Halloween season is the perfect time to read mysteries, end-of-the-world, dystopia and horror stories Compiled by Mary Jeneverre Schultz As autumn escorts in rustling leaves, shorter days, sweater-type weather, it’s time to curl up with a book. Let’s look at these recent and/or soon-to-be released books by Asian and Asian American authors.
be watching the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa Hardcover: $26 | 372 pages Published by Berkley ISBN 9780593335086
The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura Hardcover: $23 | 224 pages Published by Penguin Books ISBN 9780143136026
Voyeurism, manipulation and obsession are part of this book’s theme. In a suspenseful narrative, the author tells the story of workplace politics and social structures through rumors and innuendos that becomes a page turner for the reader. Daily, the Woman in the Purple Skirt sits on the same park bench as part of her routine. Unaware, someone is watching her – the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, who stays out of sight and observes her. Luring her to a job as a hotel maid, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan recruits her. Shortly after, the Woman in the Purple Skirt is having an affair with the boss. Everyone knows it. With all eyes on the Woman in the Purple Skirt, no one is paying attention to the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. Perhaps, everyone should
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The book follows Sri Lankan-American woman, Paloma Evans, as she tries to discover who murdered her roommate after all evidence of his death has been erased. Recently cut off from her parents’ funds, she decides to sublet the second bedroom of her San Francisco apartment to Arun, who recently moved from India. She then finds him face down in a pool of blood. She flees the apartment but by the time the police arrive, there’s no body—and no evidence that Arun ever even existed in the first place. Paloma is terrified this is all somehow tangled up in the desperate actions she took to escape Sri Lanka so many years ago. We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen Hardcover: $28 | 336 pages Published by MiraBooks ISBN 9780778331391 Jamie woke up in an empty apartment with no memory and only a few clues to his identity, but with the ability to read and erase other people’s memories—a power he uses to hold up banks to buy
coffee, cat food and books. Zoe is also searching for her past and using her abilities of speed and strength…to deliver fast food. And she’ll occasionally put on a cool suit and beat up bad guys, if she feels like it. When the archrivals meet in a memory-loss support group, they realize the only way to reveal their hidden pasts might be through each other. As they uncover an ongoing threat, suddenly much more is at stake. With countless people at risk, Zoe and Jamie will have to recognize that sometimes being a hero starts with trusting someone else—and yourself.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala Paperback: $16 | 316 pages Published by Berkley Prime Crime ISBN 9780593201671 The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer.... When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant and must deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic drops dead moments after a confrontation with
Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case. With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longganisa, Lila takes on this twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block. Lies We Bury by Elle Marr Paperback: $16 | 286 pages Published by Thomas & Mercer ISBN 9781542026192 Two decades ago, Marissa Mo escaped a basement prison—the only home she’d ever known. At 27, Marissa’s moved beyond the trauma and is working under a new name as a freelance photographer. But when she accepts a job covering a string of macabre murders in Portland, it’s impossible for Marissa
