We were in Missoula a couple of weeks ago visiting my brother-in-law and niece, so I didn't spend as much time online as I would have normally. I did enjoy some great books while I was gone and my husband and youngest two daughters ran the half marathon there while my oldest daughter, her fiance and I watched.
I've enjoyed reading through a variety of "favorites for the first half of 2024" posts on Instagram, but haven't created my own list. I've read 150 books this year, so picking only ten that are standouts seems impossible. There are a few genres of books I've been gravitating to lately: rom coms and mysteries.
These six mysteries/novels of suspense have all been hard to put down.
Love Letters To A Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell was easy to get into. Hannah starts writing an accused serial killer as he is in prison awaiting his trial. After losing her job, she heads to Georgia to attend the trial and starts doing her own research on who might really have committed the murders of several young women. She and William have shared letters back and forth and after he is acquitted of the murders, the two continue their relationship in person, while Hannah still tries to decide if William could actually be guilty of the crimes.
A Talent For Murder by Peter Swanson - Swanson is an author who I enjoy and this is no exception. Martha and Alan are newlyweds. They seem happy, but Martha has always felt as though she doesn't really know her new husband. Alan is often away for work and when Martha sees a spot of blood on his shirt after he returns home from a trip, she starts investigating if there have been any crimes that occurred during the times he has been in different cities. Suddenly Martha is suspecting that her husband is a murderer. This one is full of twists- some a little unbelievable. However, it's fast and will keep you turning pages.
The Unwedding by Ally Condie- Ellery travels solo to a resort in Big Sur where she had planned to spend her 20th wedding anniversary. Now, split up from her husband, Luke, Ellery is dealing with being single once more. Things at the resort are focused on a big wedding that's about to take place. But Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool. Before law enforcement is able to investigate, a mudslide makes roads impassable and the guests are trapped at the resort. This one was not my favorite. Although the premise was good, I found myself much more interested in Ellery's backstory which was slowly revealed throughout the novel.
The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant - I loved Grant's These Silent Woods and this one was hard to put down as well. Emlyn is living by herself in her trailer in Idaho. She no longer speaks to her best friend Janessa but when Janessa, a social media star, seems to have disappeared, Tyler, Emlyn's ex-boyfriend (and also Janessa's best friend while growing up), shows up and wants Emlyn's help finding her. This story moves back and forth in time periods, slowly revealing what happened between Emlyn and Tyler.
How The Light Gets In by Louise Penny is the ninth in her Three Pines series. I have slowly been working my way through these books and the further into the series I get, the more I love them. This installment deals with Beauvoir's addiction to drugs and at this point he and Gamache no longer are speaking. Gamache is busy trying to figure out what happened to an elderly woman who was killed in her home - and upon further investigation it is revealed that she was one of a famous set of quintets. And there is another more sinister mystery occurring as well as Gamache is able to uncover corruption in the police force.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - this is the first in a series and as usual, I expect it will grow on me more as the series develops. Four septuagenarians at a retirement community meet weekly to discuss unsolved crimes. They, along with a female cop who is on her first big case, work together to solve a murder. These characters are fun and I'm excited to read the next one in this series as well as watch them as they are now in production.
We've got a couple college visits scheduled for today with my youngest daughter. Since my husband is going along, I am packing several books with the hopes that I can enjoy a few more great books.
1 comment:
My goodness, your girls have grown up! They are lovely and as I've been reading your updates for many years, it's good to hear how they are doing. I've read two of the mysteries you mentioned - the Louise Penny book and also the Richard Osman book. I'm excited to see how The Thursday Murder Club translates to movie/TV. As to Gamache and company, Beauvoir is one of my favorite characters and I love how she presents his struggles with addiction. You've got some good books to come in that series. Hope you have a good week!!
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