With masterful storytelling, King builds a world within each short story that feels immediate, sometimes

In a world of the near future, a young (unnamed) woman is one of several civil servants offered a mysterious

an immensely readable book rich in period detail, great dialogue, and satisfying elements of love, mystery

Feared and mysterious, Zetian is paired with the most controversial male pilot around, Li Shimin.

an immensely readable book rich in period detail, great dialogue, and satisfying elements of love, mystery

Old Hollywood starlet; and A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske's fantastical Edwardian England story of mystery

Krueger also wrote Ordinary Grace, which I reviewed on the blog here, and he writes a mystery series

After long months of mystery and suffering and tests that went nowhere, she finally received a diagnosis

In Nikki Erlick's debut novel, one morning, each adult around the world receives a mysterious box with

But when one of Cara's eight remaining selves mysteriously dies while she is world walking, shocking and he's got two dead crewmates, a chatty AI robot caregiver, a lot of complicated equipment, and a mysterious

Miranda uses the framework of a famous fictional rescue story to imagine the characters' turmoil and desperate coping mechanisms, crafting a fascinating look at the depths beneath their surfaces. When they say: The girl from Widow Hills, remember? What they were reaching back for weren’t your memories—they were their own. That girl is frozen in time, with her beginning, middle, and end: victim, endurance, triumph. It was a good story. A good feeling. A good ending. Fade to black. As if, when the daily news moved on, and the articles ended, and the conversations turned, it was all over. As if it weren’t just beginning. Arden Maynor was a small child when she sleepwalked into a storm and was washed away. Three days later, she was recovered in a miraculous series of events that ended up with her rescue and removal from a storm drain. "The girl from Widow Hills" was instantly famous and would be forever. Anniversaries of the event, her mother's book about the experience, and a community that wouldn't allow her to forget--all of these drove Arden to move and then move again, eventually changing her name to Olivia, leaving behind her mother--who was slowly destroyed by the fame and relentless attention--and led Olivia to speak of the experience to no one in an attempt to become someone without the yoke of that sensational story. Now Olivia is sleepwalking again, and she can't be entirely sure what she does in the night. Someone from her past has resurfaced, and he could reveal her carefully hidden secrets and ruin everything. When evidence of brutal violence emerges close to home, Olivia wonders if someone is protecting her or possibly seeking some kind of revenge--and if that someone might even be Olivia herself. I found the ending of the book gloriously terrifying. The last few pages felt a little disjointed from the story and odd. But the familiar echoes of a story like "baby Jessica in the well," the media frenzy, and the public's emotional investment were a intriguing framework for Miranda's story. She takes a famous fictional rescue story and imagines the characters' turmoil and desperately cobbled-together coping mechanisms, crafting a fascinating look at the depths beneath. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? My book club heard Miranda talk about this book at a virtual library foundation event in the fall, and she hooked us on the story. She's also the author of All the Missing Girls, which I thought was interesting in its structure (it begins in the present day after a series of disturbing events and works backward in time chapter by chapter), as well as The Perfect Stranger and The Last House Guest. I mentioned this book (along with The Fate of the Tearling and I Was Told It Would Get Easier) in the Greedy Reading List Three Books I'm Reading Now, 2/17/21 Edition.

Mystery series with strong female protagonists?

can't let go of the fear that he might have targeted her specifically, and feels as though solving the mystery

Before crossing over from the living forever, Wallace spends time in a mysterious in-between place (a

relationship with her first husband, William, and reflects on the fact that he has always been somewhat of a mystery

Marie Benedict is also the author of The Other Einstein, The Mystery of Mrs.

Thomas Silkstone series and the Constance Piper Mystery series as well as The Light We Left Behind),

French offers a gloriously unlikely friendship, traces the dangers ricocheting through a sometimes claustrophobic small community, and finally offers answers and a path forward, if not clean and clear resolutions. What do I love more than a Tana French book, a retired detective story, or an Irish setting? Nothing. There is nothing I love more than any of these setups, except all three in one. I saved French's newest book to savor it over the holidays. When The Searcher begins, retired cop Cal Hooper has moved from Chicago, the site of his complicated career, his terrible divorce, and everything he knows, to the peace and quiet of rural Ireland. He's trying to keep his head down, work on his dilapidated house, get an occasional beer at the pub, not get forced into a romantic setup by a busybody neighbor, and adopt a good little mutt. He's got no jurisdiction and isn't interested in carrying any responsibility for police work anymore anyway. But when a skittish young boy with nowhere else to turn asks him for help, Cal finds that he can't refuse. French offers a gloriously unlikely friendship, traces the dangers ricocheting through a sometimes claustrophobic small community, and finally offers answers and a path forward, if not clean and clear resolutions. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? French is the author of six books in the Dublin Murder Squad series: In the Woods, The Likeness (my absolute favorite of hers), Faithful Place, The Trespasser, Broken Harbor, and The Secret Place, plus the stand-alone Witch Elm. I mentioned this book in the Greedy Reading List Three Books I'm Reading Now, 12/22/20.

Everyone assumes she killed Savvy, and Lucy can't escape the suspicions and resentment surrounding the mysterious

Notice, Browder traces his path from Wall Street to the Soviet Union after its breakup--and the crimes, mysteries

01 The Searcher by Tana French What do I love more than a Tana French book, a retired detective story, or an Irish setting? Nothing. There is nothing I love more than any of these setups, except all three in one. I've been saving French's newest book because I've had such high hopes that it would be stellar, so my fingers are crossed. Retired cop Cal Hooper moves from Chicago, the site of his complicated career, his terrible divorce, and everything he knows, to the peace and quiet of rural Ireland. He's trying to keep his head down, work on his dilapidated house, get an occasional beer at the pub, not get forced into a romantic setup by a busybody neighbor, and adopt a good little mutt. He's got no jurisdiction and isn't interested in carrying any responsibility for police work anymore anyway. But when a skittish young boy with nowhere else to turn asks him for help, Cal finds that he can't refuse. French is the author of six books in the Dublin Murder Squad series: In the Woods, The Likeness (my absolute favorite of hers), Faithful Place, The Trespasser, Broken Harbor, and The Secret Place, plus the stand-alone Witch Elm. 02 One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus Five loosely linked Bayview High students walk into detention on Monday afternoon, all busted for having phones in class. The phones in question didn't belong to them, so none of them should even be there. But before they can put together the pieces and determine who might have wanted to get them all together in that room, one of them is dead. The gossip site run by the deceased student made him detested and feared. And he was about to publish some juicy, devastating tidbits about each of his detention partners. Did one of them want so desperately to stop him that they would kill to keep him quiet? In this first book in the One of Us Is Lying series, McManus takes us through each of the suspects in their own points of view. I love an unreliable narrator setup like this, and I'm listening to this as an audiobook so I like that I hear each character's voice. I can't wait to find out the big reveal. Also, my teenager already read this and is peppering me with questions about what's happening and what I think is happening, so I need to finish it quickly so we can discuss it. 03 In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren Twentysomething Mae is spending the holidays yet again with her parents' college friends and their families. She's not satisfied in her job, she's unhappily single, she still lives with her parents--and she just kissed the wrong boy, the younger brother of her true obsession. In despair about having had a rotten holiday and about the mistakes she feels she's made, Mae makes a plea to the universe to show her what would truly make her happy. Suddenly she's plunged back in time to begin the holiday anew and try to get things right, Groundhog Day-style. In a Holidaze feels like a romantic holiday read that might be perfect for this pre-Christmas week. I reviewed Lauren's The Unhoneymooners a couple of weeks ago. The author duo also wrote the fun and romantic Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating as well as Love and Other Words and the lovely, lovely Autoboyography. What are you reading now? I'm so excited about each of these books. French's book is starting off really strong, and One of Us Is Lying has me hooked. I'm fighting a little irritation at the moment with some implausible early details in Holidaze, which I sometimes struggle with in lighter fiction. I don't anticipate having any trouble with Mae's being whisked through time, but I do want the early interpersonal setups to feel real and not contrived. I'll report back on all three of these holiday-week reads once I've finished! I hope you're managing some peaceful downtime and time to read something you love.

In Williams's historical fiction mystery, four years later, Iris's twin sister Ruth finally receives

Nonfiction Books I've Read This Year Six Lighter Fiction Stories for Great Escapism Six Historical Fiction Mysteries to Intrigue You Six Illuminating Memoirs I've Read This Year The Six Best Mysteries I Read Last Year For my full review, see Utopia Avenue. 04 Long Bright River by Liz Moore Long Bright River is a mystery disappears and a string of murders rock the community, everyone is suspect and Mickey's desire to solve the mystery

Feared and mysterious, Zetian is matched with the most controversial, deadly male pilot around, Li Shimin

examines her relationship with her first husband and considers how he has always been somewhat of a mystery

Inside, the mysterious Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul prescribes medicine to those looking for support

--she's left behind everything she knows in a desperate attempt to make things right by keeping her mysterious

reads of the past month include, in no particular order: The Maid, Nita Prose's recently published mystery Prose offers a surprising amount of heart and a unique main protagonist in this lighthearted murder mystery

, although Al developed a peaceful attitude about the ongoing mystery.

The mother-daughter dynamic and home situation is possibly intended to be dramatic and mysterious, but Margot wants to get to the bottom of a big mystery.

But when one of Cara's eight remaining selves mysteriously dies while she is world walking, shocking Notice, Browder traces his path from Wall Street to the Soviet Union after its breakup--and the crimes, mysteries

Patrick Radden Keefe is a master of compelling, important nonfiction.

In town, she'll always be known as The Girl Who Solved a Murder Mystery by Talking to Ghosts, with all

band-centered stories, but luckily for us readers, I seem to be dead wrong, because so many authors are masters their mesmerizing lead singer Daisy, the group's complicated interpersonal conflicts, and the band's mysterious

In the fifth installment of the mystery series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. A woman recognizes him and impulsively spills the story of her mother Margot Bamborough's mysterious

unplanned pregnancy; the real story of a beloved figure from stage, film, and song; a missing-person mystery

Then a mysterious, wealthy matriarch preys upon Amina's need for funds--and her desire for one final,

Orphaned in Canton by cholera and brought to London by Professor Lovell, a mysterious figure, Robin trains

She disappears from her family and leaves behind a tragic mystery, while in her forays through new worlds

A mysterious prisoner from the front arrives who could be friend or foe, and our main protagonist Talin

Deadly Waters was not the book I thought it was going to be. It's a revenge fantasy, but the issues at the heart of the story are real and weighty and important. Rebecca Sorley is a responsible, even-keel college student in Florida, and she's trying to get good grades, keep her scholarship, spend time with her friends--and keep an eye on her hot-tempered roommate, Ellie. Ellie's vocally open about her fury at what many of her fellow female students have to put up with from young men who won't hear no and don't treat women with respect. She's known for getting into tussles with men trying to prey upon women. But the men's behavior seems to be getting more aggressive, more entitled, and more dangerous, and Ellie can't fight off every man on behalf of every woman who needs protection. Then some of their most offensive and reportedly abusive male classmates start turning up dead--killed by alligators, but under suspicious circumstances. It's starting to seem like a vigilante killer may be on the loose, taking justice into his or her own hands. And the response from the college community isn't completely damning--young women begin speaking publicly about their attacks and attackers rather than only whispering in bathrooms to trusted friends. The women are becoming less afraid--but the young men who have behaved abominably and often criminally are rightfully growing terrified. It's starting to look to Rebecca and their other roommates as though Ellie's fight against injustice and predation might have taken a turn toward homicide. Could she--would she do such a thing? The college friends have strong bonds of loyalty; they sometimes behave impulsively; and they are appropriately young and wild at times. But the group has two young women connected closely to them who have been permanently debilitated related to attacks by men, and the women's primary concern is keeping themselves and each other safe. They sometimes have to go to great lengths to do so because everyday dangers loom around every corner in the form of men who feel entitled to use women however they want. This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I imagined that the alligator angle might make for a campy revenge fantasy. And it is revenge fantasy. But the issues Hutchison explores are very real and weighty, and there is far more meat to this story than I expected. The author builds a framework in Deadly Waters of brutalized women's fear and anger, establishes the problematic societal "conversation" between some men and women (males' groping, lewd comments, and entitlement; females' rejection presented as rude, unacceptable, or simply ignored), and she reinforces how infrequently men are prosecuted for their abusive actions. Hutchison is setting the stage for an enraged fire of backlash--and she delivers on it. The deaths are brutal, yet they do feel like some version of justice to those who have been victimized. And the homicides seems to be shifting the tide of power and changing men's behavior in general. Even the most reasonable and calm friend in the group is pushed to ask at one point, regarding suspicions that Ellie may be behind the deaths of the men, "How do I condemn Ellie for taking a terrible action--maybe taking a terrible action--when I'm so damn grateful for the results?" Deadly Waters was really interesting in ways I didn't anticipate, and I also like Hutchison's writing style very much. (A horrifying side note: did you know alligators can climb trees?!? I almost fainted when I confirmed that this was true. Make it stop. No.) I received a prepublication copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer. What did you think? Hutchison wrote The Collector series, which I haven't read, but it looks well received, and I intend to. (The Butterfly Garden is the first book.) I also saw in the author's bio that she once worked at the Renaissance Faire as a human combat chess piece, and I believe this is information that should be shared, because it is clearly amazing. I first mentioned Deadly Waters in the Greedy Reading List Three Books I'm Reading Now, 9/22/20 Edition.

I mentioned this book (along with the new mystery The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins and the young adult

(Kate Burkholder #13) by Linda Castillo I'm listening to the audiobook version of Linda Castillo's mystery-suspense

We Begin at the End is a great character-driven, suspenseful mystery. If you like character-driven suspense and mystery books, you might also like John Hart's (grittier) books

boast forces Miryem into a position of meeting the tsar's impossible challenge, she finds that the mysterious interesting read. 05 The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo The Night Tiger is a wonderful historical fiction mystery I listed this book in the Greedy Reading List Six Historical Fiction Mysteries to Intrigue You. 06 Uprooted

Looking for Jane is a story of women living in three timelines who are linked through decades by a mysterious

A mysterious prisoner from the front arrives who could be friend or foe, and our main protagonist Talin world-renowned physicist working to unlock the secrets of the hand and the curious artifacts, but the mysteries

This lighthearted aspect of this mystery reminds me a little bit of Finley Donovan Is Killing It, but

A smart master thief bends time and finds her loyalties divided in turn-of-the-century New York. I appreciated the character of Esta as a smart master thief who can bend time, and I loved the 1901 New

stories by a favorite author; a vulnerable celebrity memoir; the latest loooong installment in a favorite mystery