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Unusual Suspects

The Best True Crime Dramas of 2022 Ranked

Hi mystery fans! I’ve found writing these intros increasingly more difficult since 2016 in that it’s hard to be jokey with all the very real and dangerous things happening, including watching our democracy be dismantled. But as more time gets added onto us living in this hellscape, it also seems more and more important to find your moments of escape in order to recharge. So in Friday’s send, I’m going to at least include the things that helped get me through the week. My current TV escapes are Gordita Chronicles (hilarious) on HBO Max and Ms. Marvel (awesome!) on Disney+. I donated once again to ARC Southeast. And I made, and inhaled, the purple plum torte (with peaches and blueberries) twice. Yes, twice. It’s delicious. As for escaping into the mystery world: I’ve got new releases, backlist legal adjacent reads, and some news and roundups for you.

enamel bookmark of a Black woman from behind in a swimsuit and hat holding a book

Black girl magic bookmark by MelaninMagicKits

Perfect summer bookmark. $18

New Releases

cover image for Take No Names

Take No Names by Daniel Nieh

This is labeled as a standalone, but is a continuation with the character from Beijing Payback. Victor Li is a wanted man who has taken on a job of breaking into storage units that belong to recently deported people. That’s where he finds a rare gem that to him can change his life with its value. But this is a crime book, so really he’s about to find a lot of trouble.

book cover Rogues by patrick radden keefe

Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe

Patrick Radden Keefe has two fantastic true crime books: Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland and Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. Now he’s put out a collection of his writings, 12 articles previously published in The New Yorker, that tell a range of crime stories. We start with The Jefferson Bottles–which I have renamed The 1% Are Insufferable–which takes a look at rare wine, collectors, and the elaborate con of selling Thomas Jefferson’s wine bottles. There are stories on international arms brokers, a sister who lives in hiding after testifying against her brother, financial scams, an unsolved plane bombing, mass shooting, El Chapo and more. The stories will take you around the world and into very different criminal activity. It’s a great collection you can pick up and put down easily depending on your reading mood and that allows you to bounce around depending on the crime you’re interested in. Also great if you like reading books that will have you playing the “Hey, did you know?” game. Bonus: the audiobook is read by the author.

Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

This week I have two books adjacent to legal thrillers.

Book Cover for All her little secrets by wanda morris, red-tinted photo close up of a Black woman wearing sunglasses

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

While this book isn’t focused on a legal case, it has a corporate lawyer lead and is full of corporate intrigue. It’s also a great read for fans of past and present chapters–which I love. Ellice Littlejohn already has a lot on her plate, including putting the woman who raised her in a home and worrying about her brother, when she walks into work and finds a partner dead by apparent suicide. Rather than calling it in, she leaves and lets someone else find him, opening the door for her to become the prime suspect as the firm she works for decides to promote her. Everything quickly is spiraling out of control and she needs to figure out what is happening…

(TW main case questioned as suicide/ alcoholic parent/ dementia/ teen sexual assault recounted, not graphic/ child abuse/ brief mention partner abuse/ fatshaming)

The Appeal cover image

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

This follows an actual case but in a very clever and unique way–the format is different from what you’re used to. It’s the kind of book where going into it knowing nothing or as little as possible is the funnest way, but I know some readers want to know as much as possible so I’m splitting this review first with the bare bones and then with more info.

We start with law students being given case files of a real case to go through. All of the files are email exchanges and text messages between a group of people who overlap being in a play together and working at a hospital. You are provided with all the information to “play along” and solve the case.

Law students are given evidence from a real trial to go through which consists of email exchanges and text messages. There is a community play being put together by a wealthy family known for this and the toddler granddaughter has just been diagnosed with cancer. Quickly the community comes together to help raise a large sum of money to try and get her experimental drugs from America which have not yet been approved in the UK. We get to know all the characters involved through their messages to each other: from the play being cast, organized, practiced and performed, to the fundraising efforts that go into full effect. The students are tasked with reading everything in order to help with an appeal in the hopes that they will spot what was missed in the original murder trial. As the students are prompted to solve certain things, you as the reader also get to play detective/lawyer and try to answer the questions.

This book had me longing for the days that we used to have full conversations over email and I loved how much you could get to know the characters solely through their digital correspondence. There’s the busy body who emails one person one thing and then has a slightly different story in a different email exchange; the married couple trying to settle into a new place after working with a group like Doctors without Borders; the oncologist awaiting the money for the drugs ordered; the family trying to raise the money; and the woman in charge of all the fundraising. I was completely sucked into everyone’s life and rather impressed with how well this book works even though it’s all just digital correspondence. If you’re looking for a page-turner that is formatted differently from other books, and want to participate in the puzzle solving, pick this one up.

(TW child cancer/ past child deaths from illness/ pregnancy complications/ addiction/ mentions sexual assaults, not graphic)

News and Roundups

Judges For the ‘Sisters in Crime Pride Award’ Talk LGBTQIA+ Issues in Crime Publishing

Cult Classics: 32 Fascinating Books About Cults

From The Staircase to The Dropout, the Best True Crime Dramas of 2022 Ranked

The best new books of June 2022

Murder, mystery and the mafia: Audible hit uses 1980’s Providence to tell thrilling story

How Does Goodreads Make Money?

‘Only Murders in the Building’ Is Even Better in Its Second Season

True Detective Season 4: Kali Reis to Help Jodie Foster Solve Alaska Mystery

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2022 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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