by Elizabeth Wilkerson

Laws of the Land

Read crime fiction and step into the shoes of characters ensnared in increasingly desperate circumstances. Crime novels invite readers to experience the world of people who — out of necessity, greed, boredom, or frustration — are drawn across the line of legality.

Crime fiction opens our eyes to social injustices. Woven into these stories is the depiction of how criminality reflects underlying cultural mores and societal problems.

These books ask challenging questions about the criminal justice system: who decides what a crime is and who is a criminal? Why are some crimes rigorously prosecuted while other crimes are minimized and trivialized, their victims all but forgotten?

Crime writers are at the forefront, highlighting how the criminal justice system, and the people impacted by it, is shaped by history, politics, and the mood of an anxious society.

Keep an eye out for these exciting new novels by Crime Writers of Color, and prepare for illuminating insights.

Sweet Burial: The Tragedy That Lies Beneath by Marla K. Morris, Release Date: January 4, 2022
Sometimes we bury our deepest emotions, old relationships, and deadly secrets. Marriage can lead couples to divorce. As newlyweds, the Wrights realize they are unequally yoked. They seek counseling and are on the verge of ending it all when they learn Chloe is pregnant. A facade of family perfection is perpetuated to outsiders looking in for years. There is nothing Christ-like about the deadly choices Christian Wright ultimately makes, forever turning his family’s lives upside down.

Fight Like A Girl by Sheena Kamal, Release Date: January 11, 2022
Fight Like A Girl is a YA novel that explores the world of amateur kickboxer Muay Thai and Trinidadian family dynamics. Set in Toronto, a teenaged fighter starts to suspect that her mother had a hand in her father’s death, all during her intense competition season.

Murder Take Two by Delia C. Pitts, Release Date: February 22, 2022
When cynical private eye SJ Rook is hired to guard the set of a hot new television show filming on the streets of Harlem, he expects his toughest challenge to be corralling star-struck fans. But the detective’s brush with Hollywood glamour quickly turns dark. A TV big shot bids for Rook’s attention with outlandish claims of murder threats. Rook dismisses these fears as dramatic excess spiced with Left Coast dazzle. But on the last night of filming, murder writes a grim finale to the production. ?

The Quarter Storm by Veronica G. Henry, Release Date: March 1, 2022
A practitioner of Vodou must test the boundaries of her powers to solve a ritual murder in New Orleans and protect everything she holds sacred.?

Like A Sister by Kellye Garrett, Release Date: March 8, 2022
No one bats an eye when a Black reality TV star is found dead in the Bronx—except her estranged half-sister, whose refusal to believe the official story leads her on a dangerous search for the truth.

Secret Identity by Alex Segura, Release Date: March 15, 2022
It’s 1975 and the comic book industry is struggling. Carmen Valdez is an assistant at Triumph Comics and tantalizingly close to fulfilling her dream of writing a superhero book. That dream is nearly a reality when one of the Triumph writers enlists her help to create a new character called “The Lethal Lynx,” Triumph’s first female hero and a runaway hit. But then her colleague is found dead and Carmen is desperate to piece together what happened to him and to hang on to her piece of the Lynx.

Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian, Release Date: March 15, 2022
An impossible crime. A family legacy. The intrigue of hidden rooms and secret staircases. Known for her wonderfully addictive characters, multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian introduces her newest heroine in this heartfelt series debut. Under Lock & Skeleton Key layers stunning architecture with mouthwatering food in an ode to classic locked-room mysteries that will leave readers enchanted.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode goes up next week.

Click on this link to take you to Mysterious Galaxy’s website where you can purchase many of these books & a portion will go to help support KRL:

Elizabeth Wilkerson was one of Silicon Valley’s first cyberlawyers and now writes thrillers with a tech edge. A native of Cleveland, her debut novel is Tokyo Firewall. You can learn more on her website.

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