27: Murderland an exhaustive and disturbing look at the phenomenon of lead and heavy metal exposure in America which Fraser links to the abundance of serial killers in America’s Pacific Northwest in the 1960s-1980s. Fascinating work that is part true crime and part Silent Spring. #books #nonfiction

26th: #MetamodernismandReturnofTranscedence available on Kindle Unlimited this is a decent introduction to the philosophical background and debate about metamodernism which is the theory that some scholars believe has replaced postmodernism. #books #philosophy #theories

25: Diamonds are Forever from Ian Fleming offers a British take on the gangster scene in USA in 1950s with Bond trying to investigate and disrupt a diamond smuggling operation with links to British business in Africa and London. Bond is less spy in the book and more a global cop. #books #JamesBond

24: Moonraker published in 1955 still resonates with its story of a wealthy genius who is a secret Nazi willing to use rocket technology to destroy the world and whom Bond must stop with no help. Fleming depicts a Bond who is less spy and more an organization man filing and reading memos. #books #Bondnovels

23: The Land in Winter Andrew Miller’s exquisite and intimate novel set in the harsh winter of 1962/63 as neighbors with pregnant wives each grapple with the prospect of fatherhood and the challenges and changes it will bring to their lives as each deal with past generations. Miller’s prose is rich, fluid, and enchanting as he offers this poignant story. #books #bookerprize #ukliterature

22: #TheRestofOurLives 2025 Booker Prize shortlisted, offers a meandering take on the American road trip and themes of white masculine mid life crisis, marriages and relationships and aging from a contemporary perspective using language that is direct rather than abstract. #books #literaryfiction #bookerprize

21: MysteriousCaseoftheMissingWriter latest in Jónasson’s Helgi series offers a intriguing case about Iceland’s premier crime writer’s disappearance and his attempt to locate her even as he deals with his own issues. Fantastic read. #books #Iceland #scandinoir

20: #BlackDahlia Mann’s lively and meticulous analysis of LA’s most infamous unsolved murder case. He puts the focus on Elizabeth and her days before the murder crafting an honest image of her and ties that into a larger narrative about 1940s LA and America. Unlike most true crime where the focus is on murder and theories Mann follows her life and then the investigation to show how missteps by some in LAPD hampered the investigation as well as the press. #books #nonfiction

19: Never Caught a harrowing and moving history of Ona Judge who at 16 escaped slavery from President Washington and faced constant fears of surveillance and recapture throughout her life. Book shows how President Washington spent time trying to recapture Judge and thwart anti slave laws. #books #nonfiction #blackhistorymonth

18: Impossible Fortune Osman’s latest entry in #ThursdayMurderClub series features a story of cryptocurrency, a wedding, and danger. This book looks at notions of what love means from a platonic and romantic angle and how to truly be there for someone as they wrestle with grief. #books #cozymystery