7 Crime Fiction Picks: The Shallow Edition

I often judge a book by its cover. Yeah, admit it, you do too. I’m also big into escape reading (see last Friday’s post). Thus today’s mystery/thriller round-up is heavily into the covers and all about getting lost in someone else’s problems. Hello, summer; I welcome your long days of reading on the porch (on the deck, by the pool, on the beach, on the train, in the cabin . . .).

I Want to Go There

I’m in love with the cover of Bone Deep by Sandra Ireland (Gallery Books, June 11). I downloaded an eGalley of this psychological thriller set on a semi-isolated estate because of it. The plot involves a baker, a writer, an unlikely assistant, supposed accidents, and long ago deaths. I’ve already started it and I’m hooked. Can you sense a theme? I was absolutely drawn to the cover photo of The Perfect Plan by Bryan Reardon (Dutton, June 18) and was also swayed by the comp to The Marsh King’s Daughter, which I really liked. This one involves a kidnapping, brothers, politics, and a hidden past and is set in Delaware. Anyone ready for a walk around the pond?

Show Me Your Face

It’s so typical of crime fiction to hide the face of the women on the covers. Is it because we’ll guess the ending if we could see their faces? (That’s a joke, folks.) I picked Dear Wife by Kimberley Belle (Park Row; June 35) because it involves a missing woman, new identities, secrets, and possible crimes. Plus, Belle wrote the very popular Three Days Missing. We get a better glimpse of the woman on the cover of The Starter Wife by Nina Laurin (Grand Central; June 11) but still can’t quite ID her. This one revolves around a supposed drowning, a second wife, an unreliable narrator, and a past that comes back to haunt. Laurin is a sure bet for suspense. Even historical mysteries get into the Who’s that woman? act, as seen on the cover of Jennifer Ashley’s Death in Kew Gardens (Berkley, June 4). This third in a series set in Victorian London features Chinese tea, a murder, government officials, and a downstairs cook. Lots of fun and well-researched period details.

Deceptively Attractive

At first glance the dragonfly and bright flowers on the cover of Her Daughter’s Mother by Daniela Petrova (Putnam; June 18) look pretty. But a closer look shows the wilty petals and hints at something darker. Set in New York City, this thriller features a stalker, obsession, and fertility alternatives. Oddly, this too is comp’d to The Marsh King’s Daughter. I love the fun cover—including the kitties!—on Kate Carlisle’s The Book Supremacy (June 4, Berkley), but appearances can be deceptive. This cozy mystery series, set in San Francisco, features twisty multiple murders that always have a bookish theme. If you like light mysteries, I strongly recommend Carlisle, one of my go-to authors.