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Isabel is a successful sculptor living in Chicago. But when her estranged mother dies, she’s forced to face her brutal childhood growing up in the West Virginia hills, a past that not even her husband knows. Back on the land she has inherited, she’s flooded with memories of the forest where she roamed free, of her beloved lost brother, and of the house where she grew up. Her mother has left her another legacy, too, which reveals secrets that Isabel is only beginning to understand. From Joy Castro comes a heartbreaking and triumphant novel of old wounds and family secrets.
Hello mystery fans! The holidays are almost upon us so I’ve created you a handy guide below for gifting (whether the gift is a treat for someone else or for you). And if the holidays are a rough time for you think of this as things to possibly add to your TBR and read during the end of the year.
Before I Dive In, Two Things
All the supply chain issues are very real: I look at publisher warehouse stock numbers every day and it’s not good for a lot of books. So if there is a physical book you really want, especially if you shop through indie book stores, buy it (or pre-buy it) as soon as you can if it is in stock at the moment.
Gift cards are your friend! For audiobook lovers: Libro.fm. For a book-in-a-box subscription where you pick from the pre-chosen selection: Book of the Month. For a book subscription with a catalog of ebooks and audiobooks to chose from: Scribd. For a book subscription that is completely tailored based on subscribers request (this is my day job): Tailored Book Recommendations.
And Now The Books
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For fans of Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy: Absolutely grab A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom by Brittany K. Barnett
Agatha Christie fans: For a Japanese ode to Christie, pick up The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, Ho-Ling Wong (Translator) and Murder in the Crooked House by Sōji Shimada, Louise Heal Kawai (Translator). For a fictionalized account of the real life mystery of Christie’s 11 day disappearance, grab The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict.
For Only Murders In The Building Fans: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and its sequel The Man Who Died Twice, or The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths
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For cozy food lovers: Mango, Mambo, and Murder (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #1) by Raquel V. Reyes / Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala / Death by Dumpling (A Noodle Shop Mystery #1) by Vivien Chien / A Deadly Inside Scoop (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery #1) by Abby Collette
For cozy witch lovers: A Spell for Trouble (An Enchanted Bay Mystery #1) by Esme Addison / In the Company of Witches (Evenfall Witches B&B #1) by Auralee Wallace
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For lovers of Stephanie Plum humor: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (Finlay Donovan #1) by Elle Cosimano / A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones and the sequel A Good Day for Chardonnay
For those who like a comedy of errors: On the dark thriller side pick up Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka / On the light, add a romance side grab Dial A for Aunties (Aunties #1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto.
For fans of fictional true crime podcast reads: I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan / Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke
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Middle grade books for kids that I swear adults will also love: Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland / From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks / Premeditated Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries #1) by Elizabeth C. Bunce
For speakeasy fans: The Boy in the Red Dress by Kristin Lambert / Dead Dead Girls (Harlem Renaissance Mystery #1) by Nekesa Afia
For mystery with family drama: The Hollow Inside by Brooke Lauren Davis / Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty / The Survivors by Jane Harper
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For historical mystery fans that want a standalone read: Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara / Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March / Transcription by Kate Atkinson
For fans of “everyone looks guilty as hell” stories: Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena / A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
For historical mystery fans that want to marathon a series: The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony #1) by Ovidia Yu / A Rising Man (Sam Wyndham #1) by Abir Mukherjee / A Few Right Thinking Men (Rowland Sinclair #1) by Sulari Gentill / A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1) by Deanna Raybourn / A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock #1) by Sherry Thomas
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For historical mystery fans that want to start a recent series: Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing (Profesorowa Szczupaczyńska #1) by Jacek Dehnel, Piotr Tarczyński, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator) / Murder on the Red River (Cash Blackbear Mysteries #1) by Marcie Rendon / Fortune Favors the Dead (Pentecost and Parker #1) by Stephen Spotswood / Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #1) by Tirzah Price / The Body in the Garden (Lily Adler Mystery #1) by Katharine Schellman
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For fans of the mystery centering around a missing person: When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris / Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica / Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
For literary fiction fans: The Other Americans by Laila Lalami / Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead / Deacon King Kong by James McBride
For fans of nonfiction history: The Golden Thread: The Cold War Mystery Surrounding the Death of Dag Hammarskjöld by Ravi Somaiya / A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell / Agent Sonya: Moscow’s Most Daring Wartime Spy by Ben Macintyre / Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII’s Most Highly Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis
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For readers of true crime: The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing by Sonia Faleiro / Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green / The Unfit Heiress: The Tragic Life and Scandalous Sterilization of Ann Cooper Hewitt by Audrey Clare Farley
For revenge story fans: The Collective by Alison Gaylin / The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis / They Never Learn by Layne Fargo / For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing
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For fans of legal thrillers or lawyer MCs: The Verdict by Nick Stone / All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris / While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
For fans of SFF meets mystery: A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe #1) by P. Djèlí Clark / The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry
For fans of PI mystery series: Bury Me When I’m Dead (Charlie Mack Motown Mystery #1) by Cheryl A. Head / Broken Places (Cass Raines #1) by Tracy Clark / The Last Place You Look (Roxane Weary #1) by Kristen Lepionka
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For page turning thrillers: Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian / Find You First by Linwood Barclay / Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake #1) by Rachel Caine
For mystery + horror fans (is the house haunted?!): White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson / Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases. 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, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.
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