Author: Jamie Canaves

“Celebrity” written fiction can easily be a miss for a few reasons, including expectations and that they may have gotten the deal based on the likelihood that the book will sell regardless because of their popularity. Abrams was already an author before her political career and popularity, and for me this delivered what I wanted: a political thriller with legal knowledge, a lead I’d want to follow beyond one book, and a wider scope than just one case.

While this focuses in a way on the Supreme Court of the United States, it isn’t set in the court listening to arguments. Instead the catalyst for the book is Justice Howard Wynn being in a coma and his law clerk Avery Keene shockingly learning that she has been left his power of attorney rather than his estranged family—super shocking to them too. And that’s how Keene finds herself digging into Wynn’s work, personal life, and getting to know his son. Oh, and it’s a political thriller so: being in danger.

This balanced well for me Keene’s personal life bits with a main focus on her figuring out how and why she’s been thrust into this mess, starting with a political case that unfolds into far reaches.

The audiobook has a great narrator, Adenrele Ojo and unlike some political thrillers, this one never felt like it had so many pieces to know at once that you could get lost with on audio. I’m really glad this got “renewed” and there are more books in the series to come. I look forward to what Avery Keene will be up to next.

(TW attempted suicide, detail/ addiction/ briefly threatens sexual assault, doesn’t/ degenerative brain disorder/ genocide/ Islamophobia)

I am 100%, absolutely no nonsense about how many books do not need to be the length they are because at least 100 pages needed to be edited out. I say this because this book is long and I was expecting to feel massively this way about it, but honestly it felt more like a duology got printed in one volume and saved us from having to wait at least a year after a cliff hanger.

This was so good. It was exactly what I love in a legal thriller: did they or didn’t they do it; the entire process from the start of the crime all the way to the end of the trial. Give me all the details, clue collecting, and inside firm politics, please and thank you. And then the massive bonus was a really nice hook. One of the lawyers assigned to the case–did this man who just accepted a humanitarian award murder a random woman in his hotel room–knows the accused from childhood and hates him as his sworn lifelong enemy!

Yes, delicious. Because on top of all the “did he do it/if not who did,” now we get to watch a lawyer and wonder whether he’ll always do right by his client or get so angry that his life was ruined once, and you know, get revenge? Oh, and he can’t let his job know he knows the client nor that he lied on his CV when he was hired. Drama. Thriller. Legal case. Did he do it?! I want more legal thrillers like this!

(TW alcoholism/ attempted sexual assault scene, discusses S&M turned to assault, including partner abuse/ mentions death questioned as murder or suicide, detail/ past child and domestic abuse mentioned/ cancer/ discusses date rape drug during court case)

Start a new cozy mystery with magic for $1.99!

The only thing I know about this is that it is a historical romance mystery and that I snagged it RUL quick for $3.99!

If you’re a fan of reading about cults and like character driven mysteries, grab this one for $2.99!

(TW brief on-page suicide, detail/ past child abuse recounted, details)

Bienvenidos a Miami where one young woman finally learns the identity of the woman who ruined her life years before and sets out to destroy her and her perfect socialite world.

Revenge, regret, and the dismantling of the hate we’re taught in a page-turning thriller reminiscent of the ’90s buddy action films where two opposites get paired together on a mission.

(TW child abuse/ racism, homophobia, transphobia, dead naming/ alcoholism/ ableism)

If you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls and Stephanie Plum, this series is made for you! Start with A Bad Day For Sunshine (Review) if you don’t want the ending of the first book spoiled and want to be up to date with all the personal background info.

(TW mentions flasher/ mentions past child suicidal thought, detail/ backstory involves teen abduction and assumption of rape with no details)

I’ve been a fan of Miranda since I read her twisty mostly told backwards mystery All The Missing Girls and she always delivers for me with an entertaining mystery. This time around it’s a neighborhood where one member sent to prison is back and all the drama and secrets–and murder–are gonna come out.

(TW rumors of a statutory guy, not graphic)

If you’re a fan of revenge (so much revenge!), want something that unfolds a little differently, and like dark humor ,do not miss this page-turner! (Review)

The absolute very last bit of this book is my favorite–don’t worry, I won’t spoil it, I just love that level of “gonna get ya”! Anyhoo, if you are in the mood for a great murder mystery where you will spend the ENTIRE book accusing EVERY single person of being the murderer, plop yourself in your favorite place and enjoy!

(TW emotional abuse/ past child and domestic abuse, not graphic/ past suicide, detail)

Here’s a French novel partly based on a 2003 murder in the Alps region. You have a small French village and two different families that see tensions boil over when financial troubles arise…

For true crime and history readers, here’s the case of a doctor who poisoned people and his 1892 murder trial that also looks at the Victorian society.

If you’re looking for backlist series you may have never gotten around to here’s a great time to start for $2.99!

Another backlist series you may have had on your TBR list that you can now jump in for $2.99!

If you’re looking for a sci-fi novel set in our world, just with some time travel, with a locked-room murder mystery here’s one for $1.99! (Review)

This is not a fantasy! No shade to the fantasy genre, which I love, but I think many readers assumed because of the cover that this was a fantasy novel and it is not. It is squarely a crime, mystery, thriller. I generally avoid comps for many reasons but this one seems to really fit nicely: Gossip Girl, with a dash of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and a dose of Get Out.

Chiamaka and Devon don’t have much in common, but they both attend Niveus Private Academy. Chiamaka is ultra wealthy and a queen bee and Devon is neither. Chiamaka is in love with her best friend, who is down for hookups, but she’s hoping for more soon. Devon is in a secret relationship and still not ready to tell his mom he’s gay, and struggling to watch how hard she works to try and provide for them.

What they do suddenly have in common is that a person referring to themselves as Aces has decided to mess with both of them by slowly texting out private things about each of them to the whole school. Who is behind this? And what could Chiamaka and Devon have ever done to suddenly be targeted?…

This is told in alternating POV between Chiamaka and Devon, taking you both into their different experiences in school and their private lives, and the audiobook has dual narrators (Jeanette Illidge, Tapiwa Mugweni) which paired really nicely. If you want a bit of fun drama with some very real social commentary, pick this one up. I will absolutely pick up Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s next book no questions asked.

(TW homophobia, hate crime/ gaslighting/ alludes to date rape/ mentions past suicide attempt, brief detail)

The genius of this book for me was in its delivery. Basically, the way it unfolds. Most thrillers or crime books wait for a moment to throw a twist at you that’s meant to either shock or feel out of left field. This is twisty but in a totally different way.

Imagine sitting in front of a long stage and only the center is lit as actors perform their story. Then as they come to the end of their performance, another part of the stage is lit and suddenly you see a much larger picture of this story. That’s the brilliance of what reading this was like. Plus, revenge!

Because I’m a big fan of the feeling of a fun surprise that this genre can deliver, I’m going to be light on the actual plot points beside how it starts: Teddy Crutcher teaches English Lit at Belmont Academy. He’s finally reached his goal of being awarded Teacher of the Year but it’s just not enough for him. You see, Teddy is the kind of person who thinks he always knows better and no one else is ever behaving the way he would approve. And so between secret wars with teachers, students, and parents, he finds ways to “correct” their behavior or just punish them. But a body at the school throws a wrench in his plans…

It’s twisty and sharp with a dark thread of humor packaged in a way that feels fresh. Absolutely one of my favorite reads this year, and I love that Downing’s three books have all felt written by her while also all being completely different. Count me as a fan always awaiting her next release.

(TW past suicide mentioned, brief detail/ diet culture)

Agatha Christie meets a Tour de France memoir in this interesting novel you can snag for $4.99! (Review)

Grave robbing! Suspicious deaths! And an author with a great backlist to read! Pick this one up for $1.99. (Review)

Want to start a great Italian police procedural trilogy with a lead in her sixties hiding early signs of dementia? You can for $2.99! (Review)

I recently reviewed this true crime memoir, beautifully written with a constant spirit of hope, action, and determination. Brittany K. Barnett shares her experience growing up with a loving family, her first career, and her decision to go to law school. After discovering cases of people imprisoned for lengths of time that were grossly disproportionate to the crimes, Barnett took many of those cases on and examined the laws and systemic flaws that emerged from the war on drugs. This also gets my Must Read Now Award. (Review)

The voice of this book is fantastic and while I am always here for unlikeable women characters, I also love a character that is a beautiful human who I’m fiercely rooting for. Daunis Fontaine is absolutely the latter. (Review)

I loved Ophelia (Ophie) Harrison so much that I still find myself many months later thinking about her. She’s smart and thoughtful and can see ghosts, no biggie. Although biggie being that she does not understand how to navigate not only the difficult situations she’s in, but also how to help a ghost figure out how, why, and by who she was murdered. Your next favorite child character may also be Ophie, so go pick up this book! It’s a fantastic standalone but if Ireland ever wanted to turn this into a series, she could have all my money. (Review)

This is a great coming-of-age meets missing person mystery that did not get the attention it deserved–put this on your TBR immediately–and the audiobook has an excellent narrator. That’s a lot of wins for a book! (Review)

If you’re a fan of historical mysteries and want a time period most likely knew to you, you can travel to 1800, Joseon (Korea) for $2.99! (Review)

If you’re looking for community, murder-mystery, and an elderly group of amateur sleuths, start this series now for $2.99 in anticipation of the sequel, The Man Who Died Twice, releasing in fall. (Review)

If you’re a fan of PIs, action films, and communities playing a big part in stories, start this series for $2.99!

A Knock At Midnight reminded me of Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy and Chanel Miller’s Know My Name in that it is exceptionally written about difficult topics while managing to somehow always keep a level of hope. So much so that I usually have to pace myself on this type of nonfiction, but I instead listened to the audiobook over two days; the narrator, Karen Chilton, is fantastic.

Brittany K. Barnett tells the story of growing up with a loving family, including her mom who dealt with drug addiction, her first career, deciding to go to law school, and then discovering cases of people imprisoned for lengths of time that were grossly disproportionate to the crimes. The war on drugs created a war against Black and brown communities disproportionate to white ones by creating a fixed sentencing that was different for powder cocaine to crack cocaine. This left many people with life sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. Not only does Barnett take us through the cases that crossed her path and those she took on, but she also takes a look at the system and laws that were created during the war on drugs and also where things stand now.

Reading the cases in this book and how addiction was treated cruelly and criminally is heartbreaking, but Barnett always has hope and leads with action. A Knock At Midnight is a fantastic mix of memoir, history, law, legal cases, a love letter to Black communities, and how to turn outrage into action for change. I can’t recommend this book enough and have been kicking myself for taking so long to get to it.

(TW addiction/ partner abuse/ malpractice pregnancy loss/ brief suicide mention, detail/ racism/ prison abuse)

This is a shocking story to start with about a mother, Maryon Cooper Hewitt, who had her daughter, Ann Cooper Hewitt, sterilized without her consent or knowledge for an inheritance. It gives you the story of Maryon and Ann along with the court case that followed when Ann realized what had been done to her. But the book has a much wider and horrifying scope because laws that allowed this to happen are still in place and still function to control mostly people with uteruses by controlling their reproductive rights. Think of Britney Spears saying in court that she’s being forced to keep an IUD (it is worth the time to read Britney Spears’s Conservatorship Nightmare) and women coming forward last year to say hysterectomies were performed on them while in immigration custody.

The book takes a dive into the history of eugenics and how these laws were devised, the tests used to determine who was “unfit” to have children, and how certain communities—including disabled people and people of color—were targeted because white wealthy women went from having six children to three. This is not a history that we’re far removed from, this is a horrifying and terrifying practice in the here and now.

(TW child abuse/ suicide, detail/ attempted suicide treated as criminal case/ ableism/ eugenics–racism, misogyny, homophobia)