New Releases For The Week Of January 23, 2022–Part 1

May was determined that it would be a cold day in a very hot place before she let herself be drawn into a confrontation with her high school drama rival again. Funny thing though, when she wasn’t getting all up in May’s grill, the woman was really rocking the whole “playing dead” thing. Surely, May’s old nemesis has been taking acting lessons. Otherwise, she could never perform the role of corpse so realistically. Wait…

Asked to take part in a play for charity at her high school alma mater, Maybell Ferth thought it was a fun way to do something she loved while helping kids in her home town. But, she’d forgotten one really important thing. That thing’s name was Patrice Reynolds, and she’d been the bane of May’s existence in high school drama class. May had promised herself she’d never let the woman get under her skin again. But she hadn’t realized Patrice was in charge of the charity play. And when the woman ends up dead, May’s very public battles with her shine a light on May as the number one suspect.

The only way to clear her name is to put her professional mourning skills into practice at the funeral. With a murder to solve, and her own future at stake, May’s acting chops are going to be sorely tested. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

For a town that’s as cute as a button, there sure is a lot of murder.
 
Louisa Henry’s dream bookshop is up and running. On a trip to deliver a book to one of her customers, Lou stumbles upon the man’s dead body. The police are sure it’s a suicide, but Lou has questions. Clues at the scene as well as details about the man’s life just don’t seem to add up.
 
The fact that the dead man was the town bully is only one of many things that gives Lou pause. Are the police jumping to suicide so they don’t have to arrest the person who did everyone a favor?
 
Lou’s also busy helping her best friend, Willow, with preparations for the high school’s annual Spring Fling. But during her time up at the drafty old building, Lou finds secrets hidden away no one was meant to see, and she learns her new town might be hiding more than she first thought.
 
Dear reader, if you love rescue cats, goats who wear pajamas, and a cozy bookstore, you’re going to love this new series by Eryn Scott. Hold on to your hats. The town of Button is as cute as they come, but that doesn’t mean it’s free of murder. These books are clean with no foul language or gore. Curl up under a cozy blanket, cuddle with a cat (or two), and come join Lou as she solves mysteries in the town of Button. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Melanie Travis is gifted at raising prize-winning Standard Poodles, not standing in as the Easter Bunny. But when March in Connecticut brings daffodils and dead bodies, she’ll need to hop into action—and fast . .
 
Aunt Rose already has a strike against her for not being too fond of dogs—or Aunt Peg. But Melanie still agrees to organize Easter festivities at Gallagher House, the new women’s shelter opened by the stern former nun, even if it takes all the jellybeans in Greenwich to sweeten the arrangement. No sooner does Melanie arrive to dye multicolor eggs and stuff baskets, than she learns devasting news about Beatrice Gallagher, the respected benefactor of the estate. Beatrice has fallen to her death, and the circumstances are shocking . . .  
 
No one can say why or how charitable Beatrice got pushed into an early grave. Yet for a supposedly warm and generous philanthropist, rumors have her pinned as an overbearing manipulator who used money to control the unfortunate few trapped in her inner circle. Facing an uncertain future as danger lurks around Gallagher House, Melanie and Aunt Rose must tolerate each other’s company long enough to discover the truth about Beatrice’s true nature and identify a vengeful killer—before another person’s idyllic spring break becomes a serious nightmare . . . (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover

Harmony’s hoarder is discovered at the bottom of his basement stairs with a key clutched in his dead hand!

Norman Schott is at risk of his home being condemned. The residents of Harmony quickly make plans to help the hoarder clean and repair his house. They hope to save Norman from being homeless. But on the first wintery morning of the cleanup, finding his body changes all that!

The good-hearted townsfolk soon discover things are missing. Squares of colorful wallpaper, where framed pictures used to hang, is the first clue. Whatever that key was meant to open is missing too. Searches for family to claim the property and pay back taxes, reveal cryptic correspondence suggesting things were not as they appeared to be. A stranger arrives proclaiming herself a long-lost relative. But is she?

Stories of Norman’s past begin swirling round the village and Jackie’s curiosity antenna goes on high alert. What really happened in the house on Lilac Lane that cold winter night when Norman fell down the basement stairs?

Hugging the banks of the Wisconsin River and rising into the wooded hills and bluffs, the community of Harmony welcomes you! Be whisked away on a cozy mystery escape in every book in the series.(Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Salvaging old books is one thing. Finding bones is entirely another.

Salvager Paisley Sutton has been wanting to go inside the old two-room school for years, but when she finally gains access, just before a local community group begins a full restoration, she finds far more than great old desks and vintage textbooks. Soon, she’s preoccupied with the hunt for a murderer who is trying to hold three decades of crime.

How much is the truth worth? Is it worth Paisley’s life? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Last Seen Alive is the fifth book in Joanna Schaffhausen’s heartpounding Ellery Hathaway mystery series.

Boston detective Ellery Hathaway met FBI agent Reed Markham when he pried open a serial killer’s closet to rescue her. Years on, their relationship remains defined by that moment and by Francis Coben’s horrific crimes. To free herself from Coben’s legacy, Ellery had to walk away from Reed, too. But Coben is not letting go so easily. He has an impossible proposition: Coben will finally give up the location of the remaining bodies, on one condition—Reed must bring him Ellery.

Now the families of the missing victims are crying out for justice that only Ellery can deliver. The media hungers for a sequel and Coben is their camera-ready star. He claims he is sorry and wants to make amends. But Ellery is the one living person who has seen the monster behind the mask and she doesn’t believe he can be redeemed. Not after everything he’s done. Not after what she’s been through. And certainly not after a fresh body turns up with Coben’s signature all over it. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

Lana Lee returns for another delectable cozy set in a Chinese restaurant in Vivien Chien’s Hot and Sour Suspects.

“Pair your noodles with this steaming mystery, and you have the perfect chilly night combination!”―PopSugar

At the Ho-Lee Noodle House, murder is on the menu.

When Lana Lee’s best friend, Megan Riley, asks her to help host a speed dating contest at Ho-Lee Noodle House, she doesn’t see the harm in lending a hand. The night goes better than anticipated, and both Lana and Megan are beyond thrilled with the results. But before they can break out the champagne, Rina Su, fellow Asia Village shop owner and speed dating participant, calls to inform Lana that the date she’s just matched with has been murdered. Under suspicion of foul play, Rina enlists Lana’s help in finding out what really happened that night.

Without hesitation, Lana begins to dig into the man in question. To her dismay, she quickly finds that Rina’s date has a rather unsavory past. There’s a long line of slighted women, angry neighbors, and perturbed co-workers―all of whom seem to have a motive.

As Lana continues to spiral down the treacherous path of scorned lovers and mistreated acquaintances, she can’t help but dwell on how quickly an innocent evening filled with hope and positivity could turn so sour. When the media gets in on the case, Lana must rush to find the killer before more dates turn deadly. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback