Mysteries (OR ARE THEY?): Part 1

No, really, they are mysteries. Edition #38

Friends, you want to know a reading mind-bender? For alllll the books we’ve talked about over all these weeks, mysteries really haven’t come up much at all. What? How ?!? And also what again?

Fine, this wasn’t, like, a Da Vinci code-level mindbender, but I still think it’s peculiar considering that, like so many people, I love mysteries, and I read a lot of mysteries. That said, I think most mysteries bleed into one another without being truly remarkable or memorable, which makes it rather difficult to recommend them. Mostly, they’re - fine! A better-than-average way to spend a few hours! But not something you will look back on for long.

I think that’s one of the reasons we love a series of mysteries, where you’re following the characters over multiple installments. That way you get the thrill and tension of a mystery with the unfolding depth of characterization. (You can find my favorite series of mysteries here - so many great ones from Flavia de Luce to the Harlan Coben books to the Tana French series.)

But there are some standalone mysteries that have kept with me for weeks, months, years due to a combination of great characters, taut pacing, and provocative scenarios, and that hopefully aren’t the Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train mysteries that everyone has read (but you should read those).

So get your Sherlock hat on (we all loved the Benedict Cumberbatch series, yes, of course?) and let’s talk about some mysteries! FYI: this will be part one of the list; part two coming next week.

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In many ways, Long Bright River is a standard police procedural thriller about a female cop, whose addicted sister goes missing amid a series of murders in Philadelphia. But it’s the unusual compassion for her characters, as well as the refusal to play into the “police = heroes, suspects = criminals” trope that makes this a standout.

I know it’s not cool, but I really enjoyed The Alienist, so much so that I’ve read it multiple times even though I know whodunit. A tense murder mystery set against 1900-era New York City, but with a witty narrator, wide-ranging cast of characters, and a deep psychological analysis of society, femininity and motherhood. Plus, the wealth and squalor of the NYC setting is beautifully illustrated.

Confession: I only just finished The Thursday Murder Club so while I have no real data that this will stay with me for a while, I already love it. Four residents of a retirement village have formed a “Murder Club” to review unsolved police cases, when they suddenly find themselves in a murder investigation. SO charming. SO fun. SUCH a merry gang of crimebusters, with just enough graceful reminders of aging, loss, and love to give it a lot of heart. (Shout out to my friend and reader Danielle, the best source of cozy mysteries.)

If you love an escapist mystery with good old-fashioned feints and bread crumbs — The Guest List, about a murder during a wedding party, is for you. Competing points of view keep you guessing, and the ominous atmosphere of an Irish island in the midst of a storm. I’m not sure it will be, you know, studied in schools in 100 years or anything, but as a vacation mystery read, it reads a bit like Agatha Christie, or a serious “Knives Out” with a cast of unreliable characters trapped together in an increasingly oppressive situation. If you like mysteries, you’ll like this!

Lastly - I go back and forth on recommending the Cormoran Strike books. Pro: they’re very well-plotted, interestingly characterized and unusually well-written for mysteries. Con: they’re extremely grisly and violent, and the author Robert Galbraith (AKA JK Rowling) has, shall we say, made more news with her troubling views rather than her fictionally troubling scenarios. So - caveat lector!

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If you’re new here in town …

1. Hi! Readers are my favorite kinds of people!

2. It’s not all mysteries every week, so if this is not your type of book, please stick around! And in the meantime, you can check out the archive for all manner of book recommendations, like fiction that leaves a mark, some good non-fiction reads, or even some YA fiction that adults can love.

3. All links above go to Bookshop.org because independent bookstores are awesome!