Good Reads & Views

An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed by Helene Tursten
Fiction

What happens: Maude, last seen in An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, is now 89. She decides to escape cold Scandinavia (and a couple of suspicious cops hot on her heels) and flies off to South Africa. On her way there she reflects on dark deeds committed in her earlier years, and soon there are new annoyances to remedy…

Reviewers say: ”Assured prose matches an irresistible heroine. Readers are sure to welcome a third entry in this beguiling series” (Publishers Weekly); “Tursten effectively juxtaposes a cozy, Agatha Christie--like tone against the often surprisingly dark nature of Maud's recollections, which are rife with clever satirical jabs and delicious ironies. This absorbing dive into the mind of a ruthless pragmatist posing as a Swedish Miss Marple will please psychological-thriller fans, once they realize that Maud isn't nearly as cozy as she looks” (Booklist).

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A Shot in the Dark by Lynn Truss
Fiction

Not your typical mystery: This comic whodunnit is actually solved about half way through. The rest of the book is about young hero Constable Twitten's hilarious attempts to get his superior to believe him. Twitten believes theatre critic A.S. Crystal was killed because he remembered a crucial fact about an unsolved bank robbery years before, but Inspector Steine believes there is no crime in the seaside village of Brighton, and just wants to eat his ice cream in peace. Only the charwoman takes any notice of what Twitten says. Get ready for a wryly hilarious read.

Reviewers say:  "Truss successfully combines wry humor with a fair-play mystery” (Publisher’s Weekly); “Truss piles up ingenious plot twists, preposterous coincidences, snarky asides, and characters out of P.G. Wodehouse” (Kirkus Reviews).

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Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Fiction

What it’s about: Meddelin is still hung up on the guy she dated in college. Her mom goes on a dating app as Meddie to find her a husband, but Meddie accidentally kills the guy on their first date. Her mom and aunties spring into action to hide the body before the big wedding they are organizing, but hijinks ensue.

Why you might like it: The interactions of Big Aunt, Second Aunt, Ma, and Fourth Aunt as they jockey for status in their family are so much fun. Meddie is a dutiful daughter who tries hard to live up to her family’s expectations and offers funny commentary on her family.

You might also like: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan for the over-the-top humor and family friction and the rom-coms of Sandhya Menon for the dating dilemmas of obedient children.

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The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Fiction

Why you may like it: This clever, twisty mystery features a great cast of characters and an intricately plotted storyline. The Thursday Murder Club are four residents of a retirement community who meet weekly to discuss unsolved crimes. There’s the gentle widow Joyce, a retired nurse and newest member, who records unfolding events as she sees them; Red Ron, a (mostly) former activist and agitator; Ibrahim, the therapist; and Elizabeth, whose mysterious past gives her the expertise and connections needed to investigate cold cases that former member Penny brought to the group. Their bodies may be aging and creaky, but their minds are still sharp! The droll humor, fast pace, and charming characters will have you asking for more.

What it’s about: When a local builder is found dead in the village, the senior sleuths take on their first real-time case—they have a plan to help their friend and rookie cop PC Donna De Freitas solve the murder. When a second death occurs before their eyes, the gang wonders if they are tracking two killers, or one.

You might also like: For more geriatric amateur detectives, try Exit by Belinda Bauer or Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is another intricately plotted witty mystery. 

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The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
Fiction

What happens: The famous mystery novelist Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days in 1926, and she never spoke about that time except to claim amnesia. This novel tells the story of those days from the point of view of her husband Archie, as well as imagines the story of Agatha’s and Archie’s marriage from Agatha’s point of view.  As the story travels back and forth between these two timelines, the reader is forced to ask which narrator is reliable—or if neither is.

Reviewers say: “Mystery lovers, especially fans of Christie's works, as well as those who enjoy period pieces, will find this an engrossing fictional answer to a real historical mystery” (Library Journal); “A compelling portrait of a marriage gone desperately sour” (Kirkus Reviews).

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Borrowed Time by David Mark
Fiction

What it’s about: After finding out that he was adopted, Adam Nunn hires a private eye  to help him search for his birth parents. The PI promptly turns up dead in an area that had been used in the 1970s as a dumping ground for mob killings, and Adam becomes the prime suspect. Works as both a police procedural and a work of psychological suspense.

Reviewers say: “Gripping from start to finish” (Booklist); “A wild, brutal, fascinating tale of death, betrayal, and love” (Kirkus Reviews).

You might also like: Try the author’s Aector McAvoy series, starting with The Dark Winter, or read one of his stand-alone novels like The Mausoleum or A Rush of Blood.

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Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett
Fiction

What it’s about: Dayna’s acting career is over, and she is flat broke. The reward money for information about a hit and run Dayna may have witnessed looks like an easy way to save herself and to help her folks pay their mortgage. But turning private eye is more difficult and dangerous than she expected. Dayna and her friends—self-proclaimed reality star-in-training Sienna and online gamer Emme (identical twin to a bone-fide Hollywood star)—uncover a possible connection to a notorious Tinsel Town crime spree, and then someone tries to kill Dayna.

Why you might like it: This entertaining romp is a fresh take on the bumbling amateur sleuth, and is filled with lively, interesting characters. Smart and sassy, and full of insight about the Hollywood scene, this adventure will have you looking for more about Dayna and her besties.

Try this next: Travellin' Shoes by V. M. Burns, Broken Places by Tracy P. Clark, and The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka.

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Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders by Tessa Arlen
Fiction

What it’s about: It’s 1942 and Poppy Redfern, a young woman from the English countryside, is serving as Air Raid Precautions warden for her village. When two other young women are found murdered, suspicion falls on the American pilots based just outside the village, but Poppy’s vivid imagination leads her to think otherwise. Her feelings for one of the pilots, Griff, couldn’t be the reason, could it?

Why you might like it: If you like mysteries set during World War II or plucky heroines, give this one a try.

Reviewers say: "History, suspense, and an appealing heroine combine in a series debut that should attract war buffs and many others" (Kirkus); "Vivid settings and high emotions keep the suspense at fever pitch, but it’s the characters that make Arlen’s series kickoff such a stunner" (Library Journal).

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The Survivors by Jane Harper
Fiction

What it’s about: Years ago Kieran made a foolish and reckless mistake, the consequences of which still haunt him. Recently returned to his hometown to help his struggling parents, long-held secrets threaten to bubble up when the body of a young woman is found on the beach.

Here’s a taste: “Are they supposed to be happy or sad? I mean, is it a celebration of the people who made it, or a memorial to the ones who didn't?”

Also recommended: Jane Harper’s other novels are The Dry, Force of Nature, and The Lost Man.

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These Honored Dead: A Lincoln and Speed Mystery by Jonathan F Putnam
Fiction

What it’s about: Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed were close friends in real life, and this book uses their brand-new friendship as the stepping off point for a murder mystery. Speed had been in an affair with widowed shopkeeper Rebecca Harriman, which she ended to protect her reputation. She has taken in her niece and nephew, but comes to regret it when her niece is found stabbed in her barn. Suspicion falls on Lincoln’s first client, Dr. Patterson, and the newly-minted lawyer must use his intellect and homespun manner to absolve the doctor and find the true culprit.

Why you might like it: Lincoln is plausibly drawn in this book, the first of a mystery series, and the issues of the time, like slavery, are well-drawn. People who like a hefty dose of history with their fiction should give this one a try.

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