Tuesday Tomorrow

The Man in Black by Elly Griffiths
Published by: Mariner Books
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the internationally bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway Mysteries, an eclectic, thrilling collection of short stories, featuring many characters that readers have come to know and love.

Elly Griffiths has always written short stories to experiment with different voices and genres as well as to explore what some of her fictional creations such as Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur, and Max Mephisto might have done outside of the novels. The Man in Black gathers these bite-sized tales all together in one splendid volume.

There are ghost stories, cozy mysteries, tales of psychological suspense, and poignant vignettes of love and loss.

In the title story, Ruth Galloway crosses paths with a mysterious man in a bookstore, setting in motion a rescue mission that hinges on the legends and lore of Norfolk.

Looking into the past, a young magician in 1920s Leeds wonders just what happened to his missing landlady in "Max Mephisto and the Disappearing Act."

In "Justice Jones and the Etherphone," a witty girl detective investigates the dire prediction of a fortune teller in dreary postwar London.

A flashback in time reveals Harbinder Kaur as a Detective Sergeant surviving her first day on the job at Shoreham DCI.

To celebrate the holidays, Ruth gets her very first Christmas tree, and her beloved cat narrates his own seasonal story in "Flint's Fireside Tale."

And readers can armchair travel with stories set on the Amalfi Coast, in Capri, and in Egypt as Ruth and DCI Nelson experience their very own version of Death on the Nile.

The Man in Black illustrates the breadth and variety of Elly Griffiths's talent for blood-chilling, page-turning stories all with her trademark humor and heart."

Just take my money! There's a Max Mephisto story, that is ALL I need to know!

The Cursed Writer by Holly Hepburn
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 4248 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"'When did you become aware something was wrong?'

'When the screaming began...'

Harriet White is no stranger to odd correspondence. Ensconced in the basement of the Baker Street building society, her job is to reply to the mail they receive on behalf of Sherlock Holmes.

But while letters to the fictional sleuth may be plentiful, telegrams are rare, and so when she receives one describing the grave situation of celebrated author Philip St John, her interest is piqued. The writer describes St John as being consumed by terror, seeing ghostly apparitions on the fens, and only at ease in the company of his loyal wolfhound.

Before long, Harry finds herself in Cambridgeshire under the guise of being Holmes' assistant. The residents of Thurmwell Manor believe their master is cursed. Harry is sure there must be a logical explanation, but inside the echoey halls of the grand Gothic house, her confidence in science and reason begin to crumble...

Can Harry solve the mystery before the fens claim their next victim?

Join Harriet White in 1930's London for another glorious Sherlock Holmes-inspired mystery, for fans of Nita Prose and Janice Hallett."

Is there a book called "When the screaming began?" Because I think that sums up murder mysteries quite well.

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan
Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone meets The Goonies in The Treasure Hunters Club - a rollicking murder mystery set in a seaside town filled with pirate lore, family secrets, unforgivable grudges, secret societies, and of course, a treasure lost to time.

Welcome to Maple Bay, Nova Scotia.

For nearly a century, people have ventured to the idyllic seaside town of Maple Bay in search of a legendary lost pirate treasure, but locals know there's more than just gold buried in the sand. As the paths of three strangers converge in Maple Bay, the truth is about to be blown wide open. But not before the bodies start to pile up.

Peter Barnett is rapidly approaching 40 with little to show for it when a mysterious letter invites him to Maple Bay and the mansion his estranged family has called home for generations.

Seventeen-year-old Dandy Feltzen is isolated and adrift following the death of her beloved grandfather, until his final request and a tantalizing clue sets her on a mission to solve the mystery he spent his entire life chasing.

Cass Jones has given up on her dream of being a successful author when an unexpected opportunity lands in her lap: a housesitting gig in remote Maple Bay, where she stumbles on the perfect subject matter for her breakout book - and the handsome sailor who might be just the person to help her research it.

Peter, Dandy and Cass have never met, but they're on a collision course with each other and the mystery that has defined Maple Bay for two centuries, and none of them are prepared for the shocking truths that may or may not still be buried there."

Please say the town is really dark despite it's cutesy name.

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Pantheon Books
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith's beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi take on an intriguing new case and uncover surprising truths.

In the rolling hills just outside Gaborone, surrounded by a grove of acacia trees, lies The Great Hippopotamus Hotel. With spacious rooms overlooking the Botswanan countryside and a fine and loyal staff, the hotel has served as a refuge to weary travelers for many years. But a sudden string of misfortunes threatens to ruin the hotel's reputation. Food poisoning befalls an unlucky diner, laundry mysteriously disappears from the drying line, and a scorpion stings one of the guests. Mishap after mishap, until it seems these incidents are more than simple coincidences - something foul is afoot.

Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are on the case to find out who could be responsible for these unfortunate events. The answer at first seems clear, especially when they find out Violet Sephotho is involved. But as they dig deeper, they realize that the solution is not as simple as it initially seems. Meanwhile, one of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's most important clients has asked him to source a sports car, putting him in a ticklish position as the man's wife seems to be unaware of the purchase and the client is taking great pains to keep it that way. Nevertheless, with a healthy dose of good humor and kindness, Mma Ramotswe and her associates must help restore the reputation of the hotel and prove that even the most difficult situations can be remedied with honesty and compassion."

Because every once in awhile you need Mma Ramotswe to cheer you up.

Women's Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery
Published by: Harpervia
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times bestselling author and advice columnist, a poignant and funny debut novel about the residents of a women's hotel in 1960s New York City.

The Beidermeier might be several rungs lower on the ladder than the real-life Barbizon, but its residents manage to occupy one another nonetheless. There's Katherine, the first-floor manager, lightly cynical and more than lightly suggestible. There's Lucianne, a workshy party girl caught between the love of comfort and an instinctive bridling at convention, Kitty the sponger, Ruth the failed hairdresser, and Pauline the typesetter. And there's Stephen, the daytime elevator operator and part-time Cooper Union student.

The residents give up breakfast, juggle competing jobs at rival presses, abandon their children, get laid off from the telephone company, attempt to retrain as stenographers, all with the shared awareness that their days as an institution are numbered, and they'd better make the most of it while it lasts.

As trenchant as the novels of Dawn Powell and Rona Jaffe and as immersive as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Lessons in Chemistry, Women's Hotel is a modern classic - and it is very, very funny."

I miss the bygone era where their were sanctuary hotels.

Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan
Published by: Titan Books (UK)
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 4128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A grieving mother and son hope to survive Christmas in a remote mountain cabin in Pennsylvania, in this chilling novella of dread, isolation and sinister spirits lurking in the frozen woods. Perfect for fans of The Only Good Indians, The Shining and The Babadook.

Two weeks ago, Christine Sinclaire's husband slipped off the roof while hanging Christmas lights and fell to his death on the front lawn.

Desperate to escape her guilt and her grief, Christine packs up her fifteen-year-old son and the family cat and flees to the cabin they'd reserved deep in the remote Pennsylvania Wilds to wait out the holidays.

It isn't long before Christine begins to hear strange noises coming from the forest. When she spots a horned figure watching from between frozen branches, Christine assumes it's just a forest animal - a moose, maybe, since the property manager warned her about them, said they'd stomp a body so deep into the snow nobody'd find it 'til spring.

But moose don't walk upright like the shadowy figure does.

They don't call Christine's name with her dead husband's voice."

But why was her husband hanging Christmas lights if they weren't going to be there for Christmas?

The Specimen by Jaima Fixsen
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Walk carefully, lest you become a part of Dr. Burnett's collection...

1826. Isobel Tait finds herself, by chance, staring at a tiny human heart floating in a jar. It should be of little consequence; Dr. Burnett is renowned for his collection of oddities and medical specimens, and this, a juvenile heart with a damaged mitral valve, is not the strangest thing on display. Except that the condition is rare, and that Isobel's young son, who has been missing for months, suffered from the ailment.

A phantom pulse beats in Isobel's ears. She knows something here isn't right.

Missing persons cases are all too common in Edinburgh, where people simply vanish like mist. But Burnett is obsessed with his specimens - how far would he go to acquire a new one? Determined to investigate, Isobel joins his staff as the keeper of his collection. What she'll unearth, though, is far worse than any of her nightmares...

Based on true crimes, The Specimen is a mesmerizing story about one woman's search for truth and vengeance in the darkest of places - where the deadliest secrets lie hidden in plain sight, on a freshly dusted shelf."

YES! Finally a book with resurrection men in the correct era. You have NO idea how annoyed I am by later day resurrection men supposedly making money after the Anatomy Act of 1832.

In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft by Joe R. Lansdale
Published by: Tachyon Publications
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Eleven-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep) returns with this wicked short story collection of his irreverent Lovecraftian tributes. Lansdale is terrifyingly down-home while merging his classic gonzo stylings with the eldritch horrors of H. P. Lovecraft. Knowingly skewering Lovecraft's paranoid mythos, Lansdale embarks upon haunting yet sly explorations of the unknown, capturing the essence of cosmic dread.

A sinister blues recording pressed on vinyl in blood conjures lethal shadows with its unearthly wails. In order to rescue Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn traverses the shifting horrors of the aptly named Dread Island. In the weird Wild West, Reverend Jebidiah Mercer rides into a possessed town to confront the unspeakable in the crawling sky. Legendary detective C. Auguste Dupin uncovers the gruesome secrets of both the blue lightning bug and the Necronomicon.

Exploring the darkest corners of the human psyche, here is a lethally entertaining journey through Joe Lansdale's twisted landscape, where ancient evils lurk and sanity hangs by a rapidly fraying thread."

I love the Poe/Lovecraft/Lansdale mashup!

Pride and Prejudice in Space by Alexis Lampley
Published by: Union Square and Co.
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 504 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is arguably the forerunner of all romantic comedies and certainly one of her most popular and irreverent works. And now, graphic designer and Nerdy Ink co-owner - and obsessive fan of Pride and Prejudice - Alexis Lampley gives this timeless, classic, Regency-era romance a new twist, setting it among the stars in a futuristic universe where spaceships and interplanetary travel are the daily norm. Featuring numerous four-color illustrations of the Londinium Lunar System, drawings of gowns by Lydia Bennet, and spaceship designs by Elizabeth Bennet, this is a futuristic take on a classic by a dedicated Jane Austen fan, for Austen newbies and super-fans alike."

If you aren't saying this book's title like "Pigs in Space" I'm sorry but we can never be friends.

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An enemies to lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers end up on a writers retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland.

It's been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she's a publishing pariah and hasn't been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.

Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling "book without a soul," as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.

But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they're stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and...maybe they shouldn't have been enemies at all? But if they can't stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.

Full of spooky chills and even more sexy thrills, If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is the funny, fast-paced romp romance readers have been waiting for!"

And maybe they can help each other to be better writers? After dealing with the ghosts that is.

Januaries by Olivie Blake
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six comes Januaries, a stunning collection of short fiction featuring fourteen magical ruminations on life, death, and the love - or desire for revenge - that outlasts both.

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, a wish-granting spirit rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan navigates an occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away.

With both iconic fan-favorite stories and entirely original pieces, Januaries features modified fairy tales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows. Escape the slow trudge of mortality by diving into these enchanting new worlds with a master of imagination."

I'm usually against short story collections. But this week has two that are the exception to the rule.

An Instruction in Shadow by Benedict Jacka
Published by: Ace Books
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The ultra-rich control magic - the same way they control everything else - but Stephen Oakwood may just beat them at their own game in this exhilarating contemporary fantasy from the author of the Alex Verus novels.

Stephen Oakwood has emerged victorious against the schemes of his aristocratic family. Now he finally has the opportunity to do what he's been wanting to do for a long time: track down his father.

But doing so won't be easy. Stephen's not so isolated any more, but the contacts he's making in the magical world - everyone from the corporation he works for to the mother he's just beginning to reconnect with - all have agendas of their own. And now a new group is emerging from the shadows, calling themselves the Winged. Their leader, the mysterious Byron, promises that he can show Stephen how to find his father...but he wants something in return.

Following that trail will throw Stephen into greater danger than he's ever faced before. To survive, he'll need to use all of his tricks and sigls, and pick up some new ones. Only then will he be able to prevail against his enemies...and find out who's really pulling the strings."

I have tricks, but I really think I need some sigls.

Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
Published by: Bindery Books
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this fresh-yet-familiar Gothic tale - part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery - the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power.

At the dawn of the twentieth century in Paris, Samantha Harker, daughter of Dracula's killer, works as a researcher for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. But no one realizes how abnormal she is. Sam is a channel into the minds of monsters: a power that could help her solve the gruesome deaths plaguing turn-of-the-century Paris - or have her thrown into an asylum.

Sam finds herself assigned to a case with Dr. Helena Moriarty, daughter of the criminal mastermind and famed nemesis of Sherlock Holmes and a notorious detective whom no one wants to work with on account of her previous partners' mysterious murders. Ranging from the elite clubs of Paris to the dark underbelly of the catacombs, their investigation sweeps them into a race to stop a beast from its killing rampage, as Hel and Sam are pitted against men, monsters, and even each other. But beneath their tenuous trust, an unmistakable attraction brews. Is trusting Hel the key to solving the murder, or is Sam yet another pawn in Hel's game?"

Has a distinct Penny Dreadful vibe. I love that.

Death in the Stars by Bonnie Langford
Published by: Penguin Group UK
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A band of killers. Survivors with a secret. A death-defying murder mystery in space.

When young Mel's business partner, Sabalom Glitz embarks on yet another "get rich quick" scheme, it marks the start of an epic, death-defying murder-mystery in space.

After barely escaping the snares of a murderous galactic cult, Mel searches for fellow survivors in a nearby spaceship graveyard - while Glitz looks to fill his pockets. But the discovery of a spaceship with its crew in suspended animation and incredible secrets on board leaves the duo stranded with no way off.

Mel revives the crew - and then the murders start. Murders that cannot possibly have been committed by any of the crewmembers. In fact, there are only two realistic suspects - Glitz and Mel themselves..."

A Mel Bush mystery WRITTEN by Mel Bush!?! Hells yeah! Also, even if it wasn't Doctor Who adjacent, I love murder mysteries that are locked room, or should I say locked spaceship?

Hell, Ink, and Water: The Art of Mike Mignola by Mike Mignola
Published by: IDW Publishing
Publication Date: October 15th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 96 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Own the official hardcover catalog for the world-renowned artist Mike Mignola for his first New York art gallery show (Philippe Labaune Gallery, September 20, 2024 - October 26, 2024).

The 64-page art catalog featuring 31 new watercolors by Mike Mignola. The watercolors focus on many of the themes near and dear to Mignola: Skulls, monsters, and the supernatural. Additionally, there will be a number of Hellboy covers and pencil drawing, all scanned in the manner of Artist's Editions, from the original art. A truly lovely collection of art for Mike Mignola fans everywhere."

I want to go to there. I also want the money to afford some of the pieces because DAMN this book is really the closest I'm getting.