Hello There!

Welcome back to my blog! Today we’re keeping in mind that black joy is also a simple way to protest the injustices going on right now. I love to read and I love reading mysteries. Since they bring me joy I thought it would be a blast to talk about a few black centric mystery and thrillers to celebrate Juneteenth!

In Perfect Little Lives by Amber and Danielle Brown, We’re following Simone. She’s been through a lot. Her mother was murdered when Simone was 13 and then a little after, her father was found guilty for her death. Fast forward to now, she’s an adult and living life the only way she knows how, but when an old neighbor shows up in her life with new information about her mothers case she takes it upon herself to get some real answers. I read Zeta’s Til We Die by these authors last year, and really enjoyed it.

In Murder At The Wham Bam Club by Carolyn Anne Wilkins, A young Widowed psychic named Nola gets pulled into a missing persons case in Illinois during the roaring 20’s. Jazz, Soul Food, and racial political intrigue seems to be afoot in this first novel in a series. I love the 20’s and being able to experience a more diverse side of it? Well that’s just Ducky my dear!

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown is on my TBR. This Thriller gives me Secret Society/Dark Academia vibes so you know I’m all about it! We’re following Maya, who shows up to Princeton to celebrate her sister Naomi’s graduation, only to find out she is DEAD and of course the police say its an accident. Maya isn’t trusting those officers as far as she can throw them, so of course she investigates, I’m so excited to get to this one!

In Bluebird Bluebird written by Attica Locke, we follow a Texas Ranger named Darren who is investigating the death of a black Chicago Lawyer. Billed as a rural Noir, I have a feeling this is going to be hard hitting since the lines of race are so clearly drawn in Texas, and will definitely pull at our main character from multiple sides…

In Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury, we are following two teenage girls in a haunted house mystery! Daisy can see ghosts and when you live in Toronto apparently there are a lot to see. A decade later, Brittany hosts a web series and she’s decided to investigate “The Miracle Mansion” . This story is told in parallel timelines which is one of my favorite literary vehicles so I’m so stoked to read this!

In The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson; we have a british Detective Inspector in a race to stop not only a prolific serial killer but also their copycat?! I read that first line and I was HOOKED! This is also the beginning of a new British procedural series, so I am sat!

I read Harlem Sunset by Nekesa Afia last year and it was so so good! You’re following a black girl who escaped a serial killer when she was younger, and she’s tried to blend in ever since. However, after the events of novel one she’s found herself in the role of detective. In Sunset, a girl she saved comes to visit, after a night of partying they all wake up in the club, but our visitor is no longer among the living. With her girlfriend the prime suspect she takes it upon herself to solve it.

Our Final novel is Casanegra by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. What a powerhouse creative trio! In this steamy thriller; A struggling actor gets wrapped up in the murder of a rapper in Hollywood and has to solve it lest they take him down for it.

Are you reading anything for Juneteenth? How do you celebrate?

Until Next Time,

Gabs

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