Author: Jamie Canaves

Hello mystery fans! This week I thought I’d talk about the mystery books I plan on reading this month which have a scary or horror element because *checks calendar* yup, it’s October! (Brujas unite!) For readers who are nope-nopeing me when it comes to scares/horror don’t worry at the bottom are a BUNCH of this week’s great new releases for you! And for readers who want more scary/horror here was last year’s list.

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Sponsored by CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER by Joanne Fluke.

Queen of culinary mystery Joanne Fluke cooks up the most delicious gift of all: a recipe-filled holiday prequel to her beloved Hannah Swensen Mystery series! It’s a Christmas season many years ago, and Hannah Swensen is preparing to open The Cookie Jar and move out of her mother’s house. At the top of her wish list is becoming the go-to baker in Lake Eden, Minnesota. But when Hannah also agrees to help recreate a spectacular Christmas Ball from the past in honor of an elderly local in hospice care, she finds out that revisiting holiday memories can be murder…

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*I obviously can’t know the trigger warnings but the ones I’ve listed are based on what I read in the summary.

When I Am Through with You by Stephanie Kuehn: “This isn’t meant to be a confession. Not in any spiritual sense of the word. Yes, I’m in jail at the moment. I imagine I’ll be here for a long time, considering. But I’m not writing this down for absolution and I’m not seeking forgiveness, not even from myself. Because I’m not sorry for what I did to Rose. I’m just not. Not for any of it.” –Well, clearly I have to read this because excuse me?! Plus, Kelly wrote that the novel has great connections with Tessa Sharpe’s Far From You, which is a novel I LOVED.

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand: I’m currently reading this one and it has an underlying creepy factor, is really atmospheric, and follows three very different girls in a place where girls have been disappearing for decades! I picked this one up because the cover reminded me of Shannon Bonatakis’ art and am really glad I did because it’s getting me into the mood for this month!

 

Night Film by Marisha Pessl: (TW: suicide) I recently read, and really enjoyed, Pessl’s Neverworld Wake and since I was already planning on reading her back catalog this thriller/horror novel was clearly the perfect choice. The novel even starts in October: On a damp October night, 24-year-old Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. And there’s a reclusive cult-horror film director–I’m so excited to read this!

I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Philip Roughton (Translator): (TW suicide) A mystery set in Iceland with a potential haunted house? Yes, please, give me now! Seriously, that’s all I need–and want to know–to know I need to read this. But if you need to hear more here’s Liberty on why it’s amazing and scary–and also that entire list is awesome!

 

Recent Releases

The Night In Question by Nic Joseph (I’m a fan of Joseph’s, so I was anticipating this one and it totally delivered! A murder mystery that really questions where is the line, if one exists, that separates us between being a good and bad person.)

And Fire Came Down (Caleb Zelic #2) by Emma Viskic (I am a huge fan of Australian crime, and this is a great series starring PI Caleb Zelic who is deaf. This one picks up right where the last one left off so read Resurrection Bay first–Review)

The Antiquities Hunter (A Gina Myoko Mystery #1) by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff (Currently Reading: A quirky, and interesting PI mystery I’m really enjoying that is set in San Francisco and revolves around the black market of antiquities.)

The Hollow of Fear (Lady Sherlock #3) by Sherry Thomas (Is everyone collectively muppet arming with me because you know this gender bent Sherlock Holmes is one of my favorite series! I’m currently reading–because I want it to last forever–and, this time, Charlotte goes undercover to clear her friend’s name!)

The Pint of No Return (A Sloan Krause Mystery #2) by Ellie Alexander (Cozy mystery)

Murder on Millionaires’ Row by Erin Lindsey (Historical mystery set in Gilded Age Manhattan.)

The Silent Death (Gereon Rath #2) by Volker Kutscher, Niall Sellar (Translator) (Historical crime set in 1930’s Berlin.)

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver (Currently reading and can’t put down: Two girls suspected of killing their friend in the woods–but didn’t–are forced back together on the 5th year anniversary to finally confront what actually did happen.)

The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry (Historical mystery set in 19th century Edinburgh.)

Murder, She Wrote: A Date with Murder by Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain (If you miss the TV show there are books!)

The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller (Haunted Bookshop Mystery #6) by Cleo Coyle, Alice Kimberly (Paranormal mystery.)

City of Lies (Counterfeit Lady #1) by Victoria Thompson (Historical mystery romance set in 1920’s D.C.)

AND here’s an awesome giveaway for a custom bookplate stamp! Stamp all your books as yours!

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.

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

Hi mystery fans!

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Sponsored by Hanover Square Press and Guess Who by Chris McGeorge

At eleven years old, Morgan Sheppard solved the murder of a teacher when everyone else believed it to be a suicide. The publicity surrounding the case laid the foundations for his reputation as a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. He parlayed that fame into a gig as TV’s “Resident Detective,” solving more typical mysteries such as “Who is the Father?” and “Is He Cheating?” Until, that is, Sheppard wakes up handcuffed to a bed in a hotel room. Around him, five strangers are slowly waking up as well. Soon, they discover a corpse in the bath. And Sheppard is challenged to put his skills to the test: He has three hours to solve the murder. If he doesn’t find the killer, they all die.

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From Book Riot And Around The Internet

25 Best Suspense Books From 2018

On this episode of Get Booked, Liberty and Jenn get asked for some cozy mysteries!

By the Book: Reese Witherspoon “Well, I should start by saying that I don’t get my ideal reading experience ever. I work a lot and I have kids and a husband and about a thousand side hustles. But in theory, it would be alone in a cabin by a lake.”

The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan podcast: Walter Mosley on his unique childhood, an appreciation of Edwidge Danticat, philosophy and his latest book, John Woman.

Adaptations And News

Kareem Abdul Jabbar–who you may know as a basketball legend–will be in the Veronica Mars writing room! If you didn’t know, he’s been writing Sherlock mystery novels recently.

William Landay’s novel Defending Jacob is going to be an eight-episode limited series for Apple. The good news: Chris Evans is starring and producing (I vote for bearded Evans!). The bad news: Apple has bought a bajillion shows so far and has yet to announce how the service will work and it seems there may be issues with wanting no sex and violence in their shows.

We’re not getting Idris Elba as bond (Boo!) but we are getting Cary Joji Fukunaga as director (Yay!) for James Bond 25 starring Daniel Craig.

Netflix’s Sacred Games, adapted from Vikram Chandra’s novel, has been renewed for a second season.

Michael B. Jordan will star as John Clark in new film series based on Tom Clancy novels.

Kindle Deals

A Front Page Affair (Kitty Weeks Mystery Book 1) by Radha Vatsal is $2.51! (Historical mystery perfect if you’re looking for a break from violence against women right now: Review) (And the 2nd in the series was super good: Murder Between The Lines.)

Today in I had no idea: The creator of the TV show Monk along with the author of the Stephanie Plum series started an FBI and con artist series and it’s $2.99! The Heist (Fox and O’Hare Series, Book 1) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg.

Audiobooks On Hoopla! (Hoopla is a fantastic app that many libraries use, which has no holds and everyone is picking from the same catalog regardless of your library.)

Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith, Andre Blake (Narrator) (For fans of Get Out: Review) (TW rape/ suicide)

Tear Me Apart by J. T. Ellison, Narrators: Eva Kaminsky, Rebekkah Ross, Jacques Roy, Caitlin Davies, Amy McFadden, Pete Simonelli (For fans of domestic thrillers and characters with interesting jobs.) (TW rape/ pedophile/ self-harm/ suicide)

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.

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

Hello mystery fans! I have for you a noir novella, a psychological suspense, and the next BIG thriller you won’t be able to put down. Happy fall reading!

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Sponsored by The Gold Pawn by L.A. Chandlar

November 1936. For most of the country, it is the era of soup lines, but for Manhattan’s cosmopolitan set, the Big Apple is a decadent swirl of creativity, cocktails, music, gangsters and romance. At the center of it all is Lane Sanders, the high-spirited personal aide to Mayor La Guardia, sprinting through the corridors of City Hall in her stylish red shoes as she confronts the ghosts of her past and investigates a missing persons case that threatens to destroy everything. Through glittering Art Deco-era Manhattan to the shadowy outskirts of 1930’s Detroit, a ride on the Hindenburg, a band of city urchins, a narrow escape, and many new friends who go on to become the movers and shakers of the Thirties, one peculiar thing ties the mystery of Lane’s past and La Guardia’s current debacle together: The Gold Pawn.

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Hitwoman Noir Novella! (TW attempted rape)

All Things Violent by Nikki Dolson: This was an awesome crime novella that focuses on a young woman’s personal life and “career.” Laura Park is a hit woman working for her boyfriend, but she’s still technically in training and her trainer treats her like a child. The events that led her to this life and her current life’s unraveling are the focus as she does her best to kill her assigned marks. Equally tough and vulnerable, Park is a great main character, and the book left me wanting much more future writing from Dolson. While not a genderswap like Megan Abbott did with Queenpin there was an interesting play with the femme fatale…

Slow-Burn Psychological Suspense Mystery (TW suicide)

The Boy at the Keyhole by Stephen Giles: I picked this up because it had a comparison to Shirley Jackson and while I was initially hesitant, because those comps never work out for me, I totally saw it. It isn’t the characters from We Have Always Lived in the Castle but it is the similar vibe of the mystery, and everything basically taking place all in the house. In this case Samuel, a nine-year-old British boy, is desperately missing his mother who abruptly left to America without saying goodbye. Cared for only by Ruth, the housekeeper, he soon lets his imagination go rampant into theories of his mother having been murdered instead of being in America seeking financial support. But is it his imagination? Because Ruth sure does seem to be controlling things and, aside from some postcards, he has yet to actually hear from his mother…

This Will Be The Hit Thriller of 2019! (TW suicide/ rape/ revenge porn/ domestic violence)

As Long as We Both Shall Live by JoAnn Chaney (January 15, Flatiron): Okay, I don’t normally use this slot for future releases but in this case I want you to give future you a deliciously evil gift because you’re going to want to be ahead of the hype on this one! So preorder, be first on your library hold list, mark your calendar. I absolutely adore JoAnn Chaney’s wicked brain. Her writing is sharp, insightful, and darkly funny. And wow can she write a deliciously evil and giddy page-turner! The novel starts with two wives, decades apart, same husband. Each wife about to reach her fate at the hands of her husband. But how can a spouse possibly get away with murder? Twice?! Enter the first detective who doesn’t believe the husband’s story and then decades later two more detectives who don’t believe the husband’s current story when they find out the first story. The book brilliantly gives you slices into each characters life and brain while not only giving you the two focal mysteries but one of the current detectives is accused of murdering a previous partner. I know! I am so excited for everyone to get to experience this ride of a book!!!!

Recent Releases

Transcription by Kate Atkinson (TBR: Looking forward to this literary spy novel set in the ’40s and ’50s about a BBC radio producer who once worked for MI5…)

Haunted Hayride with Murder (An Otter Lake Mystery #6) by Auralee Wallace (Currently reading: This is one of those cozy mystery series where all the characters are ridiculous and it’s funny and I get to just enjoy myself and laugh.)

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.

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

Hi mystery fans!

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Sponsored by The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

The most inventive debut of 2018, this clever, mind-bending murder mystery will leave readers guessing until the very last page.

One of Stylist Magazine’s 20 Must-Read Books of 2018
One of Harper’s Bazaar’s 10 Must-Read Books of 2018
One of Marie Claire, Australia’s 10 Books You Absolutely Have to Read in 2018

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed. Again. She’s been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden’s only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle’s murder. However nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

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From Book Riot And Around The Internet

‘The Cheerleaders‘ Author Kara Thomas Was Inspired By A Real Crime — And The Story Sounds Too Unsettling To Be True

Rincey and Katie talk historical mysteries, what they’re reading, and new releases on the latest Read or Dead.

Paula Hawkins (The Girl On the Train) chatted with the The Gaurdian: “I feel guilty about rereading books because there are so many unread ones to get to. But that doesn’t stop me doing it – I return to the novels of Pat Barker and Atkinson time and time again.”

Read an excerpt of The Ancient Nine by Ian K. Smith

Read an excerpt of Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (the pseudonym of JK Rowling) 

6 Reasons Andrew Shaffer’s Hope Never Dies Is the Perfect Buddy Comedy

8 Great Murder Mysteries You Should Read!

News That Made Me SQUEAL!

Dear Veronica Mars fans, not only are all seasons of the show going to be on Hulu next year BUT there’s going to be NEEEEEEW Veronica Mars. Here’s Kristen Bell’s announcement. And a reminder if you haven’t read the two books yet, they’re perfect snacks to hold you over: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line and Mr. Kiss and Tell.

 

Watch Now

Currently In Theaters: A Simple Favor (adapted from Darcey Bell’s novel) starring Henry Golding, Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively and directed by Paul Feig (Spy, Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters). A Neo-Noir thriller filled with twists that follows Stephanie (Kendrick) a vlogging mom who sets out to find her missing new friend (Lively). Watch the trailer.

 

True Crime

Novelist who wrote about ‘How to Murder Your Husband’ charged with murdering her husband

9 Historical True Crime Books That Will Show You The Creepier Side Of History

A+E Networks UK is exploring more true crimes with its latest British origination – a series that looks at what killers do after their crimes, fronted by Life on Mars and Outcast star Philip Glenister.

Kindle Deals

The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang which published this week and is a great historical mystery (Review!) is only $4.99 and that’s ridiculous go get it!

The entire Israeli detective Avraham Avraham series by D.A. Mishani is on sale! This series is perfect for fans of procedurals that are character driven and focus on human behavior. Plus, I think it’s one of the only Israeli crime series which the main character discusses: The Missing File is $1.99; A Possibility of Violence is $3.99; The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything is $3.99 (I don’t remember trigger warnings but I want to say TW rape and child abuse/pedophilia.)

On Hoopla!

Hoopla is a fantastic app that many libraries use, which has no holds, and everyone is picking from the same catalog regardless of your library. I’ve noticed they have a GREAT selection of recent crime audiobooks so I’ll highlight a couple every week.

If you’re looking for a really good thriller: The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal (Review) (TW rape)

If you want a JUST RELEASED page-turner: Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough (Review) (TW child murder/ domestic abuse/ child abuse/ molestation)

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.

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

Hello mystery fans! This week I’ve got for you a great historical mystery, a small-town police procedural with dual mysteries, and an awesome thriller!

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Sponsored by William Morrow, publishers of I KNOW YOU KNOW the new novel by Gilly Macmillan.

From New York Times bestselling author Gilly Macmillan comes a chilling, twisty mystery about two shocking murder cases twenty years apart, and the threads that bind them.

Twenty years ago, eleven-year-olds Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby were murdered, their bodies dumped near a dog racing track. A man was convicted of the brutal crime, but decades later, questions still linger.

For his whole life, filmmaker Cody Swift has been haunted by the deaths of his childhood best friends. Hoping to uncover new evidence, Cody starts a podcast to record his findings. But there are many people who don’t want the case reopened so many years after the tragedy.

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Loved This Historical Mystery!

The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang: Set in Manhattan in the mid-1800s, there’s rumor of a girl with two hearts. They aren’t the kind of rumors that hurt your feelings or may ruin your social status, but that can literally get you killed and your body cut open and displayed for all to see. And the rumors are true: Cora Lee was born with two hearts. In order to keep anyone from discovering this, and to navigate society, she spends the day as Cora and the night disguised as her “twin brother” Jacob. She’s also robbing graves to sell the bodies to medical schools and those who are seeking body anomalies. She does this for money, and so that she can hear if anyone is looking for the girl with two hearts–her! Her life is complicated enough when suddenly people on her list of anomalies–who she waits to die of natural causes–start suspiciously dying. Will she figure out what is happening before she’s in the grave?… This was one of those novels where I was sucked in from the first page and absolutely adored Cora. Another win for the historical feminist mysteries category!

Great Small-Town Police Procedure (TW physical abuse)

Idyll Hands (Thomas Lynch #3) by Stephanie Gayle: This one checked off a bunch of boxes for me: small-town mystery; dual mysteries being solved; equal focus on solving the mysteries, the characters’ personal lives, and police department politics. The novel switches between Police Chief Thomas Lynch and Detective Michael Finnegan. Lynch is doing his best to settle into small-town life, navigate around the town and his department’s reaction to his being gay, figure out the whole dating in a small-town, and keep his men in line while solving a murder case. Finnegan was a rookie cop in the ’70s when his younger sister disappeared, and he’s never stopped blaming himself for waiting too long to file a missing person’s report. Now, 1999, with a woman’s body found in the woods, he’s determined to find out what happened to his sister. Lots of great characters, interactions, and two solid mysteries had me really invested in this read. I look forward to more, especially Lynch. (Reads as a standalone in that you’re never lost or feel like you’re thrown into an already started story.)

Awesome Thriller! (TW pedophilia/ PTSD/ the dog dies)

One Kick by Chelsea Cain: I love Cain, she’s one of my favorite writers and after reading her new comic Man-Eaters— which is brilliant–I needed more of her so I settled in with one of her thrillers. And of course I inhaled it because Cain writes the perfect combination, for me, of intense/dark with fictional/thriller. But before I get into the review–so no one yells at me–a heads up that this was the beginning of a series that will probably never have a second book because Cain and her editor changed publishers. With that said, while the ending of this book opens a new door for a continued mystery, it did solve the mystery of this book, which is why I’m still recommending it. The novel alternates between Kick Lannigan’s life, now at age 21, and the years she was kidnapped by a pedophile starting at age 6. Currently she is trying her best to keep her PTSD at bay with fighting techniques she’s learned since her rescue. Because she’s a survivor and a fighter, a mysterious man named Bishop appears in her life needing her to help him in a recent kidnapping case. Kick will have to get close to the world that still shares the videos she was forced to make as a child in order to help find recent victims… Cain creates amazing characters with layers of pain, fight, and hope. She keeps you turning the page with intense action, and sprinkles in just the right amount of dark humor.

Recent Releases

The Ancient Nine by Ian K. Smith (Currently reading: Secret society at Harvard–YES, PLEASE!)

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (Currently reading: Like a literary Groundhogs Day where Aiden Bishop has to identify Evelyn Hardcastle’s killer or the day starts over AGAIN.)

Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Tom Wright, Bradley Hope (TBR: Another white collar true crime I’m looking forward to.)

Guess Who by Chris McGeorge (Currently reading: A locked-room mystery where a group of strangers wake up in a hotel room together…)

Lethal White (Cormoran Strike #4) by Robert Galbraith (Pseudonym), J.K. Rowling (TBR: It is finally here!)

The Infinite Blacktop (Claire DeWitt Mysteries #3) by Sara Gran (TBR: Noir mystery!)

The Labyrinth of the Spirits (Cemetery Of Forgotten Books #4) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (TBR: The final in a series set in Barcelona I’ve been looking forward to getting into.)

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.

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