New Releases For The Week Of December 20, 2020–Part 3

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS
And a bouquet of murderous intrigue…

Amateur sleuth (and ace baker) Claire Andersen is back! Winter melts to spring in scenic Galway, Maryland, uncovering blooming friendships new and old, a shyly budding romance, the rotten stench of organized crime, and family drama more garish than Claire’s emerging blood lilies.

Settling in just fine to her new Appalachian digs (and getting the hang of this whole proprietress of a B&B thing, too!), NYC native Claire Andersen is living a cozy small town fairy tale. There are quirky local characters and adorable little shops, not to mention a kitchen full of mouth-watering baked goodies. She’s a veritable June Cleaver—if Leave It to Beaver were nestled in the mountains and June were a recently retired empty nester, that is.

There’s just one problem. Claire can hardly say “Gee, golly” before her newly-acquainted and much-beloved neighbor winds up murdered in cold blood, right before Galway’s annual Easter parade. Hot off the heels of her last murder, Claire can’t help but get involved (much to the chagrin of the well-meaning albeit bumbling town sheriff). She can hardly help herself, after all. The murder did take place right next door … and the victim’s family is staying in her B&B… Ever the hostess, poking around is the least she could do.

Little does Claire know the victim’s family is just the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the iceberg consists of age-old secrets so duplicitous, they’d make Eddie Haskell run for the hills.

Mix in Claire’s feisty sidekick Evelyn, her ever-lovable bloodhound Rupert, and a mountain of mocha and strawberry buttercream cupcakes—and Claire finds she’s in business. The sleuthing business. Perhaps even the mafia business. But she’d better tread carefully—or she’ll wind up another discarded, frozen body in the aforementioned iceberg (with a spring thaw nowhere in sight). (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

When a gorgeous man dressed as Bridgette Bardot buys her a Scofflaw and asks her out on a date, Anna McGregor begins to suspect her murder investigation has taken a wrong turn. Her previous work as a medical anthropologist exposed her to a variety of unexpected situations, but none quite like this.

It all seemed so simple: fix up the Cape May Victorian mansion she’d inherited from Great Aunt Louise and re-open it as the exceptional B&B it used to be. Everything’s going great, until her very first guest turns up dead at the breakfast table, crumbs from Anna’s blueberry scones scattered on the lace tablecloth.

As the town’s gossip mill goes into overdrive, Anna leaps into the fray to save her reputation, her business and Great Aunt Louise’s legacy.

With help from a handsome handyman eager to solve all of Anna’s problems and a young police officer new to murder investigations, Anna does her best to convince the town — and her future guests — that while her scones may be killer, someone else was responsible for this murder. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Meadow McKerrell wants a new start. Escaping an abusive husband, she agrees to house-sit for her cousin Chloe in a tiny one-street hamlet in the Scottish highlands called Candlelight Lane. Initially, everything seems to be going well. She’s settling into small-town life, has a job delivering flowers for the local florist and has set up a doll-making business from her new spare room. She even has a date with a handsome, but awkward neighbour, Finn. When the date arrives, everything starts to go wrong, and she and Finn discover a dead body guarded by a mysterious black cat. Then another body shows up, and another. Soon there are three victims and many questions to be answered. Just when she thinks she can’t be any more traumatised, Meadow is convinced that Baudrons the cat has spoken to her and asked her to help solve the murders. She knew she was a little bit overwhelmed recently, but she’s never had an auditory hallucination… until now. Meadow is ready to pack up and move back to Edinburgh when Baudrons and her new boss Isla convince her to stay. But the appearance of a blood-stained knife in her spare room and the rumours circulating that someone who recently moved to Candlelight Lane has a previous murder conviction mean that the evidence is stacking up against her – or Chloe. Nobody knows anything about her, and she has no way to defend herself from the gossip. The only ones who seem to believe her are Finn, Isla and Baudrons, but how can she solve three murders with only a strange cat and her own mental health problem to assist her? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

“You really nailed it” – words every paranormal chef on The Kitchen Witch Wars would love to hear. But for some on the show, this statement proves the final nail in their coffin! Unfortunately for them, amateur witch Christelle Seabright finds she must once again hang her hat as TV show host and become a homicide detective.

The paranormal TV execs only care about ratings, and contestants continually trying to kill one another off has made The Kitchen Witch Wars a hot new program. But if the culprit is not exposed, how long before a judge—or even the host—ends up on the menu? More twists and turns gurgle from beneath the surface of an innocent cooking competition; a viscous love triangle, family secrets and of course, murder.

Grab yourself a succulent snack and rejoin Christelle as she works her magic on and off the stage. The only missing ingredient is your eye on the second installment of The Kitchen Witch Wars. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

An attack on Santa’s elves proves to be Claus for concern at the North Pole’s Christmas Village

When Oliver’s parents go missing from the Natural History Museum in London, things go from bad to worse as he searches for a missing Santa, and uncovers the body of an elf. With fear looming over the North Pole’s Christmas Village inhabitants, can Oliver and the reindeer hunt down the Yule Cat killer before Christmas is cancelled for good? More importantly, will Oliver ever be free of Beryl the foster home’s Social Worker?

Deerly Departed is the first book in the ‘Murder at the North Pole’ cozy mystery series.  (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum and Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune will find a new character to love in Holly Hands!

Holly Hands. 29. Single mom. Disgraced, former boxing pro. Repo woman.

Repossessing Lamborghinis and other exotic toys from criminals is second-hat for Holly.

But finding a dead body—and solving a murder—is not.

Luckily, Holly has Lucky by her side—a neglected pit bull she found on the wrong side of a job, who refuses to leave her side—and who, like her, has nowhere to go but up.

Together, maybe they can crawl their way out of the urban hell of their bad slice of Baltimore, where coming home at night is even more dangerous than going to work. Maybe Holly can manage to get her young daughter the medical treatment she desperately needs, and manage to get her out of her dangerous public school and into the private school of her dreams. Just maybe, she can fall in love with that private school Dad from the other side of town and start a whole new life.

Or maybe not.

Life has never been easy for Holly. And if the past few days—and the dead body in her trunk—are any indication—it’s about to get a whole lot worse.

KNOCKOUT (A HOLLY HANDS COZY MYSTERY) is book #1 in a riveting new cozy mystery series, a page-turning thriller that grabs you from page one and does not let go. Get ready to find yourself reading all night, bleary-eyed, and falling madly in love with a new character who will fight her way into your heart.

Book #2 (SUCKER PUNCH) and Book #3 (BELOW THE BELT) in the series are also available. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Miss Marple meets Oscar Wilde in this new series of cosy mysteries set in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Bunburry. Here, fudge-making and quaffing real ale in the local pub are matched by an undercurrent of passion, jealousy, hatred and murder – laced with a welcome dose of humour.

This compilation contains episodes 4-6.

DEATH OF A LADIES’ MAN

The summer tourist season is in full swing. Among the visitors is Mario Bellini, a gelateria owner with film-star good looks, who is considering opening an ice-cream parlour in Bunburry. But shortly after his arrival, he is found dead – a tragic accident, or something more sinister?

DROP DEAD, GORGEOUS

Deb’s Beauty Salon becomes the last resting place for merry widow and property magnate Eve Mosby, whose passions include haute couture and a young lover. Plenty of people disliked Mrs Mosby, but enough to kill her?

MURDER IN HIGH PLACES

Oscar will brave the Cotswolds for the first time! Alfie has tried for months to convince his best friend to visit him – but when a glamorous High Society Party in honour of celebrated actor Dorian Stevens is announced, Oscar just can’t resist. He is – after all – Dorian’s greatest fan and can’t wait to meet his hero. But the evening at the lovely Saville mansion takes a murderous turn…

Helena Marchmont is a pseudonym of Olga Wojtas, who was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She was encouraged to write by an inspirational English teacher, Iona M. Cameron. Olga won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2015 and recently published her second book in the Miss Blaine mystery series. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

The callous taking of two lives by an act of pure self-interest brings together DCI Arnold, WPC Desai, Linden Lea, the twin to one of the victims, and Jasper, the deceased’s terrier. This coalition of the willing pursue events, both global and personal, past and present, through the jungle of media and politics and into the inner sanctum of the English aristocracy. During their investigations they find redemption for some, retribution for others and discover that revenge is not exclusively a human trait; they confirm the certain knowledge that what goes around comes around. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Sara Middleton, just short of fifty, spent twenty-six years of her life as a widow and single parent, bringing up her twins in the safe, secure environment she created for them.

She is a soloist chorister at Ripon Cathedral. When York Minster’s choir joins Ripon for a Christmas performance, despite a sixth-sense warning her that beneath his charm and easy manner there may be a darker side, Sarah experiences an unnerving, unexpectedly strong attraction to their bass-baritone, Harry Martin.

A chance meeting weeks later causes Sara to throw her common sense to the wind, and she allows herself to fall deeply in love, but soon discovers that Harry’s life holds a terrible secret that haunts and torments him.

Their love proves a strong weapon in the fight to save him from the follies and consequences of his catastrophic past. But their future happiness is in jeopardy. Will they win the battle and be able to make sweet music again? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Anna Hartman is going to need more than a good cup of coffee to solve her latest case.

With the grisly murder of a surrogate, a shaky alibi, and a mountain of evidence stacking up against her client, proving his innocence won’t be easy. And that’s before you start factoring in a fake pregnancy and thousands of dollars’ worth of motive!

But, with the best crew in the city on the case, nothing can stop the Hartman and Malone team. Except maybe for being pulled into an FBI investigation or having the fiancé of the murder victim breathing down your neck.

Looks like it’s time to put those new case jitters aside and get to work!

Does Anna have what it takes to prove the innocence of a man who already has both feet on the path to a long prison sentence?

Forgotten Promises is the 2^nd full-length installment of the explosive Hartman and Malone Mystery series. If you love spunky characters and complicated mysteries, this is the book for you!

This book can be read as a standalone, but spoilers may exist due to ongoing characters from previous installments. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Piper has disappeared. Just as Peter was going to take their relationship to the next level, she ran away.
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Or she was abducted.
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Now, Peter will stop at nothing to get her back, no matter what the consequences.
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Divided in Crime is the third book in the Partners in Crime Thrillers series. It is an international thriller and action adventure romance and includes sex trafficking, shooting, international intrigue, and luxury hotels. And sex…I always forget about the sex!
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“Elise Sax will win your heart.”—New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis
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“Sax will make you laugh. Her larger-than-life characters jump off the page and make crazy seem like a fun place to hang out.”—New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig
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“With quirky characters reminiscent of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series and a small-town heroine redolent of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse” –RT Book Reviews

“Fans of laugh-out-loud romantic suspense will enjoy this new author as she joins the ranks of Janet Evanovich, Katie MacAllister, and Jennifer Crusie.”—Booklist, on An Affair to Dismember
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“A lighthearted and amusing caper with a sexy side order of romance . . . Gladie is an endearing mess of a character, and the book is fast-paced and amusing, with a large cast of quirky, small-town characters.”—Kirkus Reviews, on Matchpoint
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“There’s plenty for fans to enjoy in Sax’s third Matchmaker installment, complete with energetic narration, zany humor and a mystery that’s as engaging as the details of Gladie’s love life.”—RT Book Reviews, on Love Game (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Inheriting her late aunt’s Massachusetts farm is no gift for app developer Mabel Skinner, who is about to learn that even the best-grown garlic can’t ward off murderous intent…
 
Mabel’s hope of finding an enthusiastic farmer to buy Stinkin’ Stuff Farm is dying a little bit every day. So far, all she’s found are double-dealing developers. But after a heated dispute over grass clippings with an obsessive local rhubarb breeder, she discovers something even more distressing—the breeder in question undisputedly dead in his greenhouse. . . .
 
Uncomfortably aware that she might be a prime suspect, Mabel stops digging in the dirt long enough to dig up more information about the dead man, and anyone else he might have argued with. The list is longer than she imagined, and includes a persnickety neighbor and a rival rhubarb breeder. With all the ingredients for a homegrown mystery, Mabel must unearth a killer—before the next plot to be dug is her grave. . . .
 
“Growing garlic might be my newest obsession thanks to Six Cloves Under!”
—Lynn Cahoon, New York Times bestselling author of the Farm-to-Fork mystery series (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback Audiobook