Dearest Bindery Detectives:

May was a solid reading month for me!

I always make an effort to read a variety of mystery subgenres—and it’s never a problem, considering that mystery is an expansive genre. This past month, I enjoyed everything from treasure hunting and adventure to domestic suspense (one with a troublesome wife, the other with the most awful man you’ll ever read).

Is “literary cozy mystery” a thing? Because that’s how I would categorize Mel Pennant’s A Murder for Miss Hortense, a debut novel that follows the incomparable Miss Hortense as she revisits a dark mystery from her past. This was a standout for me, and probably my favorite of the month (though, truly, just about everything was quite good).

ICYMI: I recently read my first Freida McFadden and posted my first reading vlog. It covers The Housemaid (with spoilers, especially toward the end of the video) and also has a book mail unboxing and a self-indulgent Barnes & Noble visit. Watch it here.

As for the books, thank you to the following publishers:

• Atlantic Crime for The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan

• Thomas & Mercer/NetGalley for Kaua‘i Storm by Tori Eldridge (Cluesletter author, 5/27)

• Scarlet Suspense/MB Communications for Jill Is Not Happy by Kaira Rouda (Cluesletter author, 6/10)

• Pantheon for A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant (Cluesletter author, 6/24)

• Bloomsbury for A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith

• Atria Books for Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

I received a free copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. As for the two others, I got Yellowface by R. F. Kuang from Libby and purchased The Housemaid by Freida McFadden myself (unfortunately).

Yours mysteriously,
Manon 🔍✨

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