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UnderratedReads is devoted to discovering underrated books and under-represented authors. We highlight hidden gems from around the world–honest reviews only, never pay-to-play.
Category Archives: Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
What You See in the Dark – Manuel Muñoz
(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) “The woman had to live before she could die…Even if it was the vulgarity of real life—the needs and the mistakes, but also the desire to correct them, the effort toward a forgiveness of herself. A … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Historical Fiction, Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged noir
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Damage Control – Denise Hamilton
Reviewed by JD Jung Buy It! “Does the past ever really go away?…Or does it remain inside us, hidden under calluses of age and experiences but still affecting everything we do the rest of our lives?” Thirty-two-year-old Maggie Silver works … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
4 Comments
3 to Kill – Jean-Patrick Manchette(Translated by Donald Nicholson-Smith)
Reviewed by JD Jung Acheter ce livre! Shit happens. OK, that’s probably an understatement as it relates to Georges Gerfaut. Then again, maybe not. Gerfaut, a rather ordinary 30-something businessman, discovers how twisted life can get in the late Jean-Patrick … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, French Literature, Lost and almost forgotten, World Literature
Tagged French literature, noir
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Berlin Noir: March Violets; The Pale Criminal; A German Requiem – Philip Kerr
reviewed by Lillian Thurston Buy It! Did you ever wonder what it was like to live in Berlin during the reign of the Nazis? If you weren’t a Nazi, how did you survive? Berlin Noir, a trilogy by British author … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged noir
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Now You See Me – S. J. Bolton
Reviewed by Glenda Anderson Get this book! Murder most foul in good old foggy London… In Now You See Me,” author S.J. Bolton has continued her first-person narrative series. Detective Lacey Flint finds a dying woman in the process of … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
1 Comment
Breaking Silence: A Novel – Linda Castillo
Reviewed by Donna Lewis Get this book! Kate Burkholder, the police chief of an Ohio Amish town is faced with what at first appears to be a tragic accident.However, it soon becomes evident she the town has been confronted by a gruesome triple homicide. … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
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Mygale – Thierry Jonquet (Translated from the French by Donald Nicholson-Smith)
Ah, revenge can be so sweet. Now mix it with obsession and a touch of madness, and it turns utterly twisted and bizarre. Such is the case with the intense and fascinating novel, Mygale, written by the late French crime … Continue reading
The Big O – Declan Burke
Check it out! Have you ever stumbled across a novel that contains such an implausible plot and a vague setting—and it doesn’t even allow you to feel for any of the characters? Believe it or not, I did—and I ate … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Humor & Satire, Irish Literature
Tagged anti-hero, Irish literature, satire
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The Dying Crapshooter’s Blues – David Fulmer
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Atlanta, 1923: In the midst of Prohibition, the city is seething with corruption, bootlegging, narcotics, gambling, and counterfeiting scams. This would seem the perfect scenario for Joe “Indian Joe” Rose to drift into town, as he … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Historical Fiction, Music inspired
Tagged blues, crime fiction, jazz
2 Comments
Triangle of Deception – Haggai Carmon
Check it out! Dan Gordon works undercover for the U. S. Department of Justice, pursuing money launderers and white-collar criminals who flee the country. Why the need to go undercover? Because many of his targets are among the world’s most … Continue reading