Good Reads & Views

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
Fiction

What it's about: Bookseller and blogger Malcolm is contacted by the FBI, seeking his help. Years ago he created a list of literature's most perfect murders, and now someone seems to be using Malcolm's list as a playbook for unsolved killings. Twists and turns galore, and if you actually figure out the killer early on (I did not), then kudos to you.

Reviewers say: "Swanson will keep most readers guessing until the end. Classic whodunit fans will be in heaven" (Publishers Weekly); "The perfect gift for well-read mystery mavens who complain that they don't write them like they used to" (Kirkus).

Author Notes: Swanson is the author of six novels including The Kind Worth Killing for which he won the New England Society Book Award and Her Every Fear, which was an NPR book of the year.

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Murder Past Due by Miranda James
Fiction

What it's about: Charlie Harris, librarian, and his lovable cat, Diesel, put aside their quiet life to find who murdered a famous author before the wrong person is arrested. The trouble is, it seems every last one of Charlie's friends and coworkers had a score to settle with the novelist.

Why you might like it: If you like cozy mysteries or Southern settings, give this series opener a try.

Reviewers say: "Sympathetic characters, including the intuitive Diesel; a lovingly described home life with his faithful housekeeper...all add to the appeal, as do the details of library work and academic life in small-town Mississippi" (Booklist).

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Me for You by Lolly Winston
Fiction

Reviewer’s say:  "The story uses quiet prose and unexpected moments of gentle humor to illustrate the importance of human connection during trying times. … [A] poignant story about loss, unexpected connections, and the circuitous path toward healing” (Kirkus Reviews).

About the author: Lolly Winston was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. She has an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and is the author of New York Times bestselling novels Good Grief and Happiness Sold Separately, the latter of which is being developed as a film.

You might also like: One Summer by David Baldacci or Rescue by Anita Shreve     

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The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
Fiction

What it’s about: When her immigrant father is killed by a speeding car, composer Nora returns home to her grieving family, where she struggles to relate to her more traditional mother and sister. As Nora learns more about her father’s death, she becomes suspicious that it was more than a simple hit-and-run. This blend of mystery, family saga, and love story is told by multiple voices representing the schisms and alienation of American community, but also their many connections.

Reviewers say: "An eloquent reminder that frame of reference is everything when defining the 'other'” (Booklist). “Lalami captures the complex ways humans can be strangers not just outside their “tribes” but within them, as well as to themselves” (Publishers Weekly).

You might also like: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid is another own voices novel that offers an authentic perspective of the immigrant experience. For a more character-driven, literary mystery, try Miracle Creek by Angie Kim.

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Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Fiction

What it’s about: First one of her neighbors turns up dead, then other bodies follow. Janina, or Duszejko, as she prefers to be called, is of an advanced age and lives in a remote Polish village. She does not eat meat, prefers the company of animals over humans, and quotes William Blake. She is absolutely sure she knows who is behind the deaths and inserts herself into the investigation.

Want a taste? “The best conversations are with yourself. At least there's no risk of a misunderstanding.” “Being healthy is an insecure state and does not bode well. It's better to be ill in a quiet way, then at least we know what we're going to die of.”

Reviewers say: “Tokarczuk's novel succeeds as both a suspenseful murder mystery and a powerful and profound meditation on human existence and how a life fits into the world around it. Novels this thrilling don't come along very often” (Publishers Weekly). “In her depictions of her characters and their worlds both internal and external Tokarczuk has created something entirely new” (Kirkus Reviews).

Author info: in 2018 Tokarczuk won the Man Booker Prize International for her novel Flights and in 2019 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

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Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich
Fiction

What it’s about: Stephanie Plum’s Grandma Mazur is a widow...again. This time her marriage lasted a whole 45 minutes. The unlucky groom was one Jimmy Rosolli, local gangster, lothario (senior division) and heart attack waiting to happen.  As a result, she’s got unwelcome attention from his former “business partners” who think she’s keeping information.

Starring:  Stephanie Plum, a New Jersey bounty hunter.

About the Author: Over the course of the last 25 years, Janet Evanovich has written a staggering 23 #1 New York Times bestsellers in the Stephanie Plum series. In addition to the Plum novels, Janet has co-written the New York Times bestselling Fox and O'Hare novels (including The Big Kahuna with Peter Evanovich), the Knight and Moon novels, the Lizzy and Diesel series, the Alexandra Barnaby novels, and she also coauthored a graphic novel, Troublemaker, with her daughter, Alex.

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The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
Fiction

What it is: This first installment in the new Two rivers series by Ann Cleeves, author of the excellent Vera and Shetland series, introduces detective Matthew Venn. An investigation into the stabbing death of a man and the disappearance of two girls with Down Syndrome all turn up connections to the Woodyard Centre, a multi-use community arts centre in Devon, England, run by Matthew’s husband Jonathan.

Want a taste? “The road climbed steeply and then they were looking down at the village of Lovacott: a group of houses clustered around a small square, which was hardly more than the main street widened. A shop that seemed to sell everything, a pub. There was nothing picturesque here. No thatch. It would never have featured in an episode of Midsomer Murders.”

Reviewers say: “Cleeves makes good use of Devon local color and populates this subtle, expertly paced mystery with distinctive supporting characters” (Publishers Weekly).

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Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews
Fiction

The Victim: Dr. Oliver Frogmore, a legend in his own mind. An ornithologist, he’s crashed Owl Fest and is doing his obnoxious best to make it all about himself. After rising to new heights of rudeness at the conference banquet, he expires dramatically, surrounded by 200 people who despise him.

The Series Detective: Meg Langslow, who’s running the conference for her grandfather, famous zoologist Dr. J. Montgomery Blake. Terminally competent and organized, she adds ‘solving the mystery’ to her to-do list. As usual.

The Locale: The Caerphilly Inn, a 5-star hotel snowed in for Christmas. Murder is a challenge for their superb service, but they intend to rise to the occasion.

Is it for you? If you like funny mysteries, grab this book! In fact, try the whole series, starting with Murder with Peacocks.

Big Sky by Kate Atkinson
Fiction

Featuring: The return, after nine years, of private investigator Jackson Brodie—brooding, compassionate, and unable to resist rescuing others. In this case, Brodie stumbles on a murder that may be linked to a sex trafficking ring. Also featuring Jackson’s “protégé,” who reappears from When Will There Be Good News? If you are new to Jackson Brodie, start with the first book in the series—Case Histories.

Why you might like it: Atkinson excels at creating characters to care about—she really gets you inside their heads, revealing their inner lives and motivations. Her compelling storyline moves back and forth in time and is told from multiple perspectives, giving it depth and complexity. The multiple storylines intertwine in unlikely ways, but one of Brodie’s maxims is "A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen."

Reviewers say: Brodie “is not so much the central character as the grumpy, anxious, largehearted gravitational field that attracts a motley assortment of lost souls and love interests…. The deaths and disappearances that Jackson investigates change with every book, but the human heart remains the central mystery. The welcome return of an existential detective" (Kirkus Reviews).

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The Mausoleum by David Mark
Fiction

What it’s about: The year is 2010. Two old women are waiting for a dying old man to wake up so they can find out what he knows. The women’s story is told in alternating narratives and skips back to 1967 when the women first met in the graveyard of an isolated village by the Scottish border. WWII, espionage, POWs, Nazis, betrayal, they are all part of the story.

Reviewers say: “Deft writing, a plot filled with strange and unexpected twists, vivid characters, and a constant feeling of foreboding make this a gripping and unusual read” (Booklist). “Mark is writing at the top of his game” (Publishers Weekly).

Author notes: Mark is also the author of an excellent series of police procedurals, starting with The Dark Winter, which introduces DS Aector McAvoy.

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