Brainstorm 279: Edgar Award Winners

Looking for a good mystery read for the end of October? Why not try an Edgar Award winner or nominee? The Edgar Awards are nominated and voted on by the Mystery Writers of America, but do not have to have been written by American authors. They hand out awards for a variety of topics, from best mystery novel to best critical/biography to best mystery paperback to best fact crime to best juvenile novel (K-8th) and even best episode in a TV series. Here are some of my favorite award winners, and I had a really hard time not including some of my favorites that garnered nominations. You can check out the full list of Edgar Award winners here, and I encourage you to search the award winners by category so you can check out the nominees for categories as well, there are some great picks in there for whatever kind of mystery reader you or your students/kids/loved ones are. As always, click on the titles to see my full reviews and any content notes/trigger warnings.

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart

Barnaby Mayne is renowned for his natural history collection. It is 1703, and the race is on to have the best cabinets and collections in England. Barnaby has been at it for decades and has one of the best in England. Thus the reason Lady Cecily Kay has come to his house in London from Smyrna where her husband is the British Consul. Lady Kay has her own little botany collection as one of her hobbies. It may not be the most popular or fitting hobby for a woman, but Cecily can't help it. She's fascinated by plants. She is eager to identify some specimens she has spotted in her travels, and her best hope of doing so is comparing them with the Mayne collection. But on her first day at the Mayne house, Lady Kay and the others on the tour that day find a disastrous end to their perusal of Sir Barnaby's specimens. They find Sir Barnaby dead in his study. His curator is standing over him with a knife and confesses, and the powers that be deem it an open and shut case. But as Lady Kay stays on in the house in the hopes of finishing her scientific studies before the collection is moved, she becomes increasingly convinced the curator was not the murderer. With a childhood friend she is reunited with at the house, Lady Kay's curiosity leads her to seek out the truth. But truth can be dangerous.

So far this is a standalone mystery though the ending hints there may be more coming. It kept me guessing for quite a while.

Target Readers:

Mystery Fans, Historical Fiction Fans, Likable Sleuth Fans, Adult Fiction (though approachable to YA)

Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Katrina (well, that's her most recent name) has been on the run with her parents for years. Katrina doesn't remember all the details since the bad accident that wiped her memories a few years ago, but she knows a drug cartel is involved, and if they don't keep moving every few months and change their names regularly, it will be very bad. She's become an expert at being unnoticeable, but despite her best efforts she's made a friend in their new community. And when her dad goes out of town and her mom gets hauled away by men claiming to be the Feds, Katrina knows she needs to get to the safe house in Georgia ASAP. But getting there is not going to be easy. With the help of her new friend Parker, Katrina is on the run again. But will they be able to find a safe spot?

It is hard to talk about this one without spoilers, so the less said the better.

Target Readers:

Thriller Fans, Mystery Fans, Touch of Scifi Fans, Middle Grade Readers

 

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

Larson chronicles the Worlds Fair of 1893 from the moment of conception through till its close and aftermath, the life and crimes of Dr. H.H. Holmes and how Geyer eventually uncovered his evil deeds, and the assassination of the Chicago mayor in October 1893. For much of the book Larson alternates chapters between plans for the fair and the key people involved (foremost Burnham & Olmstead) with all that H.H. Holmes was up to unbeknownst to anyone. Every once in a while a chapter on Prendergrast (assassain of the mayor) would appear.

Larson is a master in writing history that just leaps off the page.

Target Readers:

True Crime Fans, Chicago History Buffs, Worlds Fair History Buffs, Serial Killer Story Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Adult Readers (approachable to mature YA readers)

 

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

Solveig is the "unimportant" princess in a royal family with three children. Her older sister, Asa, is the beauty who will get married off to help establish peace. Her younger brother, Harald, is the heir and future king. And she...well, she's no great beauty and since she isn't an heir or a political pawn so she often just gets ignored by her father (mother died some time in the past). But when the kingdom is attacked and the king sends the three royal children up to a hidden fortress for safety, they will face hidden dangers never expected and find out what they're all really made of. After several weeks food starts to run low, and instead of the restocking ship they expect, they get a boatload of berserkers that come to join them in hiding. As if being stuck in a frozen hideout wasn't bad enough, now they're stuck in a frozen hideout with dozens of warriors who at the slightest provocation might go crazy and kill everyone. And just when you think that isn't bad enough, it turns out someone is a traitor, and they may be in more danger from someone inside the fort than the potential enemies outside.

This is a Viking-inspired reimagined history that balances Solveig’s self-discovery with a very tricky mystery. 

Target Readers:

Standalone Mystery Fans, Reimagined History Fans, Magical Realism Fans, Viking-ish Culture Fans, Wintery Setting Fans, Middle Grade Fiction

 

Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Back in the 1920s, the Osage tribe started becoming very wealthy, thanks to terms that made them the owners of all the stuff that came out from under their territory, including oil. And in the 1920s, there was a whole lot of oil coming out. But as the Osage grew wealthier, they didn't necessarily grow healthier and members of the tribe started dying at an alarming rate, and when two shootings happened, people started to realize that maybe all those deaths weren't so natural after all. But anyone who went in to investigate the murders seemed to end up in an early grave themselves. Local law enforcement wasn't getting any results, and the Osage's cries for justice eventually brought J. Edgar Hoover's new investigators on the scene. This is the story of how horrible injustice and hatred was brought to justice despite a seemingly invincible web of corruption. And then the author relates how many other Osage likely were the victims of greedy people, out for a share of their oil money...any way they could.

This is such a heartbreaking but important true story. If you aren’t ready for all the details in the adult version, there is now a young readers version of this book you can hunt down. There’s a movie slated to come out next year based on this book.

Target Readers:

True Crime Fans, Osage History Buffs, FBI History Buffs, Nonfiction Fans, Adult Readers

 

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

Georgie refuses to believe the body in the box that the sheriff brought home is her sister Agatha. Some would say she is in denial, but Georgie would say others are too easily convinced. The body was too badly mangled by animals and a shot to the face to really identify as anyone, let alone Agatha. Yes, the dress shreds found with the body definitely did once belong to Agatha, but maybe someone took it from her. Ma and Grandpa are way too willing to bury the body and leave it at that, but Georgie wants more answers. So she makes a plan to sneak off to the place where the body was found. The only problem is that Billy McCabe doesn't deliver a horse like she paid him to do, he brings her a mule of all things and he insists that he's coming with her. After hemming and hawing and plotting to lose Billy fast as can be, Georgie (and Billie) set out. But along the way Georgie realizes it can be rather handy to have another person along, and once they arrive in the area where the alleged body of Agatha was found, Georgie has to confront some cold hard facts she'd rather just ignore. Eventually, Billy and Georgie start off for home deciding to make just one tiny detour on a hunch. That detour could change both of their lives forever, and makes Georgie start to wonder if any of them will make it home.

This feels like True Grit meets Little Town on the Prairie, and really transports you in time by having huge flocks of passenger pigeons (a now extinct bird) as an integral part of the story.

Target Readers:

Historical Fiction Fans, Western Fans, Mystery Fans, Award Winner Readers (this also won a Newbery Honor), Upper Middle Grade/YA Readers

 

Premeditated Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle, #1) by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Myrtle Hardcastle has trouble with being a Young Woman of Quality thanks to her morbid fascinations. While making Observations of the neighborhood. Myrtle realizes there is something very wrong at the Redgraves estate next door. No one is following their usual routine, and that is unheard of. It is so startling Myrtle makes a little call to the police, and sure enough they show up to discover the old lady next door, Miss Wodehouse is quite dead. Of course, Myrtle must go make her own Observations, and when her evidence fails to match up with that of the local police's ruling of death by heart attack, she must help them see the error of their ways. For Myrtle is quite convinced that someone did Miss Wodehouse in. But who? And why were her prize lilies destroyed? And where is her cat? With the help of her trusty governess, Miss Judson, Myrtle is determined to see justice served.

Myrtle is a delightfully precocious young sleuth to follow around. (Her governess and her cat are also splendid assistants.) Her 4th book just came out this month and I can’t wait to read it.

Target Readers:

Mystery Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic-feeling British Mystery Fans, Middle Grade Readers

 

Vanished! (Framed!, #2) by James Ponti

The elite Chatham Academy has had a string of strange pranks. The headmaster is an old friend of the FBI director, so they ask Florian and Margaret to go in undercover as two week exchange students from Deal Middle School. Florian and Margaret feel like they have too many suspects and not enough leads, and that possibly this isn't as serious as they first thought. Are they just being led on a wild goose chase or is someone in serious danger?

Florian and Margaret have a huge fan base at our school. This entire 3 book series is frequently checked out. Actually, almost all of James Ponti’s series are pretty constantly checked out. His City Spies series is so popular I think I’m going to have to buy another set to keep the masses happy.

Target Readers:

Mystery Fiction, Young Intelligence Agents Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Middle Grade Readers

Brainstorm 278: Alien Invasion Stories

It has been a while since I shared some good ol’ scifi stories. So this week I have some alien invasion tales for you fellow scifi fans. To help shorten my list I’ve cut out some of the more famous alien invasion stories (ahem, H.G. Wells) and more popular series (after all the Animorphs and InvaderZim have graphic novels out now, so they have multiple generations of fans, and the Marvel multiverse is abounding with aliens trying to conquer Earth). There’s a little something for every type of scifi reader in this list. There are the cozy and sweet aliens who turn out to be good friends instead of foes, the humorously inept invaders, and the ones that may have you on the edge of your seat tensely turning pages to find out what happens next. As always, click on the titles to see my full reviews including any content notes and/or trigger warnings.

Bloom (The Overthrow, #1) by Kenneth Oppel

Anaya has allergies so bad she dreams of living in a bubble. Her constantly red nose and itchy eyes and blotchy skin, let alone her dietary restrictions are making her feel ugly and miserable. She wishes she were pretty like her former best friend, Petra.

Petra may have good looks going for her, but she has her own challenges. She is allergic to water of all things. She used to love swimming but now only can do it in her dreams. She longs for the days when she could take a real shower or jump in the pool.

Seth is the new kid at school. He just moved to their Pacific Coast Canadian island due to his most recent foster placement with the older farming couple, the Antos'. He likes the Antos, but history has taught him not to get his hopes up. He usually spends most of his time drawing, but he's willing to give Mr. Antos a helping hand in the fields. Especially after the new weird black grass shows up and starts threatening their crops.

But that black grass grows super fast, its everywhere, and very soon other new black plants start showing up too. While most people start suffering the worst allergies of their lives, Anaya is breathing better than ever before, Petra didn't have a horrible rash when the most recent rain splashed her, and Seth makes it out ok when the attempt to burn the invasive species causes horrible health issues with both of the Antos'. Why are Anaya, Petra, and Seth different? And can they help stop these new and increasingly aggressive species from taking over the world?

This is the first book in an action-packed, high-stakes trilogy that I’ve had multiple students tear through in quick succession because it is so hard to put down. 

Target Readers:

Scientific Mystery Fans, Thriller Fans, Scifi Fans, Dystopia Fans, Alien/Monster Horror Story Fans, Young Adult Readers

 

Dark Energy by Robison Wells

The aliens are here. They've landed in Minnesota. Well, they actually crash landed in Iowa and eventually came to a stop in Minnesota. So far they've yet to make a personal appearance, and everyone is wondering if they are the friendly kind or the disease carrying kind or the world dominating kind. Aly's dad works for NASA, so they are temporarily uprooted from their home in Miami, Florida to chilly Minnesota while her dad and the rest of the science world geeks out over the new visitors. Since her mom is dead and her dad will be very distracted, he enrolls her at a prestigious prep school in Minnetonka. Aly soon finds herself surrounded by trust fund babies, congressmen's kids and most likely future Nobel prize winners in biology and calculus. Thankfully, just because they're rich and/or nerdy does not mean there aren't any potential friend-material fellow students. Aly's roommates turn out to be pretty cool. Nerdy geniuses, but cool. And she almost literally runs into Kurt, a poor little rich Indian (as in from India) boy with a nice sarcastic sense of humor whose parents live on different continents and dump him in boarding schools since they're so busy. So Aly's making some friends and figuring out her new school, and then the aliens emerge from the ship and everything gets way, way more exciting for Aly and her friends...and I can't tell you anything more without ruining some of the fun.

There’s excitement, mystery, boarding school adventures, and some seriously tense moments at the end, ethical questions brought up by the aliens’ arrival for readers to chew on, a respectful look at Navajo culture (Aly’s mom was Navajo and she visits her grandmother at one point), but my favorite part about the whole book was the witty banter between Aly and her father. They're like a dad/daughter version of the Gilmore Girls.

Target Readers:

Scifi Fans, Mystery Fans, Thriller Fans, Boarding School Setting Fans, Multicultural Cast Fans, Young Adult Readers

 

Fun Fun Fun World by Yehudi Mercado

Captain Minky and his crew have failed in conquering yet another planet for the Queen. They are sure they are doomed, but Minky’s fast talking gets them out of hot water. For now. They’re still probably doomed though because he got out of trouble by promising the Queen he’d conquer Earth for her. It is the one planet his legendary mother couldn’t conquer. And given his mom’s track record versus his…well, let’s just say his crew doesn’t have high hopes. They land in a place that quickly succumbs to their conquest. Yay! But it turns out they just conquered an amusement park that a kid decided to let them conquer in order to get their tech help in refurbishing it. Captain Minky is soon facing mutiny when this is revealed and the much more brutal Captain Vang is on his way to deal with Earth. Meanwhile, the amusement park still needs some work to be up and running again. What will Minky choose? Earth conquest, amusement park rule, curl up into a ball, or something else?

The multiple funs in the title are fitting. This is a very fun and funny read.

Target Readers:

Graphic Novel Fans, Scifi Fans, Amusement Park Fans, Humor Fans, Middle Grade Readers

 

Invasion of the Unicorns by David Biedrzycki

An alien invader has landed on Earth investigating the potential of Earth for an invasion and humans for subjugation as slaves, and it looks just like a fluffy unicorn toy.

This may sound potentially serious and scary, but it is very sweet and humorous. The artwork is amazing. The story is paced with perfect timing that balances the invasion threat with humor and moments of tenderness. And the family dog is the perfect foil for this invader.

Target Readers:

Unicorn Lovers, Scifi Fans, Humor Fans, Sweet Story Fans, Art Lovers, Picture Book Readers

 

Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner

Mr Wuffles is a cat. Therefore, anything small and moving of its own free will is considered fair game to play with. The tiny aliens piloting the space ship Mr Wuffles has battered around aren't so fond of the play time. Their ship is damaged, and they are in danger from a huge furry monster! With the help of some friendly insects (who also have had rough encounters with Mr Wuffles), the aliens are able to get their ship repaired and escape the clutches of the furry terror. Much to the dismay of Mr Wuffles, who rather liked his new toy.

Ok, so it is up for debate whether or not the aliens in this are invaders or explorers since it is a wordless story, but I couldn’t resist including this cute picture book today.

Target Readers:

Cat Lovers, Wordless Book Fans, Scifi Fans, Humor Fans, Art Lovers, Picture Book Readers

 

Sparks! (Sparks, #1) by Ian Boothby, ill. by Nina Matsumoto

Two cats who are escapees from an evil scientists whose experiments changed them in extraordinary ways use their new abilities to do superhero rescue work in a dog suit they’ve created. (They’ve gotta protect their identities somehow! Who would ever suspect the dog to have 2 cats inside?) But the evil alien scientist is still at work trying to use animals to take over the Earth. Can they save the Earth and the other animals, or will their trauma from their time in the scientist's evil clutches have them cowering under the couch?

So far there are two more books in this series of unlikely superheroes that is much more funny than intense.

Target Readers:

Graphic Novel Fans, Cat Lovers, Animal Lovers, Superhero Story Fans, Robot Fans, Humor Fans, Middle Grade Readers (though approachable to some Lower Grade Readers)

 

This Town Is Not All Right (This Town Is Not All Right, #1) by M.K. Krys

After the tragic death of their older brother, Beacon and Everleigh's dad has decided they all need a fresh start in a brand new town. He's moving them pretty much as far away from LA as possible to a small town in the middle of nowhere New England. Beacon is trying to be as positive as possible about the move in order to compensate for his twin's extra negativity, but he really has to work to find good things about Driftwood Harbor. Their car breaks down for no good reason as soon as they cross into town. The inn where they are staying until they can find a house looks like it's all ready to be the town Haunted House for Halloween. Beacon swears he sees a girl drowning in the ocean the first night, but no one believes him and the girl is fine the next day. And the rest of the kids at school are...odd. They are the perfect students, and don't so much as whisper even before the bell has wrung. It feels eerie. And then the school calls Beacon and Everleigh down for vitamin D shots their first day at school saying it is required because of the heavy cloud cover. Beacon hates shots so he manages to evade it that day, but Everleigh gets it and suddenly goes from the girl who loves to pretend to be sick to skip classes to work on cars to the pink skirt wearing goody goody who suddenly follows all the rules. And no one but Beacon seems concerned about his sister's radical change in behavior or all the weird things going on in town except a kid named Arthur who tells him the strange things are related to a UFO crash in town in the 1960s which he's trying to track with his homemade alien energy tracker... Who does Beacon believe? The town outcast, his gut, or the adults?

This was amazingly well done with the way the mystery and character development are paced and balanced, and I was very glad I had book 2 on hand since it ends in a bit of cliffhanger. And if you, like me, are a bit of a wimp when it comes to horror stories let me reassure you that this veers much more to the scifi mystery/suspense realm than the supernatural make-you-sleep-with-the-lights-on realm. 

Target Readers:

Thriller Fans, Scifi Fans, Horror Fans, Mystery Fans, Twin Character Fans, Characters Wrestling with Grief Fans, New England Small Town Setting Fans, Middle Grade Readers (though this is engaging enough Young Adult Readers will likely enjoy it too)

 

Unplugged and Unpopular by Mat Heagerty, ill. by TinTin Pantoja & Mike Amante

In the near future, people use their phones and technology for everything. Erin Song is no different. Her world revolves around her popularity rating and how to improve it, so when the most popular girl at school asks her to help her on a test, Erin agrees. If it boosts her popularity, it’ll be ok. Right? Well, her teacher and parents think differently when she’s busted. Her parents take away all her devices, and it is pretty much the end of the world. Erin thinks she’s starting to see things because of the stress when a weird creature appears outside of the library. But soon the old librarians clue her in to the fact that that isn’t the case. There’s an alien invasion, but the aliens are using devices to control what people see so only those who are unplugged know what is going on. Can a girl and some old dudes save the world from an alien invasion no one else believes is happening?

Erin and the senior citizens are a most unconventional army, but they are lots of fun to follow around. And I love the intergenerational friendships that form.

Target Readers:

Graphic Novel Fans, Intergenerational Friendship Story Fans, Humor Fans, Scifi Fans, Tech Unplug Encouragement Story Fans, Asian American Character Fans, Middle Grade Readers

 

Weird Kid by Greg Van Eekhout

Jake knows that he's an alien. His parents found him as a blob in Arizona after he crashed to Earth, but when they touched him he became an adorable human baby and they adopted him. They've never regretted it. But this summer Jake's alien side is making his life unpredictable. He's started losing control of his form and suddenly sprouting wings and such. He's been hearing this strange hum that makes him lose control. There's also weird sink holes popping up all over town, and slime much like his baby form crawls out. His new friend at school, Agnes, thinks they can figure out what is happening and save the town. But Jake doesn't know if he can even make it through a school day without a major issue that will put him in some government lab. Could he really save his town and himself?

Agnes is quite the character, and Jake's dog is a grumpy comic relief. They help lighten the mood in what could otherwise be a seriously scary alien takeover story, but doesn't quite venture there. It definitely does venture into the new weird genre territory, though (think Twilight Zone-ish plot).

Target Readers:

Scifi Fans, New Weird Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Adopted Character Fans, Horror Fans, Arizona Setting Fans, Middle Grade Readers