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Open Letters Review

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Open Letters Review

Open Letters Review

An Arts & Literature Review

Open Letters Review

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October 19, 2024

The Drowned by John Banville

October 19, 2024/ Ryan Davison
The Drowned by John Banville

Crime fiction is elevated in John Banville's darkly deceptive new mystery

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October 19, 2024/ Ryan Davison/
The Drowned, John Banville, fiction, mystery fiction
January 18, 2024

The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks

January 18, 2024/ Steve Donoghue
The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks

The famous novelist Edith Wharton tries to solve a murder

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January 18, 2024/ Steve Donoghue/
The Wharton Plot, Mariah Fredericks, fictoin, fiction, historical fiction, Edith Wharton, murdery mystery, murder mystery, mystery fiction
December 05, 2023

The Best Books of 2023: Mystery!

December 05, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
The Best Books of 2023: Mystery!

The best in mystery for 2023!

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December 05, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Stevereads
The Mitford Secret, Jessica Fellowes, The Best Books of 2023: Mysteries, Best Mystery 2023, mystery, mystery fiction, So Shall You Reap, Donna Leon, Murder Under a Red Moon, Harini Nagendra, City Under One Roof, Iris Yamashitam, Code of the Hills, Chris Offutt, Playing It Safe, Ashley Weaver, The Mistress of Bhatia House, Sujata Massey, The Lady from Burma, Alison Montclair, Not the Ones Dead, Dana Stabenow, The Last Songbird, Daniel Weizmann, Steve Donoghue
May 29, 2023

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway

May 29, 2023/ Lukas Killgore
Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway

Strange superbeings populate Nick Harkaway’s new novel.

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May 29, 2023/ Lukas Killgore/
Fiction-Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fiction-Mystery/Suspense
Nick Harkaway, science fiction, mystery fiction, 2023
December 20, 2022

No One Left To Come Looking For You by Sam Lipsyte

December 20, 2022/ Tom LeClair
No One Left To Come Looking For You by Sam Lipsyte

A review of Sam Lipsyte’s unconventional seventh novel.

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December 20, 2022/ Tom LeClair/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense
Sam Lipsyte, Tom LeClair, detective fiction, mystery fiction, suspense
May 26, 2022

The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

May 26, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

A gaggle of Jane Austen characters get caught up in a country-house murder mystery.

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May 26, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Romance, Fiction-Mystery/Suspense
The Murder of Mr. Wickham, Claudia Gray, Jane Austen, mystery fiction, fiction, Historical Fiction, Regency Romance, Steve Donoghue
January 17, 2022

The Unfamiliar Garden by Benjamin Percy

January 17, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
The Unfamiliar Garden by Benjamin Percy

In Benjamin Percy’s new novel, a broken family (and a broken world) deals with, among other things, weird fungi.

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January 17, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, Fiction-Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The Unfamiliar Garden, Benjamin Percy, contemporary fiction, mystery fiction, science fiction, Steve Donoghue
April 24, 2021

Death with a Double Edge by Anne Perry

April 24, 2021/ Steve Donoghue
Death with a Double Edge by Anne Perry

Young lawyer Daniel Pitt becomes ensnared in a mysterious back-alley murder.

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April 24, 2021/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense
Death with a Double Edge, Anne Perry, Daniel Pitt, murder mystery, mystery fiction, mystery series
October 18, 2020

It’s a Mystery: “The true art of memory is the art of attention”

October 18, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery: “The true art of memory is the art of attention”

The ninth Vera Stanhope mystery is as fresh and exciting as the first.

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October 18, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, It's a Mystery
Ann Cleeves, Minotaur Books, It's a Mystery, Irma Heldman, Vera Stanhope, mystery series, mystery fiction
September 24, 2020

It’s a Mystery:  “Funny thing about doubt—it marches into your brain and sets up camp without any invitation”

September 24, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery:  “Funny thing about doubt—it marches into your brain and sets up camp without any invitation”

A compelling variation on a locked-room mystery with high level tension that never lets up.

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September 24, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, It's a Mystery
James R. Benn, Soho Crime, mystery fiction, It's a Mystery, Irma Heldman, mystery series
September 17, 2020

It’s a Mystery: “Murder, I have often noticed, is a great matchmaker.”

September 17, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery: “Murder, I have often noticed, is a great matchmaker.”

A masterfully plotted, mind-bending thriller that harkens back to the days when Agatha Christie ruled the genre.

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September 17, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, It's a Mystery
Irma Heldman, It's a Mystery, Sophie Hannah, mystery series, mystery fiction, detective fiction, Agatha Christie
September 01, 2020

It’s a Mystery: “God may not play dice, but he enjoys a good round of Trivial Pursuit every now and again”

September 01, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery: “God may not play dice, but he enjoys a good round of Trivial Pursuit every now and again”

Penny’s deft touch with plotting only enhances her in-depth character studies.

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September 01, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction - Historical, Fiction-Mystery/Suspense
It's a Mystery, Irma Heldman, Louise Penny, Minotaur Books, mystery fiction, historical fiction
August 13, 2020

It’s a Mystery: “Life’s not a rehearsal”

August 13, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery: “Life’s not a rehearsal”

Two page-turning action-packed thriller/mysteries; one by a veteran author, the other a debut.

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August 13, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction-Crime & Thrillers, Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, It's a Mystery
mystery fiction, James Lee Burke, Ryan Wick, Irma Heldman, It's a Mystery
July 07, 2020

It’s a Mystery: “The Irish are a fair people, they never speak well of one another” 

July 07, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery: “The Irish are a fair people, they never speak well of one another” 

An atmospheric mystery blending history and romance with a contemporary police investigation.

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July 07, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, It's a Mystery
Sarah Stewart Taylor, mystery fiction, It's a Mystery, Minotaur Books
June 30, 2020

It’s a Mystery: “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes”

June 30, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery: “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes”

A skillful whodunit populated by a motley assortment of vividly wrought characters.

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June 30, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, It's a Mystery
mystery fiction, murder mystery, Irma Heldman, It's a Mystery, Paul Doiron, Minotaur Books
June 02, 2020

It’s a Mystery: There is a fine line between a monster and a hero

June 02, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery: There is a fine line between a monster and a hero

With her trademark fast pace, Jance has rendered a masterly study of the effects of grief, rage, and the power of forgiveness.

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June 02, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction-Crime & Thrillers, Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, It's a Mystery
J. A. Jance, thrillers, mystery fiction, mystery series, Irma Heldman, It's a Mystery, Ali Reynolds series
May 11, 2020

Scandinavian Noir by Wendy Lesser

May 11, 2020/ Steve Donoghue
Scandinavian Noir by Wendy Lesser

A new book by Wendy Lesser examines the phenomenon of Nordic noir.

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May 11, 2020/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, Books & Authors
Scandinavian Noir, Wendy Lesser, mystery fiction, Steve Donoghue, Farrar Straus Giroux Books, MacMillan Publishers
March 31, 2020

It’s a Mystery: “The person who talks less is the one with the upper hand.”

March 31, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery: “The person who talks less is the one with the upper hand.”

A superior mystery on every level, affirming McMahon’s place as up there with the best in the genre.

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March 31, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction-Crime & Thrillers, Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, It's a Mystery
Irma Heldman, John McMahon, It's a Mystery, Putnam, mystery fiction, crime fiction, mystery series
March 25, 2020

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

March 25, 2020/ Steve Donoghue
A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

The latest Veronica Speedwell mystery finds our heroine in London at the height of Jack the Ripper’s killing rampage.

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March 25, 2020/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense
Deanna Raybourn, Veronica Speedwell, Jack the Ripper, Prince Albert Victor, murder mystery, mystery fiction, mystery series, Steve Donoghue
February 20, 2020

It’s a Mystery: “Never met a sacred cow he didn’t want to slay”

February 20, 2020/ Irma Heldman
It’s a Mystery: “Never met a sacred cow he didn’t want to slay”

A top notch mystery that is intricately layered to keep you in suspense.

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February 20, 2020/ Irma Heldman/
Fiction-Crime & Thrillers, Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, It's a Mystery
It's a Mystery, Irma Heldman, Tessa Wegert, Berkley, mystery series, mystery fiction, crime fiction, thrillers
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Editors:

Steve Donoghue
Sam Sacks
Britta Böhler
____________________

Eric Karl Anderson
Olive Fellows
Jack Hanson
Jennifer Helinek
Justin Hickey
Hannah Joyner
Zach Rabiroff
Jessica Tvordi

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