Here’s a roundup of things that should be on mystery fans’ radars, from recent Best Of Lists to news!
The Best Of 2024 Mystery Lists Have Begun
Barnes & Noble was first out of the gate with this year’s Best of Books lists, and I have a lot of questions about The Best Mystery & Thrillers of 2024 — all stemming from the list’s one giant problem. To be clear, I don’t have issues with the actual books on the list, I do have all the side eye for what is missing from this list: out of 21 books there is only one author of color. (Not sure why that page has 21 books and their announcement page has 20 but my point stands either way.)
With the caveat that I have a terrible memory, have so far read just over 200 books this year, and I have yet to get to my December-releasing pile, I can add six books off the top of my head that belong on this list along with Ramona Emerson’s Exposure: The Return of Ellie Black, Guide Me Home, What You Leave Behind, Butter, Where They Last Saw Her, and A Midnight Puzzle. And that is leaving off all YA/MG mysteries since the B&N mystery list only focused on adult titles.
Which brings me to my questions: How is this list selected? Did one person pick from the books they read this year? If so, did they read widely? Was it a selection factor that led to almost half of the books having a B&N edition? Did marketing factor in? The sales numbers throughout the year? Did multiple people approve this list?
Publisher’s Weekly also put out their Best Of 2024 list, and solely in comparison to B&N, the mystery list is not as bad, but it’s still not good in representation either. PW did choose Looking For Smoke as a best title of the year, but it is in their YA section.
John Grisham Poached Material for New Book, Media Outlets Say
John Grisham’s newest book, Framed, is a work of nonfiction that looks at ten wrongful conviction cases. In a review of the book for The New York Times, criminal reporter Maurice Chammah wrote, “’Grisham relies so heavily on Pamela Colloff’s 2018 reporting’ that ‘simply mentioning her work in a note at the end does not feel adequate.’” The New York Times and ProPublica agree and want Colloff better attributed in the book: “’We are in conversation with the publisher to correct this very concerning oversight and ensure the original work receives appropriate credit,’ ProPublica said in its statement.” You can see some examples of the claimed “more than 50 examples of close similarities between Colloff’s articles and Grisham’s writing.” in The Washington Post’s article.
Ruth Ware on Reality Dating Shows and Agatha Christie
Ruth Ware fans have a new podcast episode of Criminal Types to check out. Ware talks about many things, including survival thrillers and reality TV, which relate to her newest book release, One Perfect Couple.
The Menendez Brothers’ Case
(As of me writing this) The Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, who wanted to ask a judge for resentencing for Erik and Lyle Menendez, says he is now supporting the clemency request the Menendez brothers’ attorney put through to California Governor Gavin Newsom. “‘I strongly support clemency for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are currently serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole. They have respectively served 34 years and have continued their educations and worked to create new programs to support the rehabilitation of fellow inmates,’ Gascón said in a statement.” The Los Angeles Times has all the details.
Adaptation News
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 Goodreads, and Litsy.
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