WICE’s Murder, They Read group offers members the chance to explore the mystery form—from classic sleuths and gritty detectives to unconventional investigators and amateur gumshoes.

A compelling mystery will be selected for each month's reading and discussion, with an eye toward strong writing, memorable characters, and inventive plotting. From contemporary noir to historical mysteries, the group’s selections will span subgenres, eras, locales and cultures, offering something for longtime mystery lovers and curious newcomers alike.

Discussions—to be held in English—will delve into themes, character development, setting, and of course, the crime itself. The goal is not just to guess the culprit, but, through the eyes of the sleuth, to benefit from a literary immersion into another time, place, and/or culture;  to appreciate how the author constructs the mystery and what the story reveals about the world it portrays.   And of course  to enjoy time spent with others who love the mystery genre.

Selections are chosen with these criteria in mind:

  • Available in English (paper or ebook)

  • Standalone/can be read on it’s own, or first in a series

  • Rich in atmosphere, character, or setting

  • Offers an unexpected perspective




Representative titles include:

  1. A Clubbable Woman – Reginald Hill

  2. The Blessing Way – Tony Hillerman

  3. The Silver Pigs – Lindsey Davis

  4. Death at La Fenice – Donna Leon

  5. Maisie Dobbs – Jacqueline Winspear

  6. The Chalk Circle Man – Fred Vargas

Whether you’re drawn to the streets of Venice, the mesas of New Mexico, or a shadowy corner of 1920s London, Murder, They Read invites you to join the investigation.

Return to Literature

UPCOMING EVENTS

  • LM061 Murder, They Read: "The Book of Wizzy," by Ann Chamberlin

    • 06 Mar 2026
    • 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    • Impact Café, lower level (salle 3), 67 rue Beaubourg, 75003
    • 10
    Register

    The Book of Wizzy is set in the world within a world of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) community in the ski resort of Park City, Utah. The author provides us an insider view on that world and its accompanying perspective.

    Eighteen-year-old Brittany Bingham is working as a housekeeper for posh condominiums in Park City when she discovers a body in a hot tub. Since Brittany’s parents are serving an LDS mission in Southern California, she calls on her aunt Helen for aid, but Helen’s feeling stretched thin. She’s still mourning the death of her child, Elizabeth,15 years ago. Wizzy, as Helen called her, died at the age of 3, and Helen feels that she and Wizzy are in daily communication through song. Additionally, she’s been asked by her bishop to take on a major responsibility. Everyone else is ready to dismiss the skier’s death as an accident, but Helen feels a responsibility to Brittany. What to do? Helen’s response to this dilemma, as she proceeds to solve the mystery and to increasingly develop and exercise her own power and autonomy w/in the structure of her church and beliefs, forms the backbone of the story.

    NOTE: the author will join us for this discussion.

    Two spaces are reserved for new WICE members. If no new WICE members have registered seven days before the event, those two spaces will become available to the general WICE membership.

    Registration opens on Saturday, 07 February.


    Show details