Sponsored by the audiobook edition of The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves, read by Janine Birkett.
From Ann Cleeves – New York Times best-selling and author of the Vera and Shetland series – comes the stunning new Vera Stanhope novel, The Darkest Evening, read by Janine Birkett. On the first snowy night of winter, Vera finds a car has skidded off the narrow road in front of her and stops to help. There is no driver to be seen, so Vera assumes that the owner has gone to find help. But a cry calls her back: a toddler strapped in the back seat. As the blizzard traps the group deep in the freezing Northumberland countryside, Vera digs deeper into her investigation and begins to uncover her family’s complicated past.
Hello mystery fans! The first book I have for you this week is an upcoming legal thriller. So many books are going to get lost in the fall book flood, US election, and pandemic holidays; I want to get the ones I couldn’t put down on your radar now so you can ask your libraries to purchase them and mark your calendars! I also have a backlist, dark Victorian mystery that is the start of a three book series.
Take It Back by Kia Abdullah (December 8): This is a layered legal thriller that follows a trial from the moment the victim comes forward, through the investigation, and to the end of the court trial.
First, a note on the subject matter: it is a rape case discussed in some detail. It is clearly written with care and is not graphic for the sake of it or for shock value; all details are pertinent to telling “her story” and “their story” and are limited to that purpose, but the details are on the page.
The story is set in London and follows Zara Kaleel, a former barrister who now works for Artemis House as a sexual violence advisor. She has a slew of personal issues—a divorce, constant fighting with her family, grief, and a dissolving romantic relationship to name a few. Her newest client is white, sixteen-year-old Jodie Wolfe who has neurofibromatosis and accuses four Muslim classmates (Amir, Hassan, Mo, Farid), of rape. Jodie’s mother, an alcoholic who blames Jodie for her problems, and her best friend, her only friend who is really more a frenemy, do not believe her. The only person who does believe Jodie is Zara. Jodie is not only treated cruelly by children but also by adults and strangers due to her condition.
Zara convinces her to go through with the trial after we watch the police investigate the four boys, including police interviews and a search of their homes. We meet their families and watch their friendships. The trial reveals lies on both sides, and throws the community into chaos as Islamophobia escalates and some members of the Muslim community turn on Zara as a “traitor.” Zara herself is clearly going through her own concerns about her community, and while I think she sometimes paints with too broad a brush (slotting Muslim women in only two boxes that are polar opposites), there are also other voices in this story. This also gets into the discussion of how marginalized voices are expected to speak for an entire community, so there’s more to discuss and chew on here, I think.
Anyhoo, this is equally a page-turner for the thrill of never knowing how this case will end and a layered look at rape culture, immigrant communities, Islamophobia, misogyny, privilege, and the treatment of anyone considered an “other.” (TW rape/ brief mention and details of past suicide attempt/ brief female to male partner abuse/ ableism and bullying/ brief recount of past animal cruelty/ addiction/ Islamophobia/ anti-Semite trope comment)
Murder as a Fine Art (Thomas De Quincey #1) by David Morrell: This book made me realize that the majority of the historical mysteries I read are not dark, at least not in the crime/violence. This one is.
Thomas De Quincey wrote a memoir, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, and an essay on the Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811. Now in 1854 London, someone is recreating the murders (we watch the person, labeled “the artist,” kill), and De Quincey is the number one suspect since he wrote about the original murders in detail. So De Quincey, a (pre) Freudian subconscious theorist who is addicted to laudanum, bucks at society’s rules, as does his daughter Emily. Two police officers will need to clear his name.
The first half gives you a murder mystery that follows the killer as De Quincey and his assembled team try to clear his name and identify the killer. The second half is more about catching the now known murderer and giving the “why.” The entire book is a detailed look at Victorian England that will certainly satisfy history lovers. (TW child murder/ addiction/ past suicide, detail/ brief mention of past animal cruelty)
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming releases for 2020 and 2021. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and 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.