True Crime for the Summertime

I haven’t forgotten about this blog, I’ve just been reading more true crime than fiction lately. In that vein I’ll give you a quick round-up of the true crime books I’ve been reading:

People Who Eat Darkness

This is pretty dark, but fascinating. It covers the case of a young British woman working abroad in Japan who goes missing and we eventually learn that she was murdered. I learned a great deal about the Japanese justice system and some real failures with their policing. 

Just Mercy

This book is beautifully written, compelling and utterly heartbreaking. This is the story of a young black lawyer who goes to work in the South for various organizations that represent people on death row. So much injustice is brought to light, and it makes the heart sick at what is happening in America today with blatant racism and corruption in our criminal justice system. A must read.

The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer

This was a decent read, although not as hard-hitting or in depth as some of the others. I still recommend it though, since it’s an interesting case presented by someone who lived it—and there’s no getting around the fact that the author’s mother was at best neglectful and at worst abusive.

I’m planning on picking up The Officer’s Daughter next…I’ll let you know how that goes. 

In the world of fiction, I recently finished THE SIGN OF THE GALLOWS. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that Severn House publishing picked up the Lucy Campion series—Lucy’s story just wasn’t finished yet. If you haven’t read Lucy before, I recommend going back to the beginning of the series set in 1600’s London at the time of the plague and the Great Fire. This latest installment finds Lucy, a printer’s apprentice, traveling to sell her broadsheets when a pair of men knock her over and leave in a hurry. She continues on through a local crossroads with the old hanging tree—but instead of ghosts, Lucy finds a recently dead body. Could the two men who knocked her over have anything to do with it? We also see the love triangle between Lucy, Constable Duncan and Adam Hargreaves heat up—with a possible decision made on which man is best for her. Lucy feels like an old friend and I love the history Calkins weaves into each story. 

Another historical I read and absolutely loved was THE FIANCEE’S GUIDE TO FIRST WIVES AND MURDER, the fourth in the Countess Harleigh mystery series. When a woman claiming to be a theatre owner, Russian royalty and George Hazelton’s wife shows up on Frances’s doorstep …well, Frances doesn’t know what to think, since she happens to be George’s fiancée. And Frances soon has to navigate both the scrutiny of London society as well as a murder investigation. I absolutely adore this series—it’s so much fun, with great characters and excellent plots. What more could you ask for? (And I’m not just saying that because we share the same editor.)

And last but not least, I’ve been savoring CASTLE SHADE, the newest Mary Russell novel from author Laurie R. King. This is one of my favorite series and this latest installment does not disappoint. I’m only about halfway through, but it’s set in Romania! With creepy castles! And vampires! It seems like I should save it for the fall, but I am simply too impatient and couldn’t wait that long to dive in. It’s always incredible to me how Laurie King manages to keep these novels feeling fresh after so many installments—I think she must be a wizard.  

That’s what I’ve been reading, but how about you? Be sure to let me know if there’s something you’ve been loving—I’m always looking to add to my stacks.