the first pick is Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd. It appears the discussion will take place on Twitter on February 1.

As we say goodbye to Sue Grafton, now might be the time your group revisits (or starts!) The Alphabet Series.

And that’s a wrap: Happy discussing! If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations (including the occasional book club question!) you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn

More Resources: 
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page

Categories
The Goods

Read Harder Collection 25% Off

Start your year in reading off right! Get 25% off the Read Harder collection this week.

Categories
Today In Books

Obama’s 2017 Book Recommendations: Today in Books

Obama Lists His Book Recommendations For 2017

Over the holidays, Barack Obama shared 10 of his 2017 book recommendations with the internet. The former president and known bookworm’s picks included The Power by Naomi Alderman, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, and Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond. The list included a couple bonus picks for basketball fans, and you can check out the full Facebook post for his music recommendations.

First Teaser For A Series Of Unfortunate Events Season 2

It’s here, fans. The second season of the Netflix series, based on Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events books, will premiere March 30.

The David Bowie Book Club Launches

David Bowie’s son, director and screenwriter Duncan Jones, has launched the David Bowie Book Club, inviting participants to read the legend’s favorite books. The reading selections will be based on Bowie’s Top 100 must-read books, and Jones announced via Twitter that the first title will be Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd. If you want to participate, you have until February 1st to read the novel.

Don’t forget–we’re giving away a stack of our 20 favorite books of the year! Click here to enter.


Today in Books is sponsored by TarcherPerigee, publisher of My Friend Fear by Meera Lee Patel.

From the bestselling author of Start Where You Are comes a vibrantly inspiring look at making peace with fear–to become our truest selves.

On the heels of her bestselling journal Start Where You Are, author and illustrator Meera Lee Patel takes us deeper into her artistic vision and emotional journey in this stunning new four-color book. A mix of personal reflections, inspirational quotes, questions for reflection, and breathtaking watercolor visuals, My Friend Fear asserts that having big fear is an opportunity to make big changes and to discover the remarkable potential inside ourselves.

Categories
Riot Rundown

010218-RNGMTop20-Riot-Rundown

We’re giving away a stack of our 20 favorite books of the year. Click here to enter, or just click the image below.


Categories
The Stack

010218-RNGMTop20-The-Stack

We’re giving away a stack of our 20 favorite books of the year. Click here to enter, or just click the image below.