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Before I dive into your bi-weekly mystery goodness, which includes new releases and news, I thought I’d share a treat. Literally. I made Smitten Kitchen‘s chocolate ice cream sandwiches over the weekend and 1.) they are delicious straight out of the oven prior to cooling or ice cream, 2.) you can cut them into pieces and freeze them and then just put a scoop of ice cream on top, 3.) where has black cocoa been all my life?! And 4.) Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Mint Chocolate Cookie pairs beautifully with it. And now onto our regularly scheduled all-things-crime genre!
Bookish Goods
Library Bookshelf Street Sign by AnchoredSoulCreate
Add a little fun to your bookshelves, or even place on top of the giant stack of books you might have on the floor. Plus, there are color, font, size, and genre options like “Horror Hwy” “Romance Rd,” and more. ($19)
New Releases
A Dream in the Dark by Robert Justice
For fans of mysteries with a focus on the criminal justice system!
In the early ’90s, Claudette Cooper was sexually assaulted in Denver. Although she never saw who attacked her, during the trial, she testified that she had a dream that told her it was Moses King. That testimony led to King being wrongly convicted.
Liza Brown became a lawyer to help her wrongfully convicted father (They Can’t Take Your Name) and now works for a nonprofit to continue the work of helping wrongfully imprisoned people. That’s where King, who knows Brown’s father, finds her to ask for her help on his case. Brown agrees but finds she’s going to need Cooper’s help, all while protests and riots take over Denver.
The audiobook has one of my all-time favorite narrators, JD Jackson! (A Little Devil In America; Bluebird, Bluebird; The Violin Conspiracy; The Conjure-Man Dies; Reprieve; The Nickel Boys)
Charlotte Illes Is Not a Teacher (Not a Detective Mysteries #2) by Katie Siegel
For fans of famous child detectives now grown up, amateur sleuths, and a school setting!
Charlotte Illes was a famous child detective known as Lottie. Now she’s in her mid-twenties, not a giant fan of being an adult, nor enthusiastic about continuing as a detective. But when she takes a substitute teacher position at the school she grew up at—where she was Lottie—a teacher and her aunt need her help unmasking a threatening anonymous person. Charlotte will once again find that her skills as a detective are needed when she realizes this isn’t a prank.
If you want to start at the beginning, pick up Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
The crime and horror genres have many overlaps—fighting back, mysteries, spotlighting societal issues, good vs evil—and I find many readers of one, at the very least, dabble in the other. So this round, I’ve got two new horror novels with purple covers zoomed in on a face that is going through some things. I personally like to read my horror during summer, when the sun is out!
The Black Girl Survives in This One edited by Desiree S. Evans, Saraciea J. Fennell
For fans of short story anthologies and flipping a trope on its head!
With a foreword by Tananarive Due (The Reformatory; Ghost Summer; The Good House), this anthology features 15 short stories with Black girls at the center of each tale. Short story collections like this are a fantastic way to find authors with great extensive backlists, like Justina Ireland (Ophie’s Ghosts; Dread Nation), and newer authors to discover, like Erin E. Adams (Jackal; One of You)!
So Witches We Became by Jill Baguchinsky
For fans of stories where characters are trapped on an island!
Nell, Harper, and Dia are high school seniors on a private island for spring break, with Harper’s older brother along as babysitter. The friendships aren’t as solid as they once were, and college is looming. Then, Harper’s boyfriend shows up, even though it’s supposed to be a girls’ trip, and they all become trapped thanks to a dangerous haze…
News and Roundups
Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2024 releases and mysteries from 2023. 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 Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.
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