Fiction Five Uncovers Five New Novels Centered on Embedded Mysteries
Readers searching for fresh fiction featuring hidden puzzles and embedded investigations have a new selection to explore through the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, tscpl.org reported.
Class, Race, and Justice Collide in Marisa de los Santos’ The Trusted
In Marisa de los Santos’ new novel The Trusted, set in the tight-knit community of Sheppley, Pennsylvania, a body turns up in a remote hunting cabin. The victim was a man tangled in local controversy, leaving Detectives Cordova and Cash with a long list of suspects drawn from people they know well. Bruce Holsinger, author of The Gifted School and Culpability, described the book as a propulsive mystery wrapped in a topical examination of class, race, and justice.
Ebenezer Scrooge Solves a Murder in Andreina Cordani’s Retelling
Andreina Cordani takes Charles Dickens’ famous miser in a darker direction with A Scrooge Mystery. Following his holiday redemption, Ebenezer Scrooge begins seeing ghosts once more. This time, the apparition is a young woman seeking help to solve her own murder—a crime for which police have already arrested Bob Cratchit. The fast-paced historical tale features an expanded role for Tiny Tim, who aids Scrooge in investigating the case to prove his father’s innocence.
Paranormal Horror Meets 1970s Mississippi in Kennedy Cole’s Debut
Shifting from traditional detective work into speculative horror, Kennedy Cole’s debut novel There Used to Be People Here places a Black detective, Samuel Barkley, and his temporary partner Harvey on a 1970s Mississippi case that quickly spirals from murder into paranormal conspiracy. Author Nick Medina characterized the release as a small-town mystery steeped in uncanny terrors, while fellow writer Melissa Faliveno called the book a gritty, GTO-driving thrill ride.
Amanda Flower and Stephanie Wrobel Release New Novels
Amanda Flower turns to the Gilded Age in The First Ladies’ Guide to Murder, where First Lady Frances Cleveland and her predecessor, Julia Dent Grant, join forces with Julia’s daughter to investigate the suspicious death of a young maid in Washington. Meanwhile, Stephanie Wrobel explores psychological suspense in Revenge Plot, a novel structured around the courses of Christmas dinner that traces a desperate writer’s pursuit of a powerful literary agent.
