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As I was looking at the list of books I have read so far this year, I wasn’t surprised to see how many of them are mysteries. I tend to gravitate toward mysteries when life is busy and my mind needs something “easy” to absorb. And this year is another that has been very busy both personally and professionally.
Since I haven’t written too many blog posts this year, I thought it might be fun to combine and just give a quick run down of the mysteries I have been reading and a quick “review” of each.
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano: A fun, entertaining story about divorced author Finlay Donovan whose struggles to pay her bills leads her to become an accidental contract killer – and not a very savvy one. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and am eagerly awaiting the next installment being published in February.
Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda: A cliquey, annoyingly suburban block is on edge when the suspected murderer of a neighborhood couple is released from jail and comes back to the neighborhood. Not Miranda’s finest, but readable.
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica: I got totally sucked in to this one. 11 years after mysteriously disappearing with her mother, Delilah returns home and the case of her mother’s death and another missing woman is once again brought into question.
Dream Girl by Laura Lippman: A pompous novelist suffers a freak accident leaving him bedridden and leading him to question the motives of those around him and eventually his own sanity. This one hit a little close to home as I read it while stuck on the couch with a fractured foot. And Tess Monaghan makes a guest appearance (one of my favorite characters).
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict: Before reading this, I was not aware of the true story of Agatha Christie’s mysterious absence for 11 days, but I enjoyed the fictional explanation for her disappearance.
One by One by Ruth Ware: Another excellent offering from Ruth Ware, this time set in the mountains of France. Employees of a successful startup gather for a “retreat,” but are instead met with chaos – interpersonal drama, harrowing skiing, deaths, and an avalanche which strands the party at their staffed ski chalet without electricity or water – and will leave most guessing until the end.
Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardener: Frankie Elkin is a nomad who moves from place to place working unsolved missing persons cases. She arrives in a tough Boston neighborhood where she quickly ingratiates herself among a normally distrustful community to find a missing girl.
The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel: Set in the Ozarks, Eve Taggert is determined to learn what happened to her 12 year old daughter, June. She is forced to face the impact of her chaotic childhood with her drug-dealing mother and over-protective-turned-local-cop brother as she searches for answers. This one has more character development and some twists, but a quick (too quick?) resolution.
It doesn’t seem that the business of 2021 is letting up, so I expect to read more mysteries and hope to post another batch at the end of the year!