It’s the time of year for reading roundups and top-n lists, and this blog is no exception. I’ve read 180(!) books this year, some better than others, and I Have Some Thoughts on those I loved best and why.
We’ll start with the mysteries, which were far and away the genre I spent the most time with. Writing this blog has taught me a lot about my own preferences for reading material… In mysteries, I’ve learned that I prefer “traditional” mysteries – fair play, not too gory, centering the puzzle. To me, the best mysteries involve Psychology and the little grey cells – I don’t want stories which focus solely on physical clues (which may go out of date) or which can’t be solved with in-story information. If I can get a sense of continuity and character development, that’s even better – but not required.
For this list, I’ve focused on the mysteries I loved best this year. At other times, I try to rate books based on whether I think they have some kind of universal merit; but this list is just the books that stuck with me over the last 365 days…
Everyone On This Train is a Suspect
In a surprise to perhaps nobody, I continue to love the Ernest Cunningham series in 2024. Everyone On This Train is a Suspect follows our snarky protagonist Ernie as he boards a luxury cross-Australia train for a writer’s festival. It is a trope among writers that these festivals are full of drama, aka a ripe setting for murder. Which, of course, occurs, and the mystery unfolds from there.
Everyone On This Train is a Suspect takes so much of what I loved about the first book and amps it up. It’s both more meta and lighter and funnier, perhaps because it’s about professional grudges instead of deep family secrets. I continue to enjoy Ernest’s snarkiness and meta-humor. Plus, with such a unique character it’s fun to see what happens next. And, of course, the series continues to be strictly fair play, with Ernest even calling out critical moments in the narration. This mystery is a joy for any traditional mystery reader who loves puzzles.
Murder Must Advertise
This year, I told myself that I would read all of the Adam Dalgliesh series. I then promptly threw that commitment over for a binge-read of everything Peter Wimsey. After Miss Marple, Peter Wimsey may be my favorite detective. And of all his mysteries, Murder Must Advertise is my favorite.
Murder Must Advertise takes Lord Peter undercover at an ad agency, where he’s investigating a mysterious death. The result is an exploration of the advertising industry as seen by Dorothy Sayers, and a fun office story to boot. Sayers herself work as a copywriter at an ad agency, and her experience is clear in the detailed character portraits and the love-hate descriptions of what it takes to create an excellent ad campaign. It is also incredible how much of the story still feels extremely relevant – from the office politics to the ad discourse. The mystery is also a reasonable one, and though Lord Peter’s tactics are a bit… difficult to believe, the rest of the logic fits together so nicely I can’t bring myself to care. Murder Must Advertise is the book in the series that I always, always tear through. It’s just pure, puzzly fun.
(This book features death by falling down the stairs – a real personal phobia of mine – so will count as that entry towards my 52 Book Club challenge!)
The Poisoned Chocolates Case
Next on the list is a fun Golden Age mystery by Anthony Berkeley, which sticks out in my memory for its uniqueness. The story centers around a fictional “Crimes Circle” (much like the real-life Detection Club) attempts to solve a recent, well-publicized murder. Each of the members of the club pursues his / her own investigation, and returns to report on their theory, only for the group to pick it apart.
I love the meta nature of this mystery story, as each of the characters is a parody of some existing literary detective or writing trope. You’ve got the barrister, the female author, the playwright… Plus, the book itself is a great stack of solutions to really force you into thinking critically about the problem itself. If you enjoy the moment where Poirot bursts Hastings’ bubble – this story is that, times seven. The Poisoned Chocolates Case is pure Golden Age meta-mystery fun.
The Murder of Mr. Ma
I picked The Murder of Mr. Ma up on a whim one day at Christopher’s Books. It actually took me a while to get it off my TBR… And let my experience be a reminder of how important physical bookstores are to any healthy reading diet – because I adored this story.
The Murder of Mr. Ma follows a Chinese judge (based on the historical Judge Dee) and a young academic, Lao She, though the streets of post-WWI London. This version of Judge Dee is 1) extremely intelligent; 2) extremely moral; and 3) extremely addicted to opium. Lao She serves as Watson, both in the usual ways (narration, asking bad questions), but also in highlighting the moral toll of the war. I loved how the characters’ similarities and differences played off each other, and their Chinese background added additional layers, not just to the case, but to each character. The book was wonderfully well-researched and specific, which made the highs higher and the lows even sadder. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series – I’ve already got it on pre order…
The Kamogawa Food Detectives
This last entry on my mystery list is a little bit different. The Kamogawa Food Detectives involves no crime of any kind, but still plenty of delicious mystery. The book follows a father-daughter duo who run a café, where they help select patrons recreate dishes lost to time. It’s exactly as heartwarming as it sounds, and it kicked off both a months-long Japanese food obsession and a deep-dive into the Asian “healing novel” genre. I LOVE cooking, and the idea that recreating recipes could help a patron heal a spiritual hole resonates deeply. The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a balm of a book, something to return to when I’m frustrated or tired. It’s the perfect reminder of how to take joy in the everyday.
From the complex to the culinary, 2024 was a great book for my mystery reads – and my fantasy ones! Come back tomorrow for my top 5 fantasy reads of the year… and until then, stay cozy, and stay curious!
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