The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera
The Midnight Taxi, Yosha Gunasekera’s debut novel, is a lively whodunit set in New York City. Twenty-something Siri, a native of Sri Lanka, drives a taxicab to earn a living. To make time tolerable for her, she listens to true crime podcasts. Little does she know that one night a passenger she’s taking to JFK will be found dead in the back seat of her cab upon arrival. Siri has no idea who he is or how he died.
She contacts Amaya, a public defender she’d recently given a ride to her home, for advice. Amaya also happens to be a Sri Lankan transplant.
In the meantime, given that Siri’s DNA is found on the dead man’s body, she is considered a murder suspect by the police and booked into jail. Out on a bond, Siri teams up with Amaya in their search for the murderer. Will Siri’s knowledge of true crime help her out now?
Sharp and relatable, Siri keeps the plot advancing. What also play a role are the descriptions of Sri Lankan food and culture. Readers will eagerly await more adventures from this team.
The Librarians by Sherry Thomas
Author Sherry Thomas departs from her well-known Lady Sherlock historical mysteries series to pen a new murder mystery, The Librarians. Set in a small branch library in Austin, TX, it concerns the double murder of two patrons that take place on an inaugural game night.
All four librarians—Sophie, Asrid, Jonathan, and Hazel—are dedicated to their jobs, show tolerance and open-mindedness to each other, and are shocked by these murders. They’re eager to help the police in the investigation that follows. Each, however, has secrets in their past lives they’d rather not reveal, which could potentially imperil them. There’s single mom, Sophie, who is ever protective of her daughter. Jonathan, who doesn’t usually fit in anywhere, has a secret crush on a man. Astrid, who has been disappointed in a romantic entanglement. Hazel, a recent hire, was born in the U.S. but has lived in Singapore for many years and, in fact, comes from an ultra-rich background. She’s looking for a fresh start. Will the collaboration between Hazel and her co-workers help solve the case?
The narrative starts slowly, and the large cast of characters makes it cumbersome at times. The plot travels back and forth in time and can be confusing. On top of that, there are romantic threads that sometimes overshadow the mystery element. The characters are, however, relatable and the book has a satisfying ending.
Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh
Such a Perfect Family is a stand-alone, psychological thriller composed by Nalini Singh. Singh is the author of Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter paranormal romances, plus many science fiction and fantasy books.
Tavish Advani, a Los Angeles native, has recently married Diya Prasad with whom he’s very much in love. He’s now living in rural New Zealand with his wealthy and highly respected in-laws; a perfect clan one might call them.
One morning after running an errand Tavish returns to the Prasad dwelling only to find it engulfed in a devastating fire. Diya, who has been stabbed, is in a coma. More than likely, Tavish suspects, his in-laws are dead, except for his sister-in-law, who is lying unconscious. Although overwhelmed, he immediately starts an investigation. But it’ll not be easy. It turns out that in Los Angeles Tavish has been implicated in the murder of several women, with whom he has had relationships. The New Zealand detectives are aware of this, and they regard Tavish as their prime suspect. Before long, Tavish will travel to Fiji to hunt down details of the past of the Prasad family who had once lived there.
What is the price of perfection, one might ask. Dark, twisty, and character-centric, this book is set in an unexplored part of the world, much to the delight of Singh’s many fans. References to the South Asian traditions also add interest. The ending doesn’t fail to surprise.
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Bharti Kirchner is the author of nine novels and four cookbooks, her latest being: Murder at Jaipur: A Maya Mallick Mystery.
