From a Raven's Shelf Archives

Holidays 2023

Featuring reads for the season from Otto Penzler's Big Book of Christmas Mysteries to The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict.

October 2023

Featuring deep cuts from Charlaine Harris; a slam-bang, heart-stopping thrill ride of a spy novel; and 100 of the best mystery and thriller books of all time (according to TIME).

September 2023

Featuring some Julia Child-inspired murder, the art of the historical mystery novel, the winners of the 2023 Bouchercon awards, and books we all should have read sooner.

August 2023

Featuring the best of the LOLs ("Little Old Lady" mysteries, of course), books with an Anglophilic bent, and a new William Kent Krueger standalone.

June 2023

Featuring the Strand Critics Awards 2023 nominees, Sarah's picks for PRIDE month with LGBTQ+ characters, and reflections on the magic of rereading old favorites.

May 2023

Featuring books full of fearlessness and women defying conventions, as well as more of this season's award winners and nominees.

April 2023

Featuring the biggest April mystery releases, a roundup of the Left Coast Crime Award winners, and odes to T.S. Eliot, the Modernist inspiration of Willa Cather, and the legacy of mystery king Christopher Fowler.

March 2023

Featuring part two of Sarah's takes on this season of mystery awards nominees, why she's rereading a romantic story of dealing with adversity in a new home that inspired her as a young adult, and a guide to the basics of gardening that will help you get your spring off to the right start.

February 2023

Featuring Sarah's takes on this season of mystery awards nominees, a month full of new cozies, and filmic adaptations. Spoiler alert: always read the book before you see the movie.

January 2023

Featuring Sarah's wonderfully eclectic holiday reading, pictures of the cats enjoying some slow birding, and thoughts on the frivolous fun of Janet Evanovich.

December 2022

Featuring Sarah's reflections on the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, musings on why she will ALWAYS recommend Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters, and over 10 fresh mystery recommendations.