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Unusual Suspects

If Crime Novels Were Food 🥡🔪

Hello mystery fans!


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From Book Riot And Around The Internet

If Crime Novels Were Food

9 reasons Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon novels are actually fantasy

7 Thrilling Page-to-Screen Adaptations You Cannot Miss in 2019

Havana to Miami: Crime Fiction Across the Straits of Florida

Midcoast mystery writer keeps unleashing his passion for dogs

News And Adaptations

Lashana Lynch will be ‘introduced to Bond 25 audiences as the new 007′ (Give Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Lashana Lynch the keys to the franchise!)

Mindhunter season 2 premiere date set, Jonathan Groff will hunt more minds this August

‘Big Little Lies’ Season 2 Turmoil: Inside Andrea Arnold’s Loss of Creative Control

Amazon Developing Jack Reacher Drama Series From Nick Santora Based On Lee Child Books

‘Killing Eve’ Looks To Avenge Last Year’s Emmy Disappointment As Brit Spy Series Scores Nine Nominations Including Best Drama Series & Two Lead Actress Nods

True Crime

7 Best True Crime Books Written By Women, Because These Reads Will Have You Gripped

Vatican mystery deepens over 15-year-old girl missing since 1983; bones found

Spy Series Based on Real-Life ‘Isdal Woman’ Mystery in the Works

Kindle Deals

Death Notice cover imageLooking for a cat-and-mouse thriller? Death Notice by Zhou Haohui, Zac Haluza (Translation) is $4.99 and super good. (Review) (TW suicide/ rape)

For a fun locked-room mystery that is also equal parts “chick lit” I’ll Eat When I’m Dead by Barbara Bourland is $1.99! (Review) (I don’t have notes on TW for this one so it may not have any or I wasn’t keeping notes then–sorry!)

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

Book stack on pool edge

Have I mentioned my only goal this summer is as much pool reading as possible? (Beijing Payback by Daniel Nieh; Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson; Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman) And of course I’m flipping between print and audiobook on those three.

When I Am Through With You cover imageAlso on audio: I just finished, and really liked, When I Am Through with You by Stephanie Kuehn. Starting Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translation), because I am OBSESSED with the title. And my current nonfic is Hunting LeRoux: The Inside Story of the DEA Takedown of a Criminal Genius and His Empire by Elaine Shannon.

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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

Scandinavian Whydunnit 🔪

Hi mystery fans! This week I have for you a dark Japanese crime novel, a historical mystery, and a Scandinavian whydunnit.


Sponsored by A Murder On Jane Street by Cathy Cash Spellman.

A Murder on Jane Street cover imageA brutal murder.
A heinous secret.
A deadly conspiracy.
The brutal murder of the little old lady next door puts FitzHugh Donovan on the case. A retired New York City Police Chief, he knows a cover-up when he sees one and his Irish Cop conscience can’t let that happen. Now, Fitz, his family and his quirky band of Bleecker Street Irregulars are ensnared in the bizarre secret the woman died to protect. Is this a cold case turned hot again, or an unspeakable conspiracy that could alter the course of history?”


Dark Japanese Crime Novel! (TW rape/ past suicide attempt/ graphic violence/ statutory relationship)

In the Miso Soup cover imageIn the Miso Soup by Ryū Murakami, Ralph McCarthy (Translator): If you’ve been listening to me blab about crime books for a while you know my love for Japanese crime novels, and here’s another great one. Once again we have a crime novel that doesn’t use guns, is dark, explores Japanese subculture, and compares U.S. and Japanese societies. This one is a quick read that starts with an American in Japan hiring a tour guide for the sex industry in Tokyo. But from the beginning Kenji starts to feel like something is off with Frank, and while he doesn’t care at first, as the night continues he starts to question whether he’s in danger and you start to feel his dread… This one also works for fans of psychological thrillers since as the night progresses we’re really in Kenji’s mind, and it works for horror fans who like the exploration of a killer’s mind.

Historical Crime Novel! (TW there are brief mentions of news headlines containing rape and suicide)

Girl Waits With Gun cover imageGirl Waits with Gun (Kopp Sisters #1) by Amy Stewart: This one straddled a line between historical mystery and cozy mystery with a dash of crime novel and family drama–and I loved it. In the early 1900’s Constance Kopp and her sisters live together, unmarried, since their mother’s passing when they find themselves in a buggy accident. When Constance tries to get the man who caused the accident to pay for the damage she sets off a chain of events that puts the sisters in danger and also places Constance on the path of trying to find a missing child. You get to know the sisters, especially in a past storyline, while following as Constance navigates a tough world for a single woman who needs to find a way to make a living. This really sets up how she comes to be in a position of working in law enforcement, and it’s based on the true story of one of the first woman deputy sheriff’s in the U.S. I especially recommend the audiobook narrated by Christina Moore, who also narrated The Spellman Files, if you like to feel like you’re friends with the character as they tell you their story.

Multi-Point Of View, Scandinavian Whydunnit! (TW rape on page, statutory/ domestic abuse/ partner abuse)

A Nearly Normal Family cover imageA Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson, Rachel Willson-Broyles (Translation): This is another crime drama that blends a few things well: family drama; courtroom trial; whydunnit; told in three sections from three different points of view. We start with a pastor, husband, father, whose eighteen-year-old daughter is on trial for murder. Then we get Stella’s story from jail as she meets with her lawyer, tells us about her parents, her best friend, and the man she was dating. Finally, we hear from Stella’s mother, who is a lawyer, as the trial comes to its conclusion. This was another great audiobook that had a different narrator for each character’s section.

Upcoming Titles

The Missing American cover imageIt’s summer and publishing takes a bit of a power nap before all the fall releases so rather than new releases this week I’m going to highlight two upcoming 2020 titles I’m excited for, and that you should have on your radar: Kwei Quartey, author of the Darko Dawson police procedural, will start a new P.I. series set in Ghana with The Missing American. And we’re getting a sequel to Two Girls Down which will take us to San Diego with Alice Vega: The Janes. If you’ve yet to read either author’s previous work I very much recommend you do so while you wait for their upcoming titles!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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

“I Will Keep Doing Veronica Mars Until Everyone in Neptune Is Dead”

Hi mystery fans!


Book Riot Amazon store adSponsored by Book Riot’s Amazon store. Shop our favorite summer reads (including some of our favorite books of 2019 so far), bookish accessories, deals, and more.


From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Borrowed Time cover imageUnited States of a Mystery: Essential Illinois Crime Fiction

50 Must-Read Crime Titles from July and August 2019

I Read the Unpublished MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Novel And I Must Scream

Kristen Bell: ‘I Will Keep Doing Veronica Mars Until Everyone in Neptune Is Dead’

Rincey and Katie talk mystery news, rereading Nancy Drew, and new releases in the latest Read or Dead.

Sarah Lyu’s New YA Thriller ‘The Best Lies’ Was Inspired By A Gruesome True Crime, ‘Kill Bill,’ And Harry Potter

Adaptation And News

Goldie Vance the Hotel Whodunit cover imageNew ‘Goldie Vance’ and ‘Fence’ novels announced by Little, Brown and Boom! Studios (Lilliam Rivera wrote Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit so I did a lot of muppet arms and is it March 2020 yet?!)

Rachel Howzell Hall has an upcoming cat and mouse P.I. novel and I want it so bad!

Why on Earth Did Big Little Lies Cut That Deranged Ice-Cream Scene?

Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn slams theory novel is related to missing woman case

‘Wolf Of Wall Street’ Producer Riza Aziz Arrested In Malaysia, Will Face Money Laundering Charges

Rami Malek Demanded His Bond Villain Had No Religious Or Ideological Affiliations

Kindle Deals

One Small Sacrifice cover imageIf you’re looking for a great procedural One Small Sacrifice (Shadows of New York #1) by Hilary Davidson is $4.99! (Review) (TW suicide/ PTSD)

Goldie Vance Volume 1 by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams is currently $2.34 and it’s a great read for Nancy Drew fans. And for less than $3 it’s a perfect way to dip your toes into reading graphic novels and see what you’re missing out on.

I’ll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie is $4.99 is a good read if you’re looking for a past mystery, family drama set at camp! (Review) (TW suicide)

Audiobooks On Hoopla (If you don’t know about Hoopla)

Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth cover imageBlack Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime by Ron Stallworth (Review) (TW for racism/ antisemitism/ xenophobia)

It All Falls Down (Nora Watts #2) by Sheena Kamal (Review) (TW rape/ suicide)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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

Hello, Page-Turner! 🔪

Hello mystery fans! This week I have for you a Southern lit mystery, a favorite P.I., and a page-turner that ended nowhere near where it began.


Sponsored by Cold Aim by Janice Cantore, new in paperback from Tyndale House Publishers.

Lulu’s Café cover imagePolice Chief Tess O’Rourke’s small town is still reeling from a devastating fire when the FBI asks for help: Could she shelter a witness in a high-profile human trafficking case? When crews come to town to assist with the fire cleanup, Tess worries strangers might shine a light on things best kept hidden. She doesn’t know that Rogue’s Hollow is already home to a suspect from a twenty-five-year-old murder case . . . and someone is taking cold aim at those Tess is sworn to protect.


Southern Lit With Past Mystery (TW past child abuse/ suicide/ dog harmed–you’ll see it coming and it’s skippable)

the gone dead cover imageThe Gone Dead by Chanelle Benz: I took a Southern lit course in college I loved so I gravitated toward this one RUL fast. Billie James returns to Mississippi for the first time since childhood after her mother’s passing, which left her her father’s property. Her father was a poet and activist who died when she was four years old and there’s always been a strange mystery surrounding his death. Her return will dredge up the past–of course–thanks to neighbors who used to own her family, seeing relatives she hasn’t seen since she was a child, and a researcher looking to write a book on her father. James will not only have to question everything she knew at the time of her father’s death and since, while also coming face-to-face with the racism of the past and present. This character-driven, past mystery is a great read for fans of Southern lit. And, this really should have been the lead, Bahni Turpin narrates the audiobook. If she narrates I will listen!

Great P.I. Series (TW suicide/ discussion of eating disorder)

The Stories You Tell cover imageThe Stories You Tell (Roxane Weary #3) by Kristen Lepionka: This continues to be a series that makes me anticipate the next read and keep up-to-date with. If you’ve yet to start this one, and are a fan of P.I. stories, go pick up The Last Place You Look because you should really read from the beginning to see Weary’s character growth. This time around she’s more settled, including with her ex-girlfriend, now girlfriend again–they’re even double dating. Anyhoo, while Weary is trying to focus on a case about a business owner trying to track down counterfeit merch, she ends up really having to figure out what happened to the woman who disappeared from her brother’s home… This series, and book, works great if you’re a fan of P.I. stories with thrilling endings, family drama, struggling characters you root for, good twisty mysteries, and a modern facelift to the comfort of P.I. genre tropes. Look how many things there are to love!

A Past Mystery + A Will They Get Caught Crime Novel (TW talk of rape/ suicide, thoughts/ teacher student relationship)

The Reunion cover imageThe Reunion by Guillaume Musso: This ended up being really fun for me because I swear I started this with it being one thing, and then it’s like I was asked to change rides at one point and strapped in for something else. And since you know I hate to give anything away I’m only going to focus on the beginning of this story: Two men return to their prep school’s reunion twenty-five years later, not so much for the reunion but because the gym is going to be renovated and the body they hid in there is gonna be discovered! So they have one weekend to figure out what to do, if anything, before their lives are never the same again–except there is more to the story. They know one of the missing people was murdered, because they committed the crime, but everyone thinks that person is missing along with a student. But what happened to the missing student that day?… I read this in almost one sitting while floating in the pool because hello, page-turner!

Recent Releases

A Prayer for Travelers by Ruchika Tomar (Reading: Friend searching for missing friend–this one was highly recommended to me.)

The Chain by Adrian McKinty (Reading: bananapants setup that is a page-turning thriller.)

Knife (Harry Hole #12) by Jo Nesbø (Scandinavia procedural thriller series.)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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

Did Grace Jones Just Quit Bond 25?!

Hello mystery fans! This is not an adaptation but the trailer for Knives Out seems perfect for fans of a good whodunnit–and Chris Evans swearing and a fantastic cast. It definitely nods at Agatha Christie and Clue so you know I’m excited.


Sponsored by Book Riot’s Amazon store. Shop our favorite summer reads (including some of our favorite books of 2019 so far), bookish accessories, deals, and more.


From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Searching for Sylvie Lee cover imageJean Kwok on how Searching for Sylvie Lee became this summer’s book club sensation

United States of a Mystery: Essential Florida Crime Fiction

A Teen Assassin and Other Favorite Mysteries And Thrillers!

Chanelle answered our questions about her inspiration, The Gone Dead audiobook–narrated by Bahni Turpin–and her love of independent bookstores!

Post-Gone Girl, Here’s How These Authors Are Moving the Psychological Thriller Genre Forward

Giveaway: Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

Rioters Chose Their Best Books Of 2019 So Far and of course there’s a mystery/thriller section.

This week’s All The Books has Liberty talking about three mystery releases she enjoyed: Second Sight by Aoife Clifford, Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger, Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. (And Rebecca talked about a nonfiction release I loved: I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution by Emily Nussbaum.)

News And Adaptations

Idris Elba On The Racism That’s Impacted His Viewpoint Of Playing James Bond

Report Says Grace Jones Quit ‘Bond 25’ Shortly After Arriving On Set Due To Lack Of Lines

Agatha Raisin producer Free@Last TV is developing a TV detective drama based on Freeman Wills Crofts’ classic Inspector French novels.

He’s already working on his next project, one he started before writing The Nickel Boys: a crime novel set in Harlem in the 1960s.” (Colson Whitehead is writing a crime novel!)

Kindle Deals

A Necessary Evil cover image: silhouette of man in coat and hat standing in a lush forestFor historical mystery fans A Necessary Evil (Sam Wyndham #2) by Abir Mukherjee is $1.99! (Review) (TW suicide/ addiction)

For cozy mystery fans Dim Sum Of All Fears (Noodle Shop Mystery #2) by Vivien Chien is $2.99! (Review) (TW suicide)

For a twisty domestic read For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt is $1.99! (Review) (TW brief discussion about child suicide/ pedophilia)

Follow Her Home cover imageAND HAPPY DAY to you all Steph Cha’s Juniper Song PI trilogy is on sale–and they are never on sale! Follow Her Home (Review); Beware, Beware (Review); Dead Soon Enough (Review) are $2.99 each! (Off memory I think the series has TW for suicide and rape.)

Watch Now

In case you needed a reminder the first three seasons of Veronica Mars are now streaming on Hulu. And, it’s not an adaptation, but I just saw that The Spy Who Dumped Me is streaming on Hulu and if you want a funny “spy” thriller totally watch it. It stars Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon and I really want there to be a sequel!

And A Bit Of My Week In Reading

the gone dead cover imageI finished reading: Stephanie Oakes’ The Arsonist which had a character I loved, and I really enjoyed the story even if it felt predictably slotted. The audiobook has great narrators! And The Gone Dead by Chanelle Benz has the amazing Bahni Turpin narrating and was a great Southern Lit, return home, past mystery!

All my library audiobook holds came in at once, as they do, so these will be my in-my-ears-book friends: Tan France’s memoir Naturally Tan (I love him so much!); A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson, Rachel Willson-Broyles (Translation) (Scandinavian legal thriller!); The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda (I’ve enjoyed all her mysteries!)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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 Whydunnit, A Whodunnit, And So Many Reveals!

Hello mystery fans! It’s a new month and I’m starting you all off with three new releases: I’ve got a whydunnit, a return home mystery, and a past and present mystery stuffed with all the reveals.


Sponsored by Book Riot’s Amazon store. Shop our favorite summer reads (including some of our favorite books of 2019 so far), bookish accessories, deals, and more.


Whydunnit! (TW child abuse/ suicide attempt)

The Best Lies cover imageThe Best Lies by Sarah Lyu: This was a page-turner for me that opens with you knowing the crime: Elise shot and killed her best friend Remy’s boyfriend. We get Remy in the present talking to her lawyer, and a police detective, as she explains what happened that night. And we get the recent past where we see Remy meet Elise and Jack, separately, and how their relationships evolve. Adult and YA toxic friendship novels are not new, and I’ve read a ton of them, but this one could have taken many turns it didn’t and surprised me with the ones it did in a good way. It felt thoughtful. It explored quite a few things while always keeping the suspense and tension of the why threaded through–especially when we learn Remy is lying… If you like a whydunnit and toxic friendship novels this was a really good read.

Return Home Mystery! (TW addiction/ PTSD/ statutory rape/ suicide mention with detail)

Girls Like Us cover imageGirls Like Us by Cristina Alger: I really enjoyed Alger’s previous novel, The Banker’s Wife, and was thrilled to discover that this one, while totally different, is also super good. It hits a lot of notes for different crime fans: return home; FBI agent on leave; murder mystery; procedural; thriller ending. A thing I really liked about this novel was that it set up a lot of things that are tropes for the genre but never took the worn path. For example the main character Nell Flynn, is an FBI agent on leave after being shot who returns home for her father’s funeral. You think she’s going to be self-destructive and angry but she’s not. And I say this as someone who loves a hotmess, self-destructive woman character–it’s just nice to get something that feels different in the current trends. Flynn ends up assisting a local detective, her father’s last partner, on a murdered woman’s case and quickly finds herself in over her head when things start pointing at her father leading her to question what she actually remembered from the long ago night when her mother was murdered… If you like mysteries with thriller endings, past and present mysteries, and a main character you root for don’t miss this one. And while it’s a great standalone I’d love for it to be the start of a series so I can get more Flynn.

Past And Present Mystery With So Many Reveals! (TW suicide/ child murder/ past pedophile without detail/ partner abuse/ rape mention/ sexual harassment/ addiction)

Never Look Back cover imageNever Look Back by Alison Gaylin: This is one of those vacation reads for me: it had a great hook in the first 60 pages; was plot driven; kept making me lean forward with the reveals whether I saw it coming or not. I’m going to give you a bare bones summary of the plot–you can find the full everywhere else–but I loved going into this one not knowing the initial reveal. Quentin Garrison is a true crime podcast host and he’s currently working on one about two teenage killers from the ’70s. But it’s a personal podcast for him, since he has a connection to one of the crimes… This one is told from multiple points of view, although mostly from three: Quentin Garrison; one of the teen killer’s letters; Robin Diamond, an online columnist. If you want a twisty book, filled with reveals, and don’t mind “diary” type entries amongst the chapters lay back and enjoy the ride!

Recent Releases

the gone dead cover imageThe Gone Dead by Chanelle Benz (Currently listening to the audiobook– with the amazing Bahni Turpin narrating!–and it’s a really good Southern past mystery.)

Stone Cold Heart (Cat Kinsella #2) by Caz Frear (Good new-ish British procedural series.)

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (Apartment sitter at mysterious apartment building starts to uncover secrets, including that sitters disappear…)

Second Sight cover imageSecond Sight by Aoife Clifford (Looking forward to reading this Australian crime.)

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott (Paperback) (One of my favorite crime authors–Review) (TW suicide)

This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us by Edgar Cantero (Paperback) (Dark comic noir.)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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

Why is This Ted Bundy Book So Hard to Find?

Hi mystery fans!


Sponsored by Amazon Publishing.

In The Darkness cover imageA forensic psychologist must outthink two serial killers at once… or she might be next. But unearthing these sinister monsters comes with its own deadly—and personal—complications. From Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author comes the latest thriller in the Zoe Bentley series.


From Book Riot And Around The Internet

the gone dead cover imageRincey talked quite a few mystery releases on New Release Tuesday.

Rincey and Katie talk Australian mysteries and a lot of recent mystery news on the latest Read or Dead.

Why is This Ted Bundy Book So Hard to Find?

By the Book: Denise Mina

Attica Locke and Tembi Locke Talk Sisterhood, Writing, and Being Brave

News And Adaptations

The Hand On the Wall cover imageExclusive: Maureen Johnson is wrapping up her Truly Devious trilogy in style

‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Drama From David E. Kelley & A+E Studios Gets CBS Series Production Commitment

‘When They See Us’ Watched By More Than 23 Million Netflix Accounts Worldwide

Michael Fassbender to Star in Action Spy Thriller ‘Malko’ for Lionsgate

Paramount Makes 7-Figure Film Deal For ‘The Chain’; A Life Changer For Uber Driver-Turned-Hot New Author Adrian McKinty

Kindle Deals

Uptown Thief cover imageAya de Leon‘s Uptown Thief (Justice Hustlers #1) is $0.99 and an awesome crime romance–Full review! (TW rape /domestic abuse) And the follow up books are also on sale (!!) $0.99 and $1.99: The Boss; The Accidental Mistress.

Heather Gudenkauf’s recent release Before She Was Found is $1.99 and great for fans of multiple point of view that includes adults and children–Full review. (TW suicide attempt/ talk of pedophile)

Last week I told you Abby L. Vandiver’s Secrets, Lies, & Crawfish Pies was $2.99 and now it’s $0.99 so if you’re a cozy mystery reader get it–Full review! And the sequel is also on sale: Love, Hopes, & Marriage Tropes.

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

Whisper Network cover imageJust loaded on my phone these audiobooks: Whisper Network by Chandler Baker (Sounds like a 9 to 5 in the #metoo era!); The Wedding Party (The Wedding Date #3) by Jasmine Guillory (I need my romance fix and Guillory always delivers!)

Finished the audiobook: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey which is a good read/listen if you’re a fan of P.I. and fantasy or if you’re a fan of P.I. and curious to read fantasy. It’s set in our current world, with witches and non-witches, is a whodunnit, and family (twin sisters!) drama.

The Best Lies cover imageCan’t Put Down: The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu which starts with a murder– a girl shot her best friend’s boyfriend dead–and then slowly unravels how they all came to be friends, their revenge pranks–and I still don’t know what happened and I need to know!

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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

One Of My Favorite Crime Reads This Year!

Hello mystery fans! This week I have for you one of my favorite reads this year, a true crime amateur sleuth, and a unique P.I series.


Sponsored by A Nearly Normal Family by M. T. Edvardsson, published by Celadon Books.

A Nearly Normal Family cover imageM. T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family is a gripping legal thriller about eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell, who stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family is a twisted narrative of love and murder.

 


Excellent Crime Novel (TW addiction/ past child abuse/ human trafficking/ rape/ brief past attempted suicide mention with detail)

Girl Gone Missing cover imageGirl Gone Missing (Cash Blackbear mysteries #2) by Marcie Rendon: Easily one of my favorite reads this year, I loved Cash so much! This is a character-driven crime novel with suspense that follows 19-year-old Chippewa woman Renee Blackbear, known as Cash, living in Fargo in the 1970s. She lives on the periphery of everything: she’s taking college classes but doesn’t understand the hippie students and their need to constantly talk, drives a beet truck alone late at night for work, lives on her own, and her only close relationship is with a sheriff who is like a father figure. She’s always observing, thinking, and questioning the things that are happening in her world and the larger world, especially when the brother she doesn’t know shows up to stay in her place and white girls are disappearing while calling to her in dreams. While it isn’t a mystery as you’re used to–person(s) actively solving–there is a mystery throughout that is important and has a full solve. I so very much need there to be another book about Cash, and while I definitely talk way too much for her I want to go play pool with her! (You can totally read this crime novel as a standalone, and seriously read this one!)

True Crime Podcast Listening Sleuth (TW suicide, suicidal thoughts/ eating disorder/ rape/ addiction/ animal cruelty)

Conviction cover imageConviction by Denise Mina: The way this one started, I thought it was going to be a domestic thriller but it wasn’t, instead Mina kept taking me on a ride full of turns I wasn’t expecting. This starts with a wife and mother, Anna, whose husband leaves her for her best friend. And it gets worse: so that the kids settle into the change, and Anna gets her life together, he takes the kids with the best friend on a trip leaving Anna to her own devices. The thing is Anna has a past no one knows about, and her way of coping with things is to escape into books and podcasts. She tries to escape her current situation by listening to a true crime podcast–which we get to read as she’s listening to it–but she gets way more than an escape. Someone she knew is the subject. He’s actually accused of the crime by the podcast host even though someone else has been tried. This leads Anna (and her best friend’s famous, soon-to-be ex-husband) on a wild adventure of trying to solve the mystery themselves–and soon trying to stay alive. If you like mysteries, true crime podcasts, and the past-is-coming-to-get-you novels pick this one up. And a fellow Rioter was listening to the audioook and mentioned it was great–Scottish narrator!

Unique P.I. Novel! (TW suicide/ rape/ pedophile)

Case Histories cover imageCase Histories (Jackson Brodie #1) by Kate Atkinson: The fifth novel in this series released this week–if you’re already a fan go get Big Sky–but for everyone who hasn’t read this series yet, I’m going to start you at the beginning and then you can marathon five books. Atkinson, which I only started reading for the first time this year, has very quickly become a favorite author of mine. All her novels are very different, while Transcription (Review) was a historical spy novel Case Histories is a very unique take on the P.I. genre that at times feels like a character study of not only Jackson Brody but also his clients as we’re given front row seats to their thoughts. The novel is about three cases from different decades: A woman in her kitchen next to her murdered-with-an-axe husband; a child who vanished from her backyard; a man who murdered a man’s daughter at his office. Englishman Jackson Brodie is a former police detective who is now a P.I., divorced with an eight-year-old daughter, working in Edinburgh and getting sucked into all kinds of things because of his empathy. I loved the balance of Brodie’s personality against some wild/ridiculous clients, the way the threads of the mysteries slowly came together, the caustic humor, and cynicism.

Recent Releases

Potions Tells And Deadly Spells cover imagePotions, Tells, & Deadly Spells (Romaine Wilder #3) by Abby L. Vandiver (Great cozy mystery series.)

The Black Jersey by Jorge Zepeda Patterson, Achy Obejas (Translation) (Zero interest in cycling and still really enjoyed this whodunnit set in the Tour de France.)

The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone by Felicity McLean (Missing sisters mystery.)

Side Chick Nation cover imageSide Chick Nation (Justice Hustlers #4) by Aya de León (I love this crime series of women fighting wealth inequality, racism, and sexism in NY.)

Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong (Psychological thriller I liked: Woman thinks she witnesses a crime but no one believes her.) (TW suicide)

Murder in the Crooked House by Sōji Shimada, Louise Heal Kawai (Translator) (Reading: Enjoying this for-Clue-fans Japanese mystery from the ’80s.)

Big Sky cover imageBig Sky (Jackson Brodie #5) by Kate Atkinson (See above Case Histories review.)

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson, Rachel Willson-Broyles (Translation) (Swedish legal thriller.)

Kingdom of the Blind (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #14) by Louise Penny (Paperback) (Great Canadian procedural series.)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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

The Best Books of 2019 So Far x 2!

Hi mystery fans!


Sponsored by Ciana Stone’s The Shattered Chronicles.

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From Book Riot And Around The Internet

Patron Saints of Nothing cover image3 on a YA Theme: Summer YA Mystery Releases for Your TBR

Do Crime Like an Edwardian: 11 Nonfiction Recommendations

Giveaway: Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott

A great interview with Kate Atkins (with a terribly misleading headline)

Harlan Coben: ‘I cry a lot when I write – I need to cry more when I’m reading’

Barnes & Nobles’ The Best Books of 2019 So Far…

Amazon’s Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2019 So Far

News And Adaptations

The Talented Mr. Ripley cover image5 Things I Want to See in the TALENTED MR. RIPLEY TV Series

Da Vinci Code Prequel Series Langdon Being Developed at NBC

Another article on the Scarlet imprint debacle: He wrote/she wrote. On gender in mystery writing and prompted for a response regarding everything that’s been published Pegasus’ Twitter account responded: “Hi Nick, our ownership has the highest respect for the integrity of Scarlet’s editorial board, but moving forward Pegasus will no longer be partners in Scarlet’s publishing program.

Kindle Deals

Secrets Lies & Crawfish Pies by Abby L VandiverSecrets, Lies, & Crawfish Pies (Romaine Wilder #1) by Abby L. Vandiver is $2.99 and a great cozy mystery series. The sequel, Love, Hopes, & Marriage Tropes, is also on sale for $2.99 and starts with a dude dying on his wedding day–the wedding being held at a funeral home!

What You Want to See (Roxane Weary Book 2) by Kristen Lepionka is $2.99 (This is one of my favorite P.I. series!)

Karin Slaughter’s Pretty Girls is $1.99! (This one is still on my must-read list so I don’t have TW for you but all of her books I’ve read are intense AF.)

A Bit Of My Week In Reading

Your House Will Pay cover imageCurrently Reading: Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger on audiobook, which is a return home mystery starring an FBI agent; Vivien Chien’s 4th in the cozy Noodle Shop mystery series I really enjoy, Wonton Terror; Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay set in early 1990s L.A. exploring racial tensions between Korean and Black communities; Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly which is an intense thriller with horror vibes that I can’t put down so far.

The Black Jersey cover imageFinished reading and really liked: Conviction by Denise Mina; The Black Jersey by Jorge Zepeda Patterson, Achy Obejas (Translation)

And I plan on spending some time this weekend with Edward Lee’s Smoke & Pickles cookbook because yuuuuuum.

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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

Sarcasm, Cynicism, and A Unique PI Novel

Hello mystery fans! I have a literary mystery that explores the fallout of a crime, a P.I. in New Orleans, and an equally hilarious and emotional true crime memoir.


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Literary Mystery (TW addiction/ PTSD)

The Other Americans cover imageThe Other Americans by Laila Lalami: This one works really well on a few levels: it’s great for fans of literary works, murder mysteries, multiple points of view, love stories, and explorations of the effects of a crime on a family and community. Driss Guerraoui is killed in a hit-and-run and we follow as his adult daughter, Nora, and wife, Maryam, cope with the grief, waiting for the case to be solved, and remembering the relationship they had with him. We also follow the life of Efraín, a witness to the hit-and-run, whose wife wants him to come forward but refuses because he is undocumented. There’s also the detective working on the case and a fellow officer, who is not directly on the case, but grew up with Nora. The audiobook had multiple narrators, which really worked well, and I enjoyed getting to know all the characters so even if it hadn’t solved the mystery–it does, you get the full solve and explanation–I still would have really enjoyed this one as a look at the effects of a crime.

New Orleans P.I. (TW mentions suicide/ pedophile)

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead cover imageClaire DeWitt and the City of the Dead (Claire DeWitt Mysteries #1) by Sara Gran: It just so happened that I read this one right after reading Kate Atkinson’s start to her Jackson Brodie series, Case Histories, and I realized that fans of each would like the other if they enjoy the sarcasm, cynicism, and unique entry into the P.I. world of novels. In Sara Gran’s novel, though, it is much less a character study of various characters, and more just of Claire DeWitt as she focuses on solving her current case–and regales us with bits of her childhood, how she came to be a P.I., her mentor, and the lessons she learned from French detective Jacques Silette’s Détection handbook. We follow her in hurricane-destroyed New Orleans as she’s hired to find a missing District Attorney. Thanks to DeWitt’s sarcasm, drug using with potential suspects, quirky stories, and the overall meditation on the P.I. genre, this managed to make itself a fun read even though it’s in part a bleak novel.

True Crime Memoir (TW rape/ eating disorder/ addiction/ suicide)

stay sexy and don't get murdered cover imageStay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark: Two things to know about this book: First, you don’t have to know anything about the podcast before reading this book; Second, if you’re an audiobook listener go with the audiobook! Not only because, being narrated by the authors, you get their personality but they got Paul Giamatti to narrate bits! And there are a few sections recorded in front of an audience and it really gives you a feel for their fan base. Okay, now on to the book: Kilgariff and Hardstark started the now very popular true crime podcast My Favorite Murder. This book talks about how they met and came to create the podcast, what they’ve learned so far from the podcast, their childhoods, the true crime genre, and very personal stories about addiction, mental illness, being in danger of a predator, victim blaming, and specific true crime cases. The women are equally funny and frank and I personally really related, having grown up in the ’80s with the popularity of true crime shows like Unsolved Mysteries during a time when kids played unsupervised outside with instructions to come inside when the sun set. It’s interesting to see the fine line they walk between being obsessed with true crime and the reasons why, and true crime being used as entertainment.

Recent Releases

The Betel Nut Tree Mystery cover imageThe Betel Nut Tree Mystery (Crown Colony #2) by Ovidia Yu (Great historical mystery series set in 1930s Singapore.)

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda (I’ve liked all of Miranda’s mysteries so I’m looking forward to this murder mystery set in a vacation spot that pits locals vs tourists.)

The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell (TBR: A Victorian Gothic mystery.)

Conviction cover imageConviction by Denise Mina (Currently reading: A true crime obsessed woman realizes she once knew the victim accused in a podcast and decides to do her own sleuthing. I’m halfway through and really enjoying this one.)

The Cutting Room (Carver and Lake #2) by Ashley Dyer (British serial killer police procedural–curious to read this series.)

The Labyrinth of the Spirits (The Cemetery Of Forgotten Books #4) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Paperback) (Historical mystery)

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And 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.