With the sun finally breaking through the persistent cloud cover here in Seattle, and myriad birds finding their way back to my trees, I’m reminded of what Emily Brontë said: “May is the month of expectation, the month of wishes, the month of hope.” However, another author, Ellen Jackson, was also right when she remarked that “May can be a month of sneezing, itchy eyes, and runny noses.”
At least for the nonce, my hay fever is leaving me be and letting me find a comfortable place on the front porch to do my reading. This fifth month of 2024 promises a plenitude of captivating new crime, mystery, and thriller yarns, including works by Elle Marr (The Alone Time), Linwood Barclay (I Will Ruin You), Ashley Weaver (Locked in Pursuit), John Connolly (The Instruments of Darkness), Susan Elia MacNeal (The Last Hope), and Greg Iles (Southern Man). Plus, Stephen King will be out on the 21st with his latest short-story collection, You Like It Darker. And that’s just what we can expect here in the United States. British book lovers have a whole ’nother set of releases to look forward to, among them William Shaw’s sixth DS Alexandra Cupidi investigation, The Wild Swimmers, and other novels by Ben Pastor (The Venus of Salò), Joseph Kanon (Shanghai, due out in the States in June), Catriona McPherson (The Witching Hour), and Ben Creed (Man of Bones). Oh, and Mo Hayder’s final thriller, Bonehead, is a guaranteed best-seller, due in stores on May 9.
The Rap Sheet’s extensive list of spring 2024 books features these and many more auspicious debuts. Take another gander at its 400-plus selections here, before it is replaced in June by what will undoubtedly be an even lengthier collection of summer titles.
One final quote, this one from angler-naturalist Fennel Hudson: “May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive.” Live these next 31 doing something you obviously love—reading!
READ MORE: “May Day, Morris Dancing, and Maypole Mysteries: May Day Crime Fiction,” by Janet Rudolph (Mystery Fanfare).
Wednesday, May 01, 2024
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When Joanna loved me,
Every town was Paris,
Every day was Sunday,
Every month was May!
(Tony Bennett) Happy May all.
May means the heat and humidity are back as the BURNING GATES OF HELL are slowly creaking open. It also means twisters, two inch and bigger hail is common, as are floods, fire ants, chiggers, and all other modes of foul bugs. Pollen is steadily worse as is the smoke from fires in central America and dust from West Texas.
Your experience may vary.
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