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There's a new mystery series in town! Scorched Grace (2023), by Margot Douaihy, is the first of the Sister Holiday Mysteries; it also happens to be the first novel published by Gillian Flynn Books.

Night Film (2013), the latest novel by Marisha Pessl, author of Special Topics in Calamity Physics, recently caught my attention as I browsed audio books. Post-holidays, I wanted something entertaining and gripping, a mystery or thriller to spice things up a bit.

Glory Broussard, a Black woman with vivid memories of segregation in her hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, likes her routine. After church on Sundays, she settles in at her table in the local coffee shop to run her bookie business. She volunteers with the Red Hat Society, and the rest of the time, seems to be going through the motions after her divorce and the death of her mother.

I have been a fan of Jennifer McMahon’s books ever since I read The Invited several years ago, and her latest novel, My Darling Girl (2023), might be her best one yet!

Strange Sally Diamond (2023) by Liz Nugent begins like a darker Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, but soon takes a turn into a much more sinister, disturbing story.

The Silent Patient (2019) is an amazing psychological thriller that takes you into the mind of, not only the title patient Alicia, but also into that of a psychotherapist.

One morning an elevator in a New York skyscraper plunges to the ground, killing four people. The next morning, in a different building, another person dies in an elevator incident. By the third day, when another elevator crashes in a different building, it's clear that these are not accidents. Are these attacks targeted or random? Who is behind these attacks and why and how are they happening? With so much of the city only accessible by elevator, New York City comes to a standstill.

A Dreadful Splendor (2022) by B.R. Myers is a fun blend of mystery and romance, sprinkled with a little bit of spooky.

What happened to Violet Volk? Ten years ago, the celebrity magician disappeared during a show. Acts of Violet (2022) is a compelling, suspenseful story that alternates between the perspective of Violet’s younger sister Sasha and a mix of podcast episodes, interview transcripts, emails, and newspaper articles.

A League of Nobleman (2023) is a Chinese historical mystery TV series. It follows Zhang Ping, a poor orphan from the countryside who is making his living as a noodle seller in the capital while studying for the exam to become a government official. His dream is to someday join the Ministry of Justice and solve crimes. In the meantime, he has earned the nickname “Noodle Detective” through his efforts to solve minor everyday mysteries for his neighbors.

I really enjoyed listening to the newest book by Sally Hepworth, The Soulmate (2023), because it had many elements of a great audiobook.