The Next Chapter's mystery panel recommends 9 thriller and whodunit books to read this summer
There's no better summertime read than a good whodunit to stow in your suitcase during vacation or get lost in during a lazy afternoon on the deck.
The Next Chapter's mystery panel returns to wrap up the season with their suggestions for new and recent page-turners to keep mystery fans preoccupied during the summer break.
The Globe and Mail mystery books columnist Margaret Cannon, journalist and mystery writer Angela Misri and mystery lover and McMaster University professor P.K. Rangachari spoke with Shelagh Rogers about nine books that offer up some tantalizing darkness even under the summertime sun.
Poison Lilies by Katie Tallo
Margaret Cannon: "In Katie Tallo's second novel, our detective, Gus, has moved to Ottawa, where she encounters an elderly woman who wanders around in a pink kimono and is a bit mysterious. Turns out she's a member of an old Ottawa family, which leads Gus into an examination of old families in Ottawa with dark, dreary secrets.
This is a terrific book — one you want to pack for a weekend away.- Margaret Cannon
"This is a terrific book that's getting a lot of attention — and it's one you want to pack for a weekend away."
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk
P.K. Rangachari: "This book is set in Toronto in a university, where the director of rare books and collections is in a coma. His assistant librarian is asked to open a safe, which hides a million-dollar Polyglot Bible. When they finally open the safe, there's nothing there — the book has vanished.
"There's a lot of depth to the story, and interesting explorations of gender hierarchy, police procedurals and arcane worlds."
Letters from Johnny by Wayne Ng
Angela Misri: "This book has such a beautiful vision of that time period in the 1970s, growing up in a first-generation Canadian household. It's about Johnny Wong, who writes letters to the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs — Dave Keon at the time — and tells him all these stories about his community, including a murder.
It's like a garden of beautiful anecdotes and information about Toronto.- Angela Misri
"It's like a garden of beautiful anecdotes and information and nostalgia about Toronto — Ng does just a beautiful job of this story that happens to also be a mystery about a murder."
The Darkness in the Light by Daniel Kalla
Margaret Cannon: "Kalla is a Vancouver emergency-room physician who's written several medical thrillers — they're all good. This latest one takes place in a group of people who are bringing out a new drug that's going to be the answer to psychiatric illness — but there is a problem. One of the patients has committed suicide — is the drug failing, or is there another problem? And then a young woman disappears.
"It's a very good read, and very timely."
The Harbor by Katrine Engberg
P.K. Rangachari: "This is the third book in the Korner and Werner series — the story begins when a body is found by an operator at a high-tech waste management system. And that leads into a very complex world of downtown Copenhagen, an underworld of pedophilia, and the art world and fakery — and even more important, faking data about the environment.
You don't have to have read the first two books to understand this one — but if you have, then you see how the two detectives have grown.- P.K. Rangachari
"You don't have to have read the first two books to understand this one — it's almost a standalone. But if you've read the first two, then you see how the two detectives have grown."
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray
Angela Misri: "If you don't know who Mr. Wickham is, you need to read some books by Jane Austen. Mr. Wickham shows up at a dinner party that's being hosted by Emma from Emma — and someone kills him because he's Mr. Wickham, and you can't help but hate the guy.
"The beauty of it is that you get to know these characters after you left them in the original Austen books that you love so much. I loved this book, and I don't think it's just because I love Jane Austen — it's also just a well-written murder mystery."
The Island by Adrian McKinty
Margaret Cannon: "For those of you who are on your way to a glorious weekend away from everything, let me warn you: according to this book, do not rent a luxury car to show off to the locals.
"Do not speed — and if you hit someone and kill them, above all, do not try to hide the body, because you and your children are going to be hunted down, threatened and chased all over the island by a semi-feral group of locals."
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
P.K. Rangachari: "Here you have a company that actually tries to protect people by investigating those who give false information on dating apps. When a client dies, main character Claudia Lin tries to play detective — and runs into all kinds of problems.
"It's extremely funny and very modern."
Three Dog Knight by Alice Bienia
Angela Misri: "Speaking of funny, the Jorja Knight series is one of my favourites. It's tasty and funny and easy to sink into. The third book is about a high-profile tech dude who gets killed, and there's also a stalker who's chasing Jorja.
"So everyone has a motive — but it's not going to be who you think it is."
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
