Categories
Unusual Suspects

7 Cozy Mysteries To Curl Up With

Hello mystery fans! I love a good heist film (good = entertaining!) and I recently got to watch two I enjoyed: The Thieves (Viki) and Operation Fortune (Starz).

But first: a newish newsletter + a chance to win books! Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler plus five mystery books (as in surprise titles) from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

pink notepad with illustrations of a pumpkin and ghost reading a book

Halloween Bookworm Notepad by EmilyCromwellDesigns

Halloweeny and bookish for those who can’t have enough notepads! ($8)

New Releases

cover image for The Golden Gate

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua

If you’re wondering how you know the author’s name, it’s because she’s had “controversial” and “Tiger mom” attached to her name since she published a parenting memoir in 2011. In 2019, she made headlines when her daughter got a clerkship under Brett Kavanaugh less than a year after Chua defended him in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

Her latest release is great for fans of historical fic, past and present mysteries, and procedurals!

Homicide Detective Al Sullivan is drinking in the bar of the Claremont Hotel in 1944 Berkley, California, when a presidential candidate is murdered upstairs. The case is immediately complicated because it draws in a wealthy family, the grandmother a socialite. Not only are two of her granddaughters on the suspect list, but years ago, her third granddaughter, Iris, died in this hotel at the age of 11 while playing hide n’ seek. Sullivan is going to have to navigate politics, his personal life as a caretaker for his younger sister, and the long tangled webs of the wealthy Bainbridge family to solve the most recent murder–all while trying to figure out if it ties to Iris’ death a decade before.

I was totally absorbed with this one, especially the bits of California history and following the lead detective who, while biracial, navigates a world of privilege because he passes as white.

If you go with the audiobook format, you get multiple narrators (Robb Moreira, Suzanne Toren, Tim Campbell), and there’s a bonus chat with Amy Chua on how the book came to be.

(TW child murder/ mentions past suicide attempt and suicides, detail/ brief mention past lynching/ mentions past assumed statutory/ mentions postpartum/ mentions past antisemitic attack/ farm animal butchering/ mentions of historical sex trafficking/ brief testimony of past rapes, including children/ past institutionalization/ suicide, partly on page, detail)

cover image How To Find a Missing Girl

How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok

For fans of YA, teams of amateur sleuths creating a PI team, fictional true crime podcasts, and past and present mysteries!

Iris Blackthorn is on a serious deadline: she’s very close to turning 18 and the detective on her sister Stella’s missing person case has warned her the second she’s an adult, she will be prosecuted if she keeps investigating her sister’s year ago disappearance. So Iris, and her two friends who make up their amateur detective agency, are on the case. That’s all complicated enough–especially since Iris isn’t being totally forthcoming with her team–when another girl goes missing. This time it’s Iris’ ex girlfriend who just happened to be hosting a true crime podcast about Stella…

If you’re looking for a sapphic YA mystery with found family and hard lessons learned, grab this one.

(Tw questions parental emotional abuse, no details/ alcoholism, including parent in past/ mentions statutory involving teacher)

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

There have been a lot of natural disasters recently with high casualties and destruction, including the Maui Wildfires, Morocco earthquake, and Libya Flood (links for ways to help). Below you’ll find a wide array of mystery books that contain, or are set directly after, a natural disaster.

cover image for Category Five

Category Five (Five Midnights #2) by Ann Dávila Cardinal

For fans of YA, horror mysteries!

This one is set off the coast of Puerto Rico on the island of Vieques following Hurricane Maria. In a plot that sounds similar to the conversations about Maui, developers on the main island are taking advantage and buying properties, all while Lupe, Javier, and Marisol look into a string of murders…

If you want to start at the beginning, pick up Five Midnights.

cover image for Murder with Puffins

Murder With Puffins (Meg Langslow #2) by Donna Andrews

For cozy mystery fans with humor and zany characters!

Another tiny island setting, this time off the coast of Maine, where Meg and her boyfriend are stuck due to a hurricane. But their romantic getaway to a relative’s cabin goes sideways when they discover the rest of the family has decided to use the cabin. Now they’re all stuck together, so of course, there’s a murder Meg will have to solve!

If you want to start at the beginning, pick up Murder with Peacocks.

cover image for More Than You'll Ever Know

More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez

For fans of fictional true crime podcasts, murder cases, and dual POV.

Cassie wants to make a name for herself in the true crime genre by looking into a past case of a husband who murdered his wife Lore’s other secret husband. You follow both women in two different timelines, including a past one where a devastating earthquake hits Mexico.

(TW domestic abuse/ maternal mortality / mentions miscarriages, infertility/ ableism/ earthquake that killed many/ alcoholism)

The Dry by Jane Harper cover image

The Dry (Aaron Falk #1) by Jane Harper

For fans of Australian settings and procedurals!

Harper’s books all seem to contain, at the very least, extreme weather, and her debut, as the title implies, is set in a town dealing with extreme drought that leads to a wildfire.

Aaron Falk is an investigator for the Federal Police who looks into financial crimes. But when a childhood friend dies in what is ruled a murder-suicide, he finds himself returning to his small hometown and investigating a murder, and having to face a past mystery…

I loved watching Aaron Falk’s character evolve over the series.

News and Roundups

7 Cozy Mysteries To Curl Up With

Killers of the Flower Moon: Why Martin Scorsese Rewrote His Upcoming Crime Drama, Explained

The 41 new fall books we’re most excited to read

An Editorial Cartoon Criticizing Moms For Liberty Manipulated by the Group for Gain

Middle Schoolers Can’t Borrow Fahrenheit 451, Any YA Books, Without Parental Permission in Dripping Springs ISD

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Categories
Unusual Suspects

Murder, She Wrote Movie in the Works — Who Should Play Jessica Fletcher?

Hi mystery fans! In the absolute mess that is streaming now I ended up getting Starz because David Zaslav’s destruction of HBO Max ended up selling Minx to Starz. So now I get to watch season 2, and from a quick poking around it looks like it has plenty of other stuff for me to watch.

Newish newsletter alert + a chance to win books! Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler plus 5 mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

a sticker of an illustrated frog reading a book that says "don't bug me or I'll eat you"

Don’t Bug Me or I’ll Eat You Bookish Reading Sticker by TortieandCo

Adorable and accurate. ($4)

New Releases

cover image for The Spanish Diplomat's Secret

The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret (Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries #3) by Nev March

For fans of historical mysteries!

This is a great historical mystery series that starts with Captain Jim Agnihotri solving a murder mystery and meeting and falling in love with Lady Diana Framji (Murder in Old Bombay), then the newlyweds move to America with Jim teaching Diana how to sleuth and her having to find him after he goes missing (Peril at the Exposition).

The third book sets readers in 1894, and Jim and Diana are on a ship to England. They meet Don Juan Nepomuceno, but he’s murdered onboard. That leaves six days until the ship docks to solve this murder…

cover image for The Graveyard Shift

The Graveyard Shift by Maria Lewis

For fans of a fictional horror podcast and murder mystery!

Tinsel Monroe has the dream job without the dream life: she hosts a horror podcast she loves, but it’s for awful pay and a terrible time slot so as much as she loves it, it’s just a strain on her life. That is until there is a live on-air murder and people start getting murdered in historic film locations, drawing Tinsel and her sister into the investigation…

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

Riot Recommendations

While certainly not a new thing, I recently found myself noticing what feels like more reissues lately. There are various reasons for a publisher to decide to reissue a book, but a couple popular reasons are an anniversary and that the author has since gotten a much larger audience. With that in mind, I have two recent reissues for you to check out.

cover of The Art of Desire

The Art of Desire by Stacey Abrams (Selena Montgomery)

For fans of romantic suspense!

Phillip Turman is a secret agent who was recently held by a terrorist organization. Now he’s trying to get his life back and is picking up the maid of honor for his best friend’s wedding. Simple enough task. Except Alex, who is done with men and focused on her writing career, finds herself and Phillip in the crosshairs of a dangerous conspiracy. If they even want a chance to be together, they’ll first have to survive…

cover image for Silence for the Dead

Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James

For fans of gothic mysteries!

Set in England post-WWI, Kitty Weekes has lied about her credentials to get hired as a nurse caring for shell-shocked veterans at Portis House. It’s a grand estate with a mystery concerning the owners and all the patients are afflicted with the same nightmare…

News and Roundups

Murder, She Wrote Movie in the Works — Who Should Play Jessica Fletcher?

Hong Kong’s gorgeous serial-killer thriller Limbo is finally coming to America

Comedian Cedric the Entertainer talks about his first fiction crime novel Flipping Boxcars

Stephen King Revealed His Approach To Writing A Mystery Novel, And It’s Way More Alfred Hitchcock Than It Is Agatha Christie

Here Is Every Book Banned in America

Liberty and Vanessa chat new releases on All The Books! including Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Categories
Unusual Suspects

It’s Time to Bring Back the ’90s Legal Thriller

Hello mystery fans! I am currently leaning hard into my make-it-all-brujas mood so I have The Witches of Eastwick queued up (I haven’t seen it in forEVer) and am hunting around for all the fall/horror/GIVEMEANGRYWITCHES things to watch.

But first: a newish newsletter + a chance to win books! Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler plus five mystery books (as in surprise titles) from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

a table runner with colorful illustrations of stacks of books and typewriters

Book Theme Table Runner by WaterlooBoutique

Fun home/school/work table runner for book lovers or any book-themed event. ($35)

New Releases

cover image for Perfectly Nice Neighbors

Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah

For fans of neighborhood social thrillers, current topics, and endings with a legal courtroom case.

I have learned that regardless of what you think you’re getting into with a thriller by Kia Abdullah (Take it Back; Next of Kin), it will be way more in-depth, nuanced, and more importantly, shift the ground out from underneath the reader at least once.

This time around we have Salma and Bilal Khatun moving to a new neighborhood with their son Zain. Zain had an incident in college and Salma and Bilal are in the process of closing the family restaurant so this move to a new neighborhood is meant as a fresh start, even if they’re concerned about the cost now. Upon arrival Zain puts up a BLM poster and Salma witnesses their new neighbor deface it. From there the two families are caught in an escalation of emotions, racism, and retaliations all the while their teenage sons form a friendship and work on an app together. It’s an unflinching look at the high cost of bigotry and division.

(TW ableism / miscarriage)

cover image for Your Lonely Nights Are Over

Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass

For fans of fictional serial killers, slasher films, high body counts, and October-y mood reads!

Dearie and Cole are gay best friends and whew is that friendship going to be put through the wringer when an inactive serial killer becomes active again and fingers point at Dearie and Cole! Mr. Sandman killed lonely people decades ago and he’s suddenly resurrected – or inspired a copycat – at Stone Grove High in Arizona. This time around the lead-up note telling you you’re going to die comes via text and the targets are members of the school’s Queer Club.

You’ll get to know Dearie and Cole in alternating chapters as they navigate being teenagers, their friendship, loves, and relationships all while trying to prove they are not the killers by having to solve who actually is. Oh, and most importantly: staying alive.

This book is fun with a lot of tropes, characters to root for, and others to root for their demise. It has different personalities and senses of humor, including funny cattiness, and it’s my favorite blend of murder mystery + horror slasher film. I’ve read all of Adam Sass’ novels (Surrender Your Sons; The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers) so far and continue to look forward to what comes next.

(TW emotional partner abuse)

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

Riot Recommendations

I think a lot about what makes books successful and why great books many times never find their audience. This is a very long, never ending discussion, which I’ll spare you from but it did decide my two picks this round. Here are two books that didn’t get attention because they came out between the time that HarperCollins union workers went on strike for better working conditions and their return with better contracts (November 10, 2022 – February 21, 2023).

cover image for My Flawless Life

My Flawless Life by Yvonne Woon

For fans of twisty YA mysteries including an anonymous “requester.”

Hana Yang Lerner works as a fixer of sorts: you pay her to solve a problem for you, including test taking. Her private life isn’t great though; her father was a beloved politician until he was arrested for a hit-and-run and she no longer talks to her ex-best friend. That is until a new job comes in from an anonymous source, which contains three parts to complete. The first is helping her ex-best friend. There’s no reason for Hana to want this job, and she doesn’t, but the large sum of money that comes with it makes her take it and to start spying on her once best friend…

I enjoyed Katharine Chin’s narration on the audiobook, who you may know from her work on Cold and Acts of Violet.

(TW mentions attempt to distribute security video of teen girls skinny dipping)

cover of A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar

For fans of historical YA and heists!

A team of four young women, all from different backgrounds with different skills, board the Titanic with a heist in mind. Along the way they’ll also create a found family, and a romantic sapphic pairing, but their initial focus and goal is to steal a gem-studded Persian poetry book. They’re already doing a dangerous job—with false identities and stolen tickets they’ve used to get aboard the ship—but as the chapter titles show, time is running out before the Titanic hits an iceberg…

News and Roundups

‘The Other Black Girl’ Has Its Flaws — But It Does Fix 1 Thing From The Novel

Amazon & Netflix In Bidding Battle For ‘Crime 101’: Don Winslow Novella Has Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Director Bart Layton Attached; Deal Could Hit $100M

Alexia Gordon’s Murder in G Major has been adapted into a Hallmark film starring Tamera Mowry-Housley and will premiere on September 22nd at 9pm EST.

It’s Time to Bring Back the ’90s Legal Thriller

Richard Osman: ‘I would have been terrible in MI6. I’m too tall, spill secrets and can’t lie’

School Boards in California To Be Banned from Banning Books

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Categories
Unusual Suspects

The 20 Best Mystery Books to Read for Your Inner Sleuth

Hi mystery fans! I’m so glad Archer is back, even if it is its final season. In some strange way it’s been a comfort watch for me since its first season—minus the coma years which, eh. And I’m super impatiently waiting for Joy Ride and Barbie to hit a (any) streamer.

Newish newsletter alert + a chance to win books! Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler plus 5 mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

two sizes of a silver book charm with a cutout heart on the cover showing gold pages inside

Book necklace by BoutiqueAcademia

Does the soon arrival of fall make you think of holidays which makes you think of your lists of people you need gifts for? This is a nice one for necklace-wearing bookworms. ($25)

New Releases

cover image for Creep

Creep: Accusations and Confessions by Myriam Gurba

If you’re looking for an outside-the-box true crime + memoir I highly recommend this one.

It is impossible to categorize this book, which is one of my favorite things about it, and the same can be said about the author, Myriam Gurba. It’s a memoir of sorts, with stories from her life and family, including her grandfather’s life as a publicist and her prima’s childhood abuse that led to her joining a gang. But it’s also a true crime book and a book on history that dives into the actual heart of the events, crimes, and criminals, focusing on the victims and society. It’s a spotlight on the very title word, creep(s), and how we create them, allow them, defend them. The book is an essay collection, but again can’t be categorized easily as such because there is play with the narrative and structure in itself.

I was a huge fan of her previous genre-bending memoir Mean, so I ran to this one and once again continue to love her work, infused with her dark humor and observational insight mixed with research. She narrates the audiobook, and while I love hearing work in the author’s own voice, I can also see this being a book readers will want to highlight or mark with sticky notes in a print/ebook copy. I may have almost burned dinner while pausing the audiobook to go jot down a line that has since stayed with me: “The living expect a lot from dead women.”

(TWs she talks about so many stories, cases, and histories that it’s easiest to just say everything, though I’ll note it never feels gratuitous or graphic for the sake of being.)

cover image for Mother-Daughter Murder Night

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

For fans of coastal town settings, murder mysteries, and three generations of amateur sleuths!

It’s a big month for fall mystery books and book clubs: GMA chose Happiness Falls and Reese’s Book Club chose Mother-Daughter Murder Night.

Lana Rubicon is an LA businesswoman currently living in a coastal town with her daughter and granddaughter following a cancer diagnosis. She’s obviously not thrilled about all the life changes but finds herself less bored when her granddaughter finds a body. Lana may have seen something important to the investigation and it’s time for this family to start sleuthing in order to solve a murder, dredge up small-town secrets, and save themselves.

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

Riot Recommendations

I have two great historical mysteries with young women: one set in a time period we rarely get in books, with interesting history and a wonderful character, and the other a group of women with a fascinating job.

Silence of Bones Book Cover

The Silence of Bones by June Hur

Set in 1800 in the Joseon Korean dynastic kingdom, we get to know Seol. She is currently being trained as a police damo, having been sent to the capital by her sister on a mission to find her older brother’s grave. Being a police damo means she’s basically an indentured servant to the police. Since Confucius’s law bars men from touching women, Seol’s job is to touch murdered women’s bodies and arrest women.

She stands out being a quick learner and sensitive which leads Inspector Han to teach her how to solve cases. But Seol is quickly put in a difficult position when she questions whether Han has any involvement in a woman’s murder…

(TW past suicides mentioned, detail/ mentions public groping/ torture/ past child murder mentioned/ dog killed, skippable)

cover image for The Killing Code

The Killing Code by Ellie Marney

Set in Virginia in 1943, we follow a group of code-breakers who are all women. They are all very different – and complicating things even further is that one of them has taken the identity of a dead woman – but they are all forced to work together outside of job hours to solve a murder. They are quickly in over their heads when they realize they are trying to identify and stop a serial killer…

For audiobook readers, narrators Natalie Naudus and Kelsey Navarro do an excellent job.

(TW date rape drug use, no assault/ murder victims raped, not on page nor detailed/ antisemitism/ attempted sexual assault)

News and Roundups

Liberty and Danika chat about new releases on All The Books! including The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby by G. Z. Schmidt

The 20 Best Mystery Books to Read for Your Inner Sleuth

‘Holly’ review: Stephen King’s ace detective takes a star role in freaky thriller

Tina Fey stars in ‘A Haunting in Venice,’ an upcoming thriller based on Agatha Christie novel

(obviously spoilers) ‘The Afterparty’ Finale Unmasks a Killer — and Makes a Case for Season 3

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Categories
Unusual Suspects

Readers’ Most Anticipated Fall Mysteries & Thrillers

Hello mystery fans! I’m currently in a good reading cycle of mostly rotating three genres: nonfic/memoir (We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film by Tre’vell Anderson); mystery/thriller (Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett); romance (10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall). But I am seriously itching for a good bruja story so that will have to be next.

But first: a newish newsletter + a chance to win books! Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler plus 5 mystery books (as in surprise titles) from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

a grey sweatshirt with an embroidery of a ghost with a book on its head and text saying read more boooooks

Embroidered Ghost Book Sweatshirt by PoppySoulCo

This is an adorable embroidered sweatshirt that comes in a ton of color options. ($35)

New Releases

cover image for The Changing Man

The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde

For fans of dark academia, social thrillers, and paranormal!

Leon has recently disappeared from the expensive Nithercott School as Ife Adebola begins attending on a scholarship. She soon learns about the rumor that the Changing Man must once again be at it. Adebola isn’t here for myths but it isn’t long before another student, Malika, disappears only to… return changed. Is there something to the rumors about the Changing Man or is something else going on in this school?

It may not technically be fall until Sept 23rd, and it certainly isn’t anywhere near fall in weather where I’m at, but I just started the audiobook on this one for some vibes and I’m loving the dual narration by Afolabi Alli and Fola Evans-Akingbola.

cover image for Grave Expectations

Grave Expectations: A Mystery by Alice Bell

For fans of past murder mysteries, a ghostly detective partner, and fun reads!

Claire is a medium. At least it’s how she makes money, thanks to the fact that a ghost follows her everywhere she goes. The ghost is Sophie, who is perpetually a teenager, exactly as she was when Claire last saw her during their childhood. They were best friends, and still are, although it’s a bit difficult at times seeing as Claire has now grown into an adult and Sophie has stayed the teenager she was when she died. No one knows, including Sophie, what happened to her. Claire ended up punished for trying to tell people that she knew Sophie was, in fact, dead since everyone was holding out hope that Sophie was alive somewhere.

This is their current dynamic when Claire (and Sophie) end up performing a seance in an old English countryside manor for an 80-year-old grandmother’s birthday party, where the woman ends up dead. Her ghost wants Claire to know she wasn’t murdered, but she is certain one of her family members did murder someone else whose ghost is also in the house. That’s when Claire and Sophie set out to solve the mystery and figure out who in this family they can and can’t trust…

If you’re looking for a funny amateur sleuth team mystery set in a small English town, pick this one up! I got sucked right into this world–and especially Claire and Sophie’s banter– listening to the audiobook narrated by Sophie Roberts.

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

Riot Recommendations

Let’s start the month with two mystery reads from 2022 that are releasing in paperback this month.

paperback cover image for All That's Left Unsaid

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien

For fans of the “why/how” behind a murder, family, exploration of community, and Australian settings.

Ky is a reporter in Melbourne when she learns of her younger brother’s murder at a busy restaurant. When she returns home to Sydney, she discovers her parents don’t know the details, no one at the restaurant is claiming to have seen anything, and the white police force doesn’t appear to be concerned with a Vietnamese family. Ky is determined to get answers.

Lavender House Book Cover

Lavender House (Andy Mills #1) by Lev A.C. Rosen

For fans of historical fiction, ex-cops turned private-eye, and whodunnit murder mysteries.

1952, San Fransisco. The matriarch of a soap-making empire, Irene Lamontaine, has been found dead. It was suspicious and the family is hiding secrets (of course!). Irene’s widow, Pearl Velez, hires Andy Mills who has recently been fired from the police force for being at a gay bar. This is how Mills finds himself in the secluded Lamontaine estate sussing out what really happened, and whether someone in the found-family group could really be a murderer…

News and Roundups

How To Alert Your School Board to Right-Wing Bad Actors

Ned Kelly Awards 2023 winners announced

One for the Books live event in Pasadena on Sept 14th with Attica Locke as one of the authors!

Congrats to the 2023 Anthony Awards Winners!

Two of Our Favorite Murderous Gay Couples Are Coming to Max This Fall

10 Shows Like ‘Suits’ That Are Packed With Legal Drama

10 Best Detective Based Anime

Readers’ Most Anticipated Fall Mysteries & Thrillers

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Categories
Unusual Suspects

9 Crimes Linked to Books

Hi mystery fans! Apparently there is some nonsense about today already being September(?!), which means that this whole year has equally felt like the longest year and also that it has (so far) passed in a blink? In good news my usual craving for brujas and fall things is now closer to Halloween.

Newish newsletter + a chance to win books!: Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler plus 5 mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

6 tarot cards with graphic illustrations of the golden girls that have turned into bookmarks

Golden Girls Tarot card bookmark by ColorfulNostalgia

It’s a mystery which one you get–which is fun–but while I like them all, “the devil” is a work of art. ($4)

New Releases

cover image for Redemption

Redemption (Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran #1) by Deborah J. Ledford

For fans of missing persons cases with the investigator tied to one of the cases, procedurals, and Native American leads.

Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran is a sheriff’s deputy whose best friend, Paloma, is one of four women who have gone missing from Taos Pueblo reservation. Because Duran doesn’t feel like her own department is doing enough, she teams up with Cruz “Wolf Song” Romero, a friend and tribal police officer. They’re up against a lot, including time, when the missing women begin to turn up dead. Can Duran save Paloma in time?

cover image for Where The Dead Sleep

Where the Dead Sleep (Ben Packard #2) by Joshua Moehling

For fans of small town procedurals, family drama, and murder mysteries.

There are days where I randomly grab a book and see where the journey takes me, which I did with this one. It’s why I didn’t realize it was a sequel (it gives you the info you need from the first book, I was never lost) and am now planning on reading the first since I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Deputy Ben Packard recently moved to a small Minnesota town and took on the role of active Sheriff due to the Sheriff being diagnosed with cancer. He’s not thrilled about the Sheriff part, because of politics and he feels like he has a social target on his back as an openly gay deputy. But soon he has to decide, while being begged by others, if he’s willing to run for Sheriff to take the job full-time. It’s all going on while he has a complicated murder investigation that is full of family drama—like you could put this family on a reality show!

Bill Sandersen was murdered in his home while his wife slept in her separate room. His wife was his first real girlfriend, who he broke up with years ago to marry her sister instead. Bill was divorced from the sister and married to the original sister (I know!). Obviously the sisters don’t like each other, neither does the third sister who wants nothing to do with these two–or the emotionally abusive mom they blame for all their problems. As you can imagine, Bill had plenty of people who wanted him dead, including a business partner he stole money from. So Packard has plenty of work between his professional life of deciding if he wants to be Sheriff and this case with a long list of suspects…

I did the audioook format and enjoyed Linda Jones’ narration, even if at first I briefly wondered why a male narrator wasn’t picked since the lead is a dude. Maybe because there were a lot of supporting characters that are women? Anyhoo, if you’re an audiobook listener, it’s a good pick!

(TW talk of past suicide, detail/ alcoholism/ former Sheriff dies of cancer/ mentions past overdose, not deadly/ parent with dementia/ past child abuse case recounted, emotional child abuse/ fatphobia)

Riot Recommendations

If you’ve unfortunately ever been in a natural disaster, you are aware that the recovery is not fast and that while the news focuses on the time during the disaster and the immediate time afterwards, it then generally moves on. So I thought I’d point out two mysteries set in Hawai’i and also these five ways to help victims of the Maui wildfires.

cover image for Murder Casts a Shadow

Murder Casts a Shadow: A Hawai’i Mystery by Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl

For fans of historical mysteries with a newspaper reporter as an amateur sleuth!

In Honolulu you’ll ring in the new year of 1934! But it’s not all fun and celebration: what starts as a museum theft quickly leads to a string of murders. Enter Mina Beckwith, a reporter who finds herself in the unlikely role of partnering with playwright Ned Manusia. Can they locate the stolen painting and unmask the killer?

If you want to continue with the series, pick up the sequel, Murder Leaves Its Mark.

Iced in Paradise cover image

Iced in Paradise (A Leilani Santiago Hawai’i Mystery #1) by Naomi Hirahara

For fans of characters returning home and cozy mysteries!

Leilani Santiago had started a new life in San Francisco but returned to Hawai’i to help out her family, specifically working in their shave ice shack. While trying to find her way and figure out what she wants to do with her life, the position of amateur sleuth is presented when her father is accused of murdering the man found dead in their family business!

If you’ve already read this one, you can continue with the sequel, An Eternal Lei.

News and Roundups

9 Crimes Linked to Books

The First App to “Help” Libraries and Schools with Book Bans Has Arrived–It’s Not What It Seems

Library Bomb Threats Continue to Increase

Liberty and Patricia recently chatted on All The Books! about Board to Death by CJ Connor and I’m Not Done with You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto–two great releases this year that are on opposite ends of the mystery spectrum.

September 17th at 4pm: Adam Sass will be at The Ripped Bodice (LA location) to chat about his new book Your Lonely Nights Are Over!

You can hear Lisa Jewell and Emma Donoghue chat on a recent episode of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing.

13 Shows Like ‘Only Murders in the Building’ That’ll Tickle Your Funny and Mystery Bones After Season 3

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

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Unusual Suspects

10 Comedy Detective Movies That Are Laugh Out Loud Funny

Hello mystery fans! This month was my absolute favorite for adaptation releases! I adored Heartstopper S2 (Netflix), Red, White & Royal Blue (Prime) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (VOD) was a literal work of art!

Are you a velocireader? If so Book Riot’s New Release Index will keep you in the know about all the latest books. New books for days! Subscribe today — you won’t be able to read them all, but it’s fun to try! 

Bookish Goods

beige tote bag with a graphic print of the killer from Scream holding a pink phone saying "no you hang up"

Funny Scream tote bag by liliumapparel1

If a tote bag makes me laugh, you get to see it! ($25)

New Releases

cover of Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

The author of Miracle Creek is back with a new book for fans of a missing person mystery, family drama, and a dive into what happiness means.

Mia Parkson and her two siblings are staying in her parent’s home (COVID lockdown). After her youngest brother Eugene goes for a walk with their dad, he returns alone. It appears that something has happened to their father, but because Eugene is nonverbal, he does not recount the day’s events. While her father’s notes might lead Mia to conclude he’s behind his own disappearance, the police start to look at Eugene.

I’ve been rec’d this a lot by fellow reviewers and the only reason I haven’t gotten to it yet is because I wanted to go with the audiobook format. If you like reading the buzzy books, this one appears to be one for this fall.

cover image for The Reunion

The Reunion by Kit Frick

For fans of family reunions and resort settings where one person is murdered…

Over winter break, the Mayweathers find themselves united in Cancún, Mexico thanks to an engagement. Except this forced week of family fun is filled with secrets and a murder that places everyone on the suspect list… This is giving me vibes for fans of The White Lotus who are impatiently waiting for a new season.

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

Riot Recommendations

I have a book with a bruja (not fantasy) and one with a witch (some fantasy)!

Cover of River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan

River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan

Eva Santos Moon–a glass artist who started using a little black magic in hopes of reviving her creativity–is having a hard time, which is about to get worse. Her husband is arrested for the murder of a coworker (on suspicion of an affair), the new murder is bringing up childhood trauma from witnessing a drowning, and Eva’s been having recent blackouts that are making it difficult for her to know what is real or not. Is her husband guilty? Does her childhood best friend’s drowning mean Eva may be responsible?

(TW mentions postpartum depression/mentions domestic violence)

In the Company of Witches cover image

In the Company of Witches by
Auralee Wallace

For fans of cozy mysteries and Practical Magic (widow, magic, witches, family)!

Brynn Warren is a witch who can talk to ghosts, a power she’s refused to use for years ever since her husband died. But now running a B&B with her aunts, she’s forced to stop ignoring her powers. It’s the only way to clear her aunt’s name when she’s suspected of murdering a guest…

News and Roundups

6 under-the-radar Netflix thrillers with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes you have to try

3 moments that might convince you Edgar Allan Poe was a time traveler.

Only Murders in the Building is a loving parody of the whodunit

Naomi Hirahara was terrified at her first Bouchercon convention. Watch her now.

10 Comedy Detective Movies That Are Laugh Out Loud Funny

Put Netflix’s Who is Erin Carter on your watch list if you’re a fan of gritty crime thrillers

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2023 releases and 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

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Unusual Suspects

‘I’m a Crime Thriller Author and Here’s the #1 Common Serial Killer Myth I’d Love to Debunk’

Hi mystery fans! I am a judge in one of the big yearly book awards, so that has been a giant focus of mine lately, which is great. But also, any time reading starts to feel even a little bit like homework, it quickly leads to me needing to drown myself in television and comics — which is what I hope to be doing with my weekend as a brain reset.

Are you a velocireader? If so Book Riot’s New Release Index will keep you in the know about all the latest books. New books for days! Subscribe today — you won’t be able to read them all, but it’s fun to try! 

Bookish Goods

a standing night light shaped like a book with the name Heather personalized on the cover

Personalized Book Night Light by EtchThisOut

If you’re looking for a bookish night light, here’s one you can personalize. ($28)

New Releases

cover image for Harlem After Midnight

Harlem After Midnight (Canary Club Mystery #2) by Louise Hare

For fans of historical mystery series!

Lena Aldridge recently traveled from London to NY (finding her first mystery!) and is now settling into Harlem in 1936. Her life is in turmoil: her Broadway gig is no longer an option, her father died, and she’s staying with friends of a man she’s only just met. To complicate things even more, Lena finds herself thrust into her own family’s mysteries along with the case of the woman who fell (?) or was shoved (?) off the building where Lena now lives…

If you want to start at the beginning, pick up Miss Aldridge Regrets!

cover image for Before She Finds Me

Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez

For fans of assassin stories, and two POVs by strangers whose lives will careen towards each other!

We start with a sniper shooting at a university and then follow two women connected to the event. Julia Bennett is a college professor whose daughter was shot (lived) and ex-husband’s new wife was shot (died). Julia reacts quickly, the first to realize there are shots being fired, which later brings questions from police as to why she was so alert. It ultimately dredges up her childhood trauma of coming home to find her parents murdered. Ren Petrovic is a pregnant contract killer, married to a contract killer, and the daughter of a contract killer. She has strict rules, though: she only kills people who deserve it. She thought her husband was on the same page, but is now questioning the shooting and the stories he’s telling her…

I loved the way this one unfolded! Pick it up if you want to be fully absorbed by a mystery with some contract killers.

The audiobook is narrated by Megan Tusing, who I enjoyed having in my ears while I did chores.

(TW brief mentions of past domestic abuse/ stories of past addict/ recounts past attempted sexual assault)

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Here are two great nonfic titles from this year. The first is a true crime memoir, and the second is one that I think will intrigue those who like reading about conspiracies and “cults.”

a graphic of the cover of Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice by Cristina Rivera Garza

Liliana’s Invincible Summer by Cristina Rivera Garza

I selected this title as the best book I read in the first half of 2023 and highly recommend it for true crime memoir readers. It places the focus on the victim (diary entries in her own voice, with the book written by her sister) and takes a look at the greater societal issue of femicide.

The audiobook has a fantastic narrator, Victoria Villarreal.

(TW mentions rape cases the way the news does/ talks of femicide cases/ mentions case believed to be suicide that was later determined murder/ mentions partner sexual assault, not graphic/ partner abuse/ mentions brief threat of suicide)

cover image for Conspirituality

Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Public Health Threat by Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

If you’re looking for a book that takes a deep dive into conspiracy theories in the world of “liberals,” showing how the new age health “healers” were primed to basically come full circle into peddling their own anti-science, anti-medicine conspiracies, grab this one. It goes into a lot, starting with disaster capitalism and disaster spirituality.

The audiobook is narrated by one of the authors, Matthew Remski.

News and Roundups

Murder, Mystery and James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

Best-Selling Author Karin Slaughter Talks Her Latest Page-Turning Thriller, After That Night

‘I’m a Crime Thriller Author and Here’s the #1 Common Serial Killer Myth I’d Love to Debunk’

A Moradabad-born hakim’s love for Sherlock Holmes and English gave birth to Urdu crime fiction

What to read next, according to Harlan Coben

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

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Unusual Suspects

10 of the Most Devious Villains in Crime TV Shows

Hello mystery fans! There is a wealth of favorite authors releasing new crime books in 2024 and I am like a kid in a candy store wanting it all! And more importantly, I’m trying to be organized about finding them all and playing the I-will-read-every-book game. I won’t, but I will still try!

Are you a velocireader? If so Book Riot’s New Release Index will keep you in the know about all the latest books. New books for days! Subscribe today — you won’t be able to read them all, but it’s fun to try! 

Bookish Goods

a tote bag with a screen print image of a 1950s club with cars that says "stay up late at the book club"

Stay Up Late at the Book Club Tote Bag by RatherKeen

A good reason for always being tired. ($22)

New Releases

cover image for I'm Not Done With You Yet

I’m Not Done with You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto

For fans of twisty psychological thrillers!

This starts with a self-diagnosed sociopath, Jane, who is constantly annoyed with her husband and still obsessed with her first friend, Thalia, from when she studied creative writing at Oxford. Back then, someone died, and the students left. But even that isn’t enough of a reason for Jane to explain why she’s never heard from Thalia again. That is until now, when she sees Thalia is a popular author and will be at a convention. Now Jane will do anything to get to talk to Thalia…

I continue to be a big fan of Sutanto’s, who has a range from dark-ish and twisty to cozy and fun, and always delivers an entertaining read. In this case, I love that we start in one place, get plunged into a character’s intense thoughts, and then…(like I would ever spoil a book!)

(TW quick cancer mentions/ quick diet culture, disorder eating mention/ brief recounts attempted sexual assault/ social anxiety)

cover image for Board to Death

Board to Death (A Board Game Shop Mystery #1) by CJ Connor

For fans of quozy mystery series!

Ben Rosencrantz hits many of the loved cozy mystery tropes: he’s returned to his hometown in Utah after big city life as a university professor and a divorce; is back to care for an ailing parent; takes over a business (boardgames); gets accused of murder and must put on his amateur sleuth cap; and experiences a sweet romance. The murder part: an obnoxious person who tried to sell Ben a rare game (the inspiration for Monopoly!) is found dead behind Ben’s store, and Ben ends up with a bag full of cash! The romance part: Ezra McCaslin is the flower shop owner and hits it off with Ben. The two team up to solve this murder and keep Ben out of jail!

If you’re looking for a cozy mystery with humor, a sweet love story, and like board games, start this new series by our very own Book Riot contributor CJ Connor. And for audiobook listeners, the narrator, Robert Mac Minshew, is the author’s husband!

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Here are two fun middle grade mysteries for fans of fall/Halloween vibes all year round!

cover image for The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby

The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby by G.Z. Schmidt

Thirteen years ago the daughter of the mayor, Beatrice Willoughby, attended the annual All Hallows Eve party at the Amadeuses’ home and vanished. The party never happened again, and the house got a magical spell put on it to no longer be found. Except now, six invitations have gone out for an All Hallows Eve event. This party will seal the attendants in Clue style, asking for the mystery of what happened to Beatrice to finally be solved…

cover image for Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye

Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio, Will Staehle (Illustrator)

This is a fun story with unique illustrations following a boy who has inherited the family hotel but is too young to run it alone. Dealing with his real-life issues — lazy uncle, witch aunt — he also finds himself on the hunt for the All Seeing Eye, which is rumored to be in the hotel! Along with the illustrations and fun story, you also get codes and puzzles.

News and Roundups

This The Afterparty Season 2 Episode Is An Excellent Ode To A Nearly Extinct Genre

The Other Black Girl: Watch Unsettling First Trailer for Hulu’s Novel Adaptation

5 late-summer mysteries

10 of the Most Devious Villains in Crime TV Shows

‘The Blind Side’ lawsuit: Tuohy family intends to end conservatorship for Michael Oher

Districts Are Turning to AI to Ban Books

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2023 releases and 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Categories
Unusual Suspects

Tana French Answers Questions About Her Next Anticipated Book, THE HUNTER

Hi mystery fans! The beautiful romance community has once again come together to be helpers with a romance-themed auction to benefit survivors of the Maui wildfires. That link also lists the five organizations the funds will go to f you’re looking for a way to help but don’t want to play the auction game.

Are you a velocireader? If so Book Riot’s New Release Index will keep you in the know about all the latest books. New books for days! Subscribe today — you won’t be able to read them all, but it’s fun to try! 

Bookish Goods

silver charm of a stack of books on a necklace

Book charm necklace by WittingCraft

Here’s a nice charm necklace for book lovers that comes in silver, gold, and rose gold finish — plus, a variety of size options. ($25)

New Releases

cover image for Cleveland Noir

Cleveland Noir edited by Michael Ruhlman and Miesha Wilson Headen

For fans of noir anthologies!

This is a great way to find new (to you) great writers in the crime genre. I love short story collections for when I want to read but only have small bursts of time. This collection, as the title makes very clear, focuses on Cleveland, Ohio, as the setting written by a bunch of great authors. “Cleveland is a working-class town, though its great institutions were founded by twentieth-century robber barons and magnates…”

cover image for The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann

For fans of amateur, elderly sleuths, translated novels, and quirkiness — it opens with a turtle finding a dead body!

Sunset Hall is a home in the English countryside where elderly residents, including Agnes Sharp, live. When a police officer visits and they learn of the dead body next door, they must remain cool, calm, and collected since they themselves are housing a dead body…And that’s how they set out to find the killer of the new dead body in order to pin their dead body on.

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

Riot Recommendations

I’ve got two paperback releases for you if you have been waiting on that format to finally get to dive into these titles!

cover image for The Devil Takes You Home

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias

For fans of gritty noir and assassins!

After taking too many days off to care for his sick daughter (cancer) Mario is fired from his job, leading him to accept a murder-for-hire job. Things only get worse when his daughter dies and his wife leaves. Drowning in debt, despair, and anger, he takes on a bigger job: rob a Mexican cartel for $200,000. What could possibly go wrong?!

cover image for The Change paperback edition

The Change by Kirsten Miller

For fans of revenge and books that take on a difficult subject without being graphic just for the sake of it.

Three middle-aged women — Nessa, Harriett, and Jo — are going through turmoil in their lives when suddenly they realize they have a gift. Nessa’s “gift” is that she sees the ghosts of girls who are seeking to have their bodies found so their killers can be punished. With a slew of missing girls the police are treating as runaways, these three different women come together to help these dead girls, including the body that’s just been found…

(TW adult predators of teen girls as theme/ suicide / sexual harassment, groping/ domestic child abuse, not graphic/ mentions past late-term pregnancy loss / sexual assault not on page or detailed, aftermath from a character not involved’s POV of being blocked from calling police)

News and Roundups

20 Heart-Pounding Thrillers of the Last Decade That Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat

Hallmark: Will There Be Any More Hannah Swensen Mysteries Cooked Up Soon?

The Last Thing He Told Me: 10 Differences Between the Book and Series

Hard-Boiled Hope in Clark and Division

Liberty and Tirzah chat new books on All The Books! including No One Leaves the Castle by Christopher Healy.

EveryLibrary and Book Riot Partner to Launch Parent Perceptions Survey on Public Libraries and Current Issues

Tana French answers questions about her next anticipated book, The Hunter

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.