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. 

LibraryReads Selection Ideas

It is almost Thanksgiving and that long break from school and work may provide a nice window to sit down and relax with a longer read.  There is certainly plenty of choice – with recent National Book Awards announcement, The New York Times’ list of Notable Books being released this week, and voting ongoing for Goodreads Choice Awards.  Here, I am going to note several LibraryReads selections – some of the 10 books chosen each month by librarians to recommend to their patrons:

I look forward to and definitely recommend titles by Kate Morton, international bestselling author of The House at Riverton, since she offers a kind of Gothic mystery that both challenges and entertains. There’s suspense and a bit of romantic tension in each, including her latest, THE CLOCKMAKER'S DAUGHTER which was a LibraryReads selection in October. In this novel, which bridges 150 years, Morton introduces Edward Radcliffe and his artistic associates who are spending the summer of 1862 at Birchwood Manor on the upper Thames. Intending to escape and focus on creative endeavors, they instead experience a murder, a disappearance, and a jewelry theft. Once again, Morton features a house that bears witness through generations as a modern day archivist, Elodie Winslow, discovers a photo and drawing which prompts her hunt for family connections. Pick up this novel if you are looking for historical fiction dealing with art and secrets; THE CLOCKMAKER'S DAUGHTER received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.  

 

A LibraryReads selection in September, TRANSCRIPTION by Kate Atkinson is another suspenseful work of historical fiction set during the Second World War and 1950s London. The main character is Juliet who at 18 is first employed to rather naively transcribe wartime conversations for the British intelligence service, MI5, and who increasingly becomes involved in espionage activities, and later works as a BBC producer on children’s programming.  Once again, Atkinson describes how events and choices reverberate across time, causing the reader to reflect on the meaning of patriotism, on guilt, and on fate’s tragic repercussions.  TRANSCRIPTION received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Library Journal.

VIRGIL WANDER by Leif Enger (Peace Like a River) was an October LibraryReads selection and could easily work as a Junior Theme choice given the publisher’s description as a “timeless all-American story that follows the inhabitants of a small Midwestern town in their quest to revive its flagging heart.” Virgil’s car runs off the road into Lake Superior near Greenstone, Minnesota and he suffers memory loss as a result.  Virgil’s subsequent and sometimes humorous interactions with residents (including a romantic interest, a best friend and newspaper editor, and a pet raccoon called Genghis) and also visitors (like Rune, a fan of kite flying who is looking for his long lost son) charmingly chronicles attempts at recovery for both Virgil and the town. VIRGIL WANDER received starred reviews from Library Journal (“surprises and delights throughout”) and Booklist (“Virgil's narration is a joy: he lost his adjectives in the crash, making for their gleeful insertion each time he remembers one.”).

 

THE LIBRARY BOOK by Susan Orlean is actually a narrative non-fiction work that tells the story of the Los Angeles Public Library fire which occurred in 1986. This text, too, includes a bit of a mystery given that the cause of the fire was suspicious and Orlean deftly explores the story of suspect Harry Peak.  She also comments on her own relationship with books and reading, especially reflecting on childhood visits to the library with her mother. Overall, this is a fascinating look at library operations. Please see the video below for more visual detail from a PBS NewsHour interview with author Susan Orlean:

A LibraryReads selection in October and recipient of starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, THE LIBRARY BOOK will be appreciated by bibliophiles and fans of libraries everywhere.

More Cozy Mysteries ...

A personal preference for light, fun reading includes cozy mysteries, particularly those set in the United Kingdom and here are two which were recently published and are written by authors I have previously reviewed on this blog.  

DEATH AT THE SEASIDE by Frances Brody is number eight in the Kate Shackleton series which is set in the 1920s. In this case, Kate is on holiday and discovers a body within hours of arriving at the seaside village of Whitby. Her school friend, Alma, is a suspect and so is Alma’s adolescent daughter, Felicity, who has run off in an attempt to find her biological father. One of the stronger entries in this series, there are two mysteries for Kate – who committed the murder and where has Felicity gone? Of course, those stories intertwine and Kate’s faithful assistants, Jim Sykes and Mrs. Sugden, even take some time from their own vacations to help find answers. Like a day at the beach, this is adventuresome puzzle to savor!

I also enjoyed ON HER MAJESTY’S FRIGHTFULLY SECRET SERVICE by Rhys Bowen.  This series features Lady Georgiana Rannoch who often is asked to undertake discreet assignments for her distant cousin, the Queen, in the years before WWII. In this case, Georgiana is off to the Italian lake country and a house party where the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson are house guests. There are some high ranking Italian and German/Nazi officials there, too, as well as her mother (hoping to thwart a former beau turned blackmailer). The setting was a beautiful one to imagine and the plot becomes complicated due to the many potential motives for murder.  Starred review from Library Journal for the latest installment by Bowen, an award-winning author.