April new releases, book reviews, and more!
Currently reading and now available for sale
Home of the Happy by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
A compelling blend of true crime and memoir tracing the author’s investigation into the kidnapping and murder of her great-grandfather in 1980s Louisiana and the reverberations on her family and community throughout the decades.
The Gatsby Gambit by Claire Anderson Wheeler
America's most beloved literary characters.
A page-turning mystery.
The gilded opulence of the Roaring Twenties.
And a clever young woman of unusual persistence.
Be ready to re-think the world of Gatsby.
Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Vera Wong is back and as meddling as ever in this follow-up to the hit Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.…
Desperate Deadly Widows by Vanessa Lillie, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan, and Kimberly Belle.
Powerhouse suspense authors Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan, and Vanessa Lillie are back together for this second installment in the laugh-out-loud Young Rich Widows series.
The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer
From the exceptionally original mind of CWA Gold Dagger Award winner and Booker longlisted author Belinda Bauer, a sweeping tale of obsession, greed, ambition, and a crime that has remained unsolved for a hundred years.
Now reading and available for pre-order
Fair Play by Louise Hegarty
For fans of Anthony Horowitz and Lucy Foley, a wonderfully original, genre-breaking literary debut from Ireland that’s an homage to the brilliant detective novels of the early twentieth century, a twisty modern murder mystery, and a searing exploration of grief and loss.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
In this explosive horror novel, a woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.
More new releases in April
Not Dead Yet by Jeffrey Siger
The Great Pyramids by Frederick Barthelme
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods
Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan
Bitter Texas Honey by Ashley Whitaker
Midnight in Soap Lake by Matthew Sullivan
Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman
The Lady Vanishes by Alison Sandy
The French Honeymoon by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris
Into the Gray Zone by Brad Taylor
Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson
A Campus on Fire by Patrick O’Dowd
How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin
If Two Are Dead by Rick Mofina
No Lie Lasts Forever by Mark Stevens
See How They Fall by Rachel Paris
The Burning Stones by Antti Toumainen
The Murder Machine by Heather Graham
Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich
My Book Review of ‘A Scandalous Affair’
My Book Review of ‘Buried Road’
My Book Review of ‘Equal Rites’
Episode 13 of Dark and Twisted Alleys: A Film Noir Podcast: ‘Gun Crazy’ (1950)
Story Excerpt
by Richard Helms
From Alfred Hitchcock Magazine.
The Story from X to Y
(A short story told backwards)
Chapter X
How had I managed to get back to this room? Had I actually been here before?
For some reason I felt nervous, but didn’t know why. Could I have imagined the last few minutes? I’d been in a strange place and this room was equally strange, yet vaguely familiar.
After a few minutes of mulling these thoughts, I realized I was overthinking the matter to the point of ridiculous.
That’s when the door opened and yet another man with a gun walked in.
He said, “Come with me.”
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Crime Cafe Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.