The Whitechapel Full Moon Society by Elizabeth DeLozier
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Set in Victorian London during Jack the Ripper's reign of terror, this gripping, original novel is perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Dana Schwartz, and Sarah Penner.
When Caroline Foster arrives at the Whitechapel Full Moon Society in search of her missing brother, she finds a dilapidated façade belying an interior as opulent as any exclusive gentlemen's club. In exchange for room and board, Caroline is hired as the Full Moon's maid, where she is given three orders: don't ask personal questions, stay out of the iron-barred room on the second floor, and remain in her bedroom from sunup to sundown on the full moon.
But when it is revealed that the previous maid was murdered - an early victim of Jack the Ripper - and her brother has left behind no answers, only more questions, Caroline begins to suspect her hosts might be hiding something. As more bodies turn up with a connection to the Society, Caroline fears she may have unwittingly stumbled into a bedtime story, the kind with monsters and curses, family secrets and ancient lore.
Tantalizing and pulsing, Elizabeth DeLozier's sophomore novel gives an exciting alternative look into the infamous Jack the Ripper story with a major, supernatural twist."
Ripperologist glee is vying with historical fantasy glee for dominance!
Demons and Diplomacy by Megan Frampton
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A tantalizing pact between an ordinary woman and the silver-tongued son of the Devil is all that stands between Britain - and all hell breaking loose.
1851, London. All supernatural species have emerged from hiding, a result of The Great Revelation, led by Her Majesty, the vampiric Queen Victoria, and her dhamphir consort, Prince Albert.
Cora Hastings is the British government's Species Ombudsman, a human tasked with keeping the peace between supernatural creatures. It's run-of-the-mill work: enforcing the newly created shifting parameters, negotiating contracts between species, and generally making certain all Londoners are treated equally.
That is, until the Devil himself decides he wants to leave his hellish home and see the results of Prince Albert's greatest accomplishment, the Great Exhibition. His arrival could upset the uneasy peace between creatures, and worse - he's brought his son.
The Marquis of Hell is diabolically good-looking, unnaturally perceptive, and, well, a demon. Cora navigates her sinfully seductive diplomatic assignment as best she can, until she catches wind of a secret conspiracy set to come to fruition at the opening of the Great Exhibition. This leaves her with an impossible choice: Either Cora enters an unholy alliance with the Devil's son, or she watches as her world is torn asunder...."
A little more hellish Checquy.
The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan by M.H. Foster
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The Demon Overlord retires to farm turnips in peace, only to find life in a small village far more chaotic than he ever could have anticipated in this laugh-out-loud debut cozy fantasy with teeth.
When destroying the world and killing the hero grows boring, what's a Demon Overlord to do but quit while he's ahead?
Galornus Prime was the Scourge of Nations, Ender of Hope, and Master of the Cardinal Sins. He had done everything worth doing. Some of it more than once.
His retirement plan was simple: get a goat, farm quietly, and avoid accidentally conquering anything. The plan didn't include soul-crushing town halls, after-school combat lessons with children, and a war with perhaps his most worthy nemesis yet: the rose-growing, seventy-three year-old widow next door.
Even in retirement, evil never sleeps...but it does plant turnips.
When corrupt officials and greedy merchants threaten his infuriatingly loveable neighbors, Galornus faces a new kind of challenge: saving the village without revealing he is the monster parents invoke to make children eat their vegetables.
The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan is a cozy fantasy with teeth, where the hardest battle isn't defeating heroes - it's staying retired and learning how to live after 444 lifetimes of villainy."
Replace turnips with radishes and it's disturbing that I think this is my Dad's retirement plan.
Heir of Prophecy by Analeigh Sbrana
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"She's a woman bound by fate, torn between two prophecies.
He's the Prince of the underworld, fated to either claim her or end her life.
Defying destiny is one thing...the heart, another.
Magic has always been at the periphery of Audra's life. As a human, she knows that magic exists, but it's as distant as the legends she grew up with. Until one day, magic returns, bringing with it the all too real Fae and upending Audra's life entirely.
Abducted by a cult of fae Priestesses, Audra finds herself conscripted into a magical war academy. The only hope of surviving this new world filled with guilds, magic, and danger is to band together with a group of her fellow prisoners. Though unlike the others, Audra's burgeoning magic is erratic and violent - just as the prophecy foretold. She must discover what it means to be the Heir, but time is running out. The Priestesses know the Heir moves among them, and they're determined to root them out, no matter what it takes.
As she struggles to mask her power, Audra's plagued by visions of a dark, seductive being with a conflicting truth. He doesn't want to save the world; he plans to reclaim it.
Now, Audra must choose: become the savior the cult demands or the catalyst the vision promises."
Kinda sucks to have only two options, neither good.
The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls by Jessica Spotswood
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In this gothic historical tale, two girls must uncover the secrets of their haunted home before it's too late.
The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls has long stood as a place of secrets. The estate has housed hundreds of young women hidden away during their pregnancies, their homesick cries echoing through the halls, providing a haunting score to Grace Harrow's childhood.
Now, in the summer of 1947, the Home has been sold to a wealthy hotelier. Grace expects the new owner's daughters to be spoiled. Yet Rose, the eldest daughter - unaware of Mr. Harrow's abusive tendencies - is jealous of Grace's seemingly easy confidence. But as they're drawn into each other's lives, an unlikely friendship begins to form. Fortunately so, because not all of the wayward girls made it out...
One still lingers. Lurking in the shadows. Looking for vengeance.
To expose the truth buried in the walls of the Harrow Home, Grace and Rose must unravel a legacy of silence and cruelty. But Grace's father will stop at nothing to keep the past hidden, and if the truth comes to light, it could destroy both their families."
Harrow and Gothic just got together like peanut butter and jelly.
Portrait of a Witch Undone K.S. Shay
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Thirteen stolen works of art. One haunted marsh.
And a Boston witch willing to risk everything for the friend she's already failed.
An atmospheric, eerie debut for readers of Starling House and A Discovery of Witches, Isabella Stewart Gardner art heist aficionados, witchy girls, burnt-out former gifted kids, New England history buffs, the coven curious, ride-or-die friends, folklore fanatics, and anyone who's ever wanted to wander through the looking glass.
Once, Maeve Ryan was the strongest witch of her generation. But Maeve messed up a spell to contact the Lady of the Fens, an eerie Revenant who lures the unwary to their deaths in the brackish marshlands of the North Shore. Maeve destroyed her reputation, hurt her best friend Ash, and tainted herself with unbound, wild magic that transforms witches into insane Revenants.
With unbound power eating away at Maeve's mind, all she wants is to get rid of her magic. Forever. But Ash's research into how the spell went awry leads in an unexpected direction: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and a link between the Lady and a decades-old art theft worth $500 million. When Ash disappears through a stolen painting's empty frame, Maeve has to follow.
Inside is the Other Marsh, a haunting, deadly realm where only the Lady's rules apply. Within this half-world lie secrets about North Shore's history, Maeve's failure, and the fate of the masterpieces that disappeared over three decades ago. But as Maeve fights toward the truth, she risks her friendship, her coven, and her life against enemies hiding in plain sight."
I love true crime meets fantasy, I hate that hand coming out of the picture frame. It cheapens the cover.
The Night Pool by Lauren Lee Smith
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The Night Pool is a blood-soaked, page-turning horror set in the Gold Rush West, where three women must battle monsters both human and inhuman to survive - perfect for fans of Alma Katsu's The Hunger and Victor LaValle's Lone Women.
The American West is no safe haven for women - least of all in the Gold Rush town of Coloma, California. Not for Clara Tice, the blacksmith's strange and stubborn daughter. Not for Mei, the healer whose calm presence in the makeshift camp for Chinese immigrants contrasts sharply with her brother's hard-eyed pursuit of riches. And certainly not for Haloke, a Nisenan shaman's granddaughter whose native village has been devastated by smallpox, hunger, and the relentless greed of Outsiders.
One night, Clara and Haloke meet at the river's edge and watch in horror as Clementine Cobbs, the town beauty, is lured across the water. Together they witness something terrible in the Night Pool. Soon after, an unseen attacker descends upon the mining men of Coloma, abandoning heartless bodies one by one. As the gruesome killings in Coloma threaten to incite further violence, Clara, Haloke, and Mei find themselves unlikely allies - without the gangs, guns, or bravado of the men who claim Coloma's riches. The three women must work together to confront the evil that menaces them from both monsters and men.
A gripping tale of sisterhood, vengeance, and survival, The Night Pool explores the horrors of greed and lust, and the hidden strength of the most vulnerable among us."
Female supernatural Deadwood? Sign me up.
The Unheld by Luke Larkin
Published by: Hyperion Avenue
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Startling monsters and occult oddities abound in this chilling horror Western as a girl journeys across the haunted Montana Territory to rescue her father from an otherworldly creature.
Charlie's life is a lonely one. While other twelve-year-olds are in school, she spends her days skinning the animals her mercurial father hunts in the woods just outside their cabin. And the woods and its twisted creatures - an owl with four wings, a boar with two heads, a fox with gills - are becoming stranger by the day.
One night, a nightmarish beast appears and drags Charlie's father into the wilderness. To find him, she enlists the aid of two unlikely allies also in search of the beast: an Englishman with a connection to a mysterious occult society and a Northern Cheyenne policeman exiled for a crime he didn't commit. Yet as the trio prepare for the confrontation with the beast, Charlie must decide if her father, a brusque man who has always withheld his affection, is ultimately worth saving.
With its blend of Western grit and supernatural menace, The Unheld is an unsettling and atmospheric horror novel about loneliness, human connection, and how we find each other in a world that seems designed to alienate. With this assured debut, Luke Larkin marks his arrival in the genre and proves the American frontier still harbors untapped stories in its shadows."
I love occult and supernatural stories in the American West. And yet it's an undeserved love.
Any More Questions for the Corpse? by J.J. Unthank
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When a young necromancer investigates a string of deaths in the hidden magical capital of England, the dead come back to haunt him - in more ways than one.
Twenty-one-year-old Malowin Gladstone was raised by the dead - two skeletons to be precise. While his parents keep a close eye-socket on him, he just wants to get through the rest of university without using any more of his much-loathed necromancy. A hope that gets all the more difficult when he's recruited by a secret Order to hunt a serial killer.
Dunwich, the hidden magical capital of England, has its fair share of oddities, its most recent being a series of murders that have the police at a dead end. But Detective Walters has an unorthodox suggestion. Who better to find a killer than someone who can talk to the dead? He proposes that Mal use his necromancy for good and solve the case before it goes stone-cold.
As more bodies begin to drop, Mal befriends several misfits who help him unearth the culprit. Among them, Des, a fledgling vampire; Hala, a magical empath; and Yu, a shapeshifting genius.
The team put their unique set of skills to the task, but as they get closer to digging up the truth, the group's ghosts come back to haunt them, and the killer won't rest until they're all dead and buried."
I mean, you think you're embrace being a necromancer if you were raised by skeletons. Perhaps it's the whole rebellion angle....
The Burn by Jonathan Sims
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From the dark and twisted mind behind the podcast sensation The Magnus Archives comes a suffocating, socially charged nightmare that reveals how fear festers in the cracks of everyday life...
Beneath the streets of London, it hungers...
It's the hottest summer on record and the city is suffering. Prices are high, pay is low. And on one fateful morning five travelers find themselves trapped in a tube car deep in the London Underground.
It will change their lives forever.
By the time they leave the train they will be bound together as witnesses to a single horrific event. Something terrible, irreversible, and monstrous. Something hungry.
But they can't remember what it is.
On their own, they each begin to experience strange dissociative events. Time gets lost. Friends disappear. Something stalks them in the shadows. They make an unlikely team, but to remember what they encountered that day on the train, they will have to work together. Because now it's up to them to understand what horror they saw - and stop it in its tracks before it drags everyone else down below."
If Ben Aaronovitch did shit-your-pants horror.
The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From "modern Agatha Christie" (The Sunday Times, London) Janice Hallett, a follow-up to her blockbuster debut novel The Appeal, featuring the Fairway Players as they put on Agatha Christie's play The Hollow and find themselves embroiled in murder, blackmail, and betrayal once again.
Welcome back to Lower Lockwood. The Fairway Players return with Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald as committee cochairs. This year, they have chosen to stage Agatha Christie's The Hollow. But auditions aren't their only problem: Sarah-Jane's sister, Nicky-Rose, is suddenly back in town under mysterious circumstances, having sold her home in Barbados, left her business providing entertainment on cruise ships, and moved back into their mother Carol's house.
As always, they're short on men, and new Player Fran Elroy-Jones enlists a young married couple and the husband's cousin to join. But no one wants to play the part of the hated Gerda, leaving Kevin and Sarah-Jane with no option but to reach out to an old member they know would be happy to perform in any role.
As with any production, tensions run high, and our intrepid lawyers Femi and Charlotte are tasked with uncovering exactly what happened on the opening night of The Hollow - and whether the correct person has taken the blame."
Never trust the veteran player who comes in at the last moment. They will die or they will kill.
The Woman Who Wouldn't Die Quietly by Katarina Bivald
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When DCI Ian Ahmed agrees - reluctantly - to convalesce on a remote island in the Stockholm archipelago, he expects nothing more than bitter winds, silence, and boredom. But just across the bay, a sleek, modern house stirs to life. Staff arrive in dark clothing, cleaning and prepping with military precision. And then Margrethe Cullenberg-Franzén appears - legend of the art world, notorious matriarch, and, as Ian soon learns, a woman used to bending the world to her will. She's come to the island to celebrate her eightieth birthday, dragging her fractious, resentful family with her - and inviting Ian and his enigmatic hostess, Berit Gardner, along for the ride.
But before the candles are blown out, Margrethe is dead - fallen from the cliff into the frigid sea during a stormy night. Accident? Suicide? Ian is certain it was murder. Trapped in a landscape of muted colors and long, creeping shadows, he and Berit begin to unravel the toxic family secrets festering behind Margrethe's imposing legacy. As winter deepens and the ice seals the island in silence, the question echoes louder: who stood to gain the most from the matriarch's fall? And how long will the killer wait before striking again?"
Exactly how remote is this island? Because, once you start it's easier for a killer to just do the lot.
A Body in the B and B by Katie Marsh
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: eBook, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"It's a perfect location for...murder.
When sisters Jennifer and Lizzie Christie inherit their aunt's dilapidated B and B, in the beautiful Lake District village of Lupton Water, the only thing they have in common is how much they hate their housemate, a Declan Moss.
The two of them fell out thirty years before, and now they're mid-life, mid-menopause, and about to be mid-disaster. And not just because Jennifer's cat Clementine and Rose's dog Gizmo have taken an instant dislike to each other.
But when Declan's body is found in the bathtub, the sisters are top of the suspect list. Can they and their pets bury the hatchet long enough to find out who the killer is? Or will they become the next victims?
The first in the Christie Sisters Mysteries series, perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton and Faith Martin."
A bed and breakfast always make me think of murder. Which is why I don't frequent them.
The Bravest Hour by Anna Lee Huber
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"British Intelligence Agent Verity Kent managed to survive four years of The Great War, slipping in and out of German-occupied Belgium and northeastern France, dodging serious consequences or capture. But as she faces her most dangerous - and devastating - challenge yet, her luck may have run out. Hopefully, her resilience has not...
November 1920. Dublin, Ireland. Verity's efforts to foil a contemptible plot by the traitorous Lord Ardmore and save countless lives - as well as the British government's reputation - has exposed her to detrimental scrutiny, bringing her contact with the Irish rebels to light. Crushingly, she finds herself incarcerated in Dublin Castle, the "Dread Bastille," where she must withstand interrogation from her own countrymen.
Despite her circumstances, Verity knows better than to talk - though decrying Ardmore to his face would be more than satisfying. For once again he has escaped culpability, scapegoating his associates. Her only hope is intervention from her shadowy superior. And yet, when rescue finally comes, Verity finds herself changed by what she has endured, perhaps for the worst.
Still, there's no time for respite or healing. Ardmore's latest nefarious objectives go beyond mere treason. Allegiances are shifting as the war between the Irish Republican Army and the British reaches a new fever pitch. If Ardmore is to be brought down, Verity and her husband, Sidney, must gather all the allies they can for one last stand.
But just when victory seems assured, one shocking and vicious turn of events changes everything. Now Verity must decide where her loyalty lies. And it may not be on the same side as the man she's loved to the grave and back."
Seeing as, while I'm an Anglophile, I am also of Irish descent, you can guess which side my loyalties lie with.
The Dazzling Magic of a Petit Four by Kathryn Rose
Published by: Chateau Boho Books, LLC
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 372 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Serena Vandenbusch arrives in Paris with a black cat on her shoulder and an urn in her arms. On the hunt for a secret mausoleum, she must be careful not to reveal her identity as a witch and finds refuge in a flower shop called Le Dahlia Noir, run by an older woman named Marie who also practices the craft. The era of jazz, cocktails, and the debauchery she knew from New York has followed her to Paris, and in early 1923, Serena is desperate to forget what happened on New Year's Eve and the tragedy that brought her to the City of Lights. But the past has not escaped Serena yet. Through the spellwork, potions, and tarot readings of Marie and her coven, Serena learns her past is on its way to find her, and though she has been able to lie low in Paris by selling charmed cakes that promise love, luck, and happiness, the time to find a secret mausoleum for the urn's final resting place is running out, and the only one who can help might very well be Alexandre, Serena's handsome customer with a secret of his very own. A cozy yet dark tale for fans of Practical Magic, The Great Gatsby, and Chocolat, The Dazzling Magic of a Petit Four is the perfect book for a wintery night full of love, magic, and desserts."
Serena Vandenbusch? Really!?! That's too Gossip Girl for me. To reminiscence of Serena van der Woodsen.
Murder at Rosecliff by Alyssa Maxwell
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When a troublemaking party crasher is found dead in a fountain during an elegant soiree in Newport, Rhode Island, newspaper editor Emma Cross Andrews must clear her own society reporter from suspicion of murder...
August 1903. Emma and her husband Derrick are among the men in white tie and tails and the women wearing white gowns from the House of Worth at Tessie Oelrichs's Bal Blanc, or White Ball, at Rosecliff, her grand cottage on Bellevue Avenue. There to cover the event of the season is young Ethan Merriman, society reporter for the Newport Messenger, the newspaper owned by Emma and Derrick.
It's an utterly charming affair until a stranger intrudes flaunting a green-striped necktie and matching vest in defiance of their hostess's theme. But his fashion crime is a mere misdemeanor compared to his intention to blackmail Mrs. Oelrichs by producing a compromising document supposedly signed by Tessie over a decade ago.
Insisting it's a forgery but terrified of scandal, she agrees to his terms, but the blackmailer will not live to see payday. His body is found face down in a fountain before the party's end. Beside him stands a very wet Ethan, who was seen being confronted by the man earlier in the evening. Coming to the aid of their luckless cub reporter, Emma and Derrick must sort through the white lies and blackened reputations to discover the identity of the true killer."
I've watched enough of The Gilded Age to know that that waistcoat led to his death.
Miss Morton Takes the Waters by Catherine Lloyd
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In Victorian England, Bath is the destination to restore a lady's health. But after accompanying Mrs. Frogerton to the spa town, a poison-pen campaign and a locked-room murder lead lady's companion Caroline Morton into troubled waters...
On the advice of her doctor, Mrs. Frogerton has arranged a visit to Bath to take the waters and regain her health and good spirits. While she reflects on her own next steps in light of her changing circumstances, Caroline goes with her to ensure the good lady's well-being. Daily life in Bath takes on a routine of its own, with visits to the spa interspersed with social occasions and new acquaintances, including a group of women who live on Queen Square and gather to drink tea, play cards, and gossip.
When it comes to light that some of the ladies are recipients of poison pen letters, a rejuvenated Mrs. Frogerton offers to help. Sorting through the social dynamics of the group for motive and opportunity, she talks with the ladies while Caroline questions their companions.
The situation becomes more grave when Lady Greatmere, the oldest and most unpleasant of the ladies, is discovered strangled in her own locked drawing room, a half-finished epistle on her dressing table suggesting she might be the author of the poison pen letters. As Lady Greatmere's companion falls under the suspicion of the Bath constabulary, Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton attempt to read between the lines to force the killer to come clean..."
Oh, a locked-room mystery!
Midnight at Pemberley by Regina Jeffers
Published by: Ulysses Press
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A gothic romance where passion defies death and Mr. Darcy's darkest secret could destroy him - and the woman he loves.
When Fitzwilliam Darcy arrives in Hertfordshire, his proud reserve hides a secret far darker than Elizabeth Bennet could ever imagine. Beneath his impeccable manners and quiet intensity lies a hunger that defies nature itself - and a past shadowed by loss, betrayal, and blood.
Drawn to the spirited Elizabeth despite every warning of danger, Darcy struggles to protect her from the truth of what he has become. But when the mysteries of Pemberley's moonlit halls begin to unravel, Elizabeth finds herself caught between desire and dread, uncovering a love powerful enough to challenge immortality itself.
From candlelit ballrooms to graveyards veiled in mist, Midnight at Pemberley transforms Jane Austen's classic tale into a sweeping gothic romance of passion, redemption, and forbidden desire. With her signature mastery of Regency detail and emotional depth, Regina Jeffers reimagines the world of Pride and Prejudice in a story where love is eternal - and eternity comes at a price."
Regency Magic! Muppet arm flail!
The Art of Charming a Changeling by Sylvie Cathrall
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A cozy slice-of-life romantic fantasy set in a Regency-inspired world where humans and fairies compete for artistic supremacy, from Sylvie Cathrall, author of A Letter to the Luminous Deep.
On her first day working in the prince's galleries, art conservator Florrie Hyverfell discovers that the most famous portrait in the collection is not only a fake - it's also inhabited by Vern, a fairy trapped in the forged painting.
Tracking down the stolen original is the only way for Florrie to save her job and for Vern to escape his canvas. Yet as they journey to a famed fairy museum to find the missing artwork, Florrie finds herself taking more than an art historical interest in the changeling painting's charming inhabitant."
This gives me chills. The child trapped in the painting in The Witches always terrified me.
Wolftamer by Maggie Rapier
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Legends don't die.
Saoirse and Faolan's quest for freedom turns into a battle for the fate of their entire world, in this aching and lush conclusion to the Magpie and the Wolf duology.
Faolan has escaped death. Twice.
After a lifetime chasing freedom and legends, he was finally on the brink of becoming one himself when it all went up in flames. Stranded on the Isle of Lost Souls, bound by an oath he did not make, Faolan is plagued by dreams of drowning and a past he swore never to revisit. The pirate in him wants nothing more than to raise hell and run away - but with no ship, and no way to untether his wife, Saoirse, from the land she's pledged herself to, Faolan is trapped.
And everyone knows who tamed the Wolf.
When their sinister rival King Maccus unveils an ancient godly relic - one with the power to unbalance their entire world - Faolan knows the game has changed. There's only one person who can hunt down the missing relics before Maccus can, and the Wolf of the Wild will do anything to protect his wife.
Even if that means leaving her behind."
Very Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.
Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher
Published by: Bramble
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author T. Kingfisher returns to the charming fantasy world of Swordheart in this delightful and unexpected new romantic adventure.
Learned Edmund, a disillusioned scholar, is transporting yet another precious relic from one stuffy temple to a different stuffy temple. Another great adventure for the ages...
But when Edmund is set upon by bandits, in desperation, he breaks the cardinal rule and grabs for the relic, an ancient sword. To his surprise, instead of unsheathing a rusty, ancient weapon, an alarmingly handsome man appears, wielding daggers of blue steel and cutting the thieves down.
This man is the Dervish, an immortal warrior who's been trapped for centuries in a sword of enchanted steel, and is angry as hell about it. He hates the curse that put him there, and he wants to hate Edmund, just as he has hated every wielder before him.
But the damned scholar is just so sweet and clever and kind. And while the Dervish may be able to protect Edmund from bandits, cultists, dragons, and strange inhuman diplomats, he may find it much harder to protect his own heart."
Aw, sexy sword man!
Brona by Terry Brooks and Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Return to the world of Shannara with the sequel to Galaphile, and discover how the seeds of the greatest evil that the Four Lands has ever known inadvertently grew out of Galaphile's dream for peace - from the New York Times bestselling authors Terry Brooks and Delilah S. Dawson.
Years have passed since Galaphile Joss and his life partner, Nirianne, established Paranor as a way to bring harmony to the Four Lands. Now their two sons are becoming men in a land of peace and plenty. Admittedly, it is a land that their eldest child, Abronja, finds rather boring. At sixteen, he longs for a way to prove himself - a chance to show he is every bit the equal of his famous father. But when the excitement he has been longing for materializes, it is in the form of an old evil: a dark sorcerer whom his father had defeated but not destroyed. And who is now back, stronger and deadlier than ever.
Galaphile has always dreaded this wicked resurgence - and not just because of what it means for the wider world. Abronja was conceived while the dark sorcerer had control of Nirianne, and Galaphile has always feared that a spark of malevolence lives on in his beloved child.
Abronja, for his part, is certain he will never be corrupted by evil. He is fully committed to his father's vision for peace and is determined to make his name by finally destroying the monster that has targeted his family. But tangling with dark magic is not a thing to be taken lightly - especially for a young man as yet untested in the ways of the world. And when the repercussions of this encounter could have consequences for centuries to come..."
Yikes. Those consequences are a bit dire. Centuries to come!?!
Tales of a Treacherous Fate by Jennifer Delaney
Published by: Diversion Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The darkness beneath never wished to be used at all. It simply wished to be free.
With trust fractured and our heroes separated across the burning face of Elysior, full-scale war looms closer. With Alma trapped in the clutches of the Countess, Kat, Emrys and Gideon must find a way to play the next game the Countess wishes to play in order to rescue her. Only time is running out and loyalties are a fickle thing as the surviving Fey are fleeing into the north, chased by the dark summoning of Montagor set on revenge.
New allies will be found in the strangest of places and ghosts from the past return to try and stop the next deadly twist in fates game.
But nothing is quite what it seems. As demons are unleashed upon the earth in their murderous legions, Kat and Emrys must call upon their very last resort for help...the Old Gods themselves.
For not all darkness is their enemy and fate is about to begin its final deadly game.
Tales of a Treacherous Fate concludes the Sunday Times bestselling gothic fantasy series that began with Tales of a Monstrous Heart - a sumptuous magical retelling of Jane Eyre, unmissable for fans of Rachel Gillig and Kaylie Smith."
Personally, I always worry that calling on the Old Gods means they're just going to destroy everything and start over.
Only One for the Orc by Isabelle Taylor
Published by: Harlequin
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A local bookshop employee falls hard for her polar opposite - who just happens to be an orc - in the second installment of Isabelle Taylor's Claw Haven monster romance series, perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes and Ruby Dixon.
In Claw Haven, Alaska, monsters are real - but fated mates? Bookseller Vi Harper doesn't believe, and it's up to one smitten orc to prove otherwise in this sweet and spicy romance.
Vi Harper is good at many things. Fixing problems for everyone in Claw Haven, for one. Keeping Sweethelm Bookstore running smoothly, for another. Above all, Vi is great at pretending she's got her life figured out. The truth is, she's a hot mess inside - especially when cocky, gorgeous orc Nick Wicker goads her in his infuriating way.
Nick has found his mate. That's the good news. The bad: he's already blown it. Every time Nick speaks to soft-spoken, overworked bookseller Vi, she seems to hate him even more. What's a lovestruck orc to do but stress-bake and look for some way to redeem himself? Even it means joining the book club.
Then a batch of apology brownies sparks one passionate night together and suddenly, sensible Vi is doing something completely out of character: offering her one-time enemy a friends-with-benefits arrangement. It's more than Nick dreamed. Phenomenal. And it won't be enough. Not until he's found a way to show her that sometimes, fate gets it exactly right..."
Can we say inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast!?!
The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps by Elizabeth Hrib
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 290 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Fans of The Baby Dragon Cafe, Legends and Lattes and How to Train Your Dragon will fall head over heels for this cozy, spicy sapphic romantasy.
When burn nurse Eden who has a fear of dragon fire meets Vaela, a gorgeous but reckless dragon wrangler, things burn hot enough to light their small mountain town on fire.
Burn nurse Eden has accepted a job from her old mentor at the Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps, hoping for peace and quiet in Ember Ridge - a charming mountain town famous for singed tourists and reckless dragon riders. Instead, she arrives to find the infirmary in chaos.
Her mentor is stranded out of town, wild dragons are causing havoc and Eden is left running the infirmary on her first day. Worse, she keeps crossing paths with Vaela, the town's dragon wrangler, whose talent for surviving impossible situations is matched only by a talent for getting under Eden's skin.
Vaela is everything Eden hates: brooding, reckless and arrogant.
But when local dragons begin acting strangely and the kingsguard descends on Ember Ridge, whispers spread of the Wretch - the most feared dragon in the realm. Eden and Vaela are forced into an uneasy partnership to save the town, but every argument between them sparks into something hotter and far more dangerous than they expected.
Because falling for a dragon wrangler was never part of Eden's plan. But neither is watching Ember Ridge - and her guarded heart - go up in flames.
Filled with cozy taverns, chaotic dragons and a fiercely lovable found family, this cozy romantasy is the perfect escape for readers who like their fantasy warm, whimsical and fiery."
To the cover designer, do we really think in this world they'd be using the universal symbol for a hospital?
Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From the bestselling author of the Japanese sensation The Full Moon Coffee Shop, this charming and heartfelt standalone novel brings more lost souls to the enchanted café - where they might find some help from the cats who run it.
Under the energetic star of Neptune the doors to people's hearts are opening...
In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they'll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a bright moon.
Under one such moon in August, Neptune pays the Full Moon Coffee Shop a visit, taking the form of a beautiful human called Sala. Sala's special talent is giving people dreams and helping them to open their hearts. As the cats work with Sala, they find new ways to guide people as their customers face personal conflict.
When Satsuki, returning home after she spent three years away with minimal contact, decides to introduce her new boyfriend to her mother Fujiko, she learns an unexpected truth about her family's past.
Meanwhile, Fujiko is struggling to come to terms with her true feelings about her place in life and author Wataru is facing writer's block after years of success. Can Sala and the cats help Fujiko and Wataru open their hearts?
Beautifully weaving together three people in a story about love in all forms, this heartwarming novel in the USA Today bestselling series highlights the importance of being true to oneself and recognizing one's innermost feelings."
How do I get a job working for the cats?
I Haunt It That Way by Isabelle Popp
Published by: Afterglow Books by Harlequin
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 284 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"She wanted her dream cabin. She's getting her worst nightmare.
Creaky floorboards, crisp fallen leaves, chilly evenings by the bonfire...Thora Williamson thinks she knows what to expect when she moves into her family's long-abandoned mountain cabin for a fresh start. Instead, she gets the surprise of her life when Lee Halliday - her ex's best friend and her own personal nemesis - pulls up in the driveway.
What's even worse? The place is not a simple fixer-upper, and Lee is determined to help with the renovation. But no amount of elbow grease will fix the mysterious phone calls or the unsettling sense they're not alone.
The more Thora and Lee work together, the more it becomes clear this cabin has unfinished business...and so do they. As eerie autumn nights lead to unexpected sleeping arrangements - Thora wonders: Is the cabin trying to push them closer, or keep them here forever?
I Haunt It That Way is a spicy, fast-paced romance you can read in one sitting."
If you are not totally in love with this book's title AND sing it every single time you read it I'm sorry but we can't be friends.
Practically Magic by Jen Calonita
Published by: Avon a
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"On the eve of Halloween, a sister's well-intentioned love spell turns into a curse in this witchy, flirty rom-com perfect for fans of The Ex Hex, Gilmore Girls, and Practical Magic.
The Hadley sisters of Mystic Hollow are magic. Literally.
But for all the generations of witches behind her, Kat Hadley could swear that she's utterly invisible to boys.
Then she learns that her perfect older sister, Harriet, cast a curse to protect her from heartbreak. Kat is so furious, she loses control - and it's not just their sisterhood that shatters. It's magic itself.
Suddenly, every spell a Hadley witch has ever cast starts reversing. Spells to do good start bringing evil. Curses to repel suddenly attract. And the veil between worlds begins to thin. If Kat and Harriet don't do something fast, this Halloween might be Mystic Hollow's last.
As they race to repair the balance of magic - and their relationship - Kat notices that every crush who's ever rejected her is suddenly magically lovesick. Even her annoying class rival seems to have fallen under her spell. For the first time in her life, she feels practically magic. Who cares if it's all just a spell?"
And this is why you don't work magic on family members!
Some Kind of Haunted by Hazel Beck
Published by: Mira Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From the USA Today bestselling authors of the Witchlore series, Hazel Beck, comes the first book in a cozy, autumnal horror romance duology set in a seemingly charming Midwestern town that harbors a deep, dark plot at its core - one that could spell the end of its two newest arrivals if they can't unravel the secrets woven into their late grandmother's yarn shop.
Home is where the haunt is.
Lexi Darling has always been a city girl through and through. New York is loud, crowded, and just chaotic enough to keep her mind off everything she'd rather not think about - especially the eerily realistic nightmares that have plagued her all her life. So when she and her twin brother, Logan, are summoned to the postcard-perfect town of Midas, Iowa, one golden October to handle an inheritance from the grandmother they never knew, Lexi figures it'll be a quick detour: sign a few papers, snap a fall foliage selfie, and catch the next flight home.
But Midas has other plans.
The town has been waiting for the Darling twins, and it's not about to let them leave. Their arrival stirs up a centuries-old curse, one that promises something dark and hungry will rise again by Halloween night. And the key to stopping it might just lie in their family's mysterious past. Now, trapped in Midas with the shadows closing in, Lexi has to team up with a group of stubborn locals to save the town...including Jack, the grumpy-but-unfairly attractive diner owner who drives her crazy in all the wrong ways.
As the nights grow longer and an uncanny evil creeps closer, Lexi must uncover the truth behind the curse before Midas - and everyone in it - is consumed. Because in Midas, some secrets refuse to stay buried - and some nightmares never end."
Oh, attractive diner owner? Sold! Gilmore Girls style.
Murder Like Magic by Trisha Blanchet
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Being able to read minds should make it pretty easy to solve crimes, right? Right?
A sort-of-telepathic witch-slash-PI takes on a murder case in this light urban fantasy mystery, perfect for fans of A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer.
Tess Tulley is the proud proprietor of Mill City Investigations - the premier (if you ask her) private investigation business in her small Massachusetts city. Business is slow, especially after she blew up her credibility among her fellow Spinners (do not call them witches) by turning in her own uncle for a crime spree three years ago. Loyalty among Spinners is top priority, and Tess's decision to put the investigation over her coven has left her out in the cold.
So when the local "Officer Handsome" comes knocking with a bizarre murder investigation involving a dead Spinner, Tess is reluctant to take the case. Even more so when she learns the details: The victim was stabbed postmortem, there's no sign of who or what actually killed her, and the body was found in a pool of someone else's blood.
Left with few other options, Tess dusts off her investigative skills, revs up her so-so telepathy, and dives headfirst back into her old community of Spinners. If she's lucky, she'll be able to unmask a killer and figure out whose blood had been left behind at the crime scene - and why. If she's not lucky (and let's face it, she rarely is), Tess might just become the next casualty on a slab in the Mill City morgue."
Oh, the mysterious blood has me hooked!
Witchbane by Deborah Carr
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: eBook, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Dancing with the devil's son.
1640 Jersey
Rue Underwood has long understood that her magic could kill her. In an age where witches are reviled and hunted gleefully by men like Elias le Cerf, the notorious Witchfinder, it's crucial that she remain hidden. But when whispers reach Elias's ears of Rue's abilities, he sends his new apprentice - his son, Theo - to find Rue and bring her in.
But after one chance moonlit meeting, everything changes.
In a world where witches burn, loving the enemy is the most dangerous magic of all..."
Rue and Theo should off the Witchfinder...
The Sunken, The Adored by Donyae Coles
Published by: Amistad
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A chilling Lovecraftian horror story from the author of Midnight Rooms, in which a recently freed slave from America making a new life for herself in 1800 Venice finds the mysterious plague that killed her former master may have followed her to Italy...and now stalks the canals.
Venice, Italy, 1800's. The only survivor on a ship, Mercy disembarks in Italy, carrying two precious possessions: the first-ever camera that makes daguerreotype plates and a letter regarding an appointment meant for the dead slave holder.
The letter takes her to Umberto, an Anatomist. In his basement workspace, she learns he hired the man who formally owned her to capture images of dissected corpses. But that man is dead. With no other recourse for her or Umberto, Mercy assumes the position. In return for the sample plate she took, Umberto takes her to the home of the Contessa, a British woman who married into her title. Charmed by Mercy, she invites the young woman to stay for the season to take pictures.
Formerly enslaved, Mercy finds this new life of freedom heady, as she takes on the mantle of a photographer and guest in a decadent house of pleasure under the hospitality of an aristocrat. Under the Contessa's roof, she meets a diverse cast of friendly and strange individuals with whom she forms new bonds and friendships.
But all is not well in her new life. Something dark and hungry stalks the canals that snake through the city, biting at her heels. The same death that rode the waves with her now surrounds her in this strange place. What is this malevolence that haunts her? As she tries to understand this macabre force, she must grapple with a greater fear: that the horror that endangers her friends is herself.
The Sunken, The Adored is dark, eerie, and wholly original - at once unsettling and irresistibly addictive."
1800's as in 1830's? Because if not...
Miss Beresford and the Beast by Mimi Matthews
Published by: Perfectly Proper Press
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A spirited Victorian beauty with a fondness for fairytales unwittingly falls under the power of a beastly, scandal-plagued nobleman in the first book in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews's new Daughters of Somerset series.
Charlotte Beresford has spent far too long under the iron rule of strict governesses and unflinching finishing school teachers. When she's offered a brief window of freedom - an invitation to spend the summer with a recent acquaintance in a remote corner of Yorkshire, far from societal expectations - she jumps at the chance. Never mind that her new friend is odd, their chaperone questionable, and the village rumored to be cursed. Charlotte knows how to look after herself. All she must do is show a friendly face, keep her wits about her, and - above all - avoid the derelict manor house that stands on the edge of the moors...
Battle-scarred and bad tempered, Magnus Sterling never intended to return to England, let alone Yorkshire. But now he's inherited the title, it's his responsibility to settle his late father's affairs. It should be simple enough to do without riling up the superstitious locals. Indeed, they don't even need to know that the infamous son of the equally infamous Earl of Eversleigh is back on British soil. Magnus will keep to himself, and to the crumbling manor house, and for once in his miserable life avoid any cloud of scandal. A straightforward enough plan, or so he believes, until he catches sight of the bold, auburn-haired intruder infiltrating the grounds of his estate..."
Shades of The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla! I approve!
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
I have always loved witches. Aside from a terrifying incident in second grade when my teacher read Roald Dahl's The Witches to us and then dressed as a witch for Halloween, thus convincing me that she, and the other primary teachers, were the witches from said book. AKA bad witches. Otherwise I was raised by a plethora of good witches, Mildred Hubble, Samantha Stephens, Louise Miller, Sabrina Spellman, Willow Rosenberg, and the Halliwell sisters. This primed me for the arrival of the Owens sisters in 1998. No one can deny the cultural impact of Practical Magic. Who amongst us hasn't daydreamed about living in the Owens house? And who amongst us hasn't dreamed of a sequel? After all, over twenty years after she wrote Practical Magic Alice Hoffman came out with a prequel, The Rules of Magic. Followed by two more books in the series in the following years. She knew we needed more Owenses in our lives and finally we are getting more Owenses on the big screen. That's right people. If you've been living under a rock and don't know it, we're finally getting Practical Magic 2, based on the four book in Alice Hoffman's series. There will be midnight margaritas aplenty on September 10th. I couldn't let this milestone go unacknowledged and therefore a threw together my own little party, lots of Owenses and lots of other witches, Mayfairs, Bishops, Goodwins, fictional heroines descended from Salem. And no, not the cat. So here's to the Season of the Witch! Cue 
The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig
Hawk and Sparrow by Ayana Gray
The Wolf Queen's Curse by Kaylee Archer
Rider of Dragons by A.T. Qureshi
An Immaculate Deception by Isabela Livino
The Other Life of Mary English by GD Harper
Pomegranate Seed and Other Ghostly Tales by Edith Wharton
Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen
Divine Oaths by Elizabeth Agyemang
Goodnight Monsters by Suzanne Junered
Tell the Ghosts I'm Gone by Kalynn Bayron
Cards on the Table by Lana Harper and Jilly Gagnon
Buried in the Woods Below by Daniel G. Miller
Untamed Coast by Kevin C. Morris
The Filbert Steps by Lila Blake
Muriel and the Mystery by Charlotte Parent
Goldie Vance Book One by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams
The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury
An A-List for Murder by Amy Patricia Meade
Murders in the Marquee by Dana Mentink
Murder in St. James's Park by Vanessa Riley
The Case of Bingley's Missing Aphrodite by Emma Aubrey
The Heiress of Northanger Abbey by Nancy Bilyeau
Land of Oz edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane
The Snow Witch by Kirsty Ferry
A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin
The Pumpkin Bride by Fiona Buttercup
The Hocus Pocus Handbook by Ann Aguirre
Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison
The Treasure House by Amy Matthews
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
I took three and a half years of French in high school. Looking back I'm amused that when the class started reading books we went directly from Le Petit Prince to Le Comte de Monte-Cristo. That's quite a linguistic leap. Beloved children's book to mammoth literary classic? Sure, why not! After all my reading comprehension of French has always been stronger than my speaking comprehension. And I probably remember no opening of a book better than The Count of Monte Cristo because of getting to experience the classic for the first time in its original language. I am not the only one of my close high school friends to feel this way because one of them developed quite a fixation with the 2002 adaptation of the book starring Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce. And it is that adaptation in particular that meant that this one was needed. Because let me tell you, if you're a book purist, that one lives in cloud cuckoo land. Not that this one is perfect. But it's damn close. It doesn't hurt that it has eight episodes in which to tell the tale. And to think, after the first episode, I actually doubted that I would like it let along love it. My initial hesitation is that the first episode has a different tonal quality to the rest of the series. This is an epic story of revenge and the first episode is just putting all the pieces in place, which is why you always give a show two episodes to prove its worth. Always. What's more, because the first episode is fifteen years before the main action of the story there's some dubious application of makeup to make the cast look younger. Hale and hearty they are not. Over the hill actors trying to appear youthful? That's more the mark. Thankfully by the time we get to the second episode and Edmond's imprisonment we get a brilliant two-hander with Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons. Their interaction and Edmond's education are sheer brilliance. This resets the show and it's on with the vengeance. Machiavelli would be so proud. Because Edmond doesn't take the advice of Abbé Faria while they are imprisoned that 'before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.' While I think Edmond would agree that he filled a grave or two with the innocent, making him regret his actions, personally, I think it was completely worth what was lost. The cabal of evil against him were selfish and a malignancy on the world. And, I got to say, no one has ever done that combination better than Blake Ritson. Time and again these are the trademarks of his best characters, and Danglars is right up there with Oscar Van Rhijn and Count Girolamo Riario. In the final episode when he has a full blown panic attack about his financial situation, oh, the swift swing from desperation to hope, the way he looks at Edmond with tears in his eyes and the sheer perfection of his comedic pauses while drinking a glass of water. Oh, I wanted to give him a standing ovation. If I have any complaints about this adaptation it's that it took two years to finally air stateside and that the music could have been more dramatic. My family and I were watching this paired with The Forsytes and my brother keep saying over and over, if only Anne Dudley was doing THIS show and not the GQ version of The Forsyte Saga, think how perfect this would have been? Instead we have very kitschy opening credits and a retro font that looks like it belongs on a romance novel. Because, sadly, nothing in this world can be perfect. But this is close.
If there's one thing Janeites can agree on since time immemorial, or since fans of Jane Austen agreed on a moniker, that one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of Jane's life is why her sister Cassandra burned practically all of Jane's letters. Of all the letters Jane wrote in her lifetime only 160 remain. What was in those letters that Cassandra deemed necessary to expunge? I mean, one of the surviving letters is Jane getting blind drunk and puking, so, why'd Cassandra do it!?! In fact, most Janeites, if given a chance to change one aspect of the history surrounding Jane, would probably choose for the phoenix-like return of the letters, while I personally would have liked Jane to have lived long enough to finish Sanditon so that she'd have written seven novels instead of six. At least she wrote more books than Jack the Ripper had victims. Why am I bringing up Jack the Ripper while discussing Jane Austen's letters? Because it is another of life's mysteries that will forever remain unsolved. Unless the premise to Anthony Horowitz's show Crime Traveller becomes a reality that is. Miss Austen is a bittersweet story of family connections and sisterly love that involves Cassandra Austen going to attend the deathbed of family friend Reverend Fowle, who, if fate had been kinder, would have been Cassandra's brother-in-law. Whilst helping the Reverend's daughter Isabella dismantle the household on the Reverend's death Cassandra hopes to find her sister Jane's letters to Isabella's mother Eliza who was Jane's dearest friend. But it is not an easy task with Eliza's sister Mary, who is also Cassandra's sister-in-law, on the hunt for the letters. What follows is a dreamlike rumination of the past and present and what you are willing to sacrifice for love and will that sacrifice be worth it in your dying days. Here we see Cassandra as a driving force. She was Jane's dearest friend and confidant but she also acted as a midwife to Jane's books. This posits that she turned away from a traditional life because she knew she had a greater purpose. The love of Cassandra's life wasn't Tom Fowle, it was Jane. Cassandra was the shepherd and the champion of Jane. In a scene where she starts to place Jane's books on their bookshelf, it isn't just Jane's legacy, it's their legacy. And when Jane dies it's up to Cassandra to protect that legacy. She was Jane's secret keeper and Jane wanted no one to see the darker side of her. The bleak thoughts and the moments of despair. She wanted to be remembered for her work. Work she published anonymously while alive, though don't read too much into that because it was the convention more than anything else. And historically it must be remembered that Frances Burney was viewed as an author equal to Jane but when her letters were published they overshadowed her works. Perhaps Cassandra didn't want this for her beloved sister. Let the work Jane wanted to share with the world be that by which she is known. And only that. And by the end of Miss Austen after crying your way through Jane's death you are so emotionally raw you will believe anything. Of course Cassandra had to do this. It's what Jane would have wanted. But then, later, once you've recovered, you realize that we're not talking about a few letters taken from a vicarage, we're talking about the destruction of approximately three thousand letters. The scale isn't taken into consideration here. So while emotionally I fully want to believe Gill Hornby's suppositions, the logical part of my brain says that this wholesale destruction must mean something more. Something we will never know. 
