Who else still thinks about Hae Min Lee and Adnan Masud Syed from the 2014 podcast, Serial? So many friends watch every 20/20 and Dateline episode and eagerly anticipate the weekly drop of their favorite True Crime podcasts such as Morbid. They are avid readers, so this week’s recommendations of The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn and Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera are for them.
I am a Kate Clayborn completist. Having enjoyed her romance books in the past, The Other Side of Disappearing was an automatic purchase, especially after learning there would be a mystery to solve.
Disappearing has multiple layers for the one doing the leaving and for the ones left behind. When Jess’s younger sister, Tegan, discovers the secret Jess has spent a decade keeping, life is turned upside down. Jess, Tegan, a podcast host and her producer follow clues in a cross country trip to find out if the girls’ estranged mother was involved with a serial con man and why she abandoned her family. Clayborn explores tough issues in this romantic mystery including grief after a friend’s suicide.
Amy Tintera hooked this reader with the opening line of Listen for the Lie, her debut thriller: “A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I’m buying a chicken.” Adding comedic moments from a sarcastic narrator eases the tension of this dark novel. The author’s use of alternating chapters of the main character’s narration and the podcast show notes was very entertaining.
Five years ago, Lucy was found wandering a country road covered in her best friend’s blood and appears to be a victim herself. Fast forward five years and everyone believes Lucy got away with murdering Savvy. Lucy cannot defend herself because she has no memory of the incident. When a persistent podcaster wants to interview Lucy, she agrees to return to her small Texas hometown and help him solve the murder regardless of whether she is the guilty one. Readers, beware of domestic abuse.
Look for these recommendations and other books at Knox County Online Library or your local independent bookstore each week.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to make you one, too. For more recommendations or just to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com. She can also be found @thebookwhisperertn on Instagram.
