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Hello, Readers, and Happy New Year! This will be a different post style; if it's well received, I'll keep doing them. An anonymous reader commented on a previous post and asked what books I would recommend. While I was replying, I had an idea to highlight recommendations. Thanks, Anonymous reader, for the inspiration!
How these posts will work is if I get a request for a recommendation, I will make a post to highlight my response. I solicited requests to get started on Facebook and Twitter. If you would like to request a recommendation, you can do so on the blog's Facebook page, Twitter, GoodReads, in the blog's comments, or in the email option. Please give me some information to narrow it down. If you have a recommendation you'd like to contribute, comment on the post!
The first recommendation request comes from my friend Leslie. Thank you for submitting one! Leslie is looking for easy-to-read Thriller/True Crime books. Page count isn't an issue. She just wants something she doesn't have to overthink.
1.) 
As the lead investigator on the 4MK task force, Detective Sam Porter knows even in death, the killer is far from finished. When he discovers a personal diary in the jacket pocket of the body, Porter finds himself caught up in the mind of a psychopath, unraveling a twisted history in hopes of finding one last girl, all while struggling with personal demons of his own.
With only a handful of clues, the elusive killer's identity remains a mystery. Time is running out, and the Four Monkey Killer taunts from beyond the grave in this masterfully written, fast-paced thriller.
Goodreads Summary: For over five years, the Four Monkey Killer has terrorized the residents of Chicago. When his body is found, the police quickly realize he was on his way to deliver one final message, which proves he has taken another victim who may still be alive.
As the lead investigator on the 4MK task force, Detective Sam Porter knows even in death, the killer is far from finished. When he discovers a personal diary in the jacket pocket of the body, Porter finds himself caught up in the mind of a psychopath, unraveling a twisted history in hopes of finding one last girl, all while struggling with personal demons of his own.
With only a handful of clues, the elusive killer's identity remains a mystery. Time is running out, and the Four Monkey Killer taunts from beyond the grave in this masterfully written, fast-paced thriller.
Why I recommend it: I gave the Fourth Monkey four stars on Goodreads. It is around 400 pages. It's also available on Kindle Unlimited for those of you who have it as well. The way the story was told was interesting. The perspectives alternate between Detective Porter's point of view and the suspect's memoir, which lays out why he is the way he is. If you want to dig into the psychology of a serial killer, this is a fantastic read. The way the story is written is simple and manages to provide a lot of twists and turns. I read it in 2022, and my focus hasn't been great this past year, so it will hit the mark of easy to read. Plus, it's a series on KU. I have yet to read the rest of the series, but it provides additional options to read.
2.) 
Goodreads Summary: 22-year-old Eileen goes missing while hiking in the remote Ashlough Forest. Five days later, her camera is discovered washed downriver, containing bizarre photos taken after her disappearance.
Chris wants to believe Eileen is still alive. When the police search is abandoned, he and four of his friends create their own search party to scour the mountain range. As they stray further from the hiking trails and the unsettling discoveries mount, they begin to believe they're not alone in the forest… and that Eileen's disappearance wasn't an accident.
By that point, it's too late to escape.
Why I recommend it: Hunted by Darcy Coates is more of a Horror type of Thriller, but it also has aspects of True Crime. This is also on Kindle Unlimited for anyone who has it (I'm not intentionally recommending KU books. It just happens to be how I acquire many books.) This is under 400 pages but still packs some good spooky twists and turns. It has a Blair Witch feel to it. To the best of my knowledge, it's not a series, but Darcy does have a ton of other books available that are more horror themed.
3.) 
Goodreads Summary: In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.
In 2016, Eddie is fully grown, and thinks he's put his past behind him. But then he gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank . . . until one of them turns up dead.
That's when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.
Why I recommend it: Of the three books I'm recommending today, this is probably the more complicated of all the stories. However, the story is so good that it's one that people won't want to put down. It's under 300 pages and bounces between 1986 and the present day. I picked it up a few years ago on a lunch break and nearly went home "sick" to finish reading it. There are a lot of twists and turns, and it's one of the most twisted books I've read. This past year I actually decided to reread it. I still loved it and felt the same way. There was a lot I had forgotten about the plot, so I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the plot twists.
So that is my recommendation for Easy to Read True Crime Thrillers. Leslie, if you check any of these out I hope you enjoy them! If you'd like me to recommend some books for you specifically, let me know through the blog or my various social media platforms! If you have some additional recommendations for Leslie, please put them in the comments.
