Summer 2026 Mystery Recap

Transcript

Speaker: Welcome to Clued in Mystery. I'm Sarah. And I'm Brooke, and we both love mystery. Brooke. Hi, Sarah. We're back for another season of Clued in Mystery. I'm so happy to be back behind the mic with you. How was your summer break?

Speaker: It was great. Thank you Lots of reading and a little bit of watching. And I am looking forward to finding out what you got up to.

Speaker: Well, one of the things that I did, as you said, was do a lot of reading. So let's dive into the recap of our summer TBR lists. And the first one I'll talk about is The Marlowe Murder Club. This is a 2021 release from Robert Thorogood. And, you know, in our original episode where we discussed our list, I mentioned that I was looking forward to seeing how this title stacked up against similar concepts like Thursday Murder Club or some of those that have these older, older groups of sleuths. And I think it was great. It's definitely more on the cozy side. It's pretty quirky and light, but it was a great start to a series for anyone who enjoys those older sleuths and very warm stories.

Speaker: I'm glad you enjoyed it, Brooke. I have read a few books in this series and yeah, you just know that it's going to be a satisfying mystery and a comfortable mystery.

Speaker: That's right. And for those of you who have the correct streaming service, there is the television adaptation. That doesn't ah describe me, sadly, but I can imagine it would be really great on screen too. Yeah, I don't have it either. So um i'm I'm with you. I'm sure it is great. um But I'll have to wait until it appears on another streaming service before i get to watch it.

Speaker: So the first one that I want to mention, Brooke, is One by One, which is, as you know, by Ruth Ware. It was published in 2020. And you have talked about this book many times, which is why I put it on my list this year. It is set in winter, so not, ah you know...

Speaker: not ah Not a summertime theme, but ah you were absolutely correct, Brooke. It is a great book. um I thought it was a very solid interpretation of And Then There Were None. um And easily the worst work trip that anybody could go on. i The one thing that I found um was that with the exception of two of the characters, they were really unlikable, which, i you know, maybe is worth a conversation another time to just talk about

Speaker: How does that change the the mood of the book if if you're not really rooting for the characters? Yes, that would be a really good talk. And I would agree. Like there's basically no one in that group that has a lot of redeeming qualities. So yes, the worst work trip ever with the worst group of people.

Speaker: I'm glad you enjoyed it The next one I will go over is the 1230 from Croydon by Freeman Wills Crofts. This is a 1934 release. And I listened to this book. I was really interested in reading another one of his books because we highlighted him as a golden age author.

Speaker: And this book is an example of an inverted mystery, which we also spoke about recently. Um, It was quite drawn out, as Croft's books can be, but I did really enjoy the mystery. And ah just one specific thing, Croft's, is as we mentioned in his episode, loves to describe logistics and... um you know, the, the scenery and the way everything is laid out. And I thought that he did a wonderful job describing the experience of flying for the first time. It happens from the viewpoint of a young girl. And I just, I was taken back to kind of that first time I ever flew. And so I thought that that was really well done and, and it is a great mystery.

Speaker: I'm glad you enjoyed it, Brooke. I i read it as part of the um reading that I did for the episode that we did about him. But I agree. That's in the opening, the the description of that first flight and that this that this character took. And you can just feel the...

Speaker: um awe, right? Like this was a time when flight was still a relatively new experience that a lot of people wouldn't have had. ah And, you know, I'm sure airlines were happy that he had talked about it in this way, because it just kind of makes you want to get on a plane. Definitely. Yeah, it was really great.

Speaker: So the next on my list was His and Hers, which was also released in 2020, written by Alice Feeney. um And this year it was also a series that was released on Netflix. So I read the book and I watched this series. um I will say that I preferred the book to the series. I did enjoy both.

Speaker: They changed the setting for the series. So the book is set in the UK. The series is set in the US. And I'm always curious about... why they do that. I think it's to appeal to um the North American market. i That's my assumption. um The ending was slightly different between the two, ah but they were both very entertaining. I i have enjoyed, i think, everything that I've read from Alice Feeney and I enjoyed the series as well.

Speaker: that's great. I was looking forward to your report on this one because I have only watched the series. So I was um interested to see, and I didn't realize that the setting was different. And I am also interested that the ending is a little different because as you'll recall, the ending of the series, i spoke um on a different episode about how um it was a little off for me. So now I'm going to have to go grab that book and see how she ends it, you know, in the original, in the original work.

Speaker: So my next mention is The Hallmarked Man. This is a 2025 release from Robert Galbraith. I listened to this one. It's the seventh book in the series and I've listened to all of them and it was over 30 hours long. So this is another chunky book. um It might be the longest so far in the series, but I think that that's partly because Galbraith, who is a pen name for JK Rowling, does a really amazing thing with this book. So in this story, there's an unidentified body and four or maybe five, I can't remember, missing men who could be the person that this body is. And along the way, she not only has Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellicott deduce who the actual victim is, they solve each and every one of those cases along the way. So, you know, rather than just saying, well, it can't be Bob because, you know, he's

Speaker: is actually alive or whatever, like each one of them has this large backstory and she solves those complete cases. So anyway, it's pretty amazing and really a huge undertaking. um It was really good. It was it kept me company for a couple of weeks.

Speaker: That sounds perfect for the summer because your routine might be a little bit off. I certainly found that I didn't have all of the pockets of time that I usually have to read. i just didn't, I didn't have them, but having something that's kind of long that you can listen to um and you know, keep you occupied throughout the summer sounds perfect.

Speaker: It was great. We had some long drives and so I could just listen to my book. It was great. ah So next on my list ah was The Killer Question by Janice Hallett, and that was released in 2025.

Speaker: She did not disappoint. i have enjoyed all of her books, some more than others. And this one is in that category. i i I really enjoyed this. It was actually the first of her books that I read as a physical book. Her other books I have listened to. um And i didn't have a strong preference for physical versus audio versions of the book, of the books. Um,

Speaker: The advantage with a physical copy is that you can go back and, you know, see how she's done her very clever mystery. but ah yeah, I would happily listen to or physically have a ah ah copy of her book for the next one.

Speaker: So definitely recommend. That sounds great. I um have listened and done e-books of the Hallett books. And I found, um because if anyone hasn't read these, these are like strings of email conversations and maybe court transcripts. It depends on the story. But um I did better when I was...

Speaker: reading with my eyes, shall we say. So that's really great, though. And I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I'll have to pick it up. The last one I have for today is Disclaimer by Renee Knight. And this came out in 2015. I read it as a paperback.

Speaker: And this was an excellent thriller. The story went in a very unexpected place for me. And I found myself asking our favorite question a lot, Sarah, which is what would I do in this situation? Which I think that's a great sign for a book if that if that main character is put in a really good story conundrum. So that was great. um I do want to mention that the plot does involve the topic of sexual assault. So take that under advisement. And once again, i don't have the right streaming service, but for those of you who have Apple TV, the Cate Blanchett adaptation might be worth a watch because this is a really twisty, good thriller.

Speaker: Oh, well, I do have Apple TV, so I maybe have to check that out, Brooke. It's such a great experience when you can imagine yourself in the role of the um main character, because sometimes...

Speaker: you know, it's, it's this life that is so far from yours, right? And you can happily read about the the characters, but know that that's never a situation that you're going to encounter. But then other times, often in domestic thrillers, it's a little more grounded in everyday life. And it's kind of fun to ask that, which is why we do those episodes, right?

Speaker: That's right. If you have not tuned in for a what would you do episode, you'll definitely want to do that and you'll see exactly what we mean. So I have two left on my list, Brooke. um One is The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónison. And I think i I had put this on my list of, I would love to read this at some point in 2026. So I got to it over the summer. It was published in 2023 in English and earlier in Icelandic.

Speaker: um And it was the first book that I read by him and I immediately sought out another because I thought it was just such a great book. ah This was actually the second featuring this particular detective, but it worked as a standalone. Like I didn't feel like I was um missing anything. And the book that I ended up reading next was the first book.

Speaker: um that featured this this detective. And yeah, it both were great. And I am definitely going to read some more by Yonason.

Speaker: Oh, that sounds great. When anytime you just want to go out and find another book by that author, great sign. Mm-hmm. And so the final book that I had on my list was Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards. And this was published in 2025. So this also takes place over the holiday season. So in the winter, um which I guess I must have been looking to just cool down a little bit. Yeah.

Speaker: um I'm more familiar with Edward's nonfiction. So he's written some really great books that I've turned to for multiple episodes as as research. He just is, I think, this fountain of knowledge about the origins of crime fiction. and for anyone who is interested in learning more about that after, you know, hearing some of our episodes, I would, I would recommend his books, but this was the first, I think the first fiction of his that I had read, um

Speaker: As I mentioned, it takes place over the Christmas season. So if someone reads seasonally, you might want to wait until closer to the end of the year before you pick it up. But if you're not a seasonal reader, this is definitely worth picking up anytime. ah And it was, yeah, it was very clever.

Speaker: Oh, that sounds great. I am the same. I think I have only read Martin Edwards nonfiction, but I did see this. i i can envision the cover and that sounds like a great read.

Speaker: Well, Sarah, before we go I was wondering if we could have just a quick conversation about a show that you drew my attention to earlier in the year.

Speaker: You mentioned that you had seen ah the trailer for The Sheep Detectives, and we put it in a newsletter, and that was kind of the last I thought of it. But um have you been able to watch it this summer?

Speaker: i did. i watched it, and I loved it. I did too. i just, I just thought it was a, not only a wonderful mystery, but a really great story. Like there are levels of different storylines and different things happening between the different characters. And, um, I was really impressed. I didn't expect it to be as great as, as it was.

Speaker: It was great. And it was something um that I think kind of the whole family can watch. So I watched it with my son and he's um middle grade. ah And so, you know, he, he loved it as well. It, it, it was just a great um film to watch with the family.

Speaker: Yeah, that was one of the thoughts that I had when I saw it. And I think that you might see the commercial for it and think that it's specifically for kids, but that's not the case at all. Definitely the the whole family would enjoy it.

Speaker: We might want to dissect it and dive a little deeper. Like I say, I feel like there are many threads to that story, not just the great mystery. So maybe ah listeners will have a bonus episode about the sheep detectives coming up.

Speaker: Oh, I think that would be great, Brooke. Maybe I could just mention a Good Girl's Guide to Murder on Netflix because I did watch that series. Have you had a chance to watch that series, Brooke? I watched it as well, Sarah, yes.

Speaker: um And so our listeners who are subscribers to our free newsletter can listen to our breakdown of the first series of a Good Girl's Guide to Murder. The second series was released um over the summer break. And so I watched it. um And this is an an ah adaptation of a book series that I think I'm either going to have to reread the book or do some research because I really felt like I didn't remember a lot of what happened in the show happening in the book.

Speaker: Mm hmm. And I'm in the position where I have not read this book series. I've only been watching the television adaptations. And so I don't have that comparison to make, but I will say that this felt different than, than the first season. And so I was kind of interested to find out from you whether or not it was still following along with the book. She is podcasting in this season, which I know made you happy because in the first season she did not. And that was kind of the whole crux of book one, I believe. That's right. Holly Jackson's story. so

Speaker: Yeah, yeah, yeah. um And I did, you know, when I read the books, I...

Speaker: i liked them less and less with each book. the The third book is my least favorite of the series. And so I don't know how that will influence. I'm not sure if Netflix is doing an adaptation of that third book. um And if they continue to like really depart from the originals, maybe I will like that one more than I liked the book. um But yeah, it was it it it was interesting. It wasn't

Speaker: i don't know I didn't find it as compelling. I agree. And I felt Pip was less confident, which didn't make sense to me because like you usually don't regress in your skills. So um yeah, it was just just a little bit different feel.

Speaker: Okay. Well, Brooke, it has been so fun to just chat about mystery again with you and talk about what we've been reading over the last little bit. And I am really looking forward to our next series of episodes.

Speaker: I am too. We have some great shows lined up everyone. So you'll definitely want to tune in. ah But before we go, here's your question of the week. We want to know what you read and watched this summer. Send us an email.

Speaker: ah Hello clued in mystery.com and let us know. and you can always reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook as well, where we're at clued in mystery. But until next time, everyone, thank you so much for joining us for another season of Clued in Mystery. I'm Brooke.

Speaker: 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.

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