Author: Jamie Canaves

Have Horror Movies Taught Us Nothing About Cottages in Remote Areas?!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date January 23, 2018

Hi fellow mystery lovers! I’m over here drowning in ARCs and library ebooks (happy as a pig in mud) so I’m gonna dive right in this week!

Have Horror Movies Taught Us Nothing About Cottages in Remote Areas?! (TW: suicide)

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends

Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. When Corey moves away, she makes Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return. Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated—and confused. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones about the town’s lost daughter. Corey knows something is wrong. Lost is keeping secrets—chilling secrets. But piecing together the truth about what happened may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter.

cover image: ominous silhouette of a cabin in the woods at night with full moon above In A Cottage In a Wood by Cass Green: The opening starts like a wonderful British chick lit with funny Lou living in London with her sister’s family as she tries to sort out her life. Then on a strange hungover morning, Lou witnesses a suicide that changes her life even more than the traumatic event: She suddenly finds herself owning a cottage in a remote area. When her life really gets to be too much for her, she escapes to the cottage thinking it’ll give her time to sort everything out. Be less of a hot mess. Except either she’s now losing her mind, or the stranger who left her the cottage wasn’t really imagining that someone was after her… Good psychological suspense with a funny main character that builds up the fear you find in horror movies without being a horror novel. (The Kindle ebook is on sale for $1.99)

A Little Q&A: Jane Harper (I give authors I’m excited about five questions and let them answer any three they’d like.)

the-dry-by-jane-harper If you’ve been following this newsletter for a while you know my love for Jane Harper’s debut The Dry (here, and here) and how I’ve been shouting since I got the ARC for the followup book in the series (Force of Nature) because it’s as good as her excellent debut. If you’re a fan of mysteries that grab you from the beginning, have great characters, a setting that comes to life like a character, and a solid good mystery from beginning to end this series is not to be missed. I will definitely pick up any book Harper writes and am so glad she was able to answer a few questions!

And here’s Jane Harper:

What would you like to see more/less of in the mystery genre? I would love to see more books set in exotic and far-flung locations. As much as I love reading mysteries set in the US, UK and Scandinavia, there’s something captivating about being transported to somewhere completely different. It’s interesting to see the way different landscapes, climates and social challenges impact communities and characters around the world in different ways.

If you were forced to live the rest of your life as one of your characters, who would it be? My first thought was none of them! They all have their own problems and hardships that I’d personally rather avoid. But if I had to choose, I would pick Rita Raco, the wife of Sgt Greg Raco in The Dry. She is a minor character, but I think one of the happiest. She is a smart woman, married to a good man and I think she does her best to create happiness in her life.

The last book you read that you loved? I was lucky enough to get an advance proof of The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn, which is coming out in January and is fabulous!

Thanks Jane! I can’t wait for Reese Witherspoon’s adaptation and look forward to everything else you’ll write!

French Literary Suspense Inspired by a True Crime (TW: child death/ suicide)

cover image: zoom in image from chin to chest of a white woman in a light blue blouse with peter pan white collar The Perfect Nanny by Leïla Slimani: The opening is brutal, as it starts at the end with the crime. It then takes you back a bit in time so you get to know this couple who is interviewing (with no luck) nannies, now that the mother is desperate to go back to having a career. The entire novel is the how we got to that crime, how this seemingly perfect nanny became anything but. Slimani perfectly sums it up in this NPR interview: “I had the feeling that she was like a plate that you put every day on the table, and she breaks every day a little bit,” Slimani says. “And one day you put it on the table and she breaks it into pieces.”

Links

Ever dreamed about winning a library cart? Book Riot might make your dream come true!

Rincey and Katie talk YA mystery & thrillers on Read or Dead!

Read an excerpt from Michelle McNamara’s excellent upcoming true crime I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (February 27th): Letter to the Golden State Killer

Deadpool writers and Ryan Reynold’s have teamed up for–wait for it… a Clue remake!

The Edgar Awards nominees have been announced and finally a list I can cheer for: The Dime; Bluebird, Bluebird; A Rising Man; Penance; Dark Chapter; The Hate U Give— and a bunch of books just got stacked onto my TBR list.

Rioter Ann Foster has 24 Psychological Thrillers For Fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and Big Little Lies.

Leonardo Padura on a Lost Generation of Cubans, and the Arrogance of Trump: One of the Americas Great Crime Writers Talks to Dwyer Murphy

The author of Girl in Snow recommends 6 coming-of-age thrillers.

If you’re a fan of Shondaland and procedurals there’s a new courtroom drama coming March 13th! Here’s the trailer for For the People.

The trailer for the spy thriller Red Sparrow, based on Jason Matthews‘ novel, starring Jennifer Lawrence. (In theaters March 2nd.)

Kindle Deals!

Goldie Vance Vol 1 by Hope Larson,‎ Brittney Williams is $4.99 (For fans of Nancy Drew/Veronica Mars)

The Last Policeman (The Last Policeman #1) by Ben H. Winters is $1.99 (Apocalyptic mystery procedural)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects 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.

Unusual Suspects

Nevertheless, She Persisted Historical Mysteries!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date January 16, 2018

Hello fellow mystery fans! After discussing my love last week for The Widows of Malabar Hill (review) and my excitement for the release of the 3rd book in the Veronica Speedwell series (below) this week I decided it was a perfect time to do a themed post recommending awesome women in historical mysteries who are not here for society’s garbage rules. Happy reading! (My apologies, I read most of these a while back and don’t have notes on trigger warnings.)

Reese Witherspoon Out Here Adapting ALL the Mysteries!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date January 9, 2018

Hello fellow mystery fans! I hope you’re buried under the fluffiest and warmest blankets reading!

Feminist Historical Mystery for the Win!

The Widows of Malabar Hill (Perveen Mistry, #1) by Sujata Massey: Oh, I so loved this one. Perveen is a solicitor working with her father in Bombay in the early 1920s. Her father has a case involving a will where the three widows have signed a piece of paper, but Perveen thinks there is something off with the signatures. She wants to speak to the widows. And so Perveen finds herself caught in the mystery of what is actually happening in the house the widows and their children live in… Adding another layer to this book are the chapters that take you into Perveen’s recent past where (against her parent’s wishes) she wanted to put love before education. Perveen is a determined, smart, delightful character with progressive parents, a lesbian best friend, and a moral compass that points to helping others at all costs. The next book in the series can’t come fast enough.

Sponsored by Coldwater by Samuel Parker

Having forfeited his youth to the state prison system, Michael moved back to the still vacant house of his parents in a town with one stoplight. A town that hated him. Had always hated him. And was ready to pick up where the prison system had left off.

Now he’s on the run from men who’ve tried to kill him once; but Michael is more than an ex-con. A powerful, sinister force skulks within him, threatening and destructive. What—and who—it will destroy next is the only real question.

A Sad Graphic Novel that is a Slice of Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s Teen Years (Trigger Warning: animal cruelty/ suicide/ mocking disabilities)

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf: I’m always bothered by the fascination with serial killers that focuses on the actual murders while acting as if the victims/families weren’t real people destroyed by tragedy. Instead, I gravitate towards writing (and art in this case) that takes a look at society and a person’s environment and how or why that may have shaped them. In this case, Backderf grew up with Jeffrey Dahmer in the ’70s in a small Ohio town and takes the reader back to show a time before the internet offered communities to those who felt lost, no one came out in high school, and drug and alcohol use were largely ignored. Regardless of whether one believes people are born “evil” or not, it is frustrating to see the amount of adults who ignored situations, were unaware of what was right in front of them, or were unable to help because they were drowning themselves. It did what good writing does in my opinion: leaves the reader thinking and questioning where and how we can do better.

Links:

Last chance to enter to win TWENTY of our favorite books from 2017!

Rincey and Katie discuss their most anticipated mysteries coming out this year on Read of Dead.

Reese Witherspoon has yet another book adaptation she’s working on: Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber will be adapted into a TV series for Apple. Okay, so I personally would prefer Netflix or Hulu (cause I already have those!) but I will watch anything with Octavia Spencer, who has been cast to star in the show! (my review of the book)

For fans of Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell series there’s a t-shirt: She flies with her own wings

Contrary but Compatible Bounty Hunter and PI Search for Missing Girls (Trigger Warnings: child cruelty/ pedophilia/ suicidal thoughts)

Two Girls Down cover image: a forest of trees in blue, yellow and orange hues Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna: This was a good mystery/thriller that is a hunt for two missing young girls, but what I loved was the partnership that forms between a disgraced ex-cop, (now PI) and an out of town bounty hunter hired by the missing girl’s family. It pits police against an outsider (Alice Vega, who breaks all kinds of norms) and a former employee (Cap, a good father just getting out from the fallout of losing his job and a divorce). Vega’s character is a wildcard that surprised at every turn, and as soon as I finished this book I was left with a feeling of wanting to follow Vega and Cap through more cases.

Recent Releases:

Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan (In Paperback) (Interview with Boylan)

Ill Will by Dan Chaon (In Paperback) (My review)

A Mortal Likeness (Victorian Mystery #2) by Laura Joh Rowland (currently reading, historical mystery, female photographer turned sleuth with her gay, shunned by society, working partner.)

The Perfect Nanny by Leïla Slimani, Sam Taylor (translation) (currently reading, French, suspense) (Trigger Warnings: suicide/ child murder/ transphobia)

Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake (just started, plot reminds me so far of Big Little Lies) (Trigger Warnings: domestic abuse)

Kindle Deals:

The Spy Who Couldn’t Spell: A Dyslexic Traitor, an Unbreakable Code, and the FBI’s Hunt for America’s Stolen Secrets by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee is $1.99 (nonviolent true crime, my review)

The Dime by Kathleen Kent is $2.99 (a favorite of 2017)

If you’ve been meaning to start at the beginning of the Rizzoli & Isles series Tess Gerritsen’s The Surgeon is $3.99 (A Little Q&A with Gerritsen)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects 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.

Unusual Suspects

The Alphabet Now Ends At Y

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date January 2, 2018

Hi fellow mystery lovers! It’s that time of year where everyone is writing the wrong year, mostly confused as to what day it is, and publishing is pumping out all the books. Before I get to some of those books, thank you to everyone who responded with your opinions about the newsletter. I heard you all and will be doing my best to implement your thoughts. (And feel free to still fill out if you were busy over the holidays.)

Sponsored by Heart on Fire by Amanda Bouchet

The riveting conclusion to the Kingmaker Chronicles

The destiny Catalia “Cat” Fisa has spent her entire life running from has finally caught up with her. To become Queen of Thalyria, Cat and her dedicated husband Griffin Sinta will have to go to war with the severely oppressed Fisa—and it’s violent alpha…Cat’s homicidal mother. When Cat’s magic refuses to work like it should, she has to unleash the power she’s been afraid of. And when her misuse of the God’s gifts lands her in Tartarus, a land reserved for eternal punishment, Cat will have to accept herself—past, present, and future—if she wants any chance of making it out alive.

Perfectly Snarky L.A. Detective:

Land of Shadows cover image: sunrise LA city image blended into a dark street image with a silhouette of a person walking Land of Shadows (Detective Elouise Norton #1) by Rachel Howzell Hall: L.A. detective Elouise “Lou” Norton and her new partner are working to solve the case of a teen girl found murdered on a construction site. While Lou may be rich now, she knows the struggling community the victim comes from because it’s where her and her sister grew up, except her sister may never have grown up since she disappeared as a teenager, leaving behind only a shoe. It’s a case Lou is still working on, and starts to think is tied to this new case. Between the new partner, her need to solve her sister’s case, and her cheating husband, Lou has a lot to deal with and fight through, and I cheered her on through the entire book. Great start to a detective series and I look forward to reading the next three books in the series.

And On the Other Coast (N.Y.) an FBI Agent (Trigger Warning: cutting/ child abuse)

A Map of the Dark cover image: dark image of forest trees with title text in center A Map of the Dark (The Searchers #1) by Karen Ellis: Elsa Myers is an FBI agent tasked with finding missing children. It’s her entire life. Even though her dad is dying, which is bringing up many painful childhood memories for her relating to the abuse she suffered at her mother’s hands, nothing can get in her way of work and her finding Ruby, and the possible serial killer behind the abduction. This was a good procedural/thriller that explores that effects of abuse and how some internalize it into self-harm and fear and others make the choice to become predators.

Links to Click:

If you’re feeling lucky in the new year and haven’t entered yet Book Riot has a giveaway for 20 (yup, 20!) of 2017’s best books.

9 mystery & thrillers releasing in 2018 that I’m excited for!

Rincey and Katie discussed their favorite 2017 mystery titles on Read of Dead.

In sad news Sue Grafton, author of the Alphabet series, passed away. Her daughter Jamie (not me) posted on Facebook: “Sue always said that she would continue writing as long as she had the juice. Many of you also know that she was adamant that her books would never be turned into movies or TV shows, and in that same vein, she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of all of those things, and out of the deep abiding love and respect for our dear sweet Sue, as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y.” And yes, I think fans of the series would agree the alphabet ends in Y. (My review for the 1st in the series; and Liberty’s review for the last in the series.)

(From 2016 but new to me, and maybe you) Thanks to Dan Brown, and his money, ancient occult books will be digitized at the Ritman Library.

NPR has a great article about Mary Higgins Clark, who is 90!, and still writing best sellers. I read all of MHC’s books (that existed at the time) when I was in high school and always have fond memories of her keeping me up super late to read her books in one sitting.

Small Italian Village with a Past Mystery (Trigger Warning: suicide/ PTSD)

Beneath the Mountain cover image: black and white image of mountains Beneath the Mountain by Luca D’Andre, Howard Curtis (Translation): Jeremiah Salinger, a U.S. filmmaker, moves with his wife and young daughter to a remote village in Italy where his wife is from. Suffering with PTSD and refusing to follow doctor’s care instructions, his wife ends up giving him an ultimatum that he needs one year of no work. But after hearing the story of the brutal murders of three young town residents in the ’80s, solving the mystery is all he can think about. Soon he’s lying, manipulating, and getting himself literally beat-up by town members as he can’t let this go. In a remote village you’re either one of them or an outsider, which places Salinger in a dangerous position as his wife is one of them but he is not and he’s now digging into the residents past needing to know who is responsible for the gruesome murders and why.

Recent Releases:

The Dry by Jane Harper (In Paperback)

The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda (In Paperback)

UNSUB by Meg Gardiner (In Paperback)

cover of The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater (True crime, high on my TBR, recommended by Liberty)

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp (Alaskan small town mystery, mental illness.)

Dominic by Mark Pryor (MC a DA and literal psychopath.) (Trigger Warning: suicide)

The Plot Is Murder (Mystery Bookshop #1) by V.M. Burns (Currently reading, book within a book.)

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (pseudonym for Daniel Mallory) (Currently reading, this one has tons of publicity behind it.)

Kindle Deals:

The 1st in Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series, “A” is For Alibi, is $2.99 (My review)

The Obama Inheritance: Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy Noir by Gary Phillips (Editor) is $1.99 (On my TBR)

Uptown Thief (Justice Hustlers #1) by Aya de León is $5.99 (Romance/Crime, my review) (Trigger Warning: Sexual/Domestic Abuse)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects 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.

Unusual Suspects

Holiday Money? Here Are Tons of Mystery Recs!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date December 22, 2017

Hello fellow mystery lovers! Happy Kwanzaa! Hope you had a merry Christmas/Nochebuena! And happy almost new year—don’t let the door hit you on the way out, 2017! First, if you want to opine on this here newsletter: Here’s What I Think About Unusual Suspects (quick questionnaire). And now, if you’ve gotten some money, or just need some retail therapy to survive the end of the year, I’ve collected a bunch of suggestions for all types of reading preferences. Oh, and if you missed it Book Riot is giving away 20 (TWENTY!) of the books we picked as best of 2017! Good luck!

Sponsored by Home Sweet Home by April Smith, new in paperback from Vintage Books.

This riveting epic drama follows the Kusek family from New York City to America’s heartland, where their dream life turns into a nightmare, as they are caught up in the panic of McCarthyism, a smear campaign, a sensational trial, and, ultimately, murder. From the widely praised author of the FBI Special Agent Ana Grey series and A Star for Mrs. Blake.

If you’re looking for cozy mysteries here are Rioter Sarah Nicolas’ 25 Absolute Best picks.

Or you want some noir to read: Liberty has 9 recommendations for you! And I’d also add Steph Cha’s Juniper series which starts with Follow Her Home.

If you’re looking for a great graphic novel with gorgeous art and a wonderfully unique detective My Favorite Thing is Monsters was one of Book Riot’s Best of 2017 picks. Plus, the second part comes out next year so now’s the perfect time to read the first volume.

If queer ladies solving crime is your jam, Rioter Trizah Price has great recommendations for you.

If mystery and thriller audiobooks is your thing, Amanda Nelson has 10 excellent picks for you and Kristy Pasquariello has 8 thrilling recommendations revolving around a missing person.

Love How to Get Away With Murder? Mya Nunnally has recommendations for you. I also recommend Marcia Clark’s newest series that starts with Blood Defense and follows criminal defense attorney Samantha Brinkman.

There’s also my 9 picks for Best Mystery & Thrillers published this year. And here’s my 13 picks for 2016.

I also listed 5 Japanese crime writers that should be on your radar.

If paperbacks is your preferred reading choice Swapna Krishna has 5 picks for you.

(Sherlock season 4 spoilers) Deepali Agarwal put together a list of female sleuths to read in response to Sherlock’s season 4.

If quiet, personal mysteries sounds interesting Beth O’Brien has some recommendations.

If you love psychological thrillers but not the usual formulas Rabeea Saleem has 5 suggestions for you.

Kindle Deals:

The Cutaway by Christina Kovac is $1.99 (thriller with TV producer MC)

Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet (The Rabbi Small Mysteries) by Harry Kemelman is $1.99 (cozy mystery)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects 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.

Unusual Suspects

Mysteries to Watch, Listen to, and Read During the Holidays!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date December 19, 2017

Hi fellow mystery fans! Whether you’re looking forward to the holidays, hiding from family in the pantry, or having a hard time and waiting for this season–and year–to pass already (huge hug to you) you’ll probably turn to some entertainment during this time off. With that in mind here are some things to watch, listen to, and read. And remember be kind to each other, but also to yourself.

Sponsored byThe Graphic Canon of Crime & Mystery, edited by Russ Kick from Seven Stories Press.

From James M. Cain to Stephen King, from Sophocles to the Marquis de Sade to Iceberg Slim, here are stunning and sometimes macabre visualizations of some of the greatest crime and mystery stories of all time. Rick Geary brings his crisp style to Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment; C. Frakes resurrects the forgotten novella “Talma Gordon,” the first mystery written by an African American. Crime finds new life in these graphic renditions of The Arabian Nights, the Bible, James Joyce’s Dubliners, Patricia Highsmith, and leading mystery writers of today like Jo Nesbø. Crime and mystery have never been so brilliantly reimagined.

(TW: sexual assault) For fans of Tana French‘s procedurals, Netflix has three seasons of Broadchurch, a small town mystery show where two detectives (a town resident and an outsider) are forced to work together. In the first season, they’re trying to solve the murder of a boy as we get to know the town’s residents; the second season follows the fallout from the first case, while also bringing to the small town one of the detective’s previous cases; the third season starts with a woman who has been raped. If you’re a fan of British series, don’t miss this one–the characters and acting are fantastic, and the slow build always has great conclusions. (Watch the s1 trailer)

With my recent reading-hits of mysteries set in India (The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra; A Rising Man; The Widows of Malabar Hill) I’m looking forward to a new addition to Netflix: The Indian Detective. In this 4-part series, Russell Peters plays a Canadian cop who, while on suspension, visits his father in Mumbai and finds himself investigating a case. (Watch the trailer)

I’m also planning on watching Netflix’s Bright (12/22), starring Will Smith, since the trailer reminded me of my love for authors like Lauren Beukes who mix crime, procedural, and sci-fi/fantasy. I’ve found myself mostly watching series lately so it’ll be nice to watch a film where everything, hopefully, wraps up in 90 minutes.

And if you still haven’t gotten around to watching Elementary, I very much recommend you give it a try, especially if you’re looking for a long binge. It’s streaming on Hulu, and you can read my past review.

Or if you want a four part series where each part feels like a movie, and you’re looking to follow a Cuban detective, Four Seasons in Havana (based on Leonardo Padura‘s series) is streaming on Netflix. You can read my past review here.

If podcasts are more your thing: I’m halfway through Deadly Manners and really enjoying this murder mystery dinner party à la Clue, à la And Then There Were None, à la radio plays. Set in the ’50s, the Billings family is throwing a dinner party and while Mrs. Billings (Kristen Bell) wants everything to be perfect, dead bodies and a murderer amongst them is gonna put a damper on her wishes. If you’re a fan of LeVar Burton, Kristen Bell, satire, and dark-comedies, give this one a try. (If you startle easily be prepared for sudden breaking glass noises.)

Links:

Book Riot is giving away TWENTY of our favorite reads of 2017 so that’s a giveaway you probably most definitely want to enter!

One Rioter can’t say no to murder mysteries but immediately hits the brakes if there is a serial killer.

Sherry Thomas’ Lady Sherlock series–which I keep raving about because I love it so (here, and here)–will have the release of the 3rd book in fall of 2018 and October can’t come fast enough!

Jennifer Lawrence will produce and star in the adaptation of Hannah Kent’s Burial Rights, a historical crime fiction based on the true story of a woman accused of murder in 1800s Iceland.

Derek Haas’ Silver Bear book series, about a hitman, will be adapted.

AMAZING Kindle Deals:

The Immortals (Olympus Bound #1) by Jordanna Max Brodsky is $4.99 (The 3d in the trilogy releases in 2018 and here’s my review for the 2nd book in the series)

Jane Harper’s The Dry is $4.99 if this isn’t your first time around here you know it’s on my Best Mysteries of 2017 list!

ALSO on my Best of list is Karin Slaughter’s The Good Daughter which is $3.99 (all the trigger warnings)

And Broken Harbor, the 4th book in Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad, is $1.99 (Here is Jessica Woodbury’s preferred order of reading the series which starts with Broken Harbor.)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects 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.

Unusual Suspects

Quirky Mystery Awards & More!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date December 12, 2017

Hello fellow mystery fans! Happy Hanukkah! I’m currently excited about 3 things: my annual from-me-to-me gift has arrived; I’m wrapping a bunch of books I’m gifting this year; and Rioter Deepali Agarwal wrote The 2017 Oscars, But for Books (hot-mess detective included) which made me happy and inspired this newsletter. Here are my quirky awards I’d present to some of the mystery and thrillers I read this year.

Sponsored by AL CAPONE: His Life, Legacy, and Legend by Deirdre Bair, new in paperback from Vintage Books.

Through exclusive access to Capone’s family and rigorous research, National Book Award–winning biographer Deirdre Bair gives us the definitive account of the notorious mobster, a quintessentially American figure. At the height of Prohibition, Al Capone loomed large as Public Enemy Number One while his multimillion-dollar Chicago Outfit dominated organized crime. But then came the fall: a legal noose tightened by the FBI, a conviction on tax evasion, a stint in Alcatraz. When released, he was a much diminished man and lived quietly until the ravages of his neurosyphilis took their final toll.

99% Chance You’ll Never Guess the Solve Award:

Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama, Jonathan Lloyd-Davies (Translation): Mikami, now working in press relations, as he’s struggling with the disappearance of his daughter, finds himself digging into a fourteen-year-old unsolved kidnapping/murder known as Six Four. This is a slow burn procedural–it’s a deep dive into the inner working of the department and its politics–you may even question if they’re planning on solving the main case and then BAM, the last 20% you find yourself in a thriller and most likely realize you would have never solved the mystery on your own.

Channeling Stephen King’s Horror/Suspense Award:

The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun, Sora Kim-Russell (Translation): Imagine an accident kills your wife and leaves you bedridden under the care of your mother-in-law. Now imagine that with all that time on your hands you start thinking your mother in law isn’t really here to care for you…

Whiplash From Twists Award:

Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen: Dude straight up vanishes from his girlfriend’s life as if he had never been there, which had me asking a bunch of questions from the get-go. And I won’t say more because this is a twisty thriller…

Best Attention-Grabbing Opening Award:

The Birdwatcher novel cover railed dock on ocean view The Birdwatcher by William Shaw: William South, a police sergeant in Kent, is assigned to a murder case but he has two reasons he tries to get out of it: first, he’s a birdwatcher and he doesn’t want to miss out on the arrival of migrating birds; second, HE’S A MURDERER HIMSELF. <– That’s the first page!

Best Use of a Baby Elephant Award:

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan: As he’s retiring, Inspector Chopra ends up unable to let go of the case of a drowned boy and, unrelated, inheriting a baby elephant. Being that he lives in an apartment and knows nothing about the care of elephants he has his hands full.

Badass Greek Goddess Award:

Winter of the Gods (Olympus Bound #2) by Jordanna Max Brodsky: A mystery set in modern day NY with a kick-ass hilarious goddess, who is secretly living amongst mortals and is asked to help with an investigation because someone is hunting down the gods…

Best Feminist Thieves Award:

Uptown Thief (Justice Huslers #1) by Aya de León: Imagine Robin Hood, but women running a women’s health clinic who have a side escort business to fund the clinic by finding marks to rob… (crime/romance)

Best Mix of ChickLit and Mystery Award:

I’ll Eat When I’m Dead by Barbara Bourland: Think The Devil Wears Prada minus the monster boss, where the women are friends, and activists, and now throw in murder and a hot detective!

For Action Movie Fans Award:

August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones: Snow may have turned down Eleanore Paget’s request to hire him to investigate her investment bank but when she dies he finds himself on the case, and in constant danger.

Best Use of Historical Invention Award:

Murder Between the Lines (Kitty Weeks Mystery #2) by Radha Vatsal: Set in N.Y. at the beginning of WWII the novel is filled with historical facts and puts Kitty into women’s suffrage events, visits from President Wilson, and even has her looking into Thomas Edison’s battery invention, all while digging deeper into the death of a girl since she’s unable to accept the sleepwalking explanation.

Links:

Today in for a split second I almost quit my job so I could enter this giveaway: Book Riot is giving away 20 (TWENTY!) of our favorite books of 2017 to ONE ridiculously lucky winner!!! Check out the list of books and enter!

Rincey and Katie’s new Read or Dead episode with another excellent title: You Love Baby Elephants, I Love Severed Hands

Rioter Tasha Brandstatter has 44 Mystery Romance Novels To Read Right Now

Audible’s pick for Best Mysteries & Thrillers of 2017 plus the 4 finalist.

This publishing deal sounds amazing: “Oyinkan Braithwaite’s MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER, set in Nigeria about a woman who must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her younger sister’s habit of killing her boyfriends a secret.” (via PublishersLunch December 7th email)

Big Little Lies is officially coming back, HBO announced, and there will be a new director for all seven episodes, Andrea Arnold (Transparent, I Love Dick)

The 3rd book in Joe Ide‘s IQ series comes out next fall! (muppet arms!)

Jessica Knoll, author of Luckiest Girl Alive, has written a second book, The Favorite Sister, and you can read an excerpt now at EW.

(TW: sexual assault) Wired wrote about a battle between those who think the algorithm code being used in a program analyzing DNA should be revealed and the company that doesn’t want to: The Impenetrable Program Transforming How Courts Treat DNA Evidence

At The New York Times: Unearthed Raymond Chandler Story Rebukes U.S. Health Care System

For horror/thriller fans: Final Girls by Riley Sager (pseudonym for Todd Ritter) is being adapted by Universal Pictures.

CBS’ Elementary got an extra order of episodes for season 6. (Yay!)

Not an adaptation but Netflix picked up Day and Night, an upcoming 32-part Chinese detective drama, which sounds great for procedural fans–meaning me!

Author Louise Erdrich is working on a mystery that will be set in Birchbark Books, the bookstore she owns.

Kindle Deals!

The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda is $1.99 (review)

Karin Slaughter’s Fractured (Will Trent #2) is $6.99

Jackaby by William Ritter is $4.21 (review)

We’re giving away a stack of our 20 favorite books of the year. Click here to enter!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects 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.

Unusual Suspects

2018 Mysteries & Thrillers to Look Forward To!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date December 5, 2017

Hi fellow mystery fans! I’ve started reading galleys for 2018 mysteries because they’re stacked next to my bed chanting my name and who am I to say no? So this week I’m talking 2018 titles to put on your TBR now or to pre-buy!

Sponsored by Imperfect Justice by Cara Putman

To the world it seems obvious: Kaylene Adams killed her daughter and then was shot by police. Attorney Emilie Wesley believes Kaylene would never hurt anyone and was looking for a way out of an abusive relationship.

Reid Billings thought he knew his sister. He discovers a letter from Kaylene begging him to fight for custody of her daughters if anything should happen to her and tells him to get help from Emilie Wesley.

Thrown together in a race to save Kaylene’s surviving daughter, Emilie and Reid must find the truth—and maybe a future together in the process.

Down the River unto the Sea by Walter Mosley (February 20th, Mulholland Books): (TW: sexual assault) I’m still making my way through Mosley’s catalog, but you better believe I dropped everything to read this ARC the day it arrived. We’re introduced to a new detective, Joe King Oliver, a former cop-turned-PI. He’s a former cop because of a rape charge he denies, and the book focuses on him trying to find out who set him up while also taking on a case to find justice for a convicted cop killer. A good read that pits law vs. justice and I loved his relationship with his assistant, his teenage daughter.

Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2) by Jane Harper ( February 6th, Flatiron Books): The followup to The Dry is just as good, which is saying something. This time around, Federal Police Agent Falk is back home with a new case: 5 women went on a work retreat in the woods, but only 4 are accounted for. The missing woman was cooperating with a financial investigation, the woods she’s missing in once housed a serial killer, and witnesses stories aren’t adding up…Harper delivers another solid mystery from beginning to end.

Hollywood Ending cover image: young black woman on red carpet painting looking over her shoulder back at camera Hollywood Ending (A Detective by Day Mystery) by Kellye Garrett (August 8th, Midnight Ink): I’ve been looking forward to this since I finished Hollywood Homicide because I loved the characters so much. I am here for more of this cozy mystery and look forward to seeing what Dayna Anderson and her friends get into. And it looks like this time around Dayna is a P.I.’s apprentice so I’m excited to see her evolution from amateur sleuth.

Give Me Your Hand cover image: black background with yellow rose on fire Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott (July 17th, Little, Brown and Company): Abbott has topped herself! The pages are electric as suspense builds between the “then” and “now” as one woman holds onto a secret she never wanted from her past while trying to grab the future she wants… And reminding me of my love for Abbott the “now” is mostly set in a research lab looking into PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). Already on the Best of 2018 list!

A Necessary Evil cover image: silhouette of man in coat and hat standing in a lush forest A Necessary Evil (Sam Wyndham #2) by Abir Mukherjee (April 3rd, Pegasus Crime): Another sequel for a 2017 release that I can’t wait for! The series follows a former Scotland Yard detective trying to not only solve crimes for the CID but to navigate British ruled Calcutta in the early 1900s. The sequel has him working again with Sergeant Banerjee (one of the only Indians working for the CID) and I’m excited for their new mystery in the wealthy kingdom of Sambalpore.

Sunburn cover image: partial photograph of young white woman's half face and shoulder wearing sunglasses Sunburn by Laura Lippman (February 18th, William Morrow): I’ve seen a lot of authors raving about this one so I had to read it. And the buzz is warranted: It’s a great read that mixes lit fic, crime, a whudunit and the “unlikable” woman. In this case you have a woman with a past trying to secure her future–but at what cost? If you’re a fan of writers that can tap into the energy of a ruthless need for survival don’t miss this one.

A Treacherous Curse (Veronica Speedwell #3) by Deanna Raybourn (January 16th, Berkley): A funny, feminist, historical fiction mystery series that I love. This one had me laughing from the first page as Speedwell and Stoker find themselves solving a mystery revolving around an Egyptian archaeological dig involving Stoker’s past. If you haven’t started this series yet now’s a perfect time to get caught up!

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, Gillian Flynn (Introduction), Patton Oswalt (Afterword) (February 27th, Harper): (TW: sexual assault) McNamara never forgot about an unsolved murder from her childhood neighborhood which ultimately led to her creating a website as an adult to try and solve unsolved cases. One of those, which became her obsession, was a rapist/murderer who preyed in California during the ’70s and ’80s. Her extensive research and work is this book, which sadly she won’t get to see published because she passed away while writing it. I’m almost finished and so far I’ve had nightmares, cried, and fiercely loved McNamara.

The Trauma Cleaner cover image: a yellow latex glove with a spot of blood on the tip of the index finger The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein (April 10th, St. Martin’s Press): There are books I want to read solely for the title. Others because Rioter Liberty Hardy told me to. And those because I’m interest/fascinated with the subject. This book hits all 3 reasons as Sarah Krasnostein followed and wrote about Sandra Pankhurst, a trauma cleaner with a hell of a life story who “bring order and care to these, the living and the dead…”

Links:

Book Riot:

How to Set up a Mystery Book Club

Rincey and Katie dedicated a Read or Dead episode to Agatha Christie.

10 Great Mystery Books for Teens

20 Best Historical Mystery Books

Muppet arms: The mystery comic Goldie Vance is being adapted by Kerry Washington (producing) and Rashida Jones (writing)!

Michael B. Jordan to star in adaptation of Just Mercy, social justice activist Bryan Stevenson’s memoir about his first legal case.

Netflix has renewed Mindhunter (fictional adaptation of Mind Hunter) for a second season.

(TW: sexual assault) How the Super Lawyer David Boies Turned a Young Novelist’s Sexual Past Against Her (Emma Cline, author of The Girls)

NPR’s Best Mystery picks

Kindle Deal

Caroline Carlson’s delightful The World’s Greatest Detective is $1.99 (review)

And the first in Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan series Baltimore Blues is $3.49

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 come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

Unusual Suspects

Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2017!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date November 28, 2017

Hello fellow mystery fans! It’s time for Best of lists. I personally love looking at those lists to see if my favorites made it and to find books (movies/shows/albums) that I may have missed. I had a great reading year for mysteries and am excited to share with you my nine Best Mysteries of 2017!

Sponsored by Home Sweet Home by April Smith, new in paperback from Vintage Books.

bluebird bluebird Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke: Excellent mystery from beginning to end! Darren Mathews is a black Texas Ranger who (while technically on suspension) decides to solve the murder of a black man and a white woman in a small town where he is not welcome. This is the kind of mystery where the setting becomes a character in itself, the characters are alive from introduction, you’ll be feeling the Texas heat and thinking about this one long after you finish. Oh, and that ending!

The Dry (Aaron Falk #1) by Jane Harper: The first 2017 mystery I read and even then I said it would be on the Best of List. It is a solid from-beginning-to-end mystery that brings to life a struggling Australian small town desperate to hold on to its secrets–past and present. Aaron Falk returns to his hometown after the death of his childhood friend and family (in what appears to be a murder-suicide) but after being asked to investigate, Falk is forced to face the town’s current state of despair and also everything he ran away from years before: the death of a childhood friend and the questions he’s never answered…

A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock #2) by Sherry Thomas: I love this brilliant gender-swapped Sherlock and Watson series, and this book met my ridiculous excitement and expectations. Charlotte and Mrs. Watson are back with a rather delicate case involving a married woman looking to find a past lover–her true love. Scandalous! Making the case super-complicated is the fact that Charlotte knows both the woman’s husband and the true love. It’s packed with mysteries, ladies not here for society’s rules, improper flirting, learning to fight, and more!

What You Don’t Know by JoAnn Chaney: Dark, crisp, brutal, and worth the nightmares it gave me! With the convicted serial killer on death row, how are there new victims? That’s what the journalist who broke the story and the mismatched detective partners from the case are trying to figure out, but it’s been seven years since they apprehended the serial killer and they’ve fallen quite far in their own personal lives since then. This was a page-turner with flawed characters that completely delivers for fans of dark thrillers and fictional serial killers.

The Dime by Kathleen Kent The Dime by Kathleen Kent: Detective Betty Rhyzyk is a hard-ass detective trying to balance her career, recent move to Texas, her personal relationship with her doctor girlfriend, and the ghosts of her past. While she may start out investigating a Mexican cartel in Texas, this takes some hard turns into different territory and leaves you with an ending you wouldn’t expect. Kent has written a brilliant detective with hard-edges and heart while striking the perfect balance of humor, violence, action, and procedural.

The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh: This one has an interesting premise: a tiny town made up of criminals and innocents (those who witnessed crimes/testified, etc.) who have had different degrees of their memories altered so that they just don’t remember the crime(s). Now that there’s been a suicide and a murder, does that mean the residents will always be who they were prior to their crimes/traumas being erased from their minds? Not only a solid and interesting mystery from beginning to end, but this had one of the best climactic scenes.

Overturned by Lamar Giles: A character I adored and an ending that stayed within the realm of possibility–be still my beating heart! Nikki Tate should only be focused on school (and being a teenager), but with her dad in prison she’s basically running the family business, playing in illegal card games, and trying to figure out what is going on between her mother and a man. Then her dad is exonerated and what should be a happy time only adds to the mystery of how he was sent to prison for something he didn’t do…

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter: I had to read this one with breaks because it was so intense in the trauma (all the trigger warnings) but it was so exceptional I couldn’t stay away from it. Almost thirty years after her family was violently attacked, Charlie, the youngest daughter, finds herself in another violent tragedy. Still living in the small town she grew up in, things take an even worse turn when her father decides to represent the person accused of the crime Charlie just witnessed. This event dredges up the trauma from Charlie’s childhood, and as much as she wants to forget it, she’s now about to relive it. The characters have so much depth, the mystery has plenty of twists, the lawyering scenes are excellent, and there are tiny bursts of humor throughout that perfectly deflate the tension, making clear Slaughter is a gifted writer.

Righteous (IQ #2) by Joe Ide: Ide brings to life the ethnically diverse community of East Long Beach without creating stereotypical caricatures, but rather by creating people with full backstories and lives in a crime novel where no one is necessarily all good, but everyone is human. Isaiah Quintabe (IQ) has his plate full: he’s trying to solve his brother’s hit-and-run; a childhood crush needs his services to help her sister in Las Vegas; he’s realized that he’s lonely and maybe he should try to work on getting along better with friends like Dodson–a not-always-happy-to-be-dragged-along side-kick of sorts; with his refusal to let things go he ends up in the crosshairs of multiple gangs. From East Long Beach to Vegas, strap in for a great ride!

I’d love to hear your best mystery picks! Find me under Jamie Canaves on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy and tell me!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And if you like to put a pin in things here’s an Unusual Suspects board.

Unusual Suspects

Holiday Gift Guide for Mystery Fans!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date November 21, 2017

Hi fellow mystery fans! The holiday season has arrived so I thought I’d roundup a bunch of awesome gift ideas for mystery fans. Whether that means you’re buying gifts for someone else or for yourself is totally up to you. (News links and Kindle deals at bottom!)