When my mystery-fanatic husband Dave and I started our mystery collectors’ resource business, Kingdom Books, Dave specialized in sniffing out the most exciting and satisfying mysteries, old or new, and I put my writing skills to practical use by starting a review blog (https://kingdombks.blogspot.com -- 1700 posts so far!). I also reviewed new mysteries for the local newspaper, gratis. (Yes, I know, but bear with me.)
That led me to joining the amazing National Book Critics Circle around 2010, and committed me to reading every mystery review in two national newspapers every Sunday morning. Good stuff!
But times have changed drastically in this decade, and although mysteries are still mostly published on paper … reviews are not! Think about that “computer” (aka cellphone) in your pocket, or the podcasts or regular radio shows where books take center stage. Are you getting some of your “must read” list from those? Or from friends who ooh and aah over a book on Facebook, Instagram, or in a book club or at a conference? (It’s OK to say “I read what my librarian suggests when I visit the library in person,” but it might not be common now.)
The most exciting change for my review habits was meeting the New York Journal of Books, a totally online review publication. As long as the format is as agreed and no other reader beats me to it, my reviews get a great home there.
Here’s what I look for when deciding to review a mystery: Have I enjoyed the author before, or work from one of the authors blurbing the book in advance? Does the sleuth, amateur or otherwise, delight me? For instance, Barbara Cleverly’s Joe Sandilands, and Ruth Galloway from Elly Griffiths, enthrall me. You don’t see big ads often for these books, but they feature tight, adventurous plots with wounded protagonists who rise above personal concerns to tackle crimesolving for the sake of others.
What about the plot summary – is it professional or amateur? Don’t show me a “book report” version with its hint of seventh grade, or a phrase like “Shades of Grey meets The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” I want to know my mind and heart will be engaged – I don’t mind if the balance shifts around. Flavia de Luce in the YA mysteries by Alan Bradley draws me just as much as Lee Child’s Jack Reacher; I know each will be caught up in something bigger than they are. But I’ll also bite on a great puzzle, like the one in The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton; I’ll accept a paranormal component (John Connolley in Maine; Stuart Neville in Ireland; Tarn Richardson’s horrifying “Darkest Hand” trilogy) as long as the sleuth’s effort is human and effective.
Finally, I want a book’s ending to tie up the major loose ends, vindicate the forces of good or those of good humor, and not betray my affection and attention that I’ve poured into reading. If those areas let me down – I don’t review the book. Why suggest that someone else read something disappointing?
Only a few mystery authors will get the publisher promotion poured into books by Louise Penny, Charles Todd (mother and son team), or Ann Cleeves. If my widely varied TBR (to be reviewed!) stack leads to a review that brings a fresh new Good Mystery to your attention, I’m well paid for the effort!
Beth Kanell lives in northeastern Vermont, with a mountain at her back and a river at her feet. She writes book reviews, short stories, mysteries, and poems, and digs into Vermont history to frame her “history-hinged” novels: The Long Shadow, The Darkness Under the Water, The Secret Room, and Cold Midnight. Coming soon: This Ardent Flame.