Goodreads Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers January 2023

I am currently reading The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb for our February Mystery Book Club and listening to The Cloisters by Kay Hays. I am liking The Violin Conspiracy and will give  a "full report" on it after the MBC meets. I am not that far into The Cloisters yet. Waiting for that "jumpy" feeling I am expecting from this book. Will let you know when I finish it.

I am always looking ahead for upcoming mysteries for the MBC now that I took the torch from our "leader" of at least 10 years. So I decided I would start watching Goodreads for their lists of upcoming books for each month.

Let's see what has or is coming out this month, January 2023. Since there are 15 books on Goodreads list I will first share the ones by authors I am familiar with or look like a book I would enjoy. Then I will list the remaining titles. 

Exiles by Jane Harper (Aaron Falk #3) 1/31/23

This will be the last Aaron Falk book.

About: "At a busy festival site on a warm spring night, a baby lies alone in her pram, her mother vanishing into the crowds.

A year on, Kim Gillespie’s absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems.

Between Falk’s closest friend, a missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.

An outstanding novel, a brilliant mystery and a heart-pounding read from the author of The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man and The Survivors."

I have read two other books in addition to The Dry by Jane Harper and really liked them: The Lost Man and Survivors.

All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham 1/10/23

About: "One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her—literally.

Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.

Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster—but his interest in Isabelle's past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads. "

I haven't read other books by this author but sounds like a fast paced thriller.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins 1/3/23

About:  "As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends."

The travel to Italy and 1974 intrigue me. I may or may not connect with 1974. :)

Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce 1/20/23

About: "When a severed hand washes ashore in the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach, Florida, the lives of two women—a lonely writer obsessed with the unsolved murder of her mother’s best friend and a panicked wife whose husband has disappeared with their children—collide as the world shutters in the pandemic lockdown of 2020.

A young woman’s life seems perfect until her family goes missing. A writer lives alone with her dog and collects arcane murder statistics. What each of them stands to lose as they sneak around the do-not-enter tape blocking Reef Road beach is exposed by the steady tightening of the cincture encircling them.

In a nod to the true crime that inspired it, Deborah Goodrich Royce’s Reef Road probes unhealed generational scars in a wrenching and original work of fiction. It is both stunning and sexy and, like a bystander surprised by a curtain left open, you won’t be able to look away."

I am wondering what true crime event inspired this now. I lived in Palm Beach County for several years. Tales of the "rich and famous."

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone 1/3/23

About: "A remote village. A deadly secret. An outsider who knows the truth.

Robert Reid moved his family to Scotland’s Outer Hebrides in the 1990s, driven by hope, craving safety and community, and hiding a terrible secret. But despite his best efforts to fit in, Robert is always seen as an outsider. And as the legendary and violent Hebridean storms rage around him, he begins to unravel, believing his fate on the remote island of Kilmeray cannot be escaped.

For her entire life, Maggie MacKay has sensed something was wrong with her. When Maggie was five years old, she announced that a man on Kilmeray—a place she’d never visited—had been murdered. Her unfounded claim drew media attention and turned the locals against each other, creating rifts that never mended.

Nearly twenty years later, Maggie is determined to find out what really happened, and what the islanders are hiding. But when she begins to receive ominous threats, Maggie is forced to consider how much she is willing to risk to discover the horrifying truth.

If the title sounds familiar, there is a book called The Blackhouse by Peter May. It is book one of the Lewis Trilogy. We read that several years ago and it was very good. That is why this book caught my attention. I do love gothic mysteries set in Scotland!

Here are other books coming out in January. Any favorite authors there?

Just the Nicest Couple: Mary Kubica 

What Lies in the Woods: Kate Alice Marshall 

 

Age of Vice: Deepti Kappoor

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone: Benjamin Stevenson

The Blue Bar: Damyanti Biswas (Blue Mumbai #1)

The Drift: C.J. Tudor

Locust Lane: Stephen Amidon

City Under One Roof: Iris Yamashita

The Things We Do To Our Friends: Heather Darwent

Liar, Dreamer, Thief: Maria 

Looks at the details of the books here:

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2440-2023-s-most-anticipated-mysteries-thrillers

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 Hi all!

For our January Mystery Book Club meeting, we read The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

About the book: 

"Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written—let alone published—anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot.

Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that—a story that absolutely needs to be told.

In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says.

As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing” of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom? "

Did you read it? What did you think?

I liked it once the story got going. I would say it started a bit slow for me. Once Jake received the first email "You are a thief", that is when the book too off for me.  We have the story of Jake and then we have the book that he writes, in alternating chapters. The two styles of writing are different.

 We discussed in out meeting that it may have written in two different styles to clearly separate the two stories. We all agreed we liked Jake's book better in some ways than the main story. A real psychological thriller. But the two merge at the end with a pretty good twist. I did pick out the culprit halfway through. That may also have been intentional to create more tension. At the end of the discussion and from our members that follow by email, half liked it and half did not with some that "loved it" .

By the way, this book is slotted to be made into a movie for Hulu.

About the author from Goodreads:

"Native New Yorker! Graduated from Dartmouth College and Clare College, Cambridge. I'm the author of eight novels: THE PLOT (The Tonight Show's "Summer Reads" pick for 2021), THE LATECOMER (to be published in May, 2022), THE UNDOING, originally published as YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN (adapted by David E. Kelley for HBO and starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland), ADMISSION (adapted as the 2013 film of the same name, starring Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin and Paul Rudd), THE DEVIL AND WEBSTER, THE WHITE ROSE, THE SABBATHDAY RIVER and A JURY OF HER PEERS, as well as a middle-grade reader, INTERFERENCE POWDER, and a collection of poetry, THE PROPERTIES OF BREATH. If you've become aware of my work via THE UNDOING, you should know that my novel differs significantly from the adaptation -- and that's fine with me! Just know that the twists you might be expecting will likely not be there on the page. Other twists, yes, but you'll have to read the book to find them."

The Late Comer is also listed to be made into a movie.

I would recommend it. It was worth the read.

January 2023 PBS and Hallmark mysteries

 Hallmark Movies and Mysteries

Several of their actors for the mysteries left Hallmark this past year. Unfortunate. I see three mysteries coming up January 2023. There was an Emma Fielding mystery a few years ago and it is pretty good. I can't say I know anything about the other two. I will give them a try.

Note: The first new mystery is on MONDAY 1/2/23. Hallmark usually has their new mysteries on Sunday nights. The next two are on Sunday.

January 2, 2023 (Monday)

8 p.m. CST

Emma Fielding Mysteries: More Bitter Than Death

About: "While hosting the annual gathering of the Association for the Study of American Archaeology at Kenzer College, Emma Fielding is thrust into the midst of a murder mystery when the President of her organization is poisoned on the eve of announcing her successor. With many of the leading archaeologists present having expressed their entitlement to the presidency prior to the murder, Emma and FBI pal Jim Conner have plenty of likely suspects from which to choose. Starring Courtney Thorne-Smith, James Tupper, and Mark Valley."

January 8, 2023 

6 p.m. CST

Family History Mysteries: Buried Past

About: "Genealogist Sophie McClaren is an expert at bringing families together. When her close friend Jonathan urgently needs to find a bone marrow donor, the case becomes personal. Starring Janel Parrish and Niall Matter."

This looks interesting to me since my other hobby is genealogy.

January 8, 2023

8 p.m. CST

The Secrets of Bella Vista

About: "When Tess inherits an apple orchard along with a half-sister she never met, she unravels the mystery of the family who abandoned her, ultimately finding a new understanding of herself. Starring Rachelle Lefevre and Niall Matter."

May be more of a drama than a mystery. Sounds like it covers both.

Masterpiece Mystery on PBS is back with a bang for the New Year.

January 8, 2023 starts with the return of:

Miss Scarlet and the Duke 7 p.m. CST Season 3, 6 episodes

{Let me just say I hated how Season 2 ended. If you have been watching the series, you know what I mean. If you haven't been watching it, I really recommend this series. 

About: "Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders) stars as the headstrong, first-ever female detective in Victorian London, who won’t let any naysayers stop her from keeping her father’s business running. Stuart Martin (Jamestown) stars as her childhood friend, professional colleague, and potential love interest, Scotland Yard Detective Inspector William Wellington, a.k.a., The Duke."

All Creatures Great and Small: Season 3, 6 episodes

8 p.m. CST

Ok it's not a mystery but soooo good. Watch it. The scenery is great and the story line is fantastic.Seems like everyone in our Mystery Book Club is a fan also.

About: Transport yourself back to the Yorkshire Dales once again with James, Siegfried Farnon, Tristan Farnon, Helen Alderson, Mrs. Hall, and more. The acclaimed ensemble includes Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Callum Woodhouse, Anna Madeley and Rachel Shenton, Patricia Hodge and others.

Season 3 begins in spring 1939 as James and Helen prepare to walk down the aisle. Should their wedding go off without a hitch—and what are the chances of that?—James will have a new wife and a new stake in the business to think of. The pressure is on, and while his scheme to participate in the government’s practice to test for tuberculosis in cattle will expand the veterinary practice, it could put James on the outs with local farmers. Meanwhile, war with Germany looms on the horizon, leaving everyone wondering what the future holds."

Vienna Blood: Season 3, 3 episodes

9 p.m. CST

This series didn.t catch my eye until the second season. I really like it. Very interesting commentaries about the filming of the series and Vienna after each episode. You will know Matthew Beard from the recent Magpie Murders. 

About: "Working together in a crime-solving partnership, brilliant young English doctor Max Liebermann and tenacious Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt investigate a series of unusual and disturbing murders. Max’s extraordinary skills of psychological perception and Oskar’s forceful determination lead them to solve some of Vienna’s most mysterious and deadly cases.

From acclaimed screenwriter Steve Thompson ("Deep State," "Leonardo," "Sherlock"), based on the best-selling novels by Frank Tallis, "Vienna Blood" is directed by Academy Award and Emmy nominee Robert Dornhelm ("Anne Frank: The Whole Story") and Umut Dag ("Cracks in Concrete").

Filmed in English and on location in Vienna and Budapest, "Vienna Blood" stars Matthew Beard ("The Imitation Game," "Dracula") as Max Liebermann, and Juergen Maurer ("Vorstadtweiber," "Tatort") as Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt."

Gotta go set up my DVR.

Yay Happy Mystery New Year!