The 2020 book, set in the retirement village Cooper’s Chase, near the fictional Kent town of Fairhaven, follows a group of endearing retirees: Ron, a former union leader; Elizabeth, the leader and former agent of MI5; Joyce and Ibrahim, a retired nurse and doctor respectively, as they try to solve the murder in the community. Funny, strong and with a great revelation.
2. Finlay Donovan is killing itElle Cosimano
The topic of Finlay Donovan is killing it, by Elle CosimanoIt’s so incredible it’s fascinating. The protagonist, Finlay Donovan, is a single mother (of two) overwhelmed to the bone who, moreover, owes her literary agent a book she hasn’t started writing yet. One day, while she is explaining the plot of her new whodunit to her agent, a deserted wife mistakes her for a hitman and tasks her with getting rid of her husband. To make things even more interesting, Finlay accepts it; after all, you need the money. The surprise? Committing a crime in real life is not as easy as it seems in the books. And as she becomes involved in the murder investigation, the plot thickens.
3. Appetite for murderCecile Lamalle
There’s something about a murder set against the backdrop of a great chef’s kitchen that is always a recipe for a great read. Charlie Poisson, owner and chef of La Fermette, is carrying out his usual ritual of looking for mushrooms in a place that only he knows, when he finds a Hermès scarf wrapped in a woman’s corpse. A discovery that stirs spirits and brings to the surface unpleasant elements such as bizarre barn fires and rumors of Mafia involvement. Who could be the mysterious killer? And could it be cooked much more than what we see on the surface? Only time – and the killer himself – will tell.
4. the truth is toldKathleen Barber
A good indicator of approval? When a book is picked up by Apple TV+ and Reese Witherspoon (with Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul) for a series. The 2017 mystery thriller by Kathleen BarberDescribed as an “addictive psychological thriller,” it begins when a hit podcast (rings you a bell?) begins to pull the strings on a closed murder case.
Josie Buhrman, the victim’s daughter, has struggled to overcome the overwhelming impact her father’s murder had on her family, tearing them apart in ways that are almost irreparable. She’s finally got her life back together in New York, until reporter Poppy Parnell starts snooping around and Josie’s mother suddenly dies. Now she has no choice but to go home, face her past and find out exactly what is the truth behind all of her lies.
5. Really sneakyMaureen Johnson
All by Constance Billard Gossip Girl and St Jude’s in Las Encinas de Elite, showed exactly how fascinating the backdrop of an unabashedly privileged private school can be. The Novel by Maureen Johnson 2018 delves into that world, setting its “intimate murder” in the universe of Ellingham Academy, a renowned Vermont private school for the brightest minds of a generation.
