Spring Reading Recommendations

For some reason, in the spring I find myself drawn to dark books, especially mystery-thrillers and more realistic horror novels. Maybe it's the gloomy rainy nature of the days, maybe it's because everything is coming to life again and it's so bright and cheerful that I want to read the darkest books I can find. Also, because "April is the cruelest month/breeding lilacs out of the dead land/ mixing memory and desire/stirring dull roots with spring rain". Interestingly, the spring months are always my worst for reading because as much as I love the mystery genre, it does not love me back. As such, I only have five recommendations for you. So here are my top five recommendations for those rainy spring days.

In the Woods by Tana French

  What, did you think that this would be a list of recommendations centering around thrillers and not have a Tana French entry on the list? It's no secret that she is one of my favorite authors and, while I could recommend any one of her books to the right person, I think this is the best possible introduction to her writing. This book follows Det Rob Ryan who, along with his partner, Det Cassie Maddox, is called to investigate a case in which a girl was found dead on an old sacrificial altar during an archaeological dig, though the case is a recent one. However, this is the same area in which three kids went missing and only one was found at all, alive, but with a sneaker full of blood. That kid was Ryan as a child. This is a character driven crime novel that focuses heavily on the psyche of Ryan as he investigates the case that may or may not be connected to his own. This is my second favorite book in the incomparable Dublin Murder Squad series, and I gave it an 8.5-9 out of 10. A warning though, this one's a slow-burner.

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

  This was one of two books on this list to make my best of 2016, albeit at very low spots- in the case of this book #11 out of 13. Regardless, I still loved this novel, which is about an investigation done by the FBI into a group of girls who went missing but ended up at a place known as the Butterfly Garden, where they received wings tattooed on their back and were essentially held prisoner until dying at their 21st birthday. Not the best summary, and the plot is rather implausible, but still a novel I highly recommend if you love dark and twisted thrillers. It got an 8.5 out of 10.

Pretty Little Things by Jilliane Hoffman

  If you like crime novels as much as I do, this one's for you. Pretty Little Things follows a girl who goes missing after talking to strangers online. Around the same time, grotesque paintings of the bodies of girls are being found, with the actual bodies of the girls being found shortly after. The killer, Picasso, may have some connection to the disappearance of the girl, as well as another disappearance, one involving the agent investigating the murders daughter. While it's not a perfect novel, anyone who loves crime books will be sure to be satisfied by this twisted book. Fans of The Butterfly Garden should definitely pick it up. I gave it an 8-8.5 out of 10.

Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta

  This was the second book that made my best of 2016, even if it was at the #12 spot. This action-packed book is about a boy who, while swimming, accidentally witnesses a killing take place. Because the case is high profile, and the killers haven't been caught yet, he is forced to go into witness protection at a survival camp up in the mountains of Montana. From there we meet several other characters and also the most interesting villains in a novel I encountered last year. There's plenty of twists and turns and murders happening that glued me to the page. I gave it an 8.5 out of 10, and those who love action and impeccably researched fiction would absolutely love this book.

What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman

  No, I didn't like this book very much (I gave it a 6 out of 10 and was being generous). However, when I recommend books, I do my best to recommend ones that I think people who aren't me will like a hell of a lot more than I did. This mystery (with some crime elements) is about a woman who, in order to get out of a car accident she caused, claimed she had a connection to the Bethany Sisters, two sisters who disappeared in the 70s. More specifically, she claims that she is the younger of the two, Heather Bethany. However, the police are suspicious of who she claims to be, and open up an investigation into the case. There's also a lot of flashbacks in which we track the mother and father of the sisters as they cope with their daughters' disappearance. Someone who loves Gillian Flynn novels with her unlikeable heroines are sure to love this one.

So what kinds of books do you like to read in the spring? Do you agree with any of these choices? Let me know in the comment section below!