Witchy Cozy Mysteries, The Appeal of Cults, + More Mystery & Thriller Talk, September 13, 2024
Here’s some mystery goodness to usher you into the weekend! I have for you a couple new releases that include a murder mystery with a killer released from prison and a nonfiction work about cults. Then you’ll get a little witchy backlist and plenty of news for mystery fans!
Bookish Goods
Fall Bookmark by CardaDesignsCo
Whether the weather has actually started to change for you or you’re just trying to summon it, here’s a cute bookmark for autumn. $5.
New Releases
Zetas Till We Die by Amber Brown, Danielle Brown
For fans of reunion stories, secrets, and murder mysteries!
It’s been a decade since Priscilla graduated college and saw her sorority sisters. The last time they were together was when they were witnesses in a murder trial for their Zeta Phi Zeta sister Lupe. The sorority sisters helped send Lupe’s killer to prison, but now, just in time for their 10-year reunion party, he’s being released. The party wasn’t canceled because they wanted to honor Lupe but maybe it should have been since one of the sorority sisters has now disappeared. Clearly, they’re not safe.
Cult Following: The Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations―and Take Over Our Lives by J.W. Ocker
For fans of nonfiction and reading about cults!
If you want a book you can easily pick up when you have spare a bit of reading time that takes you into the history of cults and why people joined them, grab this book. You’ll get plenty of “hey did you know” facts alongside the psychology behind how people looking for specific communities found themselves in cults.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
If September is when you start the countdown to Halloween, run towards fall, and/or read witchy books in order to bathe in the vibes of the upcoming season, here are two cozy witch mysteries!
Black Witch Magic (Paranormal Hunters #1) by Mila Nicks
Selene Blackstone is a librarian and an outcast in her small town. The second part is because she’s believed to be a witch. Then Aiden O’Hare, a paranormal investigator, comes into town to investigate Selene’s grandmother, herself a fabled witch. Selene has to figure out how to stop Aiden as he digs deeper into a family mystery.
Bait and Witch (Witch Way Librarian Mysteries #1) by Angela M. Sanders
Josie Way is hiding in a Victorian mansion in Wilfred, Oregon, where she is awaiting a trial related to her uncovering of corruption at the Library of Congress. She may be in hiding but her sleuthing days aren’t over. She’s just stumbled upon a dead body! It’s a good thing that, along with her librarian skills, she’s about to find out she’s from a long line of witches meaning she has powers that can help her out in this situation.
News and Roundups
- Crime Fiction for Harris: Wednesday, September 18th at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET—Join 20-plus bestselling and beloved crime fiction authors for this free online event as they talk about their books, answer your questions, and discuss the importance of the election! You still have time to ask a bunch of awesome crime authors questions, too.
- Liberty and Vanessa chat new releases on All The Books!, including Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts, and Schemes by Laci Mosley and Zetas Till We Die by Amber and Danielle Brown!
- Watch the New Nickel Boys Trailer, Starring Daveed Diggs and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
- The Jane Mysteries: A Deadly Prescription on Hallmark+
- 9 Scary Supernatural Mysteries
- Jon Bernthal, Pablo Schreiber Join Tessa Thompson in His & Hers Limited Series at Netflix
- Anthony Zuiker Adapting The Quiet Tenant For TV With Charlize Theron & Dawn Olmstead’s Secret Menu And Blumhouse
Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2024 releases and mysteries from 2023. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!
Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.
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