Start Here, New Readers!

 Welcome, Reader, to The Literate Kitty!

I'm GlamKitty, your friendly hostess (but will also answer to Diana 😊), and I've been reviewing books here since 2009.

If you love mysteries and thrillers, you've found your people. 

(You'll also spot the occasional urban fantasy, sci-fi, or even romance, but twisty plots, suspicious characters, and "whodunit" energy are very much my home turf.)

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What to Expect Here

🐾 NO SPOILERS. Ever. 

Seriously. That's my Golden Rule.

🐾 Honest Reviews 

If I love a book, you'll know. If it's not-so-me, but may be you, I'll say. And, if it really didn't work for me, I won't leave you in any doubt. No paid-ad energy here.

🐾 Written by a Real Reader

Everything I review, I've actually read. No publisher copy-paste.

🐾 Vibe Checks Included

My personal spoiler-free thoughts on tone, feel, pacing, atmosphere, creepiness, and whether (or not) the ending sticks the landing.

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My Thriller & Mystery Sweet Spots

If you gravitate toward any of these, you'll feel right at home:
  • Psychological thrillers
  • Serial killer cat-and-mouse
  • Police/detective procedurals
  • Domestic suspense
  • Claustrophobic/locked-room settings
  • "Everyone's hiding something" situations
  • Mystery in alt timelines or places (urban fantasy, historical, & sci-fi mysteries)

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A Few of My Personal Faves

These are a handful of books that have lingered... ones I still think about, recommend often, and wish I could read again for the first time.

 

Community-Driven/“Cozy” Mysteries

·      The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective, by Jo Nichols

A quaint community of likable oddballs bands together to solve a murder in their shared courtyard... and forge unexpected connection along the way.

·      Murder Takes A Vacation, by Laura Lippman

An unassuming retired widow finds her groove on the high seas when a shocking shipboard murder pulls her into Miss Marple mode.

·      Death Stalks Kettle Street, by John Bowen

Charming British cozy suspense starring two highly unlikely amateur sleuths and a mystery with surprising heart.

 

Psychological & Village Secrets

·      The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling

A seemingly idyllic British village slowly reveals its fractures in this quietly devastating psychological drama with mystery undercurrents.

 

Private Detectives & Classic Sleuthing

·      The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith

Rowling’s debut under a pseudonym introduces a damaged P.I. you can’t help rooting for and the Gal Friday he sorely needed, as they solve a glamorous supermodel’s murder in London.

 

Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Mysteries

·      Ink & Sigil, by Kevin Hearne

A bonkers Scottish murder mystery featuring an elderly Glaswegian, his hobgoblin roomie, terrifying fae, and a rogues’ gallery of magical miscreants.

·      An Artificial Night, by Seanan McGuire

October Daye’s third outing sends the changeling knight on an impossible quest to rescue stolen children... and the emotional impact hits hard

 

Sci-Fi Crime

·      Earthrise, by Jeff D Buchanan

A detective mystery set on Mars explores themes of isolation, love, and survival alongside its central investigation.

 

Gothic Suspense

·      Murder Road, by Simone St. James

Honeymooners get lost in the middle of nowhere, stumbling onto a stretch of highway tied to a string of murders... possibly including their own.

 

Palette Cleansers 

·      The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion

A delightful rom-com pairing an emotionally-uptight professor with the chaotic bartender who upends his tightly-managed life.



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