strange and random happenstance

The Lies That Summon the Night by Tessonja Odette
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lies, beauty, and seduction mingle in the first book of an enthralling romantasy series where making art is considered a sin, and the shadows born from it aren't the only danger to the creators - from the bestselling author of Curse of the Wolf King.

From the art of liars, the monsters came...

Ever since art gave life to bloodthirsty shadows, creative works have been forbidden and talented creators sacrificed to the Sinless - the immortal royals who feast on human blood in return for their protection. Inana's secret storytelling nearly got her killed once, and she'll be damned if she's ever caught again. With a bounty on her head, she keeps to the city's dark underbelly, where she earns a meager living from thrill-seeking patrons desperate to hear her illicit fiction. Until Dominic, a Shadowbane, catches one of her performances.

Dominic is a half-Sinless monster hunter as fearsome as his prey. But to complete his hunt, he needs an artist to summon the shadows...he needs Inana. Dominic delivers an ultimatum: Serve him or he'll claim her bounty. When survival is all Inana has left, the choice is clear - at least until she can betray him and leave him for dead.

As their tense alliance leads them into the heart of danger, dark secrets unravel - about each other, their world, and the threats they face. But the greatest risk of all is the desire growing between them. There's something more sinful than lust at play, and it could bring the world to its knees."

I would totally be sacrificed. 

Queen of Faces by Petra Lord
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This dystopian fantasy follows a desperate girl at a cutthroat magical academy who faces a choice between life and death: become an assassin for the enchanted elite or watch her decaying body draw its last breath. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, Brandon Sanderson, Lev Grossman, and R.F. Kuang.

Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it's rotting from the inside out. But Ana can't afford to escape it, even as the wealthiest in Caimor buy and discard expensive designer bodies without a thought. When she fails to gain admittance to the prestigious Paragon Academy - and access to the healthy new forms the school provides its students - her final hope implodes. Now without options, Ana must use her illusion magic to try to steal a healthy chassis - before her own kills her.

But Ana is caught by none other than the headmaster of Paragon Academy, who poses a brutal ultimatum: face execution for her crime or become a mercenary at his command. Revolt brews in Caimor's smog-choked underworld, and the wealthy and powerful will stop at nothing to take down the rebels and the infamous dark witch at their helm, the Black Wraith.

With no choice but to accept, Ana will steal, fight, and kill her way to salvation. But her survival depends on a dangerous band of renegades: an impulsive assassin, a brooding bombmaker, and an alluring exile who might just spell her ruin. As Ana is drawn into a tangled web of secrets, the line between villain and hero shatters - and Ana must decide which side is worth dying for."

Well, if she has a couple of nice new bodies lined up maybe she doesn't have to choose death?

Songbird of the Sorrows by Braidee Otto
Published by: The Dial Press
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An outcast princess turned spy embarks on a mission to infiltrate a rival kingdom, but the secrets she uncovers force her to decide whether to follow orders or defy them.

Ask no questions. Obey your orders. Respect your masters. But most of all, love no one.

Spy. Thief. Princess. Songbird.

Banished from the Palace of Sorrows as a child, Princess Aella was taken in by the Aviary, a secret intelligence network embedded throughout the Empyrieos that trains orphans as professional spies. Now twenty-three years old, she has finally earned her place as a Songbird on the most elite team of assassins, led by none other than her former flame, Raven. Everything about him calls to her - he's brave, loyal, and lethal - but their relationship is also the greatest threat to her standing as a Songbird.

Before Aella can untangle her feelings, their team is sent on a dangerous mission to the eastern kingdom. Her role is crucial yet troublesome: Aella must assume her former title of Princess of the Sorrows to compete in a series of bridal trials. But when the trials turn deadly and the mission is threatened, Aella must decide whether to follow orders or defy them.

Songbird of the Sorrows is the first novel in the sweeping, romantic Myths of the Empyrieos series, following Aella through an epic journey of self-discovery, true love, redemption, and ultimately a great war that promises to upend the lives of everyone in the realm."

Nothing makes me shudder more than "bridal trials." Obvious the author has suffered one too many bachelorette parties and thought about the ultimate form of said tradition.

The Apple and the Pearl by Rym Kechacha
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A richly atmospheric fantasy set across one day, as a ballet troupe of lost souls perform an ancient dance for the faerie realms, knowing they could be snatched away by their audience of faerie princes, imps and sprites at any moment.

For fans of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Caraval by Stephanie Garber, Pantomime by Laura Lam and The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee.

As dawn breaks on All Souls Day, the lingering mists part to unveil an unending vista of serried gravestones. Between them looms a theatre like a haunted house and the sleek iron carapace of a steam train - the Pearl. On board are the cast, orchestra and crew of a travelling ballet company, performing The Apple and the Pearl.

As he stumbles toward the restaurant car the lighting director, Zach, asks the new recruit, Lara, "Have you ever worked in ballet before?"

"Have you had any contact with the supernatural?"

Everyone from the principal ballerina to the first violinist, from the wardrobe mistress to the newest members of the corps de ballet, have committed their lives to the perfection of the show. But every night they must also confront the malevolent glamour of their audience of Fae creatures only too eager to snatch them away into the Otherworld."

The conundrum, dance your best and be worthy of the troupe or dance acceptably to not be snatched by the Fae. Or what if dancing acceptably offends them and they take you? Such a lose lose situation. 

The Spectral Orchid by Tilly Wallace
Published by: Ribbonwood Press
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Kindle, 271 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Some flowers bring beauty. This one brings the dead.

In the cemetery of Drake's Bend, a most unusual flower unfurls its bloom. The spectral orchid signals that a restless soul has returned - and it has unfinished business. Fern must piece together clues to settle a soul who lived an unremarkable life, before villagers are gathered in spectral arms to join it in death.

But as Fern unravels the spirit's final days, she discovers that person's fate was bound to a far greater secret - one tied to her father's murder. When another orchid flowers, the truth she has tried to discover for five years might finally be within her grasp…except the trail pulls her beyond the veil between the living and the dead. In a realm where love can bind too tightly, how will she return before her time runs out?"

A whole new definition of poison garden.

The Glowing Hours by Leila Siddiqui
Published by: Hell's Hundred
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mind-bending, revisionist gothic horror story about the fabled summer Mary Shelley began work on Frankenstein, as told by her Indian housemaid, Mehrunissa "Mehr" Begum. For fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Isabel Cañas, and Kathe Koja.

"Strange how one can find they are an interruption in another person's story..."

Summer 1816: London is a hostile place for the newly disembarked Mehrunissa Begum, who's come to deliver her brother's letter of inheritance before returning to her comfortable life in Lucknow, India. Only, she can't find her brother anywhere and has no money for the return trip. With nowhere else to go, Mehr finds refuge in a boardinghouse for Indian maids. If she can't find her brother, she reasons, she will get a job and start saving.

Mehr is soon hired at the English estate of Mary and Percy Shelley, young artists of burgeoning fame who are on the run from secrets of their own. Mary is brooding and quiet, but takes a curious liking to her new maid, asking her to accompany the Shelleys and her stepsister, Claire - as well as the eccentric Lord Byron and his physician, John Polidori - to Lake Geneva for the summer.

Almost immediately, Mehr notices strange, ghostly events at the villa. The walls breathe, portraits shift, and phantoms appear like unbidden guests who refuse to leave. The weather is fierce and foreboding, showing no signs of softening its relentless pall. And as Mary Shelley begins work on what will become her earth-shattering literary phenomenon, Mehr finds herself trapped in the villa as the rest of its inhabitants descend into madness."

I mean, this is totally plausible as to what was really going on at Lake Geneva...

Sibylline by Melissa de la Cruz
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Three teens infiltrate the magical ivy league in this heart-stopping dark academia romantasy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Raven, Atticus, and Dorian have dreamed of attending Sibylline for as long as they can remember. But when the magical university rejects them, the friends' plans for a future studying the arcane together begin crashing down.

Until they decide to steal an education.

Getting jobs on campus, they sneak into lectures and swipe forbidden texts, dodging the administration's watchful eye. In the quiet of night, in the thrill of secrecy, their magic awakens. And so do long-buried attractions that turn their friendship into something more.

But like magic, love can create, and it can destroy. As unrequited feelings and resentment threaten to fracture their bond, the trio discovers an insidious magic that has sunk its claws into Sibylline, killing students and corroding the very bones of the university. Now the three intruders may be the key to saving the institution from wreckage...if they don't wreck one another first."

I mean, if you were named Raven, Atticus, or Dorian, obviously you are destined to study the arcane.

Carnival Fantástico by Angela Montoya
Published by: Joy Revolution
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An unputdownable romantasy following a young woman posing as fortune-teller at a magical traveling carnival, where the handsome boy who once broke her heart resurfaces and warns her that the carnival is more sinister than it appears.

Welcome to the Carnival Fantástico, a spectacle of magic and mischief, and the perfect haven for a runaway. Using her tricks and razor-sharp wit, Esmeralda becomes the carnival's resident fortune-teller, aiming for the lead role in the Big Top Show. Success would mean freedom from her former employer, the commander of the King's army.

Ignacio has defected from the army and is on the hunt for evidence of his father's corruption. But the last thing he expects to find on his father's trail of lies is the only girl he's ever loved, spinning false fortunes at a traveling carnival.

Perhaps fortune has thrown them together for a reason. They strike a deal: she'll help him expose his father if he helps her secure the main act. But old feelings don't die easily, and the commander's secret isn't the only thing they'll need to confront."

Personally I'd be far happier telling fortunes that being the main act...

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this hilarious gay fantasy romance, a reclusive sorcerer is forced to protect a cowardly knight after a prophecy ties their fates together. Funny, touching and inventive, this brilliant debut is perfect for fans of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying and Dreadful.

In Which Many Dangerous and Homosexual Things Happen.

All his life, Sir Cameron has stayed as far away from danger as possible. He is quite frankly too handsome to die a pointless death in battle. But then the Church hands down a prophecy to his fellow knights: the only way to defeat their nemesis, the mad sorcerer Merulo, is to kill Sir Cameron. Short of ideas, Cameron throws himself on the mercy of the one person who now actually wants him to survive: the mad sorcerer.

Merulo isn't thrilled to be babysitting a spoilt, attention-seeking knight, but transmogrifying him into a vulture is at least entertaining. Cameron, meanwhile, is on a voyage of self-discovery. It turns out he's really, really into surly sorcerers who lock him up and tell him what to do. Who knew?

As a legion of knights surround their stronghold, the sorcerer's poisonous ambitions draw ever closer to fruition. Cameron is quite invested in not dying, but he finds he's also invested in Merulo. And sometimes, supporting the sorcerer you care about means taking an interest in their hobbies. Even if that hobby is trying to kill God.

Even if it might get you killed, too.

Fall in love with this laugh-out loud, genre-bending romp full of concussed elves and queer romance like you've never seen before."

I mean, true love means trying to kill God together right?

The Vanishing Cheery Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, What You Are Looking for Is in the Library, and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop comes an enchanting novel that will linger in your heart long after the last page is turned.

As the last petal falls, the final page is turned...

Welcome to The Cherry Blossom Bookshop, a haven for book lovers that only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season. Nestled amidst the bloom of delicate petals, you'll find a sanctuary for those burdened by regrets and past sorrows. Here, Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing.

Told over four seasons, each visitor to the bookshop holds a book that bridges their past and present, guiding them towards understanding and acceptance. Within the antique charm of the shop and the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Sakura and Kobako help their guests confront their lingering sadness through the power of stories, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope."

I can't help but wonder what would happen if a season was cut short by a storm? It's always so sad when the petals unfurl and then get pulverized. 

Book and Bewitchment by Isla Jewell
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this cozy, witchy romcom, a young woman works to turn a run-down small-town video store into the bookshop of her dreams, only to discover a powerful magic that's been lying dormant - and a forbidden love she can't resist.

Dutiful and hard-working, Rhea Wolfe lives a simple, if mundane, life with her pet parrot in small-town Alabama. Sure, she may not love her desk job working for an insurance agency. And her on-again-off-again relationship with the local mechanic may not have the fiery passion she's read about in her favorite books. Still, things are stable, which is more than she can say about the two hopelessly immature younger sisters who rely on her.

But when Rhea's estranged grandmother dies, leaving her everything - including a magical heritage Rhea never knew she carried - she finds herself in Arcadia Falls, the quaint mountain town her mother made her swear to avoid at all costs. While the defunct video store she's also inherited needs a serious upgrade, Rhea's lucky that resident handyman Hunter Blakely is more than happy to help - and more than easy on the eyes. If only he wasn't the grandson of her grandmother's sworn enemy in witchcraft.

Yet as Rhea makes plans for the bookstore of her dreams, she learns that her grandmother made a terrible choice, one that could ruin her own chance at happiness. As she gets ever closer to solving the mystery of what exactly is happening, each clue points to Arcadia Falls's magic hanging in the balance. To keep her new home safe, Rhea must step into her enchanted birthright and harness her newfound powers...before it's too late."

I don't know, I think she should keep that video store a video story... Lean into the kitsch of it.

The Proposition of the Season by Michelle Kenney
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Kindle, 285 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perfect for Bridgerton and Jane Austen fans! Fall in love with your favourite new Regency series, with this third installment from the Fairfax family...

'And you've come here today to read me a lecture in all my deplorable habits?'

'No…' she stalled, wracking her brain for inspiration and failing, 'I've come here to ask you to marry me!'

After three disastrous seasons, bookish Josephine Fairfax believes that she is long past the age of finding her perfect fictional hero. But when her brother's loathsome Monstrous Marriage Masterplan results in her youngest sister Matilda's engagement to the vastly unsuitable Lord Huntingly, even she must draw the line.

Josephine may be the bluestocking sister, but she is still a Fairfax who will sacrifice anything for family, even proposing marriage to a man who may be the most dangerous gentleman in the ton..."

Aw, she's willing to take the bullet for her family.

The Lost Language of Oysters by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest installment in Alexander McCall Smith's charming and hilarious Professor Dr Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld series.

Professor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld is not just any German professor - he is the author of the highly-regarded work of scholarship, Portuguese Irregular Verbs. His eminence in language studies is widely respected, albeit rarely acknowledged by his colleague, Professor Detlev-Amadeus Unterholzer, the writer of a far less important book on the subjunctive. Their rivalry bubbles under the surface, but is quick to come into the open if something unusual disturbs the calm waters of the institute in Regensburg where they both work.

One such event is the arrival of two visiting scholars from New Orleans. These ladies, Professor Pom Pom Boisseau and her friend, Professor Alice Martinique, are experts in the Provençal language and avid bikers. When they choose to make a dramatic entrance atop large, noisy motorbikes, Unterholzer is shocked, but von Igelfeld is rather taken with Pom Pom. In fact, he is very taken with her.

Everyone can foresee this infatuation leading to disappointment, if not worse. But for von Igelfeld, disasters often arrive in twos and threes. Von Igelfeld may suffer humiliation after humiliation, but at the end of it all is the promise of a visit to Louisiana, where important research on communication among oysters is underway..."

Who can resist a new Alexander McCall Smith?

Land of Dreams by Gian Sardar
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 299 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the 1930s, scandal, secret loves, and murder shatter a woman's Hollywood dream in a gripping novel by the USA Today bestselling author of When the World Goes Quiet.

It's 1933, and though the country is stuck in the Great Depression, movies are the ultimate escape. But Hollywood is skilled at selling lies, and nothing is as it seems.

Frankie Donnelly is scrappy, smart, and ambitious. Her knack for spinning any story into stellar publicity has made her an invaluable "fixer" at RCO Studios, where she works under the tutelage of powerful Nico Marconi. Frankie's latest fix is the upcoming marriage of Hollywood royals Jack Sawyer and June Finney, and millions of fans can't wait to see their favorite silver-screen lovers tie the knot. But Frankie knows the truth: The marriage is an artful cover for Jack and June's darkest secrets.

When a shocking murder occurs, allegiances fracture, the tabloids go wild, and a devastated public is left reeling. Frankie uncovers new layers of scandal and deception and is forced to choose which Hollywood player to protect and who to destroy. Now, more than ever, the country needs a happy ending - but at what cost?"

I love that Hollywood used to be even more of a facade than it is now, with everything staged, just so, to conceal the dark underbelly. This is what draws me to Tinseltown. 

While the Patient Slept by Mignon G. Eberhart 
Published by: American Mystery Classics
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 312 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The "timing and gothic atmosphere are second to none" in this classic mystery where "the suspense steadily builds...until the satisfying denouement" (Publishers Weekly).

From the moment nurse Sarah Keate arrives at the gloomy mansion of Adolph Federie, she senses trouble afoot, from the mysterious occupants of the house to the penetrating stare of a black cat named Genevieve. But Mr. Federie has just suffered a stroke and needs a live-in aid and Sarah is not one to shirk her duties. When a murder occurs in the same room as her patient, Sarah starts investigating along with the help of a local police officer. But how will she sleep at night knowing she's sharing a house with a killer? An early title in the career of a crime writer whose many novels landed on bestseller lists for much of the twentieth century, While the Patient Slept is a creepy and atmospheric whodunit sure to please any fan of classic mysteries. It was included in the legendary Haycraft-Queen list of the greatest mystery novels of all time."

Because of this book I am now making it a goal to read the entire Haycraft-Queen list.

Double Trouble by Joyce Carol Oates
Published by: Hard Case Crime
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 576 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A double dose of gripping psychological suspense, pairing two complete novels and two rare short stories, from six-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Joyce Carol Oates. Two serial killers - one female, one male - murder in the name of a higher cause. Ideal for fans of Alice Munro, Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler.

Celebrating 40 Years of pseudonymous suspense from Joyce Carol Oates.

Four decades ago, acclaimed literary author Joyce Carol Oates penned her first novel of psychological suspense under the name "Rosamond Smith." In the Smith books, Oates explored themes of betrayal and deception, lust and murder, through stories involving twins, doubles, and hidden second identities - initially, keeping her own double identity a secret.

Hard Case Crime is proud to bring these extraordinary works of crime fiction, long unavailable in bookstores, back into print in definitive double editions, each pairing two complete novels and two never-before-collected Oates short stories, all linked thematically, to weave a sinister web filled with dark reflections.

In This Volume...

A female serial killer seeks refuge in her twin sister's home in Starr Bright Will Be with You Soon, while a male serial killer murders for the woman he craves in Soul/Mate - and the echoes continue in the rare short stories "The Murderess" and "An Unsolved Crime.""

I love it when famous authors have a back catalog under a pseudonym that is reprinted. So many new to me books!

Murder in the Reading Room by Con Lehane
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York crime-fiction librarian - and reluctant amateur sleuth - Ray Ambler investigates a puzzling murder that's too close to home for comfort.

Raymond Ambler, crime-fiction curator at New York City's prestigious 42nd Street Library, doesn't consider it a big deal when he misses a call from visiting professor Robin Cartwright...until she turns up dead in a hotel room.

Who killed the quiet academic, and why? Ambler feels duty-bound to find the culprit, and not just because the police half-suspect he's guilty of the crime. It wasn't just Professor Cartwright's phone call he missed, but any sign that she was in danger.

Robin was researching accidental deaths she believed were murders - could her work have got her killed? Soon Ambler's knee-deep in suspects, including a shady ex-husband, a slippery pastor, and at least one of his own colleagues. But the clock is ticking. If he doesn't catch a ruthless killer soon, it won't just be his own life in danger, but those of his partner and newborn child.

The 42nd Street Library mystery series blends traditional mystery with a hint of noir, and is a great pick for fans of quintessential New York writers like Ed McBain and S. J. Rozan, along with those who enjoy traditional amateur sleuths and fair-play puzzles."

I mean, if someone called me and they ended up dead I would SO investigate. Wouldn't you?

The Ravine by Maia Chance
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 381 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For a devoted wife and mother, a restful getaway descends into an inescapable nightmare in a novel of dark psychological suspense by the author of The Body Next Door.

Harlow has almost everything she ever wanted: a passionate marriage, an adorable stepson, and a fresh start at her husband Gregor's boyhood home on the water. If only she could get pregnant, her happiness would be complete.

But soon after they arrive on the misty, tree-cloaked island, Gregor starts to change - and Harlow is shaken by his odd connection to their neighbor Kirsten, a luminous tradwife influencer.

Then, deep in a wooded ravine, Harlow finds evidence of an unspeakable murder - or thinks she does. Desperate to know what's real and what's only in her mind, she tracks down rumors of missing girls and bloody rituals, and begins to suspect that her marriage, too, hides a menace she never saw coming.

Each day the feeling grows: the safest thing she can do is run. But from what, Harlow can't even begin to imagine."

Just include a tradwife and I'm already freaking out.

Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbø
Published by: Knopf
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From "one of today's most interesting thriller writers" (Lee Child) comes an immersive, propulsive novel in which a detective and a crime writer conduct parallel investigations, six years apart, into a series of puzzling murders.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2016. When a small-time criminal and gun dealer is shot down in the street, all signs point to Tomas Gomez, a quiet man with a mysterious past - and deep connections to a notorious gang - who has seemingly vanished into thin air. Other murders soon follow, and it appears Gomez is only getting started. Meanwhile, Bob Oz, a down-and-out suspended police officer with a dubious past of his own, becomes fascinated by the case: he is obsessed with the notion of hunting down a serial killer who only he can understand, a killer with a story as tragic as his own.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2022. An enigmatic Norwegian man with ties to Minneapolis - a self-described crime writer - has traveled to the United States to research the Gomez case, in the hopes of writing a book about it. But as his investigation progresses, the writer's seemingly neutral position reveals itself to be more complicated than the reader is initially led to believe.

Wolf Hour is a twisty and unforgettable thriller in classic Jo Nesbø style, which bears out Vanity Fair's observation that "Nesbø explores the darkest criminal minds with grim delight and puts his killers where you least expect to find them...His novels are maddeningly addictive.""

Can anyone be truly neutral? 

He's the Devil by Tobi Coventry
Published by: Abrams Press
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An exhilarating, darkly comic debut novel about a do-gooder whose world is turned inside out when his new roommate - who might be possessed by the devil - moves in.

Simon has always been a good guy, a charmer. He's consistently employee of the month at his bougie restaurant job, neurotically tidy, and generally tries to do right by everyone. And his dark parts? He keeps those well-hidden. But when his best and only friend Josh moves out of their shared apartment, Simon's world starts to fall apart when his new roommate Massimo moves in. Because Massimo has brought something - or someone - with him. He might just turn out to be the roommate from hell...

Strange things start to happen. Weird noises come from Massimo's room, smells of earth and spoiled meat drift through the halls, lights flicker, and Simon's nights fill with disturbing and alluring dreams. Meanwhile, across the city, murders are being committed, bodies torn apart from the inside. Massimo and whatever he's unleashed begin to awaken Simon's wild and exciting and horrifying inner self. Whatever this new friend is could be the end of Simon - or a completely new beginning.

At once a visceral, unhinged, and comic novel about the roommate generation, He's the Devil is a tantalizing literary thriller exploring possession and obsession, friendship and betrayal. Tobi Coventry's debut is propulsive, funny, and touching, marking the arrival of a bold new literary imagination."

I wonder if demonic possession could nullify a lease.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexander McCall Smith, Con Lehane, Gian Sardar, Greer Stothers, Isla Jewell, Jo Nesbo, Joyce Carol Oates, Maia Chance, Melissa de la Cruz, Michelle Kenney, Mignon G. Eberhart, Takuya Asakura, Tessonja Odette, Tobi Coventry

You know, five years ago when Masterpiece, no longer Theatre, celebrated their fiftieth anniversary and I dedicated several months on my blog to said celebration? Well, spending that year watching old British shows kind of became a habit. In other words, I started watching shows for the fiftieth anniversary and, well, I just never stopped. And now it's the fifty-fifth anniversary and I have watched so many shows in the intervening five years, not all done for Masterpiece, but, well, almost all done for Masterpiece. Or at least PBS. I mean, I had to get Ballykissangel in there somewhere. What this means is that I couldn't let the fifty-fifth anniversary pass without another celebration. I was like a kid in a candy shop searching out old Mobil posters I'd never seen and trying to find just one more series that hadn't been released in any format stateside. YouTube is, surprisingly, my friend now. It might be the biggest shock of the last year. Shows I'd never thought I'd be able to see were available, and shows that I thought I'd hate, well, it turns out I owe the seventies production of Poldark a big apology. Masterpiece helped form who I am, creating a love of literature, art, and England. I have recently made it my goal to somehow watch every show ever aired on Masterpiece. It might take another five years, meaning there's already a sixtieth celebration in the offing, but until I succeed, possibly by bribing PBS employees to help a girl out, let's celebrate what wonderful shows I have watched in the last five years. Are any of them your favorites? I mean, how could you not love All Creatures Great and Small or Downton Abbey? Or are there certain ones that left you cold? For example have you developed an extreme aversion to Ben Cross? Because I know I sure have. Here's to Masterpiece! It's a piece of us all.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: All Creatures Great and Small, Anglophile, Ballykissangel, Ben Cross, Downton Abbey, England, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Masterpiece, Masterpiece No Longer Theatre, Mobil, PBS, Poldark, YouTube

The Burial Witch by Cari Thomas
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: June 5th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 150 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

It's summer and Miranda Richardson has every second of her time accounted for. She has spent her life trying to live up to the expectations of her parents who already have two perfect children. But she never thinks she's good enough. If she can't even smile right for the family photo how is she going to achieve all her goals? They're laminated and on her wall; GOALS BEFORE THIRTY. Which is why instead of going to the park with her brother she is digging through boxes in the attic for a school project on the Richardson Family Tree. She's learning all about the Smiths and Evans from Shropshire and the local steel industry. Despite her father's enthusiasm she doesn't think she could be more bored if she tried. Yet she chose to look into her father's family and not her mother's. As she shifts the boxes of the past in the attic she finds a suitcase. It obviously belonged to her maternal grandparents. They emigrated from Nigeria to Peckham. Since their deaths her mother never talks about them. They are Richardsons, they can achieve anything they set their minds to. They don't dig into their past, they are a future-facing family. Which would be why Miranda is learning about Shropshire's steel industry. Her mother has made it clear that that part of their lives, her life, is over. The past is the past. But it's about to affect Miranda's present. In the suitcase she finds a box. There is something inside the box. When she moves it there is a clunking sound. Getting it open becomes her obsession. It's like a fairy tale come to life, this is her test. And she's failing because fairy tales don't come with instructions. She starts to slip in her work and she's distracted at church and lashing out. This little coffin shaped box leads her to do the unheard of. She has never disobeyed her parents, she wants to be like her mother when she grows up, and yet she goes to a shop that is off-limits. When A Sense of Craft opened in Richmond Miranda's mother tired to have it shut down. But this store and it's owner, Maya, might be Miranda's only hope. Though Miranda can't help but feel that Maya is a threat. That she's somehow involved in what's happening. Especially when Maya's advice opens the box to reveal a wooden doll. What could this mean? Miranda has to get to the bottom of this. Her summer was written and now she's dealing with magical forces, first loves, demonic dreams. If she wasn't highly strung before the events of the last few weeks she is now. The question is, will she embrace what's to come or bury it in a shallow grave?

Since I finished Shadowstitch I have been desperately craving anything new in Cari Thomas's The Language of Magic series. So when The Burial Witch novella was announced I was overjoyed. Preordered it from England to get it two months early overjoyed. And then I learned it was about Miranda. And my joy was somewhat tempered. It's not that I dislike Miranda, she's just the least interesting member of this Scooby Gang. Miranda has just been there, doing her thing, being conflicted about her religious beliefs and equally fighting and embracing this new aspect to herself, this magical aspect. She just is. And then The Burial Witch comes out and now I have to reread the whole series because of this new insight I have into her. Her OCD nature, her wanting to please her parents, her fear of the "other," all of this I relate to. Some from when I was her age, some from now. It's like she represents the different stages of my life and she's had to have all these changes thrust on her over one short summer. But what really struck me about her book, this book, is that you have to have no foreknowledge of anything else in this series for this book to work. It is a self-contained little masterpiece of a novella. Really, think British Stephen King at the top of his game and that's The Burial Witch. This is a perfect standalone horror novella in the tradition of Carrie. A religious girl is confronted by the unknown, there's temptation in this new knowledge, then, being who she is, she must find out more and goes to a forbidden shop where it's revealed that magic is real. And that dichotomy, that struggle in Miranda that Maya tries to help her with is to show her that not all religion is Christian and not all magic is bad. Which brings in the Vodun religion. Most people just think of rather racist and stereotypical Voodoo tropes. Whereas real Vodun is nothing like the movies would have you think. Yes, it's far away from anything Miranda might have experienced, and let us not forget she's lived a very sheltered life, but it's still holy. It's still divine. And so many books only use Vodun for the tropes, here it's handled thoughtfully. And what I really appreciate is that seeing as this series is set in England there's a certain kind of view of British magic. It's very Anglocentric. Yet England, like the rest of the world, is a melting pot. Therefore it makes sense that there are different kinds of magic. And having Vodun from Nigeria just works. There's a balance here that makes it both terrifying and respectful. Because it's how Miranda handles the changes where all the fear arises. The villain isn't magic, the villain is change. The villain is a future that wasn't planned out and laminated. That's a horror we can all relate to.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Anglocentric, Cari Thomas, Carrie, Horror, Miranda Richardson, Nigeria, Novella, OCD, Religion, Scooby Gang, Shadowstitch, Stephen King, Summer School, The Burial Witch, The Language of Magic, Threadneedle, Top Ten, Vodun, West Africa

The Sisterhood by Tasha Alexander
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Victoria Goldsborough is shimmering like pearls in her white satin for her engagement ball but soon her skin will be cold like marble. Her murder is garnering more press than her wedding to the Marquess of Harrington ever would have. Of course Lady Emily's mother blames Emily for the young girl's death. Because obviously if Emily had been present so would Colin and no one in their right mind would dare commit murder in the presence of Colin Hargreaves. Though offering to help solve the case just further enrages Lady Bromley who storms off in high dudgeon. Emily being Emily she's going to investigate anyway. Mainly because she can not sit idol when there's a murderer on the loose. Plus she knew Victoria growing up. Sadly Emily was too old to be a friend and too young to be a mentor. Still, it makes this case personal. Which means Colin is off to speak to the king while Emily is writing to Victoria's younger sister Portia to get the lay of the land. Portia arrives in full widows weeds, which seems a tad theatrical, but then again, one of four girls without dowries raised by their grandmother making the match of the season only to be cut down in her prime is worthy of some theatrics. Though perhaps she doth protest too much? Emily can not rule her out for sororicide, but at least the suspect spills the tea. Victoria making the match she did has to have upset someone, perhaps even created an enemy with murder in their heart. Could that murderer be Cressida Wright? Who, according to Portia, wanted Victoria's fiancé Peregrine for herself. But murder might be too much of an effort for Cressida. Though Cressida is only one possible culprit. Peregine's friend Lionel Morgan has taken several loans from his friend and was with him moments before Victoria's demise. Frances Price was Victoria's dearest friend and while being properly prudish her family residing on Radical Row are anything but. Then there's Victoria's maid Ida who had recently committed suicide due to an unwanted pregnancy, how does that tie in? And one must never overlook the fiancé. There's only one thing that Emily and Colin are certain of, they are being deliberately manipulated. All the suspects' stories have been expurgated. They are purposefully hiding things. And if that wasn't enough, Sebastian Capet, the notorious jewel thief, happened to be purloining a tiara upstairs the night of the murder at Harrington House. But it's Emily's mother who might have broken the case wide open. It's those nasty suffragettes! An underground movement threatening decent society, a cohort of young ladies calling themselves Boudica's Sisters are trying to destroy the social structure. And Victoria was recently approached about becoming a member. But Boudica's Sisters seem to stand for everything Victoria was against. Except for the fact that she had a watercolor of Boudica in her bedroom. Could Emily's mother actually be on to something? One shudders at the thought.

At her release event for The Sisterhood at The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona, Tasha said that her first editor told her after she finished writing her second Lady Emily book, A Poison Season, "You have to keep these books in England. You can go into the country. Preferably London, fine a country house once in awhile. But that's what you have to do. And then you can own Victorian London." But Tasha didn't want to own Victorian or, as it stands now, Edwardian London. She wanted to take Emily out of the world in which she was raised and open her eyes. I have to say that I heartily agree with this. Every time that Tasha announces a new book I can't wait to find out which far-flung destination Emily will be going to. The year previously when she was promoting Death by Misadventure she mentioned that she and her husband Andrew were off to India to research the next Lady Emily book. Sadly I learned during that talk that the India book, Murder on the Scared River, was the next but one and Emily was returning to London. Now I will follow Emily anywhere, but I am with Tasha and not her first editor, those far-flung places call to my heart. But then Tasha came in and did her magic and, well, this book wasn't just perfection, it was perfection for our times. Because this book deals with women and women's rights. The Sisterhood shows how women can build each other up and tear each other down. How we have always been treated as second class citizens and, because of this, infighting is self-defeating yet expected and accepted. There are men lined up waiting to tell us how we're not good enough and yet we fight each other. We have common goals and we should band together and yet, put two women in a room and they'll either be expected to fight or fail the Bechdel Test. This book is set in Edwardian England and yet these are the same problems, safety, healthcare, rights, voting, power, that still exist today. What's more, with the section set during the rule of Boudica in Britannia you see that the problems of being a woman are endemic. We could be kick ass warlords and yet people will question that. Here's an idea, how about we question the right of white men to rule? How about we question all their decisions that are in our "best interests" that they made without consulting us? I mean, this book brings out a rage in me, because, when will it end? But that rage, that indignation, and then the reveal of the murderer's motives, all of that hit home so hard that I think I need to go rewatch all of Britannia to recover, because I love me some Roman miniseries. And then I'll reread this book, because, damn, it got me.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bechdel Test, Boudica, Britannia, Colin Hargreaves, Edwardian, Lady Bromley, Lady Emily, London, Marquess of Harrington, Murder, Rome, Sebastian Capet, Suffrage, Suffragette, Tasha Alexander, The Sisterhood, Top Ten, Victorian, Women

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Published by: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: January 16th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Cambridge professor, Emily Wilde, PhD, MPhil, BSc, Dde, tenured, is back and this time she's going to be the one doing the rescuing! Because the Folk are calling again. And their intent is deadly. Emily and Bambleby are back at Cambridge teaching. She's now a published author with tenor and a much more spacious office that gives her a little distance from Wendell. After all she hasn't decided yet if she'll accept his marriage proposal. He is deposed faerie royalty and that is problematic. Especially when his stepmother sends several assassins after him. The attack during one of his lectures does rather out him as one of the Folk. Thankfully only one person was paying attention. But it couldn't have been a worse person to have witnessed it. The Department Head of Dryadology, Dr. Farris Rose. One doesn't know if he's angry at his own ignorance or at the danger that has been lurking nearby for his entire tenure since his predecessor was abducted by a bogle in the Hebrides. One thing is clear, he's willing to help Emily get Bambleby back to his realm as fast as possible. Which means it's time to put Emily's theory about a back door, a nexus, used by the common fae that courtly fae are unaware of, to the test. Plus it will be invaluable to her new project, a mapbook of the faerie realms. Emily believes she has located a nexus in the Alps, specifically the village of St. Liesl in western Austria. The reasoning behind this is that the famous dryadologist Danielle de Grey mysteriously disappeared there over fifty years ago while investigating fauns in the region. Tree fauns that are unique to Wendell's realm. And getting Wendell home is more dire than ever because he's losing control of his powers. It turns out that the attack on his lecture wasn't the only attempt on his life. His stepmother has also poisoned him. And on his birthday no less! Has she no decency!?! So the expedition to the Alps is happening immediately, and Bambleby and Emily won't be alone. Dr. Farris Rose has spent years studying the Folk of the Alps, he convinces them they need his expertise. This is not exactly a magnanimous gesture. He sees it as a way to help Emily and get ride of Wendell. Plus, he's willing to live with a lapse in ethics in exchange for answers to the great scientific mysteries of our times. And then there's Emily's niece, Ariadne. The brightest student Emily has ever taught with an impressive alacrity for getting what she wants, like being included on this excursion and being Emily's assistant. They are in for a dangerous adventure. The townsfolk of St. Liesl warn them that the night is full of dangers and the kingdom they are searching for has had a disproportionate number of disappearances. But it's their only option if they are to save Wendell. If they're lucky perhaps they will solve the disappearance of de Grey as well. If they're unlucky they may never be heard from again.

Oh my, I don't know when I've enjoyed a book so much recently. And while I love Emily and Bambleby and all the new characters, even Dr. Rose, my heart is in it for Danielle de Grey. The very idea of folklorists becoming folklore brings a smile to my face. To be out there, searching for the answers, theories of trade routes connecting faerie realms, and to just disappear. To have all your research, everything about you overshadowed by your disappearance. And yet this doesn't diminish her reputation, she was known as an irreverent character who has become something of a folk hero. An enduring legend of dryadology, and here is Emily accidentally solving the mystery while trying to help Wendell. Because while it was thought that she had become lost in the Otherlands, an old name for the faerie realms, she was trapped in the borderlands, wandering the edges of different overlapping realms where time lost all meaning. Which is why spottings of her around St. Liesl show her at different ages. She's in a fluid and amorphous fog enshrouded land where she can appear at any age. Was she even being seen or was she some echo imprinted on the wind? What's more, the love of her life, a fellow professor, Bran Eichorn, disappeared in 1862 searching for her in the environs of St. Liesl. He too was lost to the borderlands, forever searching for her. It was he that Emily first encountered. There was some connection between the two of them, perhaps the foot that Emily nicked that used to belong to de Grey. But he understands what she is trying to do and attempts to convince her that finding Dani is the answer. Emily can't be sure if this is altruistic or not. But just the idea of these two lovers walking through the mist for over half a century calling out to one another is so Bronte-esque that I can't help but love every second of their apparently doomed romance. Thankfully things end for them better than they did for Cathy and Heathcliff. But then again, it's not like any ending could be worse than theirs now can it? Just the whole vibe here made me want to go to the Alps and hide in a cottage and wander through the fog, but only during daylight hours while being tethered to an immobile stricture. What I also find interesting is that in reading about Eichorn and de Grey's relationship, they were unmarried but lived together in the 1860s. Were the social mores of this world that different from ours? Was it because she was viewed as irreverent that this was allowed? Or was it because she was a professor? Or is it because of the interaction between the human realm and the faerie realm creating different sexual mores due to what's been observed? I mean, Emily and Bambleby are at it in a tent and I have to ask, is this socially permissible? Because I love everything about this world and if they are a lot less prudish and "Victorian," well, all the better!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alps, Borderlands, Bran Eichorn, Brontes, Cambridge, Cathy Earnshaw, Danielle de Grey, Dr. Farris Rose, Emily Wilde, Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, Fauns, Heather Fawcett, Summer School, Top Ten, Wendell Bambleby

Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis
Published by: Bramble
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Stephanie Burgis delivers another irreverent, sparkling, and sexy installment in the Queens of Villainy series, where a seductive fae queen meets her unexpected match in the enemy empire's valiant general.

Queen Lorelei is a notorious fae seductress, with a trail of broken hearts in her wake. But behind her glamorous lifestyle and sparkling mask lurks a dangerously intelligent woman who'd do anything to keep her people safe, including kidnap the empire's most famous hero.

The virtuous high general Gerard de Moireul represents all that is moral and true. He has to, after his parents were executed for treason. The last thing he needs is the Queen of Balravia, who showers glitter and rainbow-colored sparkles everywhere she goes without the slightest regard for good taste, decorum, or royal dignity.

They're opposites in every way, but when they're swept up together in a grand - and deadly - fae tournament, they discover all of each other's most hidden truths - and how perfectly they might be suited for each other after all."

A day there's a new Stephanie Burgis book released into the world is a day filled with magic.

Ballad of the Bone Road by A.C. Wise
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the glittering city of Port Astor, where fae roads criss-cross human highways and ghosts whisper to the living, nothing is ever as it seems.

From Sunburst Award-winning author A.C. Wise, this utterly original dark fantasy tale of faith and fanaticism, doomed love and desperate bargains is perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Ava Reid.

Port Astor is a city of ghosts. Once home to the beautiful, brutal courts of the fae, forty years ago they vanished without explanation - and Port Astor decided to forget.

Brix and Bellefeather are paranormal investigators, working to keep Port Astor's wraiths and spectres from consuming the city. Both have hauntings of their own: Belle shares her body with a demon, Belizial; Brix has trapped the soul of his dead fiancée in the world of the living, unwilling to let her go.

While investigating the glamorous and notoriously haunted Peony Hotel, Brix and Belle come across a young couple tangled up in one of the city's most infamous tales. Jimmy Valentine, silver screen idol and one-time favorite of a fae queen, has returned to haunt the Peony. But Jimmy is no mere ghost, and Brix and Belle soon realize his return is more intimately tied to their own hauntings than they could ever have imagined.

The fae have not forgotten that Port Astor once belonged to them. And their Hollow Queen won't give up her kingdom so easily."

Have we learned nothing from IT!?! You NEVER forget! It's dangerous to forget.

Silver and Blood by Jessie Mihalik
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"On a deadly mission to kill the mythical beast that has been haunting her woods, a desperate mage finds her fate intertwined with the handsome, powerful man who saves her in this dark and sexy romantasy - perfect for readers of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Callie Hart, and Holly Black.

There's something in the woods...

When a vicious beast begins attacking her fellow villagers, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forbidden forest and kill the monster as she's the only mage available - or so she thought.

Untrained and barely armed, Riela is quickly overwhelmed when one beast turns into two. She fears her death is at hand until the unexpected arrival of a scarred, strikingly handsome man with gleaming moonlit magic changes her fate - and provides a rare opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.

After being rescued and healed from the beast's poison, Riela awakens in a magical castle complete with a gorgeous library, a strange wolf, and the surly man who saved her life. She soon learns Garrick is both more powerful and far deadlier than a mere mortal mage - but thanks to a century-long curse, his powers are weakening.

Trapped in his castle and surrounded by the treacherous woods, the spark of attraction between Riela and Garrick slowly ignites into fiery desire. But the more they discover about Riela's magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets and lies connecting Riela's past to Garrick's, the tenuous threads of trust between them start to fray.

Because Riela's life - or her death - might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost."

Oh, this sounds like sexy Beauty and the Beast time!

To Ride a Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young indigenous woman and her dragon fight for the independence of their homeland in this epic sequel to the bestselling and multi-award-winning To Shape a Dragon's Breath, "a remarkable novel that is bound to be a staple of fantasy shelves for years to come" (BuzzFeed).

Anequs has not only survived her first year at Kuiper's Academy but exceeded her professors' admittedly low expectations - and passed all her courses with honors. Now she and her dragon, Kasaqua, are headed home for the summer, along with Theod, the only other native student at the Academy.

But what should have been a relaxing break takes a darker turn. Thanks to Anequs's notoriety, there is an Anglish presence on Masquapaug for the first time ever: a presence that Anequs hates. Anequs will always fight for what she believes in, however, and what she believes in is her people's right to self-govern and live as they have for generations, without the restrictive yoke of Anglish rules and social customs. And fight she will - even if it means lighting a spark that may flare into civil war."

Always here for a dragon academy. If it has a good message about self and identity, all the better.

One Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield
Published by: S and S/Saga Press
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this sinister and surreal Southern Gothic debut, a woman escapes into the uncanny woods of southern Georgia and must contend with ghosts, haints, and most dangerous of all, the truth about herself.

When Judith Rice fled her childhood home, she thought she'd severed her abusive mother's hold on her. She didn't have a plan or destination, just a desperate need to escape. Drawn to the forests of southern Georgia, Jude finds shelter in a house as haunted by its violent history as she is by her own.

Jude embraces the eccentricities of the dilapidated house, soothing its ghosts and haints, honoring its blood-soaked land. And over the next thirteen years, Jude blossoms from her bitter beginnings into a wisewoman, a healer.

But her hard-won peace is threatened when an enigmatic woman shows up on her doorstep. The woman is beautiful but unsettling, captivating but uncanny. Ensnared by her desire for this stranger, Jude is caught off guard by brutal urges suddenly simmering beneath her skin. As the woman stirs up memories of her escape years ago, Jude must confront the calls of violence rooted in her bloodline.

Haunting and thought-provoking, On Sunday She Picked Flowers explores retribution, family trauma, and the power of building oneself back up after breaking down."

A haunted house and haints? I'm in.

This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Amidst the devastation of Ireland's Great Famine, a young woman is salvaged from certain death when offered a mysterious position at a remote manor house haunted by a strange power and the horror of her own memories in this chillingly evocative historical novel braided with gothic horror and supernatural suspense for readers of Katherine Arden's The Warm Hands of Ghosts and The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins.

County Clare, 1848: In the scant few years since the potato blight first cast its foul shadow over Ireland, Maggie O'Shaughnessy has lost everything - her entire family and the man she trusted with her heart. Toiling in the Ennis Workhouse for paltry rations, she can see no future either within or outside its walls - until the mysterious Lady Catherine arrives to whisk her away to an old mansion in the stark limestone landscape of the Burren.

Lady Catherine wants Maggie to impersonate her late daughter, Wilhelmina, and hoodwink solicitors into releasing Wilhelmina's widow pension so that Lady Catherine can continue to provide for the villagers in her care. In exchange, Maggie will receive freedom from the workhouse, land of her own, and the one thing she wants more than either: a chance to fulfill the promise she made to her brother on his deathbed - to live to spite them all.

Launching herself into the daunting task, Maggie plays the role of Wilhelmina as best she can while ignoring the villagers' tales of ghostly figures and curses. But more worrying are the whispers that come from within. Something in Lady Catherine's house is reawakening long-buried memories in Maggie - of a foe more terrifying than hunger or greed, of a power that calls for blood and vengeance, and of her own role in a nightmare that demands the darkest sacrifice..."

Brat Farrar but supernatural! 

The Green Baize Door by Eleanor Birney
Published by: Parlor and Dock
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 305 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An atmospheric historical mystery where every character has their own agenda, and their own truth.

In the fashionable mansions on Chestnut Hill, a simple green baize door separates the masters' world from the servants'. That door is thrown wide when an elderly housekeeper is found brutally murdered on the first day of the new century. Marie Chevalier, the housekeeper's poor but ambitious granddaughter, and James Lett, the mansion owner's kind but indolent son, suspect the killer is connected to one of their families - but which one?

From drawing rooms to alleyways, their separate investigations lead them through the sometimes lavish, sometimes brutal, landscape of turn-of-the-century New England. When long-buried secrets begin to unravel the fragile threads that hold both households together, Marie and James must find a way to bridge the gulf between them - if only to prove that the murderer belongs not to their own world, but to that strange and foreign land on the other side of the green baize door.

Inspired by real-life events, The Green Baize Door is a richly layered historical mystery that explores themes of class identity, family loyalty, and the sometimes blurry line between virtue and vice."

Anyone else thinking the cover looks like the child of Eva Green and Blu Hunt?

The Case of the Murdered Muckraker by Rob Osler
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Harriet Morrow, a spunky, bike-riding, independent, lesbian P.I. in turn-of-the-20th century Chicago, is back on the case in this brilliant historical mystery inspired by a real-life Windy City detective - from the acclaimed author of the Anthony, Agatha, Macavity, and Lefty Award-nominated Devil's Chew Toy. For fans of Lev AC Rosen, Ashley Weaver, and Stephen Spotswood.

Chicago, 1898. In the midst of the Progressive Era, twenty-one-year-old junior detective Harriet Morrow is determined to prove she's more than a lucky hire as the Prescott Agency's first woman operative. But her latest challenge - a murder case steeped in scandal - could become a deadly setback...

As the Windy City thaws from a harsh winter, Harriet Morrow finds herself doubting her investigative skills when she's assigned to solve a high-stakes murder case well above her pay grade. And there's also a catch. Harriet must somehow blend in as an "unremarkable" young woman - one who feels confident in skirts, not men's clothing - on a quest to infiltrate the immigrant community at the center of the grisly crime...

The mystery has more twists and turns than her morning bike commute, with a muckraker found murdered in a southside tenement building after obtaining evidence of a powerful politician's corruption. While Harriet gains the trust of the tenement's women residents to gather clues, the undercover mission reveals an innocent mother might have been framed for the crime - and exposes ties to another violent death...

Harriet soon realizes she has few allies as new dangers explode around her. Enlisting the help of Matthew McCabe, her only true confidante at the agency, and growing more protective of her budding relationship with the lovely Barbara Wozniak, Harriet will need to survive rising threats to assert her place in a world that's quick to dismiss her - and out a killer who's always one step ahead..."

Thawing out from a harsh winter? So this is set in June right?

With Love from Harlem by ReShonda Tate
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From The Queen of Sugar Hill author ReShonda Tate - a new novel inspired by beloved Harlem jazz performer Hazel Scott and the equal parts exhilarating and tumultuous relationship that changed the course of her life.

Harlem, 1943. At just twenty-three, Hazel Scott is a woman on fire. A jazz prodigy, a glamorous film star, and a fierce advocate for civil rights, she's breaking barriers and refusing to play by the rules. Then Adam Clayton Powell Jr. walks into her life. Harlem's most electrifying preacher-turned-politician, Adam is as bold and unyielding as Hazel - charismatic, powerful...and married.

This kicks off a decades-long relationship that propels them into the center of a political and cultural revolution. As Hazel's star rises, Adam takes the national stage in Congress and the couple becomes the toast of the country. But when their affair turns into a marriage, behind the glamorous façade is a battlefield of ego, ambition, and sacrifice. Forced to choose between her music and her family, Hazel must decide what she's willing to lose - and what she refuses to give up.

Set against the pulsing backdrop of twentieth-century Harlem and featuring icons like Billie Holiday, Langston Hughes, and James Baldwin, With Love from Harlem is a sweeping, emotionally charged romantic drama, rich with historical detail. ReShonda Tate delivers a powerful portrait of love, art, and the price of being unforgettable."

True love will understand who you refuse to give up.

Uma's Head by Kristin Kelly
Published by: Sticks on Fire Books
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 250 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the dangerous world of Southeast Asia's illicit antiquities trade, a curator's search for a missing colleague uncovers a decades-old conspiracy, and a stolen artifact that could unravel it all.

When art curator Sarah Burroughs glimpses a half-hidden Khmer sculpture in her mentor's Bangkok apartment, she doesn't yet realize she's staring at Uma's head, a stolen national treasure, and a clue to a dangerous secret. Across the border in Cambodia, fellow curator Sam Heng uncovers a shocking diary written at the start of the Khmer Rouge's brutal reign, by the father he never knew. Soon after, Heng vanishes without a trace.

Thrust into the criminal underworld of antiquities trafficking, Sarah must join forces with a mysterious government official to find her missing colleague. What begins as a research trip for a museum exhibition spirals into a harrowing rescue mission through Bangkok, Phnom Penh, and Angkor's ancient temples. Inspired by historical events, Uma's Head is a gripping mystery that explores the depths of friendship and betrayal, the long and lasting effects of war, and the devastating looting of irreplaceable material heritage."

Looting and black market antiquities trafficking! YES! The dark Indiana Jones!

Monster in the Moonlight by Annelise Ryan
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Under the light of the full moon, a quiet rural lane becomes the scene of a shocking crime that may be the work of a mythical monster in the latest entry of this USA Today bestselling mystery series.

When a dead body turns up along a lonely country byway in rural Wisconsin, rumors of The Beast of Bray Road, a werewolf-like creature that is said to inhabit the area are reinvigorated. For years locals have reported sightings of the terrifying creature, but this would be its first verified attack.

Marks on the dead woman's body indicate a mauling by some kind of large animal. The wounds plus deep scratches on the victim's car convince the community that the legendary beast is not only real but responsible for this brutal killing.

If the police have any hope of solving this crime, they're going to need an expert - enter cryptozoologist Morgan Carter. She's investigated sightings of eerie creatures throughout the upper Midwest. If anyone is going to track down the killer, it's Morgan, but she may find that the Beast is not the worst thing lurking on Bray Road."

Just saying, that in December 2025 there was a Wolverine sighting that could account for this. AKA Hugh Jackman.

The Witching Hours by Heather Graham
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A haunting murder and kidnapping on the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts, sends two people with unique talents hunting for answers from both the past and present in internationally bestselling author Heather Graham's electrifying new Krewe of Hunters spin off for fans of Stephen King, Jayne Ann Krentz, Riley Sager, and Simone St. James.

Skye McMahon sees things. Good and bad, the past unreels in her mind's eye like a movie. Such is Skye's uncanny life. That's why she's been summoned by Special Supervisory paranormal investigators Jackson and Angela Crowe, to help solve a mystifying murder and kidnapping on the outskirts of historic Salem.

Alicia Bolton discovered her grandfather-in-law murdered, her nanny and her young son have both vanished without a trace, and her infant daughter was found terrified and crying in her playpen. Skye, partnered with the intriguing Zachary Erickson, a charmer with a psychic touch, is at first beset only by visions of Salem's witch trials and the tragic, paranoia-fueled executions. Then she sets foot in the Boltons' house.

What Skye sees is not another innocent from the 17th century swinging from a noose. What she sees is a bona fide crone, pointed hat and all, preying on the family like something from a children's nightmarish fairy tale. And when another local woman and her daughter inexplicably vanish, Skye has a second vision - that same wicked witch creeping up on her new victims on a lonely Salem road. It's impossible to believe. Yet Skye's visions never lie.

As Skye and Zachary put their otherworldly abilities to use, and grow closer with each revelation, they're lured into an ominous mystery enveloping Salem like a fog. Navigating suspects, whispers of a cult, and a sinister history that threatens to reignite in the present, with Zachary's help, only Skye can see the way to find the missing - but first, she may have to dance with the devil himself."

Is it wrong that my first thought is this would be an interesting PR campaign for the next Hocus Pocus movie?

In Bloom by Liz Allan
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A story of class and coming-of-age as a group of best friends investigates the allegations against their teacher.

It's the mid-nineties, and in the small, shitty coastal town of Vincent, Australia, four Nirvana-obsessed fourteen-year-old girls form a grunge band. The Bastards are "forgettable girls" - poor, not particularly clever, ridiculed by their better-off classmates, and desperate to escape the fates of their mothers, who seem locked into a life of minimum-wage jobs, surprise pregnancies, and drunk boyfriends. The Battle of the Bands is the girls' one ticket out.

As small-town rumors swirl, however, The Bastards are abandoned by their lead singer Lily Lucid, who accuses their beloved music teacher of assault. The three remaining girls are left with nothing. Nothing, that is, except their amateur detective skills, a conviction that Mr. P is innocent, and a readiness to sacrifice everything to keep their dream alive. Spinning with rage at the confines of their lives, they reach a precipice where there’s no turning back.

Brash and bold, grungy and propulsive, In Bloom is a coming-of-age novel about class, girlhood in precarious circumstances, and how to build a sense of self when the foundations of friendship fail."

Um, shouldn't the girls maybe trust their bandmate over their teacher? 

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake by Rebekah Faubion
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After a group of teens visit a dangerous island where three are left behind, the surviving girls realize they must return to confront the sinister force hunting them. This dark YA thriller is perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

Eight were lost. Five were found. None will ever be free.

For Evie Williams, life is about to get a lot more complicated. Haunted by the events of a school trip to Hollow Lake National Park that went disastrously wrong, Evie and her friends returned changed, their lives forever marked by the mysterious Island they encountered - and the three girls they left behind.

Now, someone is picking off those who were involved, one by one. Their families, friends, and even online investigators are all caught in a deadly game. The stakes are raised when Evie receives a chilling message: to save her loved ones, she must return to the Island.

As Evie and the other "Lost Girls" navigate the treacherous terrain of the Island once more, they must confront the secrets they've buried, the horrors they witnessed, and the person - or thing - that's hunting them. But some secrets refuse to stay hidden, and the Island demands a price for freedom."

Because we all need a little Yellowjackets-esque fix before the new and final season...

Black Dahlia by William J. Mann
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Illuminating and captivating, New York Times bestselling author of Tinseltown and Bogart offers the first definitive account of the Black Dahlia murder - the most famous unsolved true crime case in American history - which humanizes the victim and situates the notorious case within an anxious, postwar country grappling with new ideas, demographics, and technologies.

The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short - better known as the Black Dahlia - in 1947 has been in the public consciousness for nearly eighty years, yet no serious study of the crime has ever been published.

Short has been mischaracterized as a wayward sex worker or vagabond, and - like the seductive femme fatales of film noir - responsible for and perhaps deserving of her fate. William J. Mann, however, is interested in the truth. His extensive research reveals her as a young woman with curiosity and drive, who leveraged what little agency postwar society gave her to explore the world, defying draconian postwar gender expectations to settle down, marry, and have children. It's time to reexamine the woman who became known as the Black Dahlia.

Using a 21st-century lens, Mann connects Short's story to the anxious era after World War II, when the nation was grappling with new ideas, new demographics, new technologies, and old fears dressed up as new ones. Only by situating the Black Dahlia case within this changing world can we understand the tragedy of this young woman, whose life and death offer surprising mirrors on today.

Mann has strong opinions on who might've killed her, and even stronger ones on who did not. He spent five years sifting through the evidence and has found unknown connections by cross-referencing police reports, District Attorney investigations, FBI files, court documents, military records, and more, using the deep, intense research skills that have become his trademark. He also spoke with the families of the original detectives, of Short's friends, and even of suspects, and relied on advice from experienced physicians and homicide detectives.

Mann deftly sifts through the sensationalized journalism, preconceived notions, myths, and misunderstandings surrounding the case to uncover the truth about Elizabeth Short like no book before. The Black Dahlia promises to be the definitive study about the most famous unsolved case in American history."

Yes, yes, a more academic approach within the bigger context of the century, I approve.

Never Mind the Happy by Marc Shaiman
Published by: Regalo Press
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the award-winning composer/co-lyricist behind such iconic projects as Hairspray, Sister Act, Mary Poppins Returns, and Smash comes a wickedly funny, no-holds-barred memoir.

In Never Mind the Happy, musical dynamo Marc Shaiman looks back on five decades of Broadway triumphs, Hollywood hijinks, and unforgettable collaborations. Along the way, he charts the personal highs and heartbreaks that have shaped him - spending his teenage years in community theater, starting a decades-long collaboration with Bette Midler in the '70s, surviving the AIDS crisis of the '80s, his award-winning film music career in the Hollywood of the '90s, right up to the peaks (and valleys) of creating Broadway musicals from 2000 on.

Candid, hilarious, and deeply human, Shaiman's story is a tribute to the power of music, the pull of the spotlight, and the beat that never stops.

Part showbiz tell-all, part love letter to the melancholy that fuels creativity, told with perfect comic timing - along with a few wrong notes, and plenty of standing ovations."

I love that in 2026 someone went, can we give Marc Shaiman's autobiography the most nineties cover possible?

The Unwritten Rules of Magic by Harper Ross
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of The Midnight Library and In Five Years, The Unwritten Rules of Magic is a spellbinding novel that blends magic and memory in an unforgettable journey through love, grief, and the hidden cost of perfection across three generations of women.

Emerson Clarke can't remember a time when she felt in control. Her father - a celebrated author - was a chaotic force until he got Alzheimer's. Her mother turned to gin. And recently, her teen daughter has shut her out without explanation. If only she could arrange reality the same way she controls the stories she ghostwrites, life could be perfect.

Or so she thinks.

After her father's funeral, Emerson steals his vintage typewriter - the one he'd forbidden anyone to touch - and tests its keys by typing out a frivolous wish. When it comes true the very next day, she tries another. Then, those words also spring to life. Suddenly, she becomes obsessed with using the typewriter to rewrite happiness for herself and her daughter.

But the more she shapes her real-life, the more she uncovers disturbing truths about her family's history and the unexpected cost of every story-come-true. She should destroy the typewriter, yet when her daughter's secret finally emerges, Emerson is torn between paying the price for bending fate and embracing the uncertainty of an unscripted life."

Hey blurb writers, stop comparing everything to The Midnight Library!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Annelise Ryan, Black Dahlia, Eleanor Birney, Harper Ross, Heather Graham, Kristin Kelly, Liz Allan, Marc Shaiman, Maria Tureaud, Moniquill Blackgoose, Rebekah Faubion, ReShonda Tate, Rob Osler, Stephanie Burgis, William J. Mann