A Novel Murder: A Mystery by E.C. Nevin

I’m just coming off the planning of the annual Nantucket Book Festival last month, so I couldn’t wait to put my feet up and my detective hat on to solve this whodunit, featuring a murder at a literary festival. While I am thankful life didn’t imitate art at our own book festival, I had a lot of fun with this reading experience. What I enjoyed most is the “inside baseball” on book events, publishers, authors, editors, agents, adoring fans and book influencers. It’s my world and I love reading about it. If you’ve been reading this column for a while, you also know that I revere a good murder mystery, and I always have a new one ready to solve and recommend. E.C. Nevin is a pseudonym for an ex-publishing professional, the perfect person to craft this literary caper at the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival, where the murders aren’t just on the page. You’ll have a blast becoming an armchair detective along with some quirky bookish characters to solve the case and reveal the culprit.

All the Colors of the Dark  by Chris Whitaker

All the Colors of the Dark was one of the most talked about books of 2024. It was a Read with Jenna selection that sold more than a million copies and spent over 22 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. I can’t tell you how many people I have heard saying, “Did you read All the Colors of the Dark?” outside Mitchell’s Book Corner on Main Street. The suspense created by the short chapters and staccato sentences, plus the memorable characters and the tears you shed for them, made for one of the most propulsive stories I’ve read in a while. I will never forget the pirate boy, Patch, and his beekeeper friend, Saint, and the decades-long search for each other, for love, for answers and for hope. This is such a genre-bending novel. It’s a missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a coming-of-age story, a tale of friendship and an epic saga of grand proportions. Chris Whitaker’s previous novel, We Begin at the End, was my favorite book of 2020, so if you finished All the Colors of the Dark and are experiencing a book hangover, go get yourself a copy.

Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore

It’s beach reading season. I know there are several readers out there drowning their sorrows in “CRUcomber” cocktails without a new Elin Hilderbrand novel in their beach bags this year. Meg Mitchell Moore is Elin’s personal favorite “beach read” author so I couldn’t wait to pick up her newest novel Mansion Beach. Let’s go island hopping, shall we, and book a ferry to Block Island in this modern-day take on The Great Gatsby. I had a lot of fun in the sun reading this one. It’s a sophisticated and scandalous summer read. As a podcast host, I loved the inclusion of the fictional podcast Life and Death on an Island, where they take a deep dive into life on a small island. Sound familiar? Yes, this is escapist reading at its finest, complete with lavish parties, buried secrets and local island drama between year-round residents and summer visitors, but what is most notable here is, just like Elin Hilderbrand, Mitchell Moore explores the depth of human relationships.

King of Ashes  by S.A. Cosby

Like the hottest of summer days, King of Ashes burns with intensity and explosive storytelling. I’ve been a fan of S.A. Cosby’s books since Razorblade Tears came out in 2021. Then came All the Sinners Bleed, when Cosby officially became an auto-buy author for me. Each of his novels is as sharp, gritty and vigorous as its title. I am not lying when I say I got at least three paper cuts because I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough in this latest one. King of Ashes is a captivating crime thriller that will be splayed open on every beach towel this month covered in sunscreen, sand and sweat from all the suspense. It’s a little bit The Godfather, a little bit Breaking Bad, and a whole lot of signature Cosby and his dynamic brand of hard-boiled crime fiction: A missing mother, a prodigal son, a merciless gang, dangerous debts and family secrets make the pages and sparks fly to a riveting showdown that feels like a ticking time bomb for the reader. I would not be shocked if you devour this in one sitting, from sunrise to sunset.

Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson by Claire Hoffmann

Considered an “absolute must-read” by The New York Times Book Review, Sister, Sinner piqued my interest when I stumbled upon a headline highlighting this true story. Here are the facts: On a spring day in 1926, Aimee Semple McPherson wandered into the Pacific Ocean and vanished. Weeks later she reappeared in the desert, claiming to have been kidnapped. A national media frenzy and months of investigation ensued. She was America’s most famous evangelist, using her notoriety to bring God’s message to the country, but after her disappearance, many asked, “Was she a saintly sister or a con artist?” I had never heard of Aimee Semple McPherson, but now I’ll never be able to forget her or the mysterious scandal surrounding her infamy. She greatly influenced the rise of popular religion in America, and her life feels like something lifted from a 1920s “talkie” that you can’t quite believe. After reading this book, I’ll tell you this: I’m a true believer in Claire Hoffman’s talent as a storyteller.

Don’t miss Claire Hoffman signing copies of Sister, Sinner at Mitchell’s Book Corner on Sunday, July 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.