You know I’m always looking forward to the next great mystery and my book group has some interesting selections coming up in the next few months. We are going to be reading books by Julia Heaberlin, Andrew Gross and Anthony Horowitz. Unfortunately I’ll miss the August selection as I’ll be out on vacation but lots to look forward to in the Fall.

As usual, I’ve been taking note of some mysteries that I’ve heard about and here are some that have caught my eye:

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. A horrible crime, twisted, and unstoppable action are just some of the key words when discussing this book. I actually don’t know much about it but I’m just intrigued by the title and reviews.

Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama. For five days, the parents of a seven-year-old Japanese schoolgirl sat and listened to the demands of their daughter’s kidnapper. They would never learn his identity. And they would never see their daughter alive again. This one has won international awards and is a bestseller. I’m hooked already.

The Boy In the Earth by Fuminori Nakamura. As an unnamed Tokyo taxi driver works a night shift, picking up fares that offer him glimpses into the lives of ordinary people, he can’t escape his own nihilistic thoughts. Almost without meaning to, he puts himself in harm’s way. I’ve read another book by Nakamura and found it depressing but at the same time I couldn’t look away. Not sure how high this is on my radar but still I’m curious.

Dismember by Joyce Carol Oates. Stories of mystery and suspense that probe the mind’s darkest corners. I’ve not read anything by Oates in such a long time so this one is definitely on my list.

The Marsh Kings’ Daughter by Karen Dionne. At last, Helena Pelletier has the life she deserves. A loving husband, two beautiful daughters, a business that fills her days. Then she catches an emergency news announcement and realizes she was a fool to think she could ever leave her worst days behind her. This one is billed an engrossing read of psychological suspense.

And, if these aren’t enough check out this list of the 5 Most Underappreciated Crime Writers. I haven’t read any of these have you? Let me know if you’ve read any of the books above or if you’ve got a great mystery to recommend.

“I’m unable to pull my eyes away from bright light and I keep thinking that the careless driver will surely correct the steering wheel and narrowly miss us. But that doesn’t happen. There is no screech of brakes, the car does not slow and the last sound I hear is the dull, sickening thud of metal on bone.”

Not A Sound
By Heather Gudenkauf

Surviving the past two years has not been easy for Amelia Winn. Once she had a loving family, a successful career as an ER nurse and many friends but in an instant her life changed when a car ran into her and a patient outside of the hospital. She is finally coping with her hearing loss as a result of the accident but having turned to alcohol during most of those two years alienated all those around her.

Now she lives by herself and her service dog, Stitch, and has finally given up alcohol and even has a job interview. She’s excited to have some purpose in life and hopes that little by little she can gain her ex-husband’s confidence and once again see her stepdaughter, Nora.

Her plans go slightly awry when on the day of her job interview she is paddle boarding in the morning, one of her favorite things to do, but she makes a gruesome discovery of the body of a fellow nurse in the bushes. Understandably shaken-up Amelia misses her job interview and thinks that her ex-husband will chalk this up to another of her screw ups but Amelia is able to put things right and even lands a job as a file clerk for an oncologist.

While she is sadden by the thought of her friends’ death, Amelia feels like maybe she is now on the right path to gaining what she’s lost but she can’t help but feel pulled into the mystery of how her friend died and then little things start making her question her sanity. It’s almost as if someone doesn’t want her in the way.

This was a thriller that definitely kept me turning the pages. I did figure out who the killer was early on but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of this book. In particular I liked Amelia’s fighting spirit and hope you’ll give her story a chance too.

Source: Advance review copy