New Releases For The Week Of September 12th, 2021

From NYT bestselling author, Lynn Cahoon, comes a new Cat Latimer mystery. Santa’s on his way, but the house Cat shares with her best friend and a monthly writing retreat isn’t even decorated yet.Christmas is coming early to Cat Latimer’s Writers Retreat. Cat and the gang aren’t feeling the Christmas spirit. First up on her to do list, the last retreat of the year. A group of non-fiction authors dying to get into the Covington library. When one writer is found dead before the first retreat session, Cat must find the killer before he puts her on his naughty list. FGHV (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Twice dead…A living nightmare
The discovery of a blood-encrusted stiletto knife in journalist Emmeline Kirby’s bag at Heathrow Airport sets in motion a chain of events that ensnares everyone she holds dear. The body of Sebastian Jardine is soon found in the boot of Superintendent Oliver Burnell’s car, leading to accusations that he and Emmeline conspired to commit murder. Desperate to clear their names, she turns to Philip Acheson of the Foreign Office for help. But when two Special Branch officers arrive to arrest him, he is forced to go on the run.
Gregory Longdon, Emmeline’s husband and a jewel thief/insurance investigator with ties to the criminal classes and MI5, is the only man Philip can trust. Gregory is on his own quest to prove her innocence in a game that makes no sense. Jardine was no stranger. His old friend was a former Interpol agent, who soured on the law and succumbed to his baser instincts. The real problem is Jardine died five years earlier. A fancy pink diamond with a murky provenance that men are willing to kill to possess holds the key to the truth. From London to Malta, Emmeline and Gregory are drawn into a web of corruption and revenge. Will they forfeit their lives for justice? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

From the critically acclaimed author of Invisible City and Conviction, The Missing Hours is a novel about obsession, privilege, and the explosive consequences of one violent act.

From the critically acclaimed author of Invisible City and Conviction, The Missing Hours is a novel about obsession, privilege, and the explosive consequences of one violent act.

From a distance, Claudia Castro has it all: a famous family, a trust fund, thousands of Instagram followers, and a spot in NYU’s freshman class. But look closer, and things are messier: her parents are separating, she’s just been humiliated by a sleazy documentary, and her sister is about to have a baby with a man she barely knows.

Claudia starts the school year resolved to find a path toward something positive, maybe even meaningful – and then one drunken night everything changes. Reeling, her memory hazy, Claudia cuts herself off from her family, seeking solace in a new friendship. But when the rest of school comes back from spring break, Claudia is missing.

Suddenly, the whole city is trying to piece together the hours of that terrible night. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

Mabel Aphrodite Brown (Ditie) is thrilled when her best friend, Lurleen, wants to buy a 1920s mansion and create a cooking school in Atlanta. An old murder in the house simply adds spice to their intentions. Back in 1949 an innocent Black man was convicted of the crime. Ditie and Lurleen can investigate the murder, right a terrible wrong, and design a cooking school for women who need a second chance in life.

A perfect plan! As Lurleen says, “A new house and an old murder, what more could a girl want?” But “a perfect storm” might be a more accurate description. Conflicting forces swirl around Lurleen even before she purchases the house. Outside the crumbling mansion, a well-tended rose garden seems to welcome her, while a chalked threat on the broken front porch tells her to stay away before a second murder occurs. Good karma and bad—that’s the way Lurleen sees it, and nothing will deter her from her decision to buy and renovate the house.

Ditie tries to protect her friend from harm, but she can’t stay in the mansion all the time—she has her work in the refugee clinic and two children who need her. Will the force of good or evil triumph in a mansion that holds so many secrets?

Includes Family-Friendly Recipes (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

One of The Los Angeles Times’ “Five Fall Mysteries You Shouldn’t Miss”

Things get personal for Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja Lily Wong in Hong Kong when she dives into the dangerous world of triads, romance, and corporate disaster during the height of the pro-democracy protests.

Lily’s mother has been summoned by her grandfather, Gung-Gung to attend an emergency board meeting. Lily is happy to take her father’s place for exotic travel, family reunions, and romantic dates with her new boyfriend, Daniel Kwok, who’s there for business. Lily and her mother stay at her grandparents’ hillside home on Hong Kong Island, but tension between Gung-Gung and Ma makes it hard to enjoy the beautiful surroundings, especially with the city in turmoil. Gung-Gung won’t say anything about the meeting and Ma is worried that her career is in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the teenage daughter of Gung-Gung’s driver is pulled into the dangerous riots.

As Lily and Ma discover shaky finances, questionable loans, and plans for the future involving them both, Lily’s escalating romance with Daniel puts her heart at risk. Will her ninja skills allow her to protect her mother, the family business, and the renegade teen while navigating love, corporate intrigue, and murderous triads? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

An amateur sleuth named Bonnie and her kitty companion Clyde, with names like those, what could possibly go wrong?

Life hasn’t sparkled too brightly for Bonnie Balfour over the past few years, but a heart-breaking divorce has brought her back to her small rural hometown of Bliss, Georgia, and things are starting to shape up.

The proud new owner of Bless Her Heart—a second chance dress shop and boutique on the town square—Bonnie thinks thirty-eight might not be too late for a fresh start in life after all.

Until a grouchy old widow turns up dead in a pile of donations meant for Bonnie’s shop, and the town’s new detective pins her to the top of his suspect list!

To save her shop, dream and reputation, Bonnie must coordinate clues and stitch together the truth about her innocence, but the unreasonably handsome detective and prying eyes of the local gossip mill are fast fraying her nerves.

When a series of anonymous attacks begin to hem her in, Bonnie fears the real killer is fixing to make her his next victim. Can this amateur sleuth measure up? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook