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Hello mystery fans! This is the time of year I usually do a recap of my favorite books for the second half of 2020 – based on the first half of 2020 favorites list that I made. But I just can’t. I keep sitting down to do it. Or I’m trying to make a list on my phone. Whenever I think about it while walking the goat I keep coming back to the fact that I haven’t read nearly as many books as I usually do this year. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a year-end list for you.
I have some great books that came out this year that don’t have a lot of reviews / ratings, and no, that’s not an indication of the quality of the book. Most likely, these books were not widely publicized. Just like a book that has the whole marketing train in and everyone reads it and you say, “eh”, the same thing happens in reverse. There are super good books that just haven’t crossed radar enough. So read these books.
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Execution in E (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries # 5) by Alexia Gordon
If every year needed a leisurely mystery marathon read, it would be this year that I refuse to give a name. Anyway, this is a fun series with a helpful spirit that will make you travel to Ireland in an armchair. (Review)
The boy in the red dress by Kristin Lambert
If you’ve got through this year so completely that you immediately want to be transferred to another, enjoy New Orleans 1929 at a New Orleans speakeasy. Don’t worry about the murder. (Review)
What You Don’t See (Cass Raines # 3) by Tracy Clark
This is a recent PI series with an ex-cop lead who is still friends with her ex, manages the apartment complex she lives in, and has a nun for a friend. Each book has been a satisfying puzzle with a character I enjoy hanging out with and who calls for the next book. And if you want a marathon, three books are absolutely doable. (Review)
Three by DA Mishani, Jessica Cohen (translator)
I highly recommend checking out Mishani’s work, and his latest is perfect for fans of suspense who don’t want to know what ride they’re on until it’s too late. (Review)
I hope you hear from Tom Ryan
This was so intense towards the end that it successfully took me from a tense IRL world to a fictional world where I screamed (loudly as if anyone could hear me), “Watch out!” When you mix YA mysteries with real crime -Like Podcasts, Enjoy! (Review)
A deadly inner shovel (Ice cream parlor secret # 1) by Abby Collette
A cozy one with a lot of descriptions of ice cream that I had to get straight into my cake hole. The bonus for me this year was that it had a really nice family and very little drama, meanness etc, even though there was a dead body. (Review)
Vera Kelly is no secret (Vera Kelly # 2) from Rosalie Knecht
Knecht started the series with a spy novel in contrast to the others and has now turned into a PI series. Both books focused on the story, which is rarely used in historical fiction. If you like character-based books the series is great. If you need more speed then start continuing. When you need a fresh, new voice, reach out to these books. (Review)
Deliberate myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries # 1) by Elizabeth C. Bunce
And here’s an absolutely delightful historical British mystery that follows a teenage detective with a passion for crime science. Do you think Enola Holmes and Flavia de Luce are pleasant. (Review)
