Suzan Ahrens

READING, WRITING, SHARING

Hi Everyone! I am Suzan Ahrens, reader and writer, and my mission is to connect fellow readers with new voices in Upmarket and Literary Mystery—authors who deliver elevated prose, well-developed characters, and complex-messy-stirring themes that touch our hearts and minds and keep us turning the page. Big plus if the story has a connection to nature or is set in a place that takes our imaginations outdoors.

Each month, Elevated Mystery Reads will feature one emerging author and their new novel. Thrown in the mix might be a long-standing favorite or two: those pioneers of literary mystery who were brave enough to go beyond the tried and true whodunit—although I love whodunits as well!

I hope you’ll join me on this journey of reading, writing, and sharing.

My Mission

Suzan Ahrens 5/31/25 Suzan Ahrens 5/31/25

A Writer’s Journey: It Had To Start Somewhere

IN THIS SPAN BETWEEN Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I wanted to take time to celebrate my parents.

Pictured: Mom and Dad picking apples on their horses

Suzan Ahrens 5/1/25 Suzan Ahrens 5/1/25

Amy Pease: Off To A Great Start With NORTHWOODS

Debut novelist Amy Pease has firmly planted her stake into the ground of upmarket mystery—that sweet spot where literary quality and commercial appeal come together.

Suzan Ahrens 4/1/25 Suzan Ahrens 4/1/25

Nick Newman’s THE GARDEN

In the author’s own words on choosing two elderly women as the novel’s protagonists, Nick explained: "I'd felt for a long time that the elderly, as a marginalized group, were not really getting their due in the push for diverse voices in fiction…”

Suzan Ahrens 3/7/25 Suzan Ahrens 3/7/25

Literary Mystery Done Elizabeth George Style

THE MISSION for Elevated Mystery Reads is to connect readers with new voices in Upmarket and Literary Mystery. But for this maiden post, I wanted to pay homage to the author responsible for my love of the genre: Elizabeth George and her novel, PLAYING FOR THE ASHES.