Welcome to Cyanide Mysteries’ first blog post! I’ll skip the obligatory who can believe it’s May already portion of the blog and instead dive into what we’ve been up to in April.
Not that any month seems to be smooth sailing, but April was especially hectic. We launched our latest game, An Arthurian Adventure, a puzzle-based escape room for the entire family. With that came launch plans, product photography, social media teasers, email marketing and actually packaging up the first batch of games. Side note: wax seals look FANTASTIC but trying to do 50 in one go is a big feat. However, because they look great, the aesthetics win out and we won’t be changing anything. If there’s a tealight and wax related fire incident in the future, this blog post will self destruct.
I managed to read quite a few books in the month of April, thanks to a 5-day trip to Nice. If I don’t read at least three books on a holiday then it just doesn’t count. Of course, I’ll round-up all the crime fiction books, which is the majority of what I read anyway.
Crime Fiction Reading Wrap-up and Recommendations
It’s London in the year 1990 and a ten-year-old girl is suspected of committing a violent crime against a younger child. Her family, the Greens from Ireland, must confront the secrets, scandals and failings of their lives, all whilst the tabloids close in.
I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did, but it was beautifully written, had incredibly complex and flawed characters, and just really packed a punch in under 200 pages. Don’t just take my word for it, Ordinary Human Failings has been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024.
The book follows Nora Logue, mother of four-year-old Daisy who disappeared without a trace. Seven years ago, they both went into the woods but only Nora came out. Now, a documentary is being made about the cold case and everyone might finally discover what happened to Daisy Logue in the woods that day.
I probably wouldn’t have picked this up in any other circumstance, but I was gifted a blind date with a book for Christmas, and this was the book inside. It’s a really fun experience and a great way to discover books you might not pick up otherwise. Not judging a book by its cover as they say.
When the strange Sally Diamond attempts to incinerate her recently-deceased father, the whole world is outraged. A life-long recluse, Sally must integrate into society as she grapples with her sinister childhood and horrors she doesn’t remember. And she isn’t the only one trying to find out more about her past.
Absolutely brilliant. Possibly my favourite book of the year so far. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s very dark, twisted and compulsively readable. I read it in just over 24-hours, mostly while waiting at an airport with all the shops shut.
It’s 1979, Margaret Thatcher is Prime Minister and there’s a series of murders and attacks against women happening across Yorkshire.
Miv is almost thirteen and desperately doesn’t want to move down South. To change her dad’s mind, the Yorkshire Ripper murders have to stop, which means that she will have to catch him. Miv and her friend Sharon make a list of all the suspicious things and people they see, in the hope it will lead them to the Ripper himself.
This was a really interesting read - a blend of fiction and true crime. It gives readers an insight into the mindset and behaviour of people in Yorkshire at that time. In 1979, my dad was the same age as Miv in this novel, living in a small Yorkshire town propped up by the coal-mining industry, decimated by Thatcher’s policies. There were a lot of stories I’ve heard from my dad that were comparable to scenes within this novel, along with the Yorkshire slang and references to places I’ve visited, that were enjoyable to read.
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Thanks for reading,
Caitlin.
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