Best Way to Read John Le Carré’s George Smiley Books

I absolutely adored this upcoming historical mystery by the author of Dread Nation. Ophelia Harrison’s life abruptly changes when her father is murdered and her and her mother flee Georgia to Pittsburgh–thanks to what Ophie has yet to realize is her ability to see ghosts. No longer attending school, the young Ophie is put to work as a maid in a wealthy white family’s home where her mother is also working, trying to save enough money to move out of a shared family home where they are not welcomed by most.

And so Ophie, trying to make sense of the world around her in 1922 and her seeing ghosts (which a relative is trying to guide her through), discovers that the “help” she was getting in her new job is not from a living woman. And she’s no longer living because she was murdered. This sets Ophie off to figure out who would have done such a thing and why.

Ophie is one of those child characters in literature that I immediately fiercely loved, rooted for, and enjoyed watching every moment of her navigating her way through life. The opening chapter is so well written that as soon as I finished it I turned back to the beginning to read it again, as to not miss a single moment or feeling. If you like books that grab you with their voice immediately, and properly sink you into a place and time, this is a must-read. It’s already at the top of my 2021 best books. And if you’re doing Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge, here’s your middle grade mystery read.

One of 2020’s best crime titles is currently $3.99 so snatch this one up RUL quick! (Review)

Miller has written an absolutely beautiful memoir on a difficult subject and this is one of my all time best memoir reads, which is currently $4.99. (Review)

For those who love a book inside a book that is a nod to the mystery genre, here’s one currently at $3.99, with the sequel having just released. (Review)

And for historical fiction fans here’s one at $2.99 from an author with a deep backlist you can go through. (Review)