Every year, there are one or two books that become what I like to call my “out-of-left-field favorites”—books that I picked up on a whim and ended up just absolutely loving. In 2020, one of my “out-of-left-field favorites” was Eva García Sáenz’s exceptional serial killer thriller THE SILENCE OF THE WHITE CITY. The first in a trilogy of crime novels set in the Basque country, THE SILENCE OF THE WHITE CITY is an immersive, intricate, compulsively readable crime novel perfect for fans of serial killer thriller classics like The Silence of the Lambs. This trilogy has already found great success with readers around the world, and it’s easy to see why: THE SILENCE OF THE WHITE CITY has crime fiction must-read written all over it, from its vivid characters to its chilling central mystery and its immersive sense of place. Today, author Eva García Sáenz is stopping by CBTB to answer my questions about her heart-pounding thriller THE SILENCE OF THE WHITE CITY, and to give us a little teaser for what’s to come in this trilogy’s second installment!
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Cover Reveal + Q&A: ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Alice Feeney
When I’m in the mood for a dark and twisty read, I know I can always turn to bestselling thriller writer Alice Feeney to serve up exactly what I’m looking for. Feeney, author of bestselling thrillers Sometimes I Lie, I Know Who You Are, and His & Hers is back this fall with her newest twisty domestic suspense novel ROCK PAPER SCISSORS—available in the US on September 7. Thanks to Alice’s US publisher, I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to exclusively reveal the US cover of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS here on CBTB today! In today’s blog post, you can check out the gorgeous cover of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, and read an exclusive Q&A with Alice that will give you a spoiler-free sneak peek into her newest book!
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Cover Reveal + Excerpt: THE CORPSE FLOWER by Anne Mette Hancock
There’s nothing more exciting to me than learning about an up-and-coming Scandinavian crime writer, and today I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to spotlight one such author for CBTB readers! I first learned about Danish crime writer Anne Mette Hancock through social media, where I began to notice all the buzz surrounding her (then brand-new!) Kaldan & Schäfer crime series. Hancock’s debut novel, The Corpse Flower, was awarded the Danish Crime Academy’s debutant prize in 2017; in 2018, Hancock was named “Author of the Year” in Denmark. And to top it all off, two Danish crime writers whose work I love and opinions I very much trust—Sara Blædel and Katrine Engberg—have both raved about Hancock’s work. It’s safe to say I’ve been quite eager to be able to give Anne Mette Hancock’s work a try for myself, and I’m absolutely thrilled that, this fall, Anne Mette Hancock’s debut novel will be published in the US! THE CORPSE FLOWER is the first installment in Hancock’s Kaldan & Schäfer crime fiction series, and today I’m thrilled to be able to reveal the book’s cover exclusively for CBTB readers!
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Book Review: IF I DISAPPEAR by Eliza Jane Brazier
It’s been quite a while since I read a book quite like Eliza Jane Brazier’s IF I DISAPPEAR. This book is sure to be a polarizing one, and I’ve spent many days since I finished reading it trying to gather my thoughts into some sort of a coherent review. Did I love this book? No, to be honest, I can’t say I did. Were there elements I loved about it? Absolutely. IF I DISAPPEAR weaves a dark and hypnotic spell—this story is cleverly constructed and beautifully written, drawing readers into the dark heart of a family with terrible secrets. In IF I DISAPPEAR, readers follow a young woman who is obsessed with a true crime podcast and its host. When that podcast host goes missing, our protagonist believes she is uniquely prepared to solve the mystery, and sets off on an ill-advised mission to find her missing idol. I was riveted by this unsettling book for about 3/4 of it, until an out-of-left-field conclusion left me both unsatisfied and not insignificantly confused. I am, honestly, still of two minds about this book. There was so much I thoroughly enjoyed about it, and I also had significant frustrations with how the story ultimately tied together, so much so that it did impact my enjoyment of the book as a whole. I’m quite confident this book won’t be for everyone, but it’s sure to spark lots of discussion as it makes its way into readers’ hands this month.
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CBTB's Most-Anticipated Early 2021 Crime Books
A new year is upon us, and it’s bringing with it some very exciting new crime, mystery, and thriller releases to devour! In today’s blog post, I’m rounding up my most-anticipated crime fiction releases publishing between January and March 2021. A few of these books I’ve already been fortunate enough to read, and the others are all on my TBR list as we head into the new year! From new psychological thrillers to suspense novels with horror movie-worthy plots to Nordic Noir and more, the first few months of 2021 have so many thrilling reads in store for us, and I hope this list will help you find a new book (or two, or three!) to look forward to in the coming months!
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