New Releases For The Week Of April 21, 2024–Part 2

Words turn deadly with an unlikely detective duo on the case of a murdered obituary writer in this literary mystery from the internationally bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway series. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman and the Thursday Murder Club.

Natalka and Edwin are perfect if improbable partners in a detective agency. At eighty-four, Edwin regularly claims that he’s the oldest detective in England. He is a master at surveillance, deploying his age as a cloak of invisibility. Natalka, Ukrainian-born and more than fifty years his junior, is a math whizz, who takes any cases concerning fraud or deception. Despite a steady stream of minor cases, Natalka is frustrated. She loves a murder, as she’s fond of saying, and none have come the agency’s way. That is until local writer Melody Chambers dies.

Melody’s daughters are convinced that their mother was murdered. Edwin thinks that Melody’s death is linked to that of an obituary writer who predeceased many of his subjects. Edwin and Benedict go undercover to investigate and are on a creative writing weekend at isolated Battle House when another murder occurs. Are the cases linked and what is the role of a distinctly sinister book group attended by many of writers involved? By the time Edwin has infiltrated the group, he is in serious danger…

Seeking professional help, the investigators turn to their friend, detective Harbinder Kaur, and find that they have stumbled on a plot that is stranger than fiction. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

A photo assignment at the cemetery leads Callie Cassidy to a corpse—this one above ground. Now, her search for the killer unearths some long-buried secrets…

Callie’s mother Maggie, a notorious hobby jumper, has embarked on a new pursuit—grave rubbing. When she recruits her daughter to photograph her first endeavor at the local cemetery, Callie brings golden retriever Woody and tabby cat Carl along for the outing. It’s a breathtaking autumn morning in Rock Creek Village, Colorado. Golden aspen leaves rustle in the cool breeze, and the air is filled with the scent of pine. What could go wrong on a day like this?

Then, a ghostly woman emerges from the trees, bleeding from a head wound and claiming to have no memory of how she arrived, or even who she is. Maggie quickly identifies her as a woman who disappeared from the village forty years ago—without a trace.

If that’s not enough intrigue, Woody disobeys her and sprints deeper into the cemetery. When Callie catches up to him, he is sitting sentinel at the tombstone of a recently deceased villager. And behind the stone, a man lies on the ground—with a pickaxe jutting from his neck.

Callie recognizes him as the low-level mobster who has been dating her best friend Tonya’s mother—and they’d been having problems. Did Tonya’s mother kill the man? Could it have been the mysterious woman? Or maybe someone with ties to his crime family?

Callie can’t resist investigating—and this time, Detective Raul Sanchez welcomes her assistance. Because if they can’t solve the crime soon, the town may be facing grave consequences…(Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Anne Hillerman is a star.”—J. A. Jance, New York Times bestselling author

From New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman, a thrilling and moving chapter in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series involving several emotionally complex cases that will test the detectives in different ways.

Joe Leaphorn may be long retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, but his detective skills are still sharp, honed by his work as a private detective. His experience will be essential to solve a compelling new case: finding the birth parents of a woman who was raised by a bilagáana family but believes she is Diné based on one solid clue, an old photograph with a classic Navajo child’s blanket. Leaphorn discovers that his client’s adoption was questionable, and her adoptive family not what they seem. His quest for answers takes him to an old trading post and leads him to a deadly cache of long-buried family secrets.

As that case grows more complicated, Leaphorn receives an unexpected call from a person he met decades earlier. Cecil Bowleg’s desperation is clear in his voice, but just as he begins to explain, the call is cut off by an explosion and Cecil disappears. True to his nature, Leaphorn is determined to find the truth even as the situation grows dangerous. Investigation of the explosion falls in part to Officer Bernadette Manuelito, who discovers an unexpected link to Cecil’s missing wife.

Bernie also is involved in a troubling investigation of her own: an elderly weaver whose prize-winning sheep have been ruthlessly killed by feral dogs.

Exploring the emotionally complex issues of adoption of Indigenous children by non-native parents, Anne Hillerman delivers another thought-provoking, gripping mystery that brings to life the vivid terrain of the American Southwest, its people, and the lore and traditions that make it distinct. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook

Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this intrigue-filled debut, as two former spies who shared more than just missions during WWII reunite in 1948 Los Angeles. Can they let go of heartbreak long enough to team up for one last operation in this tightly-plotted, emotionally rich postwar mystery? 

It’s 1942, and as far as her father knows, Evelyn Bishop, heiress to an aeronautics fortune, is working as a translator in London. In truth, Evelyn—daring, beautiful, and as adept with a rifle as she is in five languages—has joined the Office of Strategic Services as a spy. Her goal is personal: to find her brother, who is being held as a POW in a Nazi labor camp. Through one high-risk mission after another she is paired with the reckless and rebellious Nick Gallagher, growing ever close to him until the war’s end brings with it an act of deep betrayal.

Six years later, Evelyn is back home in Los Angeles, working as a private investigator. The war was supposed to change everything, yet Evelyn, contemplating marriage to her childhood sweetheart, feels stifled by convention. Then the suspected cheating husband she’s tailing is murdered, and suddenly Evelyn is back in Nick’s orbit again.

Teaming up for a final mission, Evelyn and Nick begin to uncover the true nature of her case— and realize that the war has followed them home. For beyond the public horrors waged by nations there are countless secret, desperate acts that still reverberate on both continents, and threaten everything Evelyn holds dear… (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

A short boat ride from Busman’s Harbor, Maine, Morrow Island is a perfect spot for a wedding—and a Snowden Family Clambake. Julia Snowden is busy organizing both—until a mysterious wedding crasher drops dead amid the festivities . . .

Julia’s best friend and business partner, Zoey, is about to marry her policeman boyfriend. Of course, a gorgeous white wedding dress shouldn’t be within fifty yards of a plate of buttery lobster—so that treat is reserved for the rehearsal dinner. Julia is a little worried about the timing, though, as she works around a predicted storm.

When a guest falls to the floor dead, it turns out that no one seems to know who he is, despite the fact that he’s been actively mingling and handing out business cards. And when an injection mark is spotted on his neck, it’s clear this wasn’t caused by a shellfish allergy. Now, as the weather deteriorates and a small group is stranded on the island with the body—and the killer—Julia starts interrogating staff, family members, and Zoey’s artist friends to find out who turned the clambake into a crime scene . . .(Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

With Extinction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston has written a page-turning thriller in the Michael Crichton mode that explores the possible and unintended dangers of the very real efforts to resurrect the woolly mammoth and other long-extinct animals.

Erebus Resort, occupying a magnificent, hundred-thousand acre valley deep in the Colorado Rockies, offers guests the experience of viewing woolly mammoths, Irish Elk, and giant ground sloths in their native habitat, brought back from extinction through the magic of genetic manipulation. When a billionaire’s son and his new wife are kidnapped and murdered in the Erebus back country by what is assumed to be a gang of eco-terrorists, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash partners with county sheriff James Colcord to track down the perpetrators.

As killings mount and the valley is evacuated, Cash and Colcord must confront an ancient, intelligent, and malevolent presence at Erebus, bent not on resurrection—but extinction.

At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook

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A hapless witch, a dead mermaid, and a beachside bar with money problems. What else could go wrong?

Jo Maelstrom’s avoidance problems hit an all-time high when, after weeks of dodging her grandmother’s calls, she got a text that “Big Jo” had died suddenly. Now back in Eldred’s Hollow, a supernatural haven on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Jo is forced to reckon with her past – and the severe lack of magic that sent her running in the first place. Her grandmother’s bar and marina, Witch’s Cove, is in some dire financial straits, and there are more than a few people with ulterior motives itching to take it off her hands.

But when the leader of the local mermaid clan washes up dead on the shore, Jo finds herself embroiled in the question of who and why – and does it have anything to do with her own grandmother’s mysterious death?

A Mer-Murder at the Cove is the first book in the Witch’s Cove Paranormal Cozy Mystery series by award-winning author S. Usher Evans. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

First in the Venus Bixby Mystery series from award-winning author Valerie Taylor.

Sea breezes and fireworks fill the air in cozy Chatham Crossing, the peaceful and historic whaling town situated between Providence and Cape Cod.

Venus Bixby, owner of the forever popular music store Oldies & Goodies, is counting on the festivities over the Fourth of July weekend to propel her to a position on the prestigious Town Committee.

After years of living in the shadow of her late husband, Venus will finally be the center of attention this holiday weekend: starting with her fiftieth birthday celebration and ending as the parade’s Grand Marshal.

Faster than a cookie crumbles, her dream collapses on the morning of her party when she trips over orange platform shoes in the gardens of the Sofia Silva Whaling Museum and breaks her thumb. When it’s discovered the shoes are attached to the body of the manager of the museum’s gift shop, Venus becomes both a suspect and a sleuth in Chatham Crossing’s first murder in decades.

Given this unexpected turn of events, will Venus ever sing and dance at her birthday party, or will her fractured thumb end up in handcuffs?

Includes cookie recipes and playlist!

If you’re a fan of Richard Osman, Katie Gayle, or Ellery Adams, give this cozy mystery a try. You just may find it a delightful diversion from some of the hair-raising, nightmare-inducing novels making headlines these days. Order A Whale of a Murder today! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

The sixth in the delightful cozy mystery series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville, TN—where the real estate market is to die for.

Some properties are too hot to handle…

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are hot for a historical property that has just come on the market—a fire station in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood that was built nearly a century ago.

The cousins have just begun the interior demolition work at the fire station when Joanna Hartzell, who lives in a townhouse around the corner, comes by with a plea for help. Joanna owns the right half of her building, which she proudly maintains in perfect condition, while the left side falls into disrepair: the seven adult children who inherited it years ago refuse to lift a finger on repairs. Never one to turn down a challenge, Whitney and Buck manage to acquire the rundown townhouse—though it turns out Joanna is only one of the many neighbors interested in buying the property once they’ve worked their magic.

Then Joanna shows up at the fire station confused and rambling, then collapses, never to recover. Alarm bells go off for Whitney: she suspects something—and someone—evil could be the real cause. Can she and Collin put the clues together and smoke out a killer? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

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The Honourable Cressida Fawcett is expecting the cathedral crypt to be full of dry old bones. But when she finds a body murdered just moments before, she’ll need divine inspiration to solve her most mysterious case yet…

Winchester, 1925. When heiress and amateur sleuth Cressida Fawcett is invited to her aunt’s mansion on Cloister Close, she is looking forward to a quiet stay in the historic town. The views of the cathedral are heavenly – and her aunt’s maid, Nancy, makes devilishly good ginger biscuits! But it seems Cressy and her pug Ruby won’t be allowed to rest in peace… On a tour of the crypt, they are shocked to stumble across the body of Anthony, the gentle, devoted verger. And a wild-eyed Nancy is standing over him, bloodied candlestick in hand…

Since Nancy was caught red-handed and the only other suspect is the Silent Friar, the legendary local ghost, Detective Andrewsof Scotland Yard thinks the case is closed. But Nancy swears she would never have killed Anthony; they were in love. And while Cressy may not believe in ghosts, she does believe Nancy. So, whose soul is full of murder most foul? And will they strike again?

As she digs through parishioner gossip, Cressy discovers that for a man of the cloth, the verger had a surprising number of enemies. Was a local antiques dealer driven to murder over an illegal trade in holy relics? Would the head bellringer kill to achieve his musical ambitions? Or is the saintly Dean, whose black-cloaked figure resembles the Silent Friar and whose wife recently drowned, hiding a deadly sin?

The cathedral conceals many secrets, and it seems Cressy will need a miracle to uncover the truth. But then Cressy finds a hidden passageway to the crypt. Is this how the murderer escaped? The sceptical police lack faith in her theories, but can she catch the killer and save Nancy from the hangman’s noose? Or will she be too late to prevent another funeral march?

A totally gripping and deliciously witty historical murder mystery with a gasp-out-loud reveal, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.

What readers are saying about Fliss Chester:

Absolutely amazing… I devoured this… Wham the ending totally blindsides you. Wow, I absolutely did not see that coming… fantastic.’ Page Turners, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Exhilarating… I am a huge fan… I whipped through it in a matter of hours. A delightful historical cozy that grips from the very beginning… Fabulous… Superb… Knocked it out of the park.’ Bookish Jottings, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this! Found myself going to bed earlier and earlier so I could devour another few pages.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I devoured it in one sitting… Absolutely fantastic… Will keep you turning the pages and guessing right up until the end!!’ Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was totally captivated from the very beginning… I was holding my breath… I can’t praise this book enough.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

So much fun. Think Wooster and Jeeves meets Downton Abbey doing a mystery. I was laughing out loud… Just super.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely gripping and utterly charming… Packed with wit, glamour and intrigue. The perfect whodunnit.’ Strange and Random Happenstance, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a rip-roaring adventure!… A classic whodunnit… kept me hooked from start to finish.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved loved loved… Fantastic… Couldn’t put it down… Gripping!!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved it… Clever, funny, charming.’ T.E. Kinsey, best-selling mystery writer of the Lady Hardcastle series (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

Getting out of your comfort zone…Can be murder.What do you get when you put a city girl in the middle of the country? Mayhem, of course.Shea Beaumont had been a suburban mom and housewife for years. But when her world crumbled after a painful divorce, she vowed to start over.Looking for investment properties – maybe a cute little duplex, or an old-fashioned roadside motel – she stumbled upon a century-old farmhouse that would provide her with a life that was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.Complete with a working farm, a pop-up market, and a cantankerous rooster named Clarence, the remote Oklahoma property looked like just what Shea needed.Little did she know that starting over in a world that completely baffled her, would be the challenge of a lifetime.When a body is discovered in her cornfield, the locals, including a handsome sheriff with a bad attitude, view her with suspicion. Battered by loneliness and fearing for her safety, Shea wonders if she’s bitten off more than she can chew.Will she survive financially by making a living from her land? Can she clear her name and gain the trust of her new community? Or should she throw in the towel before the rooster crows?Find out in this farm fresh Cozy Mystery!  (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Lottery winner and amateur sleuth, Claire Noble, is adjusting to life as a cookie-baking business owner just in time for the town’s annual Taste of Sandal Springs festival. The festivities kick off with Sunset Square abuzz with food stalls and hungry tourists. But when a weekend of fun in the sun takes a deadly turn and a body is discovered clutching one of Claire’s chocolate chip cookies, she finds herself framed for the crime. With secrets and suspects abound, uncovering the true killer proves more challenging than eating just one cookie! Can Claire piece together all the clues and solve this mystery before it’s too late? Or will her new life crumble like an unfortunate batch of cookies? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

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In the quaint town of Sweet Haven, newcomer Tillie is ready to turn over a new leaf with the grand opening of her charming bakery, Paw Paw’s. But just as the scent of freshly baked dog treats fills the air, disaster strikes when a lifeless body is discovered in the bakery’s backroom. Suddenly, Tillie finds herself at the center of a brewing storm as suspicion falls upon her, the outsider in town.

With whispers of accusation Tillie must unravel the tangled web of secrets lurking within Sweet Haven’s cozy streets. As fingers point and tensions rise, she dives headfirst into a thrilling journey to uncover the truth behind the sinister events unfolding in her bakery.

Can Tillie sift through the layers of deception and unearth the real culprit before her dreams crumble, and she finds herself locked away behind bars? Join Tillie in this heart-pounding mystery where every clue leads her closer to danger and the truth, she seeks may be the most dangerous discovery of all. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

He’s trying to forget all about crime. But now targeted as a suspect, can he keep from going down for murder?

England, 1964. Retired inspector Tom Ramsay wants to leave the past behind. Hoping to get on with his plans to hike the beauty spots of his homeland, a vacation to North Yorkshire strikes him as just the ticket. Yet while exploring the beach with his young border collie, he’s shocked to discover a decomposing body hidden in a cave.

Happy to put the case in the hands of local police, he’s relieved not to be involved in the ugly matter. But as the small-town rumor mill churns and a grudge-bearing investigator threatens Ramsay with jail, the alarmed retiree dives headfirst into an ocean of secrets, lies, and contraband.

Can this forthright ex-copper clear his name and dredge up the true culprit?

Ramsay and the Smuggling Ring is the captivating second book in the One Man and His Dog Cozy Mysteries series. If you like kind but dogged heroes, animal companions, and quirky supporting casts, then you’ll love P.C. James’s riveting read.

Buy Ramsay and the Smuggling Ring to expose the truth today! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

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