Hello mystery fans! I’ve been watching Smallville for the first time and ever since Lex Luther said, “I’ll take it in the conservatory” (referring to a phone call) I’ve wanted a Smallville/Clue mashup. And I’m curious what you’d love to see get mashedup with Clue–or get a mystery treatment?
Sponsored by What Are You Afraid Of? by Alexandra Ivy.
In New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Ivy’s gripping thriller spiced with romantic tension and diabolical twists, a true crime writer is targeted by a sinister psycho. She knows all about killers, but will he be the one to teach her how to die? “Ivy deftly charts a course between gruesome suspense and sudden romance as Carmen and Griff race to solve the whodunit before the predator kills again.” – Publishers Weekly
Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant ‘Surrender-Not’ Banerjee are Back! (TW: suicide)
A Necessary Evil (Sam Wyndham #2) by Abir Mukherjee: I loved A Rising Man (review) and have since been eagerly awaiting more in the series. Being that my only “complaint” of the first in the series was that I would have wanted more Sergeant Banerjee, I am now a fully satisfied reader, as Wyndham uses Benerjee much more as a sidekick this time around. If you’re not familiar with the series, Sam Wyndham was a former Scotland Yard detective who is now working as a Captain in British ruled Calcutta (he’s brought along his opium addiction and PTSD from WWI), and Benerjee is one of the only Indian Sergeants. Traveling from Calcutta to Sambalpore, Wyndham and Banerjee try to solve the murder of a Prince but find it a difficult task due to politics and the whole “they’re not wanted there” thing. A great read for fans of historical fiction, and while the first in the series fit more for cozy mysteries (because of less violence) than this one, if you’re looking for a read where the violence isn’t towards women, here ya go. It also satisfies the itch for good-old-fashioned-detective-work-gets-the-killer mysteries.
Best Crime Thriller is Best!
She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper: A fantastic crime thriller that reminded me of how much I loved Natalie Portman in The Professional. Right before being released from prison, Nate is marked by the Aryan Brotherhood to be killed. The problem is it’s not just him they’re taking out, it’s going to be his entire family. To keep his daughter Polly safe, he picks her up and they go on the run even though Polly really doesn’t know her father and isn’t sure she should be with him. At 11 she’s smart, precocious, feels different from other kids, and carries a teddy bear which she uses as an outlet to process her thoughts and feelings. There’s a quote *along the lines of “She had a teddy bear in her arms and murder in her eyes,” which pretty much sums up my love for this girl. If you’re looking for an intense read that you will not be able to put down, with a character you’ll fiercely love, read immediately! It’s a shame Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven on Stranger Things) is too old to play the role if this got adapted because she would be PERFECT. (*I listened to the audiobook so that’s my memory of the quote.)
Another Great Read from Australia!
Resurrection Bay (Caleb Zelic #1) by Emma Viskic: A page-turner thriller and great start to a series! PI Caleb Zelic finds his friend brutally murdered, leaving him a suspect. Not only does he need to clear his own name by finding who murdered his friend, but soon he’s looking into whether his friend was involved in shady dealings. Zelic has his work cut out for him: he’s deaf and with strangers relies on reading their lips; he’s attacked and needs to hide out with his ex-wife (loved her character!); his ex-cop friend offers to help his investigation but is struggling with her addiction. If you’re looking for a great, fast-paced PI mystery get thee this book.
Recent Releases:
A Front Page Affair (Kitty Weeks Mystery #1) by Radha Vatsal (Audiobook, narrated by Justine Eyre) (review)
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Paperback) (Two mysteries for the price of one! Full review)
Lucky (A Detective Jack Yu Investigation #5) by Henry Chang (Paperback)
Death by Dumpling (A Noodle Shop Mystery #1) by Vivien Chien (For cozy mystery fans. Review)
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James (Past and present mystery with a bit of a gothic feel. Full review)
The Window by Amelia Brunskill (Girl found dead outside her bedroom window thought to have fallen, twin refuses to stop looking into what may have happened…) (TW: suicide/ rape)
The Italian Party by Christina Lynch (Currently reading: MIX of genres, but one of the main characters is a CIA agent in 1950s Italy except his wife has no idea, and neither of them know any of the others secrets…) (TW: suicide)
No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run by Tyler Wetherall (In my TBR stack next to my bed: This isn’t true crime but I’m a huge fan of memoirs and crime and this is the memoir of a woman who spent her childhood unaware that they moved so much because her father was a fugitive. Well until Scotland Yard showed up, so color me super interested.)
Why Kill the Innocent (Sebastian St. Cyr #13) by C.S. Harris (Historical fic mystery that sounded really good and I just started reading.)
Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.
Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.
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