New Releases For The Week Of May 5th, 2024–Part 1

“Tough-but-tender cop Lindsay Boxer” (People) leads the Women’s Murder Club in the high-profile murder investigation of a billionaire San Francisco couple. As enemies lurk in the shadows, will Cindy, Claire, Yuki, and Lindsay still be standing when the clock strikes midnight?

SFPD Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano, and crime writer Cindy Thomas gather at one of San Francisco’s finest restaurants to celebrate exciting news: Cindy is getting married.
 
Before they can raise their glasses, there’s a disturbance in the restaurant. A woman has been assaulted.
 
Claire examines the victim. Lindsay makes an arrest. Yuki takes the case. Cindy covers it. 
 
The legal strategy is complicated by gaps in the plaintiff’s memory—and the shocking reason behind her ever-changing testimony.
 
As Yuki leads the prosecution, Lindsay chases down a high-society killer whose target practice may leave the Women’s Murder Club short a bridesmaid … or two. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook

In the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay, a teacher’s act of heroism inadvertently makes him the target of a dangerous blackmailer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

How would you react in a life-or-death situation?

It’s a question everyone asks themselves, but few have to face in real life. English teacher Richard Boyle certainly never thought he would find himself talking down a former student intent on harming others, but when Mark LeDrew shows up at Richard’s school with a bomb strapped to his chest, Richard immediately jumps into action. Thanks to some quick thinking, he averts a major tragedy and is hailed as a hero, but not all the attention focused on him is positive.

Richard’s brief moment in the spotlight puts him in the sights of a deranged blackmailer with a score to settle. The situation rapidly spirals out of control, drawing Richard into a fraught web of salacious accusations and deadly secrets. As he tries to uncover the truth he discovers that there’s something deeply wrong in the town—something that ties together Mark, the blackmailer, and a gang of ruthless drug dealers, and Richard has landed smack in the middle of it. He’s desperate to find a way out, but everyone in his life seems to be hiding something, and trusting the wrong person could cost him everything he loves.

What price will he pay for one good deed? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback. Audiobook


Introducing the Secret Society mystery series, and kick-ass red-headed heroine Sidney, a Black historian poised on the brink of discovering her true past . . . and her hidden witchy powers!


“Poignant and entertaining, this one is loaded with intrigue – a feast for anyone, like myself, who loves action, history, secrets and conspiracies. A stellar read” STEVE BERRY, New York Times bestselling author

Thirty-year-old Black woman Sidney Taylor is a talented early American history professor, working in fast-paced Washington DC, with her eyes on promotion. She’s also currently persona non grata. Who knew that making an inconvenient historical discovery would see her stuck at her desk, shuffling paper?

So when she receives an anonymous and very cryptic invitation to visit historic small-town Robbinsville, North Carolina and hunt for a missing archaeological treasure – with a million-dollar pay out at stake – it’s one she can’t refuse. Besides, her beloved grandmother lives in Robbinsville, and it’s been too long since she’s paid her a visit.

Soon, Sidney’s on an exciting treasure hunt, following two-hundred-year-old clues that lead her ever closer to the artefact she’s searching for. But what is the artefact? And why is Sidney starting to feel like she’s at the heart of a terrifying conspiracy she doesn’t understand?

The answer blows Sidney’s world apart, plunging her into a dark, glittering world of secret societies, ancient bloodlines, witches and magic, linked to an ages-old conspiracy that could destroy the very principles upon which America was founded.


This delicious genre-blend of cozy thriller, contemporary fantasy and mystery is National Treasure meets the supernatural treasure hunts of Indiana Jones, with a dash of A Discovery of Witches. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

I was excited to finally be making the trip to Colorado that I’d planned for earlier in the year. Sure, July was going to be hotter than May would have been, but I was still going to enjoy the breathtaking scenery on my first-ever trip to Colorado Springs.

Breathtaking was the right word, though, as I found myself slightly lightheaded from the city’s altitude. That didn’t stop me from getting out to enjoy the sights, though. I was only a few minutes into my first hike when I found myself being yelled at by a total stranger, though. It was a case of mistaken identity, even if he really didn’t want to believe me.

I went back to my hotel hoping I’d seen the last of Garrett Braun. In spite of my recent run of bad luck, I wasn’t anticipating what happened next. The police woke me the next morning with the news that Garrett had been found dead near the campsite where he’d been staying. And the police weren’t any more convinced than Garrett had been that I wasn’t the woman who’d stolen a fortune from him twelve years earlier.

I still think I could have proven my identity without any help, but my best friend, Gina, wouldn’t hear of it. She sent her brother, George, to talk to the police on my behalf, in spite of the difficult history between George and me. And once he’d arrived, George was determined to stay in Colorado Springs until my name was completely crossed off the list of suspects in the murder investigation.

I only got involved in the investigation to get rid of George. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Sgt. Windflower Mysteries Best Selling and Award-Winning Light Mysteries
# 1 Best Selling Cozy Mystery on Amazon
Winner of the Bony Blithe Award for Best Light Mystery
Silver Medallist at Reader’s Choice Awards
Short-Listed for LOLA 2024 Must Read Book of the Year

When danger threatens Grand Bank, will Sgt. Windflower step back into the line of fire?
Winston Windflower is sort of enjoying his retirement from the RCMP in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, happily spending time with his young family, but feeling a little restless. Corporal Eddie Tizzard is running the Marystown detachment and struggling with the demands of the role while his own family grows. When a new kind of drug threatens the community, a body (the wrong body) is found dead in a hearse, and then another drug-connected mysterious death occurs, Tizzard knows he’s dealing with a deadly menace in their quiet, close-knit community.

Windflower finds himself inexorably and not unhappily drawn back into the action, first in an unofficial role to help snare the dealers and then back to active duty in a community that desperately needs his steady hand and good judgement.

Our favorite Mountie, Sgt. Windflower and his fellow courageous cops in small-town Grand Bank, Newfoundland are back to fight a new threat in this compelling page-turner. Award-winning author, Mike Martin once again brings us a stirring story, blending down-home Newfoundland charm with the warmth of family life. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Get ready for a thrilling backstage ride in the world of theatre as seasoned stage manager Hattie embarks on a new production at London’s Tavistock pub theatre. Here, the drama doesn’t just occur on stage.

Troublesome directors and fastidious assistants soon become the least of Hattie’s worries as, a week into rehearsals, an actress is found dead backstage on the same day that an extremely valuable theatrical mask goes missing.

Hattie begins investigating both mysteries, all the while trying to keep the dysfunctional cast and crew on track for opening night. As she delves deeper into the secrets behind the scenes, her allegiance to her theatre, cast and crew will be tested to destruction.

Follow this unconventional detective as she delves into the alluring and exquisitely perilous world of the theatre. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Marooned after a garden party turns sinister, Lady Ellen finds herself in the midst of an unsettling mystery.

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback 

Moving house can be stressful, especially when your new neighbour is murdered on your doorstep.
In the picturesque seaside village of Pevensey Bay, where crashing waves serenade the rocky cliffs, Helen finds the perfect property to spend her advancing years – not to relax and enjoy her retirement, as many would expect, but to set up a business running a bed-and-breakfast establishment. Little does she know that her idyllic fresh start would soon be marred by a chilling mystery.
Helen’s decision to change her life was huge, especially as she spent most of her marriage working as a housewife and mother. Her only daughter now works abroad, and her husband died last year, leaving Helen with little purpose left until she comes up with the brainwave idea to start up a new business venture. Little did anyone know that she had secretly held onto this dream for years.
Before she opens to the public, she invites three of her closest friends to stay to test her hospitality skills. Meg, Harry and Robert first met Helen at university where they studied criminology together in their youth. Only Robert put his learning to good use, working as a college lecturer. Meg owns a café and Harry is an accountant. They are keen to help Helen make a success of her new enterprise and are busy chatting about that when there is a knock on the door on their first evening together. Having recently met the nosey neighbour from across the road, Jimmy Chase, and taken an instant dislike to him, Helen is surprised to see him calling.
Surprise soon turns to shock and horror as the friends discover he has been stabbed.
Now the foursome gets the chance to investigate a real live crime as they find themselves thrust into a web of deception and danger. They are not going to let a murder upset their holiday as they revel in unearthing the secrets and lies that surface in the tight-knit coastal community.
From Jimmy’s affairs to money going missing at the cricket club, there is plenty to unearth and Helen forms close bonds with two of Jimmy’s ex-lovers with almost disastrous consequences.
In this gripping tale of suspense and camaraderie, Helen and her friends navigate the shadows of the seaside paradise and piece together the clues.
Can they unravel the truth hidden within this peaceful village before it is too late, and the killer strikes again?
The secrets of Pevensey Bay are about to surface, and no one will come out unscathed.
What will Helen do when death comes knocking?
Great for fans of LJ Ross and Richard Osman.
Grab your copy now and delve into the first of this exciting new series. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

a A Scottish village is turned upside-down by a Gaelic pagan festival, an archaeological dig, and a murder, in this absorbing new cozy mystery.

Amelia Adams, proprietor of Stone Manor, is hosting four archaeologists at her luxurious hotel as they excavate a ruined abbey. Meanwhile, the village is preparing for a festival that heralds the start of summer—an event that’s brought Moira, a tarot reader and practicing white witch, back to her hometown.

But relics aren’t the only things being unearthed—as the locals air resentments about the dig, an old mystery is resurrected and a dead body turns up.

Has a peace-loving Wiccan become a predator, or is something deeper going on? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Presley, an avid pet enthusiast, is thrown into a fur-raising mystery that’ll have tails wagging in Hope Springs! When the beloved show dog Lord Bentley disappears without a trace from the prestigious Hope Springs Dog Show, Presley discovers the fiercely competitive world of dog shows, where winning is everything and the stakes are higher than she ever imagined.

But could this fierce competition have driven someone to dognap Lord Bentley in a desperate bid for victory? With fur flying and suspicions abound Presley digs her paws into the cutthroat world of competitive canine glory, determined to unravel the mystery and bring Lord Bentley home before the final bark is heard! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

A new series for fans of M.C. Beaton, Agatha Christie, and Jessica Fletcher.

Daphne Noble is looking forward to a quiet country Christmas with her beloved grandmother. All is calm. All is bright. It is the tiny village of Mill-Upon-Mortlake in sleepy Somerset, after all.

Unfortunately, Christmas spirit turns to Christmas spite when the village’s age-old rival, the larger town of Shrewsberry, decides to put on the same Christmas panto as Mill-Upon-Mortlake. (The nerve!) However, once Lady Mortlake chooses Mill-Upon-Mortlake as the recipient of the priceless Star of Somerset and her annual Christmas largesse, Shrewsberry is the one left sulking!

When the silver and sapphire heirloom goes missing from the church hall, suspicion blankets the village. Could it be an infiltrator from Shrewsberry? A disgruntled employee of the Mortlake Estate? Or is it someone closer to home?

Daphne is determined not to let an unsolved mystery ruin her first Christmas in the village. She just has to find the star, manage the village shop, and keep tensions between Shrewsberry and Mill-Upon-Mortlake from turning into a minor civil war.

Thank goodness she has her reluctant sidekick, Mr. Gainsworth, beside her and her faithful terrier, Bertie, at her heels.

Now all Daphne needs is a little Christmas miracle to bring peace back to the village before Christmas Eve!

Welcome to Mill-Upon-Mortlake, Somerset, England. This late Victorian-era village is picturesque, the apples are the best in the county, the locals are kind (as long as you’re local, too), and mysteries are never far away.

Join Daphne Noble, a London lass who moves to Mill-Upon-Mortlake expecting to work in the village shop and keep an eye on her elderly grandmother, but instead ends up embroiled in one mystery after another.

You’ll root for Daphne as her grit, gumption, and stubbornness slowly endear her to the locals–even if all of them wish she’d hurry up and get married like a respectable girl!

British Cozy mystery

Humor and heart

Low-violence

Victorian/Edwardian Era (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

The longest day unveils the darkest secrets. A midsummer party ends in tragedy, and Harper must navigate a labyrinth of lies under the solstice sky. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Nonna Maria, “one of the most charming amateur sleuths ever created” (Tess Gerritsen), dodges assassins and hunts for hidden treasure in this transporting mystery from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lorenzo Carcaterra.

As Nonna Maria’s longtime pal and sometimes colleague, Captain Murino, in charge of the local carabinieri, never wanted to see harm brought to the doorstep of everyone’s favorite espresso-brewing, counsel-giving amateur sleuth. But when you live a long life, you’re bound to make a few enemies. And when those enemies come calling, you have to rely on friends. Faced with an assassin seeking revenge for a decades-old grudge, Captain Murino has no choice but to turn to Maria, who must use all her neighborly resources, clever faculties, and web of connections to save him from his perilous predicament.

On the other side of the island, a second mystery begins to unfold at the deathbed of another of Maria’s old friends, as he hands his granddaughter a yellowed map and tells her of a treasure to be found in one of Ischia’s secret caverns. However, there are traps and pitfalls. There will be others with sinister motives who will do all they can to make the treasure their own. But this map is a guide—the only gift he has to give. When the granddaughter needs help cracking the code, she turns to her grandfather’s most trusted friend: Nonna Maria.

From battling foes in medieval castles to exploring the notorious caverns where smugglers hide their goods, Nonna Maria and her friends—some old, some new—embark on their most swashbuckling adventure yet. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

In this stunning debut by a South Carolina attorney, Zach Stander, a lawyer with a past, and Addie Stone, his indomitable detective and lover, find themselves entangled in secrets, lies, and murder in a small Southern town.

A high-profile murder case—A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tension, this is not only a murder case, but a powder keg.

A haunting cold case—Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander’s case?

A killer who’s watching—Stander takes on Jenkins’s defense, but he’s up against a formidable solicitor with powerful allies. Worse, his client is hiding a bombshell secret. When Addie Stone reopens the cold case, she discovers more long-buried secrets in this small town. Would someone kill again to keep them?

Ideal for fans of mystery, suspense, and thrillers in the vein of Karin Slaughter’s Pretty Girls and Stacy Willingham’s A Flicker in the Dark, as well as for readers who followed the high-profile Murdaugh murder trial, held in the same small town as in When Cicadas Cry. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

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From the international and instant New York Times bestselling author John Connolly, the beloved and brilliant Charlie Parker series returns with a heart-wrenching crime only one man can solve.

In Maine, Colleen Clark stands accused of the worst crime a mother can commit: the abduction and possible murder of her child. Everyone—ambitious politicians in an election season, hardened police, ordinary folk—has an opinion on the case, and most believe she is guilty.

But most is not all. Defending Colleen is the lawyer Moxie Castin, and working alongside him is the private investigator Charlie Parker, who senses the tale has another twist, one involving a husband too eager to accept his wife’s guilt, a group of fascists arming for war, a disgraced psychic seeking redemption, and an old, twisted house deep in the Maine woods, a house that should never have been built.

A house, and what dwells beneath. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook

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