Jen and Tina love writing prompts. This month’s photo of a surveillance camera takes Tina to rebels living in a dystopian autocracy and Jen to a down-on-her-luck security guard.

Carol writes: Special Operations Executive wireless operator Marie survived being locked in a shed after a blind landing in the French countryside. After a week of secret radio transmissions to London, she is tasked with retrieving a package in the alleys of Montmartre, an action outside her purview. With a package of TNT strapped to her waist, Marie must navigate across Paris without the Germans spotting her. Will she meet her contact at the train station, then get back to her secret flat in a nearby small town?

Lida looks at Spencer Quinn’s Mrs. Planksy’s Revenge. Lida writes: I love the premise–that’s what drew me to this book. Loretta’s determination and grit were admirable, but the novel wasn’t quite what I had hoped it would be.

Carol writes: I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite authors writing mysteries and thrillers set in the period of World War 1 through World War 2. It encompasses a wide range of mysteries—traditional murder mysteries, spy thrillers, and suspenseful stories filled with secrets. Happy Reading!

Sleuths and Sidekicks is honored to host award-winning writer Jane Cleland on The Inside Scoop.

Lida loves humor in her mysteries. She chooses her books carefully and looks for ones which make her laugh, as well as having a complex plot and great characters. This month, Jen, Carol, and Tina are sharing some of their favorite reads of the last twelve months that they think Lida would love, too. If you love humor in your mysteries, we think you’ll love them, too.

Lida looks at Cheryl Head’s Time’s Undoing through a writer’s eye. Lida writes: The story is told in first person, present tense, using dual points of view and two different time periods: 1929 and 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama. Not an easy task for any writer, and through it, all the author skillfully makes the reader feel very much in the moment. 

Carol writes: Beecher White lives a quiet life working at the National Archives in Washington D.C. doing a job he loves—researching and protecting the nation's secrets. When his junior-high crush shows up looking for help finding the father she never knew, memories of his first kiss overwhelm his common sense. Beecher tries to impress Clementine by taking her into the SCIF where the President of the United States reads sensitive documents. There, he accidentally uncovers a 200-year-old secret from George Washington's presidency. As the dominoes begin to fall, Beecher and Clementine find themselves trapped in a conspiracy and running for their lives. The Inner Circle (Culper Ring #1), by Brad Meltzer, is a page-turner.

Jen and Tina love writing prompts. This month’s photo of a woman on a train takes them to two thrillers: one with a Japanese woman pulled into a geopolitical plot, the other an American tourist whose traveling companion has disappeared.

Lida writes: So far, I’ve concocted seven murders. On the page, of course. That includes six novels and one short story, all with homicides (or possible homicides) that need to be solved. Fortunately, the criminal is always caught by my heroine: a young lawyer who regularly shoves aside her desk job for the chance to capture the culprit. She knows a thing or two about investigations, thanks to her P.I. dad, and justice is served. This month, I’m excited that the latest in my Southern California Mysteries, #6 in the series, Murderous Means, is out now. But this installment is a little bit different.

Carol writes: In Unintended Consequences (Stone Barrington #26) by Stuart Woods, Stone Barrington arrives in Paris late one night and is immediately chauffeured to the American Embassy. When he awakes the next morning, he has no memory of the past four days. Part millionaire businessman, part tough guy, part CIA operative, Stone has no idea why he’s in Paris or how he got there. When he discovers he’s been drugged, he's determined to get to the bottom of it. Soon, comfortably installed in the Plaza Athenée, Stone receives an invitation to a party given by a man he does not remember. So begins his quest to find out what happened—from Paris to Manhattan to Maine then back to New York City where the story climaxes in the Russian immigrant neighborhood of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Unintended Consequences offers up lots of action, plenty of chases with fancy cars, and sexy spies from both the US and Sweden.

Tina has the most literary taste of our group. Her reading lists each month include everything from award winners and short stories to translations of Japanese fiction. This month, Carol, Lida, and Jen are sharing some of their favorite reads of the last twelve months that they think Tina would love, too. If you love literary fiction, we think you’ll love them, too.

We had so much fun talking with Elle Cosimano about her Finlay Donovan series, how she approaches writing, and what she’s learned along the way. Watch the recording of our live book club and here our thoughts.