We must begin with the obvious and that is that this newsletter is late and it is my fault. There are lots of moving pieces getting this newsletter into your digital hands and we are planning some back end changes that require new ways of working. And we did not work those out in advance of this newsletter because, I’ll be very honest, I was very busy. But I have been reading.
I’ve talked a little bit in this newsletter about how grief and COVID made it hard to read at times. But I think we’ve all had other life events that have made it either easier or harder to read. As many of you know, my daughter Penelope was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes almost two years ago. Medical caregiving has fundamentally changed my brain and the exhaustion that comes with it leads to a lack of bandwidth for certain kinds of tasks. Fortunately, lately, reading has not been one of them. Before I tell you what I’ve been reading though, I do just want to acknowledge that we all go through phases of reading. Sometimes we can and sometimes we can’t. Sometimes it’s books we’ve read a million times and sometimes it's devouring a brand new (to us) series. Sometimes we want something we can sink into and sometimes we need something with short chapters because we can’t focus much longer. And regardless of your mood, I know that Whodunit has something for you. We can help you find a new series. We can help you find that book you read 20 years ago and only remember some key details. We can email you when the next book in your favorite series comes in. If you’d rather listen, you can support us through buying an audio book with Libro.FM. If you can’t fathom words at all, we can even help you with a puzzle or mind game. (This puzzle is one of my favorites.)
But onto the books! Sherry Thomas’ ‘Lady Sherlock’ series is one of my favorites, so if you’re in a mood to devour a new to you series, this should be high on your list. Book #7, A Tempest at Sea, will appeal particularly to those who love a locked room mystery. It feels like this series might be transitioning story lines and this book felt like maybe it was putting the right people in the right places. That said, book #8 has not yet been scheduled.
I read a couple of series that are creeping up there in terms of series length, but in these two cases, it has not impacted the quality of the storytelling at all. C.S. Harris’ ‘Sebastian St. Cyr’ series is onto book #18, Who Cries for the Lost. But I believe wholeheartedly that you could start this series at any point and still be captivated, and then want to go back in time to catch up. Set in Napoleonic England, and sometimes France, the attention to detail and finding fascinating but obscure historical events in this series is unmatched. You’ve got a rogue-ish investigator, his very modern wife, and her politically connected and maybe somewhat evil father. No paperback scheduled as yet, nor book #19.
Another lengthy but still excellent series is Will Thomas’ ‘Barker & Llewelyn’ series. On it’s face this series should not have appealed to me, with two male main characters, but the books are so well written and researched that I cannot help but be captivated. Plus the author has started to include some interesting female characters. Heart of the Nile will appeal to anyone with a love of the British Museum or Egyptology. The trade paperback is due in April for those who prefer to wait. Book #15 is scheduled for next year.
I clearly love a long series as much as anyone, but I have a ton of respect for authors who plot out a three-book arc and stick to it. Darynda Jones has done such a thing with her ‘Sunshine Vicram’ series, featuring a female Sherriff in New Mexico. A Hard Day for a Hangover, book #3, was just released in paperback. The series would be excellent for both adults and precocious teen readers alike, as Sunshine’s daughter is one of the main characters. The trade paperback will be out in December for those who prefer to wait.
I came to Deanna Raybourn with her ‘Lady Julia Grey’ series and found myself re-reading book #1 the other week (Silent in the Grave). It turns out, I remembered nothing about it, so I have a whole series to re-read. It’s mean of me to mention because it’s no longer available, but, we have been getting some amazing and complete collections of series in used, so it is worth keeping an eye open for. Book #8 in her ‘Veronica Speedwell’ series, A Sinister Revenge is now available in hardcover and like the Sherry Thomas, will appeal to lovers of a locked room mystery. The trade paperback is not yet planned, but book #9 is due in 2024.
Whodunit doesn’t just carry mysteries anymore, as you know, so it is a pleasure to get to recommend some of my other favorite recent reads. I have not read a lot of Curtis Sittenfeld, but I devoured her most recent Romantic Comedy on a trip to Calgary last week. This is not your average romance, featuring a late-night comedy show, a very smart sketch writer, and a very handsome pop singer. It is also the first book I’ve read to feature COVID as a major plot point, which was really interesting. I wouldn’t call it light reading, exactly, as Sittenfeld’s prose is dense, but a very fun read all the same. This one is already in trade paperback, so perfect to sling into your bag for your upcoming travels.
It is very nearly officially summer, although my understanding is that it has felt like summer for much of June in Winnipeg, so some summer reading recommendations seem appropriate.
Not unlike Romantic Comedy, Nora Goes Off Script imagines if a famous movie star can fall in love with the suburban single mom who wrote the screenplay for his latest movie. This one was very fun, very touching, and a very easy read. We’ve got her newest book Same Time Next Summer in store, also in trade paperback, which I will be picking up when I am home in July.
Who among us has not watched any of the Oceans movies and wondered if we might not have made an excellent con artist? Moorewood Family Rules by HelenKay Dimon is a really fun and easy read about a woman who takes the fall for her family’s crimes and then intends to rehabilitate them, against their wills. A little family drama. A little romance. A lot of fun. Already in paperback.
Also romantic and fun is Emily Henry’s Book Lovers. I am certainly late to the party on this one, but as someone who used to work in publishing and is a lover of a good rom com, it is was right up my alley. We’ve also got her Happy Place and People We Meet on Vacation in store, all in trade paperback, and all the very definition of the perfect beach reads.
In terms of what I’m looking forward to this summer and have waiting for me on the shelf at Whodunit: Andrew Cartmel’s new series The Paperback Sleuth: Death in Fine Condition (available now in trade paperback), Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (available now in trade paperback), and A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin (coming in trade paperback on July 11th).