Monday, March 2, 2026

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Witch and the Wolf by Lindsey Kelk
Published by: Magpie (UK)
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Discover the sequel to gothic fantasy sensation The Bell Witches from Sunday Times bestseller, Lindsey Kelk.

Blood is thicker than water...

Since arriving in Savannah, Emily Bell has faced prophecies, werewolves, family secrets and her own grandmother's attempt to take her life.

But, strangely, surrounded by her friends and new family, Savannah has never felt more like home.

Now, faced with the absence of her love, Wyn, as he wrestles with his new abilities as a werewolf, and burdened with the task of finding her fellow witches to avert the prophecy that surrounds her, Emily is attacked by a new threat. A lone wolf that will stop at nothing to destroy her.

Emily must act fast and find out the wolf's identity before it kills her and all those she cares about. She will soon find out she can't do everything alone, and that a burden shared is a burden halved..."

This book might be very important to an upcoming theme on my blog...

When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A group of girls does Death incarnate's bidding in this haunting speculative young adult novel by the author of The Year of the Witching.

Roslyn isn't herself anymore. It's been a year since her sister, Adeline, died under mysterious circumstances, and Roslyn is still tormented by her absence. So when the elusive caravan of girls that Adeline spent her last summer with rolls back into town, Roslyn joins them to finally figure out what happened to her sister.

Strange, beautiful, and intriguing, the girls are closed off from the world. And as it turns out, they're brought together by a force more sinister than Roslyn's nightmares could've conjured up: Death himself.

Death has spared the girls from untimely endings, and to pay for their lives, the girls travel the country reaping souls on his behalf. Now Roslyn must decide if finding closure is worth the price of striking the same deal."

Romani reapers? I could get behind that concept. 

What Digs Itself Free by Stoney Brooks
Published by: River-Lily Publishing
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Kindle, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Zap Rogers has made a career out of exploiting others, most of whom are dead. With one of the most successful, longest running ghost hunting shows on the market, he and his team have raked in the cash. But with market trends shifting, Zap and his crew are no longer relevant, and are losing market share to younger, more hip trends.

Scrambling to remain in the spotlight, Zap and his crew order new gear in an attempt to give the show a facelift. But when a mysterious package arrives from a secret admirer, things begin to take a sour turn. Investigations are seemingly sabotaged, weird sightings around the house have everyone on edge, Zap's plagued with nightmares of a mysterious old hag, and the manifestations are not only haunting, but starting to get physical.

With the help of an old colleague Zap begins investigating the occurrences, following the trail right back to his own selfish behavior. Now Zap must do everything in his power to stop the malevolent entity before this investigation turns into his last."

Oh, yes, ghosts, it's time for a bit of just desserts! 

The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu
Published by: Tin House
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A Most Anticipated Book of 2026 from TIME, Book Riot, and Chicago Review of Books.

From the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century comes The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts - an eerie, spellbinding novel of grief and guilt, with a razor-sharp eye for the absurdity and melancholy of the internet age.

In the aftermath of her mother's death, Eleanor is unmoored. For years, her mother orchestrated every detail of her life - from meals, to laundry, to finances - so that Eleanor could focus on her career as a therapist. Left to navigate the world on her own, Eleanor clings to her mother's final directive: use her inheritance to buy a house.

Desperate to obey her mother one last time, but finding few options she can afford, Eleanor impulsively buys a model home in a valley-turned-construction site, a picturesque development steeped in a shadowy history. It feels like a fresh start, until the rain comes - an endless, torrential downpour. As water seeps in through the house's cracks, the line between what is real and what is not begins to blur. Haunted by the stories of her clients, a stream of workmen and bureaucrats she can't trust, and visions of ghosts from her past and present, Eleanor's reality unravels, and she is forced to reckon with the secrets she's buried and the dark choices she's made."

Yes yes, unraveling reality and ghosts!

Turn Off the Light by Jacquie Walters
Published by: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two women living centuries apart are bound by the same dark secret in this haunting novel that "upends everything you think you know about ghost stories" (Jennifer McMahon, author of The Winter People).

The Devil enters through doors left open...

On the isolated Eastern Shore of Virginia, Edith is a healer, a woman of knowledge - and a woman watched. Shadows move where they shouldn't. Whispers creep through the dark. Terrified she has opened her home to the Devil, Edith makes a desperate choice.

Claire doesn't believe in ghosts - until she returns home to care for her dying father and finds her childhood house... listening. As one sleepless night bleeds into the next, she becomes convinced something is stirring beneath the floorboards. Something that has waited a long time to rise.

Is the house haunted? What compels this lurking darkness? As the danger mounts, Edith and Claire will discover they'll need each other to survive. But they are separated by four hundred years. And time is running out for them both."

It's hard when that which can save you is separated from you by hundreds of years.

Burn the Water by Billy Ray
Published by: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From award-winning screenwriter of The Hunger Games Billy Ray comes an immersive and breathtaking enemies-to-lovers epic romance about war, loyalty, and the power that love has to save... or destroy.

The year is 2425 and London is underwater.

Three hundred years ago, rising oceans drowned a vast majority of the English Isle. London is now a jungle of dead skyscrapers and submerged streets.

Fighting over the scraps of a world none can remember, two Houses - the Crowns and the Rogues  - have been at war for three centuries.

Rafe is the Rogue army's fiercest captain. Jule is the Crown army's deadliest soldier. They are vicious and merciless, courageous and beloved by their Houses. They are sworn enemies.

And then they fall in love.

It's a death sentence. But their love is all-consuming. As Rafe and Jule try to keep each other alive in their war-torn world, they are forced to confront new, horrifying threats to their loved ones while the hatred between their Houses only grows.

When mysterious foreigners appear on their shores, the warring factions may destroy each other, unless their two most ruthless soldiers can become beacons of peace and possibility, showing their people a different way, and save them all.

From the award-winning screenwriter of The Hunger Games comes a visceral and breathless forbidden romance about sacrifice, the neverending cycle of violence, and fiery, all-powerful love."

So British Waterworld? PS, though he's a screenwriter he DID NOT write Waterworld

The Half-Hearted Queen by Charlie N. Holmberg
Published by: 47north
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 383 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this spellbinding dark fantasy from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg that concludes the Shattered King duology, Nym must escape the clutches of her captors and find her way back to Renn even as forbidden love, magic, and secrets collide with the weight of the crown and the war between kingdoms.

Nym never told Prince Renn she loved him. And now, as a captive and political pawn to the ruthless King Nicosia, Nym finds herself guarding more than her forbidden feelings for Renn as the kingdoms of Cansere and Sesta clash and the bloodshed of war rages. Nym's connection to Renn is more than just romantic - it's magical, and King Nicosia will stop at nothing to find Renn's weakness and claim the kingdoms as his.

Now Nym must find a way to escape the cruel and twisted fate of imprisonment as she faces the unimaginable horrors and dangerous secrets hidden within King Nicosia's palace walls. With the succession of kings on the line and a dangerous prophecy unfolding, Prince Renn faces his own impossible choice. The future of the throne hinges on a political alliance that means forsaking his love for Nym. If he can't fulfill his destiny and unite the kingdoms, King Nicosia will destroy them all."

Come on, Nym and Renn have to have an HEA! Fiction is the only place that happens these days.

The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating (And Other War Crimes) by Tiffany Hunt
Published by: Scarlett Press
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A conflicted villain and his unstoppable bride form the realm's most chaotic alliance in this riotously funny dark romantasy perfect for fans of Assistant to the Villain, but darker and spicier.

"What's mine stays mine."

Step One: Kidnap someone cute.
Step Two: Force her into marriage.
Step Three: Try not to catch feelings.

When Dark Lord Kazimir Blackrose kidnaps Lady Arabella for a forced marriage, he expects an obedient, trembling bride. What he gets is a knife to the throat and a furious woman with demands of her own. He may need her heroic bloodline to achieve ultimate dominion, but she's not about to make this easy for him.

Arabella has already survived her father's tower prison and a lifetime of being treated like property. Getting abducted by the realm's most notorious villain is just another Tuesday. If she must be married to the infuriating (and infuriatingly attractive) Dark Lord, she'll do it on her terms: freedom within his fortress, hands strictly to himself, and complete honesty about his plans.

But when those plans go awry, Kazimir faces his most terrifying challenge yet: he must date his own wife. Between magical training sessions, playing golf with the eyeballs of his enemies, and aphrodisiac dinners gone spectacularly wrong, his attempts at villainous seduction are failing at every turn.

As Kazimir and Arabella navigate magical explosions and jealous exes, they discover a far more terrifying prospect than war or magical catastrophe: They might actually be falling for each other.

This dark and sexy fantasy romance is perfect for readers who love: a morally gray antihero (who stays that way); a strong heroine who embraces her dark side (she doesn't need rescuing, thanks); touch her and die trope; hilarious, wicked banter and sizzling spice; one bed/forced proximity; kidnapped bride/forced marriage; and dark humor."

The hardest thing is not catching feelings.

A Kingdom of Shadows by Emily Bain Murphy
Published by: WaterBrook Children's
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A band of misfits seek to fight the darkness that's slowly overcoming their kingdom - the start of a grand adventure series in the tradition of The Chronicles of Narnia and the Wingfeather Saga.

Ever since the Great Betrayal, the light in Wildfel has been dying. The sunshine is dimmer, it takes more firewood to brighten a room, and the shadows grow stronger by the day. Twelve-year-old orphan Finn survives in this world by being a thief. When he, his best friend Adrion, and younger sister Lydia meet a mysterious stranger who claims to know of a Lake of Light, they set off on an adventure to places where the mist can steal a precious memory, starlight gathers in waterfalls, and spiders spin shimmering webs of glass as deadly as they are dazzling.

But there are secrets hiding in the shadows that could change Finn's understanding of everything he knows - and finding the Lake of Light could alter not only the course of his life but the very kingdom itself."

I just adore a great fantasy series. I have a good feeling about this one.

Speak of the Devil by Sweeney Boo
Published by: HarperAlley
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the thrilling, witchy sequel to Over My Dead Body, Abigail fights to clear her name as strange occurrences continue to plague Younwity Hidden Institute of Witchcraft - a spooky teen graphic novel perfect for fans of Wednesday Addams and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina!

Months after Abigail and her friends thwarted a dark magic ritual that threatened to destroy Younwity Hidden Institute of Witchcraft, new dangers and long-buried secrets bubble to the surface.

As autumn turns to winter, a mysterious rune-dotted fissure has appeared in the school grounds, and no one from the Coven is able to seal it - no matter how powerful their magic is. Even worse, it's believed this fissure is the source of hazardous tremors that continue to rip through the grounds, threatening the institute's very foundation. Abigail is certain this is all her fault and hatches a plan to seal the fissure herself, but when her ritual goes sideways, she awakens a long-dormant entity hellbent on revenge. To put things right, Abigail will need to unearth the true history of Younwity Institute and, just maybe, unravel the secrets of her own forgotten past along the way."

I have been addicted to any school of witchcraft since I first saw The Worst Witch. OG version with Diana Rigg and Tim Curry of course.

The Bewitching Miss Blair by Darcy McGuire
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: eBook, 308 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In a world where secrets are as dangerous as spells, love might be the most powerful magic of all...

Clio Blair is a fire witch - gifted, defiant, and hiding more than just her magic. With the power to speak to the dead and glimpse their final memories, she's called in by her uncle at Scotland Yard to help solve the murder of Viscount Beachley. His ghost lingers, his wife is missing, and the trail leads straight into the glittering world of the ton...where Clio has no place.

Enter Lieutenant General Thomas Grey: brooding, scandal-shadowed, and bound by honour to assist the investigation. He never expects to be paired with a sharp-tongued witch who walks with ravens and burns like fire beneath her skin. As they're forced into close quarters and dangerous secrets begin to surface, so does a desire neither of them can resist.

But Clio knows a witch's heart is a dangerous thing to give away - especially to a man who swore never to love again. And Thomas knows desire alone won't protect her from the dead who would use her, or the living who would destroy her.

Solving the murder may save them both - but surrendering to passion could consume them completely.

Practical Magic meets Bridgerton with a dash of Agatha Christie in this new series from Darcy McGuire."

Falling in love doesn't end her powers like in Bell, Book and Candle does it!?!

The Regency Switch by Helen Gaskell
Published by: HQ Digital
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Holiday meets Lost in Austen, with a sprinkling of Bridgerton steam...

Etta Moore expects nothing more from a Tuesday than another dull day in the office. But when her morning commute ends in Regency England, she is forced to accept the impossible: she and her ancestor Miss Henrietta Bainbridge - or 'Mad Hetty', as she's known amongst the ton - have switched bodies.

Suddenly Etta and Hetty must get to grips with the new worlds they find themselves in. For Etta, it's goodbye to dating apps and the daily commute and hello to the list of things 'Ladies Do Not' do. Luckily the dashing Lord Stanhope is on hand to aid her through even the most shocking of faux pas.

Meanwhile Hetty, who has always felt unseen and unknown, finds her truest self blossoming with the help of 21st century medicine and the most welcome attentions of her rather beautiful Adult Learning teacher, Stella.

Two hundred years away from everything they've ever known, might Etta and Hetty have actually found a place where they each truly belong?"

How did Etta just accept the situation so fast?

Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Cat Sebastian's long-awaited foray into contemporary romance! A witty, emotional, and deliciously slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance between two costars on a popular sci-fi television series.

Simon and Charlie, actors on a long-running sci-fi show, can't stand one another. Charlie is impetuous, outgoing, and basically feral, and Simon thinks he should have stayed in reality television where he belongs. They've spent the better part of a decade quarreling over the spotlight and pretty much everything else, and everybody in the industry knows it. Now that Simon's contract is finally done, he can move to New York, start fresh with work he actually likes, and get away from Charlie.

Simon's only problem is that people might assume he's been pushed off the show due to being impossible to work with. And he is kind of difficult to work with. He doesn't get along with people - unlike Charlie, who somehow tricked everyone on the show into adoring him despite some outrageously bad on-set behavior during the show's first season. Simon would rather never have to see Charlie again, but reluctantly agrees to stage a very public friendship during the short time before he moves. When Charlie has to leave town to deal with a family emergency, this means Simon comes along. Their road trip brings Simon to places he would never have willingly chosen to visit - and he finds he's actually not having a terrible time.

The more he gets to know Charlie, the more Simon suspects he's underestimated his former coworker. Simon also realizes that after seven years, Charlie might know him better than anyone ever has. Even stranger, Charlie seems to be starting to actually like him, despite knowing him so well. Still, Simon is about to move three thousand miles away, so whatever's starting between him and Charlie can't really amount to anything... right?

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Opposites Attract
Forced Proximity
Slow Burn"

Never worry about distance when the love starts to take hold!

Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz
Published by: The Dial Press
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"They were sent away to be forgotten. This is their story.

In this electrifying historical novel about coming of age in tumultuous 1960s San Francisco, a pregnant teenager reckons with womanhood and agency after being sent to a home for unwed mothers.

It's 1968, and the future is bright for seventeen-year-old Elizabeth "Baker" Phillips: She's the valedictorian of her high school, with a place at Stanford in the fall and big dreams of becoming a journalist. But the seductive free-spirited San Francisco atmosphere seeps into her carefully planned, strait-laced life in the form of a hippie named Wiley. At first, letting loose and letting herself fall in love for the first time feels incredible. But then, everything changes.

Pregnancy hits Baker with the force of whiplash - in the blink of an eye, she goes from good girl to fallen woman, from her family's shining star to their embarrassing secret. Without any other options, Baker is sent to a home for unwed mothers, and finds herself trapped in an old Victorian house packed with pregnant girls who share her shame and fear. As she grapples with her changing body, lack of choice, and uncertain future, Baker finds unexpected community and empowerment among the "girls who went away."

Where the Girls Were is a timely unearthing of a little-known moment in American history, when the sexual revolution and feminist movement collided with the limits of reproductive rights - and society's expectations of women. As Baker finds her strength and her voice, she shows us how to step into your power, even when the world is determined to keep you silent."

Love the concept, hate the tryhard cover.

Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns
Published by: Celadon Books
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the author of Mercury and Shiner comes a novel about the bond between two female folk singers, the love stories that haunt them, and the music that brings them together to burn bright.

Young folk singer Elle Harlow reaches the height of her prowess in 1973, with two wildly beloved albums to her name and a hidden history of impossible heartbreak. When she sets foot on the famed Grand Ole Opry stage, a far cry from the mountain that raised her, Elle gives the biggest performance of her life. Then, to the dismay of shocked fans, her producer, and the man who still loves her, she vanishes.

Almost two decades later, eighteen-year-old Marijohn Shaw is spending her summer pumping gas, writing songs on her broken mandolin, and longing for a mother. Her father, Abe, has always sworn he was the last person to see Elle Harlow alive, but when a meteor strikes the woods of their sleepy Pennsylvania town and a piece of Elle's past emerges from the wreckage, the truth of her disappearance sets fire to everything Marijohn believes about herself, her music, and her ability to love with abandon.

Wait for Me exalts the lush hills of Appalachia and the bright lights of Nashville as it reveals the legacy of Elle Harlow, the bold voice that defined her, the intimate betrayal that undid her, and the unexpected faith of another young woman determined to resurrect her."

I mean, I'm a sucker for a disappearance that's straight out of a folk song.

Buried in a Book by T.C. Lotempio
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bookshop owner Charley James is plunged into a mystery involving a rare book worth killing for in this new Cozy Bookshop Mystery by award-winning and national bestselling author T.C. LoTempio.

No treats but lots of tricks and murder!


Retired thriller author and current bookshop owner Charley James is preparing for Halloween in her small hometown of Austin, Pennsylvania - what she isn't prepared for is discovering the body of a woman at the local inn.

Charley recognizes the stranger as a suspicious customer who popped in just to hide a rather peculiar book at her store - did she already know she was about to lose her life for it?

Pursuing this mysterious case, Charley can't seem to stay out of trouble, and no one knows this better than Detective Hottie, Ian Grant. But Charley has a mind of her own and, together with cat Poe, sets off on another puzzle-riddled quest, unaware that the killer might be someone she knows...

"If you've ever wondered what it would be like to read a Hallmark Mystery movie in book format, wonder no more" (Cozy Crime Mystery). For fans of Laura Childs's Tea Shop Mysteries, Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's Mysteries, and Ellery Adams's Secret, Book and Scone Society Novels."

The best place to hide and book is among other books! Though personally I would have opted for a library. 

The Primrose Murder Society by Stacy Hackney
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Witty, endearing, and wildly entertaining, this Southern cozy mystery is a little bit Gilmore Girls, a little bit Finlay Donovan, with a big helping of Only Murders in the Building.

Lila Shaw stopped trusting anyone the minute her husband went to jail for white-collar crime, taking their country club lifestyle with him. Now Lila is broke, friendless, and losing her house - and to make things worse, her true-crime-obsessed daughter, Bea, was just expelled from fourth grade. Desperate for a fresh start, Lila agrees to temporarily move in and clean out an abandoned junk-filled apartment in Richmond's palatial Primrose building. The luxurious Virginia landmark is filled with retirees who start their days early drinking bourbon and gossiping, in that order.

Soon after Lila's arrival, the Primrose is thrown into chaos. The owner of the building's splendid penthouse has died and in his final days he set up a two-million-dollar reward for any resident who helps to solve the 21-year-old murder of his granddaughter at the Primrose. A fan of all detective stories and true-crime podcasts, Bea is inspired to investigate. They really could use the reward money, so Lila reluctantly agrees, in a questionable attempt at family bonding. She's certain the killer is long-gone after all these years anyway. That is, until another resident is murdered...and Lila becomes the prime suspect.

Now Lila needs to solve both murders to avoid jail, and even worse, losing her daughter to her snobby in-laws. To catch a killer and clear Lila's name, she and Bea must rely on their elderly neighbors - Jasper, a shy former detective, and Evelyn, an opinionated socialite - along with Nate, a good-looking reporter who keeps appearing at the most inconvenient moments. As the amateur sleuths expose the truth about the Primrose, Lila hopes she can also unravel the trickiest parts of her own life and start fresh."

I mean, the chance to solve the unsolvable AT WORK and get money? Perfect. Just ignore the pesky possible prison time.

Two Bodies Are Better Than One by Erica Ruth Neubauer
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 347 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Loaded with dark humor and sharp wit, this wild ride through the '80s follows an advice columnist trying to unravel the mystery of the dead body on her lawn - while keeping her own secrets under wraps.

Until 1989, the wildest thing to happen in the sleepy town of Sheboygan Bay was surfers catching waves on frigid Lake Michigan. Then one summer morning, Lorraine Highsmith wakes up to find a corpse on her lawn.

Detective Michaela "Mike" Zenoni is on the case immediately, eager to make a name for herself in a male-dominated precinct. And Lorraine is close behind - as the local advice columnist, she's always looking for a scoop.

What they don't know is that Lorraine once had ties to the mob, and those connections could be coming back to haunt her. A recent transplant to Wisconsin, she keeps her past shrouded in mystery, and she'd like to keep it that way.

Mike might be working with her to find the killer, but Lorraine knows that alliances can change on a dime. She needs to get ahead of this story...no matter who's trying to put an end to hers."

Oh trust me, Wisconsin is not the place to escape the mob. 

The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives by Elizabeth Arnott
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A remarkable trio whose lives have been cracked wide open by their husbands' crimes unite to catch a serial killer in this dazzlingly captivating novel.

Beverley, Elsie, and Margot are not your average housewives. They are all wives of convicted killers. During the sun-drenched summer of 1966, the three women form an unlikely friendship after the discoveries of their husbands' brutal crimes. With their exes - some of California's most infamous murderers - dead or behind bars, they are attempting to forge a new future for themselves.

Headstrong Beverley tries compulsively to maintain control of everything around her, all while raising two children. Bookish Elsie fights to make a name for herself in the newsroom, working among men who sneer at her career goals. Glamorous Margot prefers partying to homemaking and devotes all her energy to upholding the appearance that everything is fine - anything to quell the shame from her husband's deceit.

They know people look at them and think only one thing: How could they not have known what their husbands were doing? How much are they to blame? And yet when a string of local killings hits the news, the three women - underestimated, overlooked, shrewd - decide to get to work. After all, who better to catch a killer than those who have shared their lives and homes with one?

At once a riveting portrayal of shattered trust and a story of gripping suspense, The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives is a testament to the intricacies of women's lives and how the deep bonds of female friendship can empower, uplift, and lead us to endure."

But even if they succeed then the gossip will be, takes one to know one, am I right?

Has Anyone Seen My Hormones by Anne Taintor
Published by: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 96 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Celebrate the hot flashes of wisdom and the power that comes with getting older in this hilarious collection of vintage-with-a-twist art and wit - from the bestselling queen of women's humor, Anne Taintor. Are you forever young...ish? Are you ready for someone to invent cool yoga? Do you see no good reason to act your age? Sure, midlife and menopause can come with moments of wondering if it's you or the thermostat running warm, but they also bring well-earned realizations and rewards:
-You've awakened from the nightmare of youth.
-You're old enough to know better, but too young to give a rat's ass.
-Wrinkles reveal character, and you've come far enough to realize, honey, you couldn't pay me to be twenty.

Funny, sarcastic, and sympathetic, with just the right dose of bad behavior, Anne Taintor's new collection is proof that getting older is an upgrade.

MENOPAUSE: IT'S SO HOT RIGHT NOW: New York Times bestsellers like The New Menopause and The Menopause Manifesto have ushered in a new era of conversation and knowledge about perimenopause and menopause, tearing down the topic's longstanding taboo.

TALK ABOUT IT, LAUGH ABOUT IT: Half the population goes through menopause, yet few giftable items address this life transition. Here is a just-right, art-filled humor book to share with moms, sisters, partners, best friends, grandmoms, cousins, or anyone you love who may need a bit of laugh-therapy self-care between hot flashes and mood swings.

GREAT GIFT BETWEEN FRIENDS: The ultimate "iykyk" topic for women makes this a fun and thoughtful gift to share with friends and loved ones navigating this phase. Pair with an Anne Taintor calendar to keep track of each day of fresh hell survived to create a hilarious bundle.

ANNE TAINTOR'S BESTSELLING HUMOR: With over two million books, postcard boxes, and calendars sold, Anne Taintor has been making people laugh since 1985.

Perfect for:
-Women ages 35 - 65
-Anyone going through perimenopause or menopause in need of a laugh
-Gift-giving for birthday, Mother's Day, and Galentine's Day
-Readers of The New Menopause, The Menopause Manifesto, and The Menopause Reset
-Fans of humorous takes on the subject, such as Menopause The Musical and Samantha Bee's How to Survive Menopause
-Fans of popular perimenopause and menopause novels, including Miranda July's All Fours and Catherine Newman's Sandwich"

I mean, yes, there's menopause in the title, but it's basically just her old magnet and sign stuff repurposed with a catchy title to sell. Don't fall for it. It's OK and that's about all.

The Hotel by Elizabeth Bowen
Published by: Union Square and Co.
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An awkward young woman develops an "unsuitable attachment" to a beautiful, worldly widow in a queer-coded novel set in a luxurious hotel on the Italian Riviera.

Sydney Warren is a young, rebellious women in her twenties, uninterested in marriage and a puzzle to her friends and family. She becomes infatuated with Mrs. Kerr, an older and very beautiful widow - and the two women's close friendship swiftly becomes the subject of gossip at the hotel. But when Mrs. Kerr's young son arrives to visit his mother, the balance of Sydney and Mrs. Kerr's relationship is upset: a drama that plays out in front of an array of delightful, fascinating minor characters.

Originally published in 1927, Elizabeth Bowen's The Hotel is a debut novel that explores social and emotional relationships and one young woman's coming-of-age."

Such a fan of Elizabeth Bowen and this is a beautiful new edition.

Death in the Palace by Barbara Hambly
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A proposal to die for...British widow Emma Blackstone gets mixed up in murder once again in this stunning 1920s historical mystery featuring New York high society, mobsters, and silent-movie stars!

November, 1924. Beautiful silent-movie star Camille de la Rose - Kitty, to her adoring fans - is amused to receive an unusual proposal from an extremely rich stranger. Clark Dexter offers her $50,000 if she will marry and then divorce him.

Young British widow Emma Blackstone, Kitty's dog walker, companion, and dearest friend, is determined to talk her employer out of it. Emma might have been living in the topsy-turvy world of Hollywood for a year now, but she knows a bad idea when she hears one.

There are disturbing rumors about Mr. Dexter. And when the source of the rumors is found dead in mysterious circumstances, Emma soon finds herself plunged into a disturbing investigation that sees her mixing with New York's high society, mobsters, and movie stars...and a ruthless killer, who'll stop at nothing to see their evil plan through.

New York Times bestselling author Barbara Hambly brings the glamor, intrigue, and dark side of Hollywood to life in the Silver Screen Mysteries - a perfect choice for fans of female-fronted historical mysteries set in the roaring twenties."

I take $50,000 to marry and divorce someone!

A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Veronica and Stoker are practically dying for a new adventure, but when their wish is granted, they find themselves up against a secret society and a darkly seductive duo in this landmark historical mystery from beloved New York Times bestselling and Edgar® Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica's interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide - and Veronica and her intrepid beau Stoker know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere.

Thirsty for more clues, Veronica and Stoker hear that a young Romany boy may know more about their first victim, and the only way to the boy is through an old acquaintance of Stoker's, Lady Julia Brisbane. Lady Julia and her dashing husband, Nicholas, occasionally track down murderers and are only too happy to help. But as it becomes clear that the secret society is a dangerous sect looking to entice immortality seekers, Veronica and Stoker find themselves ensnared by a decidedly more sinister couple.

The professed leader of the society claims to be a creature of the night; his partner practices witchcraft and they both fancy themselves emissaries of the otherworldly. Just as Veronica and Stoker get closer to learning the true purpose of the society and unraveling this macabre mystery, another body turns up, and they quickly discover they've gone from being the hunters to the hunted...."

Wait, what!?! A crossover with her Lady Julia Grey series!?!

The Harvey Girl by Dana Stabenow
Published by: Head of Zeus - an Aries Book
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the award-winning author of the Kate Shugak Mysteries, a thrilling new detective series set during America's wild boom time of the nineteenth century.

WELCOME TO THE GILDED AGE. WHERE NOT EVERYTHING GLITTERS.

1890. The New Mexico Territory is a lawless frontier where criminals steal money and land alike with impunity. Everyone wears a six-gun and is ready and willing to draw it.

In the new city of Montaña Roja, Fred Harvey's growing empire is threatened by the robberies plaguing his newest Harvey House restaurant. To get justice, he needs a skilled detective to go undercover and procure answers to questions the law will not ask.

The assignment falls to Clare Wright, a young Pinkerton agent. Disguised as one of Harvey's famous hostesses, Clare travels west where she risks being exposed at every step of her investigation. To get answers - and to get out alive - there are only two things she can trust: her instincts, and her derringer."

Mainly here for the Harvey House if I'm being honest...

The Woman and Her Stars by Penny Haw
Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"She must find her own place amongst the stars.

Caroline Herschel has always lived in the shadows. Beholden to her wildly popular older brother, William, who rescued her from servitude, she's worked hard to build a life for herself - one where she can go unnoticed and repay the debt she believes she owes him. But when her brother becomes obsessed with sweeping the stars, everything changes.

Newly appointed as the King's Astronomer, William is rushed away from the bustling streets of Bath to the quiet countryside of Windsor. When Caroline makes a discovery that could send her right back to the people she was rescued from, she has no choice but to leave her carefully constructed life and follow her brother. Taking up the position as William's assistant, Caroline resolves to learn everything she can about astronomy. But the more she understands, the more she falls in love with her telescope, and soon, she discovers that she might be good at the science, great, even, and that the stars could offer her the freedom she's always secretly wanted. When it's clear that Caroline is just as much the astronomer as her brother, she realizes she must break free from the life she has lived and find her own place in the night sky.

Based on the true story of Caroline Herschel, The Woman and Her Stars shines a light on a woman who was raised to believe she was worth nothing more than to serve others, but whose genius and resolve made her one of the world's leading astronomers. An awe-inspiring story set within the societal boundaries of the Georgian era, it's a hopeful journey of self-discovery, familial bonds, and passion."

YAS! Break that glass ceiling! Go for the stars! Literally!

Two Spinsters and a Swindler by Eve Tarrington
Published by: Tenacious Teacup Press
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 234 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Derbyshire, December 1815. A cozy family Christmas turns deadly when a visitor is murdered.

Louisa-Margaretta Haddington, still reeling from a broken engagement, must come to terms with both her parents' displeasure. Though her family's Christmas visitors are a welcome distraction, one handsome man in particular promises to raise her spirits by Christmas. But she cannot live for pleasure alone, as her father's financial difficulties threaten both her home and her family's reputation. What's more, there are warning signs that one of their visitors, an old lady, has come expressly to defraud Louisa-Margaretta's family.

Judith St Clair promised to help unmask the swindler, but she has her own troubles. Her father, usually the most mild-mannered of men, has not given her marriage his blessing. Unless Judith's fiance, Mr Ramsbury, quickly finds a profession, Judith will get not one penny for her dowry. Judith's sister Miriam is now engaged to a man who once proposed to Judith herself, raising tensions in the St Clair household. But Judith is too preoccupied by a sudden murder at Wycliff Castle to properly tend to her family ties.

The magistrate has no intention of sparing the Haddingtons or the St Clairs, and Judith and Louisa-Margaretta quickly find themselves tangled in his false accusations. If they wish to save their fortunes and their reputations, they must find the killer before Christmas.

This Regency cozy historical mystery will whisk you away to the English countryside."

It's never too early to start planning your holiday reading.

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband's title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters' future through marriage.

When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters - only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.

As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world's most famous fairy tale. It is a battle cry for a mother's love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes."

An Ever After for our time.

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The unmissable BookTok sensation, now at Nightfire! Enter a darker age with USA Today bestselling author Christopher Buehlman's Between Two Fires, a medieval horror adventure unlike anything on the shelf.

And Lucifer said: "Let us rise against Him now in all our numbers, and pull the walls of Heaven down..."

The year is 1348.

Thomas, a disgraced knight, has found a young girl alone in a dead Norman village. An orphan of the Black Death, and an almost unnerving picture of innocence, she tells Thomas that plague is only part of a larger cataclysm - that the fallen angels under Lucifer are rising in a second war on heaven, and that the world of men has become their battleground. Is it delirium or is it faith?

Now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission: to confront the evil that has devastated the earth, and give him - blood-stained and wretched as he is - a chance at redemption he long thought lost.

As hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels and demons, saints and the risen dead, and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man."

An apocalyptic cataclysm that's thankfully fictional. 

The Spire by William Golding
Published by: Penguin Classics
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Succumb to a churchman's apocalyptic vision in this prophetic tale by the radical Nobel Laureate and author of Lord of the Flies, introduced by Benjamin Myers.

A Penguin Classic.

Dean Jocelin has a vision: that God has chosen him to erect a great spire. His master builder fearfully advises against it, for the old cathedral was miraculously built without foundations. But Jocelin is obsessed with fashioning his prayer in stone. As his halo of hair grows wilder and his dark angel darker, the spire rises octagon upon octagon, pinnacle by pinnacle, watched over by the gargoyles - until the stone pillars shriek, the earth beneath creeps, and the spire's shadow falls like an axe on the medieval world below."

I mean, authors like Orwell and Golding are more relevant today than ever.

The Inheritors by William Golding
Published by: Penguin Classics
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Hunt, trek, and feast among Neanderthals in this stunning novel by the radical Nobel Laureate and author of Lord of the Flies, introduced by Ben Okri.

A Penguin Classic.

When spring comes, the people leave their winter cave, foraging for honey, grubs, and the hot richness of a deer's brain. They awaken the fire to heat their naked bodies, lay down their thorn bushes, and share pictures in their minds. But strange things are happening: inexplicable scents and sounds. Imaginable beasts are half-glimpsed in the forest; upright creatures of bone-faces and deerskins. What the people do not know is that their day is already over."

Poor neanderthals. 

Friday, February 27, 2026

Season 7 - I, Claudius (1977-1978)

During my childhood it seemed that Derek Jacobi was omnipresent. Or perhaps I just watched The Secret of NIMH more times than I can count. But whenever his name was mentioned everyone would always add the caveat about what I great actor he is. At the time I didn't understand why the caveat was needed. And then I watched I, Claudius and I understood. The thing is you can never really grasp what an amazing actor Derek Jacobi is until you've seen him as Claudius. In 2007 for Masterpiece's thirty-fifth anniversary they conducted a poll to codify The Best of Masterpiece. I might have really gone in hard on the voting for the 2002 adaptation of The Forsyte Saga, which means that I, Claudius placed third behind that adaptation. I now take full responsibility for this happening, because I, Claudius deserved the highest spot it could get. Because there was no way it could upset Upstairs, Downstairs from the top spot. And I agree, Upstairs, Downstairs is the definitive show connected to Masterpiece, but I don't think it's the best show, especially in those early seasons of Masterpiece. In those early seasons I honestly don't know of a show with a more perfect cast than I, Claudius. The cast is what raises this above the typical Roman fare. And let me tell you, I know my Roman fare. I watch a lot of miniseries about Rome. I'm not thinking about Rome all the time, but if there's a miniseries or series about Rome I will devour it. Obviously there's Rome, but I have a soft spot for Britannia and Domina. In fact I know it's been two years, but I'm still not over Domina's cancellation. But these shows are nothing to I, Claudius. NOTHING! These are perhaps the best twelve episodes of any series ever. The cast alone is stacked! Brian Blessed as Augustus, Siân Phillips in her award winning turn as Livia, John Hurt as Caligula! Once you see their performances of these characters no one else could ever do them in your eyes. Caligula is unhinged yet at the same time sympathetic. He's out of control, he has a freakin' horse as a senator, and yet, during this spiral of debauchery there is such pathos that John Hurt brings to the role. Malcolm McDowell didn't stand a chance of usurping John Hurt when he took on the role three years later in the eponymous film. Did HE do a modern dance drag show? Well!?! As for Siân Phillips? Oh, she's so deliciously devious but her trying to find a loophole to eternal suffering on her deathbed for all the harm she has done, and let me tell you, if there was a death and it looked like poison, it was, and Livia was behind it, was television at it's best. Also, apparently getting deified is the loophole she was looking for. Thankfully she had a devoted grandson to carry out her final wishes. It was Claudius if you were wondering. And Claudius, that poor ruler sandwiched between Caligula and Nero. But Derek Jacobi brings this man out of the shadows of history, shows that this man with a limp and a stammer had insight beyond his years. The way he shepherds the story, being the focal point, yet also an outsider, makes this a show you just can't turn away from. There's a reason Kenneth Branagh cast Jacobi in Dead Again. That stammer, that will, it's unforgettable and interestingly an important twist to that film. Plus, oddly enough this show is currently escapist, because Rome really makes current politics and ever the fantastical politics seen in shows like Game of Thrones look tame by comparison. Now if only they'd release this on Blu-ray for it's upcoming fiftieth anniversary life would be worth celebrating. But I'd avoid the figs at the celebration if I were you. If you know, you know.

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Book Review - John Hawkesworth's Upstairs Downstairs

Upstairs Downstairs by John Hawkesworth
Published by: Nelson Doubleday
Publication Date: 1971
Format: Hardcover, 243 Pages
Rating: ★★★
Out of Print

165 Eaton Place sits on the North side of the street in Belgravia. Above stairs there's Richard Bellamy, a conservative MP, and his wife Lady Marjorie. There two children are no longer at home with James in the Life Guards and Elizabeth at a finishing school in Dresden, Germany. Below stairs there's the butler, Hudson, and the cook, Mrs. Bridges. Under them are Alfred the footman, Rose the houseparlourmaid, and Emily the kitchen maid. The downstairs staff is completed by Miss Roberts, Lady Marjorie's Lady's Maid, and Mr. Pearce the chauffeur. The household are in need of an under houseparlourmaid after the last one came to a bad end. Lady Marjorie is interviewing one Clemence Dumas whom most of the staff are rooting against. Except Emily, but she's a romantic, and the tall tales Clemence spins have already won over the kitchen maid. Against all expectations Lady Marjorie takes on Clemence, rechristened Sarah, for a trial period. Almost at once she's causing a scandal by sitting for a portrait for the same artist that is painting Lady Marjorie. The painting of "the maids" is so salacious juxtaposed with the more traditional portrait of Lady Marjorie that the news is actually picked up by the local papers. Though it wouldn't be proper to send Sarah packing because of her naivete for trusting a painter the Bellamys themselves shouldn't have trusted. Thankfully they luck out soon enough when they are away for the summer and the servants play at masters and James Bellamy arrives home. A charged moment between him and Sarah makes her realize that she doesn't want to exist to prop up the lives of others, she wants to live her own life. A desire that may come back to haunt her. But for the Bellamys life goes on, Elizabeth returns from abroad, nowhere near as finished as they'd hoped and wanting to talk about German philosophers with everyone. A lady should only talk about the weather and never about politics, especially to politicians. Her behavior soon has her banished by her family from London. And despite their actions their dearest wish is that Elizabeth would be happy, so she comes and goes, trying to make a place for herself in society. But when the first man she falls for was using her as a pawn to get to her father and then runs off with the footman, she thinks that her love life is doomed. All is not lost. Not for her parents or for Elizabeth herself when she falls in with revolutionaries and meets the poet Lawrence Kirbridge. After much trial and tribulation, both for the masters and the servants, maybe an approximation of a happy ending is on the horizon. Though with Sarah back on the scene and stepping out with James the happy ending depends on your point of view.

If you're a fan of the original Upstairs, Downstairs I know the question on the tip of your tongue, and it's who the hell are these people on the cover of this book!?! It's like someone asked AI what the cast of Upstairs, Downstairs looked liked and this weird amalgamation of seventies business suits and mobcaps was churned out. But I can assure you, this is the real cover because I actually scanned it into the computer myself from my copy. My guess is that they were trying to lure in readers who weren't aware of the television show and therefore have these generic models because Richard Bellamy sure as hell wouldn't show that much ankle. Yet the selling point in the United States should have been that you could read the first season as it was meant to air, minus episode six, "A Cry for Help," and episode eleven, "The Swedish Tiger." Because when Upstairs, Downstairs first aired in the United States in 1973 what was shown was a weird hybrid of season one and season two where the twenty-six episodes where reduced down to thirteen. Obviously some of this had to do with the fact that the first six episodes were in black and white because of the Colour Strike with only the pilot being reshot for color. But still, that is A LOT of story to omit. So American audiences could have turned to this book written by John Hawkesworth, who turned Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins's idea into the beloved show and produced the series and wrote twelve episodes of it as well. But the thing is, John Hawkesworth wasn't an author he was a screenwriter, so this book comes across more like a script treatment, where the dialogue is bulked out with minimal descriptors. So there's no insight and without the actors imbuing their characters with life they come across as flat and unlikable. In fact the omission of "A Cry for Help" in particular was detrimental to the understanding of Richard Bellamy's character. This lack of insight made the book feel more antagonistic, more us versus them instead of one household working together. What did work was the added history. Upstairs, Downstairs was known for it's incorporation of historical events, which occasionally verged on the preachy side with their teachable moments. I know everyone seems to love the episode "A Patriotic Offering" about Belgian refugees, but I've never liked it, mainly because of Hudson's racism. Though overall the extra bit of background, especially about the dreadnoughts, was welcomed. This is just such an odd book because it flattens some aspects and invigorates others, especially when the characters are away from the house. But in the end the problem is there is no arc to the book because there was no arc to the show. This book makes me simultaneously want to binge the show once more but also to never watch it again. It shows the ups and downs of the series rather well and, well, by the end of the book you could see even John Hawkesworth wanted it to come to an end as the episode dramatizations got shorter and brusquer. He just wanted it over with and regrettably so did I.

Monday, February 23, 2026

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Dive into the dark underbelly of England's most ancient university, where behind closed doors a circle of privileged students enter into a dark pagan ritual - one that holds tantalizing power and comes at a terrible price.​

When practical, unassuming second-year student Emma Curran wins an exciting research fellowship, she is ushered into the glittering debauchery of the University elite. There, she falls for the devastating, aristocratic Jasper Balfour, leader of the all-male Turnbull Club: a shadowy secret society that has created centuries of Britain's leaders, power brokers and history-makers.

One night, the Turnbulls propose a sinister little game: a fox hunt. The women run. The men chase. And Emma finds herself fleeing for her life through the streets, hunted by the boy she loves.

Torn from her ordinary life and trapped in a dangerous, otherworldly realm, Emma awakens transformed. No longer mortal, she's become something beastly. And now she must summon every ounce of cunning and ferocity to save herself."

A fox hunt is always dangerous.

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones, comes a slasher story where a teen prank goes very wrong and all hell breaks loose in a small town. Winner of both the 2020 Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Awards!

We thought we'd play a fun prank on her, and now most of us are dead.

One last laugh for the summer as it winds down. One last prank just to scare a friend. Bringing a mannequin into a theater is just some harmless fun, right? Until it wakes up. Until it starts killing.

Luckily, Sawyer has a plan. He'll be a hero. He'll save everyone to the best of his ability. He'll do whatever he needs to so he can save the day.

That's the thing about heroes - sometimes you have to become a monster first."

And this is why no one should do pranks. Especially on me.

Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this debut gothic fantasy, a young woman who can see the dead strikes a deal with the magnetic and dangerous Saint of Silence, a purveyor of dark secrets, to save her brother's life - the first book of a trilogy.

Three years ago, Leena Al-Sayer awoke with a terrible power.

She can see the dead.

Since then, she has hidden herself away from the world, knowing that if she ever reveals her curse she will be locked up in an asylum.

When her beloved brother, Rami, falls fatally ill, Leena is faced with a terrible choice: Let him die or buy the expensive medicine that will save his life by bartering the only valuable thing she has - her secret.

The Saint of Silence, a ruthless merchant who trades in confessions and is shrouded in unearthly rumors of cruelty and power, accepts her bargain, for a deadly price. Leena must find the ghost of Percival Avon, the last lord of Weavingshaw - or lose her freedom to the Saint forever.

As Leena's search takes her and the Saint to Weavingshaw, she finds the estate and the surrounding moors to be living things - hungry for blood and sacrifice. Fighting against Weavingshaw's might, Leena must also fight her growing pull toward the enigmatic Saint himself, whose connection to Percival Avon remains a mystery.

As the house begins to entomb them, time is running out on their desperate hunt for answers.

For Leena has come to see that here in Weavingshaw, the dead are not hushed - and some secrets are better left buried with them."

There are some places where gifted people should never go. When they do that makes the most dramatic of stories.

The Secret World of Maggie Grey by Granger
Published by: Podium Publishing
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 330 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This is the Underground. We go by a different set of rules here - ones steeped in magic, history, and well...blood.

Maggie Grey always dismissed her grandmother's tales as superstition. Bedtime stories of vampiric priests, midnight covens, and secret conjurers from her youth during the Civil Rights Era. Even Maggie's stark white hair felt like nothing more than an inherited quirk. But when her grad school presentation retelling those stories catches the interest of her professor, she discovers the truth buried within them. He directs Maggie to Drew Collins University, a hidden HBCU beneath the streets of Atlanta where the legends come to life.

At DCU, necromancy is a major, students with claws and fangs roam the campus, and Maggie leans on a new circle of unlikely allies: Souxie, a mysterious priestess; Asha, a scarred siren; Isis, a water-bending nymph; and Quan, a snarky talking cat. Soon, Maggie learns she comes from the most feared bloodline in the Underground: the First Family, a lineage of vampires whose power has haunted the community for generations. That makes her not only dangerous but a target, especially to Namir, the sharp-eyed werewolf whose family has long despised hers. Distrust simmers between them, even as an undeniable pull grows harder to ignore.

When a murder shatters the campus, suspicion lands on Maggie. Not just because of what she is but because of the family she comes from. In a world where legacy is everything, hers might be the deadliest of all."

Be wary of the tales grandmother's tell, there is always truth.

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 544 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A devastating love story. A bewitching twist on history. A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption.

In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the terrible Beast of Gévaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake.

Sebastian knows the Beast. A monster-slayer with centuries of experience, he joined the hunt for the creature twenty years ago and watched it slaughter its way through a long and bloody winter. Even with the help of his indwelling demon, Sarmodel - who takes payment in living hearts - it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down.

Now, two decades later, Sebastian has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d'Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. Drawn by both the chance to finish the Beast for good and the promise of a reconciliation with Antoine, Sebastian cannot refuse.

But Gévaudan is not as he remembers it, and Sebastian's unfinished business is everywhere he looks. Years of misery have driven the people to desperation, and France teeters on the edge of revolution. Sebastian's arcane activities - not to mention his demonic counterpart - have also attracted the inquisitorial eye of the French clergy. And the Beast is poised to close his jaws around them all and plunge the continent into war.

Debut author Cameron Sullivan tears the heart out of history with this darkly entertaining retelling of the hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan. Lifting the veil on the hidden world behind our own, it reimagines the story of Europe, from Imperial Rome to Saint Jehanne d'Arc, the madness of Gilles de Rais and the first flickers of the French Revolution."

I can't NOT read a book about the embers of the French Revolution and the Beast of Gévaudan!

The Ghost Women by Jennifer Murphy
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mysterious art academy in the woods, a deck of ancient tarot cards, a centuries-old secret.

On a hot August morning in 1972, the body of Abel Montague, a student at St. Luke's Institute of the Arts, is found hanging from a tree in the forest. An ancient Hanged Man tarot card is found in the back pocket of his pants and his body has been positioned into the exact pose illustrated on the card.

When Detective Lola Germany arrives at St. Luke's - a former monastery that once housed a secret order of monks who carried out witch trials and executions - she believes they are dealing with a ritualistic murder. While interviewing school administrators and Abel's classmates, Lola discovers Abel's live-in girlfriend, Pearl, seems shaken but also might be hiding something - along with her group of friends who call themselves witches.

When more students are found dead, each body arranged like a tarot card, Lola realizes she is trapped in a web of power and ambition that spans centuries. Soon the lines between past and present, spiritual and tangible, begin to blur, and the only way to survive is to seek answers from places she never imagined."

Jennifer Murphy had me and murder victim posed to look like tarot card.

Trust No One by James Rollins
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling master of international intrigue comes a shocking new stand-alone thriller that thrusts a group of university students, falsely accused of murder, into a treacherous hunt across Europe, all to unlock the secrets buried within a centuries-old book that could change humankind forever.

Knowledge can be magic - until it falls into the wrong hands.

The ritualistic murder of a British professor at the University of Exeter points to a startling cast of suspects: his own students. All are enrolled in a postgraduate program covering the history of witchcraft, folklore, and spiritualism.

All evidence points to Sharyn Karr - an American student. Prior to the professor's death, he had thrust a centuries-old book upon her. It appears to be the handwritten and encrypted diary of an eighteenth-century mystic and occultist, the Comte de Saint-Germain. The professor begged her to keep the text safe, ending with a warning: Trust no one.

Such a responsibility forces her into cooperation with Duncan Maxwell, a fellow postgrad and the sixteenth in line to the British Crown. Already, Duncan has proven himself a savant with encryptions. Unfortunately, the pair clash at every level, but they both need one another. Especially when they discover the book's opening words: Herein lies the secret to my immortality. Come find me, if you dare.

As dark forces close upon the pair, she and her friends are forced to flee, pursued by law enforcement and hunted by a powerful cabal. In an explosive chase across Europe - from the Tower of London to Parisian chateaus to a fortress in the Italian Alps - Sharyn must learn the true secret hidden in Saint-Germain's text. It will send her and the others across history and deep into the heart of one of the world's greatest mysteries, a secret buried at the roots of Western Civilization, a discovery that could topple empires and change humanity forever.

For what lies at the end of Saint-Germain's diary is as shocking as its opening words."

I mean, this ticks all the boxes for me and adds a nice little twist in that the British university isn't Oxford or Cambridge.

What Happened That Night by Nicci French
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From international bestselling master of suspense Nicci French comes a hair-raising locked-room thriller about a group of old university friends with a killer in their midst.

Old friends, new secrets, one deadly reunion.

Tyler Green, convicted of murdering his friend Leo at a student house party in 1993, has been released after almost three decades in prison. He has always protested his innocence.

On a warm evening in London, Tyler summons eight of his university friends who were present on that fateful night. Is it just a reunion - or something else? With wine - and accusations - flowing liberally, the reunion descends into violent chaos, and one friend will end the night with their throat slit in the upstairs bedroom…the same way that Leo's was in 1993.

When Detective Inspector Maud O'Connor gets called to investigate, she has her own doubts about Tyler's guilt, despite what his old friends, the rest of the Metropolitan Police Force, and even the Home Secretary would like her to believe...."

I mean, I know Tyler probably wanted to find out the truth, but this was a recipe for a repeat of the original disaster. 

How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""If you picked up this book because you truly want to get away with murder, you will not be disappointed. Simply turn the page and we'll get started."

This fresh debut thriller finds a Scotland Yard detective trying to find the author of a self-help book that promises quite literally to teach readers how to get away with murder, which seems to have inspired London's newest murderer.

Detective Inspector Samantha Hansen has been on leave for six months, recovering from a breakdown she suffered at work, but when a fourteen-year-old girl is murdered in a local park, Sam jumps at the chance to return to the job and prove that she's still got what it takes to be the Yard's most successful homicide detective. One of the case's only leads is a copy of a self-help book found in the victim's backpack called How To Get Away With Murder by a man named Denver Brady.

Brady claims to be the most successful serial killer of our time, which is why no one's ever heard of him. Chapter by chapter, he details his methodology and his past victims, and as Sam's investigation progresses and the details of the book go viral, Sam begins to suspect that there's more to the author than what he's revealed. But in order to find a killer and get justice for young Charlotte, Sam must learn to trust her instincts once again, before Denver Brady - or someone else - really does get away with murder."

I mean, Denver Brady is the prime suspect.

Finders Keepers by Natalie Barelli
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""Dear Diary. Today I'm going to kill her. Love, Rose."

When Rose discovers her troubled past splashed across the pages of a bestselling book, she knows her carefully constructed life is about to unravel.

The author, Emily Harper, claims the story is fiction, but Rose knows better. Desperate to find out how Emily discovered her deepest secrets, Rose ingratiates herself into the author's life, posing as an eager assistant and adoring fan.

But as Rose gets closer to the truth, long-buried memories resurface. Slowly, the horrifying events of her teenage years come into focus, revealing that sometimes, the people you trust the most are the ones you should be most afraid of."

Personally I'd just kill the author and move on with my life...

The Whisking Hour by Ellie Alexander
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Another delicious installment in Ellie Alexander's Bakeshop Mysteries set in Ashland, OR!

Fall is in full flush in the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, and baker Juliet Capshaw is excited to celebrate the season with a night at the theatre. Lance Rousseau, Ashland's renowned theater director and one of Jules' closest friends, has put his own spin on a production of the Broadway classic Perfect Crime, drawing the audience into a cozy New York apartment as a nefarious set of suspects pulls off the perfect murder. As the final show approaches, Jules and the team at Torte are eagerly whipping up a murderous feast for the cast party, baking a bevy of treats like panna cotta eyeballs with blood orange coulis, deviled eggs, and savory cheese fingers with pumpkin dipping sauce.

On the day of the soirée, life seems to imitate art when a storm rolls over the Siskiyou Mountains, ushering in gusty winds and unrelenting rain. The audience buzzes with electric energy as the lights flicker and the actors take the stage. After the actors take their final bow, the cast trickles into Carpenter Hall, ready for a night of frivolity. But when an actor is discovered dead in his dressing room, Jules wonders if she's just witnessed the real perfect murder."

I LOVE murder mysteries surrounding am-dram!

Book for Trouble by Jenn McKinlay
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's all hands on deck when a dead body is found near the small town of Briar Creek in this Library Lover's Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of A Merry Little Murder Plot.

Just off the shores of the coastal Connecticut town of Briar Creek are two small islands, which library director Lindsey Norris visits with her new book-boat, inspired by the bookmobiles she's seen traveling across the country. Nothing, not even the infamous feud between the families who own the Split Islands, can stop Lindsey from getting books into the hands of readers. But when Lindsey and her boat captain husband, Mike Sullivan, discover a body on the rocky outcropping of one of the islands, Lindsey's new library venture quickly becomes a murder investigation.

At news of the crime, hostilities between the two families are reignited. Long buried secrets are revealed, tensions spark, and suspects abound. As Lindsey navigates treacherous waters (both literal and metaphorical), she must use her research skills and community ties to solve the murder and bring peace to the islands before her book-boat dreams are sunk."

Oh, I want a book-boat please! Like one of those canal barges in England.

The Girl and the Gravedigger by Oliver Pötzsch
Published by: HarperVia
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When the mummified remains of a famed Egyptologist are discovered in the Vienna art museum, Inspector Leopold von Herzfeldt reunites with gravedigger Augustin Rothmayer to excavate the city's dark underbelly in this thrilling historical mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hangman's Daughter and The Gravedigger's Almanac.

Vienna 1894. Augustin Rothmayer, the oddball gravedigger from Vienna's Central Cemetery, is approached by Inspector Leopold von Herzfeldt with an unusual favor: he needs Augustin to teach him everything he knows about preserving a dead body, information vital to a new investigation.

Opening an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, employees of Vienna's Museum of Art History have discovered the well- (and quite recently) preserved body of Alfons Strössner, famed professor of Egyptology. Some believe that the professor was the victim of an ancient curse. But neither Rothmayer nor von Herzfeldt give credence to such superstitious rumors. They are certain it was murder.

The trail to unmask a killer leads them to fin-de-siecle Vienna's unscrupulous upper class and to some eccentric and unusual places, including "mummy parties" and human zoos. An engrossing and twisting historical mystery, The Girl and the Gravedigger once again brings turn-of-the-century Vienna to life in all its glitter and grime."

I love me a good mummy party. And by good mummy party I mean there has to be a murder. And preferably a "fresh" mummy.

Murder by Moonrise by Patrice McDonough
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"London's first woman doctor and a skeptical Scotland Yard detective find their holidays sidelined by a murderer threatening the royal family in this historically rich, gritty mystery set in Victorian London.

1867: For commoners and nobility alike, the Isle of Wight is an ideal holiday destination. Queen Victoria and her family frequently spend time at Osborne House, their stunning coastal residence. For the next few days the island will also be home to Dr. Julia Lewis, who is traveling with her grandfather and her great-aunt. But despite the pleasant surroundings, Julia is beset by worries.

Julia and Inspector Richard Tennant grew close during their last investigation, but he abruptly left England on a dangerous chase. She has heard nothing from him in weeks; meanwhile her maid, Kate, is nervous about rising anti-Irish sentiment. Editorials call for harsh retaliation against those determined to rid Ireland of British rule.

When Julia is called to perform an autopsy on drowning victim Lizzie Dowling, a young, Irish-born servant at Osborne House and a favorite of Princess Louise, she discovers that the girl was pregnant. Was her death a suicide? The distraught princess is eager for answers, and as Julia digs deeper, a second tragedy points to murder and perhaps a political scandal. There are rumors of smugglers funneling weapons to Ireland - and assassins who would target the Queen herself.

Motives abound but time is in short supply - and every day brings deeper urgency and threats that neither riches nor royalty may withstand..."

If a murder is on an island there have to be smugglers involved. I don't make the rules, but that is a rule.

White River Crossing by Ian McGuire
Published by: Crown
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A breathtaking and cinematic novel about the lust for gold and its bloody consequences, set in the unforgiving landscape of the sub-Arctic Canadian wilderness, from the acclaimed author of The North Water.

A ragged fur peddler arrives at a remote outpost of the Hudson Bay Company in the winter of 1766 with a lump of gold, claiming that there is plenty more like it further north at a place called Ox Lake. The outpost's chief factor, Magnus Norton, dreams of instant riches and launches a secret and perilous expedition to find the treasure and bring it back.

Led by a family of native guides, the party of prospectors includes Norton's brutish deputy, John Shaw, and Thomas Hearn, the insular and intellectual first mate from the factory's whaling sloop. During their long journey north, Shaw's callousness and arrogance lead him to commit an act of sexual violence whose disastrous consequences will only fully emerge once they reach their final destination. There, amidst the bleak beauty of the Barren Grounds, as Norton's carefully crafted plans begin to fall apart and the brutal arctic winter starts to descend, Hearn is forced to make a choice that will define his character and determine his future forever.

Utterly captivating, White River Crossing transports us back to the furthest edges of the eighteenth-century British empire where two radically different worlds - indigenous and European - collide with calamitous and deadly results."

Jack London meets The Luminaries

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Cleopatra tells her own story in this evocative and sensuous historical epic from the bestselling and award-winning author of Faebound and The Final Strife.

YOU KNOW MY NAME, BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.

Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love's thrall.

Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves.

Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children.

How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, and divinely blessed to rule.

Death will silence me no longer.

This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived."

Here for all things Cleopatra! ALL THINGS!

The Calico Cat at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Follow the seashell path along Tokyo Bay until you get to the Chibineko Kitchen, where a traditional Japanese meal can summon anyone you choose from your past, but only for as long as it continues to steam...for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, The Midnight Library, and Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away.

If you could speak one last time to someone you've lost, what would you tell them?

One sunny morning, the Chibineko Kitchen opens its doors to Nagi, a young woman facing an impossible choice: Should she marry her boyfriend, despite knowing she has only a few years left to live? Desperate for advice from her mother, who died years ago, she hopes that one of the Chibineko Kitchen's fabled meals will work its magic.

Such is the promise that attracts three others to the restaurant: an anxious man rebuilding his life after shutting himself away for years, a lonely widow unaware that she is surrounded by friends, and a theater director hoping to rekindle his career after a tragic accident. In the company of Kai, the Chibineko Kitchen's chef; Kotoko, who has experienced the miracle of the restaurant and now works there; and Chibi, the resident kitten, each sits down to a meal of uncanny personal meaning that has the potential to reunite them with a departed loved one - and to remind them what matters most in life.

Menu
Tofu no Misozuke: Miso-marinated tofu
Buta Bara no Kara-age: Fried pork belly
Iwashi no Kabayaki-don: Soy-glazed sardines on rice
Shime no Kare: Curry using leftover hotpot"

I mean, who doesn't love a feel good book that also comes with it's own menu?

The Iron Garden Sutra by A.D. Sui
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: February 24th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Klara and the Sun meets S. A. Barnes's Dead Silence with a touch of Becky Chambers' A Psalm for the Wild-Built in Nebula Award-winning author A.D. Sui's darkly philosophical, locked room murder mystery, as a death monk and a team of researchers trapped onboard a spaceship of the dead encounter something beyond human understanding...

Vessel Iris has devoted himself to the Starlit Order, performing funeral rites for the dead across the galaxy, guiding souls back into the Infinite Light. Despite the meaning he finds in his work and the comfort of AI companionship, his relationships with the living leave him longing for deeper connection.

The spaceship Counsel of Nicaea has been lost for more than a thousand years, its passengers reduced to dust and bone. A relic of Earth's dying past, its sudden appearance has attracted a team of academics eager to investigate its archeological history. And Iris has been assigned to bring peace to the crew's long departed souls.

Carpeted in moss and intertwined with vines, Nicaea is more forest than ship. Iris's religious rituals are met with bemusement by the scientists - and outright hostility by engineer Yan Fukui.

But the plant life isn't the only sentience to have survived in the past millennia. Something onboard is stalking the explorers one by one. And Iris with his AI enhancement may be their only hope for survival...

IN OUTER SPACE NO ONE CAN HEAR YOUR PRAYERS"

I LOVE Gothic space horrors! 

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