Category: Unusual Suspects

Community Focused Mysteries

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date June 9, 2020

Sponsored by Our Summer Reading Pack Giveaway courtesy of Harlequin.com.

We’re giving away a Summer Reading Pack courtesy of Harlequin.com. The prize pack which includes the following titles: Sunrise on Half Moon Bay by Robyn Carr, The Sea Glass Cottage by RaeAnne Thayne, The Summer of Sunshine and Margot by Susan Mallery, Heartbreaker by B.J. Daniels, Family for Beginners by Sarah Morgan.

Hello mystery fans! I recently finished an excellent crime audiobook that left me thinking about mysteries that are either set in communities where you get to know a lot of the residents and/or mysteries set in a community where the community itself feels like a character. So–as you’ve certainly already guessed–that’s what I’ve rounded up for you today:

Deacon King Kong by James McBride: Set in1969, readers are taken into the Brooklyn Cause Houses housing project, which is filled with interesting characters, many of which are known solely by their nicknames. Like Sportcoat, a church deacon who’d taught a youth baseball team, who is also known as the drunk. In front of everyone, he walks up to the known drug dealer, Deems Clemens, and shoots him.

This surprises everyone, including Sportcoat who isn’t really aware he was responsible for the shooting and ends up with a price on his head for it. We follow the members of the community–including Colombian ants (yes, the actual insects)–after the shooting and get the history of so many characters–Latinx, white, Black, Italian–bringing not only this time period and place to life, but why Sportcoat shot Clemens, along with another mystery buried somewhere in the community… I can’t recommend this one enough: the writing is exceptional, the characters are fantastic, even though the subjects seem like it would make this a heavy novel it is not at all, and the audiobook is narrated by Dominic Hoffman who you may (should!) know as Whitley’s boyfriend from A Different World. (TW alcoholism/ slurs/ past child abuse/ suicide)

Four Rabbi Small Mysteries: Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry, Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home, and Monday the Rabbi Took Off (The Rabbi Small Mysteries #1-4) by Harry Kemelman: This collects the first four novellas (a bit over 200 pages each) in the Rabbi Small cozy mystery series. Also set in the 1960s, but this time in the Barnard’s Crossing’s Jewish community in Massachusetts, a small-town not lacking in small-town drama, and follows Rabbi David Small. We start with Friday the Rabbi Slept Late where a nanny has been murdered and the Rabbi is trying to solve the case, while also being a suspect… This is a really good series for fans of cozy mysteries, especially if you’re looking for characters and a community we don’t get to see a lot of in mysteries. Plus, there’s 12 books in the series for a nice marathon.

IQ (IQ #1) by Joe Ide: Taking us to modern day, and to the side of gritty crime novels, is Ide’s series set in East Long Beach. The series starts by jumping between Isaiah Quintabe’s (a character influenced by Sherlock) childhood and his current life as a PI where he helps his community by taking on cases for whatever the person can afford (sometimes chickens!). This series currently has four novels following IQ, and his reluctant side kick of sorts, Dodson (rhymes with Watson!), and really brings to life East Long Beach’s various racial and ethnic groups to life without feeling stereotypical. This is a great series for fans of modern, gritty crime novels, Walter Mosley, and characters that aren’t just good or bad caricatures but human. (TW I would say over the course of the series it probably hits on all the major ones.)

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara: And for fans of standalone novels here’s one of my favorite reads of this year. It’s an adult novel, following child characters, that shines a light on underserved communities, treatment of women, and the voices ignored by those in power while keeping focus on the victims and those silenced, rather than the perpetrators. A trio of kids head out through a slum in India to find a missing classmate; Led by nine-year-old Jai, a boy who has watched so much procedural shows that he believes himself able to solve this mystery. But as more kids go missing it quickly becomes clear this is nothing like fictional PI shows and this is far from a Nancy Drew mystery. Anappara brings to life an underserved community filled with different types of people, showing their lives and desires rather than creating a trauma porn novel. If you’re an audiobook listener, I highly recommend that format as Indira Varma, Himesh Patel, and Antonio Aakeel are fantastic narrators. (TW child, domestic abuse/ child deaths)

And here are three upcoming titles (totally worth prebuy dollars/telling your library to purchase) that are very much community focused:

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole: A super good suspense novel you won’t be able to put down that is set in a gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood… (TW mentions past domestic violence/ panic attacks/ past suicide mentioned, detail)

The Silence of the White City (Trilogía de la Ciudad Blanca #1) by Eva García Sáenz: This is the start to a great translated serial killer series that will take you on a tour of northern Spain’s Basque Country. (TW child murders, not graphic/ attempted suicide and suicide/ partner, child abuse/ nonviable pregnancy/ date rape/ past statutory not on page)

Winter Counts cover image Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden: One of my favorite characters is Virgil Wounded Horse, a vigilante for hire living in Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, who is forced to team up with his ex-girlfriend and the FBI… (TW addiction/ mentions suicides, one with detail/ past rapes including children mentioned, not graphic/ child death/ pedophile, crimes off page/ fat shaming)

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

Unusual Suspects

Top 10 Scottish Crime Novels

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date June 4, 2020

June Releases 🔪

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date June 2, 2020

Lisbeth Salander To Get Her Own Show!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date May 28, 2020

Sponsored by Lit Stitch: 25 Cross-Stitch Patterns for Book Lovers.

Inside Book Riot’s Lit Stitch, you’ll find a number of badass, bookish cross-stitch patterns. Some of these are for bookmarks, others are for wall decor, and still others can take on a whole host of finished outcomes. What they have in common is their literary bent—the patterns speak to all manner of literary-minded book lovers, who are happy to display their nerdier sides. And what better way than through your own cross-stitch art to hang on your wall, prop on your desk, or even gift to friends and family. And most, if not all, are beginner friendly and can be completed in a few hours—instant stitchification!

Hi mystery fans! It is me again with all the crime things: lots of things to click this week, including a handful of news and adaptation announcements, something to watch, and great Kindle deals.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

25 of the Top True Crime Books on Goodreads

Psychological thriller author Jennifer Hillier wrote about 7 Great Books By Writers of Color From the First Half of 2020

Rincey and Katie talk about Jane Harper’s new novel, the French serial killer expert who apparently isn’t an expert and books featuring religious elements that are not by Dan Brown on the latest Read Or Dead.

Vote for the ONE longlisted book that you feel most deserves to make the shortlist for the 2020 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

The Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2020: Summer Reading Edition

RSVP now: Nicole Cliffe and the Vox Book Club finish off The Secret History, live on Zoom

Enter to win a 1-year subscription to Kindle Unlimited!

Enter to Win $50 to Your Favorite Independent Bookstore!

News And Adaptations

‘Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ Series Based On Lisbeth Salander Character In Works At Amazon

David E. Kelley and Netflix developing Anatomy of a Scandal TV adaptation

Bill Clinton and James Patterson Announce Next Novel Together

The Sweet Valley High creator goes dark with her new adult novel, Little Crew of Butchers

Michael Connelly Says Amazon Eyeing ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ TV Show That CBS “Killed” (Exclusive)

Get a first look at Dean Koontz’s new novel Elsewhere

Watch Now

HBO Go: Miss Sherlock is a gender swapped reimagining of Sherlock Holmes, set mostly in modern day Tokyo, Japan with Yūko Takeuchi and Shihori Kanjiya starring as Sherlock and Wato. Here’s the trailer.

Kindle Deals

For historical fiction fans: The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins is $3.99! (Review) (I’m just going to go with all the trigger warnings)

Looking to start a delicious cozy mystery series? Death by Dumpling (A Noodle Shop Mystery) by Vivien Chien is $2.99! (Review)

Need a twisty fun thriller? My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing is $2.99! (Review) (TW suicide)

Need some suspenseful Noir in your life? Sunburn by Laura Lippman is $3.99! (Review) (TW domestic abuse/ rape)

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

Unusual Suspects

Investigators & A Wealthy Family Are Trapped On An Island Together 🔪

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date May 26, 2020

Sponsored by Hannah Mary McKinnon, author of this summer’s most bone-chilling read, Sister Dear.

Everything is slipping through Eleanor’s fingers… In a gut-wrenching discovery, she learns that she isn’t her dying father’s daughter: she was the product of an affair. With her personal life spiraling, she seeks her biological father out, and discovers something else- an infuriatingly enviable half-sister. Perfectly perfect Victoria has everything Eleanor could ever dream of. Loving childhood, luxury home, devoted husband. All of it stolen from Eleanor, who deserves it just as much. Consumed by an overwhelming obsession, she slowly begins to infiltrate her sister’s seemingly perfect life.

Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon. Order your copy today!

Hello mystery fans! This week I have for you a PI series with a lead I really like, a serial killer thriller focused on the victims, and a murder mystery on an island where everyone is trapped thanks to a storm!

What You Don't See cover image What You Don’t See (Cass Raines #3) by Tracy Clark: This is one of the handful of ongoing series that I keep up with because I love the character: Cass Raines, a former police officer turned P.I. in Chicago. Unlike many of the PI leads that are loners or bad at personal relationships, Raines has a nice support system, is in a new romantic relationship, and has a great relationship with her ex police partner. That’s how this mystery, her new case, starts: Ben Mickerson is working for Vonda Allen, the woman on top of a media empire, as a bodyguard because she’s receiving threats. Mickerson convinces Raines to join him as a bodyguard and help figure out what is happening and immediately the job Raines didn’t want to take becomes the job she hates: there’s a shooting and Allen is so unpleasant that Raines probably wants to murder her rather than risk her life protecting her… Come for the great twisty mystery cases and stay for the found family. (TW suicide/ past animal cruelty, skippable and not graphic)

Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen: This is one of those mysteries that very much sinks you into the place, Atlantic City, and the residents’ current struggles. It’s told mainly by two characters but also by the victims and a coworker. There’s a teenage psychic, Clara, working for her aunt since her mother left who is seeing visions that may be related to the recent missing women cases. And then there’s Lily, heartbroken and newly arrived after running away from her art gallery life in NY. They meet one day in a spa Lily works in as Clara is trying to drum up business and steals from her. They have an instant connection as women who see the difficulty of being a woman in this world and the economic struggles Atlantic City has been suffering.

Both Lily and Clara have different backgrounds and thus struggle in different ways, but both are very aware of their place in the world and the struggle of moving from it. We also read as victims of the serial killer meet their end—written to give these woman voices, not to show gratuitous violence—and how close Clara and Lily’s lives are circling this danger… The audiobook has a multicast that kept my earbuds in and had me ignoring everything until I was done. (TW addiction/ past date rape alluded/ eating disorder discussed/ teen sex work/ attempted rape/ past suicidal thoughts, brief detail/ recalls past thoughts of wanting to harm child)

Death In The Family by Tessa Wegert: This is exactly as advertised—investigators and a wealthy family trapped on an island together with a missing man and tons of blood—but with the added story of the lead investigator’s past. The mystery: in an Upstate New York private island, a man is missing from his bed and he’s left behind his living girlfriend and a ton of blood. The wealthy family thinks he staged it, certainly, and is fine somewhere. Former NYPD detective Shana Merchant and fellow investigator Tim Wellington disagree on whether the man is missing or dead, but they have plenty of time to look into it since everyone is stuck together on the island thanks to a storm. If you don’t read the book summary: Shana Merchant’s past trauma, which is why she left the NYPD and is currently engaged to her psychologist (gross!), is slowly revealed in more detail over the course of the investigation.

Everyone is a suspect here as you get the family with plenty of the usual motives for murder: infidelity, inheritance, secrets, people are aholes… This one reads like a standalone but it’s labeled as the start of a procedural series, so it looks like we’ll be getting more of cynical survivor Shana Merchant. And YMMV but I was having a hard time getting into the print copy and switched to audio and found myself finishing it in less than two days! (TW panic attack/ PTSD/ talk of statutory)

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

Unusual Suspects

SADIE Author Has An Upcoming Crime Book!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date May 21, 2020

Grief & Crime: Mysteries To Read After DEAD TO ME

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date May 19, 2020

Sponsored by The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne.

Stalked by an assassin, pitted against a ruthless cartel searching for a lost fortune, and under watch within her own ranks, Florida police diver Sloan McPherson must expose a killer before a growing conspiracy pulls her under. As she tries to stay steps ahead of her enemies, she must team up with an unlikely ally: a legendary DEA agent with ties to Sloan’s family’s notorious past. The truth lies beneath the murky waters. How deep is Sloan willing to dive? Read The Girl Beneath the Sea by bestselling author Andrew Mayne today.

Hello mystery fans! I really love the Netflix crime show Dead To Me, starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, and, without giving any spoilers, the second season really feels like it dropped at a time when many viewers themselves are dealing with grief (related to “a collective loss of normalcy” caused by the pandemic).

There is something to be said for, at the very least, acknowledging grief, which is a strong theme in the dark comedy Dead To Me and why I took the major themes of the show (grief, found family, secrets) and found great crime books also exploring those things. For readers who are about to nope-nope-out because you’re only here for entertainment/escape to cope, don’t worry I have a fun book in here, and I promise the rest are not heavy books that will make you feel even more weighted than you may already feel. For spoiler reasons I won’t be focusing on the secrets in the books–but they are there…

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia: I’ll start with the fun book for those already hesitant about this theme. This is a great read for fans of puzzle books, pop-culture and literary references, and especially The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.

Basically, a billionaire dies and sends a group of people on an Edgar Allan Poe treasure hunt through Boston. And one of the hunters is Tuesday Mooney, a loner whose childhood best friend disappeared, thought to have been murdered. Being that her mind has conjured up her friend as a “ghost” to cope and her teen neighbor (found family) is also grieving the death of her mother in a car accident there’s a lot of overlapping exploration with Dead to Me–plus dark humor. (TW depression/ parent death in recent past/ discussion about suicide/ past domestic and child abuse)

The Other Americans by Laila Lalami: This has quite a bit of overlap with Dead To Me in that both start with a hit-and-run and the fall out, including the grieving for a loved one. It explores the family’s grief, focused on the daughter and widow, and also the impact on the community as a witness to the crime is hesitant to come forward. You get multiple points of view, including those of a former cop and the detective working on the case, some found family, and difficult questions to ponder, making this a great followup read to the show. (TW addiction/ PTSD)

Alice's Island cover image Alice’s Island by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo: Alice Dupont is a pregnant mother to a six-year-old when her husband dies in a car accident. The problem–outside of being widowed–is that the car accident happened nowhere near where her husband had told her he’d be. This turns Alice into a dog with a bone, needing to know why he was somewhere else and what else she may not have known about her husband… I especially recommend this on audio. (TW past suicide mentioned/ anxiety attacks)

The Things She's Seen cover image The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina, Ezekiel Kwaymullina: This is a beautiful and ultimately uplifting Australian book about family and friendship and the process of grief and moving forward. Beth Teller may be dead but her dad can still see her and speak to her, something that is not helping him move on from losing her. Beth decides the best way to help her father, a detective, is to help him with a current case of an unidentified body found in a fire at a children’s home where the caretakers are also missing. Enter Isobel Catching a witness they interview who poetically recounts her story. (TW there is nothing on page but alludes to child abuse.)

magic for liars cover image Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey: This is a PI novel sprinkled with magic since it’s set at a magic school, but it’s very much grounded in our world. It’s about two estranged sisters, with a ton of baggage, who grew up divided by the fact that one was magic and the other was not. One now teaches at a school for magic–where a fellow colleague has been murdered–and the other is the detective investigating. Awkward family reunion to say the least! This one explores many aspects of grief including how when unprocessed it can consume a person. (TW cancer)

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

Unusual Suspects

British Spies Used Cupcake Recipe To Stop Terrorists

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date May 14, 2020

Sponsored by The audiobook edition of Brian Panowich's Hard Cash Valley.

In the audiobook of Hard Cash Valley, listeners return to McFalls County and Bull Mountain. In Brian Panowich’s latest masterful tale of Southern Noir, we meet Dane Kirby, a man no stranger to tragedy. A life-long resident and ex-arson investigator for McFalls County, Dane is called in to consult on a brutal murder in a Jacksonville, Florida, motel room. He and his FBI counterpart, Special Agent Roselita Velasquez, begin an investigation that leads them back to the criminal circles of his own backyard. Listen to the audiobook, read by Brian Troxell, to get sucked into this riveting web of secrets.

Hi mystery fans! I was able to roundup a good amount of interesting lists, articles, podcasts, and news I think you’d be interested in. Plus, I’ve got a completed series to watch and great Kindle deals.

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

a gentleman's murder 10 Mystery and Thriller Authors Like Agatha Christie

Rincey and Katie discuss the Edgar Award winners, Tana French’s new book and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Mysterious Affair at Styles on the latest Read or Dead.

Poison is the Best Murder Weapon in Mysteries

Liberty and Vanessa discuss new releases, including A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette on the latest All The Books!

Land of Shadows cover image: sunrise LA city image blended into a dark street image with a silhouette of a person walking Rachel Howzell Hall and Alex Segura discuss diversity in crime fiction, what they admire most in crime novels, their participation as judges in the Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, and more.

The cover for Fatal Fried Rice, Vivien Chien’s 7th Noodle Shop Mystery!

Val McDermid’s exclusive and gripping short story to inspire budding writers

The Origins of Scandinavian Noir

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk is a Best Translated Books Award finalist!

The director of Suicide Squad is adapting yet another Harlan Coben novel for Netflix

How British Spies Used a Cupcake Recipe to Stop Terrorists

Why it’s so hard to read a book right now, explained by a neuroscientist

How much do you know about the true history of Scotland Yard?

Attica Locke, Joe Ide, David Baldacci, Scott Turow, Harlan Coben, Walter Mosley at Live Talks LA

Exclusive: This upcoming novel gives the domestic thriller a killer sci-fi twist

French serial-killer expert admits serial lies, including murder of imaginary wife

Enter to Win $50 to Your Favorite Independent Bookstore!

Enter to win a 1-year subscription to Kindle Unlimited!

Watch Now

Amazon Prime: So this is slightly outside of what I usually recommend here, but the entire series (5 seasons) of Orphan Black is now on Amazon Prime. Yes, it’s sci-fi but it’s also a great show for fans of thrillers, crime shows, and the mystery of who/what is behind all of this and why?! Tatiana Maslany is also ridiculously talented in playing so many parts and Helena is one of my all time favorite characters. While it wasn’t an adaptation there have been books, graphic novels, and even a coloring book based on the show.

Kindle Deals

My favorite Sherlock is on sale: A Study In Scarlet Women (The Lady Sherlock Series Book 1) by Sherry Thomas is $2.99! (Review) (TW rape–I think it’s past recounted)

For bibliophiles and nonviolent true crime fans: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett is $4.99! (Review)

If you’re looking for a return home mystery starring an FBI agent: Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger is $2.99! (Review) (TW addiction/ PTSD/ statutory rape/ suicide mention with detail)

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

Unusual Suspects

Life Long Jewel Thief!

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date May 12, 2020

Sponsored by our 1-year Kindle Unlimited subscription giveaway, courtesy of Macmillan’s eDeals Newsletter. Enter now!

We’re giving away a 1-year Kindle Unlimited subscription to 5 lucky winners, courtesy of Macmillan’s eDeals Newsletter.

Hi mystery fans! This week I have for you one of my favorite memoirs (yes, you’re in the crime newsletter), a cold case murder mystery, and a past and present psychological suspense. Hopefully, I hit at least three different reading moods and tastes.

Diamond Doris cover image Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne: I absolutely adore Doris Payne. ADORE. This is her story of growing up the daughter of a coal-miner who was abusive to her mother, and how, from a young age, she just decided she was going to be a jewel thief. And then made a literal lifelong career with her con of walking into jewelry stores all over the world and walking back out with at least one jewel. Some of the stories in here (her fight with a cow; what she did after not understanding what sex was as a child) are ridiculously hilarious. She’s smart, cunning, unapologetic, brave, and literally was arrested with her stolen jewel on her, and they couldn’t figure out how to charge her because they couldn’t find it!

I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by Robin Miles, which really makes you feel as if you’re at lunch with Payne as she recounts her life for you. Also, someone needs to make this a film! (TW domestic abuse/ elder abuse)

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf: This is the second Gudenkauf mystery I’ve read (Before She Was Found) and they both checked a bunch of boxes I enjoy: past mystery; small community; multiple point of view that incorporates both teenagers and adults. Maggie and Eve grew up best friends in a small Iowa town until Eve was found murdered in a cave at sixteen by her sister and Maggie. Now, 25 years later, Maggie is a heavily pregnant police officer who gets assigned Eve’s cold case murder. The case Maggie’s father had been in charge of at the time, and where he was unable to make any arrests–even though there was plenty of suspects, starting with Eve’s abusive boyfriend and her own sister who the entire town thinks is “psycho.” The chapters alternate between Eve back then, and Maggie and Eve’s sister now, as you start to think everyone is a suspect! (TW partner abuse/ statutory and sexual assault recounted/ suicidal thoughts/ animal deaths/ child abuse/ parent with dementia)

The Split by Sharon J. Bolton: I read and loved Bolton’s super creepy procedural The Craftsman, so when I saw her name on this book I instantly grabbed it. This is not at all like her serial killer procedural, which I don’t say as a complaint but, rather, so readers don’t pick this up as a “read alike” and end up disappointed with a book they would have enjoyed had they known it was different.

Okay, with that said here we have the kind of book where most readers will spend the experience trying to figure out what the hell is going on. It’s told in parts and follows Felicity, now living on a remote Antarctic island in hiding from her husband, and a year in the past when she was seeing a therapist right before fleeing into hiding. In the now, her ex has been released from prison and has shown up on the island to see her. In the past, her therapist is trying to help her while his police mother is concerned for him after the trouble he had with his last patient…

That is all I’m giving you. If you want out of your head for a while and into a story you won’t ever feel you have footing in, here’s your next read. And for extra in your head (literally) psychological thrills, go with the audiobook narrated by Katie Scarfe. (TW mentions child suicides, brief detail/ past child murders, not graphic/ stalking/ discussion of rape, past rape, including child/ child harm in past/ domestic abuse discussions/ past murder suicide/ past domestic abuse)

Recent Release

A Deadly Inside Scoop (An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery #1) by Abby Collette: A return home to run family business (ice cream shop!) cozy!

The Boy in the Red Dress by Kristin Lambert: Historical mystery set in the 1920s at a speakeasy in the French Quarter!

Flash Crash: A Trading Savant, a Global Manhunt, and the Most Mysterious Market Crash in History by Liam Vaughan: This sounds to be a nonviolent true crime so you know I’m in!

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas: A gothic literary suspense set at a unique school deep in the woods…

The Last Trial (Kindle County Legal Thriller #11) by Scott Turow: A legal thriller with a case at the end of a criminal defense lawyer’s long career that will test everything.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (Paperback): A gothic vibe set in a modern smart home where the nanny is now in jail and we start at the beginning to find out why… (TW child death/ sexual harassment)

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

Unusual Suspects

Page-Turning Mysteries That Aren’t Too Dark And Gloomy

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date May 7, 2020

Sponsored by our 1-year Kindle Unlimited subscription giveaway, courtesy of Macmillan’s eDeals Newsletter. Enter now!

We’re giving away a 1-year Kindle Unlimited subscription to 5 lucky winners, courtesy of Macmillan’s eDeals Newsletter.

Hello mystery fans! I was able to rustle up some book lists and news you’ll want, found a new adaptation that sounds good, and there is a handful of really good Kindle deals. Here ya go:

From Book Riot And Around The Internet

All 60 Original Sherlock Holmes Novels and Stories, Ranked

These Paranormal Cozy Mysteries Will Cast a Spell on You

On the latest All The Books! Liberty and Kelly talk Kimberly McCreight’s A Good Marriage and W.M. Akers’ Westside Saints: A Tiny Mystery.

A guide to Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries’ 10 creepiest episodes

16 page-turning mysteries that aren’t too dark and gloomy

Sick of coronavirus news? The Boston Globe is running a serialized novella (with a strong Boston accent)

I am really loving this show so far. (spoilers) The ‘Defending Jacob’ Book Ending Is Totally Different Than The Series’

Jane Harper has a new book, The Survivors, releasing in Australia this year, and in the U.S. February 2021, and here’s the Australian cover and the U.S cover! (You better believe I’m going to buy this from a world shipping bookstore this year–if you’re more patient than me you can preorder the U.S. edition.)

(This sounds awesome!) Virtual Noir at the Bar Queens – A Double-Shot of Crime Fiction

6 Clever Mystery Novels Inspired By True Crimes

Nicole Kidman to Produce Amazon Adaptation of Kimberly McCreight’s ‘A Good Marriage

Enter to Win $50 to Your Favorite Independent Bookstore!

Enter to win a 1-year subscription to Kindle Unlimited!

Watch Now

Netflix: Based on Juanjo Braulio’s El silencio del pantano, The Silence of the Marsh is a Spanish slowburn psychological thriller that revolves around “a successful crime novelist [who] blurs the line between fiction & reality, uncovering the corrupt ties between politicians and the local mafia in Valencia, Spain.” Watch the trailer.

Kindle Deals

If you want to read one of 2019’s best mysteries and read something a bit different than everything else: The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina, Ezekiel Kwaymullina is $1.99! (Review)

If you’re a fan of crime podcasts and thrillers: Conviction by Denise Mina is $4.99! (Review) (TW suicide, suicidal thoughts/ eating disorder/ rape/ addiction/ animal cruelty)

For fans of nonviolent, bananapants true crime: Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World
by Tom Wright, Bradley Hope is $3.99! (Review)

For fans of family drama and mysteries who want to travel the world: Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok is $2.99! (Review) (TW suicide/ mentions past domestic abuse/ statutory rape discussed)

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