Monday, December 30, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

Found Drowned by Laurie Glenn Norris
Published by: Nimbus Publishing
Publication Date: December 31th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 262 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Based on a true unsolved crime from 1877, Laurie Glenn Norris's debut novel tells the story of two small towns linked by the disappearance of a teenage girl. Mary Harney is a dreamy teenager in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, whose ambitions are stifled by her tyrannical grandmother and alcoholic father. When Mary's mother becomes ill, an already fragile domestic situation quickly begins to unravel until the September evening when the girl goes missing.

Across the water on Prince Edward Island we meet Gilbert Bell, whose son finds a body washed up on the beach below the family farm. As the community is visited first by the local coroner and then by investigators, Glenn Norris paints a fascinating and darkly comic picture of judicial and forensic procedures of the time. At once tightly plotted and pensive, the novel travels back to the circumstances that led to Mary's disappearance and then back further to the circumstances of her parents' marriage, all the while building toward a raucous courtroom finale."

Based on True Canadian crime? Yes please! 

Eventide by Mae Clair
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: December 31th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The darkness is coming...

The old house near Hode's Hill, Pennsylvania is a place for Madison Hewitt to start over-to put the trauma of her husband's murder, and her subsequent breakdown, behind her. She isn't bothered by a burial plot on the property, or the mysterious, sealed cistern in the basement. Not at first. Even the presence of cold spots and strange odors could be fabrications of her still troubled mind. But how to explain her slashed tires, or the ominous messages that grow ever more threatening?

Convinced the answer lies in the past, Madison delves into the history of the home's original owners, only to discover the origin of a powerful evil. An entity that may be connected to a series of gruesome attacks that have left police baffled. No matter where she turns-past or present-terror lingers just a step away, spurred on by a twisted obsession that can only be satisfied through death..."

A sanctuary turned evil? Oh, I can't wait! 

Much Ado About a Widow by Jenna Jaxon
Published by: Zebra
Publication Date: December 31th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick defied her family, jilted her fiancé, and married the man she loved. But when her husband died at Waterloo, she was delivered right back into her father’s power...

Victory is sweet - but England’s triumph was Georgie’s rout. Now that she’s widowed, the loathsome marriage her father first arranged has simply been renegotiated. With neither money nor rights, and nowhere to flee, all she can do is cherish her last weeks of freedom.... Until a band of ruffians overtake her carriage and kidnap her. When she escapes in seaside Brighton and encounters her brother’s rather wild friend, Lord St. Just - whom she suspects aspires to be a pirate - she’s prepared to entertain more of his adventurous suggestions than usual...

St. Just knows his mind and his duty, and he loves a challenge. Helping a fair lady make her farewells to hoodlums suits his talents well. Within the hour he has Georgie, her lady’s maid - and her little dog too - sailing for his castle in Cornwall. Meanwhile, the lady’s entire family, her kidnappers, and her scheming intended are in pursuit. But as he and the indomitable Georgie grow closer, he begins to suspect that together they will prove a match for them all..."

Because sometimes, after reading about all the bleakness and death, you need a nice romance to lighten the load. 

Monday, December 23, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

A Dead End Christmas by Alyssa Day
Published by: Holliday Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: December 25th, 2019
Format: Kindle
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's Christmas time in Dead End.

And this year Santa's bringing...murder!

Join Tess, Jack, and the gang for the craziest Christmas since Fluffy the taxidermied alligator was still alive and got into Otis's moonshine.

Because in Dead End, that reindeer you thought you saw might have been Bigfoot in disguise … and you never, ever want to see elves. Christmas might be merry after all, if Tess can investigate Santa and Jack can use his tiger's eye to see the truth.

Warning: This book contains a taxidermied alligator, shapeshifters, Santa, elves, a dead body, magic, hideously bad singing, horrible puns, a slow-burning romance, mystery, mayhem, and "I laughed so hard I almost peed myself"* humor.

Read at your own risk.

*From a reader review of the Tiger's Eye Mysteries."

For when you need to escape your relatives. Just sneak upstairs and download this book onto you're Kindle and your sanity will be saved!

Daughter of Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan
Published by: Scholastic Inc.
Publication Date: December 26th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Half-witch, half-mortal sixteen-year-old Sabrina Spellman has made her choice: She's embraced her dark side and her witchy roots. Now her power is growing daily...but will it come at too high a price?

Sabrina Spellman has just made the hardest decision of her life: She's leaving behind her beloved friends at Baxter High. Now it's time to follow the path of night and find her way among the witches and warlocks at the Academy of Unseen Arts.

Sabrina has always been good at the school thing, but now she has a whole new world to navigate. Her power is growing daily, but it comes with a high price. She must always remember her new allegiances and the cost they have on her friends...and on herself.

And then there's her new classmates. Prudence, Dorcas, and Agatha are friends, kind of, but can Sabrina trust them? And what about Nick Scratch? He's as charming as ever, but will his feelings for Sabrina last?

Based on the hit Netflix show, this original YA novel tells an all-new, original story about Sabrina."

For me I didn't ever really "feel" the new series until the Christmas episode last year, so lucky for me I'm getting something Sabrina for Christmas! 

Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Sirens by Jim Henson et al
Published by: Archaia
Publication Date: December 24th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A collection of stories of sirens and mermaids, inspired by folklore from around the world and told in the spirit of Jim Henson’s beloved television series.

It’s not the stories you tell, but how they are told. The critically acclaimed Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Sirens showcases four alluring tales of mermaids and the sea, inspired by folklore from around the world and told in the spirit of Jim Henson’s beloved television series.

Featuring beautiful stories told by some of today’s most exciting voices, including Jakub Rebelka (Judas) with Sztybor Bartosz, Chan Chau (Elements), Sarah Webb (Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Under the Spell), and Aud Koch (The Wicked + The Divine), this stunning hardcover edition also includes an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the process and care taken in adapting each of the these timeless tales."

I get nostalgic around Christmas, and nothing takes me back quicker to my childhood that something Jim Henson...

Monday, December 16, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

Doctor Who: Star Tales by Paul Magrs et al
Published by: Penguin Group UK
Publication Date: December 17th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"'Even though they’re gone from the world, they’re never gone from me.'

The Doctor is many things - curious, funny, brave, protective of her friends...and a shameless namedropper. While she and her companions battled aliens and travelled across the universe, the Doctor hinted at a host of previous, untold adventures with the great and the good: we discovered she got her sunglasses from Pythagoras (or was it Audrey Hepburn?); lent a mobile phone to Elvis; had an encounter with Amelia Earhart where she discovered that a pencil-thick spider web can stop a plane; had a 'wet weekend' with Harry Houdini, learning how to escape from chains underwater; and more.

In this collection of new stories, Star Tales takes you on a rip-roaring ride through history, from 500 BC to the swinging 60s, going deeper into the Doctor's notorious name-dropping and revealing the truth behind these anecdotes."

A new Doctor Who book is always a celebration. A new Doctor Who book with a story by my friend Paul Magrs? What's bigger than a celebration? A festival? A parade? Something big a fun and bubbly for sure!

The Disasters by M.K. England
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication Date: December 17th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Breakfast Club meets Guardians of the Galaxy in this YA sci-fi adventure by debut author M. K. England.

Hotshot pilot Nax Hall has a history of making poor life choices. So it’s not exactly a surprise when he’s kicked out of the elite Ellis Station Academy in less than twenty-four hours. But Nax’s one-way trip back to Earth is cut short when a terrorist group attacks the Academy.

Nax and three other washouts escape - barely - but they’re also the sole witnesses to the biggest crime in the history of space colonization. And the perfect scapegoats.

On the run, Nax and his fellow failures plan to pull off a dangerous heist to spread the truth. Because they may not be “Academy material,” and they may not even get along, but they’re the only ones left to step up and fight.

Full of high-stakes action, subversive humor, and underdogs becoming heroes, this YA sci-fi adventure is perfect for fans of Illuminae, Heart of Iron, or the cult classic TV show Firefly and is also a page-turning thrill ride that anyone - not just space nerds - can enjoy."

Yes, all my favorite movies and TV series were name checked in this blurb, so obviously I HAVE to buy it! 

Omens of Death by Nicholas Rhea
Published by: Agora Books
Publication Date: December 17th, 2019
Format: Kindle, 262 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A bad omen. A sign of sorrow. One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy...

Detective Inspector Montague Pluke has always been superstitious, so when he sees a lone crow fly over the Crowther’s home, he’s sure death is waiting in the wings.

And it doesn’t take long for Pluke’s premonitions to become a reality: the naked body of a young woman is found in a Druid’s Circle - a place thought by locals to be the site of black magic. Rumours circulate about human sacrifice and dark rituals, but Pluke’s not convinced the murder was committed in the circle.

Trusting his intuition, Pluke returns to the scene of that first omen of death: the house of Cyril and May Crowther. And when two more victims perish in suspicious circumstances, Montague Pluke is ready and waiting to catch the killer..."

Yes, ever since reading The Death of Westaway I've been drawn to that rhyme... though this book came first!

Monday, December 9, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey
Published by: Thomas Dunne Books
Publication Date: December 10th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Award-winning author Iona Grey's next unforgettable historical about true love found and lost and the secrets we keep from one another.

Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing. Her life is a whirl of parties and drinking, pursued by the press and staying on just the right side of scandal, all while running from the life her parents would choose for her.

Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who stumbles into Selina's orbit one night and can never let her go even while knowing someone of her stature could never end up with someone of his. Except Selina falls hard for Lawrence, envisioning a life of true happiness. But when tragedy strikes, Selina finds herself choosing what's safe over what's right.

Spanning two decades and a seismic shift in British history as World War II approaches, Iona Grey's The Glittering Hour is an epic novel of passion, heartache and loss."

Between cover lust and a Bright Young Thing, I am 100% sold on this story! 

The Wicked Redhead by Beatriz William
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: December 10th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The dazzling narrator of The Wicked City brings her mesmerizing voice and indomitable spirit to another Jazz Age tale of rumrunners, double crosses, and true love, spanning the Eastern seaboard from Florida to Long Island to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

1924. Ginger Kelly wakes up in tranquil Cocoa Beach, Florida, having fled south to safety in the company of disgraced Prohibition agent Oliver Anson Marshall and her newly-orphaned young sister, Patsy. But paradise is short-lived. Marshall is reinstated to the agency with suspicious haste and put to work patrolling for rumrunners on the high seas, from which he promptly disappears. Gin hurries north to rescue him, only to be trapped in an agonizing moral quandary by Marshall’s desperate mother.

1998. Ella Dommerich has finally settled into her new life in Greenwich Village, inside the same apartment where a certain redheaded flapper lived long ago...and continues to make her presence known. Having quit her ethically problematic job at an accounting firm, cut ties with her unfaithful ex-husband, and begun an epic love affair with Hector, her musician neighbor, Ella’s eager to piece together the history of the mysterious Gin Kelly, whose only physical trace is a series of rare vintage photograph cards for which she modeled before she disappeared.

Two women, two generations, two urgent quests. But as Ginger and Ella track down their separate quarries with increasing desperation, the mysteries consuming them take on unsettling echoes of each other, and both women will require all their strength and ingenuity to outwit a conspiracy spanning decades."

Odd that it's the Halifax part that really grabs my attention... I've been there and I'm interested to see how anyone could paint it interesting... 

Doctor Aphra Vol. 6: Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon by Si Spurrier
Published by: Marvel
Publication Date: December 10th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After a year of close shaves, Doctor Chelli Aphra is taking it easy and lying low. Probably herding banthas or something. She's smart like that, right? No, not really. The galaxy's shadiest archaeologist is back doing what she does best: busting into alien temples to steal horrifying weapons for huge profi t. She just can't stop herself. But plenty of other people could. Powerful factions are watching closely: Rebel and Empire, familiar and strange - all calculating whether Aphra's more useful alive...or dead."

OK, if you haven't discovered Doctor Aphra yet I'm about to make your year because you have six volumes of awesome to read, plus ALL the ancillary stories too! 

Monday, December 2, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

How The Dead Speak by Val McDermid
Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Val McDermid is an award-winning, crime-writing powerhouse, and now she returns to her explosive, thrilling series featuring psychological profiler Tony Hill and ex-DCI Carol Jordan in her latest How The Dead Speak.

With Tony behind bars and Carol finally out of road as a cop, he’s finding unexpected outlets for his talents in jail and she’s joined forces with a small informal group of lawyers and forensics experts looking into suspected miscarriages of justice. But they’re doing it without each other; being in the same room at visiting hour is too painful to contemplate. Meanwhile, construction is suddenly halted on the redevelopment of an orphanage after dozens of skeletons are found buried in the grounds. Forensic examination reveals they date from between twenty and forty years ago, when the nuns were running their repressive regime. But then a different set of skeletons are discovered in a far corner, young men from as recent as ten years ago.

When newly promoted DI Paula McIntyre discovers that one of the male skeletons is that of a killer who is supposedly alive and behind bars - and the subject of one of Carol’s miscarriage investigations - it brings Tony and Carol irresistibly into each other’s orbit once again. A shocking, masterfully plotted novel that will leave readers breathless, How The Dead Speak is McDermid at her best and a can’t miss read long-time fans and new readers alike."

Anyone else missing Wire in the Blood and Tony and Carol as much as me? No!?! Well, then, I'm not talking to you!

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh welcomes you to a remote town on the edge of the world where even the blinding brightness of the sun can’t mask the darkness that lies deep within a killer...

On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is more than just a town where people live. The adults are more than neighbors; the children, more than schoolmates.

That is until one fateful summer - and several vanished bodies - shatters the trust holding Golden Cove together. All that’s left are whispers behind closed doors, broken friendships, and a silent agreement to not look back. But they can’t run from the past forever.

Eight years later, a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if their home shelters something far more dangerous than an unforgiving landscape.

It’s not long before the dark past collides with the haunting present and deadly secrets come to light."

Because everyone should be obsessed with new Zealand, like me and Stephen Colbert.

Ever Dark: The Haunting of Hanna Blake by Eva Simmons
Published by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Kindle, 261 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Hanna might be her name.
The burning house might have been her home.
The bodies might be her family.

If only she could remember.

Hanna doesn't remember anything from before the night she was found. But when Jax and Asher Mahlum blow into town with a photo that ties to her past, she realizes the dead can only stay silent so long. Jax is covered in death, and Asher won’t let Hanna forget she has a price to pay for the night she was discovered. Soon, bodies start piling up in Garland, and Hanna has a nagging feeling that she may have something to do with it. Only one thing is for sure. There’s something dark inside Hanna, and it wants out."

And I know you need to know about the darkness!

Echoes Among the Stones by Jaime Jo Wright
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 386 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mystery begins to follow Aggie Dunkirk when she exhumes the pasts secrets and uncovers a crime her eccentric grandmother has been obsessing over. Decades earlier, after discovering her sisters body in the attic, Imogene Flannigan is determined to find justice. Two women, separated by time, vow to find answers...no matter the cost."

Family secrets that turn deadly are my kind of secrets.

Thin Ice by Paige Shelton
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"First in a new series set in Alaska from beloved author Paige Shelton, Thin Ice will chill your bones.

Beth Rivers is on the run - she’s doing the only thing she could think of to keep herself safe. Known to the world as thriller author Elizabeth Fairchild, she had become the subject of a fanatic’s obsession. After being held in a van for three days by her kidnapper, Levi Brooks, Beth managed to escape, and until he is captured, she's got to get away. Cold and remote, Alaska seems tailor-made for her to hideout."

At this time of year I go through severe Northern Exposure withdrawal and yearn for Alaska. Thankfully this year I have a fix! 

Bryant and May: The Lonely Hour by Christopher Fowler
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The brilliant Arthur Bryant and John May take the late, late shift in a cat-and-mouse hunt with a killer who preys on his victims at the same time every night - the lonely hour of 4 A.M.

When a man is found hanging upside down inside a willow tree on Hampstead Heath, surrounded by a baffling assortment of occult objects, the Peculiar Crimes Unit is called in to investigate. Was this a botched satanic ritual pulled off by bored teenagers, a gang initiation, or the work of a mastermind with grander intentions? Bryant and May set off in search of answers and are soon reminded that London is a city steeped in blood and magic.

When another body is pulled from the river at dawn, it becomes clear that a killer lurks in the night. To catch him, the PCU switches to graveyard shifts, but the team still comes up short. As they explore a night city where the normal rules do not apply, they’re drawn deeper into a case that involves murder, arson, kidnapping, blackmail, loneliness, and bats.

May takes a technological approach, while Bryant goes in search of his usual academics and misfits for help, for this investigation reveals impossibilities at every turn. How do you stop a killer who appears not to exist? Luckily, impossibilities are what the Peculiar Crimes Unit does best."

Anyone else really miss the old cover designs?

Laetitia Rodd and the Case of the Wandering Scholar by Kate Saunders
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"M. C. Beaton meets Miss Marple in the second book in the Laetitia Rodd Mysteries, which sees Kate Saunders's Victorian detective on the hunt for a missing Oxford academic.

In 1851, private detective Laetitia Rodd is enjoying a well-earned holiday when she gets an urgent request for her services. Mrs. Rodd's neighbor Jacob Welland is a reclusive, rich gentleman dying of consumption, and he wants Mrs. Rodd to find his brother, who has been missing for fifteen years.

Joshua Welland was a scholar at Oxford, brilliant, eccentric, and desperately poor when he disappeared from the university. Friends claim to have seen him since, in gypsy camps and wandering around the countryside. But the last sighting was ten years before-when Joshua claimed to be learning great secrets from the gypsies that would one day astound the whole world.

Mrs. Rodd travels to Oxford and begins to search for the wandering scholar. But as she investigates, Mrs. Rodd discovers something dark-and extremely dangerous-lurking in the beautiful English countryside.

For readers of James Runcie, Alexander McCall Smith, and M. C. Beaton, Laetitia Rodd and the Mystery of the Wandering Scholar is a delightful new mystery about Victorian England and an indomitable female detective."

They had me at Oxford. I can NEVER have enough Oxford. 

The Penmaker's Wife by Steve Robinson
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Paperback, 255 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Victorian England, a mother is on the run from her past - and the truth about what she did.

Birmingham, 1880. Angelica Chastain has fled from London with her young son, William. She promises him a better life, far away from the terrors they left behind.

Securing a job as a governess, Angelica captures the attention of wealthy widower Stanley Hampton. Soon they marry and the successful future Angelica envisaged for William starts to fall into place.

But the past will not let Angelica go. As the people in her husband’s circle, once captivated by her charm, begin to question her motives, it becomes clear that forgetting where she came from - and who she ran from - is impossible.

When tragedy threatens to expose her and destroy everything she’s built for herself and William, how far will she go to keep her secrets safe? And when does the love for one’s child tip over into dangerous obsession?

Alias Grace meets Peaky Blinders in this tale of obsession, ambition and murder in Victorian England."

Was this description written just for me with the Alias Grace meets Peaky Blinders mashup?

Murder, She Encountered by Peg Cochran
Published by: Alibi
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Kindle
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gutsy Manhattan socialite encounters murder and corruption at the World’s Fair in this captivating historical cozy mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Susan Elia MacNeal, and Rhys Bowen.

New York City, 1939. A rising star at the Daily Trumpet, Elizabeth “Biz” Adams has been sent to the World’s Fair - billed as the “World of Tomorrow,” a look toward a brighter future even as the drumbeats of war grow louder - to cover a robbery. What she stumbles upon instead is a dead woman, dumped into the Aquacade’s pool with a nylon stocking wrapped around her neck.

Elizabeth snaps a photo as the police arrest Joey Dorman, a gentle young hot dog vendor who made no secret of his obsession with the murder victim. Even though she’s thrilled that her photo makes the front page, the fear and confusion evident on Joey’s face are haunting. So Elizabeth vows to prove his innocence - or his guilt - with her partner at the Daily Trumpet, Ralph Kaminsky. Meanwhile, her romance with Detective Sal Marino is heating up, and Elizabeth is more determined than ever to follow her heart.

But when Kaminsky’s efforts to expose the real killer land him in the hospital, Elizabeth is forced to continue the investigation on her own. And as she tries to narrow down the long list of suspects, she discovers a dark secret running through the Fair - a secret some would kill to protect."

I read a book earlier this year that wasted the World's Fair setting, so THANKFULLY I have another book to set this right! 

The Festival Murders by Mark McCrum
Published by: Black Thorn
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Kindle, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bryce Peabody is ready to give a scandalous talk at the annual literary festival in the pretty English town of Mold-on-Wold. Scathing in his reviews and unseemly in his affairs, Bryce is known to have many enemies. So when he is discovered dead in his hotel room festival-goers are desperate to know what happened. Could one of the numerous writers he insulted have taken revenge? Or perhaps one of his scorned lovers? As more festival-goers meet their ends, Francis Meadowes is drawn into a role he knows only from his own fiction; that of amateur detective."

If you're in a Midsomer Murders state of mind... 

Brewed Awakening by Cleo Coyle
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi awakens on a bench in Washington Square Park, she has no idea she's been missing for days, or that her friends and family have been frantic with worry. Now that she's back, everyone is overjoyed, including a handsome NYPD detective who claims to be her fiancé. But to Mike Quinn's crushing distress, Clare doesn't remember him, or much of anything about the last fifteen years of her life.

Clare's missing memory is tied to a crime she witnessed. An acquaintance of Clare's elegant employer - and fellow member of an exclusive Gotham circle known as "The Ladies Who Brunch" - invited Clare to her posh hotel to sample gourmet wedding cakes. After their indulgent tasting, they headed to the parking garage, where a camera captured a masked figure with a gun confronting the hotel heiress with Clare looking on. Did the kidnapper take Clare, too? The camera went dark, just like Clare's memory. Soon authorities grow suspicious. Is Clare really a victim? Or merely acting like one? Evidence is mounting that she set the woman up.

To clear her name, Clare must find a way to reclaim her memories and rescue the heiress before this high-stakes crime ends in tragedy. Otherwise, instead of walking down the aisle, Clare may find herself perp-walking to prison as an accomplice to kidnapping and murder."

And now for some cozy mysteries! 

Beating About the Bush by M.C. Beaton
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When private detective Agatha Raisin comes across a severed leg in a roadside hedge, it looks like she is about to become involved in a particularly gruesome murder. Looks, however, can be deceiving, as Agatha discovers when she is employed to investigate a case of industrial espionage at a factory where nothing is quite what it seems.

The factory mystery soon turns to murder and a bad-tempered donkey turns Agatha into a national celebrity, before bringing her ridicule and shame. To add to her woes, Agatha finds herself grappling with growing feelings for her friend and occasional lover, Sir Charles Fraith. Then, as a possible solution to the factory murder unfolds, her own life is thrown into deadly peril. Will Agatha get her man at last? Or will the killer get her first?"

One of my friends thinks that M.C. Beaton's books are now being ghostwritten. Discuss!

The Peppermint Tea Chronicles by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Anchor
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest book in Alexander McCall Smith's popular 44 Scotland Street series is a sheer delight.

Summer has come to Scotland Street. The long days have prompted its denizens to engage in flights of fancy. Some, like the Duke of Johannesburg’s plan to create a microlite seaplane, are literal flights, and some, like the vain Bruce Anderson’s idea of settling down with one of his many admirers, are more metaphorical.

With the domineering Irene off pursuing academic challenges, Stuart and Bertie are free to indulge in summer fun. Stuart reconnects with an old acquaintance over refreshing peppermint tea while Bertie takes his friend Ranald Braveheart Macpherson to the circus. But their trip to the big top becomes rather more than the pleasant diversion they were hoping for.

Once again, Scotland Street teems with the daily triumphs and challenges of those who call it home, and provides a warm, wise, and witty chronicle of the affairs in this corner of the world."

Life in a Cold Climate by Laura Thompson
Published by: Pegasus Books
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 444 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Laura Thompson turns her eye to the iconic and enigmatic Nancy Mitford.

Nancy Mitford was, in the words of her sister Lady Diana Mosley, “very complex.” Her highly autobiographical early work, the biographies and novels of her more mature French period, her journalism, and the vast body of letters to her family, to friends such as Evelyn Waugh, and to the great love of her life, Gaston Palewski, all tell an intriguing story.

Drawing from these, as well as conversations with Mitford’s two surviving sisters, acquaintances, and colleagues, prizewinning author Laura Thompson has fashioned a portrait of a contradictory and courageous woman. Approaching her subject with wit, perspicacity, and huge affection, Thompson makes her serious points lightly, eschewing clichés about the eccentricities of the Mitford clan. Life in a Cold Climate is full of the sound of Mitfordian laughter; but also tells the often paradoxical and complex story beneath the smiling and ever-elegant façade."

Enigmatic? I don't think that's a word I'd EVER apply to Nancy...

The Clergyman's Wife by Molly Greeley
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For everyone who loved Pride and Prejudice - and legions of historical fiction lovers - an inspired debut novel set in Austen’s world. Charlotte Collins, nee Lucas, is the respectable wife of Hunsford’s vicar, and sees to her duties by rote: keeping house, caring for their adorable daughter, visiting parishioners, and patiently tolerating the lectures of her awkward husband and his condescending patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Intelligent, pragmatic, and anxious to escape the shame of spinsterhood, Charlotte chose this life, an inevitable one so socially acceptable that its quietness threatens to overwhelm her. Then she makes the acquaintance of Mr. Travis, a local farmer and tenant of Lady Catherine..."

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this earlier this year, so be sure to check it out for yourself Janeites! 

Wicked Hour by Chloe Neill
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the second pulse-pounding novel in the USA Today bestselling Heirs of Chicagoland series, vampire Elisa Sullivan gets drawn into the shifting sands of Pack politics.

Vampires were made, not born - until Elisa Sullivan came along. As the only vampire child in existence, she grew up with a heavy legacy, and tried to flee her past. Then circumstances drew her back to Chicago, and she stayed to keep it safe. With shifter Connor Keene, the only son of Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, at her side, she faced down a supernatural evil that threatened to destroy Chicago forever.

After the dust from the attack has settled, Elisa is surprised when Connor invites her to a usually private Pack event in the north woods of Minnesota, and by the warm welcome she receives from some of Connor’s family, even though she's a vampire. But the peace doesn't last. The shifters tell tales of a monster in the woods, and when the celebration is marred by death, Elisa and Connor find themselves in the middle of a struggle for control that forces Elisa to face her true self - fangs and all."

I love Midwest Urban Fantasy. Can NOT get enough!

Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer
Published by: MCD
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jeff VanderMeer's Dead Astronauts presents a City with no name of its own where, in the shadow of the all-powerful Company, lives human and otherwise converge in terrifying and miraculous ways. At stake: the fate of the future, the fate of Earth - all the Earths.

A messianic blue fox who slips through warrens of time and space on a mysterious mission. A homeless woman haunted by a demon who finds the key to all things in a strange journal. A giant leviathan of a fish, centuries old, who hides a secret, remembering a past that may not be its own. Three ragtag rebels waging an endless war for the fate of the world against an all-powerful corporation. A raving madman who wanders the desert lost in the past, haunted by his own creation: an invisible monster whose name he has forgotten and whose purpose remains hidden."

After seeing Anhilation, I can not get VanderMeer's world out of my head! And I'm not alone, look at the write up in Entertainment Weekly right now! 

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could've imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.

With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the stunning sequel to Tomi Adeyemi's New York Times bestselling debut Children of Blood and Bone, the first title in her Legacy of Orïsha trilogy."


Not sure I like the new cover approach...because the cover was the ONLY thing my book club could agree on as being any good...

Monday, November 25, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

Fleabag: The Scriptures by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: November 26th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""Her coat falls open. She only has her bra on underneath. She pulls out the little sculpture of the woman with no arms. It sits on her lap. Two women. One real. One not. Both with their innate femininity out."

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s critically acclaimed, utterly unique series Fleabag took the world by storm with its piercing dialogue, ruthlessly dry wit, and deeply human drama. In Fleabag: The Scriptures, Waller-Bridge brings together for the first time the complete filming scripts of the first and second seasons, annotated with never-before-seen stage directions and exclusive commentary on her creative process and the making of the series. Now recognized as one of today’s most essential voices, she delivers powerful insights into her now-iconic protagonist: the hilarious, emotionally damaged, sexually unapologetic woman who can make viewers laugh, cry, and cringe in a single scene.

Essential for any fan, Fleabag: The Scriptures is the ultimate companion to a landmark series."

A must for any Fleabag fan. Side note, if you're not a Fleabag fan how have you made it through this year? 

Lady Takes the Case by Eliza Casey
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 26th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a dinner party turns deadly, the feisty Lady Cecilia Bates and intuitive cat Jack are on the case, in this first entry to an exciting new historical-mystery series.

England 1912. Danby Hall is the only home Lady Cecilia Bates has ever known. Despite the rigid rules of etiquette and her mother the Countess of Avebury's fervent desire to see her married off, Lady Cecilia can't imagine life anywhere else. But now, with an agricultural depression sweeping the countryside, the Bates family's possession of the hall is suddenly in peril.

A possible solution arrives in the form of the imperious American heiress Annabel Clarke. The Earl and Countess of Avebury are determined that Cecilia's brother, Patrick, will win Annabel's hand in marriage - and her fortune along with it. To help the lackluster Patrick in this pursuit, the Bates and their staff arrange a grand house party upon the heiress's arrival.

When a guest dies after sipping from a glass meant for Annabel, it's clear the Bates have a more poisonous problem on their hands than a lack of chemistry. As the scandal seizes Danby, Cecilia sets out to find the culprit, with help from Annabel's maid, Jane, and Jane's curiously intelligent cat, Jack.

After the poison that someone had stashed away inside the manor is discovered, Cecilia is left with two possibilities: Either a resident of Danby snapped and tried to kill the arrogant heiress, or the threat is coming from one of their guests, who would love to see the Bates family's decline become permanent."

A house party with a side of murder and a crime fighting cat? Your perfect cozy for a cold winter day!

The Apple Tree by Daphne Du Maurier
Published by: Biblioasis
Publication Date: November 26th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 72 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"We’re thrilled to offer this series of beautifully illustrated, collectible books. Designed and illustrated by the world-renowned cartoonist Seth, they’re trimmed to fit the coziest stocking.

A widower admits it only to himself: Midge’s death is a relief. Yet now that he’s free of her hectoring, he still feels her presence. Does he feel guilty? Or does that weather-beaten tree in the orchard bear an uncanny resemblance to her hunched posture?"

Why I LOVE the idea of bringing ghost stories back for Christmas as well as finally including Daphne Du Maurier in this collection that's ever expanding by Seth, The Apple Tree isn't her scariest story and you're just better off buying a whole book of her short stories if I'm honest. 

Our Encounters with Evil by Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: November 26th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 88 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mr. Higgins was just the beginning!

Follow Professor J.T. Meinhardt and Mr. Knox as they continue their pursuit of ne'er-do-well creatures of the night! Backed by the dauntless vampire hunter Ms. Mary Van Sloan, the heroes of Mr. Higgins Comes Home pursue vampires, werewolves, and other horrors that even they are hard-put to name or explain. The only thing that's for certain is that the strange truths these adventurers uncover are seldom what they seem.

From the horror-genius minds of Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell comes the next installment of endearingly terrifying tales from Meinhardt, Knox, and Van Sloan. Set against the detailed and stylized background of Johnson-Cadwell's art, these stories are a striking continuation of daring occult adventure! Grab some garlic and silver bullets, and settle in for a thrilling read!"

I will read anything from Mike Mignola!

Nightmare City by P.S. Newman
Published by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Publication Date: November 26th, 2019
Format: Kindle, 315 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, dreams come true. So do nightmares.

Ever since a shift in reality twenty years ago, people's dreams and nightmares come alive, spreading chaos and destruction. Monsters ravage cities, bottomless chasms split roads, and gold rains from the sky - the possibilities are limitless, unpredictable and often deadly.

Eden Maybrey is a hunter of these "shades". When a friend tasks her with tracking down and eliminating an evil shade, the hunt threatens to expose Eden's deepest, darkest secret. To find her prey, she is forced to team up with Vaughn Taylor, a hunter who hates shades with a passion - and who won't hesitate to put a bullet in Eden's head should he figure out the truth.

Book 1 in a new urban fantasy series with a twist: no vamps or weres - instead, dreams and nightmares coming alive.

Would you really want your dreams to come true?"

Because just when you need a new urban fantasy hit a new one hits the shelves! 

The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Published by: Candlewick
Publication Date: November 26th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 96 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Something smells like trouble! Can five princess heroes and one Goat Avenger pool their talents to vanquish a monstrous stink?

The Princess in Black is in a very stinky situation. A foul cloud is plaguing the goat pasture, and it smells worse than a pile of dirty diapers or a trash can on a hot summer day. But every time the Princess in Black and her friend the Goat Avenger manage to get rid of the odor, they accidentally blow it to another kingdom! Other masked heroes and their trusty companions show up to help, but how do you battle a stench when your ninja moves fail? Fans with a nose for slapstick will be tickled to see the six stalwart friends join their wits to take on an impossibly beastly stink."

Because it's Shannon Hale. That's why.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.

He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan's betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict's bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity..."

I will be (fingers crossed) finally seeing Holly Black this week... but there is A LOT of things up in the air at the moment... I feel like I should put a Folk of the Air joke in here somehow...

The Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 544 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bath, 1812. As Lady Helen prepares for her grand wedding to the Duke of Selburn, she must juggle her new responsibilities with her duties as a demon-hunting Grand Reclaimer. Now a dyad with Lord Carlston, bonded in blood, the two prepare to confront their nemesis, the Grand Deceiver. Set against the glittering background of Regency society, Helen and Carlston's story hurtles to a shocking conclusion full of passion, betrayal, and heartbreak."

If you're one of those crazy people who waits for books to be in paperback, you're in luck because the final book in the Regency Magic series by Alison Goodman which I DEVOURED earlier this year is out now. Go go, get it!

The Mermaid's Call by Katherine Stansfield
Published by: Allison and Busby
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Cornwall, 1845. Shilly has always felt a connection to happenings that are not of this world, a talent that has proved invaluable when investigating dark deeds with master of disguise, Anna Drake. The women opened a detective agency with help from their newest member and investor, Mathilda, but six long months have passed without a single case to solve and tensions are growing. It is almost a relief when a man is found dead along the Morwenstow coast and the agency is sought out to investigate. There are suspicions that wreckers plague the coast, luring ships to their ruin with false lights - though nothing has ever been proved. Yet with the local talk of sirens calling victims to the sea to meet their end, could something other-worldly be responsible for the man’s death?"

I know, like me, you are keenly feeling the loss of Poldark and the siren call of Cornwall. May I offer you this series as a humble suggestion? 

Firefly: The Sting by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: BOOM! Studios
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Saffron unites the women of the Serenity crew to join her on a heist in this all-new original Firefly graphic novel.

Saffron - the enigmatic rogue who captured the hearts of Firefly fans worldwide, as well as the heart of Capt. Malcolm Reynolds - returns to the Serenity. But this time, she’s got no time for Mal, as she’s there to recruit the women of the ship to join her on a heist that has personal stakes for all involved.

New York Times Bestselling writer Delilah S. Dawson (Sparrowhawk, Star Wars: Phasma), along with a team of artists including Pius Bak, Rodrigo Lorenzo, and Taj Tenfold, enter Joss Whedon’s Firefly to reveal an untold chapter of the fan-favorite saga."

Beloved shows turned into comics are rather hit-or-miss, but the newest incarnation of Firefly has been more on than off, so I'm hoping that the continuing journey of Yo-Saf-Bridge is entertaining.

Greta and the Giants by Zoe Tucker and Zoe Persico
Published by: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Publication Date: November 19th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 32 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This inspiring picture book retells the story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg - the Swedish teenager who has led a global movement to raise awareness about the world’s climate crisis - using allegory to make this important topic accessible to young children.

Greta is a little girl who lives in a beautiful forest threatened by Giants. When the Giants first came to the forest, they chopped down trees to make houses. Then they chopped down more trees and made even bigger homes. The houses grew into towns and the towns grew into cities, until now there is hardly any forest left. Greta knows she has to help the animals who live in the forest, but how? Luckily, Greta has an idea…

A section at the back explains that, in reality, the fight against the “giants” isn’t over and explains how you can help Greta in her fight."

And if you want to read about a REAL woman kicking ass, I give you Greta Thunberg! 

Monday, November 11, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fifty years after The Andromeda Strain made Michael Crichton a household name - and spawned a new genre, the technothriller - the threat returns, in a gripping sequel that is terrifyingly realistic and resonant. The Evolution is Coming.

In 1967, an extraterrestrial microbe came crashing down to Earth and nearly ended the human race. Accidental exposure to the particle - designated The Andromeda Strain - killed every resident of the town of Piedmont, Arizona, save for an elderly man and an infant boy. Over the next five days, a team of top scientists assigned to Project Wildfire worked valiantly to save the world from an epidemic of unimaginable proportions. In the moments before a catastrophic nuclear detonation, they succeeded.

In the ensuing decades, research on the microparticle continued. And the world thought it was safe...

Deep inside Fairchild Air Force Base, Project Eternal Vigilance has continued to watch and wait for the Andromeda Strain to reappear. On the verge of being shut down, the project has registered no activity - until now. A Brazilian terrain-mapping drone has detected a bizarre anomaly of otherworldly matter in the middle of the jungle, and, worse yet, the tell-tale chemical signature of the deadly microparticle.

With this shocking discovery, the next-generation Project Wildfire is activated, and a diverse team of experts hailing from all over the world is dispatched to investigate the potentially apocalyptic threat.

But the microbe is growing - evolving. And if the Wildfire team can’t reach the quarantine zone, enter the anomaly, and figure out how to stop it, this new Andromeda Evolution will annihilate all life as we know it."

Damn, sometimes I miss Michael Crichton so much it hurts.

Otherlife by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Return to the series BuzzFeed compared to Ready Player One with the third book in the fast-paced trilogy from New York Times bestselling authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller that's perfect for fans of HBO's Westworld.

Simon, Kat, Busara, and Elvis are on the run with the tech super-villains at the Company hot on their heels. The new VR gaming experience the Company created, OtherEarth, will change how the world experiences gaming. Paired with the hardware the Company developed, it has the potential to alter our reality forever.

The Company is on its way to becoming the world's newest superpower. And Simon is determined to shut them down forever. But to do that, he'll have to survive OtherLife - the next phase of gaming, and a complete reality reboot."

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Jason Segel? Because seriously, I love him so much, just finished re-watching Freaks and Geeks and am in need a a Jason fix, and this fits the bill!

A Sanctuary of Spirits by Leanna Renee Hieber
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York, 1899, and the police department's best ally is the secret Ghost Precinct, where spirits and psychics help solve the city's most perplexing crimes...

There's more than one way to catch a killer-though the methods employed by the NYPD's Ghost Precinct, an all-female team of psychics and spiritualists led by gifted young medium Eve Whitby, are unconventional to say the least. Eve is concerned by the backlash that threatens the department-and by the discovery of an otherworldly realm, the Ghost Sanctuary, where the dead can provide answers. But is there a price to be paid for Eve and her colleagues venturing beyond the land of the living?

Searching for clues about a mortician's disappearance, Eve encounters a charismatic magician and mesmerist whose abilities are unlike any she's seen. Is he a link to mysterious deaths around the city, or to the Ghost Sanctuary? Torn between the bonds of her team and her growing relationship with the dashing Detective Horowitz, Eve must discern truth from illusion and friend from foe, before another soul vanishes into the ether..."

Psychics and spiritualists fighting crime? I don't just want to read this book I want to live it!

Lethal Pursuit by Will Thomas
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"London, 1892 - Cyrus Barker is brought into a game of international espionage by the Prime Minister himself in the newest mystery in Will Thomas's beloved series.

Private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn receive in the mail an unexplained key stamped with the letter Q. Barker, recognizing it for what it is, uses the key to unlock an anonymous door in the alleyway, which opens to an underground tunnel leading to Downing Street.

The Prime Minister has a small task for Cyrus Barker. A Foreign Office agent stole a satchel in Eastern Europe, but was then himself murdered at Charing Cross. The satchel contains a document desperately wanted by the German government, but while the agent was killed, the satchel remains in English hands. With a cold war brewing between England and Germany, it's in England's interest to return the document contained in the satchel to its original owners and keep it out of German hands.

The document is an unnamed first century gospel; the original owner is the Vatican. And the German government isn't the only group trying to get possession of it. With secret societies, government assassins, political groups, and shadowy figures of all sorts doing everything they can - attacks, murders, counter-attacks, and even massive street battles - to acquire the satchel and its contents, this small task might be beyond even the prodigious talents of Cyrus Barker."

Victorian John le Carré!

The Body on the Train by Frances Brody
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 332 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Frances Brody's eleventh Kate Shackleton mystery is sure to delight readers of Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear.

Two murders. A one-way ticket to trouble.

And it's up to Kate to derail the killer.

London, 1929. In the darkness before dawn, a railway porter, unloading a special train from Yorkshire, discovers a man's body, shot and placed in a sack. There are no means of identification to be found and as Scotland Yard hits a dead end, they call on the inimitable Kate Shackleton, a local sleuth, confident her local knowledge and investigative skills will produce results. But it's no easy task.

Suspicion of political intrigue and fears of unrest in the Yorkshire coalfields, impose secrecy on her already difficult task. The murder of a shopkeeper, around the same time, seems too much of a coincidence. The convicted felon was found with blood on his hands, but it's too tidy and Kate becomes convinced the police have the wrong man.

By then it's too late. Kate finds herself in a den of vipers. The real killer is still at large, and having tinkered with Kate's car, nearly causes her to crash. Not only that, but Scotland Yard has turned their back on her. As Kate edges toward the shocking truth, she's going to need all the strength and resourcefulness she can muster to uncover this sinister web of deceit."

For the Agatha Christie cozy fan in all of us. 

The Glass Thief by Gigi Pandian
Published by: Henery Press
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 274 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A locked-room mystery at a Paris mansion. A supposed ghost haunting a French family who looted treasure from Cambodia.

A reclusive thriller author writing a novel in honor of historian Jaya Jones--is it a work of fiction or a devious device to lure Jaya into solving a chilling mystery?

Three unsolved murders spanning seventy years have befallen the same French family, each taking place two nights before Christmas at their Paris mansion--and blamed on the family ghost.

When Jaya realizes the truth hits closer to home than she realized, she must risk everything as she flees San Francisco for France and Cambodia to find a missing sculpture known as the Serpent King and stop a flesh and blood killer."

I was sold at locked-room mystery in a Paris mansion, everything else is just icing on the cake.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance by Daniel Wallace
Published by: Insight Editions
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Explore the creation of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Netflix’s highly-anticipated new prequel series from The Jim Henson Company, with this all-access look at the show’s journey to the screen.

Delving into the incredible creative process behind the series, this deluxe volume reveals how Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, legendary character and costume designer Brian Froud, and director Louis Leterrier brought Thra and its characters to life alongside the artists and puppeteers who are continuing the legacy of the original film.

Filled with exclusive interviews with the creative forces behind the show, plus concept art, set photography, puppet designs, and more, this is the definitive exploration of The Jim Henson Company’s epic return to Thra."

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a perfect show and everything the original movie could have been with a better script. I can not wait to delve further into the amazing designs of Thra. 

Bowie's Bookshelf by John O'Connell
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Three years before David Bowie died, he shared a list of 100 books that changed his life. His choices span fiction and nonfiction, literary and irreverent, and include timeless classics alongside eyebrow-raising obscurities.

In 100 short essays, music journalist John O’Connell studies each book on Bowie’s list and contextualizes it in the artist’s life and work. How did the power imbued in a single suit of armor in The Iliad impact a man who loved costumes, shifting identity, and the siren song of the alter-ego? How did The Gnostic Gospels inform Bowie’s own hazy personal cosmology? How did the poems of T.S. Eliot and Frank O’Hara, the fiction of Vladimir Nabokov and Anthony Burgess, the comics of The Beano and The Viz, and the groundbreaking politics of James Baldwin influence Bowie’s lyrics, his sound, his artistic outlook? How did the 100 books on this list influence one of the most influential artists of a generation?

Heartfelt, analytical, and totally original, Bowie’s Bookshelf is one part epic reading guide and one part biography of a music legend."

A few years back I went to the touring Bowie exhibit and it was apparent that he was inspired by everything he took in, in particular what he read. This little insight into his life is invaluable to a fuller understanding of this remarkable man.

Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge by Sheila Weller
Published by: Sarah Crichton Books
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A remarkably candid biography of the remarkably candid - and brilliant - Carrie Fisher.

In her 2008 bestseller, Girls Like Us, Sheila Weller - with heart and a profound feeling for the times - gave us a surprisingly intimate portrait of three icons: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon. Now she turns her focus to one of the most loved, brilliant, and iconoclastic women of our time: the actress, writer, daughter, and mother Carrie Fisher.

Weller traces Fisher’s life from her Hollywood royalty roots to her untimely and shattering death after Christmas 2016. Her mother was the spunky and adorable Debbie Reynolds; her father, the heartthrob crooner Eddie Fisher. When Eddie ran off with Elizabeth Taylor, the scandal thrust little Carrie Frances into a bizarre spotlight, gifting her with an irony and an aplomb that would resonate throughout her life.

We follow Fisher’s acting career, from her debut in Shampoo, the hit movie that defined mid-1970s Hollywood, to her seizing of the plum female role in Star Wars, which catapulted her to instant fame. We explore her long, complex relationship with Paul Simon and her relatively peaceful years with the talent agent Bryan Lourd. We witness her startling leap - on the heels of a near-fatal overdose - from actress to highly praised, bestselling author, the Dorothy Parker of her place and time.

Weller sympathetically reveals the conditions that Fisher lived with: serious bipolar disorder and an inherited drug addiction. Still, despite crises and overdoses, her life’s work - as an actor, a novelist and memoirist, a script doctor, a hostess, and a friend - was prodigious and unique. As one of her best friends said, “I almost wish the expression ‘one of a kind’ didn’t exist, because it applies to Carrie in a deeper way than it applies to others.”

Sourced by friends, colleagues, and witnesses to all stages of Fisher’s life, Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge is an empathic and even-handed portrayal of a woman who - as Princess Leia, but mostly as herself - was a feminist heroine, one who died at a time when we need her blazing, healing honesty more than ever."

A while back now EW (because Entertainment Weekly seems to have forsaken the "weekly" and are now monthly) profiled this book and instantly I was like yes. This is a book I must read.

It's Garry Shandling's Book by Judd Apatow
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 472 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Judd Apatow comes an intimate portrait of his mentor, the legendary stand-up comic and star of The Larry Sanders Show, with never-before-seen journal entries and photos, as well as new contributions by fellow comedians and writers.

Garry Shandling was a singular trailblazer in the comedy world. His two hit shows, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and The Larry Sanders Show, broke new ground and influenced future sitcoms like 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and his stand-up laid the foundation for a whole new generation of comics. There’s no one better to tell Shandling’s story than Judd Apatow - Shandling gave Apatow one of his first jobs and remained his mentor for the rest of his life - and the book expands on Apatow’s Emmy Award-winning HBO documentary, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling.

Here, Apatow has gathered journal entries, photographs, and essays for a close-up look at the artist who turned his gaze back onto the world of show business. Beyond his success, though, Shandling struggled with fame, the industry of art, and the childhood loss of his brother, which forever affected his personal and professional lives. His diaries show Shandling to be self-aware and insightful, revealing a deep philosophical and spiritual side. Contributions by comedians and other leading lights of the industry, as well as people who grew up with Shandling, along with never-before-seen pieces of scripts and brilliant jokes that he never performed, shed new light on every facet of his life and work. This book is the final word on the lasting impact of the great Garry Shandling."

How old were you when you realized Garry Shandling spelled his name with two "R's"? I was today years old.

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