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Unusual Suspects

December Mystery Releases

Hi mystery fans! It’s a quiet month in publishing in regards to quantity but not quality. Here’s some December releases to enjoy as we slam the door (and use a million deadbolts) on 2021. And I’ll see you all back here in the new year!

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The Village of Eight Graves (Detective Kosuke Kindaichi #4) by Seishi Yokomizo, Bryan Karetnyk (Translator)

For fans of Japanese mysteries and classics–the series started in 1946! Investigator Kosuke Kindaichi’s newest case involves a new arrival to the The Village of Eight Graves, Tatsuya, who brings a lot of poisonings in his wake… So far I’ve found these to be standalones, but if you want to start at the beginning pick up The Honjin Murders.

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They Can’t Take Your Name by Robert Justice

Here’s a great crime book that starts with a wrongful conviction after a bank robbery and the race against time to stop an execution. During a reelection year, the governor announces that Langston Brown will suddenly be set to be executed in 30 days, along with others. His daughter Liza, a law school student gets her school to start an innocence project with the goal to stop the execution and finally free Langston. Eli Stone, a widow who has just opened a renovated club, has hired Liza and between hearing her talk about the case and watching the news he’s put in the difficult and dangerous position of finally having to do something about what he witnessed as a child…

And the audiobook is narrated by J.D. Jackson!

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Silent Parade (Detective Galileo #9) by Keigo Higashino, Giles Murray (Translator)

This is a great detective series for fans of how classic mysteries walk you through the entire case, ending with the reveal of everything at the end. They are all standalone mysteries–I promise, I know it says #9 but only 4 have even been translated to English because they are all standalone.

In this case you get a whodunnit, whydunnit, and howdunnit! Starting with the death of a young woman and the suspected murderer who goes free because he refuses to break under police interrogation. When the suspect ends up dead years later the suspects are APLENTY! Which is why Manabu Yukawa (AKA Detective Galileo), a physics professor will be needed to figure this all out.

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The Midnight Hour (The Brighton Mysteries #6) by Elly Griffiths

Griffiths has the Dr Ruth Galloway series which is set in modern time and also this series which started in the 1950s with The Zig Zag Girl. Now the 6th release is still set in Brighton but we are now in 1965, with the murder mystery of a theatrical impresario.

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True Crime Story by Joseph Knox

This is one of those books I had to check like three times to make sure it is in fact a novel and not true crime because it’s written to appear real. Writing in the style of a true crime documentary where Knox has even written himself into the story, this follows the fictional case of a missing college student and the writer trying to uncover the truth behind the cold case.

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Death under the Perseids (Havana Mystery #4) by Teresa Dovalpage

If you’re looking for some armchair traveling to go with your armchair sleuthing, take a deadly five-day cruise to Cuba from the safety of your home. “If it sounds too good to be true, it is” seems to be a lesson Mercedes Spivey has yet to learn when she accepts a free cruise trip that doesn’t sound totally up and up. But she needs the vacation and her and her husband board, only to soon find that fellow passengers they know are about to meet their end…

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2022 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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

Marlon James Is Writing A Detective Drama!

Hi mystery fans! I have a bunch of links for roundups, news, and adaptations that should keep you comfortably reading all things mystery through the end of the year.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Silent Parade cover image

New Releases Tuesday: The Best Books Out This Week

A Roll of the Heist: 10 Great Books About Crimes Gone Wrong

Murder Mysteries In Space: 10 Thrillers Set Where No One Can Hear You Scream

See the cover and read an excerpt from Ruth Ware’s Oxford murder mystery, The It Girl

The Tragic Misfit Behind “Harriet the Spy”

Robert Justice is using fiction to shed light on the reality of wrongful convictions

Holiday Gift Books 2021: Mysteries

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If You Love Thrillers And Mysteries, Check Out These 20 Highly Anticipated Thrillers Of 2022

“I’ve Always Said That the Tone Is New York”: ‘THR Presents’ Q&A With ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez and Showrunner John Hoffman

Best Mystery & Thriller 2021

Get Millie Black: Man Booker Prize-winning Marlon James is bringing a Jamaican detective drama to Channel 4

‘Autopsy’: Lockdown inspired Patricia Cornwell to bring back Kay Scarpetta

Everything You Need to Know About Kristen Bell’s Wild New Netflix Series, The Woman in the House…

Reads Rainbow Awards 2021

Three Good Things with Lisa Unger and Steph Cha

Henry Golding to Star in TV Adaptation of Dean Koontz’s ‘Nameless’

Robert Justice—author of THEY CAN’T TAKE YOUR NAME—is interviewed by a special guest host.

Giveaway: Win a pair of Airpods Pro!

Giveaway: Canadian Readers, Enter to Win a Waterproof Kobo

Giveaway: Win a Personal Reading Retreat!

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Recent Interests That May Also Interest You + My Reading Life

queen of the tiles book cover

Reading: Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf / The Red Palace by June Hur / Queen of Urban Prophecy by Aya de León

Streaming: Harlem (Prime) is hilarious, and so good.

Laughing: Best game day sign

Helping: Feeding America / The Trevor Project

Upcoming: Tirzah Price announced that the narrator of Pride & Premeditation, Morag Sims will also narrate the upcoming Sense and Second Degree Murder!


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2022 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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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What To Read If You Loved Red Notice

Hello mystery fans! This is the time of year for Best Of Lists and I always put one out for you, but I’m not going to this year. It’s certainly not because I don’t have tons of bests, but rather I still have so many books I wanted to read this year that I haven’t gotten to yet, and I realized that I was going to be doing a lot of repetition from previous posts. Instead I’ll keep reading all the books from 2021 I want to get to well into next year and shout about them as I read them (books never expire!).

While I’ll be ending the year, next week, with a roundup of great December releases, I wanted to do something fun this time. I just watched Red Notice on Netflix and really enjoyed it. It’s an action movie with heists, con artists, an inspector, and it’s just fun. So I decided to recommend some books to read based on different elements of the movie. (spoiler free)

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If you got to the beginning car chase and were super bummed it ended before it started and/or were on the edge of your seat thrilled in the final car chase scene, then absolutely pick up S.A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland which has the best car chase scenes (review)! His follow-up book Razorblade Tears also works if you loved the “buddy cop” duo of Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds.

If you thought, “more heists, please!” and liked the fun element of the film, you’re gonna want to follow a socialite and her team of drag queens stealing from the rich in Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig. (review)

Or you wanted more heists, please! but wanted it to feel more like a darker crime film, you’re gonna want to read Ghostman by Roger Hobbs. (review)

Death Notice cover image

If you were there for the cat and mouse game in the film and wanted more taunting of the police, pick up Death Notice by Zhou Haohui, Zac Haluza (translator) where police race to stop a vigilante. (review)

If the film left you wanting to read narrative nonfiction in the world of heists, pick up a jewelry thief’s memoir, Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne (review), and the bananapants story about a museum heist for bird feathers, The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson (review).

Maybe you wondered what annoying Ryan Reynolds would be like as a teenager? If so you’re going to want to read the Trouble trilogy, starting with Trouble Is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly. (review)


Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases and upcoming 2022 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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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Best Of Lists, But Make It Mysteries

Hello mystery fans! I’m here with your news, roundups, adaptations, best of lists, the 2022 Read Harder Challenge, and something to watch.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

cover of Hither Page by Cat Sebastian

10 LGBTQ Mystery Books

8 YA Thrillers to Enjoy This Fall

Katie and special guest velocireader Liberty talk about their favorite new and backlist historical mystery titles on the latest Read or Dead!

New Releases Tuesday: The Best Books Out This Week

Patricia and Liberty discuss great books coming in 2022 including The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, Secret Identity by Alex Segura, and Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto on All The Books!

They Can't Take Your Name cover image

Liberty and Danika discuss great books being released in December including They Can’t Take Your Name by Robert Justice on the latest All The Books!

Why is Agatha Christie the Best-Selling Author of All Time?

Book Riot’s Best Books of 2021

Book Riot’s 2022 Read Harder Challenge

Everything You Need To Know About Season 2 Of ‘Only Murders In The Building’

Ragdoll review – wicked Killing Eve-style thriller will make you wriggle with joy

Silent Parade cover image

These 10 Best New Mystery and Thriller Books of December Are Giving Us Literal Chills

AudioFile’s 2021 Best Fiction Audiobooks

The Best Mystery Novels of 2021

The Best Thrillers of 2021

Shop Talk: Alex Segura Is Always Writing, Even When He’s Not

Alice Sebold’s LUCKY Pulled Following Anthony Broadwater Exoneration

Giveaway: Win a Personal Reading Retreat!

Giveaway: Win a pair of Airpods Pro!

Watch Now

Harriet the Spy on Apple TV+: There’s a new animated series based on Louise Fitzhugh‘s classic children’s books. Five episodes released for the first season, and there will be another five next year, all with Beanie Feldstein voicing Harriet. Watch the trailer.

Recent Interests That May Also Interest You + My Reading Life

Fadeout cover image

Reading: Fadeout by Joseph Hansen / Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau / Hooked by Sutton Foster / Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia (Yes, all my library holds came in at once!)

Streaming: Hawkeye (Disney+) and Single All the Way (Netflix)

Laughing: I’m too smart for that.

Helping: Toys for Tots

Upcoming: Katharine Schellman, author of the Lily Adler mystery series, has an upcoming Jazz age mystery series coming in 2022 (hello, speakeasy!): Last Call at the Nightingale. And she recently revealed the cover.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases and upcoming 2022 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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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Must Read Under-the-Radar 2021 Mysteries

Hello mystery fans! I am here to tell you that the ratings number on Goodreads and/or a book’s popularity is not indicative of the quality of the book. Especially this year, when we are inundated in so much terrible news, information, and have now spent two years in an ongoing apocalypse pandemic. So many great books just don’t get the marketing money, or selection by a celebrity book club, or a chance to break through all the noise. So with that in mind, I wanted to highlight books that have not had many readers this year and absolutely should have many readers. To give myself a guideline, I stuck to books under 1,000 ratings which is why Ophie’s Ghost by Justina Ireland and Last Call by Elon Green aren’t on the list. But those books should have much larger reader numbers than they do. (TWs can be found in review links)

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Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

This was a really fun book that actually took a left turn I did not see coming into territory of a favorite TV series of mine buuuuuuuuut I can’t tell you or I’d spoil the fun of the twist. And this is why writing about mysteries, when your goal is to never spoil the fun, can be tricky.

Katrina, at least that’s her name right now, is in the Witness Protection Program with her parents. Being a blink away from turning into a teenager, life already has its own challenges of growing up. But in Katrina’s case she literally has to figure out who she is and what to do when her mom is taken into custody and her dad disappears. There’s a safe house she needs to get to, and a new friend willing to help, but who is the man at the safe house and can she trust him? Or her new friend? And what did her dad do to land them in the Witness Protection Program?

This is a fun ride if you’re looking for a middle grade mystery that centers on identity, with some action scenes.

(TW mentions past overdose, addiction)

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The Hollow Inside by Brooke Lauren Davis

This is a great page-turner that gives you past and present mysteries, revenge, and family—chosen and not. Mother and daughter duo Phoenix and Nina live out of a van and steal everything they need to survive. But Nina has a revenge plan for the man who ruined her life and Phoenix is going to have to improvise her way through the plan once they arrive at Nina’s hometown. (Review)

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When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris

I love starting a new year with a great read and that’s how my 2021 started in part thanks to this title. You get a fantastic character with Jay, an introspective and thoughtful teen who fiercely loves his grandmother and sister and finds himself trying to have to figure out where his missing sister has gone… Bonus: the audiobook has an exceptional narrator, Preston Butler III. (Review)

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The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem by Rudolph Fisher

This is a great classic mystery written by a Harlem Renaissance writer, which if not for his death before turning 40 could have been the start of a long running series. It stars a Harlem doctor in the 1930s looking into the death of an African immigrant mystic, and eventually helping the detective on the case. Reading classics now usually means that what was once a twist or surprise no longer feels like it because it’s since been done so many times, but this book still feels surprising. If you listen to audiobooks, absolutely choose that format with J. D. Jackson as the narrator. (Review)

The Unfit Heiress Cover

The Unfit Heiress: The Tragic Life and Scandalous Sterilization of Ann Cooper Hewitt by Audrey Clare Farley

Many people focused on Britney Spears’ case and in wanting to see her be freed from an abusive conservatorship, but it’s easy to only see the few cases that get wide attention and not realize the amount of other people that continue to suffer without help or change in laws. This book focuses on a specific case of a mother who sterilized her daughter without consent or her knowledge for an inheritance and the court case that ensued. But it also goes into the history of eugenics and laws that are still harming people today. (Review)

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Runner (Cass Raines #4) by Tracy Clark

If you’re a fan of PI mysteries, you should absolutely be reading this series that consistently delivers a good mystery, has fun side characters, and walks you through the entire case in each book. (Review) If you want to start at the beginning, grab Broken Places (Review).

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Mango, Mambo, and Murder (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #1) by Raquel V. Reyes

If you want to end the year with a warm weather setting, mouth-watering food, and a little murder, you absolutely want to grab this cozy mystery series starter. It follows a food anthropologist in South Florida who has to prove her best friend isn’t a killer. Bonus: you get recipes at the end of the book! (Review)

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases and upcoming 2022 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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

NPR’s Books We Love: Mystery & Thrillers

Hello mystery fans! Time for roundups, podcasts, and news, plus something new to watch.

From Book Riot and Around the Internet

True Crime Comics That Aren’t About Serial Killers

Cue the Creepy Theme Music: 10 Books about Unsolved Mysteries

Red Widow cover image

Nusrah and Katie talk about read-a-likes for some favorite and popular authors and recommend contemporary works similar to them to make your holiday shopping easier on the latest Read or Dead!

40 Years Later, Man Convicted in Alice Sebold’s Rape Cleared of Charges

Netflix scraps film version of Alice Sebold book after rape conviction overturned

Harsh Times by Mario Vargas Llosa review – CIA secrets and breathtaking lies

A Game of Cones cover image

26 fiction books released by Greater Cleveland authors in 2021

NPR’s Books We Love: Mystery & Thrillers

TikTok is turning walls into murder boards thanks to ‘Cain’s Jawbone’

22 Best Mystery Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down

The 13 best British TV shows on Hulu that are (and include) absolutely fabulous

Goodreads final round nominees for Best Mystery & Thriller

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Watch Now

Inspector Koo on Netflix: I haven’t found anything about this being an adaptation but I have read that it’s heavily influenced by Killing Eve and the cat and mouse thriller aspect. Each episode is a little over an hour and so far eight have released (as of me writing this). We follow an insurance investigator who was once a cop and is now trying to catch an active serial killer… Watch the trailer.

Recent Interests That May Also Interest You + My Reading Life

cover of My Annihilation by Fuminori Nakamura

Reading: My Annihilation by Fuminori Nakamura, Sam Bett (Translator)/ Three Keys (Front Desk) by Kelly Yang / Payback’s A Witch by Lana Harper

Streaming: The Sex Lives of College Girls and Sort Of are two recent HBO Max shows I’m very much enjoying.

Laughing: Note to self

Helping: “But food banks often make most of their money before Thanksgiving, causing deficits for the months ahead. Consider making a donation to your local food pantry to help. Use this platform to find a pantry closest to you.” (source: ARD newsletter)

Upcoming: Filmmaker Nick Brooks sold his first novel Promise Boys, “in which three boys at a Washington, D.C., charter school investigate the murder of their principal, and learn hard truths about their education and community.”


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases and upcoming 2022 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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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Atmospheric Suspense and a Historical Mystery in a Circus

Hello mystery fans! I’m trying to squeeze in as much end-of-year reading as I can and I’m really glad I got to these two: one will take you to a remote cabin and the other to a traveling circus.

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These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

If you want suspense, atmospheric, a remote setting, and a character-driven narrative with an ending you’ll be thinking about long after finishing, this is absolutely your next read. It’s the kind of novel where you fall in love with a character(s) but immediately realize that the situation can only unravel, or explode, and that tension continues to build until the end.

In the Appalachian woods, Cooper lives with his eight-year-old daughter Finch. Only two people know where they are: a nosy neighbor Cooper doesn’t trust and a friend who comes once a year to bring Cooper and Finch all the supplies they’ll need to survive another year. Except Cooper’s friend doesn’t show up this year, and the neighbor keeps making Cooper uneasy. Then a young woman Cooper and Finch spotted in the woods disappears. As we slowly come to learn how Cooper and Finch came to live in this remote cabin, fearing the outside world finding them, their delicately structured life begins to unravel, forcing Cooper to realize he won’t be able to continue living in this bubble he’s created…

Finch is such a wonderful character who is empathetic, curious, and smart. She does her best to listen to Cooper’s warnings but she’s also a child looking for more than their tiny circle. I loved watching Cooper and Finch’s relationship and found myself deeply absorbed into their world and life while listening to the audiobook.

(TW PTSD/ fat shaming/ panic attack/ animal deaths, killings related to survival)

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Murder Under Her Skin (Pentecost and Parker #2) by Stephen Spotswood

This is the second book in a recent historical mystery series with two leads that are opposite in personality that gives a nod to classic noir and Sherlock and Holmes. In the first book, Fortune Favors the Dead, we learn how Willowjean “Will” Parker meets Lillian Pentecost, the most famous woman PI in the US, and comes to become her apprentice in early 1940s New York.

Now it’s 1946 and we get the absolute pleasure of following Will through a case that is very personal. After running away from home as a teen, she found a home in a traveling circus before coming to work with Lillian. But with the tattooed lady from the circus murdered and her knife-throwing mentor being accused, while performing in Virginia, she has to figure out how to set aside her personal feelings and find the truth… and maybe gain a crush along the way.

This is a fun whodunnit with the backdrop of a traveling circus and two wonderful leads that perfectly compliment each other in their differences.

(TW brief suicide mention, detail/ brief mention of past domestic and child abuse/ addiction/ ableism)

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

From The Book Riot Crime Vault

5 Winter Mysteries That are Cozier Than a Cup of Tea


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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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Fun Gifts For Mystery Lovers

Hello mystery fans! If you’ve got mystery lovers in your life who you’re looking to get a gift for, or you’re just looking to buy something for yourself, I’ve found some fun items for you on Etsy.

a white mug with a graphic image of Baby Yoda that says Yoda Best Detective

You can’t argue with Yoda so this $20 mug is clearly correct: Baby Yoda Best Detective Mug

a graphic image sticker of a raccoon dressed as a detective

For $3.50 trash panda is gonna solve the case (of the missing trash that maaaaay be in its belly): Detective Raccoon Vinyl Waterproof Sticker

graphic illustration stickers of bakeshop items with skulls on them

For $12, cozy bakeshop mystery lovers will want to stick these on everything: Cozy Mystery Stickers

a white mug with a black handle and graphic image of pine trees that says Take Me To Three Pines

Louise Penny and Inspector Gamache fans will love this $20 mug: Take me to Three Pines Mug

a beige tote bag with a black handle with images of Angela Lansbury's face and typewriters that says Murder She Tote

Fans of puns, totes, and Angela Lansbury will love this $18-ish gift: Murder She Tote

a tall glass prayer candle wrapped in an image of Columbo from the TV show

For a fun and ridiculous $12 gift: Just one more thing Columbo Prayer Candle (There’s also a $33 set of Only Murders in the Building Holy Trinity Prayer Candles and for $13-ish a Sherlock and Watson Funny Prayer Candle)

a set of nesting dolls of Sherlock Holmes and characters

If you’ve ever thought “Sherlock, but make it nesting dolls,” here’s a set for $35: Matryoshka Russian Nesting Dolls On The Motives Stories of Sherlock Holmes 7 pcs Wooden Figurines

grey t-shirt with white print saying Murder Shows & Comfy Clothes

If you’re looking for a t-shirt under $15: Murder Shows Comfy Clothes Shirt

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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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November Mystery Releases For Your Radar

Hi mystery fans! If time is no longer a thing for you, here’s a newsletter to remind you (for good or bad) that we’re wrapping up November. So here’s a bunch of releases from the month to know about.

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All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

For a murder mystery thriller adjacent to a legal thriller (Ellice Littlejohn is a corporate lawyer), here’s one of my favorite reads of the year. (Review)

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Killer Words (Mystery Bookshop #7) by V.M. Burns

For fans of cozy mysteries, books within books, and bookshop settings. If you’re looking to start at the beginning pick up The Plot is Murder.

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The Pledge (Betty Rhyzyk #3) by Kathleen Kent

If you’ve been a fan of Detective Betty Rhyzyk—full of hard-edges and heart—here’s the final book in the trilogy which finds her promoted to Sergeant in the Dallas Police Department. If you’re looking for a completed procedural filled with action to read, start with The Dime.

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Mimi Lee Cracks the Code (A Sassy Cat Mystery #3) by Jennifer J. Chow

If you’re looking for a cozy mystery starring a pet groomer and a talking cat named Marshmallow, this recent series is for you. If you’d like to start at the beginning, pick up Mimi Lee Gets a Clue.

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Shoot the Moonlight Out by William Boyle

If you’re a fan of crime novels and neo-noir, you should absolutely be reading William Boyle. Set in Brooklyn in 1996 and 2001 we follow a cast of characters including punk kids, a neighborhood vigilante, and a gangster-wannabe.

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Midnight Hour: A Chilling Anthology of Crime Fiction from 20 Acclaimed Authors of Color edited by Abby L. Vandiver

Anthologies are a great way to find your next favorite mystery and crime authors! Here you’ll find a collection of short stories from 19 authors, including ones with published cozy series to dark crime novels.

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The Collective by Alison Gaylin

If you’re looking for a smart revenge thriller that examines grief and the price of vengeance, this was one of the few books I stayed up way past my bedtime reading this year. (Review)

Her Name is Knight book cover

Her Name Is Knight (Nena Knight #1) by Yasmin Angoe

If you’re looking for a dark thriller that opens with action and are a fan of dual timelines and assassins, this one is for you!

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The Night Will Be Long by Santiago Gamboa, Andrea Rosenberg (Translation)

If you’re looking for a thriller that focuses on corruption and want to read more translated work, here’s a twisty read set in Colombia.

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Couples Wanted by Briana Cole

In the mood for sexy and suspense? Here’s a one night spouse swapping that leads one couple to turn possessive of the others…

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Miss Moriarty, I Presume? (Lady Sherlock #6) by Sherry Thomas

If you’ve been here longer than a second, you know of my deep, deep love for Lady Sherlock and this entire series. (Review)

You'll Be The Death of Me cover image

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus

This is on my list to read because of the pitch: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with murder when three old friends relive an epic ditch day, and it goes horribly–and fatally–wrong.” My ’80s heart is very much in.

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Body and Soul Food (Books & Biscuits Mystery #1) by Abby Collette

And I’ll end with one final cozy, this one for food lovers, bookstore setting lovers, and fans of A Deadly Inside Scoop.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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

Best Mystery Books Coming Out in 2022

Hello mystery fans! It’s time for all the clickable links for mystery lovers including news and roundups–and a blockbuster 2022 title! If you’re like “Where are the ebook deals?”, I didn’t forget! They’re technically now in their very own special mystery deal newsletter which you’ve probably already noticed.

From Book Riot and Around the Internet

Bellweather Rhapsody cover image

Chilly and Killy: 10 Great Wintery Thrillers to Delight and Frighten You

Dark Mystery & Thrillers Because Who Needs Sleep?

Best Mystery Books Coming Out in 2022

‘Delicious caper’ by Jesse Sutanto wins Comedy women in print award

Ann Cleeves on her literary path, not meddling in TV adaptations

Vote in the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards

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16 of the Best Historical Mysteries

Patrick Radden Keefe has announced his next book: Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks

Alma Katsu’s cover reveal for the paperback edition of Red Widow

Lisa Jewell revealed the cover for her upcoming The Family Remains

I’m so happy Hollywood Homicide and Hollywood Ending will once again be published (and I love the new covers!): Check out Kellye Garrett’s announcement.

Alex Segura’s Pete Fernandez PI novels will be getting audiobooks!

Tamron Hall on the Jada Pinkett movie she watches on repeat and the book that helped her with her own debut

On Book Riot’s new podcast, Adaptation Nation, we read it. We watch it. We talk about it.

Giveaway: Enter to Win a $250 Gift Card to Barnes a Noble: November, 2021

Giveaway: Win a $100 Amazon Gift Card (plus a Radish Swag Bag!)

We’re hiring an Advertising Sales Manager! Do you like books and comics? Does helping advertisers reach an enthusiastic community of book and comics lovers intrigue you? This might be your job. Apply by December 5, 2021.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Watch Now

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on HBO Max: The sequel to Guy Ritchie’s 2009 Sherlock Holmes film is streaming if you’re a fan of action, adventure, and of course Sherlock and Watson. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, and Rachel McAdams. Here’s the trailer. And fingers crossed we’ll get the third film in 2022!

Recent Interests That May Also Interest You + My Reading Life

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Reading: Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzalez / Body and Soul Food (Books & Biscuits Mystery #1) by Abby Collette

Streaming: The Owl House on Disney+

Laughing: A bot writes a romantic comedy

Helping: Former Rioter’s Book Drive hopes to “give every one of our 375 students a brand new book to read over winter break.” (Great list of books!)

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Upcoming: Did I drop every single thing I was doing when a galley for Dolly Parton’s 2022 crime book landed on my doorstep? Like you don’t know the answer–because who wouldn’t?! Dolly Parton is a national treasure and she wrote a crime book. I know! And wait, there’s more exciting news: the book will release with a same titled album of new songs that Parton wrote for the book. I know! And the songbook is at the end of the book! It’s all super exciting. And let me tell you Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson is super entertaining! You’ll sit down thinking you’re going to squeeze in one quick chapter and in a blink you’ll be 100 pages in and wondering where the time went.

If you’re thinking that it will probably be a book written by someone else with Dolly Parton’s name on it, that is not the case. Dolly Parton’s personality, compassion, and especially humor shines through this book, as does her love of country music and her knowledge of the industry. It makes sense that someone as gifted as Dolly Parton in storytelling through song could partner with James Patterson to write a page-turner with ladies you’re going to fiercely love, and want to brunch with STAT.

Readers follow AnnieLee Keyes, a young woman who has just hitchhiked her way to Nashville hoping to finally catch a break and become a country singer. She’s feisty, funny, determined, and filled with talent. But the world seems more ready to chew her up and spit her out. It also does not help that danger keeps finding her… Readers can look forward to a novel that takes you into the country music industry, gives you romance, danger, action (the blockbuster movie kind where somehow no one ends up in the hospital), and friendships—including one that shows feminism is pulling those up behind you not lifting the ladder up behind you.

Come for the novelty that Dolly Parton wrote a crime novel and stay for the spitfire joy that is AnnieLee Keyes in this wildly entertaining book.

(TW attempted sexual assault/ brief recounting of unknown suicide or accidental overdose/ mentions of child abuse/ panic attack/ human trafficking, not graphic/ recounts domestic abuse without graphic details)


Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2021 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

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