It was a good month for mysteries. In May, we reviewed over a dozen books, with one reviewed twice – not just because it’s a good ‘un, but to cover both the print and audio versions. They range from historical and cozy to procedural and thriller, with some that resist categories altogether. (We also thought another cat might be in order – this one is Zoe, who spends most of her time napping on her favorite red blanket, when a lap is not available.) Next month, we’ll be reviewing new releases by Mel Pennant, Nilima Rao, Jess Walter, Mary Anna Evans, and more to keep your To Be Read bookshelf full. Here’s a list of what we reviewed last month.
Marcie R. Rendon, Broken Fields – “…the most satisfying aspect of the bittersweet conclusion is the way in which Cash, Wheaton, and a few more of their unlikely, unofficial, brethren do their best to take care of one another in an unfair, dangerous world.” (Mary-Jane Oltarzewski)
Leonie Swan, Big Bad Wool – “It’s funny, strange, often weirdly poetic, and frequently confusing…. fresh and surprising.” (Barbara Fister)
Alison Goodman, The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin – “… an adventure, with plucky heroines, dishy heroes, and dastardly villains, featuring many carriage chases, narrow escapes, and daring rescues.” (Barbara Fister)
Marjorie Eccles, A Fatal Necessity – “Though the story depicts a vanished era of manor houses and village life, and does so in a stye that fits the Golden Age of British mysteries, it has surprising resonance with the present.” (Barbara Fister)
Uzma Jallaludin,Detective Aunty– “Jalalludin has launched a mystery series that’s as comforting and spicy as the chai Kausar brews to meet her family’s challenges.” (Barbara Fister)
Marcie R. Rendon, Broken Fields (Audiobook) – “The narrator does a tremendous job of voicing the different characters, and she is especially adept at bringing a tone to the native characters that makes their tribal affiliation clear without becoming a stereotype.” (Sharon Mensing)
Brendon Slocumb, The Dark Maestro – “There’s something deeply moving in the way the author writes about the way making music affects his characters, bringing that feeling to readers while also crafting suspenseful plots.” (Barbara Fister)
Max Allan Collins, The Last Quarry – “… a final twist … reveals the title character’s true willingness to retire, not just as a hitman but as a tired stereotype of rugged masculinity.” (Mary-Jane Oltarzewski)
Chris Pavone, The Doorman – “This is Pavone’s most ambitious and impressive novel to date and may rank as one of the best in a dramatic and contentious year.” (Barbara Fister)
Andrey Kurkov, The Stolen Heart – “Mixed into the violence of the [Bolshevik] era, Kurkov maintains a tone of humorous absurdity; faced with extraordinary challenges, most people we encounter are just trying to live their lives.” (Barbara Fister)
Michael Connelly, Nightshade – “Among crime procedurals, Michael Connelly’s books are the gold standard. Never a dropped strand, never an implausible red herring, his novels allow the reader to live and breathe the experience, every step of the way…” (Mary-Jane Oltarzewski)
Alex Finlay, Parents Weekend – “With workmanlike writing, surface level characterization, and a somewhat predictable storyline, this plot-based thriller will appeal to those who enjoy escaping into the world of poor behavior of the rich and the consequences that behavior engenders.” (Sharon Mensing)
Freya Sampson, The Busybody Book Club – “Being a cozy, The Busybody Book Club doesn’t go too deeply into psychology or dark crimes, but we do get a good sense of what drives the characters.” (Meredith Frazier)
Stephen King, Never Flinch – “…the threads pull together more and more tightly as the story comes to an (almost) heart-stopping conclusion.” (Mary-Jane Oltarzewski)