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Summer TBR
132 Plays2 years ago
In today’s episode, Sarah and Brook share what they’ll be reading while Clued in Mystery takes a short break for the summer. Clued in Mystery will be back in the autumn with new episodes about mysteries.
Books discussed in order:
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker by Patricia Merrideth
The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson
The IT Girl, by Ruth Ware
The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
For more information: cluedinmystery.com
Instagram: @cluedinmystery
Contact us: hello@cluedinmystery.com
Music: Signs To Nowhere by Shane Ivers - //www.silvermansound.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Upcoming Break
00:00:11
Speaker
Welcome to the Clued in Mystery podcast. I'm Sarah. And I'm Brooke, and we both love mystery. So Brooke, today we're doing something a little bit different. It's the last episode that we're doing for a couple of weeks. It's the end of
00:00:27
Speaker
end of June and yeah we're just looking forward to you know taking some time off over the summer and you know I I'm certainly planning on doing a lot of reading and I think the same is true for you so let's talk about what what it is that we're looking forward to to reading this summer.
00:00:46
Speaker
That sounds great, Sarah. Okay.
Summer Reading Plans
00:00:48
Speaker
So the first book that I have on my list is The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager or Sager. I don't know how to pronounce that actually. And so I figure I'm going to do my best to make sure that I read this domestic thriller by a lake. I think that's only the best place to read it. And so I'll just read from the description that's on Goodreads.
00:01:12
Speaker
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family's lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she passes time watching Tom and Catherine Royce, the glamorous couple who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing. A tech innovator, Tom is rich, and a former model, Catherine is gorgeous.
00:01:35
Speaker
One day on the lake, Casey saves Catherine from drowning and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other and the longer Casey watches, it becomes clear that Catherine and Tom's marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears. When Catherine suddenly vanishes, Casey becomes consumed with finding out what happened to her. In the process, she uncovers eerie, darker truths that turn a tale of voyeurism and suspicion into a story of guilt, obsession, and how looks can be very deceiving.
00:02:00
Speaker
Oh my gosh, that sounds so good. I get kind of the woman in the window vibes and girl on the train vibes from that description, but I've seen several posts on Instagram about this book and there's a little bit more on the Goodreads page about how this is kind of the most hotly anticipated thriller of the summer.
00:02:26
Speaker
So we'll see. I hope it lives up to expectations.
Brooke's Thriller and Nonfiction Picks
00:02:32
Speaker
Sounds great. So the first one on my list is actually a nonfiction pick. I love nonfiction. I usually have one nonfiction going at the same time as my whatever fiction I'm reading. And it is The Science of Murder, The Forensics of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine. I will read just a little bit about it to share with you all.
00:02:55
Speaker
So it says a fascinating science-based deep dive. The science of murder examines the use of fingerprints, firearms, handwriting, blood spatter analysis, toxicology, and more in Christie's beloved works.
00:03:11
Speaker
So, I saw this advertised in social media. The cover's gorgeous. So, the cover alone, I'm probably going to have to get the hardcover of this one and have it as sort of a reference book on my shelf. But it looks really fascinating and I'm looking forward to reading that one.
00:03:28
Speaker
Oh, that sounds amazing, Brooke. And yeah, I've seen it. And I think I'd written it down as a book that I wanted to read. So it's not one of the ones that I'm talking about today. But yeah, I think it's definitely on my list.
Sarah's Agatha Christie Picks
00:03:45
Speaker
And it's a good segue into the next one that's on my list, which is The Murder of Roger Aykroyd by Agatha Christie.
00:03:53
Speaker
So this is one of hers that I haven't read. And, you know, I do know the big reveal, but I definitely, definitely want to read it. And there's a few books of hers that I want to read this summer, but this one is the first on my list. So I'll just read a really brief description of that as well.
00:04:14
Speaker
Considered to be one of Agatha Christie's greatest and also most controversial mysteries, the murder of Roger Aykroyd breaks the rules of traditional mystery. The peaceful English village of King's Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferreras dies from an overdose of Veronaal. Not 24 hours later, Roger Aykroyd, the man she had planned to marry, is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot's little gray cells before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.
00:04:44
Speaker
It's so good. And I actually have heard people say that when they already know what the reveal is, it's actually just as satisfying of a read because you get to watch her construct that really cool narrative. So that would
Brooke's Historical Mystery Recommendation
00:04:59
Speaker
be fun.
00:04:59
Speaker
So the next on my list is by an indie author, Patricia Meredith. And this one is called Butcher Baker Candlestick Taker. It's a historical novel. And I'm really fascinated to read this because Patricia lives in the Northwest US as do I. So she's not too far from me. And so her setting is historic Spokane, Washington. So
00:05:25
Speaker
The description is, set in Gilded Age Spokane, Washington, Archie Prescott has traveled across the country to design the now iconic Spokane Clock Tower for the new Great Northern Railroad Depot. When his talent for creating unique clock chimes connects him with a local patroness, he is thrilled until she is discovered dead in the workshop of his new colleague.
00:05:49
Speaker
Her grand home on the South Hill provides ample suspects as Archie works with his lodgers, Detective Carew and his twin brother to prove his fellow inventor and himself innocent of the crime. So I'm really looking forward to that because I love historic mysteries. Oh, that sounds excellent. And actually, I've seen that on Instagram. And yeah, certainly one of one of the books that I'm hoping to read very soon.
00:06:17
Speaker
I think it's interesting to note that we did not discuss our lists before we came on the show today, so it's a surprise to both of us what we bring up.
Sarah's Mystery Novel Picks
00:06:27
Speaker
So the next on my list is The Three Dahlias by Katie Watson, and so this is a classic mystery. Three rival actresses team up to solve the murder at the stately home of the author who made them famous, only to discover the solution lies in the stories themselves. A contemporary mystery with the Golden Age feel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Jessica Fellows.
00:06:46
Speaker
In attendance, the VIP fans staying at the Aldermere, the fan club president turned convention organizer, the team behind the newest movie adaptation of Davenport's books, the Davenport family themselves, and the three actresses famous for portraying the thesis 1930s detective, Dahlia Lively.
00:07:03
Speaker
National treasure Rosalind King from the original movies, TV Dahlia for 13 seasons, Cairo Hooper, and ex-child star Posey Starling fresh out of the famed wilderness and rehab to take on the Dahlia Montel for the new movie. Each actress has her own interpretation of the character, but this English summer weekend they will have to put aside their differences as the crimes at the Aldermere turn anything but cozy. When fictional death turns into real bodies, can the three dahlias find the answers to the murders among the fans, the film crew, the family,
00:07:32
Speaker
or even in Latisse's books themselves. Oh, that one also sounds so good, Sarah. Yeah, it really appealed to me because of the kind of relationship between the women and the character that the three of them each portray. So, you know, it would be kind of like having, it would be like having David Suchet, John Malkovich and Kenneth Branagh solving a crime. I love that. Yeah.
00:08:02
Speaker
Yeah, so good. Well, and that lends itself because that seems like a very, you know, ritzy high society, um, mystery.
Brooke's Audiobook Enthusiasm
00:08:11
Speaker
And so that leads really well into my next pick, which is, um, a new book that came out in June.
00:08:18
Speaker
by one of my favorite authors, Ruth Ware, The It Girl. And I'm so excited about this one. I'm probably going to do the audiobook because I absolutely love hearing all of her books are narrated by Imogen Church, whose voice is so fantastic. So this will be an audio read for me.
00:08:38
Speaker
So the it girl, April Clark Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford, vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate it girl. She quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends. By the end of the year, April was dead. Now a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child.
00:09:04
Speaker
In the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah's world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April's deaths, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide, including a murder.
00:09:31
Speaker
That sounds incredible. Uh, and I will admit I've never read anything by Ruth Ware. Uh, so maybe that will be one of that. That will be the one that I start with. Yeah. I don't think you can go wrong to be honest. So I hope you, if you, if you try it out, I hope you enjoy it too.
Sarah's YA Mystery Interest
00:09:51
Speaker
So the last book that's on my list that I gathered for today is The Agathes by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson. So this is a YA mystery with two teen sleuths investigating the murder. Last summer, Alice Ogilvie's basketball star boyfriend, Steve, dumped her.
00:10:11
Speaker
Then she disappeared for five days. Where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove because she's not talking. Or it was, at least. But now another one of Steve's girlfriends has vanished, Brooke Donovan, Alice's ex-best friend, and it doesn't look like Brooke will be coming back.
00:10:28
Speaker
Enter Iris Adams, Alice's tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn't have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke's grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter's whereabouts. The police are convinced that Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn't so sure, and with Iris on her side, she might just be able to prove her theory.
00:10:50
Speaker
In order to get the reward and prove Steve's innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily, Alice has exactly what they need, the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there's anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery, it's the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into.
00:11:11
Speaker
Oh my goodness, a bookish mystery. Totally. And, you know, this one kind of, um, plays on a couple of the things that we've talked about in relation to Agatha Christie, right? The disappearance where she doesn't explain what actually happened. Um, and, uh, yeah, all of her, all of her books. So using, I love the idea of using her books as a reference, um, to, to solve another crime.
00:11:37
Speaker
Oh, for sure. Yes, that one's definitely going to be added to my ever-growing TBR list. That sounds really, really good.
Brooke's Long-Awaited Read
00:11:46
Speaker
Well, and the last one that I have to share for today is I am notorious for like
00:11:53
Speaker
revolting against trends for some reason, probably over all in my whole life, but definitely in the popular book things. So I'm always a little behind the times. And so I will be reading this summer, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
00:12:10
Speaker
And unless in case any of you have been living under a rock like me, I will just read the description. In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the jigsaw room to discuss unsolved crimes.
00:12:26
Speaker
Together, they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club. When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?
00:12:48
Speaker
And I was lucky enough to get this as a paperback for my mom for Christmas. And I actually started it and was instantly sucked in, but got drawn away by, yes, podcast research reading. So I'll be returning back to that. And I suspect that I'll be finishing out that series because I think it's going to be one of those that once I get started, I'm really going to want to stick with those characters.
00:13:13
Speaker
They so I have read the Thursday Murder Club have actually listened to the audio twice and I've read the the e-book and I have a hard copy version. So I adore this book and I'm so glad that you're going to be reading it. And I I hope you love it as much as as I did. I think it's so wonderful. The characters are just fabulous.
00:13:42
Speaker
And yeah, I hope we talk about it because it's one of my faves for sure.
Future Episode Plans
00:13:50
Speaker
Cool. You know, that's a really good suggestion, Sarah. Maybe when we come back in a few weeks after our reading break, we can do a recap on what we thought about these books that we read over the summer.
00:14:03
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. Let's plan to do that. And yeah, we've got, I think, a lot of reading ahead of us, and we definitely have some plans for the next round of episodes that we'll be recording.
00:14:20
Speaker
Looking forward to picking that back up in a couple of weeks after we've had some time to enjoy the summer and read
Closing and Listener Engagement
00:14:29
Speaker
more. Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear your feedback. You can reach us at hello at cluedinmystery.com or on Instagram at cluedinmystery. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating or review or telling a friend to help spread the word.
00:14:45
Speaker
Thank you for joining us once again on Clued In Mystery. I'm Brooke. And I'm Sarah, and we both love mystery. Clued In Mystery is produced by Brooke Peterson and Sarah M. Stephen. Music is by Shane Ivers at Silvermansound.com. Visit us online at CluedInMystery.com or social media at Clued In Mystery. If you liked what you heard, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or telling your friends.