Tuesday Tomorrow
Jane and the Final Mystery by Stephanie Barron
Published by: Soho Crime
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 312 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The final volume of the critically acclaimed mystery series featuring Jane Austen as amateur sleuth.
March 1817: As winter turns to spring, Jane Austen's health is in slow decline, and threatens to cease progress on her latest manuscript. But when her nephew Edward brings chilling news of a death at his former school, Winchester College, not even her debilitating ailment can keep Jane from seeking out the truth. Arthur Prendergast, a senior pupil at the prestigious all-boys' boarding school, has been found dead in a culvert near the schoolgrounds - and in the pocket of his drenched waistcoat is an incriminating note penned by the young William Heathcote, the son of Jane's dear friend Elizabeth. Winchester College is a world unto itself, with its own language and rites of passage, cruel hazing and dangerous pranks. Can Jane clear William's name before her illness gets the better of her?
Over the course of fourteen previous novels in the critically acclaimed Being a Jane Austen Mystery series, Stephanie Barron has won the hearts of thousands of fans - crime fiction aficionados and Janeites alike - with her tricky plotting and breathtaking evocation of Austen's voice. Now, she brings Jane's final season - and final murder investigation - to brilliant, poignant life in this unforgettable conclusion."
So bittersweet, a new book in this beloved series, but also the last.
Murder in Drury Land by Vanessa Riley
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Portraying the true diversity of the Regency-era and the hidden intrigue of England's abolitionist movement, this vibrant, inclusive new historical mystery from acclaimed author Vanessa Riley features an engaging heroine with an independent streak, a notorious past, and a decided talent for sleuthing...
Pressed into a union of convenience, Lady Abigail Worthing knew better than to expect love. Her marriage to an absent lord does at least provide some comforts, including a box at the Drury Lane theater, owned by the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Abigail has always found respite at the theater, away from the ton's judgmental stares and the risks of her own secret work to help the cause of abolition - and her fears that someone from her past wants her permanently silenced. But on one particular June evening everything collides, and the performance takes an unwelcome turn...
Onstage, a woman emits a scream of genuine terror. A man has been found dead in the prop room, stabbed through the heart. Abigail's neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, is also in attendance, and the two rush backstage. The magistrate, keen to avoid bringing more attention to the case and making Lady Worthing more of a target, asks Abigail not to investigate. But she cannot resist, especially when the usually curmudgeonly Henderson offers his assistance.
Abigail soon discovers a tangled drama that rivals anything brought to the stage, involving gambling debts, a beautiful actress with a parade of suitors, and the very future of the Drury Lane theatre. For Abigail the case is complicated still further, for one suspect is a leading advocate for the cause dearest to her heart - the abolition of slavery within the British empire. Uncovering the truth always comes at a price. But this time, it may be far higher than she wishes to pay."
I'm all for murders happening during theatrical performances, though I doubt that Lady Abigail Worthing had as much solitude at the threatre as she thought.
The Herbalist's Secret by Annabelle Marx
Published by: Storm Publishing Ltd
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 366 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Two small lifeless bodies lay on the sand, arms carefully placed by their sides. On the other side of the loch stands an imposing house. It's almost as if it gives a silent howl of distress, echoing over the hills, making the birds turn their gaze down to the beach where the two bodies lie, awaiting discovery.
1889: Kitty Gray dreams of attending university and becoming a doctor, but when she is married off to Charles Maclean, one of Glasgow's richest and most eligible bachelors, her aspiration suddenly slips far from reach.
Exiled to her new remote home in the Scottish Highlands, with its gargoyles, Gothic arches and turrets, Kitty seeks solace in creating a restorative herb garden. Combining her medical knowledge and new-found fascination with herbalism, Kitty spends her days absorbed in a world of herbs and their healing properties until a devastating tragedy strikes...
2003: Caitlin Black arrives at Ardbray House determined to restore the crumbling mansion and Kitty's walled garden to their former glory, enlisting the help of long-time housekeeper Greer Mackenzie. But as Caitlin delves deeper into the history of this once magnificent home, she uncovers a past haunted by misfortune and grief. And beneath the blood-red roses that climb beside the bay window of the drawing room, a human skull is about to be unearthed.
The truth that has held Ardbray House captive for so long is surfacing, and with it, the heart-breaking secret of the herbalist who once lived there.
An evocative, beautifully written, and unforgettable mystery that will transport you to the wild and beautiful Scottish Highlands. The Herbalist's Secret will have fans of Fiona Valpy, Louise Douglas, and Rhys Bowen completely mesmerised."
Please say that the herb garden is also a poison garden... Yeah, I'm quirky with what I like.
Murder on Mistletoe Lane by Clara McKenna
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"American heiress Stella Kendrick and her husband, British aristocrat Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst, prepare to celebrate their first Christmas together as newlyweds in Clara McKenna's latest historical mystery set in England's New Forest region at the turn of the 20th century...
Taking on the responsibilities that come with being Lady Lyndhurst, Stella is eager to embrace yuletide traditions in the Edwardian English countryside and use her strong social influence for good. Her world becomes so consumed with starting a horse farm charity for the holidays that she barely notices the usual oddities attached to her upper-crust lifestyle. At least, not until items vanish from her bedroom and maligned housekeeper, Mrs. Nelson, becomes seriously ill - only to be found dead in the cold on Mistletoe Lane...
Cheery spirits are dashed following the sudden death, especially once Stella questions whether her own staff knows what - or who - killed the woman. Her suspicions mount when another person dies under strange circumstances during New Forest's annual Point-to-Point Boxing Day race. Then there's the case of Morrington Hall becoming plagued by false identities, secret affairs, and disgruntled employees...
Now, with two murders unfolding before their eyes in late December, Stella and Lyndy realize they can't fully trust anyone except for themselves while investigating. Because as disturbing answers come into focus, identifying the criminal responsible and surviving into the new year would be the greatest gift of the season..."
Another book that I plan on devouring this holiday season.
Edge of the Grave by Robbie Morrison
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Two detectives hunt a killer amidst the lawless streets and high society of 1930's Glasgow in this "brilliant" (Times UK) mystery that "serves up a delicious slice of thirties gangster noir" (Adrian McKinty) - inspired by the true story of the Scottish Untouchables.
Glasgow, 1932. When the son-in-law of one of the city's wealthiest shipbuilders is found floating in the River Clyde with his throat cut, it falls to Inspector Jimmy Dreghorn to lead the murder case-despite sharing a troubled history with the victim's widow.
From the flying fists and flashing blades of Glasgow's gangland underworld to the backstabbing upper echelons of government and big business, Dreghorn and his partner, "Bonnie" Archie McDaid, will have to dig deep into Glasgow society to find out who wanted the man dead and why.
All the while, a sadistic murderer stalks the post-war city, leaving a trail of dead bodies in their wake. As the case deepens, Dreghorn realizes that the answers may lie in his old ties with the victim's family - and the horrors he saw in the Great War.
Edge of the Grave is historical noir at its very best - a gripping mystery that truly transports the reader to the lawless streets and high society of 1930s Glasgow and brings a teeming, chaotic city irresistibly to life."
I will say they leaned a little too hard into the Peaky Blinders aesthetic for the cover...
The Fatal Folio by Elizabeth Penney
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 228 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In the third in Elizabeth Penney's delightful Cambridge Bookshop series, The Fatal Folio, Molly Kimball is learning that every killer has a story...
After moving to Cambridge, England, Molly Kimball has found a lot to love, including - of course - her family's ancestral bookshop, Thomas Marlowe-Manuscripts and Folios. And though she's not quite ready to use the "L" word when it comes to her boyfriend Kieran, she's definitely fallen for his intimidating family's library.
His family is paying her handsomely for an updated catalog when Molly discovers the original manuscript of a Gothic novel, A Fatal Folio by the pseudonymous Selwyn Scott. Kieran's cousin Oliver, a professor specializing in Gothic literature, is eager to publish a paper on the mystery - especially because a troublesome student, Thad, is threatening to file a complaint against him and prevent his long-awaited promotion.
On Guy Fawkes Night, Molly, Kieran, and her friends set out to enjoy the costumes, fireworks, and fun - at least until a stray firework starts a panic, and the group stumbles upon a prone body, their face covered by a mask. It's Thad, and he's been stabbed to death.
It soon becomes clear Oliver isn't the only one with a motive, and Molly must once again put on a few masks of her own to sleuth out Thad's killer, prove Oliver's innocence, and discover what Selwyn's novel might have to do with this most atmospheric mystery..."
Is there anything more festive than a Guy Fawkes bonfire and a dead body?
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"This immersive holiday caper from the "modern Agatha Christie" (The Sunday Times, London) follows the hilarious Fairway Players theater group as they put on a Christmas play - and solve a murder that threatens their production.
The Christmas season has arrived in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive holiday production of Jack and the Beanstalk to raise money for a new church roof. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking among the amateur theater enthusiasts with petty rivalries, a possibly asbestos-filled beanstalk, and some perennially absent players behind the scenes.
Of course, there's also the matter of the dead body onstage. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they investigate Christmas letters, examine emails, and pore over police transcripts to identify both the victim and killer before the curtain closes on their holiday production - for good."
Oh, I'm a sucked for a murder at a Christmas panto!
West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman
Published by: Knopf Publishing Group
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Looking for an anything-but-ordinary whodunit? Welcome to the West Heart country club. Where the drinks are neat but behind closed doors...things can get messy. Where upright citizens are deemed downright boring. Where the only missing piece of the puzzle is you, dear reader.
A unique and irresistible murder mystery set at a remote hunting lodge where everyone is a suspect, including the erratic detective on the scene - a remarkable debut that gleefully upends the rules of the genre.
An isolated hunt club. A raging storm. Three corpses, discovered within four days. A cast of monied, scheming, unfaithful characters.
When private detective Adam McAnnis joins an old college friend for the Bicentennial weekend at the exclusive West Heart club in upstate New York, he finds himself among a set of not-entirely-friendly strangers. Then the body of one of the members is found at the lake's edge; hours later, a major storm hits. By the time power is restored on Sunday, two more people will be dead..."
The question has to be asked, does it really upend the genre?
The Last Close Call by Laura Griffin
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A talented genetic analyst and a detective who's haunted by an elusive cold case team up in the new standalone romantic suspense from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.
Forensic genealogist Rowan Healy has made a name for herself by helping investigators trace the family trees of violent criminals who have eluded justice for years. But the pressure of police cases left her burned out, and she's shifted her focus to helping adoptees find their biological parents.
Austin detective Jack Bruner has spent his career successfully tracking down vicious criminals - with the notable exception of the West Campus Rapist, a meticulous offender in Texas who has never been identified. When the latest two victims come to light, Jack sees his target is escalating his violent behavior - and only with Rowan's help does he stand a chance of cracking this case.
Moved by Jack's dedication and the brutal details of the attacks he lays out, Rowan agrees to help. When her ground-breaking DNA research sheds new light on the criminal's background and helps them zero in on a search radius, Rowan and Jack must race against the clock to find a ruthless killer who's growing bolder the longer he evades the law."
Forensic genealogy is fascinating to me.
The Palisades by Gail Lynn Hanson
Published by: Slippery Fish Press
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Kindle, 365 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Dorothy Fiske, eighty-three, adores movie stars, jewelry, murder mysteries, and men. At twenty-five, inspired by Judy Garland and Angela Lansbury, she moved to Los Angeles from a religiously strict Midwestern home. Despite the glamour, Dorothy, heartbroken, was childless. She blamed her sweet, unambitious husband, Eugene, claiming his sperm was weak, but Dorothy knows the truth. Ruth, a sixty-six-year-old home health aide, fears eviction from her L.A. apartment due to her unusual, antisocial behavior. Previously fired from a nursing facility for residents dying under her care, Ruth targets Dorothy, a widow from a wealthy family in Pacific Palisades, California. Lonely yet prideful, Dorothy hires Ruth as a "lady's maid." Ruth accepts the position and masterfully entwines herself into Dorothy's life because she wants to live in Dorothy's house, alone. The Palisades is a deliciously spun psychological suspense brimming with dark humor in which two women develop a peculiar relationship amid a miasma of Ruth's disturbing memories and Dorothy's pervasive delusions of old Hollywood. Poverty and privilege mingle, companionship turns bizarre, and identity is questioned as the women desperately try to fulfill their shared yearning for motherhood."
Grey Gardens with a California twist.
Jewel Box: Stories by E. Lily Yu
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The strange, the sublime, and the monstrous confront one another with astonishing consequences in this collection of twenty-two stories from award-winning writer E. Lily Yu.
In the village of Yiwei, a fallen wasp nest unfurls into a beautifully accurate map. In a field in Louisiana, birdwatchers forge an indelible connection over a shared glimpse of a Vermilion Flycatcher, and fall. In Nineveh, a judge who prides himself on impartiality finds himself questioned by a mysterious god. On a nameless shore, a small monster searches for refuge and finds unexpected courage.
At turns bittersweet and boundary-breaking, poignant and profound, these twenty-two stories sing, as the oldest fables do, of what it means to be alive in this strange, terrible, beautiful world. For readers who loved the intelligence and compassion in Kim Fu's Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century and the dreamlike prose of Kelly Link's Magic for Beginners, this collection introduces the short fiction of E. Lily Yu, winner of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer and author of the Washington Book Award-winning novel On Fragile Waves, praised by the New York Times Book Review as "devastating and perfect.""
I usually avoid short stories but these sound too profound to be missed.
The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, Volume 4 edited by Paula Guran
Published by: Pyr
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror series returns with a splendidly startling fourth volume!
From paranormal plots to stories of the supernatural, tales of the unfamiliar have always fascinated us humans. To keep the tradition alive, fantasy aficionado Paula Guran has gathered the most delightfully disturbing work from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique!
No two mysterious shadows are alike, and the same can be said for the books in this series. The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, Volume 4 contains more than three hundred pages of mystical fiction. Reader beware and indulge if you dare, because these chilling tales are sure to spook and surprise!"
I mean, it's the time of year were we HAVE to read this kind of book right?
The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire
Published by: Daw Books
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The 18th novel of the Hugo-nominated, New York Times bestselling October Daye urban fantasy series.
For one bright, shining moment, Tybalt, King of Cats, had everything he had ever wanted. He was soon to set his crown aside; he had married the woman he loved; he was going to be a father. After centuries of searching for a family of his own, he had finally found a way to construct the life of his dreams, and was looking forward to a period of peace - or at least as much peace as is ever in the offing for the husband of a hero.
Alas for Tybalt and his domestic aspirations, fate - and Titania - had other ideas. His perfect world had been complete for only a moment when it was ripped away, to be replaced by hers. Titania, Faerie's Summer Queen, Mother of Illusions and enemy of so many he holds dear, has seized control of the Kingdom, remaking it in her own image. An image which does not include meddlesome shapeshifters getting in her way. Tybalt quickly finds himself banished from her reality, along with the Undersea and the rest of the Court of Cats.
To protect his people and his future, Tybalt must find the woman he loves in a world designed to keep her from him, convince her that he's not a stranger trying to ruin her life for no apparent reason, and get her to unmake the illusion she's been firmly enmeshed in. And he'll have to do it all while she doesn't know him, and every unrecognizing look is a knife to his heart.
For Tybalt, King of Cats, the happily ever after was just the beginning."
Speaking of the King of Cats, I have a knew theory as to how Seanan writes so many books in a year... And yes, it's because her cats are writing the books.
Turtle Bread by Kim-Joy
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 136 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The debut graphic novel from The Great British Bake-Off star and author Kim-Joy, Turtle Bread explores mental health and the power of friendship, community and, of course, baking!
On her way home from another unsuccessful job interview, Yan stumbles upon Baking Club.
Her social anxiety tries to keep her away, but the bakers encourage her to come out of her shell, especially the caring and supportive Bea. As the club bakes together, Yan discovers that her new friends may need her too, more than she realises...
Features illustrated recipes throughout, for some of Kim-Joy's favorite bakes!"
I love Kim-Joy so much, her love of baking and her unflinching willingness to talk about her mental health. This is a must read.
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