Missing

 

Missing by E.A. Jackson publishes TODAY and it is such a solid debut. It follows DI Martha Allen, a sharp and tenacious detective who in 1990 is assigned to lead a high profile missing infant case in London. And this is the 1990s Met Police — still very much a boys club — so having a woman lead this investigation is a big deal.

Baby Bella Carpenter disappears from a hotel room. Martha works every lead, suspects the father, but before she can crack it — the baby turns up. A teenager named Nell brings her in, claiming she found the baby at a bus stop. Case closed. Except Martha never believed it. And that case haunts her for thirty years.

Flash forward to today. Nell is murdered. Martha isn’t investigating the murder — she’s finally going back to find the truth about what really happened to baby Bella. And the twist at the end? I did not see it coming.

And if you’re an audiobook listener, Nicola Walker’s narration is absolutely top notch. She brings Martha to life perfectly.

Missing by E.A. Jackson is out today. 4 stars from me and highly recommend. Thanks Simon Audio for the gifted copy. 

QOTD: Have you ever read a book with a twist you truly didn’t see coming?

#bookstagram #bookreview #audiobook #thrillerbooks #policeprocedural

About the Author

E.A. Jackson is an American transplanted to England. She was born in Philadelphia and lived in Iowa, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Cambridge, and Bristol before ending up in Exeter, where she now works as a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter.

In Her Defense

 

What happens when everyone in the courtroom is lying — including the witness?

In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka centers on a sensational libel trial where beloved TV star Anna Finbow accuses her daughter’s therapist of brainwashing her for financial gain. Told through three unreliable narrators, the story toggles between a London courtroom and flashbacks to Rome. And nobody is telling the whole truth.

This one didn’t fully land for me personally. I’m an action-oriented reader, and this leans much more literary fiction than thriller. The characters were hard to root for, and the central question — did a predatory therapist manipulate a vulnerable young woman to get her close to a “poor little rich girl”? — didn’t grip me the way I hoped. That said, the Rome setting was gorgeous. Narrator Anna Popplewell was outstanding. I had zero trouble telling characters apart. I found the ending was genuinely satisfying.

If you love psychological drama and morally complex women, this one’s for you. It’s a February Reese’s Book Club pick for a reason. Just know going in that it’s a slow burn. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook. All opinions are my own.

QOTD: what are you reading this week? 

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About the Author

Philippa Malicka was born in Essex and now lives in London. She is an alumnus of the Prose Fiction MA at the University of East Anglia. Her nonfiction has appeared in The Sunday Times (London), The Sunday Telegraph (London), and Grazia among others. In Her Defense is her first novel and has been longlisted for the Bridport First Novel Award.

Five for Friday: Five Mysteries and Thrillers Set in Ireland

 

☘️ Looking for a bookish way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Ireland’s beautiful landscapes make the perfect backdrop for dark secrets, twisty investigations, and unforgettable crime stories.

These mysteries and thrillers are all set in Ireland and showcase some terrific Irish crime writing—from gritty heists to small-town murder investigations.

If you enjoy atmospheric settings and suspenseful storytelling, these are great places to start.

📚 Have you read any of these?

QOTD: What’s a mystery or thriller set somewhere memorable?

#bookstagram #mysterybooks #thrillerbooks #irishcrimefiction #stpatricksdayreads

Three Bags Full

 

When a flock of sheep wakes one morning to find their beloved shepherd George lying dead in the field, they know something isn’t right. Humans may not realize it, but sheep are excellent observers. And this particular flock is determined to uncover the truth.

Leading the investigation is Miss Maple, the sharpest mind in the meadow. She’s joined by Mopple the Whale, a sheep with an enormous appetite and an even more impressive memory, along with the brave Othello and Zora, who tends to drift into existential musings. As the flock quietly watches the humans around them, they begin piecing together clues, puzzling over human behavior, and trying to determine what really happened to George.

Leonie Swann’s Three Bags Full is a delightfully unusual cozy mystery. The premise may sound whimsical, but it’s also surprisingly clever. The sheep’s observations about humans are funny,  and occasionally profound. Seeing human habits and motives through their eyes gives the story a fresh perspective that kept me smiling throughout.

This is definitely a slow-burn mystery that sometimes meanders a bit—much like sheep wandering through a meadow, but the charm of the flock more than makes up for it. These woolly detectives completely won me over.

There is one trigger warning associated with the story, so it may be worth checking beforehand if that’s something you prefer to know in advance.

This charming mystery was first published about 20 years ago, but it’s having a moment again because the movie adaptation is coming out in May. After watching the trailer, it looks pretty adorable.

Thank you to Soho Press for the delightful gifted copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What’s the quirkiest book you’ve ever read?

#threebagsfull #leonieswann #cozymystery #mysterybooks #bookreview #bookstagram #mysterylover #readmorebooks #bookrecommendations #theretiredlibrarian

About the Author

Leonie Swann grew up near Munich and earned degrees in philosophy, communications, and psychology from Munich University and the Munich School of Philosophy. Her debut novel, Three Bags Full, was published in 2005 and became an instant hit, leading the German bestseller charts for months. It has since been translated into twenty-six languages and won the prestigious Glauser Prize for crime fiction in the debut category, as well as the PETA Award. She has now published six books and lives and works in the English countryside near Cambridge.

The Last Hitman

 

He’s a retired hitman. Biggest threat in his life now? Boredom.

Until the FBI shows up and changes everything.

In The Last Hitman by Robin Yocum, Angelo Cipriani is an aging mob enforcer looking back on a lifetime spent working for the Fortuna crime family. But the world he knew is fading fast. The old boss is gone, and the new leadership has no use for relics from the past. Angelo is quietly pushed into retirement.

Now his days are simple. He has lunch at the diner and does a little harmless flirting with the waitress. He tries not to think too much about the life he left behind.

Then an ambitious FBI agent shows up with a proposition.

Talk and avoid prison. Stay silent and risk becoming a loose end the new boss decides to eliminate.

Angelo knows exactly how this story usually ends. But one thing an old hitman still knows how to do is settle a score.

This is a character-driven novel, and that’s where it shines. Angelo is surprisingly sympathetic. He’s even honorable in his own way despite the violence in his past. Yocum’s writing is crisp, and very compelling. He keeps the story moving while letting Angelo’s voice carry the weight of the narrative.

It’s one of those books you stumble across unexpectedly. It’s a hidden gem that deserves a lot more attention.

The audiobook narrator, Justin Price, is outstanding. He captures Angelo at different stages of his life with subtle shifts in tone and emotion that make the story feel even more intimate.

This is a solid, well-crafted crime novel with heart and a memorable main character. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What are you currently reading?

#books #bookrecs #bookrecommendations#audiobook #bookstagram #fyp

thriller books | crime fiction | bookish | book lover 

About the Author

Robin Yocum is known for his fiction set in the Ohio River Valley. He has authored two non-fiction books and six novels. His most recent novel, The Sacrifice of Lester Yates, was released in April of 2021 by Arcade CrimeWise, and was a finalist for the 2021 Dashiell Hammett Award for outstanding crime writing. Favorite Sons was named the 2011 Book of the Year for Mystery/Suspense by USA Book News. A Brilliant Death was a Barnes & Noble No. 1 bestseller and a finalist for both the 2017 Edgar Award and the Silver Falchion Award for best adult mystery. He also is the host of the true-crime podcast, Dead Before Deadline, which features stories Yocum covered when he was a police and investigative reporter for the Columbus Dispatch. 

A Killer in the Family

 

Is Ali Azaam the most oblivious man in any room — or the most dangerous?

A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad drops us into the world of Abbas Khan, a wealthy New York real estate tycoon with the kind of power that feels like a gift until it feels like a trap. When easygoing Mumbai party boy Ali enters an arranged marriage with Abbas’s daughter Maryam, he’s already making questionable choices — including an affair with Maryam’s older sister Farhan, who warns him to stay far away from her father’s world. Ali doesn’t listen.

This is a slow-burning, atmospheric read where everyone is smiling while they sharpen their knives. I spent the entire book genuinely unsure whether Ali was a fool who kept falling upward or someone quietly playing everyone around him — and that ambiguity is what makes this one stick.

A great pick for fans of Succession and family drama with teeth. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to Henry Holt & Co for the gifted ARC. A Killer in the Family publishes April 7.

QOTD: Do you like knowing if a character is good or bad, or do you love the mystery?

 #thrillerbooks #familydrama #bookreview #arcreview #bookstagram

About the Author

Amin Ahmad was raised in India and came to the United States at the age of seventeen. He worked as an architect for many years before turning to writing. He teaches creative writing at Duke University and lives in Durham, North Carolina with his family and a very mischievous cat.

Book Mail Monday

 

Publishers have been too kind lately and my shelves are suffering (in the best way). Huge thank you to the teams behind these -so thrilled to have early copies!

📖 Ascendants by Don Schechter (out 3/24) — set in 2060, where a groundbreaking discovery about the afterlife divides society into two genetic classes.

📖 Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan (out 8/11) — PI Annie Gore returns to the Appalachian Mountains when a client suspects her estranged father, one of the last infamous snake-handling preachers, may not have died from a fatal bite at all.

📖 Little Wild by Laura Evans (out 6/23) — set in Suffolk in 1937, two young women plan to escape society and live as lovers in London — until they’re discovered and everything falls apart.

📖 Shibby Magee by Carrie Kabak (out now!) — an Irish tragicomedy following Shibby across two defining life stages as she searches for belonging after her mother vanishes.

Thanks to Girl Friday Books, PR by the Book, Minotaur Books, and Henry Holt & Co for the gifted copies, and to author and Carrie Kabak for the gifted copy of Shibby Magee!

QOTD: which book would you read first? 

book mail | bookish | bookstagram | the retired librarian reads

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