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Top 5 Tuesday

Top 5… mind-blowing mystery/thrillers

Good morning bookworms!
Today’s Top 5 Tuesday is a ‘mind-blowing mystery/thrillers’. Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by the super lovely Shanah over at the Bionic Bookworm. You can visit her here, and join in for Top 5 Tuesday by checking out all the amazing topics we have coming up!
So… this week is going to be a bit weird for me, because I don’t read thrillers at all, and I don’t read a lot of mysteries… So, bear with me and we’ll get through this one together (although the series may not be mind-blowing, they will be ones that I really loved)!!


The Checquy Files (The Rook and Stiletto) by Daniel O’Malley are one of my most favourite mystery series EVER. I really can’t scream about these books enough. If you’re into fantasy / paranormal / spy mystery series, then you NEED to read this. I believe it’s also being turned into a TV series, but there is no release date as yet. It does start with an amnesia trope, but if that puts you off, I really recommend pushing through because it is #worthit. The series has been described as ‘MI6 for wizards’, but it’s more like MI6 for the X-Men.

The Veronica Mars TV show sparked not only 3 series and a movie, but also 2 books by director, Rob Thomas. I, being the absolute die-hard marshmallow (Veronica Mars fan) that I am, have read and loved these (and am totally sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for July 26 to HURRY UP). Thomas has confirmed that while the book storylines won’t be specifically referenced in the upcoming mini-series, they are canon (and Veronica and Logan’s pup will be there). Recommended for anyone who loves VR, and also cozy mysteries in a California setting.

Midnight Texas trilogy by Charlaine Harris. I don’t know if this series comes under paranormal fiction or what, but it has this overarching mystery feel to it that I really liked. In fact, it’s probably my fave series by Harris, and I’ve read most of her book series (Aurora Teagarden, Lily Bard, Sookie Stackhouse, Harper Connelly and a couple of standalones). One of the things I love most though, is that there is a tiny little side character from most of her other series that have all congregated to live in this super weird blip on a map called Midnight (what’s smaller than a village?), like they are drawn together by supernatural forces. Recommended if you like paranormal mysteries, or anything else by Harris.

The Spellmans 6-book series by Lisa Lutz is one of my favourite dysfunctional family series that also happens to be a mystery series. The series primarily follows Isabel Spellman (Izzy) who is the middle child in a family of private investigators (with the singular exception of Izzy’s perfect older brother who is a lawyer). Each book has a specific case as its main story, but the overarching storylines of the family dramas are a huge part of the reason I read all six books. (Yes, it does annoy me that they changed the covers halfway through the series…) Recommended for anyone who loves a bit of family drama or a good suburbian espionage and blackmail.

For my last book/series of mystery/thriller recommendations, I’m going to add in a Janet Evanovich series. This spot could pretty much go to any of her series (and I do love them all), but I’m giving it to the new Knight and Moon series. There’s only two books (Curious Minds, Dangerous Minds) out in this series, but the reason I love this series so much is one of the characters, Emerson Knight, is eccentric (but I believe he has Asperger’s Syndrome and I do love mental health / disability rep). If you’re looking for more though, she has 25 Stephanie Plum books, 5 Fox and O’Hare books, and 3 Lizzie and Diesel books. (Don’t be put off by the volume, they are VERY readable.)
Until next time, happy reading ??

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