The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths and more mysteries

THE STRANGER DIARIES by Elly Griffiths is a “modern gothic mystery” which I picked up because it was recommended for fans of Magpie Murders and The Lake House. Good suggestion!  In this suspenseful standalone work, multiple narrators describe the happenings at Talgarth High in West Sussex, near Chichester, where a young teacher, Ella Elphick, has been murdered.  Clare Cassidy also teaches English there – in fact, one of her favorite short stories is called “The Stranger” and she is trying to write a book about the author who had lived at the school. Clare is an avid writer, keeping a diary and recording thoughts (which provide some flashback details) about her co-workers, her teenage daughter, Georgie, and ex-husband, Simon. Soon, there is more than one death and Clare, other teachers, and even students are falling under suspicion of the local police, especially Harbinder Kaur (another narrator and well-developed character). THE STRANGER DIARIES is a melodramatic, almost creepy story with some surprising twists and several literary allusions. Tempting to read and enjoy in one sitting! There is plenty of agreement: Booklist (which recommended it for teens, too) and Library Journal gave THE STRANGER DIARIES starred reviews, plus it was chosen as a LibraryReads selection for March 2019 and named Best Crime Book of the Year by the London Times.

 

If you are looking instead for a mystery that’s “cute and cozy,” try SOMETHING READ, SOMETHING DEAD by Eva Gates. It takes place on North Carolina’s Outer Banks and local librarian, Lucy Richardson, and friends are helping plan the wedding of Josie O'Malley to restauranteur Jake Greenblatt. All is going fairly well until Josie’s grandmother arrives to take charge and create a more elaborate wedding feast. Soon, one of her wedding consultants is dead, the bride-to-be is a chief suspect, and Lucy has a mystery to solve in this fifth Lighthouse Library mystery. Eva Gates is a national bestselling author who has also been published under the name Vicki Delany. 

Mystery and more ...

THE 7½ DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE by debut author Stuart Turton is fabulous and slightly crazy – a truly unique, adventuresome and challenging mystery which fans will definitely enjoy.  Seriously, I started the ebook version and thought maybe the pages were somehow out of order. This is most certainly a twisty tale – think Gosford Park’s house party mystery filled with time travel on steroids. Don’t believe me? Consider the review from best-selling author Sarah Pinborough: "If Agatha Christie and Terry Pratchett had ever had LSD-fuelled sex, then THE 7½ DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE would be their acid trip book baby....this is a locked room mystery like no other."

I will not inadvertently give away any surprises because I am only about a third of the way through this intriguing debut mystery. I simply could not wait to alert readers to this mystery title, especially since Turton's work received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, is a LibraryReads selection for September and is also highly anticipated by publications like Harper's Bazaar and Marie Claire – Enjoy! 

A favorite quote:  “Do you know how you can tell if a monster's fit to walk the world again, Mr. Bishop? If they're truly redeemed and not just telling you what you want to hear? You give them a day without​ consequences, and you watch to see what they do with it.”  ― Stuart Turton

I also really enjoy the Sam Blackman myatery series (beginning with Blackman’s Coffin) and its emphasis on literature and historical locales or events. Until recently, I did not realize that author Mark de Castrique had another series (Buryin’ Barry) which includes the newly released title SECRET UNDERTAKING.  Here, the main character is Barry Clayton, undertaker and part-time deputy near Gainesboro, North Carolina.  In this new mystery, Barry and Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins set out to solve two – then three – violent murders in the county which appear to be related to convenience stores and an organized food stamp scam, perhaps somehow involving witnesses under federal protection. If it sounds complex, it is; fans of police procedurals will especially like this story.  Multiple levels of law enforcement (local, state and federal) are involved, often with overlapping jurisdictions and investigations. This makes it difficult for Barry to know whom to trust and for the reader to follow at times. The Sheriff and Barry cleverly hypothesized several connections, although not offering conjecture on some that I thought were fairly obvious. In any case, we were all fooled with an exciting, surprise ending! Overall, I enjoyed SECRET UNDERTAKING and despite slow development in some spots, I would recommend it, particularly for its likeable characters and folksy, small town charm.