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What We Loved in 2025
0 Playsin 15 hours
Brook and Sarah reflect on the mysteries they enjoyed in 2025 and what they're looking forward to in 2026.
Discussed and mentioned
How to Solve Your Own Murder (2024) Kristen Perrin
Dead Money (2025) Jakob Kerr
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009) Alan Bradley
The Secret Adversary (1922) Agatha Christie
The Black Echo (1992) Michael Connelly
Department Q (2025) Netflix
Black Rabbit (2025) Netflix
Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer (2025) Ragnar Jónasson
How To Get Away With Murder (2026) Rebecca Philipson
Mercy (2026 film) directed by Timur Bekmambetov
The Sheep Detectives (2026 film) Directed by Kyle Balda
For more information
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Music: Signs To Nowhere by Shane Ivers – www.silvermansound.com
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Order Life or Delft by Brook and Sarah
For a full episode transcript, visit https://cluedinmystery.com/what-we-loved-in-2025/
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Transcript
Year-End Wrap-Ups and Mystery Reads of 2025
00:00:10
Speaker
Welcome to Clued in Mystery. I'm Sarah. And I'm Brooke, and we both love mystery. Brooke. Hi, Sarah. As 2025 comes to a close, we're beginning to see all of those wrap-ups on different platforms and channels, aren't we?
00:00:29
Speaker
That's right. And so it's fitting that we wrap up our love of mystery in 2025 and what we enjoyed the most. I can't wait to hear your list.
00:00:42
Speaker
So I, and this is probably true for you as well, I had a difficult time choosing because I feel like there were just a lot of great things to read in 2025. But my list is not exclusively releases that came out in 2025. Because while there were a lot of great releases this year, there's great releases every year. And, you know, it's it's fun to see what else is out there.
00:01:12
Speaker
and And so our intent with this episode is not to talk exclusively about releases from 2025, but what we enjoyed reading or watching this year, as well as what we might be looking forward to 2026.
00:01:27
Speaker
Yes. So I'll get his
2025 Mystery Book Highlights
00:01:29
Speaker
started, Brooke. And this is a release. It was actually from 2024. And it was the first in a series. The second book was released in 2025. And I also enjoyed it. But the book that I wanted to share is How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin.
00:01:46
Speaker
And I'll just read the description.
00:01:52
Speaker
It's 1965, and teenage Frances Adams is at an English county fair with her two best friends. But Frances' night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune teller makes a bone-chilling prediction.
00:02:03
Speaker
One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn't happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly 60 years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.
00:02:23
Speaker
In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead.
00:02:35
Speaker
Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances's lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?
00:02:53
Speaker
I've seen this one, Sarah, and I have not read it yet. I'm so glad that you mentioned it and reminded me of it because I may have to pick that one up soon.
00:03:03
Speaker
Well, my first book that I'll mention is the only one that came out in 2025, but one of my favorite reads was actually one of our interviewees, and that's Jacob Kerr's Dead Money.
00:03:15
Speaker
And I loved this book. I don't know if it's also on your list, Sarah, of one of the best, but it wouldn't surprise me. um so I'll just read a portion of the description here.
00:03:25
Speaker
As the unofficial problem solver for Silicon Valley's most ruthless venture capitalist, Mackenzie Clyde's an expert at wrangling tech bros and their multi-millions, even as her own shot at a windfall remains just out of reach. But now she's playing for higher stakes because the lightning rod CEO of tech's hottest startup has just been murdered, leaving behind billions in dead money frozen in his will. And McKinsey's boss is the company's chief investor.
00:03:57
Speaker
So then the story takes off from there. And it was such a pleasure to interview Jacob, who has hands-on experience in Silicon Valley. So it was great. If you haven't listened to that interview, I highly recommend it. He had such great insights and the book was fantastic.
00:04:15
Speaker
Oh, I'm glad you brought that up, Brooke. It didn't make it to my list, but it definitely was one of my favorite reads of 2025 as well.
00:04:25
Speaker
So next, I have a release from 2025. And this is The Museum Detective by Maha Khan Phillips. And it's inspired by real-life antiquity scandal in Pakistan. This gripping series debut introduces archaeologist Dr. Gul Delanyi, whose investigation into the discovery of a mummy gets complicated and personal when it collides with her years-long search for a missing family member.
00:04:50
Speaker
What I loved about this was it's set in Pakistan, which is a place that I've never been. And so it's always fun to read about somewhere else. And she's such an interesting character.
00:05:03
Speaker
Yes. I love that you you have such a great um way of bringing in books from all around the world. And so I love that you do that for the show, Sarah. And that is very true. like Books give us a chance to travel, don't they? And we get to see different cultures. And and we've we've talked about that before. And I think it's one of the wonderful things about fiction.
00:05:28
Speaker
Well, as you mentioned at the top, the books that we're going talk about didn't necessarily come out in 2025. And I am going clear back to 2009 with a series that I should have started back then. And that's the Alan Bradley series. And the book that I'll mention is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. And this is something you've recommended to me it since we've been friends, Sarah. And it definitely topped my list.
00:05:53
Speaker
um In this wickedly brilliant first novel, debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction, 11-year-old Flavia De Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. It's the summer of 1950, and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia's family calls home.
00:06:20
Speaker
A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.
00:06:34
Speaker
And our wonderful Flavia goes on to solve this mystery. And you were right, Sarah. It's such a lovely story. And there are many, many more in the series just waiting for me.
00:06:46
Speaker
I think there might have even been one released this year, but it is such a gem of a series. And this book in particular, I think is my favorite. And I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it, Brooke, because I recommend it to anybody who's just looking, you know, if they haven't read a lot of mystery, it's one of the the books that I recommend that they get started with.
00:07:13
Speaker
ah So the last book that I wanted to mention as a favorite read in 2025 is The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie.
00:07:25
Speaker
This was released in 1922. And it is the second book that she wrote and the first that features Tommy and Tuppence. Tommy and Tuppence, two young people short of money and restless for excitement, embark on a daring business scheme, Young Adventurers, Inc.,
00:07:44
Speaker
Their advertisement says that they are willing to do anything, go anywhere. But their first assignment for the sinister Mr. Whittington plunges them into more danger than they ever imagined. I loved this, Brooke. Like, it was, I think when I read it, I decided it was my favorite of the Christie's that I've read so far.
00:08:03
Speaker
Tommy and Tepence are so endearing and it's very action packed, which is a departure from a lot of Christie's. So I think as you were talking about recommending books to people, I think if somebody doesn't really love Christie's because, you know, there's like the manor house, drawing room, rather quiet, perhaps stories.
00:08:25
Speaker
This would be a fun book to try because it's more of an action adventure mystery. Agreed. Well, the last book I will mention ah is, again, An Oldie But a Goodie.
00:08:38
Speaker
And I think this just goes to show like there are so many series and authors that we still have yet to explore that have existed during our our adult years, but maybe we just haven't ah engaged in their books yet. And i am referring to The Black Echo by Michael Connelly. I had seen Bosch on TV, but I had never read the series. And now I've read several in this series, but we read book one together as a read-along. And that introduced me to this series, in book form. And this follows ah LAPD detective Harry Bosch investigating the murder of a fellow Vietnam veteran. And this forces him to confront his past and make some really hard decisions between vengeance and justice. And i mean, it's just a very um well-rounded mystery. And the series is fantastic.
00:09:39
Speaker
I, too, really enjoyed that book, Brooke. And I echo what you said at the beginning about there being a lot of authors that you know we may not have read. And I can think of a few that I read last year that ah have been around for a while, but their writing was new for me. And that's just one of the great things about this genre is that there are so many choices. And I think we will never...
00:10:12
Speaker
run out of great things to read and watch. That's for sure.
Favorite Shows and Anticipated Books of 2026
00:10:19
Speaker
Speaking of watch, I did have a couple of shows that I just will mention briefly that i watched last year that were my favorites that kind of stuck out to me. One of them is Department Q, which is on Netflix. It was amazing, also based on a book series.
00:10:36
Speaker
And Black Rabbit, which is a series I just recently finished watching with my husband. And while it's not a traditional murder mystery, there is a whodunit component that is kind of driving the storyline and definitely crime fiction because two brothers have gotten themselves in deep.
00:10:57
Speaker
Oh, that's i haven't watched that, Brooke. So maybe I'll have to to check that out. So one thing that I wanted to mention that I'm really looking forward to in 2026 is, um and this is an author who's been around for a while but new to me, um is something by Ragnar Jónason from Iceland. And so this book is The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer, and it was released in 2025 and translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb.
00:11:33
Speaker
One winter evening, best-selling crime author Ellen S. Jonestotter goes missing. There are no clues to her disappearance, and it is up to young detective Helgi to crack the case before it's leaked to the press. As Helgi interviews the people closest to Ellen, a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge, he realizes that Ellen's life wasn't what it seemed.
00:11:54
Speaker
In fact, her past is even stranger than the fiction she wrote. Well, I am excited about that book too, Sarah. That sounds really good. And you're going to laugh because the title that I'm excited for is also related to authors and mystery books in the plotline. And this book is also by a author that is new to me. Her name is Rebecca Phillipson, and the book is How to Get Away with Murder.
00:12:23
Speaker
And the premise is that a Scotland Yard detective is trying to find out who the anonymous author of a self-help book is because that book promises quite literally to teach readers how to get away with murder. And these crimes have started happening in London that look to him like they've been inspired by the book. So, um, really kind of a not the same, but like this similar feel of like authors and books and crime.
00:12:51
Speaker
Very fun. I love the premise of the book that you're looking forward to. i am going have to add that to my list as well, Brooke.
Upcoming Movies and Podcast Reflections
00:13:04
Speaker
Well, there's one movie in particular that I'm really looking forward to, and luckily we won't have to wait long. Mercy comes out in January of 2026. And in this movie, Chris Pratt is a detective in this near future fictional world, and he's accused of murdering his wife.
00:13:25
Speaker
And he must prove his innocence within 90 minutes to this hyper-advanced AI judge that that he just happened to help create. And if he doesn't prove his innocence within 90 minutes, he faces execution. So i just am fascinated by this man versus machine technology gone wrong. um And then wondering, like, how great is this detective? Is he going to be able to save himself?
00:13:56
Speaker
That sounds terrific. And Brooke, is it like a real-time countdown? So the movie is 90 minutes? Yeah. That's a fabulous question, Sarah. I don't know, but now I want to go find out.
00:14:06
Speaker
ah
00:14:09
Speaker
Well, I will just really briefly mention a movie that I just heard about and it's coming out, I believe in May and it's called The Sheep Detectives. And it looks like it's got a star studded cast, um some of whom voice the sheep who are investigating the murder of their shepherd. And it sounds and looks absolutely delightful.
00:14:35
Speaker
i love this concept. How cute. i Doesn't this just show how broad mystery has grown in? I mean, we've talked time and time again how we're having this moment in our favorite genre, and here we are in Sheep and Shepherd. So this is just fantastic.
00:14:54
Speaker
So Sarah, you have a feel for, is this intended for a younger audience? I don't know. I mean, it deals with murder and they're investigating it it. It is live action. So that doesn't um always appeal to younger children. And I don't think I would be showing anyone under, say, 10 a movie where a murder mystery is the is the plot driver.
00:15:21
Speaker
That's fair. That's fair. oh i'm I'm definitely going to go out and do some Googling and learn more about the sheep detectives.
00:15:31
Speaker
Well, before we go, i definitely want to mention a favorite project that we did here on the podcast in 2025, Sarah. I mean, we do watch alongs and read alongs. We write mini mysteries and every single one of the projects we do, i find very rewarding. But I think my favorite of the year was the Clued In Conundrum project.
00:15:57
Speaker
that we completed with three amazing author friends, Trixie Silvertail, Sarah Rosette, and Tom Mead. And this is all thanks to some research you did for a show where we discovered that Ellery Queen hosted a radio game show called Author Author, and we brought it into ah current times, didn't we?
00:16:22
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I explained it in the in the episode, but I came across this audio recording and immediately sent it to you and said, Brooke, we have to do this. And the whole premise is that these authors are given a scenario, given a little bit of time, and they share what happens next or how we got to um to this point in the story. And it was so fascinating to hear the very different approaches that these three authors had. And we are so fortunate to have them for a second episode later this year.
00:17:00
Speaker
That's right. There's another Clued in Conundrums coming. And I'm just, I'm really proud of us for like carrying on a ah tradition that started, you know, way back in the early radio days. And I just, I think that it was the best project we did in 2025 personally.
00:17:18
Speaker
I really enjoyed that
Co-Writing Project and Future Collaborations
00:17:20
Speaker
as well. And i think the other project that I would mention, Brooke, is our co-writing. And we did release our first book that we wrote together towards the end of 2025. And I know there's more in store for us as co-authors.
00:17:39
Speaker
Absolutely. That was such a pleasure. it's It was amazing how well we work together in writing, and i know that we'll do more in the future. Well, Brooke, i look forward to more mystery, more podcast, and more writing with you in the coming year.
00:18:00
Speaker
I agree. I can't wait to see what 2026 brings, Sarah. And we hope that you'll be right there with us, listeners. But for today, thank you for joining us on Clued in Mystery.
00:18:11
Speaker
I'm Brooke. And I'm Sarah. And we both love mystery. Clued in Mystery is written and produced by Brooke Peterson and Sarah M. Stephen. Music is by Shane Ivers.
00:18:24
Speaker
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00:18:38
Speaker
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