New Releases For The Week Of October 31, 2021–Part 2

Stephanie Plum returns to hunt down a new kind of criminal operating out of Trenton in the 28th book in the wildly popular series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

When Stephanie Plum is woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of footsteps in her apartment, she wishes she didn’t keep her gun in the cookie jar in her kitchen. And when she finds out the intruder is fellow apprehension agent Diesel, six feet of hard muscle and bad attitude who she hasn’t seen in more than two years, she still thinks the gun might come in handy.

Turns out Diesel and Stephanie are on the trail of the same fugitive: Oswald Wednesday, an international computer hacker as brilliant as he is ruthless. Stephanie may not be the most technologically savvy sleuth, but she more than makes up for that with her dogged determination, her understanding of human nature, and her willingness to do just about anything to bring a fugitive to justice. Unsure if Diesel is her partner or her competition in this case, she’ll need to watch her back every step of the way as she sets the stage to draw Wednesday out from behind his computer and into the real world. (Anazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback. Audiobook

Rising Water: Book 1 in the Tai Chi Cozy Mystery Series

The first book in a new cozy mystery series featuring a mature female amateur sleuth!

What Nan Crockett wants is a little serenity. What she gets is a dead body…

At 59, Nan plans to spend her retirement in the beautiful home she’s created in St. Charles, Missouri. Then her husband announces that he’s accepted his dream job-without consulting Nan-and they are moving to Washington, DC. Needless to say, the relocation signals a huge change. Most of the work lands squarely on Nan’s shoulders. Suddenly, she’s living in a small apartment and surrounded by boxes.

Badly in need of a way to de-stress, Nan pops into a tai chi class at a local community center. There she hopes to make new friends and gain a more positive outlook on life. The first tai chi form-rising water-seems easy enough. And the other students seem friendly. The class is made up of female senior citizens, many of whom are retired from “government work,” which is Washington insider code for CIA.

After the class, Nan and a new friend take a detour through the ladies’ restroom where they stumble over the body of a classmate. This poor woman’s head is submerged in a toilet bowl. All the energy, peaceful and otherwise, has left that body. It’s the perfect introduction to Nan’s true calling as an amateur sleuth.

Rising Water is a clean, enjoyable mystery full of relatable details and a realistic outlook on life, love, and family. Rising Water is perfect for mystery readers who are proud of their AARP cards. If you like your characters with a bit of sass and a lot of class, you’ll love Nan Crockett. She’s nobody’s fool. Nan’s a woman of a certain age, still lovely and determined to salvage her marriage even as her step-kids vow to make her life miserable.

This series draws back the curtain on what it’s really like to be in DC, if you are not a politician! Get the inside scoop on RL (Real Life) in our nation’s Capital. 

See why RT Reviews called author Joanna Campbell Slan “one of mystery’s rising stars” — and why readers find her characters utterly believable. You’ll laugh, you’ll moan, and you’ll cheer for Nan Crockett, a woman any one of us would love to call a friend.

GET YOUR COPY TODAY! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

The USA Today bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author of Never Look Back and If I Die Tonight plumbs the dark side of justice and the depths of diabolical revenge in this propulsive novel of psychological suspense that melds the driving narrative of Then She Was Gone with the breathtaking twists of The Chain and the violent fury of Kill Bill.

“Alison Gaylin’s The Collective is an astonishing feat. In the tradition of Ira Levin’s unforgettable social thrillers (Rosemary’s Baby, Stepford Wives), it’s a nerve-shredding, emotionally harrowing ride that also speaks volumes about our current moment, the dangers of our digital world, the potency of female rage. Don’t miss it.” —Megan Abbott

Just how far will a grieving mother go to right a tragic wrong?

Camille Gardener is a grieving—and angry—mother who, five years after her daughter’s death, is still obsessed with the privileged young man she believes to be responsible.

When her rash actions draw the attention of a secret group of women—the collective— Camille is drawn into a dark web where these mothers share their wildly different stories of loss as well as their desire for justice in a world where privilege denies accountability. Fueled by mutual rage, the collective members devise and act out retribution fantasies via precise, anonymous, highly coordinated revenge killings.

As Camille struggles to comprehend whether this is a role-playing exercise or terrifying reality, she must decide if these women are truly avenging angels or monsters. Becoming more deeply enmeshed in the group, Camille learns truths about the collective—and about herself—that she may not be able to survive (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook

The year is 1900. The port city of Odessa on the Black Sea is being terrorized by a brutal killer called the Specter. With five people already dead, the murderer promises more.

One family, the Karadopoulinas, run a boarding house. Sisters Tasia and Eleni feel certain the killer is a scarred, shambling Londoner who took lodging with them one night during a thunderstorm. Furtive and threatening, Henry Humble, stalks Odessa’s labyrinth of interlocking courtyards and foggy docks at night, armed with weapons and skeleton keys.

As the body count rises, so do the questions…
Who is the mysterious figure haunting the catacombs below the streets of Odessa?
Why won’t Eleni’s police constable sweetheart investigate?
Who will be the next to die?

A Victorian-style murder mystery with elements of horror, adventure, and Hitchcockian black humor. “A Stranger From the Storm” by William Burton McCormick is a novella published by Mannison Press, LLC.

Praise for A Stranger from the Storm

“Unimaginable evil stalks the dark, labyrinthian streets in the Greek Quarter of Victorian Odessa. Meanwhile another haunts the eerie catacombs below. Only the Karadopoulinas twin sisters can solve the string of grisly murders that have terrorized the city—but they’ll have to stop sparring with each other first and work together as a team. A delightful and gripping Gothic murder mystery with a pair of humorous, courageous and refreshingly different young sleuths.” ~Karen Charlton, author of The Detective Lavender Mysteries series

“A rollicking gothic-horror comedy magically set in 1900 Odessa.” ~Judith Cutler, author of the Harriet and Matthew Rowsley series

“As dark and labyrinthine as the tunnels beneath Odessa, and with as many twists. Enthralling!” ~Clio Gray, author of Booker Nominated & Bailey’s Longlisted The Anatomist’s Dream

“A sly, wry look at murder, William Burton McCormick has given us the perfect read for Halloween—and the whole year. With a pair of quip-trading twins for sleuths, enough red herrings to fill a lake in Odessa, and a villain you won’t readily guess, A Stranger from the Storm gives the reader a fast, snappy tour of times gone by in a place laden with history and secrets kept far underground.” ~Jenny Milchman, USA Today bestselling author of Cover of Snow and The Second Mother (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Spring has sprung in Briar Creek, but it is not all sunshine and roses, in the newest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of One for the Books.

Spring is livening up Briar Creek after a long, cold winter, and newlyweds Lindsey and Sully could not be happier. Even though the upcoming mayoral election is getting heated, everything else in town is coming up daffodils…until a body is found.

Ms. Cole, a librarian and current candidate for town mayor, is shocked when she opens her trunk to discover a murder victim who just so happens to be a guy she dated forty years ago and the founder of the baking empire Nana’s Cookies. As the town gossip mill turns, a batch of rumors begins to circulate about Ms. Cole’s rebellious youth, which–along with being a murder suspect–threatens to ruin her life and her budding political career. But Ms. Cole is one tough cookie who will not go down without a fight.

Has the campaign for mayor turned deadly? It is up to Lindsey, Sully, and the rest of the crafternoon pals to see how the cookie crumbles and figure out who is trying to frame Ms. Cole for murder and why. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

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Nurse-practitioner Wyn Miller finds that traveling from patient to patient with a whole clowder of cats can be challenging. She’s hoping to settle down for a while before having to pack them up again, but her patient, Lizzie, is dying faster than expected, and the only thing she wants from Wyn is her expertise as an amateur detective.

The town’s schoolteacher has been murdered, and Lizzie fears that her greatest accomplishment, helping to establish the town of Harrisfield, will be destroyed if the killer isn’t brought to justice.

Wyn can’t save her patient’s life, but she might be able to save Lizzie’s legacy and give her peace of mind. Unfortunately, the schoolteacher wasn’t as universally loved as it originally seemed, and there are too many suspects for a quick resolution. With Sal at her side, Wyn is in a race with death to find the killer and save the town’s future. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

When a local art shop owner is murdered, Jessica Fletcher is surprised to once again be working alongside her old friend MI-6 agent Michael Haggerty to solve the case in the newest mystery in this USA Today bestselling series.

When Nelson Penzell, co-owner of a local art and treasure store in Cabot Cove, is murdered, the nail tech from Jessica Fletcher’s favorite beauty parlor is the main suspect. After all, she’s the one who ran out of the store screaming, covered in blood, and holding the murder weapon. Jessica is positive that despite the circumstances, Coreen can’t possibly be guilty, and is determined to prove it.

When Michael Haggerty, handsome MI-6 agent and Jessica’s old friend, is caught snooping around the victim’s home, it’s quickly apparent to her that she was right. Nelson has always had a bit of a reputation for being a rake, but Haggerty is sure his sins go far beyond what anyone in town imagined. If she wants to clear Coreen’s name, Jessica will have to work alongside Michael to find out who killed Nelson—and maybe help bust a crime ring in the process. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

Can Christmas be joyful if Santa doesn’t deliver?

There’s something about Christmas that drives even the sanest people crazy.

Estate sale organizer Audrey Nealon’s long quest to become a mother may finally work out, so she’s looking forward to the holiday this year.

Until her loyal assistant Ty becomes obsessed with acquiring BlastMaster, the season’s hottest toy. Determined to give his nephew the fantasy Christmas he himself never had, Ty allows his hunt for BlastMaster to lead him into some very dark alleys.

His quest unleashes a world of trouble. A criminal ring, a defaced painting, and a long-unsolved murder provoke revenge that threatens Audrey’s estate sale business. Eager to keep her young assistant out of harm’s way, Audrey inserts herself into the ad hoc investigation.

Will Audrey’s insatiable curiosity help to restore justice in time for the holidays? Or will it imperil her efforts to have a child with her beloved husband?

All will be revealed on Christmas Eve. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle. Paperback