Hello mystery fans! I really love the Netflix crime show Dead To Me, starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, and, without giving any spoilers, the second season really feels like it dropped at a time when many viewers themselves are dealing with grief (related to “a collective loss of normalcy” caused by the pandemic). There is something to be said for, at the very least, acknowledging grief, which is a strong theme in the dark comedy Dead To Me and why I took the major themes of the show (grief, found family, secrets) and found great crime books also exploring those things. For readers who are about to nope-nope-out because you’re only here for entertainment/escape to cope, don’t worry I have a fun book in here, and I promise the rest are not heavy books that will make you feel even more weighted than you may already feel. For spoiler reasons I won’t be focusing on the secrets in the books — but they are there… Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2020 upcoming releases. An Unusual Suspects Pinterest board. Get Tailored Book Recommendations! Basically, a billionaire dies and sends a group of people on an Edgar Allan Poe treasure hunt through Boston. And one of the hunters is Tuesday Mooney, a loner whose childhood best friend disappeared, thought to have been murdered. Being that her mind has conjured up her friend as a “ghost” to cope, and her teen neighbor (found family) is also grieving the death of her mother in a car accident, there’s a lot of overlapping exploration with Dead to Me — plus dark humor. (TW depression/parent death in recent past/discussion about suicide/past domestic and child abuse) (TW addiction/PTSD) (TW past suicide mentioned/anxiety attacks) (TW there is nothing on page but alludes to child abuse.) (TW cancer) Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés. If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own you can sign up here.
