Jamie Canavés is the Tailored Book Recommendations coordinator and Unusual Suspects mystery newsletter writer–in case you’re wondering what you do with a Liberal Arts degree. She’s never met a beach she didn’t like, always says yes to dessert, loves ‘80s nostalgia, all forms of entertainment, and can hold a conversation using only gifs. You can definitely talk books with her on Litsy and Goodreads. Depending on social media’s stability maybe also Twitter and Bluesky.
As we enter the holiday season, and start thinking about another year coming to an end, our reflections lead to a ton of Best of Lists. I always check them out because it’s a great way to find things I may have missed and I love seeing books I loved getting loved by others.
Because I enjoy — and put more stock into — the lists that give readers some kind of idea as to how the list was put together, I thought I’d give a little behind-the-curtain peek at my reading and how this list came to be:
- With a month and a half still to go, I’ve read 230+ books this year. Over 100 of them are squarely in the crime genre because this is one of my lifelong favorite genres and also because I write the Unusual Suspects newsletter. (Some fun reading stats: 30% of my reading this year was backlist, 65% of my reading was in audiobook format! 41 books were 5 stars, 39 books were 4.5 stars, and 66 books were 4 stars.)
- I read widely regarding themes, subgenres, categories, formats, and ages. Because of the volume of books I read, my tropes and favorite subgenres change and cycle regularly. While I will always reach for my favorite things lightning fast, I often read things that aren’t my cup of tea for the value of finding great books to recommend to readers.
- While putting this list together I noticed that I did not read many cozies this year which is the only reason one didn’t make it into my list.
- I picked the books that I personally loved and really liked, while also thinking about books that offer a great reading experience— for multiple reasons—beyond my tiny bubble.
- After picking my favorites I slotted them into a trope, subgenre, or vibe, and instead of giving you the plot of the book, generally, I tried to highlight what made it a Best Of pick.
The Long Arm Of History
What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
Wanda M. Morris blends the tropes of a lawyer returning home, family drama, and a small-town mystery and then inserts a unique narrator to shed light on the history of a particular property and a Geechee community.
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Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon
Marcie R. Rendon creates a wonderful voice in Quill, a woman training for a marathon who becomes obsessed with a missing person case. Readers get to see life on the Red Pine reservation in Minnesota, Quill’s family life and friendships, and the dangers faced by the community.
Legal / Journalism
Prima Facie by Suzie Miller
A lawyer navigating the legal system as a victim is a hell of a way to spotlight our rape culture—and the audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Jodie Comer (Killing Eve!).
Butter by Asako Yuzuki, Polly Barton (Translator)
An interview of a convicted female serial killer being by a workaholic journalist slowly unfolds into a fascinating exploration of women in journalism, the Japanese patriarchy, and how society judges women. Bonus: So many delicious scenes!
Historical
Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash
This is a darkly funny novel with a murder mystery and legal case that dives into the very real harm caused by the Satanic Panic in the ’80s.
In Want of a Suspect (A Lizzie and Darcy Mystery #1) by Tirzah Price
Despite being a neutral reader of Jane Austen, I found myself absolutely delighted to follow Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy as they team up to solve mysteries and navigate society’s rules— including the gossip around being an unchaperoned man and woman spending time together.
Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee
Lee wonderfully brings to life 1930s Hollywood and Chinatown through alternating POVs of two sisters who are determined to solve the murder of a Chinese actress—all while having to keep the family flower business afloat and fight off being forced to move.
True Crime Memoirs
Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts, and Schemes by Laci Mosley
On the surface, this is a funny and fun book because Mosley’s personality shines through (especially her audiobook narration), but the book also has plenty to chew on in separating the harmful-people-causing-harm scams from the people-trying-to-survive-in-a-society-with-systems-built-against-them kind, and all the gray areas in between.
Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System—and Pocketed $40 Million by Tanya Smith
Tanya Smith has written a memoir about her life of crime in a way that had me rooting for her and wishing I had a time machine to go back in time to stop her from doing only one thing: dating losers.
Packs a Suspenseful Punch
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
In a time when so many mystery books are wrongly being labeled as thrillers, it was a joy to read a thriller with a hell of an opening hook (the lead doesn’t know if she is a murderer or not!), a fictional true crime podcast, plenty of sarcasm, and a hilarious grandma!
Havoc by Christopher Bollen
I love a book that sneaks up on you, and this slowburn suspense about Maggie Burkhardt—a meddling octogenarian widow living in a hotel who finds herself in a dangerous battle with an eight-year-old child—certainly does.
Will Read Anything Author Writes
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller
In my review of Chanel Miller’s memoir, Know My Name, I talked about how exceptional her writing was and that if she ever decided to write another book I would automatically read it. So I was thrilled to see that she wrote a middle grade book filled with heart and humor as two friends navigate NY in order to find the owners of single socks left behind in a laundromat. May this be the beginning of a long and fruitful writing career.
You Should Be Reading These Series
Guide Me Home (Highway 59 #3) by Attica Locke
I added Locke’s Highway 59 series in my Best Mysteries of the Past 10 Years list so it’s only natural—and deserving!— that the conclusion be on my Best Mysteries of 2024 list. Locke finished this trilogy leaving me deeply missing Texas Ranger Darren Mathews while equally being completely satisfied with his story.
The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues (The Swifts #2) by Beth Lincoln, Claire Powell (Illustrator)
This is a love letter to mysteries and language with a zany family and fun adventure. Adult me loves this series as much as child me would have.
A Grave Robbery (Veronica Speedwell #9) by Deanna Raybourn
As a huge fan of non-compliant women in history (and today), this is a natural fit for me. But Raybourn also adds really interesting history, funny scenes, a sarcastic lead, adventure, romance, and fun mystery-solving for a winning series with wide appeal. Did I mention the mystery this time involves a wax museum statue that turns out to be a real (murdered) human?!
A Ruse of Shadows (Lady Sherlock #8) by Sherry Thomas
My favorite Sherlock is a delightful woman who loves to eat dessert, bucks at society’s rules, and brilliantly solves mysteries with her friends (Watson included!) and lover. Hollywood is leaving all the money on the table every day that it isn’t adapting this series.
The Hunter (Cal Hooper #2) by Tana French
Tana French continues to excel at deeply sinking readers into characters’ lives in Ireland as human nature, paired with a mystery, slowly reveals itself.
And because books don’t expire, and these should be out in paperback now, I’ll leave you with 10 Great 2023 Mysteries You May Have Missed.
English (US) · 