James Farner

Across the board, my taste leans more commercial than literary, and I generally prefer books that entertain and keep me thinking from start to finish. Mysteries: Murder mysteries and whodunnits are my sweet spot. I’d love to see novels inspired by Golden Age Detective stories that take these tropes and update them with modern pacing and sensibility. Locked-room and closed circle mysteries are favorites, though I prefer when these are fair play as well. Examples of non-client favorites include Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (and much of his other work) and Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. This overlaps some with the above, but I’m also looking for cozy mysteries, a la The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and The Dog Sitter Detective by Antony Johnston. I want characters that really shine here, leaving me wanting to spend more time with them. I’d also love to see mysteries with speculative elements, especially if it’s integral to the story, like The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. But please keep these to novels you’d still expect to see in the mystery section of a bookstore, not the SFF shelves. I’m less likely to be the right match for a purely historical mystery, but I’ll still consider them. Thrillers: I like thrillers that have a bit of mystery crossover to them, whether something on the fun/cozy side like the Finlay Donovan books by Elle Cosimano or works like The Guest List by Lucy Foley. I’d like to read stories with an irresistible, memorable premise, and don’t mind a slow burn if it’s doing something interesting that I haven’t seen before (My Murder by Katie Williams). I’m also eager for thrillers with such good suspense that I’m racing through pages and just can’t put it down (Blood Sugar by Sacha Rothchild). Pull me directly from start to finish!