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Unusual Suspects

Books Perfect for True Crime Podcast Fans

Hello mystery fans! It was a light week in finding you all the good clickable things, but I still found you stuff, including an adaptation casting that sounds amazing, ebook deals, and an exciting new film to watch.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Rincey and Katie talk about mysteries featuring technology and social media, along with some mixed feelings about adaptation news recently announced on the latest Read or Dead.

Quiz: Which Book of Magic and Mystery Should You Read Next?

The cover reveal & opening excerpt for Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

15 Mystery-Thriller Books Perfect for True Crime Podcast Fans

‘Maybe We Should Take Him to the Desert and Bury Him There?’ Read an exclusive excerpt from family-comedy-meets-crime-thriller ‘Dial A for Aunties’ now.

(Give me this right now!) All the Old Knives: Amazon Studios Acquires Thriller Starring Chris Pine & Thandie Newton

Judith Butler on the culture wars, JK Rowling [who writes the Robert Galbraith mystery series and keeps making many anti-trans statements] and living in “anti-intellectual times

The Death On The Nile Book Ending Is Impossible To Guess

Win a year subscription to Audible

Enter to Win $50 to Your Favorite Independent Bookstore!

Watch Now

Netflix: Enola Holmes is here! If you ever wanted to imagine that Sherlock Holmes had a younger teenage sister, and follow her on a mystery–their mother has disappeared!– great news: the film adaptation of Nancy Springer’s The Case of the Missing Marquess is now streaming on Netflix. If that wasn’t enough of a sell, it stars Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Kindle Deals

cover image: zoomed in on half of a japanese woman's face as tear rolls down her faceIf you’re looking to up your translation reading and enjoy character driven mysteries: Penance by Kanae Minato is $1.99! (Review) (sorry, don’t remember TWs)

For a genre mix of “chick lit” (I hate that term!) and locked-room mystery: I’ll Eat When I’m Dead by Barbara Bourland is $1.99! (Review) (sorry, don’t remember TWs)

If you love atmospheric mysteries, procedurals, and want a trip to Australia: The Dry by Jane Harper is $2.99!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming releases for 2020 and 2021. 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, 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

A Puzzle Mystery Focused On Family Drama

Hello mystery fans! Two of my favorite reads of the year, that I’d earlier shouted about, are officially out in the world, so definitely pick up Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson (Review) and And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall (Review). Plus, they both have great backlists for plenty of reading. And now for what I have for you this week: my yearly reminder that I absolutely adore Charlotte Holmes with my entire being, and a puzzle mystery with a focus on family drama.

Murder on Cold Street cover imageMurder on Cold Street (Lady Sherlock #5) by Sherry Thomas: A yearly highlight for me is the new release of Lady Sherlock–it’s always a treat and this year was no exception, but felt even more needed in this absolute garbage year. The series premise is that, after Charlotte Holmes blew up her social standing and was cast out, she ended up pairing with Mrs. Watson, taking on cases where she pretends her brother Sherlock is in the next room listening to whoever needs his help for a case while Charlotte helps him as the front of the business. But it is all a charade, Charlotte is the only detective Holmes, a secret very few know.

After their big, world trotting case in the last book, we’re treated to a quiet and tight mystery with a small circle of characters that will delight mystery readers. Inspector Treadles, who Holmes has of course assisted, has been arrested on murder charges and his wife has come to Sherlock Holmes for help. So of course Charlotte is on the case! Only slightly distracted by every dessert she sees, Charlotte must figure out why Inspector Treadles won’t help his case, and why two men who worked at Mrs. Treadles’ inherited business were shot and killed. Oh, did I mention it’s a locked-room mystery?!

There’s always so much to love with a Charlotte Holmes book: her obsession with sweets; friendships; step-by-step deducing; great mysteries; an equal treat for fans of Conan Doyle’s work and those who’ve never read him; the banter; a will-they-won’t-they *eyebrow dance running plot; an equally smart and fun historical mystery series. And bonus: it’s equally wonderful in audiobook and print. (TW past attempted assaults)

The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs: This was a unique puzzle mystery that focuses on family drama. If you’d told me I’d be glued to any book that focused on anything dealing with math I would have laughed and laughed and laughed–but here we are. First, a heads up that this entire book deals with basically everything that would get a suicide warning from beginning to end.

At the top of the Severy family is Isaac Severy who has died by suicide, though some believe there must be something else going on. He was a famed mathematician with children who never lived up to his brilliance and two grandchildren he adopted and raised: Hazel, a bookstore owner flailing in life, and Greg, an LA police detective. Isaac left Hazel a letter, which basically puts her on the hunt to figure out his secret work, while others are already hunting for what they believe to be his work. What none of them knows is what exactly this equation was, but they all believe it to be something grand that could change the world.

Enter a secret organization that’s really pushy about finding out the information, a long lost cousin, and a family full of drama and secrets. While Hazel grieves and tries to figure out what is happening, her brother Greg is secretly following their father who has just been released from prison, and Isaac’s son is having a mid-life crisis and being pursued by the secret organization for whatever information he can give them about his father. The family’s secrets are going to spill, there’s affairs, murder, and (in what was most shocking to me) interesting math explained in layman’s terms. If family drama is your catnip and you want one with a mystery for a unique-ish read, this is your book. (TW suicide throughout/ grandparent with dementia/ past child abuse recounted, mostly emotional and neglect)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming releases for 2020 and 2021. 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, 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

Female Spies, True Crime Adaptations, And Tons of News 🔪

Hello mystery fans! This week actually brought a good amount of news, we have some roundups, and great Kindle deals to escape into.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

American Spy cover imageTirzah chats about two great backlist books about female spies on All The Backlist!

Alice and Kim chat adaptations, including Just Mercy and The Orchid Thief, on the latest For Real.

Rincey and Katie talk about mysteries featuring technology and social media, along with some mixed feelings about adaptation news recently announced on the latest Read or Dead.

The most famous fictional detectives

A Necessary Evil cover image: silhouette of man in coat and hat standing in a lush forest8 Books That Explore Family and Crime

Author Toni Jensen Reminds Us the Face of Gun Violence Is Not What We Think

Reese Witherspoon explains why this female-authored mystery-thriller is her September book club pick

Alyssa Cole recommended great crime novels on Instagram

Enter to Win $50 to Your Favorite Independent Bookstore!

News  And Adaptations

Trouble Is What I Do cover imageNational Book Foundation to present Lifetime Achievement Award to Walter Mosley

International Thriller Writers Regroup After Resignations

Author Ann Cleeves funds ‘bibliotherapy’ service to help people heal with books

Ex-Theranos CEO Holmes puts mental state at issue, to be examined by U.S. experts (For fans of Bad Blood)

Grown cover imageTiffany D Jackson and the conversation tied to her recent book Grown: #HeKnewBetter and Laurie Halse Anderson and Tiffany Jackson discuss YA and the Me Too movement

The Royal Mint Release an Agatha Christie £2 Coin

HBG Releases Diversity and Inclusion Progress Report

PRH Releases Workforce Report on Diversity

Kindle Deals

Iced in Paradise cover imageNeed to armchair travel to Hawaii and want a cozy? Iced in Paradise by Naomi Hirahara is $6.15 (Review) (TW addiction/ sick parent/ past stalking incident mentioned)

Need a fun ridiculous read? Hope Never Dies (Obama Biden Mysteries #1) by Andrew Shaffer is $2.99!

For a quirky YA mystery: Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia is $2.99! (Author of Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts)

The Sun Down Motel cover imageFor a ghostly past and present mystery: The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is $1.99! (Review) (TW mentions past rape, not graphic)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming releases for 2020 and 2021. 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, 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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A Cozy And A Dread-Inducing Crime Novel

Hi mystery fans! I’ve got an entertaining cozy, with a core ghostly friendship I adore, and a thoughtful crime novel with all the dread. What a combo!

Execution in E (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #5) by Alexia Gordon: This is one of the few series that I actually stay up to date with and this is now my favorite book in the series. We get an awful influencer and her also awful wedding party, a suspicious death, and a music teacher and her ghost friend on the case. It’s fun!

(Heads up the entire case revolves around whether it was a suicide or murder.) Think of Gethsemane like Jessica Fletcher–if Fletcher were Black, and younger, and assisted by a ghost–because people just keep dropping like flies ever since Gethsemane, an American musician, moved to the Irish countryside. Luckily for the town, she’s nosy, capable, and has a ghost–whose name she helped clear in a past case–to help her snoop for evidence. This time we have a destination wedding with an awful couple who are only marrying each other for what they can do for the other: a social media wedding for the influencer bride; marrying into money and status for the groom. But then the groom ends up dead and those who know him are certain it wasn’t suicide.

So Gethsemane and her ghostly friend Eamon decide to find out what really happened, because if it was murder then the number one suspect will be local friends, since the groom actually dated a local and it ended badly! Basically, anyone who knew the groom is also a suspect because, as I mentioned, these people are awful. Enter the occult, a priest, the Garda who wants nothing more than for Gethsemane to stick to teaching music and not crime solving, the entertaining banter between Gethsemane and Eamon, and town gossip for a fun, everyone-is-a-suspect mystery! (TW main case is a possible suicide, details/ suicide on page/ briefly recounts drowning)

Three by D.A. Mishani, Jessica Cohen (Translation): Mishani has an Israeli procedural series (The Missing File) I really like, so when I saw that he had a new standalone crime novel, I was excited. And wow did it deliver. Seriously, I won’t say how or why but [redacted] is chef’s kiss. The title is in reference to three women in Tel Aviv–all incredibly different from each other and who don’t know each other–that are separated into three sections.

We start with Orla, a recently divorced single mother who is struggling financially and emotionally. She ends up dating Gil, slowly at first, after meeting through online dating and the charming, wealthy, devoted father unravels into a trigger warning for men. The brilliance in Mishani’s story and writing is how a seemingly mundane start to dating takes a slow and dark path you don’t realize is danger until too late. And then we meet the next woman and by then my knuckles were already white and I was shouting like Bastian in The Neverending Story for them to hear me!

This is a dark in content crime novel, that feels like having the rug taken out from under you, but, rather than being written as detailed violence or gore, the dread comes from the realization that this is every day–there is nothing over the top here for thrills.

If you’ve yet to discover Mishani’s writing I highly recommend him: his characters feel like studies on human behavior, his writing is thoughtful, and twisty without the twists feeling gimmicky, and at this point I get to pick up his work without worrying I may end up with something problematic I wasted my time reading. I’ll just be over here still shouting how we need more translated crime books!

Oh, and if you’re an audiobook reader, the narrator Lucy Paterson does a great job of really bringing the three women to life–you may already know her from the Killing Eve books and Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s thrillers. (TW talk of suicide as a cover for murder/ briefly mentions past loss of pregnancy)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming releases for 2020 and 2021. 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, 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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8 Books Like AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

Hi mystery fans! I’ve got a trailer, roundups, news, a miniseries to watch, and a couple Kindle ebook deals. Also, the book I inhaled over the holiday weekend that is very good.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

8 Books Like AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

10 Mystery and Thriller Books Starring Older Women

5 of the Best Psychological Thrillers for Fall

Liberty and Vanessa talk One by One by Ruth Ware and more new releases on All The Books!

 

Hollywood Homicide cover imageKellye Garrett (Hollywood Homicide) talks writing for television, cover designs, how her Detective by Day characters would be holding up in the pandemic and more!

5 Ways To Think About Social Injustice Through Crime Fiction

The Enduring, Pernicious Whiteness Of True Crime

With The Girls, Emma Cline Wrote About Victims. Now She’s Exploring Villains (TW rape culture)

Enter to Win $50 to Your Favorite Independent Bookstore!

News And Adaptations

Your House Will Pay cover imageSuper excited that Steph Cha (Your House Will Pay) will be taking over as series editor of The Best American Mystery Stories which will get retitled The Best American Mystery & Suspense in fall 2021.

Trailer for Netflix’s Rebecca–a modern adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier‘s gothic novel.

‘Westing Game’ Series Adaptation in the Works at HBO Max

Watch Now

On Amazon Prime: A Very English Scandal is a 3-part miniseries starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw. It’s based on the nonfiction, same titled book by John Preston which follows the life of Jeremy Thorpe, a Liberal Member of Parliament who was tried for conspiracy to murder. Here’s the trailer.

Kindle Deals

The Borrowed cover imageLike puzzle mysteries and want a backwards procedural? The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei, Jeremy Tiang is $2.99! (Review) (TW rape/ suicide)

Looking for a fun domestic thriller? My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing is $1.99! (Review) (TW suicide)

If you had any doubts of how good Jane Harper’s upcoming The Survivors is it is very, very good. Will talk more about it soon.

The Survivors by Jane Harper galley over pool water

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming releases for 2020 and 2021. 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, 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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Legal Thriller & Dark Historical Mystery

Hello mystery fans! The first book I have for you this week is an upcoming legal thriller. So many books are going to get lost in the fall book flood, US election, and pandemic holidays; I want to get the ones I couldn’t put down on your radar now so you can ask your libraries to purchase them and mark your calendars! I also have a backlist, dark Victorian mystery that is the start of a three book series.

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah (December 8): This is a layered legal thriller that follows a trial from the moment the victim comes forward, through the investigation, and to the end of the court trial.

First, a note on the subject matter: it is a rape case discussed in some detail. It is clearly written with care and is not graphic for the sake of it or for shock value; all details are pertinent to telling “her story” and “their story” and are limited to that purpose, but the details are on the page.

The story is set in London and follows Zara Kaleel, a former barrister who now works for Artemis House as a sexual violence advisor. She has a slew of personal issues—a divorce, constant fighting with her family, grief, and a dissolving romantic relationship to name a few. Her newest client is white, sixteen-year-old Jodie Wolfe who has neurofibromatosis and accuses four Muslim classmates (Amir, Hassan, Mo, Farid), of rape. Jodie’s mother, an alcoholic who blames Jodie for her problems, and her best friend, her only friend who is really more a frenemy, do not believe her. The only person who does believe Jodie is Zara. Jodie is not only treated cruelly by children but also by adults and strangers due to her condition.

Zara convinces her to go through with the trial after we watch the police investigate the four boys, including police interviews and a search of their homes. We meet their families and watch their friendships. The trial reveals lies on both sides, and throws the community into chaos as Islamophobia escalates and some members of the Muslim community turn on Zara as a “traitor.” Zara herself is clearly going through her own concerns about her community, and while I think she sometimes paints with too broad a brush (slotting Muslim women in only two boxes that are polar opposites), there are also other voices in this story. This also gets into the discussion of how marginalized voices are expected to speak for an entire community, so there’s more to discuss and chew on here, I think.

Anyhoo, this is equally a page-turner for the thrill of never knowing how this case will end and a layered look at rape culture, immigrant communities, Islamophobia, misogyny, privilege, and the treatment of anyone considered an “other.” (TW rape/ brief mention and details of past suicide attempt/ brief female to male partner abuse/ ableism and bullying/ brief recount of past animal cruelty/ addiction/ Islamophobia/ anti-Semite trope comment)

Murder as a Fine Art (Thomas De Quincey #1) by David Morrell: This book made me realize that the majority of the historical mysteries I read are not dark, at least not in the crime/violence. This one is.

Thomas De Quincey wrote a memoir, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, and an essay on the Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811. Now in 1854 London, someone is recreating the murders (we watch the person, labeled “the artist,” kill), and De Quincey is the number one suspect since he wrote about the original murders in detail. So De Quincey, a (pre) Freudian subconscious theorist who is addicted to laudanum, bucks at society’s rules, as does his daughter Emily. Two police officers will need to clear his name.

The first half gives you a murder mystery that follows the killer as De Quincey and his assembled team try to clear his name and identify the killer. The second half is more about catching the now known murderer and giving the “why.” The entire book is a detailed look at Victorian England that will certainly satisfy history lovers. (TW child murder/ addiction/ past suicide, detail/ brief mention of past animal cruelty)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming releases for 2020 and 2021. 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, 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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The Big Books of Fall

Hello mystery fans! It’s the weekend and this crime train always stops for round-ups, news, trailers, links to share, and Kindle deals. Here we go:

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Rincey and Katie talk adaptation news, including the Dan Mallory movie, and take a walk down memory lane with middle grade mystery books on the latest Read Or Dead.

Get to Know Nordic Noir With These 10 Novels

Alyssa Cole is on the Smart Bitches podcast: When No One Is Watching, with Alyssa Cole

On the Crime Writers of Color podcast: Faye Snowden, author A Killing Fire, is interviewed by Robert Justice.

Audiobooks Are — And I Can’t Stress This Enough — Saving My Sanity During COVID-19

Grown cover image(There are crime novels mixed in) The 23 Most Anticipated YA Books to Read in September

How Are Crime Authors Going to Address the Pandemic in Their New Books?

The Big Books of Fall

(The Bright Lands is one) Win 5 Books by Authors You Should Get to Know

Win a Copy of THICK AS THIEVES by Sandra Brown!

Win a year subscription to Audible

News And Adaptations

The Dry by Jane Harper cover imageJane Harper updated fans on Instagram regarding The Dry adaptation: “In an alternate universe, today was the day the The Dry movie was due to hit screens. The pandemic means the release has been postponed with a new date still to be confirmed, but trust me, it is absolutely worth the wait.”

‘No Time to Die’ Gets New Trailer as 007 Marketing Engine Roars Back to Life

The Inside Story of the $8 Million Heist From the Carnegie Library

Literary Scammer Dan Mallory to Be Rewarded by Having Jake Gyllenhaal Play Him on TV

Catherine Steadman To Pen Series Adaptation Of Jess Ryder’s ‘The Ex-Wife’ For BlackBox Multimedia & Night Train Media

Kindle Deals

Legal mystery fan? Here’s a series starter not to miss that is a revised edition of The Little Death: Lay Your Sleeping Head by Michael Nava is $3.99–and I sure did add the audiobook for $1.99!

Historical mystery fan? Don’t miss this series starter based on one of the first female Indian lawyers: The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey is $1.99! (Review) (TW domestic violence)

 

lying in waitLike your thrillers to be cruel AF? I got you: Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent  is $1.99! (Review) (TW: cyber-exploitation/ Heads-up a character deals with fat shaming throughout the entire novel.)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases and 2021. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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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Holy Crime Novel, Batman!

Hi mystery fans! First, if you’re looking for a social thriller/suspense/psychological thriller, Alyssa Cole’s When No One Is Watching is finally here and it’s one of my favorite reads of the year (Review). Now for what I’m chatting about today: an impactful crime novel and an Italian procedural with a lead unlike all other procedural leads.

Three-Fifths cover imageThree-Fifths by John Vercher: Holy crime novel, Batman! This is a quick crime novel that packs a hell of a punch and leaves you thinking about it long after the last page.

Bobby Saraceno is in his early twenties, having been raised by a single white mother, doing his best to get by and excited to reunite with the only person he’d considered a friend, Aaron. Aaron had been in prison for the last three years and Bobby thought they’d pick back up, uniting over their love of comic books. But things quickly get out of hand when Aaron violently attacks a young Black man and Bobby flees the scene with him. The violent attack doesn’t just test their friendship but, rather, it unravels Bobby’s entire life, starting with the fact that he’s always passed as white and never told anyone, including Aaron, that his father is Black. After the crime we follow the fallout as we get to know Bobby, his mother who is trying to quit drinking, and the doctor struggling with a separation who sees the victim come into the hospital. And let me tell you how hard I was rooting for these three characters.

The entire novel is set in the mid-90s in Pittsburgh showing how little has changed as it illustrates the layers and depth of identity while tackling classism, racism, colorism, homophobia, loyalty, family, and the way society’s ills can break a person. (TW homophobia, racism/ slurs/ prison rape/  miscarriage, infertility recounted/ alcoholism/ suicide on page)

The Sleeping Nymph (Teresa Battaglia #2) by Ilaria Tuti, Ekin Oklap (Translator): A great sequel in this Italian procedural trilogy! First, a note on it being a sequel: the first book in the series, Flowers Over the Inferno, is where you should start because the trilogy is an evolution of the main character. However, if you’re not a reader of serial killer fiction and you want to start with this one because the mystery sounds more your speed, you won’t be lost.

Now on to The Sleeping Nymph, which had a super interesting mystery case: An art restorer realizes that a 70-year-old painting is covered in blood and calls police with the concern that maybe the woman in the painting was murdered–especially since the painter has been in a self-imposed catatonic state for almost 70 years. I know! Tasked with the case is Superintendent Teresa Battaglia who is 60 years old, has diabetes, and now uses a notebook to keep track of everything because she’s hiding the beginning stages of dementia from everyone. Yup! If a crime was committed, it took place 70 years ago, during WWII, making it highly unlikely that a missing woman would have been recorded by police. So where does the team start?

Battaglia is tough and prickly, but always looking out for those she cares for in her own way. Her partner, half her age, is struggling with a secret that is unraveling his relationship with his girlfriend and has Battaglia after the secret. And Battaglia has to deal with a contentious boss from her past, while trying to convince the team that a young dog trainer who is blind is perfect for their team.

Not only was the mystery a hook for me but this goes into an interesting place, the Resia Valley, and its people, which will probably be a first *learn for most readers. If you want a mystery to sink into, enjoy procedurals and historical mysteries, and like watching your characters evolve over a series, don’t miss this one. I know I’m going to greatly miss Battaglia at the end of this trilogy. (*Keep in mind this is fiction, and not own voices, but it certainly led me down a rabbit hole.) (TW ableism/ past memory of dead baby, not graphic or detailed/ memory of past child abuse/ past domestic abuse briefly recounted, loss of pregnancy/ past war torture mentions, details/ anti-Semitism)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases and 2021. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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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The Women of Canadian Crime Fiction

Hi mystery fans! It’s Friday, which means I’ve got roundups, trailers, something new to almost watch, and Kindle ebook deals.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Winter Counts cover imageOn this week’s All The Books! Liberty and Patricia discuss Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden, among other new releases.

‘We already have a Black writer’: Black Chicago crime fiction author Tracy Clark, others talk about the fight for recognition

Enola Holmes official trailer–Netflix’s adaptation of the Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer, which follows Sherlock’s teen sister.

Who Is Enola Holmes and Why Didn’t We Know Sherlock Had a Sister? Here’s Your Answer

Death on the Nile Official Trailer–20th Century Studios’ adaptation of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery novel.

Dark Horse to Publish, Distribute Print Editions of Comixology Originals (including The Black Ghost Vol. 1 by Alex Segura, Monica Gallagher and George Kambadais!)

Broken Places cover image4 Great Mystery and Thriller Audiobooks From Black Authors

Mexican Gothic author Silvia Moreno-Garcia shares what fans can expect from Hulu series

The Making of a Fierce and Badass Black Heroine

The Women of Canadian Crime Fiction: A Roundtable Discussion

Enter to Win $50 to Your Favorite Independent Bookstore!

(Almost) Watch Now

Netflix: The Wallander series, which follows the Swedish detective Kurt Wallander and is based on Henning Mankell‘s series, will get a prequel series on Netflix streaming on September 3rd. Here’s the trailer for Young Wallander.

Kindle Deals

If you’re looking for translated work, the author of The Hole has a new crime novel: The Law of Lines by Hye-young Pyun (Author), Sora Kim-Russell (Translator) is $1.99!

If you’ve yet to read the most recent release in the Samantha Brinkman series: Final Judgment by Marcia Clark is $1.99! (The series generally has most major trigger warnings)

If you need a lovely escape here’s a Sherlock meets Fantastic Beasts series starter for a completed series: Jackaby by William Ritter is $1.99!

no exit by taylor adams cover imageAnd if you want something awesome and intense as your form of escape: No Exit by Taylor Adams is $5.49! (Review) (TW racial slurs/terminally ill parent not on page/pedophile not on page)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases and 2021. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, 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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Not Dark Mysteries

Hello mystery fans! First, if you’ve been waiting for the release of Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden, it’s finally here! (Review) Now for this week I have for you one of my favorite mystery writers that will totally scratch any reading itch you may have for a detective/procedural based on classics, and a fun mystery with all the nostalgia.

book cover image: an orange sky with a mountain and lakeA Midsummer’s Equation (Detective Galileo #6) by Keigo Higashino, Alexander O. Smith (Translator): I love Higashino’s detective mysteries and wish they’d all get translated–he’s huge in Japan! First, a note on the whole #6 in the series–you don’t have to read these in order, you actually technically can’t unless you read the untranslated original works because they have not all been translated to English, and the ones that have been were done out of order. Publishing, am I right? So pick up whichever sounds the best first, and then read them all.

Now about A Midsummer’s Equation: it has so many elements of the genre stitched nicely together it makes for a perfect curl-up-with-a-mystery-book read. The premise is: a guest dies at a family inn in Hari Cove, a now economically struggling tourist town, and the question is, “was it murder or an accident?” You follow the family inn members, mostly the visiting nephew and the daughter who works at the inn but is also fighting a company from undersea mining their ocean. We then also follow not one, not two, but three crime solvers: the small town police who rule the man falling into the water an accident; the Tokyo police who ask for an autopsy and suspect foul play, especially upon realizing it is a former detective who has died; and Manabu Yukawa, a physicist and college professor who is referred to as Detective Galileo as he assists the Tokyo detectives.

There’s a lot to love here, from the way the mystery is built and unraveled, reminding me of old school mysteries with a bit of Sherlock; the different perspectives; a nice armchair trip to Japan; and Detective Galileo bonding with the inn’s nephew and performing science experiments with him. If you’re looking to watch a complex mystery solved and don’t want dark, gritty, nor graphic, this is your book. (TW brief discussions of possibility of suicide/ mentions past cancer death, side character with brain tumor)

The Dark Deception (Daphne and Velma #2) by Morgan Baden: If you’re looking for a mystery to give you nostalgic feels (for those who grew up with the Scooby gang) but sans murder, this is an entertaining pick. The series takes you back to the beginning and gives you a look at how Daphne and Velma became friends again, after a fallout, and how together they start solving crimes in Crystal Cove. Think of it as the prequel to the Scooby-Doo series, where you really get to know the characters beyond the stereotypes, watch the friendships grow, them deal with family issues, navigate teen years, and of course, most importantly, solve some mysteries.

I recommend starting with the first for two reasons: it shows Daphne and Velma’s friendship being repaired; this one gives you the entire solve of the first book. However, if you want to skip the first because you only want a non-murder mystery, you won’t be confused reading this one. Now about The Dark Deception: it’s all about the jewels. The jewels that keep washing up on the Crystal Cove shore. Where are they coming from and why? But, like any good Scooby-Doo mystery there is more to solve than one thing–I mean the whole town is a mystery–but also the girls are spying on Shaggy because something is up with him and they want to know what.

Watch Daphne get an internship and Velma navigate who she is as they try and solidify their friendship, slowly build ties to their future gang, and solve some of these mysteries while being pesky kids.

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases and 2021. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations!

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

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