strange and random happenstance

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: March 1st, 2022
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

The Alexandrian Society hoards the knowledge of the ages. The elite magicians who earn a place within the library's hallowed walls are destined for a life of privilege and wealth. It is more than an honor to be one of the six candidates selected every ten years. It is a passport to the life of your dreams. This year's candidates have been handpicked by the library's caretaker, Atlas Blakely. They have precisely one year to prove their worth and at the end of that time five of them will be initiated. The candidates are Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, two people who have been circling and competing with each other their whole lives and whose physical powers compliment each other making them symbiotic, much to their mutual disdain. Reina Mori is a naturalist, meaning plants like to talk to her and view her as their mother. Parisa Kamali has never met a mind she couldn't read until she met Atlas Blakely. Callum Nova is similar to Parisa, only that he doesn't just read minds, he influences them. He can get inside you and damage and change you in ways you could never even imagine. And finally there's Tristan Caine. He sees the world as it is. As it really is. Illusions don't phase him and he's used his powers for years to remake himself to be the man he imagines he wants to be. They all have their reasons for accepting Atlas Blakely's invitation. Some of them want to escape the world, some of them want to learn more about the world, and some of them want to protect those they love out in the world. Not one of them has the same reasons for being there and yet they must coexist in the Alexandrian's Society's house until their first year is up and one of them loses the keys to the kingdom while the others move beyond mere initiates. The problem with holding the keys to all the knowledge is that someone else will want what you have. And the Society has it's enemies. The Forum being key among them. The Forum believes that knowledge should be made public. That it is wrong to let only the elite have access. On the six's first night in the house the Forum attempts an incursion. They attack the library. The six must defend it. Which they do. They work together despite already forming cliques. They are a team. They don't know that they are puppets. They were had picked by Atlas for a very specific reason. He's had a plan that has taken years to put into action. A plan that started to be formed back when he was an initiate. The question is, what will the six due to their puppeteer when they find out his plans?

I just learned that this book was originally self-published and that answers a lot of my questions about it. Like why is it so clunky? Why are sentences badly structured with poor and often repetitive word choices? Why are the philosophical issues and lectures so bad and confusing that if I was in the class I'd drop the course? Were the blurbs supposed to give away the big twist that one of them will be killed? Did an editor ever actually look at this? Am I reading the revised edition? Because if so, it still needed heavy editing. But even with those problems, you can see that this could be something and hopefully the subsequent two volumes will take it there. I'm really fascinated by the idea of the library being sentient or having control. Mainly because this then starts to tip away from dark academia and into haunted house territory... Which might be my favorite genre. Though that all depends on if Olivie Blake can find her voice. Because this book feels too much like the juvenalia of an eventually great writer. She's on her way. She's just not there yet. She's still stuck in writing fanfic about The Magicians, but hopefully that's a phase she will move on from. And one thing that is a rookie mistake that just kept getting under my skin is in the name she gave one of her characters. Let's talk Libby Rhodes. And I'm not talking about the fact she's Alice Quinn 2.0. I'm literally talking about her given name. When Libby first appears it's onstage at her graduation sparing with Nico. It's very New York academia with sexual tension. In other words, magical Gossip Girl. So, if you wanted to, I don't know, distance yourself from this whole Gossip Girl vibe you're sending out, perhaps don't name the character a nearly indistinguishable name from one of that series's characters. Serena van der Woodsen's mother Lily's maiden name is Rhodes. Serena's mother's name is Lily Rhodes. And while yes, Libby physically resembles Lily's sister Carol more... I mean, Carol was played by Krysten Ritter in the failed backdoor pilot, if you are even a Gossip Girl dilettante, you can't keep from grinding your teeth at the Libby/Lily Rhodes of it all. The only thing that kept me from going completely over the edge is that at least Libby is an approved diminutive of Elizabeth. Yes. I have approved diminutives of my name. The hard and fast rule is if one of the main letters isn't in the name Elizabeth it isn't a diminutive it's an entirely different name. Like Betsy. Betsy can not be a diminutive because of the "s." Likewise, if you're spelling of Elizabeth is Elisabeth, you can not have the diminutive of Liza. So. Libby is approved. But this particular Libby? She should have had more thoughtful nomenclature.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexandrian Society, Atlas Blakely, Callum Nova, Dark Academia, Gossip Girl, Libby Rhodes, Lily Rhodes, Nico de Varona, Olivie Blake, Parisa Kamali, Reina Mori, Summer School, The Atlas Six, The Magicians, Tristan Caine

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: June 15th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Solving that which no one else was able to solve should be the biggest high a true crime geek will ever experience. And it is. It just doesn't last. The return to reality was a little harsher than Stevie expected. Spending the summer working at a grocery store at the deli counter isn't exactly the glamorous career she had planned for herself. I mean, the apron doesn't even go with her crime solving red vinyl raincoat! Thankfully she is about to be saved from a summer of drudgery by the new owner of a kid's summer camp in the Berkshires. Carson Buchwald is the owner of Box Box, a subscription box company, as in literal boxes, with delusions of becoming a true crime podcaster. Which is why he bought Shady Pines, the new moniker of a camp all true crime enthusiasts know by it's original name, Camp Wonder Falls. In 1978 four local teens who had just graduated high school in nearby Barlow Corners, Massachusetts, all counselors at the camp, were murdered. There was an old hunting blind about four miles from camp where the counselors were known to party. On that fateful July night the revelers, Todd Cooper, Diane McClure, and Sabrina Abbott were stabbed and stacked like cordwood in the hunting blind while Eric Wilde, the local drug dealer, almost made it back to camp. His body was found first. The most disturbing facts about the case were the brutality and the message painted inside the blind; SURPRISE. And yet the case was never solved. It wasn't a drug deal gone bad or the work of local serial killer "The Woodsman" as DNA ruled him out, and a revenge killing just didn't make sense. The case was badly handled and entered the lore of famous unsolved crimes. Which is why Carson wants to hire Stevie. She'd come and work at the camp and solve the case for his podcast. The chance to get away from deli meats means she'll even brave the wilderness. She is so not the outdoorsy type. Which means a support network is needed and Nate and Janelle agree to come with. They are on the case. Unfortunately the town is rather hostile once they realize Carson's intentions. It looks like he was trying to buy them off with a shiny new library. And in a way he was. Because the answer has to be among the townsfolk. It's the only thing that makes sense. Why else was it never solved? Because someone didn't want it solved. That someone isn't Sabrina's sister Allison. She's willing to help Stevie. But that help might cost her her life. Because more than four people have died and the killing will continue unless Stevie connects the dots.

The Box in the Woods is a bit of a reset for this series. The first three books were dealing with one case and all it's connecting repercussions at Ellingham Academy. Here Stevie is removed from that academic setting and into that most classic of teen horror tropes, a summer camp. And as everyone knows the best parts of a summer slasher are technology breaking down and there being nowhere to run. Which makes the seventies the perfect era for the "historical" crime to be set. And thankfully we are all about the historical in this installment and veer away from the hysteria that Stevie's boyfriend David brings in his wake. Seriously, I agree with so many reviewers who are just fed up with him. He brings nothing to the conversation and this book was all the better for his being almost entirely omitted. What really drew me in though was that this small little town and it's summer camp is Gilmore Girls meets Twin Peaks that just happens to shoehorn in a slasher flick and some Nazis. So yes, you might think that sounds all over the place, but if you're the right kind of person, AKA someone who I'd be friends with, you will totally get that all these disparate elements can fit together perfectly if you have the right mindset and sense of humor. Dark humor. But for me this isn't just a series reset it's also a turning point for Stevie. When she was investigating the Ellingham case all the principal characters were dead. She was legitimately investigating a true cold case, as in all the participates were cold in their graves. Here the crime happened in 1978 so, while not recent history weeps the reviewer who was born in that year, it's still a recent enough crime that those people directly affected, like Sabrina's sister Allison, are still alive. This is new and interesting. Stevie has had to deal with the fallout of a case and it's present day repercussions but she hasn't had to deal with the trauma of real people. She's so focused and inward when she's on a case she sometimes doesn't think of the bigger picture. Which is all well and good when it's a true cold case. When the obsession and the drive aren't running over victims. But here she could easily steamroller over someone to whom this case is an open wound. She has to tread carefully. Not just because the actual killer could still be alive but because the family of the victims are in need of support. They can help but there has to be respect and assurances. When dealing with Allison Stevie is growing. She's learning that there's more to solving crime than just the crime. There's the survivors. That aspect is one she needs to work on. But this is a good start.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Berkshires, Camp Wonder Falls, Cold Case, Gilmore Girls, Maureen Johnson, Nazis, Podcast, Seventies, Slasher, Stevie Bell, Summer Camp, Summer School, Survivors, The Box in the Woods, Trauma, True Crime, Truly Devious, Twin Peaks

Royal Gambit by Daniel O'Malley
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A delightful and hilarious supernatural adventure featuring a lady-in-waiting who must keep the court safe from murder, from the author of The Rook.

Alexandra Dennis-Palmer-Hudson-Gilmore-Garnsey (call me "Alix"), the twelfth Lady Mondegreen, has never had any control of her life. Her ability to shatter bones with a touch made her the automatic property of the Checquy, the secret British government agency that deals with the supernatural. Her aristocratic ancestry made Alix the perfect asset for the Checquy to deploy close to the royal family. Since childhood, she has been coached to befriend Princess Louise, second in line to the throne, but the two have never been close. Now, Alix is a skilled operative who investigates unexplained phenomena for the security of the nation.

Everything changes when Louise's brother, the Prince of Wales, dies abruptly and all signs point to an assassination by preternatural means. To protect Louise, the new heir apparent, Alix is assigned to be her lady-in-waiting. Thrust into the limelight overnight - both in the everyday world and in the underground world of the Checquy - Alix must juggle her responsibilities and her loyalties as she attempts to unravel the murder, keep Louise safe, and learn how to smile graciously while eerie threats loom around every corner."

I feel spoiled. TWO Checquy books in three years!?! Heaven!

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multigenerational horror saga from the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.

"Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches": That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva - stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that's why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay's most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay's manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved."

Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes Dark Academia!?! YAS!

A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan
Published by: Viking
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"As World War II rages around her, a witch abandoned by her coven must journey to find a book of unspeakable power before it lands in Nazi hands.

Stubborn, plain-spoken and from an unimpressive family, Lydia Polk never expected to be accepted into the Royal Academy of Witches. Now, with Hitler's army rampaging across Europe, the witches of Britain have joined the war effort, and Lydia is key to the cause: she must use her magic to track down magical relics before Hitler and his sycophants can. When a Nazi witch infiltrates the Academy with heart-breaking consequences, the coven is left shaken, exposed and divided. The elder British witches have no interest in further loss of coven life in service of a government that has forced them into hiding for decades, no matter the consequences to the world. But with the discovery of the Grimorium Bellum, an ancient book that leaves a trail of death and destruction wherever it goes, Lydia knows her mission has never been more urgent.

Alone and woefully outnumbered, Lydia makes her way to the heart of occupied France, where she finds allies in Rebecca Gagne - a fierce French resistance fighter chockful of secrets - and Henry Boudreaux - a handsome Haitian-American art historian with a little magic of his own. Together, they traverse the country, stalked by the natural and supernatural alike, in search of the grimoire. But, as Lydia soon discovers, finding the book is only half the battle - the Grimorium Bellum has a dark agenda all its own. Lydia must subdue it before the Witches of the Third Reich can use it - but she'll have to survive the book herself, first."

I usually avoid WWII fare, unless it involves the supernatural and in particular witches. Witches for the win!

Bottling His Ghosts by S.H. Cooper
Published by: Raw Dog Screaming Press
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 132 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After a tragic accident leaves her widowed, Netta flees home to Daunderhead hoping for the space to process her grief. Instead, she finds her cousin, Thorn, once like a brother to her, swimming at the bottom of every bottle he can find. Her parents, unable to break him from his alcoholic stupor, have grown despondent and resigned to his fate; and her once beautiful childhood home has fallen into the grasp of nefarious ghosts whose goals remain unclear. Refusing to allow another tragedy to befall her family, Netta takes it upon herself to help her cousin and - hopefully - stop the hauntings."

Ghosts do love their drunks...

The House at Devil's Neck by Tom Mead
Published by: Mysterious Press
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An apparent suicide in a London townhouse uncannily mirrors a similar incident from twenty-five years ago, prompting Scotland Yard's George Flint to delve deep into the past in search of the solution to a long-forgotten mystery.

Meanwhile, Joseph Spector travels with a coach party through the rainy English countryside to visit an allegedly haunted house on a lonely island called Devil's Neck. The house, first built by a notorious alchemist and occultist, was later used as a field hospital in the First World War before falling into disrepair. The visitors hold a seance to conjure the spirit of a long-dead soldier. But when a storm floods the narrow causeway connecting Devil's Neck to the mainland, they find themselves stranded in the haunted house. Before long, the guests begin to die one by one, and it seems that the only possible culprit is the phantom soldier.

Flint's and Spector's investigations are in fact closely linked, but it is only when the duo are reunited at the storm-lashed Devil's Neck that the truth is finally revealed. Tom Mead once again creates a brilliant homage to John Dickson Carr and the Golden Age of mysteries with this intricately plotted puzzle."

A seance and a setup equal to The Woman in Black!?! YAS!

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In "a delicious escape that blends suspense, atmosphere, and heart" (Danielle Trussoni), #1 international bestselling author Lisa Scottoline crafts a sweeping Gothic tale in which a young widow, emotionally distraught after the shocking death of her husband, inherits a Tuscan estate from a mysterious benefactor and finds herself thrust into the crosshairs of a dangerous conspiracy. Twisty, transportive, and haunting - this is suspense with a passport.

Lately, Julia Pritzker is beginning to think she's cursed. She's lost her adoptive parents, then her husband is murdered. When she realizes that her horoscope essentially foretold his death, she begins to spiral. She fears her fate is written in the stars, not held in her own hands.

Then a letter arrives out of the blue, informing her that she has inherited a Tuscan villa and vineyard - but her benefactor is a total stranger named Emilia Rossi. Julia has no information about her biological family, so she wonders if Rossi could be a blood relative. Bewildered, she heads to Tuscany for answers.

There, Julia is horrified to discover that Rossi was a paranoid recluse with delusions of grandeur, who believed herself to be a descendent of Duchess Caterina Sforza, a legendary Renaissance ruler. Julia is stunned by her uncanny resemblance to Rossi, and even to Caterina. Then she unearths eerie parallels between them, including an obsession with astrology.

Before long, Julia suspects she's being followed, and strange things begin to happen. Not even a chance meeting with a handsome Florentine can ease her disturbed mind. When events turn deadly, she breaks with reality. Julia's harrowing struggle becomes a search for her identity, a race to save her sanity, and ultimately, a question of her very survival."

Well, once you start believing in astrology and break with reality is sure to follow. 

Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the latest thrilling suspense novel from Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning author Carol Goodman, a group of mystery authors gathers on a secluded Greek island for a writers retreat, only to discover that their enigmatic host has been murdered and everyone present is a suspect.

They'll kill for inspiration...

Fifteen years ago, Maia Gold attended a prestigious - and very exclusive - writers retreat hosted by billionaire Argos Alexander on the Greek island of Eris. It's where she wrote her first book, the one that should have launched a brilliant career. But something dark happened on that island, a betrayal that has hung over Maia ever since.

Now, Maia finds a familiar envelope in the mail. It's an invitation to return to Eris, and according to social media, she's not the only one from that first retreat who's been invited back. This could be the second chance Maia needs to jump-start her dreams. A chance for reconciliation...or revenge.

Almost all of the writers from fifteen years before have returned to Eris, bringing unresolved resentments with them. Soon, the guests learn that their illustrious host is absent, though he has left instructions for them to participate in a contest: whoever can write the most suspenseful mystery while on the island will win a fortune and literary acclaim. But this is no harmless game - when the guests gather in the morning to share their first chapters, they find Argos Alexander, dead.

Tensions simmer as the guests try to determine who's capable of murder, not just on the page, but in real life. On an island full of mystery writers, anyone could be the killer - and anyone could be the next victim. Trapped together until the next boat arrives from the mainland, they must sort out old grievances and figure out how to trust one another...or die one by one."

They're all there for revenge and it's time to die one by one. 

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The next riveting summer suspense by the author of The Block Party and One Big Happy Family, Jamie Day.

Will this be the best week of their lives...or the last?

Julia, David, and Erika grew up together spending summers at their idyllic Vermont lake homes for as long as they can remember. Now adults - with their own sullen teens, endless mortgages, and low-voltage sex lives - the three friends have amassed secrets over the years.

This summer, David is eager to show off his newly renovated home - which now blocks his friends' cherished lake views - and his much-younger girlfriend. He also, unwittingly, brings a nanny with a hidden agenda. What could possibly go wrong?

When David's girlfriend mysteriously vanishes after a shouting match, Julia and Erika wonder just how well they know their lifelong friend. The lake harbors a harrowing past: two young women, with no known connection, vanished without a trace thirty years ago. Did the lake take another?

As a search is mounted, an intricate web of lies, deceits, and betrayals spanning generations starts to surface, and everyone finds themselves in danger of becoming the next victim. Of the lake, or something darker."

David deserves to die for his new house.

The Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs
Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Lucy Foley and Society of Lies comes a crackling study abroad thriller that proves that a trip of a lifetime can have deadly consequences...

Ten years ago
A study abroad program like no other: a month-long trip of education and adventure, exploring everything Australia has to offer. And at first, it's everything best friends Phoebe and Claire, and the rest of the student group expects: sunshine, whirlwind romance, and all-night parties. But it isn't long before cracks begin to form within the group. Ones that lead to Phoebe's disappearance...

Now
It's the call Claire has been waiting for years for. Phoebe's remains have been found. It's time to return, for her and the others to go back to Australia. But as Claire retraces their steps and tries to piece together exactly what happened to her best friend all those years ago, it quickly becomes clear everyone in the group has secrets. Including Claire.

Because only she knows what really happened that fateful day ten years ago. The day she killed her best friend. And she'll do anything she can to keep the others from learning the truth."

Oh yes, murderous students abroad in Australia! 

The Goldens by Lauren Wilson
Published by: Flatiron Books: Pine and Cedar
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A delicious, intoxicating debut thriller about a young woman who is swept into a glamorous world of fascinating influencers, glittering parties - and possibly murder.

Chloe has always dreamed of becoming a bestselling writer. Then she meets Clara Holland, a prominent influencer, socialite, and model. Clara is enigmatic, dazzling, gorgeous. And at last, ordinary Chloe has something to write about.

Bonding instantly, Chloe moves into Clara's grand family estate. They spend long afternoons together, writing Clara's memoir, polishing social media posts, and planning sumptuous, decadent parties: fairy lights in the orangery, themed cocktails, sequined backdrops, roaring bonfires. But as Clara opens her home to more girls who want to live like her and inspire one another, the media calls them a cult.

As life becomes more claustrophobic, Chloe begins to hear unsettling rumors about Clara. When a girl goes missing after a spectacular New Year's Eve party, the rumors take on a sinister new meaning. If she can't escape Clara's influence, everything Chloe holds dear may be in danger.

Dark, gut-wrenching, and simmering with danger and atmosphere, The Goldens is about to be your newest obsession."

Totally here for the memoir turned true crime but I'm mostly here for this cover. Damn. Do you see how awesome that type is!?!

Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazza
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The #tradwife murder mystery we've all been waiting for. From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and the creator of the Under the Influence podcast comes an explosive thriller about two estranged friends, a grisly murder, a sudden disappearance, and the truly shocking revelation that everyone is lying to you about something...

Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, leaving Lizzie confused and devastated.

Fifteen years later, Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a "traditional" Instagram influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her five children and handsome husband, Gray. Lizzie is a struggling magazine writer, watching reels while her young children demand her attention.

One night out of the blue, Bex calls Lizzie with a career-making proposition - an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, the high-profile influencing conference.

At the conference, Bex goes missing and Gray is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes jealousy, sordid affairs, swingers, and backstabbing. She must learn who her old friend has become and who she has double-crossed to try to find her, clear her name, and maybe even save her life.

Piazza's master storytelling and razor-sharp insight into the world of social media brings us a pulpy, juicy, and cleverly plotted read that will have you guessing all the way through and leave you gasping for more."

I love that even #tradwife can go murderous.

The Killer on the Road/The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones
Published by: S and S/Saga Press
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A must-have collector's item for horror fans, comprised of two novels, The Babysitters Lives and The Killer on the Road, from the new master of horror Stephen Graham Jones.

The Babysitter Lives

When high school senior Charlotte agrees to babysit the Wilbanks twins, she plans to put the six-year-olds to bed early and spend a quiet night studying: the SATs are tomorrow, and checking the Native American/Alaskan Native box on all the forms won't help if she chokes on test day. But tomorrow is also Halloween, and the twins are eager to show off their costumes.

Charlotte's last babysitting gig almost ended in tragedy when her young charge sleepwalked unnoticed into the middle of the street, only to be found unharmed by Charlotte's mother. Charlotte vows to be extra careful this time. But the house is filled with mysterious noises and secrets that only the twins understand, echoes of horrors that Charlotte gradually realizes took place in the house eleven years ago. Soon Charlotte has to admit that every babysitter's worse nightmare has come true: they're not alone in the house.

The Killer on the Road

Sixteen-year-old Harper has decided to run away from home after she has another blow-out argument with her mother. However, her two best friends, little sister, and ex-boyfriend all stop her from hitchhiking her way up Route 80 in Wyoming by joining her on an intervention disguised as a road trip. What they don't realize is that Harper has been marked by a very unique serial killer who's been trolling the highway for the past three years, and now the killer is after all of them in this fast-paced and deadly chase novel that will have your heart racing well above the speed limit as the interstate becomes a graveyard."

The summer slasher double feature for those hot July nights.

Mrs Spy by M.J. Robotham
Published by: Aria
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Get ready for a pulse-pounding, laugh-out-loud ride through 1960s London as Maggie Flynn, unexpected MI5 operative and single mum, unravels the intelligence agency's most treacherous secrets.

Maggie Flynn isn't your typical 1960s mum.

She's a spy, an unsuspecting operative for MI5, stalking London's streets in myriad disguises.

Widowed and balancing her clandestine career with raising a Beatles-mad teenage daughter, Maggie finds comfort and purpose in her profession - providing a connection to her late husband, whose own covert past only surfaced after his death.

But Maggie's world spins out of control when a chance encounter with a mysterious Russian agent triggers a chilling revelation: he knew her husband. And what's worse, the agent suspects someone on home soil betrayed him.

As Maggie searches for answers, she'll question everyone - and everything - she thought she could trust. In the murky and perilous world of espionage, can she outsmart those determined to keep her silenced?"

Swinging sixties and spies? Oh yes.

Last Stop Union Station by Sarah James
Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Murder, movie stars, and mystery await those who climb aboard this cross-country train, inspired by the real-life history of the Hollywood Victory Caravan.

Hollywood, 1942. Jacqueline Love's acting career is flailing. Suddenly on the wrong side of 40, parts are drying up, directors are calling her "difficult," and Humphrey Bogart has definitely stopped taking her calls. Desperate to cling to stardom, Jackie takes the only gig that will have her: the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a train full of movie stars crossing the country to fundraise for the war effort. Jackie wouldn't call herself patriotic, but with her life's work on the line, she'll do anything.

When a fellow star dies on board, everyone assumes the death was a tragic accident - but Jackie isn't so sure. Stuck in Chicago's Union Station, Jackie enlists the help of Grace, one of the few women in the police force, to investigate. But "difficult" outside of a movie set is dangerous, and when the pair fall into a homegrown Nazi scheme, Jackie must ask herself what's more important: her career, or her country?"

I love the old fashioned elegance of a train station. Union Station in Chicago is a favorite of mine.

Before the Fact by Francis Iles
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Unsettling and gripping, this innovative classic first published in 1932 was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's film Suspicion, and remains an arresting and unique work of literary artistry. Anthony Berkeley Cox, writing as Francis Iles, flips the traditional mystery model of the crime genre to delve into the psychology, fears, and motives of a suspecting victim. This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger and Edgar(R) Award-winning author Martin Edwards.

"Some women give birth to murderers, some go to bed with them, and some marry them. Lina Aysgarth had lived with her husband for nearly eight years before she realized that she was married to a murderer."

With these opening words, Before the Fact ushers the reader into the dark and experimental world of Francis Iles's crime fiction.

Written in the wake of his ground-breaking murderer's-perspective novel Malice Aforethought, Before the Fact sees the author applying his signature flair for thrilling suspense and human insight. The twisting narrative is told from the viewpoint of a wife as she navigates a life with her disquieting yet charismatic husband - and the mounting peril of his murderous intentions."

I didn't know that Anthony Berkeley Cox wrote the book Suspicion was based on! Damn, he's such an awesome writer I must get this. Immediately. 

The Case of the Body on the Orient Express by Kelly Oliver
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: eBook, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Paris, 1928: Agatha Christie and fellow writer Dorothy L. Sayers board the Orient Express, bound for Constantinople. Christie in particular is looking forward to a break from recent dispiriting events in both her work and private life - the finalisation of her divorce from her philanderous husband Archie, and the miserly reception of her latest book.

But before the duo can settle in to enjoy the luxuries of their first-class journey, their journey is derailed when a fellow guest drops dead during the dinner service. And as the last person to speak to the victim, Dorothy finds herself a prime suspect in his murder.

As the train hurtles East, Sayers' resourceful assistant Eliza and her friend Theo must navigate a maze of suspects. But with each passing mile, the stakes rise, and when another body is discovered, their search to find the killer before they reach their destination becomes increasingly complicated.

Can Eliza and Theo stay one step ahead, crack the mystery and clear Dorothy's name? Or will this be one journey too far for the amateur sleuths?"

Eh, do they really have to clear Dorothy's name?

Bandette Volume Five: The Wedding of B.D. Belgique by Paul Tobin and Collen Coover
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 120 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The three-time Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series continues with another heist!

A mysterious new villain known only as The Voice must be stopped, but they may be too much for Bandette alone...

The mysterious villain known only as The Voice has long held the reins of criminal power, and now Bandette sets out sights to thwart him...once and for all! With The Voice always seeming one step ahead, Bandette calls friends and enemies alike to her aid! She and her and crew discover that the key to taking down The Voice is to be found on the other side of a marriage altar, so it's time to prepare for...the wedding of B.D. Belgique!

The three-time Eisner Award-winning team of Paul Tobin (Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, The Mammoth) and Colleen Coover (Heart Acres, Banana Sunday) return you to the world of your favorite teenage burglar!"

I didn't know they were continuing with hardcover originals after the comics stopped being digitally released. This is a wonderful surprise.

Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two fledgling tabletop gamers find themselves falling for each other - both in and out of their weekly D and D sessions - in this charming, fantasy-tinged romance.

When Sadie Brooks unexpectedly loses her marketing job, she flees New York City to spend the summer with her best friend in small-town Texas, where joining his Dungeons and Dragons campaign is the perfect distraction while she plans her next steps.

In the game, she becomes Jaylie, a powerful human cleric blessed by the Goddess of Luck. But in real life, Sadie believes her luck has run out - until she meets Noah Walker, the outgoing bartender roped into joining their party as Loren, an adventurous and charismatic lute-strumming elf. Just as Jaylie finds herself succumbing to the bard's charms over the course of their party's travels, Sadie also begins to fall under Noah's spell.

As their relationship progresses in both worlds, Sadie wonders if what they have might last beyond the game. But like his traveling bard character, Noah never stays in one place for long. When a new opportunity arises in New York, Sadie must face the truth about why she lost her job in the first place - and whether she and Noah have found something in Texas worth staying for. Torn between her career dreams in the city and the exciting uncertainty of a new adventure, she will have no choice but to roll the dice."

Walker, Texas Elf Bard!

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A whimsical and heartwarming novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers - and her life - back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps Jasmine run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power...

Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and just might know how to unlock the spell's secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn't have to do it alone...and that the weird, wonderful family she's made might be the best magic of all."

Here for ANY book with a talking fox.

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
Published by: Bramble
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel set in the world of The Spellshop! Follow her to The Enchanted Greenhouse, a cozy fantasy nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story...Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She's starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes - at least until she's ready to sail home.

But Terlu doesn't want to return home, and as she grows closer with the unwittingly charming gardener, Yarrow, she learns that the magic that sustains the greenhouses is failing - causing the death of everything within them. Terlu knows she must help, even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn't alone. Assisted by Yarrow and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island - and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances - to others and to yourself."

And about sentient plants. 

House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A touch of The Bear and the Nightingale, a bit of Juniper and Thorn, and a sense of wonder and adventure makes up this lyrical debut fantasy of a young woman in search of a home, and a home in search of people to make it feel lived in.

Marisha's time is running out. She's already lost her family to the sleeping plague, and she fears she'll be next. Penniless and desperate for protection, Marisha is forced to accept a job as apprentice to the notorious koldunya, the sorceress Baba Zima.

But Baba Zima is renowned for being both clever and cruel. And most difficult of all is her current apprentice, Olena, who wants nothing to do with Marisha. Despite her fears and Olena's cold demeanor, Marisha finds herself drawn into the magical world of koldunry and delves further into Olena's research - a cure for the sleeping plague.

Accompanying Olena on an increasingly dangerous, seemingly impossible search for a cure, she finds hidden connections between the sleeping plague, her own family's history, and her bizarre, recurring dreams: dreams of a masked ball where the deep sleepers are trapped endlessly dancing - and a monstrous beaked man who haunts her every step..."

I mean, here for the Baba Yaga of it all, but REALLY here for the Labyrinth of it all.

No Stone Unturned by Jenelle Hovde
Published by: Tyndale Fiction
Publication Date: July 15th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"She wants to uncover the past. He wishes to build a future. In this Regency romance set in rolling hills of West Sussex, two opposing wills discover their fate may lie in the common ground.

Miss Bridget Littleton's passion for history and antiquities defies most social conventions, even in her small village nestled in the beautiful English countryside. When a local farmer discovers an elaborate mosaic buried in his field, Bridget dreams of making a name and future for herself by excavating the Roman ruins. Unfortunately, her quest puts her at odds with the ambitious new lord who recently inherited the title and Hawthorn Abbey from his estranged uncle.

Recovering from wounds of both body and spirit, Captain Rafe Hawthorn is intent on restoring his long-neglected ancestral home. His plans to rebuild the abbey's once thriving orchards require a road that will pass straight through Bridget's potential trove of artifacts. He will not - cannot - fail again, even if he is moved by Bridget and her passion.

Yet this impasse might not be their greatest obstacle. A natural disaster and a series of suspicious accidents threaten both their plans, along with the livelihood of the nearby villagers dependent on their success. With their dreams in the balance, Bridget and Rafe must work together to fend off an unexpected enemy that may prove more dangerous than either could have imagined."

I love Georgians obsession with Roman ruins. I can relate. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bandette, Carol Goodman, Daniel O'Malley, Francis Iles, Jamie Day, Kelly Oliver, Lisa Scottoline, Morgan Ryan, S.H. Cooper, Sangu Mandanna, Sara Ochs, Sarah Beth Durst, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Stephen Graham Jones, Tom Mead

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Published by: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Publication Date: May 2nd, 2023
Format: Kindle, 663 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

General Lilith Sorrengail is the Commander of Basgiath War College. But she is infamous for putting down the Tyrrish Rebellion with her dragon Aimsir by capturing the separatist leaders. Though she lost her son Brennan at the the hands of the rebel's leader, Fen Riorson, during the Battle of Aretia. Brennan's death broke his father's heart while his two sisters carried on as best they could. Mira always wanted to be a rider like her mother and is now a First-Lieutenant. But Violet took after her father. When her mother was pregnant with Violet she was gravely ill causing Violet to be born with all the color and strength drained from her. Her ligaments and joints tend to subluxate frequently so her future as a scribe, like her father, seemed assured. But then her father died and the spring before she'd start in the Scribe Quadrant her mother informed her that she was entering the Riders Quadrant. A move that seemed folly to all, but General Sorrengail was adamant. No child of hers would enter the Scribe Quadrant. Beyond all hope Violent survives Conscription Day where the hopefuls must survive the parapet to enter the Riders Quadrant. Which means she only has to somehow complete the Gauntlet and hope she bonds with a dragon during Threshing, neither of which will be easy. And that is if none of her peers decide to eliminate her first. She is a very desirable target. She is weak, but more importantly, she is General Sorrengail's daughter. And it just so happens that the Riders Quadrant is chock full of the children of the separatists who were conscripted after their parents' failed rebellion. Riders who very much hold a grudge against Violet's mother, making Violet a target for revenge. Especially by Xaden Riorson. Sure his father killed Brennan, but her mother killed his father. As well as the parents of all his friends. With only one loyal family friend, Dain Aetos, to look out for her, Violent learns she's got to look out for herself. What she lacks in brawn she'll make up for in brains and copious amounts of poison. And against everyone's expectations she succeeds. At a level that some start to question when she bonds with not one but two dragons. Something that has never happened before. And yet her mother isn't pleased. It's almost like she wanted her daughter to die. But perhaps that's because Violet is too smart for her own good. She starts to notice things, books missing from the Archives when they should have every book ever written in Navarre. And she starts to notice Xaden. She really shouldn't notice him. But it's like she can't help herself. By the end of her first year she'll perhaps wish that she hadn't survived the parapet because the truth, a truth that Xaden helps her to find, might be just too painful to bear.

Me and "popular" books tend to not get along. We're like fire and ice, or as I read recently, a library and a loud party. Which means I was very skeptical about Fourth Wing. But everyone was talking about how good it was and I don't like to be left out of book "movements" no matter how much I might regret it later and so I requested it through OverDrive and went into it knowing literally nothing. And yes, I mean nothing. I didn't even know there were dragons in it. But I now know one thing emphatically. I don't regret it at all. Even if you had told me the details I don't think I could have grasped how hard I would fall for this book that's like a sexy Harry Potter meets Game of Thrones but with even more death to such a degree that there's a campness to it. I mean it's like, how much more death is there going to be? All the death. And it will hurt. But it will also entertain. It's weird that this much death and destruction could be so entertaining, but here we are, it's the best book I read in 2024. It is what it is. Though what this book really did, besides remind me how much I have always loved dragons, is how much I love fantasy. What fantasy does is take you away to another place and time and then hit you with the home truths that you need to hear. Through the filter of fantasy we learn more about ourselves than I think in any other genre. And that's where this got me. Because this book was all about how history is written by the victors. That it "only takes one desperate generation to change history - even erase it." Books are knowledge but if that knowledge is censured then the truth is up for grabs. We're seeing it right now, all around us. Why else are they trying to ban books? It's not just because they fear the contents but because they fear us having any kind of reasoning, deductive or otherwise. Knowledge really is power. And moreover, readers are more empathetic, and well, we can't have that now can we? But what terrifies me is that while Rebecca Yarros says that it takes "[o]ne generation to change the text. One generation chooses to teach that text. The next grows, and the lie becomes history." We are seeing that around us at an accelerated rate. An attempt to literally overthrow democracy is viewed by many as just a peaceful gathering. We all saw it with our own eyes and yet people are denying that that's what they saw. Could it be because "[l]ies are comforting. Truth is painful." We must not accept the big lie! And the way this is presented to us, through Violet just looking for a beloved book her father read to her and realizing that there has to be a reason folklore is now considered dangerous is poignant. But she keeps digging and the truth she learns, well, that's the very reason her mother wanted her not be a scribe. Because General Sorrengail is ashamed of the truth. And maybe that's a sign that what she did is wrong?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Basgiath, Dain Aetos, Dragons, Fourth Wing, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, History, Navarre, Rebecca Yarros, Riders Quadrant, Scribe Quadrant, Summer School, Truth, Tyrrendor, Violet Sorrengail, Xaden Riorson

Shadowstitch by Cari Thomas
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: June 6th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 658 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Anna Everdell's life has been turned upside down by the arrival of Effie Fawkes. Her sister. Her twin sister. Her twin sister whom she never knew about. They were separated after their parents' death in the hope of surviving the curse that killed them. Anna was raised by her unlamented Aunt while Effie was raised by their mother's best friend Selene. The curse is such that they are fated to love the same man with deadly consequences. That man in Attis Lockerby. He is Selene's true child, unlike Effie, born and raised to break the curse. But Anna and Effie could never live without Attis so they must find another way. All three of them living together under Selene's roof isn't ideal but after the death of her Aunt, Anna can't face that house of horrors she called home. She was tortured her entire life and for what? To learn to hide her true self? Which might be a valuable skill in the current atmosphere. Protective coloration is needed with what's coming. Her Aunt might not have been wrong about the Hunters. There is a new government agency, the WIPS, the Witchcraft Inquisitorial and Prevention Services. They are tasked with investigating the rising cases of hysteria. And Anna's school, St. Olave's, is the epicenter of the hysteria, thanks in no small part to their coven's manipulations of mean girl Darcey. The school year starts with investigations and inquisitions. Things that were whispered about are now spoken aloud, that Effie, Anna, Manda, and Rowan are witches. It just so happens that on this one occasion they are right. The terror gripping London intensifies when on the one year anniversary of the death of the faceless women in Big Ben the ravens at the Tower of London start to act up. Everyone knows the legend, if the ravens leave the Tower London will fall. The Coven of the Dark Moon must therefore keep their heads down. Which is exactly what Effie doesn't want to do. She will never kowtow to anyone no matter if it endangers herself or others. And the coven is having teething issues as the member try to discover their affinities. Their powers are starting to develop but Anna's are still unpredictable and that puts everyone in danger. Anna and Effie need to find out what their mother learned about their curse and trace it back to it's origins in the 1600s in an attempt to break it. But even those who talk to the dead, the Hel Witches, don't seem able to help. The only one actually helping Anna is her ex Peter Nowell. He wants to "save" Anna. But it looks like she and her coven might be beyond saving.

In the modern era a witch hunt is a term used politically. Think of McCarthyism. Now that was an actual political witch hunt. But in the current era there is a certain bombastic politician who likes to throw the phrase around. A lot. He might just be the most powerful person in the world to my dismay and the dismay of many others. I'm sure he probably doesn't even know what it means. He just says it as a way to get his followers to believe he is being wrongly persecuted. Because, sadly, most witch hunts were about punishing the innocent, usually clever women for being helpful to their communities, though there are also cases of mass delusions and well, plain old spite and revenge. This certain politician is all about the spite and revenge. He plays the victim for sympathy again and again. But just his intoning of the phrase "witch hunt" repeated ad infinitum has made it relevant again. Not because he is the victim of said witch hunts, but because he is carrying them out on innumerable people unjustly. It is the classic case of Republican projection, whatever they say the Democrats are doing to them they are doing themselves. It's reprehensible. But because of the omnipresence of witch hunts this lends a grounding in reality to Shadowstitch. Yes, they really are witches, yes, they might have done some questionable curses, but that doesn't make the witch hunt justified. It's just rounding up the "other" and punishing them for not falling into line. Just because a book is fantasy doesn't mean it's not reality. Some of the harshest truths and bleakest realities can be seen clearer when focused through the lens of fantasy. Just look to Andor. This is a show set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, and yet there isn't a more relevant show out there that speaks to this moment in history. The Ghorman Massacre, holy hell, it is so powerful and terrifying because I can see that happening at any moment to people I love and care for. Shadowstitch also speaks to this moment. But it speaks to it in the way Arthur's Miller's The Crucible did, which besides being about teenagers, please ignore the anachronistic use of that word for the Salem witch trials, was about McCarthyism. It all comes full circle. But with a dash of the Third Reich. Because where would a book about teenage witches be without some Nazis Youths.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andor, Anna Everdell, Attis Lockerby, Cari Thomas, Coven, Curse, Effie Fawkes, Ghorman Massacre, Hysteria, McCarthyism, Nazis Youths, Politics, Shadowstitch, Summer School, The Crucible, Third Reich, Threadneedle, Witch Hunt, Witches

Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""This isn’t London. The rules are different up here..."

All Detective Sergeant Peter Grant wanted was a nice holiday up in Scotland.
He'll need one once this is over...

Sea: check.
Sand: some.
Sun: sort of - but that's not the only thing in the sky..."

Yes. It's finally here. The newest Rivers of London book. No London this time, but plenty of holiday fun in Scotland. Work can be fun right?

The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards
Published by: She Writes Press
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 344 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For readers who loved New York Times bestseller Gideon the Ninth, Deards delivers a queer speculative fiction novel about what happens when a con artist exorcist becomes possessed for real.

A pair of con artist demon exorcists scam the nation's wealthiest...until one of them is possessed for real.

Colton and Lucian make a living conning the desperate with fake exorcisms - Lucian is the charm, Colton the trick, and together, they've turned deception into survival. Their work is dangerous, their romance even riskier, but they've always found a way to stay ahead.

Until Lucian is truly possessed.

A powerful demon takes hold, twisting his body into something unnatural, horrific, wrong - and no priest, no con, no desperate lie can fix it. With time running out and Lucian slipping further away, Colton has no choice but to learn real magic, break every rule, and attempt the impossible.

Because if he fails, Lucian won't just be lost. He'll be something else entirely."

I mean, isn't that always the risk of faking being an exorcist? Getting possessed. For real.

The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths
Published by: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Cold cases are a lot easier to solve when you can travel back in time to find new evidence. Unless, that is, you get stuck in the nineteenth century...

Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they're frozen - or so their inside joke goes. Nobody knows that her team has a secret: they can travel back in time to look for evidence.

The latest assignment sees Ali venture back farther than they have dared before: to 1850s London to clear the name of Cain Templeton, an eccentric patron of the arts. Rumor has it that Cain is part of a sinister group called The Collectors. Ali arrives in the Victorian era to another dead woman at her feet and far too many unanswered questions.

As the clock counts down, Ali becomes more entangled in the mystery, yet danger lurks around every corner. She soon finds herself trapped, unable to make her way back to her beloved son, Finn, who is battling his own accusations in the present day.

Could the two cases be connected? In a race through and against time, Ali must find out before it's too late."

I mean, I'd totally use time travel to solve crime. It's been a dream of mine. 

The Bone Hunters by Joanne Burn
Published by: Sphere
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"1824, and Lyme Regis is as tumultuous as the sea that surrounds it. When twenty-four-year-old Ada Winters - poor, peculiar and brilliant - uncovers a set of unusual fossils on the cliffs, she believes she has found the answer to her scientific frustrations and her family's financial struggles.

Meanwhile, Doctor Edwin Moyle has come to Dorset in search of the discovery that will place him amongst the greatest geologists of the age. What he finds instead is a strange young woman who seems to hold the key to everything he seeks.

But what is the creature that Ada and Edwin seek to unearth? And will it be their means to greatness, or destruction?"

I mean, this right here sounds like my dream holiday, so of course I'm going to read it!

Ascension by S.T. Gibson
Published by: Angry Robot
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the international bestselling author of Evocation comes it's hotly anticipated and spellbinding sequel, where Rhys steps into his new role as High Priest. A magical read for lovers of traditional urban fantasy.

Ever since Rhys McGowan was a boy, he's only wanted two things: power and love.

Now, as High Priest of Boston's premiere Secret Society, husband to his adoring witch wife Moira, and partner to David - his psychic rival-turned-boyfriend, Rhys is finally at peace. But when a strange ritual rocks Boston's occult community, and opens the Society up to sabotage, Rhys delves even deeper into the dark world of demon-summoning. He's used to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, but the strain of managing so many spirits (not to mention the stress of his loved ones exploring other people) will push him to the brink.

As heaven and hell play tug of war for Rhys' soul, he'll have to face the greatest demon of all: his own insatiable ambition.

The second book in the bestselling Summoner's Circle series sees beloved characters return for an all new dark and enthralling adventure."

I mean, when disaster is one the doorstep talking about opening up your relationship isn't ideal.

The Bloodless Queen by Joshua Phillip Johnson
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Part ecological Orpheus and Eurydice myth and part Gothic thriller, discover this atmospheric near-future sci-fi novel about fae mysteries deep within strange nature preserves.

On the autumnal equinox of 1987, after fencing off half of the Earth's land for huge nature reserves called Harbors, the leaders of the world called on their peoples to celebrate. Then began the horror and the magic.

Everyone who died that day - all 132,329 of them - instead of going cold and still, turned odd and fae. They became mischievous and murderous, before disappearing into their nearest Harbor, never seen again. And each year after that on the autumnal equinox, the same terrible transformations would occur: the wretched dead not dying, but instead riddling and whispering of a faerie queen - bloodless and powerful - while fleeing into the wild confines of the Harbors.

In the present day, Evangeline and Calidore are working as fencers, government-employed protectors whose magical powers come from mysterious tattoos of prime numbers. When they aren't fixing the fences of the Midwest Harbor that separates the human world from Faerie or patrolling on the equinox, they are parents of an almost-seven-year-old daughter named Winnie.

But as the new year's autumnal equinox approaches, Evangeline and Calidore find themselves thrust into a vast conspiracy that stretches across governments, religions, and fencers worldwide. As they race to untangle this web of power and intrigue, they will need to confront the questions that have haunted the world since the fences were built:

What lies at the heart of the Harbors? Who waits there?"

I adore this cohesion of science and fantasy. 

The Telling by Alexandra Sirowy
Published by: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A "haunting...addictive" (Publishers Weekly) novel about a teen who must delve into her past if she wants to live long enough to have a future when murders eerily similar to the dark stories her brother used to tell start happening in her hometown - now with updated text and a brand-new look!

You swore on summer.

Ben was Lana's world. He was her big brother, her best friend, her summer. And then he was murdered in a grisly carjacking, and her world ended.

Now, six months after Ben's death, Lana is trying to reinvent herself. She's found her way into the inner circle of popular kids, and the Lana she is now - bold, daring, brash, adventurous - barely resembles the shy, unpopular Lana she used to be.

And then a body turns up. At first, everyone thinks it's just a horrible accident. But when more corpses are discovered, Lana realizes the details of the murders eerily match the dark fairy tales Ben used to tell her - stories that only she and Ben knew.

Is Ben seeking vengeance from the grave? Or has a darker phantom from their past come to haunt Lana's present?"

It's gotta be a darker phantom!

The Rabbit Club by Christopher J. Yates
Published by: Hanover Square Press
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The author of Black Chalk, "the smart summer thriller you've been waiting for" (NPR), returns with a mesmerizing new novel about a dangerous secret society at Oxford University, and the first-year Literature student whose life begins to unravel in its shadow.

When Ali McCain, an eighteen-year-old from Los Angeles, is accepted at Oxford, it's a chance to fulfill his dreams. To study English literature in England; to meet true intellectuals; and to glimpse the life he might have lived had his father - British rock star Gel McCain, legendary frontman of the Pale Fires - not abandoned him and his mother when he was a toddler.

But not long after he arrives at the storied campus, Ali is drawn into a dark, disorienting world where events grow more and more curious by the day. Trading on his father's name, he gains entry into one of Oxford's oldest and most selective secret societies, the Saracens. As he immerses himself in this rarefied world, he inadvertently sets in motion a series of events that might culminate in disaster.

A mind-bending literary house of mirrors, replete with bookish allusions and Easter eggs ranging from Brideshead Revisited to King Lear, The Rabbit Club is an arresting work of dark academia by the category's finest writer."

I mean, seeing as we're in the middle of a dark academia celebration here hells yes to this book!

How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Seven authors enter the manor.

Can they survive the story within?

When legendary horror author Mortimer Queen passes, a group of writers find themselves invited to his last will and testament reading expecting a piece of his massive fortune. Each have their own unique connection to the literary icon, some known, some soon to be discovered, and they've been waiting for their chance to step into the author's shoes for some time.

Instead, they arrive at his grand manor and are invited to play a game. The rules are simple, solve the riddle and progress to the next room. If they don't, the manor will take one of them for itself.

You see, the Queen estate was built on the bones of Mortimer's family, and like any true horror story, the house is still very, very hungry.

With the clever, locked-room thrills of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone with the ghostly horror of The Fall of the House of Usher, How to Survive a Horror Story is a bright, biting, thrill-ride that begs us to contemplate how the best horror stories come to be."

I mean, this, right here, is my idea of a good time. From the safety of my armchair of course.

Night Watcher by Daphne Woolsoncroft
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In what Jeneva Rose declares a "chilling and atmospheric" tale, Nola Strate, a late night radio host in Portland, Oregon, listens to stories of hauntings and cryptic sightings for a living. But one foggy evening, a caller describes an eerie scene that triggers memories of Nola's childhood escape from a serial killer, and she fears he's back to finish what he started. Nola Strate is being watched, again.

After an encounter with a notorious serial killer in the Pacific Northwest as a child, Nola has grown up and tried her best to forget her traumatizing night with the Hiding Man. She installed security cameras outside her Oregon home, never spoke of her experience, and now hosts Night Watch, a popular radio call-in show her semi-famous father used to run. When coincidences lead Nola to believe that she is being stalked, and a caller on Night Watch has a live incident with an intruder in the caller's home - the description of whom is chillingly familiar - Nola is convinced that the Hiding Man has resurfaced and is coming for her.

With a mysterious next-door neighbor lurking in the shadows, more people getting hurt, the police not taking her concerns seriously, and evidence pointing towards her own father, Nola decides to become, like her listeners, a Night Watcher herself, and uncover the monster behind the Hiding Man's mask."

I mean, if you really want to avoid stalkers perhaps being a late night radio host of the uncanny isn't the best thing to do...

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
Published by: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware's multi-million copy mega-hit The Woman in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.

When the invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel - owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann - arrives, it's like the answer to a prayer. Three years after the birth of her youngest child, Lo Blacklock is ready to reestablish her journalism career, but post-pandemic travel journalism is a very different landscape from the one she left ten years ago.

The chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva is everything Lo's ever dreamed of, and she hopes she can snag an interview with Marcus. Unfortunately, he proves to be even more difficult to pin down than his reputation suggests. When Lo gets a late-night call asking her to come to Marcus's hotel room, she agrees despite her own misgivings. She's greeted, however, by a woman claiming to be Marcus's mistress, and in life-or-death jeopardy.

What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse pursuit across Europe, forcing Lo to ask herself just how much she's willing to sacrifice to save this woman...and if she can even trust her?"

I mean, Ruth Ware has become a household name since The Woman in Cabin 10 but until now she's never revisited those characters... Until now!

Like a Bullet by Andrew Cartmel
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Humorous cosy-crime caper from the author of the beloved, bestselling Vinyl Detective series in which a feisty, amoral book dealer uses her unique skills to solve fiendish crimes. A love letter to Agatha Christie murder mysteries and classic whodunnits.

When Erik Make Loud, retired rock star and a major World War Two nut, hires Cordelia, the Paperback Sleuth, to track down a series of lurid paperbacks about his favourite global conflict - the "Commando" novels by the blatantly pseudonymous Butch Raider - it seems like a routine job. But Cordelia soon discovers the final novel in the series, the incredibly rare Commando Gold, is all but impossible to track down.

The books' creator - real name Monty Harrington, once a promising young poet and now a depraved drunk - proves easier to find. Writing pulp war stories didn't come naturally to Monty. Until he met someone who knew all about such stuff during a pub crawl; a genuine ex-commando who, for the price of a pint or two, was willing to provide Monty with authentic anecdotes.

Too authentic, it turns out...

Because Commando Gold reveals the details of a real-life commando mission.

At the time the mission was top secret.

And all these years later, someone is quite prepared to kill to keep it so."

Perfect synchronicity to have a new Andrew Cartmell book and a new Ben Aaronovitch book on the same day!

Stay Away from Him by Andrew DeYoung
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"On the evening she met exonerated murderer Thomas Danver, Melissa Burke let him help put her five-year-old son to bed before coming back upstairs to enjoy the dinner party. Thomas was so nice, and a pediatrician. She didn't know anything then about his wife's suspicious death...

Relocating with her 5-year-old son to a new city after an ugly divorce, Melissa Burke isn't looking for a new relationship right away - only distance from her ex, and space to rest and heal from the emotional scars of a broken marriage. But an unexpected relationship is exactly what she finds at a friend's dinner party when she meets Thomas Danver, a charming widower who asks for her number at the end of the night. Intrigued, Melissa learns from her neighbors that Thomas is a dedicated father of two girls, one of the most respected pediatricians in the city - and an exonerated murderer.

Thomas's first wife went missing three years ago, presumed dead, and Thomas was eventually cleared of her murder in an investigation that became a local media sensation. But while some still believe he killed his wife, Melissa's friends insist that he was unfairly targeted by the police and couldn't hurt a fly. Attracted to Thomas and also fascinated by the case, Melissa agrees to one date - and finds herself quickly swept into an obsessive, whirlwind romance.

But when Melissa receives a chilling, anonymous threat - or perhaps it's a warning - she begins to question how much she truly knows about the man she's falling in love with. Is he really innocent?"

I think Melissa Burke has terrible taste in men.

The Myth Maker by Alie Dumas-Heidt
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Someone is killing women and staging their bodies in strange, evocative scenes in this Greek-mythology-inspired serial killer thriller perfect, for fans of Alex Michaelides and Tana French.

Cassidy Cantwell has devoted her life to becoming a detective, never forgetting the cold case that has influenced her entire career: the unsolved murder of her best friend. Cassidy tries to balance her demanding job with her suffocatingly close-knit family and her increasingly clingy boyfriend, but when a strange new murder case comes across her desk, she's determined to solve it, especially when it turns out the victim was the wife of her college ex-boyfriend.

While Cassidy's partner, Bryan, works to prove that her ex is their suspect, Cassidy can't shake the feeling that there's something more to the case that they're not seeing. After the medical examiner finds a strange ring among the victim's personal effects that the husband insists didn't belong to his wife, Cassidy is struck by similarly odd details from a previous crime scene - details that seem to have an uncanny connection to a Greek myth.

When another body attracts public attention and the FBI joins the hunt, the case gets increasingly complicated - and solving it seems further and further out of reach. With anonymous taunts about her best friend's death dragging her attention away, Cassidy finds herself pulled in different directions - sacrifice her personal life for the sake of her career, or put everything she has into finding years-old answers to a case that haunts her still.

And the killer behind the murders isn't done yet."

Maybe Cassidy can't move on until she finds the answers? I know I wouldn't.

The Finer Things by J.D. Barker and Kyle Dunn
Published by: Hampton Creek Press
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"His art will take your breath away.

In the shadows of 1950s New York, a brilliant mind teeters on the edge of madness. Edgar Maguire's sculptures are taking the art world by storm, but behind each masterpiece lies a horrifying secret.

When Fiona, the object of Edgar's lifelong obsession, reenters his life, it ignites a passion that blurs the lines between creation and destruction. As his art evolves into something terrifyingly beautiful, a trail of bodies begins to surface across the city.

Detective George Snyder is closing in, but can he unravel the connection between the murders and Edgar's rising star before it's too late?"

That intersection of art and murder is very Hannibal. I approve. 

Arsenic and Old Lies by Benedict Brown
Published by: Storm Publishing
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 319 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A dead body in the study, a terrible wrong to put right, and a trail that leads to murder...

London, 1928. Mystery writer and amateur detective Marius Quin is reeling from his friend's murder in his own home. Forced to stay away from the case, he's in urgent need of distraction when fate points him towards Felicity Mortimer, a woman imprisoned for poisoning her husband fifteen years earlier.

Marius soon becomes convinced of Felicity's innocence, and when he discovers a key witness with his throat cut, it's clear that the real killer is still on the loose. Determined to uncover the truth, Marius drags his partner-in-crime-solving, Lady Bella Montague, (not to forget his basset hound, Percy) to a manor house deep within the New Forest. But what dark secrets are concealed at the picturesque estate where Felicity once lived?

As their search for answers stirs up more violence, can Marius and Bella expose a deadly plot before death stalks the halls of Rhinefield House...again?"

I'm obviously here for the house.

Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar
Published by: HarperVia
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this imaginative cozy mystery, the search for a missing maid leads Miss Caroline Bingley from Jane Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice into murder and mayhem in the gritty underbelly of Regency London.

Two years after her brother Charles Bingley weds Miss Jane Bennett, Miss Caroline Bingley is visiting her brother's country estate near Pemberley, the home of their best friends, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. Restless and out of sorts, Caroline wonders if there's more to life than playing cribbage and paying calls on country neighbors.

When Georgiana Darcy's maid, Jayani disappears and Georgiana sets off to find her, Caroline races to to find them in London, where she stumbles on a shocking, cold-blooded murder. Reunited with Georgiana, the pair careen through the gritty, grimy underbelly of London, a world unfamiliar to two genteel aristocratic ladies. Assisted by Caroline's trusty manservant, Gordon, the tenacious Caroline demands answers of shady characters, police magistrates, and mysterious East India Company men to discover the killer. Their search will reveal the cost of Empire on India and its people...and Miss Bingley's incomparable powers of investigation.

As Caroline puts her superior new talents to work, she finds out exactly what an accomplished, independent woman with a sharp mind and a large fortune can achieve - even when pitted against secrets, scandal, and a murderer with no mercy."

No one ever doubted that Miss Caroline Bingley was smart, she always saw what others didn't, which makes her the perfect detective.

The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgewick by S. Isabelle
Published by: Storytide
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bridgerton meets The Davenports in this wildly entertaining standalone romance, following a young Black woman trying to balance her independence with her future in 1860s London's high society.

Stella Sedgwick is a lost cause.

Banished from etiquette lessons and unsure of her future, Stella dreams of a writing career and independence, but 1860s England offers little opportunity beyond marriage or servitude for a sharp-tongued, dark-skinned girl.

When her late mother's former employer summons Stella to London, he tells her of his intention to bequeath one of the family's great estates to her. It's a life-changing inheritance, but one that will precipitate a legal battle that would be easier if Stella were married. With her cousin Olivia by her side, Stella is thrust into London society and must navigate fashion and balls, insults and stares, and a rekindled connection to Nathaniel, her childhood best friend with a rakish reputation.

Beyond the marriage market, living in London presents intriguing opportunities to Stella, like picking up her mother's anonymous advice column to guide readers through upper-class perils. As new acquaintances are made and old secrets are uncovered, Stella must decide when to play by the rules, when to break them, and when to let herself follow her heart."

That cover and this story are just the summery breath of romantic air you've been waiting for.

The Homemade Gods by Rachel Joyce
Published by: The Dial Press
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"With sparkling wit and insight, this powerful novel from the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry reminds us that family is everything, even when it falls apart.

There is a heatwave across Europe, and four siblings have gathered at their family's lake house to seek answers about their father, a famous artist, who recently remarried a much younger woman and decamped to Italy to finish his long-awaited masterpiece.

Now he is dead. And there is no sign of his final painting.

As the siblings try to piece together what happened, they spend the summer in a state of lawlessness: living under the same roof for the first time in decades, forced to confront the buried wounds they incurred as his children, and waiting for answers. Though they have always been close, the things they learn that summer - about themselves - and their father - will drive them apart before they can truly understand his legacy. Meanwhile, their stepmother's enigmatic presence looms over the house. Is she the force that will finally destroy the family for good?

Wonderfully atmospheric, at heart this is a novel about the bonds of siblinghood - what happens when they splinter, and what it might take to reconnect them."

If you can't spend the summer in Italy feuding with family, this can transport you there!

Predatory Natures by Amy Goldsmith
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: July 8th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A teen girl's dream job aboard a luxury train derails when she discovers the strange cargo being transported - a mysterious and beautiful greenhouse - but its flowering façade may hide deadly thorns beneath, in this atmospheric and lush novel from the author of Those We Drown.

When Lara Williams gets a summer job aboard the luxury train the Banebury, she thinks she's landed a five-star escape from her past. Even after she learns that her ex-friend Rhys, who she definitely did not have feelings for before their relationship imploded, is one of her coworkers, she's determined to make things work.

But on the first day of their journey, the trip takes a strange turn. Two mysterious carriages filled with an array of beautiful and rare plants are attached to the Banebury in the middle of the night.

And with them comes a pair of siblings. Wealthy, mysterious, and charismatic, Gwen and Gwydion claim the plants they're transporting are for research, but Lara can't shake the feeling that there's something...otherworldly about the strange blooms. Something that will stop at nothing to ensure the Banebury never reaches its destination.

Soon Lara will learn: You can't outrun your troubles. You have to grab them by their roots. And if she can't unearth the secrets of the Banebury, they might drag her down for good..."

I would never want to work on a train, just three days on a train once and I couldn't even walk on solid ground without feeling it was trying to rise up and attack me.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alie Dumas-Heidt, Amy Goldsmith, Andrew Cartmel, Andrew DeYoung, Ben Aaronovitch, Benedict Brown, Elly Griffiths, J.D. Barker, Kelly Gardiner, Kyle Dunn, Rachel Joyce, Ruth Ware, S. Isabelle, S.T. Gibson, Sharmini Kumar