Hello mystery fans! I recently mentioned how ever since reading She Rides Shotgun I regularly check to see if Jordan Harper has an upcoming release. Apparently the book gods heard me (the only explanation!) because he does! I squealed, and literally dropped everything to read the galley. And I loved it! Like excited in my bones, throw-this-book-at-everyone’s-face-so-they-read-it loved it. So here’s your first notice that Everybody Knows should be on your January 2023 reading list! My other good bit of news for the week is if you have Prime and have been wanting to watch Jennifer Lopez’s new romance Marry Me, now you can.
Also, Book Riot is hiring an Editorial Operations Associate! We are committed to building an inclusive workforce and strongly encourage applications from women, individuals with disabilities, and people of color–apply by August 8th!
Now on to all the mystery things I have for you.
Bookish Goods
New Releases
Death by Bubble Tea (LA Night Market #1) by Jennifer J. Chow
Here’s a new mystery series starter for foodies and fans of the odd couple trope. Cousins who haven’t seen each other in decades, and are total opposites, reunite in LA. You can find Yale and Celine running an Eastwood Village Night Market food stall, until of course someone dies after drinking their bubble tea making them the prime suspects! I have the audiobook queued up and with all the food doc shows I’ve been recently watching, I’m especially excited.
Confidence (Anna and Fin #2) by Denise Mina
If you’ve been waiting for a sequel to Conviction, it has arrived! Anna and Fin are back–having paired up in the first book to solve a true crime podcast mystery on a bit of a tense road trip. Now, with their complicated and personal baggage, they have a new mystery: an unsuccessful YouTube channel host disappears after breaking into an abandoned French Chateau and finding a priceless Roman silver casket—which later ends up on auction…
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
A popular trope that I’m always a sucker for is the person who got out of their town returning after years to either solve a very-long-ago mystery or a happening-now mystery. I’ve got two for you this time with totally different paces: the first is a slow-burn that pulls you in and the second starts with a bang.
Nice Girls by Catherine Dang
Mary grew up in a small Minnesota town wanting to flee, which she finally accomplishes when she’s accepted into an Ivy League college. But more than an education, she wants to be a different person, one who isn’t bullied and unpopular, a thing she works for until she’s expelled and finds herself back in her hometown, living at home, lying to everyone about why she’s there. With her life in chaos and her childhood frenemy gone missing, she decides to start looking into missing girl cases…
(TW eating disorder/ fatphobia, bullying/ racism/ attempted suicide not completed, detail/ sharing of nude pic without permission)
Second Sight by Aoife Clifford
This time around the woman returning home is a lawyer and we’re in Australia. Eliza Carmody is visiting her home town because of a case she’s on at her firm which is basically a case against the town. And in this town her best friend went missing when they were teens and her father/brother were/are the police. Immediately upon arriving, she witnesses a crime and from there readers are treated to a past and present timeline that will force a town’s reckoning.
(TW suicide/ rape)
News and Roundups
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Oxygen Book Club’s July 2022 Pick Dives Into The Mysterious Death Of A Reality Star
The Worm Hole Podcast Episode 62: Charlie and Grace D Li (Portrait Of A Thief) discuss Chinese American identity, art theft and repatriation, and bonkers fun fictional heists.
A Question of Character: On James Patterson and Diversity in Crime Fiction
The Shape-Shifting Sherlock Holmes, Now Playing the Villain
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Unlikeable Female Characters Episode 89: Kristen and Layne welcome multi-talented multi-genre author Sandra SG Wong for a chat about her new suspense novel IN THE DARK WE FORGET, the challenges of crafting a main character who has no idea who she is, and what it’s really like to road trip with a thriller writer.
Black Bird is a slick true-crime drama that will keep you hooked
Everything We Know About the Knives Out Sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out 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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