Author: Jamie Canaves

I absolutely adored this upcoming historical mystery by the author of Dread Nation. Ophelia Harrison’s life abruptly changes when her father is murdered and her and her mother flee Georgia to Pittsburgh–thanks to what Ophie has yet to realize is her ability to see ghosts. No longer attending school, the young Ophie is put to work as a maid in a wealthy white family’s home where her mother is also working, trying to save enough money to move out of a shared family home where they are not welcomed by most.

And so Ophie, trying to make sense of the world around her in 1922 and her seeing ghosts (which a relative is trying to guide her through), discovers that the “help” she was getting in her new job is not from a living woman. And she’s no longer living because she was murdered. This sets Ophie off to figure out who would have done such a thing and why.

Ophie is one of those child characters in literature that I immediately fiercely loved, rooted for, and enjoyed watching every moment of her navigating her way through life. The opening chapter is so well written that as soon as I finished it I turned back to the beginning to read it again, as to not miss a single moment or feeling. If you like books that grab you with their voice immediately, and properly sink you into a place and time, this is a must-read. It’s already at the top of my 2021 best books. And if you’re doing Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge, here’s your middle grade mystery read.

One of 2020’s best crime titles is currently $3.99 so snatch this one up RUL quick! (Review)

Miller has written an absolutely beautiful memoir on a difficult subject and this is one of my all time best memoir reads, which is currently $4.99. (Review)

For those who love a book inside a book that is a nod to the mystery genre, here’s one currently at $3.99, with the sequel having just released. (Review)

And for historical fiction fans here’s one at $2.99 from an author with a deep backlist you can go through. (Review)

If you’re a fan of teen detectives, you should absolutely get to know Goldie Vance. This is a delightful new series based on the Goldie Vance graphic novels–if you’ve read them, all the characters you love are here with all new mysteries, and if you’ve never read them, you are in for a real treat! This is the second original novel, and I will say that if you like character development and don’t mind the mystery starting at the halfway mark, start with the first book, Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit (Review), but if you need the mystery from the beginning, and a fast pace, start with this one–you won’t be lost, I promise.

This is a fun book set at the Florida beach resort where Goldie Vance works as a valet, but really she shadows the in-house detective and is always solving a mystery. Her parents are divorced–her dad manages the hotel, and her mom is a performing mermaid (!!)–her best friend also works at the hotel, and she’s finally asked out the girl she has a crush on and has a date set. But when a magician’s convention comes to the hotel, Goldie is forced to move her date to the convention and solve the mystery of who is stealing the magicians’ items–plus, deal with a pesky newcomer determined to solve it himself. Or annoy Goldie to death.

A first date, magic tricks, friendship, mystery, chaos, and a determined teen detective who lets nothing stand in her way of solving a crime adds up to a fun book to curl up with. I’m very much looking forward to there being more in this series.

This is a cinnamon roll of a cozy mystery and absolutely what I needed to read while ending 2020. It’s about a lovely couple, Valor and Bishan, in an English village who find a dead body in their garden. Naturally, one of them is the suspect (Bish)–especially, since the body ends up being a former schoolmate of the couple.

Now Valor needs to figure out who would put a dead body in their garden to frame Bish, while Bish sits in jail. Complicating matters–like it’s not already complicated–is that jail is even more difficult for Bish who is autistic, and Valor comes with all the family drama, being the son of a Countess and Earl. Valor even suspects that one of the family members he no longer speaks with is involved. Oh, and add in a zany neighbor with a billion frogs and Bish’s sweet family for this entertaining and gentle mystery. If you’ve been watching a lot of gentle reality shows lately, this will give you that same feeling.

It’s only 130-ish pages, a novella, that ends on a cliffhanger so have the sequel handy or do a mad muttering in the middle of the night as you quickly purchase the second, like me.

If any year were to need a cozy mystery marathon read, it would be this-year-I-refuse-to-name. Anyhoo, this is a fun series with a helpful ghost that will let you armchair travel to Ireland. (Review)

If you’re so absolutely over this year that you’d like to be immediately transported into another, enjoy New Year’s Eve 1929 in a New Orleans speakeasy. Don’t mind the murder. (Review)

This is a recent P.I. series with an ex-cop lead who is still friends with her ex-partner, manages the apartment complex she lives in, and has a nun for a friend. Every book has been a satisfying mystery, with a character I enjoy spending time with, that leaves me wanting the next book. And if you want a marathon, three books is totally doable. (Review)

I very much recommend getting to know Mishani’s work, and his latest is perfect for fans of suspense who don’t want to know the ride they’re on until it’s too late. (Review)

This was so intense towards the end that it successfully transported me from an IRL tense world to a fictional one where I was yelling (out loud like anyone could hear me), “Look out!” If you like YA mysteries with true crime podcasts enjoy! (Review)

A cozy, with a ton of descriptions of ice cream I needed to get in my pie hole immediately. The bonus for me, this year, was that it had a really nice family and was very low on drama, meanness, etc, even though there was a dead body. (Review)

Knecht started the series with a spy novel unlike the rest and now transitioned into a P.I. series, both books focusing on history rarely used in historical fiction. If you like character driven books, the series is great; if you need more speed, start with the sequel. Either way if you need a fresh, new voice, grab these books. (Review)

And here is an absolutely delightful historical British mystery following a teen detective with a passion for criminal science. Think Enola Holmes and Flavia de Luce levels of enjoyable. (Review)