Dearest Bindery Detectives:

One of my Cluesletter goals for 2025 was to read every featured author’s book that I included in the newsletter. I’m going to cover this in a future Bindery post (in case you’re wondering why I didn’t used to do that).

But for now, in the interest of getting caught up on this platform, let’s review the authors I’ve interviewed so far in 2025—and what I thought of their books! This is part one of four quarterly check-ins that will recap these interviewees. Keep an eye out for part two soon.

My goal is going great so far, by the way. Great books, great authors, great murders. Just the way it ought to be.

Let’s review:

1. V.J. Randle, Cold Secrets, January 7.

A cozy, wintery mystery that I found in an unusual way: The author, Victoria, sent me an email offering a PR box of this indie novel, which she had been serializing on Substack to enough interest to merit self-publishing it. While I waited for my physical copy, I caught up on Substack—and fell in love with the Scottish village setting, close-knit characters, and perplexing mystery. It’s the perfect read for a chilly day (save this one for winter, if possible). You can still read it on Substack but, if you can, support the author by grabbing a copy—which is linked to this post, how cool is that?!

Featured author quote:

“I love mysteries which expose the secrets kept by small, unassuming communities.”

2. Megan Collins, Cross My Heart, January 21.

A twisty thriller that has a surprisingly tender side. Main character Rosie is a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband. Megan crafted an addicting book (that I read in under twenty-four hours) that intertwined themes of love, obsession, and how far we might go for a chance at romance. It’s one of those rare (for me) thrillers where you really, truly, root for the unreliable narrator.

Featured author quote:

“Now I know that if I’m creative enough to come up with the idea—and if I believe in the idea—then I can figure out how to get it out of my head and onto the page.”

3. Nev March, Peril at the Exposition, February 4. (Reprint.)

Once in a blue moon I will have to re-run an interview. I selected Nev’s interview from 2022 because I loved the book, Peril at the Exposition, starring a husband-and-wife detective duo who travel from India to the United States for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, and unravel a tricky web of conspiracies, social unrest, and murder. Since our initial interview, Nev has released two more books in the series.

Featured author quote:

“I want my stories to entertain, to lift and transport readers to a different time and place. I also want to open a window outside their bubble.”

4. C.L. Miller, The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea, February 18.

Who doesn’t love Antiques Roadshow? You might recognize this author from her family name—of the famous Miller’s Antique Price Guide—so you can truly enjoy this antiques-themed mystery series. This is the second installment, and I think I enjoyed it even more than the first, seeing as it’s set on board an antiques cruise sailing to Jordan. And who doesn’t love a cruise ship mystery?

Featured author quote:

“In the antiques world, we call it ‘the eye’ when you have an instinct about an item . . . This can also help when tracking down a murderer!”

5. Sara Gran, Little Mysteries, March 4.

I knew this book was for me when I opened it to find an invitation to cut out the first page, fold along the dotted lines, and use the resulting fortune teller as a Tool of Psychospiritual Divination. If that sounds crazy, it sort of is—and the rest of the book continues in this playful, mysterious tone. This is a collection of short stories, some of them traditional, but most of them playing with format: a choose-your-own-adventure, for instance, and a handful of minute mysteries. It’s a fun collage of crime that reminds us that mystery is straightforward yet multidimensional.

Featured author quote:

“There’s a mystery, there’s a solution, bang, that’s it.”

6. Tess Gerritsen, The Summer Guests, March 18.

Aging spies, family secrets, and the perfect summer setting. In this sequel to the bestseller The Spy Coast, a group of retired CIA operatives investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl in the sleepy vacation town of Purity, Maine. It’s eerie enough to unsettle you, but not enough to freak you out, and it’s balanced by a good amount of humor and levity. For those reasons, combined with Tess’s skilled storytelling, it’s a crowd pleaser.

Featured author quote:

“Write what moves you emotionally, and concentrate on the emotional arc your characters take, rather than spending all your time on the mechanics of the plot.”

—

This Cluesletter wrap-up will continue in a second installment featuring authors from the April through June 2025 issues. PS, subscribe to the Cluesletter here.

Yours mysteriously,
Manon 🔍✨

Psst . . . if you you are reading this and aren’t yet subscribed to my Bindery, I invite you to please do so! It’s totally free to join and you also get access to my Discord server, The Locked Room. Or, consider upgrading to the $5/month tier if you would like to further support my content. Thank you!