strange and random happenstance

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Edie hates Christmas. With good reason. Christmas is when everyone she loves leaves her. On Christmas Day 1946 her mother died giving birth to her brother Anthony. On Christmas Eve 1988 Anthony died in a car crash after Edie and her partner Sky had a knock-down, drag-out fight, and he took to the icy roads to come get her. Two years later on Christmas Eve 1990 Anthony's son Duncan, daughter-in-law Melissa, and the older of their two children, William, died in another car crash, leaving Edie with nine-month-old great-nephew Sean to raise. She has so many dead bodies in her past, not all of them buried, that it's led her to build boundaries around her that puzzles others but has kept her safe. Cats, puzzles, and tea, they are Edie's triumvirate of solace as she casts her gimlet gaze on her neighbors putting up their holiday decorations. At least the curtains can shut out the world, like she shut Sky's memory up in the dining room. She hasn't opened that door in over twenty years. Not since Sky left. But the world seems determined to draw her out this holiday season when she finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep on the first of December. Inside are six jigsaw pieces that form a part of a crime scene with an ominous message: 'Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.' Signed Rest In Pieces. Edie is a puzzle setter, in fact she's developed quite a reputation, being dubbed the Pensioner Puzzler, and jigsaws are fascinating to her because it requires a mind that can hold the whole picture as well as the pieces. So a fan or anyone who read about her could have sent this, but it feels portentous. Which makes her call Sean, who's grown up to be a copper. She loves Sean, really she does, he's her person, she has room for no one else, not his husband Liam, or the rigmarole of their adoption saga. Sean doesn't think much of the puzzle and humors Edie's desire to be a recliner detective right up until a dead body is found with a jigsaw piece in their hand. And Sean shuts Edie out. But Rest in Pieces is still targeting Edie. And the subsequent pieces show that Sean might be in danger. They are both trying to protect the other and this puts them both in serious danger. It's time for Edie to exorcise her past and catch a killer or her person will be next.

Imagine, if you will, Ednia Monsoon, from the cult classic Absolutely Fabulous, with her Vivienne Westwood and Lacroix, aging and spending her golden years setting puzzles and being angry at the world and you've got The Christmas Jigsaw Murders. I kid you not. I mean, there's no way Edie is anyone other than Eddie! "It's Lacroix sweetie!" And that is just one of the reasons I love this book. Alexandra Benedict has had this interesting juxtaposition with her holiday oeuvre. People think they're going to be cozy, the covers give off that vibe, and then they're basically a trauma dump. And it's not like The Christmas Jigsaw Murders is without it's trauma. I mean, just look to Edie's backstory that's nothing but bodies. But here it's handled more deftly. There's almost a comedic slant. There's a high body count, but, like Midsomer Murders, it's done more tongue-in-cheek. When Edie's backstory is told it's almost humorous, the "but wait there's more" of it all. And the trauma is more removed, family members are just being killed off by automobiles in droves where previously it was all rape and pregnancy PTSD. The later you can't make light of but the former? Oh yes! And Alexandra Benedict goes there. In fact, when I saw that this book was getting a sequel, The Christmas Cracker Killer, out this November, I was really excited. Because the balance of dark to light is perfect in this book, she has nailed the perfect Christmas mystery here. Her crown as the 'Queen of the Christmas Mystery' has, in my mind, finally been earned. I enjoyed her first two tales, I loved this one and can't wait for the next. But there was also a depth here. It's not just all flash clothes, there's Edie learning to not wallow in her trauma. She starts to open up, and the doors to the dining room are just the first step. The thing is, if you aren't replacing bad memories with good memories then all you will have are the bad ones on a loop. Christmas will always be THAT Christmas of loss, that one in 1946 or 1988 or 1990 unless you rewrite it. Don't deny Sean Christmas, lean into it, make it special for him and it will be the happy memories you remember more than the sad ones. The sadness and the trauma never leaves, but they can coexist with happiness. Yes, it might occasionally veer into being wistful, but that's better than wallowing any day. As Ebenezer Scrooge showed us in a book Edie doesn't much like, put a little love in your heart!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Absolutely Fabulous, Alexandra Benedict, Edie O'Sullivan, Edina Monsoon, Lacroix, Midsomer Murders, Murder Most Foul, Pensioner Puzzler, Puzzles, Rest in Pieces, The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, Vivienne Westwood

Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Roz Parker has something to celebrate. She's taken early retirement from the Met and is traveling home to Scotland to welcome her first grandchild. Though her daughter has gone into labor six weeks early. Which means she's broken her promise to her daughter. Again. But really, she had to tie up that last case. She's not one to leave a job unfinished. One thing Roz has always dreamed of doing is taking the sleeper train to Fort William. A dream that everyone at her station knew about, so they pitched in to buy her a first class ticket as part of her leaving present. Despite the seasonal, if problematic, weather, Roz's train hasn't been cancelled and she'll be home for Christmas and hopefully before the birth of her grandchild. To stave off panic she starts to manipulate her Mirror Cube, like the Rubik's Cube she mastered, but harder. Her solitude is broken into by a young couple arguing; Grant and Meg. Grant is what most would consider handsome and Meg is an influencer who won a singing contest with the song "In No Time." And she's not gone unnoticed by the fellow passengers. But Roz sees what her fellow passengers in the first class lounge don't, the bruise on Meg's upper arm. There's the students trying to get on the quiz show Geek Street. The family with the baby, their teenagers having been the ones who noticed Meg. Then there's Ember, a romantic, actually bringing a copy of Murder on the Orient Express with her. And Tony and his mother Mary who don't have tickets to the first class lounge, but seeing as it's Christmas, Roz gives Mary her seat, much to Grant's objections. Given the ructions in the lounge it's with a sense of relief that the passengers board the train. One might even say a festive air returns. But this isn't going to be a smooth ride. It's not just the weather threatening them, but the dynamics between the guests is combustible and there's a killer amongst them. And Roz's panic is rising, her own memories linked to her daughter's birth are surfacing, trauma sticking to trauma. When Roz makes it to the club car things really start to kick off, and that's before the train derails. And Meg is found dead. But hers won't be the only corpse on this train. Roz will be lucky to survive, let alone meet her grandchild.

Holy hell, this book should have been called Trauma Train. Having read Alexandra Benedict's previous holiday themed mystery, The Christmas Murder Game, I know that, despite appearances, these aren't cozy mysteries. And while you could say that Midsomer Murders is a cozy series despite a high death count, that's done with a light touch. There is no light touch here. It's blunt force trauma. Which leads me to mention that if you ever want a good laugh, read some of the reviews of this book from people who judged it by it's cover, they got a way different ride than they expected. I was luckily prepared. Though in all seriousness, did they really consider Trauma Train as a possible title? It would have been perfect! The holidays are hard on many people. Just the sight of a Christmas tree or a carol heard on the radio can send them into a deep depression that won't lift until the last of the snow has melted. I know many people like this. Add to that family stress and strain. Complicated relationships between family that's forced together and you can see why many people do as I do and spend the holidays reading about family gatherings where there's quite a cull. In my mind, one of the relationships that has the most strain put on it is between mothers and daughters. If you have issues with your daughter or your mother or sadly both, this book needs a big old trigger warning for you. In fact Trigger Warning Train, another good title. Because despite fraught family relationships, Benedict then piles on the PTSD, the sexual assaults, the psychological abuse, the domestic abuse, the pregnancy fears. The horror just keeps being piled on. Yes, you can say, at least the main abuser gets what they deserve so there's some sort of collective sigh of relief, but really, there isn't. Which means that this book could, quite conceivably, ruin your love of holiday murder mysteries. My solution was to read something else as fast as I could as a palate cleanser and seek psychological counseling. In fact, everyone in this book needs psychological counseling. They need psychiatrists, psychologists, and maybe a few exorcists. Also, I think primal scream therapy would do nicely. It's better than a Rubik's Cube and Scottish Tablet. But to each their own.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexandra Benedict, Murder Most Foul, Murder on the Christmas Express, Pregnancy, PTSD, Roz Parker, Rubik's Cube, Scotland, Sexual Assault, Sleeper Train, The Christmas Murder Game, Trauma Train, Trigger Warning

A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney
Published by: Alcove Press
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story, in the tradition of Practical Magic and Witch of Wild Things.

Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening, and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.

Kate's solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their coven's annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kate's birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kate's past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kate's duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soul - he's a practitioner of forbidden magic who's tricked Kate once before, and her guard is up.

As she juggles Matthew's arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased mother's. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.

A Dark and Secret Magic is a celebration of the Halloween season and a love letter to anyone who drinks pumpkin spice in August and carries the spirit of a witch inside their heart all year long."

The book that has all the seasonal vibes you are looking for.

The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo
Published by: Atria/Primero Sueno Press
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A lawyer and her elderly great-aunt use their supernatural gifts to find a lost child in this richly imagined and empowering story of motherhood, magic, and legacy in the vein of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and La Hacienda.

If you call to the witches, they will come.

1943, El Paso, Texas: teenager Nena spends her days caring for the small children of her older sisters, while longing for a life of freedom and adventure. The premonitions and fainting spells she has endured since childhood are getting worse, and Nena worries she'll end up like the scary old curandera down the street. Nena prays for help, and when the mysterious Sister Benedicta arrives late one night, Nena follows her across the borders of space and time. In colonial Mexico, Nena grows into her power, finding love and learning that magic always comes with a price.

In the present day, Nena's grandniece, Marta, balances a struggling legal aid practice with motherhood and the care of the now ninety-three-year-old Nena. When Marta agrees to help search for a daughter Nena left in the past, the two forge a fierce connection. Marta's own supernatural powers emerge, awakening her to new possibilities that threaten the life she has constructed."

THE book I've been hearing everyone talk about this fall. I know you want into that bookish conversation... 

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 288Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Hex and The Kiss Curse brightens up the Winter Solstice with another delightfully spooky novel following Bowen Penhallow and the girl he feels strangely drawn to - especially when she becomes his only hope of salvation after a strong spell sends them to a Yuletide celebration...more than 50 years in the past.

Bowen Penhallow has always been a loner, studying dark and ancient magic on a mountaintop in Wales. He prefers it that way. But when his friend Colin - who happens to be a ghost - asks him to attend a Yuletide wedding at a grand estate deep in the Welsh countryside, Bowen reluctantly agrees.

Tamsyn Bligh is not a witch, but she makes her living off of them. As a procurer and seller of magical items, Tamsyn's business is not always above board, but she's been trying to fix that (mostly.) Bowen is an occasional customer - as well as the star of several of Tamsyn's dirtiest dreams - but she's been around enough witches to know that, as a human, getting involved with one is not the smartest idea. She's finagled an invite to the Witchy Wedding of the Century in the hopes of finally making a score big enough to retire. Just one priceless magical artifact from Tywyll House would set her up for life.

But Tamsyn isn't the only one sneaking about in Tywyll House, and the mix of a very strong spell combined with a wedding mishap transports Bowen and Tamsyn into Tywyll House's past, to the Yuletide Celebration of 1958. As Bowen and Tamsyn work together to get back to the present, they must also face off with the origins of Tywyll House's haunting, the suspicions of their fellow witches...oh, and the fact that somewhere between the mistletoe and the bonfire, they might be falling in love."

If you can't decide between your fall reading and your winter reading, consider this lovely compromise.

Odd Spirits by S.T. Gibson
Published by: Angry Robot
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 200 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Learn more about the characters from The Sunday Times bestselling author S.T. Gibson's Evocation in this gorgeously illustrated prequel novella to The Summoner's Circle series.

It takes a lot of commitment to make a marriage between a modern ceremonial magician and a tarot witch work, but when a malevolent entity takes up residence in Rhys and Moira's home, their love will be pushed to the limits. Brewing up a solution is easier said than done when your magical styles are polar opposites; throw a psychic ex and a secret society in the mix, and things are bound to get messy."

Don't worry if you haven't been drawn into S.T. Gibson's world yet... This is a PREQUEL afterall. 

The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mother must fight for her daughter's life in this fierce and haunting tale of witchcraft and revenge from the author of A Haunting in the Arctic.

Clem gets a call that is every mother's worst nightmare. Her nineteen-year-old daughter Erin is unconscious in the hospital after a hiking trip with her friends on the remote Orkney Islands that met a horrifying end, leaving her boyfriend dead and her best friend missing. When Erin wakes, she doesn't recognize her mother. And she doesn't answer to her name, but insists she is someone named Nyx.

Clem travels the site of her daughter's accident, determined to find out what happened to her. The answer may lie in a dark secret in the history of the Orkneys: a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft and murder four centuries ago. Clem begins to wonder if Erin's strange behavior is a symptom of a broken mind, or the effects of an ancient curse?"

It's so a curse right? Please say curse!

Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A dark young adult Western fantasy about a teen in a remote settlement full of monsters and secrets.

Faolan Kelly's grandfather is dead. She's alone in the world and suddenly homeless, all because the local powers that be don't think a young man of sixteen is mature enough to take over his grandfather's homestead...and that's with them thinking Faolan is a young man. If she revealed that her grandfather had been disguising her for years, they would marry her off at the first opportunity.

The mayor finds a solution that serves everyone but Faolan: He hires a gunslinger to ship her off to the Settlement, a remote fort where social outcasts live under the leadership of His Benevolence Gideon Dillard. It's a place rife with mystery, kept afloat by suspicious wealth. Dillard's absolute command over his staff just doesn't seem right. And neither do the strange noises that keep Faolan up at night.

When Faolan finds the body of a Settlement boarder, mangled by something that can't possibly be human, it's clear something vicious is stalking the palisades. And as Settlement boarders continue to drop like flies, Faolan knows she must escape to evade the creature's wrath."

Such a fan of Lish McBride!

This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this Southern Gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth: They're under a curse, and they think she can break it.

In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago - and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over.

But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn't what it seems. Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. And soon the shocking truth comes out: The Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma has the power to break it.

As Jemma wrestles with the gift she's run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the mysterious Duchons. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails."

The real question is, why did Jemma think there'd be less spirits in New Orleans?

The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
Published by: Redhook
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A spine-tingling, queer Gothic horror debut where two men are drawn into an otherworldly spiral, and a journey that will only end when they reach the darkest part of the human soul.

John Sackville will soon be dead. Shadows writhe in the corners of his cell as he mourns the death of his secret lover and as the gnawing hunger inside him grows impossible to ignore.

He must write his last testament before it is too late.

The story he tells will take us to the darkest part of the human soul. It is a tale of otherworldly creatures, ancient cults, and a terrifying journey from the stone circles of Scotland to the icy peaks of Tibet.

It is a tale that will take us to the end of the world."

I love books that are basically deathbed confessions of monsters people have unwittingly become.

Lesser Ruins by Mark Haber
Published by: Coffee House Press
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 296 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the author of Reinhardt's Garden and Saint Sebastian's Abyss comes a breathless new novel of delirious obsession.

Bereft after the death of his ailing wife, a retired professor has resumed his life's work - a book that will stand as a towering cathedral to Michel de Montaigne, reframing the inventor of the essay for the modern age. The challenge is the litany of intrusions that bar his way - from memories of his past to the nattering of smartphones to his son's relentless desire to make an electronic dance album.

As he sifts through the contents of his desk, his thoughts pulsing and receding in a haze of caffeine, ghosts and grievances spill out across the page. From the community college where he toiled in vain to an artists' colony in the Berkshires, from the endless pleasures of coffee to the finer points of Holocaust art, the professor's memories churn with sculptors, poets, painters, and inventors, all obsessed with escaping both mediocrity and themselves.

Laced with humor as acrid as it is absurd, Lesser Ruins is a spiraling meditation on ambition, grief, and humanity's ecstatic, agonizing search for meaning through art."

I'm here for all of this, but mainly the professor struggling with his son's ambitions with EDM!

Cross Bones by Tracy Whitwell
Published by: Pan
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"There's a queue at her door, and not all of them are living...

When Tanz, the accidental medium, is asked to help in the search for a missing woman, she finds herself at the Cross Bones Graveyard in London's Southwark. From the outset it's obvious there is unrest among the spirits who call this place their home, and now Tanz is right in the middle of it. What's more, she now finds her 'so-called gift' is even stronger than it was and the dead really want to talk! Couple this with performing a play that could wreck her acting career for good, and a growing attraction to a police officer who happens to be a lot younger than her, and life is very complicated. But when the dead become restless Tanz can't ignore them, and a mystery needs solving. So is she strong enough to come out the other side?

Cross Bones is the third book in a hilarious series featuring Tanz, the accidental medium who, with the help of the dead, has become an unwilling crime-solver."

I mean, if you haven't come across this series yet, now's the perfect time to give it a go!

A Christmas Ghost Story by Kim Newman
Published by: Titan Books (UK)
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 160 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the acclaimed author of Anno Dracula, the perfect gift for those who love the dark fantastic imaginations of Neil Gaiman and T. Kingfisher, this is a nightmarish tale of a haunted Christmas set deep in the British countryside not too long ago. Cosy traditions are made twisted and terrifying as a mother and son grapple with their painful past.

December 1st. Angie and her teenage son Rust prepare for Christmas, stringing fairy lights around their isolated home on the Somerset levels and decorating a tree with traditional ornaments. The first door of the advent calendar is opened, but the chocolate inside tastes off. Rust receives his first Christmas card; it's unsigned, and the message is 'pinch, punch... first of the month'. The robin chirruping on a bough in a snowy woodland picture looks like a nasty piece of work.

The cards keep coming, one each day and each more sinister than the last, and a frightened Angie recalls 'The Cards' - a seasonal TV show from her childhood that featured similar happenings, and while she remembers it vividly, there is no evidence that it was ever broadcast...

Christmas cheer is gradually poisoned, with cruels instead of carols, the turkey rotting in the fridge, unwelcome visits from the Merciless Gentlemen and the Jingle Basterds, and Rust becoming increasingly unwell. Angie begins to wonder if her childhood Christmases were in fact as joy filled as she remembers...

A frightening tale of seasonal dread from the acclaimed author of Anno Dracula. Cosy traditions are made twisted and terrifying as a mother and son grapple with their painful past."

THIS! This right here is my ideal Christmas reading. And yes, it's the top of my "to be read" pile for this holiday season.

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A puzzling new Christmas mystery from USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Benedict!

Rest. In. Pieces.

On 1st of December, renowned puzzle setter, loner, and Christmas curmudgeon Edie O'Sullivan finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep. Unwrapping it, she finds a jigsaw box and, inside, six jigsaw pieces. When fitted together, the pieces show part of a crime scene - blood-spattered black and white tiles and part of an outlined body. Included in the parcel is a message: 'Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.' It's signed, Rest In Pieces.

Edie contacts her nephew, DI Sean Brand-O'Sullivan, and together they work to solve the clues. But when a man is found near death with a jigsaw piece in his hand, Sean fears that Edie might be in danger and shuts her out of the investigation. As the body count rises, however, Edie knows that only she has the knowledge to put together the killer's murderous puzzle.

Only by fitting all the pieces together will Edie be able to stop a killer - and finally lay her past to rest."

Reading Alexandra Benedict's newest book is a tradition for me, so I've got this one all queued up in the pile.

Killing Time by M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Beloved New York Times bestseller M. C. Beaton's cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin - the star of her own hit T.V. series - is back on the case again.

Agatha Raisin's private detective agency has their work cut out for them when a series of shop burglaries disturbs their quiet Cotswolds village. When the break-ins take a violent turn and a murder occurs, it's all hands on deck to find the killer. As if that weren't keeping Agatha busy enough, Sir Charles Fraith has called on her to help stage a glamorous promotional extravaganza on the grounds of his ancestral home, Barfield House.

When Agatha begins to receive death threats and narrowly avoids being kidnapped, she takes advantage of a previously arranged trip to Mallorca with her recent paramour, former police officer John Glass, to lie low for a while.

Can Agatha track down whoever it is that wants her dead, nail the murderer, and keep her romance alive too? It's a race against the clock as the Cotswolds' favorite PI rushes to put the pieces together before the seconds run out."

I like to think that while M.C. Beaton's death didn't affect new books coming out every year that perhaps my mom's death didn't stop her from reading the latest Agatha Raisin or Hamish Macbeth.

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
Published by: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the bestselling author of Hidden Pictures comes a breathtaking work of suspense about a father trying to save his daughter from a life-altering decision that will put everything he loves on the line.

Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He's even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.

He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate - very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she's marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it's difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn't seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.

An edge-of-your-seat thriller that delves deep into the heart of one family, The Last One at the Wedding is a work of brilliant suspense from a true modern master."

Dammit, I so want to read this. Come on Flatiron Books, approve me on NetGalley!

My Darlings by Marie Still
Published by: Rising Action
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"ABC's Desperate Housewives meets HBO's Dexter, My Darlings, a chilling suburban noir set in the deceptively serene Washington D.C. suburbs, where a respected philanthropist and PTO president's secret life as a serial killer enthralls readers seeking a deep, psychological thrill.

No one was supposed to know. I've always been so careful. My Darlings, how did we get here?

Evil lurks behind the perfectly manicured lawns, ornate iron gates, and long winding driveways of affluent D.C. - but not for long.

Stay-at-home mom Eloise Williams is PTO president and a respected local philanthropist who sits on the boards of many distinguished charities. In addition to being a doting wife and mother, she is also a serial killer.

But Eloise isn't the only lady in society playing a part. As the hidden lives of Eloise's inner circle are exposed, the body count rises. When stalkers becomes prey, Eloise desperately clings to control.

Money and power can only buy influence and safety for so long. Eventually, the curtains lift, exposing the chilling reality hiding in plain sight."

I mean, it totally makes sense that a housewife would go all killer.

The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two sisters. A lost imperial treasure. The world's greatest puzzle master has twenty-four hours to solve the most dangerous mystery of his life...or die trying, in the new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Master, hailed as "thrilling" by David Baldacci.

It is the Year of the Wood Dragon, and the ingenious Mike Brink has been invited to Tokyo, Japan, to open the legendary Dragon Box.

The box was constructed during one of Japan's most tumultuous periods, when the samurai class was disbanded and the shogun lost power. In this moment of crisis, Emperor Meiji locked a priceless Imperial secret in the Dragon Box. Only two people knew how to open the box - Meiji and the box's sadistic constructor - and both died without telling a soul what was inside or how to open it.

Every twelve years since then, in the Year of the Dragon, the Imperial family holds a clandestine contest to open the box. It is devilishly difficult, filled with tricks, booby traps, poisons, and mind-bending twists. Every puzzle master who has attempted to open it has died in the process.

But Brink is not just any puzzle master. He may be the only person alive who can crack it. His determination is matched only by that of two sisters, descendants of an illustrious samurai clan, who will stop at nothing to claim the treasure.

Brink's quest launches him on a breakneck adventure across Japan, from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to the pristine forests of Hakone to an ancient cave in Kyushu. In the process, he discovers the power of Meiji's hidden treasure, and - more crucially - the true nature of his extraordinary talent."

Oh, is he a descendent of the box's constructor? The sadist!

The Bloodstained Doll by John Everson
Published by: Flame Tree Press
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest homage to the Italian Giallo film genre by award winning John Everson, with nods to the sensational movies of Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino, Luciano Ercoli, Mario Bava and more.

When Allyson's mom dies unexpectedly, she thinks her world has hit rock bottom. But that's before she goes to live with her estranged Uncle Otto in Germany. When a child's empty casket is unearthed in the backyard during a violent storm, suddenly people close to her uncle start turning up dead. Is there a connection? As the noose tightens and murders draw closer to Berger Mansion, Allyson and her new boyfriend Andrew discover a dark truth hidden in the attic. Soon their lives are at stake if they don't discover why each broken body is decorated with a Bloodstained Doll.

A modern Giallo, building on Everson's previous homage to the stylish Italian mystery thrillers, Five Deaths for Seven Songbirds."

I adore the Kill Bill vibes of the cover.

The Murderess by Laurie Notaro
Published by: Little a
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 380 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Laurie Notaro comes a haunting true-crime novel about Winnie Ruth Judd, one of the twentieth century's most notorious and enigmatic killers.

It's October 1931. When Winnie Ruth Judd arrives at the Los Angeles train station from Phoenix, her shipping trunks catch the attention of a suspicious porter. By the time they're pried open, revealing the dismembered bodies of two women inside, Ruth has disappeared into the crowd.

The search for, and eventual apprehension of, the Trunk Murderess quickly becomes a headline-making sensation. Even the Phoenix murder house is a sideshow attraction. The one question on everyone's lips: How could a twenty-six-year-old reverend's daughter and doctor's wife - petite, pretty, well educated, and poised - commit such a heinous act on two people she'd called "my dearest friends in the world"? Everyone has their theories and judgments, but no one knows the whole truth.

What unfolds in this gripping work of true-crime fiction is a collision of jealousy, drug addiction, insanity, rage, and inescapable choices. At its heart, a condemned and tragic mystery woman whose trial - and its shocking twists - will make history."

I don't know why this crime strikes a chord in me, I've heard about it somewhere. Which means I need to read this book to find out why...

Divine Mortals by Amanda M. Helander
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mona can name anyone's soulmate - but she'll do anything to avoid being matched with her own. Especially when she learns he's the king.

Blessed by the gods, Mona Arnett has the unique ability to divine soulmates, but she refuses to seek out her own - until she learns the king is dying without an heir, threatening the royal line and the world's access to magic. Tasked with naming his future queen, Mona discovers the king's soulmate is...her.

A royal match is the last thing Mona wants - especially when she starts falling for the king's closest advisor - so she lies, cheats, and contends with scheming gods to hide the truth. But when this high-stakes game of thrones leads to murder, survival and the fate of the kingdom will depend on her finding the courage to face her destiny.

Delightful wit, spellbinding prose, and a flawed, funny protagonist you'll love from page one make this debut fantasy a must-read."

I mean, I totally get not wanting anything to do with royalty. It's just too precarious.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"We all hold lost recipes in our hearts. A very special restaurant in Kyoto helps find them...

Tucked away down a Kyoto backstreet lies the extraordinary Kamogawa Diner, run by Chef Nagare and his daughter, Koishi. The father-daughter duo have reinvented themselves as "food detectives," offering a service that goes beyond cooking mouth-watering meals. Through their culinary sleuthing, they revive lost recipes and rekindle forgotten memories.

From the Olympic swimmer who misses his estranged father's bento lunchbox to the one-hit-wonder pop star who remembers the tempura she ate to celebrate her only successful record, each customer leaves the diner forever changed - though not always in the ways they expect...

The Kamogawa Diner doesn't just serve meals - it's a door to the past through the miracle of delicious food. A beloved bestseller in Japan, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is a tender and healing novel for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold."

Can I go there? I really mean it. I seriously need to go there. Especially if that adorable cat is present.

The Spamalot Diaries by Eric Idle
Published by: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From comedy legend Eric Idle, the fascinating inside story of bringing Monty Python and the Holy Grail to Broadway as the unlikely theatrical hit Spamalot.

On March 17, 2005, Spamalot debuted on Broadway to rapturous reviews for its star-studded creative team, including creators Eric Idle and John du Prez, director Mike Nichols, and stars Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce, Sara Ramirez, Tim Curry, and more. But long before the show was the toast of Broadway and the winner of three Tony Awards, it was an idea threatening to fizzle out before it could find its way into existence.

Now, in The Spamalot Diaries, Eric Idle shares original journal entries and raw email exchanges - all featuring his whip-smart wit - that reveal the sometimes bumpy, always entertaining path to the show's unforgettable run. In the months leading up to that opening night, financial anxieties were high with a low-ceiling budget and expectations that it would take two years to break even. Collaborative disputes put decades-long friendships to the test. And the endless process of rewriting was a task as passionate as it was painstaking. Still, there's nothing Idle would change about that year. Except for the broken ankle. He could do without the broken ankle.

Chronicling every minor mishap and triumph along the way, as well as the creative tension that drove the show to new heights, The Spamalot Diaries is an unforgettable look behind the curtain of a beloved musical and inside the wickedly entertaining mind of one of our most treasured comic performers."

I am happy to say that I was there in March 2005, trying to help this show on it's two year journey to breaking even.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexandra Benedict, C.J. Cooke, Del Sandeen, Eric Idle, Erin Sterling, Jason Rekulak, Kim Newman, Lish McBride, Luis Jaramillo, M.C. Beaton, Mark Haber, Nicholas Pullen, S.T. Gibson, Tracy Whitwell, Wallis Kinney

A Cold Highland Wind by Tasha Alexander
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this new installment of Tasha Alexander's acclaimed Lady Emily series set in the wild Scottish highlands, an ancient story of witchcraft may hold the key to solving a murder centuries later.

Lady Emily, husband Colin Hargreaves, and their three sons eagerly embark on a family vacation at Cairnfarn Castle, the Scottish estate of their dear friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge. But a high-spirited celebration at the beginning of their stay comes to a grisly end when the duke's gamekeeper is found murdered on the banks of the loch. Handsome Angus Sinclair had a host of enemies: the fiancée he abandoned in Edinburgh, the young woman who had fallen hopelessly in love with him, and the rough farmer who saw him as a rival for her affections. But what is the meaning of the curious runic stone left on Sinclair's forehead?

Clues may be found in the story of Lady MacAllister, wife of the Laird of Cairnfarn Castle, who in 1676 suddenly found herself widowed and thrown out of her home. Her sole companion was a Moorish slave girl who helped her secretly spirit her most prized possessions - a collection of strange books - out of the castle. When her neighbors, wary of a woman living on her own, found a poppet - a doll used to cast spells - and a daisy wheel in her isolated cottage, Lady MacAllister was accused of witchcraft, a crime punishable by death.

Hundreds of years later, Lady Emily searches for the link between Lady MacAllister's harrowing witchcraft trial and the brutal death of Sinclair. She must follow a trail of hidden motives, an illicit affair, and a mysterious stranger to reveal the dark side of a seemingly idyllic Highland village."

Every book by Tasha is like solving a mystery with old friends. This volume is no different, though I did pick up some new old friends along the way.

The Mystery of the Missing Heiress by Patricia Rice
Published by: Book View Cafe Publishing Cooperative
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Paperback, 314 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bestselling author Patricia Rice offers the next book in her Regency historical mystery series...

Wycliffe Manor, a magnet for murder...

On a long-delayed errand to remote Wycliffe Manor, ex-Lieutenant Jack de Sackville stumbles across the murdered body of London dandy, Basil Culpepper, in the hedgerow, a long way from his usual haunts. To Jack's dismay, he discovers the earl's daughter Culpepper ruined hiding in Wycliffe's kitchen.

Disguised as a lowly cook, Lady Elspeth Villiers may have liked to shoot Culpepper for ruining her life, but she dropped out of sight for more immediate reasons than an old scandal - her wealth has become the focus of greedy men. The arrival of Jack, the man she's adored since childhood, along with Culpepper's corpse, mean her hiding place is no longer safe.

But once Lady Elsa reveals herself to the unconventional inhabitants of Wycliffe Manor, they become the protective family she has never known. Outraged to learn the beautiful woman he once loved and lost has become a target of greed, Jack joins the investigation into Culpepper's death.

With a murderer on the loose, the amateur sleuths must unravel a deadly tangle of kidnappers and counterfeiters or the Manor's eccentric inhabitants will be in as much danger as their cook."

Yeah for found family protecting you from a murder rap!

Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout
Published by: Harpervia
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A sapphic reimagining of Mary Shelley's youth, vividly exploring innocence, young love, Gothic mystery and the roots of her literary masterpiece, Frankenstein.

Switzerland, 1816. A volcanic eruption in Indonesia envelopes the whole of Europe in ash and cloud. Amid this "year without a summer," eighteen-year-old Mary Shelley and her lover Percy Bysshe Shelley arrive at Lake Geneva to visit Lord Byron and his companion John Polidori. Anguished by the recent loss of her child, Mary spends her days in strife. But come nightfall, the friends while away rainy wine-soaked evenings gathered around the fireplace, exchanging stories. One famous evening, Byron issues a challenge to write the best ghost story. Contemplating what to write, Mary recalls another summer, when she was fourteen...

Scotland, 1812. A guest of the Baxter family, Mary arrives in Dundee, befriending young Isabella Baxter. The girls soon spend hours together wandering through fields and forests, concocting tales about mythical Scottish creatures, ghosts and monsters roaming the lowlands. As their bond deepens, Mary and Isabella's feelings for each other intensify. But someone has been watching them - the charismatic and vaguely sinister Mr. Booth, Isabella's older brother-in-law, who may not be as benevolent as he purports to be...

With gripping mastery and verve, Anne Eekhout brings to life a defining moment in Mary Shelley's youth: the creative wellspring for one of the most original, thrilling, and timeless pieces of literature ever written. Provocative, wonderfully atmospheric and pulsing with emotion, Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein is a hypnotic ode to the power of imagination.

Translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson"

I am all about the birth of Mary Shelley's writing prowess. 

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A sparkling, witchy reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, told from the perspective of the troublesome and - according to her - much-maligned youngest Bennet sister, Lydia.

In this exuberant retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves, Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat; Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would one expect from a demon? And if Mr. Darcy is uptight about etiquette, that's nothing compared to his feelings about magic. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that for a witch, promises have power...

Full of enchantment, intrigue, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice - while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister."

Oh my, I'm swooning, it's REGENCY MAGIC TIME! Also, Kitty is a barn cat. I can't stop laughing.

Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling authors Sara Raasch and Beth Revis weave a tale of romance, vengeance, and magic in this start to the Witch and Hunter duology, an epic enemies to lovers fantasy romance.

Fritzi is a witch. The lone survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, she's determined to find her only remaining family member and bring the hexenjägers - zealot witch hunters - to justice for the lives they ended. To do this, she will need to take down their leader, the merciless and enigmatic Kommandant Dieter Kirch.

Otto is a hexenjäger - but that's just his cover. Years ago, the hexenjägers burned his innocent mother alive, and he has been plotting his revenge against the people who tore apart his family ever since. And now the time has come for them to pay for what they've done.

When Fritzi and Otto are unexpectedly thrown together, neither is sure they can trust the other. The reluctant truce fueled by their common enemy takes them from the city at the heart of the hexenjägers' power to the wild and mysterious Black Forest. As old truths come to light and new dangers are revealed, Fritzi and Otto uncover a horrifying magical plot at the center of the hexenjäger attacks that leads back to Kommandant Kirch...but their own growing feelings for each other may be the most powerful magic of all."

It's October, time to read about some zealot witch hunters.

The Voice Upstairs by Laura E. Weymouth
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In 1920s England, a working-class girl who can see spirits works with a lord's son to solve mysterious deaths at the local manor home in this eerie historical mystery perfect for fans of The Haunting of Bly Manor and Downton Abbey.

Wilhelmina Price has a dubious reputation in the village of Thrush's Green. Ever since her mother's untimely death, she has been able to see a person's spirit leaving their body days or hours before they die. Wil has never been able to prevent these deaths, so her unusual skill has made her an outsider to most except her lifelong friend, Edison, the youngest son of Lord Summerfield. But when a maid at the Summerfield's estate dies in the same mysterious way as Wil's own mother, Wil takes on a housemaid's position to investigate whether these women might, in fact, have been murdered.

There is nothing Ed Summerfield values more than his friendship with Wil, which is why he's desperate to disguise how hopelessly in love with her he's become - and his belief that he may be haunted by the ghost of his older brother, Peter. Because if Wil, with her supernatural powers, can't see the same evidence of hauntings that Ed does, he worries he may actually be losing his mind.

Together, Wil and Ed must dig deeper into the Summerfields' hoard of secrets, though the truth won't give itself up without a fight that could prove deadly to the both of them, as they face cunning adversaries among the living and the dead."

Yes. Yes to ALL OF IT!

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand
Published by: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From award-winning author Elizabeth Hand comes the first-ever novel authorized to return to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House - a "scary and beautifully written" (Neil Gaiman) new story of isolation and longing perfect for our present time.

Open the door....

Holly Sherwin has been a struggling playwright for years, but now, after receiving a grant to develop her play Witching Night, she may finally be close to her big break. All she needs is time and space to bring her vision to life. When she stumbles across Hill House on a weekend getaway upstate, she is immediately taken in by the mansion, nearly hidden outside a remote village. It's enormous, old, and ever-so eerie - the perfect place to develop and rehearse her play.

Despite her own hesitations, Holly's girlfriend, Nisa, agrees to join Holly in renting the house for a month, and soon a troupe of actors, each with ghosts of their own, arrive. Yet as they settle in, the house's peculiarities are made known: strange creatures stalk the grounds, disturbing sounds echo throughout the halls, and time itself seems to shift. All too soon, Holly and her friends find themselves at odds not just with one another, but with the house itself. It seems something has been waiting in Hill House all these years, and it no longer intends to walk alone..."

This is THE BOOK for this Halloween season! I can not wait to read it!

The Night House by Jo Nesbo
Published by: Knopf Publishing Group
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the internationally best-selling author, a chilling fresh spin on the classic horror novel - When the voices call, don't answer.

In the wake of his parents' tragic deaths in a house fire, fourteen-year-old Richard Elauved has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle in the remote, insular town of Ballantyne. Richard quickly earns a reputation as an outcast, and when a classmate named Tom goes missing, everyone suspects the new, angry boy is responsible for his disappearance. No one believes him when he says the telephone booth out by the edge of the woods sucked Tom into the receiver like something out of a horror movie. No one, that is, except Karen, a beguiling fellow outsider who encourages Richard to pursue clues the police refuse to investigate. He traces the number that Tom prank-called from the phone booth to an abandoned house in the Mirror Forest. There he catches a glimpse of a terrifying face in the window. And then the voices begin to whisper in his ear...

She's going to burn. The girl you love is going to burn. There's nothing you can do about it.

When another classmate disappears, Richard must find a way to prove his innocence - and preserve his sanity - as he grapples with the dark magic that is possessing Ballantyne and pursuing his destruction. Then again, Richard may not be the most reliable narrator of his own story..."

So THIS is why we got ride of all telephone booths!

Midnight Showing by Megan Shepherd
Published by: Hyperion Avenue
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Discovering her father's strange final manuscript has brought only mayhem and darkness to Haven Marbury's life. In Book Two of the Malice Compendium, what has leapt of the page threatens everybody.

Now both hunter and prey, Haven travels far and wide to discover the contours of her family curse and escape the worst of her late father's creations. Constantly looking over her shoulder, she fears Uncle Arnold the most. His irresistible whispers compel victims to commit horrifying deeds, and he's hungry to use Haven's abilities to rewrite the world to his liking.

Drawn to the desert scrublands and Hollywood mansions of California, Haven discovers a string of murders that point directly to members of her family. Given shelter by a mysterious benefactor, Haven and her sister forge questionable allegiances, using some otherworldly creatures to hunt down others. And when the trail of death ends at a studio from the Golden Age of horror films, reality and fiction become the strangest of bedfellows indeed."

I just ADORE that space where horror collides with the Golden Age of Hollywood. Which is probably why I love Scream 3 so much...

The Quiet Room by Terry Miles
Published by: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 432Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The lore and legends around the underground game known as Rabbits gain new dimensions in this twisty tale set in the world of the hit Rabbits podcast.

After nearly winning the eleventh iteration of Rabbits, the mysterious alternate reality game so vast it uses the entire world as its canvas, Emily Connors suddenly finds herself trapped in a dimensional stream where the game does not exist. At all. Except...why do sinister figures show up to stop her every time she goes looking? Does Rabbits truly not exist, or is it being hidden? And if it's being hidden, why - and by whom?

Meanwhile, architect and theme park designer Rowan Chess is having the weirdest month of his life, full of odd coincidences and people who appear one moment and vanish the next, with no trace they ever even existed. The game that is hiding from Emily seems to have found Rowan - with a vengeance.

But only when Rowan and Emily meet do things start to get dangerous, for together they uncover a conspiracy far deeper and deadlier than either of them expected - one that could forever change the nature not only of the game, but of reality itself."

I dare you do go down the Rabbit hole.

Out There Screaming edited by Jordan Peele
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation.

A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele's anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and - like his spine-chilling films - its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world...and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Featuring stories by: Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull."

Perhaps what Jordan Peele should have done all along instead of The Twilight Zone reboot... 

Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Knock Knock, Open Wide weaves horror and Celtic myth into a terrifying, heartbreaking supernatural tale of fractured family bonds, the secrets we carry, and the veiled forces that guide Irish life.

Driving home late one night, Etain Larkin finds a corpse on a pitch-black country road deep in the Irish countryside. She takes the corpse to a remote farmhouse. So begins a night of unspeakable horror that will take her to the very brink of sanity.

She will never speak of it again.

Two decades later, Betty Fitzpatrick, newly arrived at college in Dublin, has already fallen in love with the drama society, and the beautiful but troubled Ashling Mallen. As their relationship blossoms, Ashling goes to great lengths to keep Betty away from her family, especially her alcoholic mother, Etain.

As their relationship blossoms, Betty learns her lover's terrifying family history, and Ashling's secret obsession. Ashling has become convinced that the horrors inflicted on her family are connected to a seemingly innocent children's TV show. Everyone in Ireland watched this show in their youth, but Ash soon discovers that no one remembers it quite the same way. And only Ashling seems to remember its star: a small black goat puppet who lives in a box and only comes out if you don't behave. They say he's never come out.

Almost never.

When the door between the known and unknown opens, it can never close again."

Children's entertainment is inherently creepy, so I'm all for this book.

My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon
Published by: MGallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The New York Times bestselling author of the "otherworldly treat" (People) The Drowning Kind and The Children on the Hill returns with a spine-tingling psychological thriller about a woman who, after taking in her dying, alcoholic mother, begins to suspect demonic possession is haunting her family.

Alison has never been a fan of Christmas. But with it right around the corner and her husband busily decorating their cozy Vermont home, she has no choice but to face it. Then she gets the call.

Mavis, Alison's estranged mother, has been diagnosed with cancer and has only weeks to live. She wants to spend her remaining days with her daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters. But Alison grew up with her mother's alcoholism and violent abuse and is reluctant to unearth these traumatic memories. Still, she eventually agrees to take in Mavis, hoping that she and her mother could finally heal and have the relationship she's always dreamed of.

But when mysterious and otherworldly things start happening upon Mavis's arrival, Alison begins to suspect her mother is not quite who she seems. And as the holiday festivities turn into a nightmare, she must confront just how far she is willing to go to protect her family."

Evil at Christmas? Oh yes, the more supernatural the better!

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 544 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ninth House meets A Deadly Education in this gorgeous dark academia fantasy following a teen mage who must unravel the truth behind the secret society that may have been involved in her classmates' deaths.

Emory might be a student at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, but her healing abilities have always been mediocre at best - until a treacherous night in the Dovermere sea caves leaves a group of her classmates dead and her as the only survivor. Now Emory is plagued by strange, impossible powers that no healer should possess.

Powers that would ruin her life if the wrong person were to discover them.

To gain control of these new abilities, Emory enlists the help of the school's most reclusive student, Baz - a boy already well-versed in the deadly nature of darker magic, whose sister happened to be one of the drowned students and Emory's best friend. Determined to find the truth behind the drownings and the cult-like secret society she's convinced her classmates were involved in, Emory is faced with even more questions when the supposedly drowned students start washing ashore - alive - only for them each immediately to die horrible, magical deaths.

And Emory is not the only one seeking answers. When her new magic captures the society's attention, she finds herself drawn into their world of privilege and power, all while wondering if the truth she's searching for might lead her right back to Dovermere...to face the fate she was never meant to escape."

Dark academia! YAS!

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gorgeously modern Gothic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Ten Thousand Doors of January.

I dream sometimes about a house I've never seen....

Opal is a lot of things - orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier - but above all, she's a determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One that gets them out of Eden, Kentucky, a town remarkable for only two things: bad luck and E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth century author of The Underland, who disappeared over a hundred years ago.

All she left behind were dark rumors - and her home. Everyone agrees that it's best to ignore the uncanny mansion and its misanthropic heir, Arthur. Almost everyone, anyway.

I should be scared, but in the dream I don't hesitate.

Opal has been obsessed with The Underland since she was a child. When she gets the chance to step inside Starling House - and make some extra cash for her brother's escape fund - she can't resist.

But sinister forces are digging deeper into the buried secrets of Starling House, and Arthur's own nightmares have become far too real. As Eden itself seems to be drowning in its own ghosts, Opal realizes that she might finally have found a reason to stick around.

In my dream, I'm home.

And now she'll have to fight.

Welcome to Starling House: enter, if you dare."

Oh oh, I dare! 

Silence and Shadow by Erin Beaty
Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The sequel to Erin Beaty's buzzworthy YA medieval fantasy-thriller Blood and Moonlight, Silence and Shadow is full of swoony romance, dangerous magick, and murder - perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco and Mary E. Pearson.

After confronting a killer and fleeing her home to be with each other, Cat and Simon - renown for his uncanny insights into the minds of criminals - arrive in the sprawling city of Londunium. They are pretending to be a newly married couple, but don't expect to keep up the ruse for long. Cat looks forward to honing her healing magick at the local Selanae university, but instead finds a council of ruthless leaders threatening to erase her non-Selanae "husband's" memories to protect their secrets.

Terrified to lose him, Cat takes desperate steps to keep him safe. But when a string of mutilated bodies turns up in the woods outside the city, and Simon is recruited to profile the killer, Cat is pulled back into a world of murder, mayhem, and magick - one that threatens to consume her, and everything she loves."

Londunium? Hell yes!

Menewood by Nicola Griffith
Published by: MCD
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 720 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the much anticipated sequel to Hild, Nicola Griffith's Menewood transports readers back to seventh-century Britain, a land of rival kings and religions poised for epochal change.

Making a much-anticipated return to the world of Hild, Nicola Griffith's Menewood transports readers back to seventh-century Britain, a land of rival kings and religions poised for epochal change. Hild is no longer the bright child who made a place in Edwin Overking's court with her seemingly supernatural insight. She is eighteen, honed and tested, the formidable lady of Elmet, now building her personal stronghold in the valley of Menewood.

But old alliances are fraying. Younger rivals are snapping at Edwin's heels. War is brewing - bitter war, winter war. Not knowing whom to trust, Edwin becomes volatile and recalls his young advisor to court. There Hild begins to understand the true extent of the chaos ahead - and realizes she must find a way to navigate the turbulence and fight to protect both the kingdom and her own people.

She will face the losses and devastation of total war, and then must summon the determination to forge a radically different path for herself and her people. In the valley, her last redoubt, Hild draws strength from the fierce joy she finds in the natural world, as, slowly, her community takes root. She trains herself and her unexpected allies in new ways of thinking, learning what it means to gather and wield true power. And she prepares for one last wager: risking all on a single throw for a better future.

In the last decade, Hild has become a beloved classic of epic storytelling. Menewood exceeds it in every way."

I mean, we've all been "patiently" waiting for this book yes?

Unruly by David Mitchell
Published by: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A rollicking history of England's kings and queens from Arthur to Elizabeth I, a tale of power, glory, and excessive beheadings by award-winning British actor and comedian David Mitchell.

Think you know the kings and queens of England? Think again.

In Unruly, David Mitchell explores how early England's monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects' destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky bastards who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear today in their portraits.

Taking us back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn't exist), Mitchell tells the founding story of post-Roman England up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It's a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and a few Cnuts, as the English evolved from having their crops stolen by the thug with the largest armed gang to bowing and paying taxes to a divinely anointed king.

How this happened, who it happened to, and why the hell it matters are all questions that Mitchell answers with brilliance, wit, and the full erudition of a man who once studied history - and won't let it off the hook for the mess it's made.

A funny book that takes history seriously, Unruly is for anyone who has ever wondered how the British monarchy came to be - and who is to blame."

This book is also for everyone who loves and adores David Mitchell. Yes, that means me.

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young chef stumbles on a secret family recipe that might lead her to the love - and life - she's been looking for in this stunning novel from the New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December.

When Iris decides to move to New York to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is - all the nostalgic movies set in New York she'd watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn't quite do it justice.

But Bobby, Iris's best friend, isn't about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk through the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye - could it be the same shop that's in an old photo of her mother's?

Curious, Iris returns the next day and meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that the shop is in danger of closing. His uncle, sole keeper of their family's gelato recipe, is recovering from a stroke and can no longer remember it, so they can't make more. When Iris samples the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. But how can she tell them she knows their secret recipe when she's not sure why Gio's uncle gave it to her mother in the first place?

Iris offers her services as a chef to help them re-create the flavor and finds herself falling for Gio and his family. But when Gio's uncle finally wakes up, all of the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to ruin the new life - and new love - she's been building all winter long."

A kind of While You Were Sleeping tale.

Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"All aboard, but beware! Passengers who sleep on this train may never wake up.

In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train from London to the Highlands derails, along with the festive plans of its travelers. With the train buried in snow in the middle of nowhere, the passengers have only each other, and not all of them will reach their holiday celebrations.

As a killer tries to pick passengers off one by one, former Met Detective Roz Parker can't resist one last investigation, but murder in a locked room is a formidable puzzle for even the most seasoned investigator. As accusations begin to fly, the group of travelers fractures and unexpected alliances form. Can Roz find the culprit before anyone else is lost?"

This, right here, this is the book I've picked as my first read for this holiday season.

Winter Chills Vol. 2 by Layne Adamsson, A.Q. Hart, S.J. Lomas, and Dan MacDonald
Published by: 8n Publishing
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023
Format: Paperback, 158 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This wintry collection of supernatural stories will send a tingle down your spine.

Four short stories include a scavenger hunt leading to either madness or clarity, tapping into the other side or is it the other way around, a ghost hunt that may give a skeptic something to believe in, and quieting personal demons in the wilds of Alaska.

Grab a blanket, your favorite hot drink, and settle in for some Winter Chills.

Stories included:
Tipping Points by Layne Adamsson
She Gives Me Light by A. Q. Hart
All That Glitters by S.J. Lomas
Dead Air by Dan MacDonald"

Because it's getting cold out and everyone needs to catch a chill this winter!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexandra Benedict, Alix E. Harrow, Beth Revis, David Mitchell, Elizabeth Hand, Erin Beaty, Jennifer McMahon, Jo Nesbo, Jordan Peele, Josie Silver, Megan Shepherd, Patricia Rice, Tasha Alexander, Terry Miles