strange and random happenstance

The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield by Claudia Gray
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The fifth book in New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray's Jane Austen sequel series, which finds amateur sleuths Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney investigating a suspicious murder at Netherfield Park.

Jonathan Darcy has recovered from the wound he received in a duel three months prior, during a disastrous London Season. But his parents aren't over the shock, and they remain convinced that, no matter how many murderers have been caught via their investigations, Jonathan must end his association with Miss Juliet Tilney - particularly now that she is a young lady of ruined reputation. He prays for some opportunity to be with her again, but unfortunately, the answer to those prayers comes in the form of murder: his uncle Charles Bingley's brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, is found dead from poisoning at Netherfield Park. Aunt Jane is desperate for answers, which means Miss Tilney must be invited to Netherfield to investigate!

Juliet, still reeling from her newfound ruination, is happy to be back in the thick of an investigation. The reunion with Mr. Darcy is difficult - Juliet has missed Jonathan terribly, but she is tormented by the knowledge that his parents will never approve their match. Adding to her troubles are the scheming Caroline Bingley Allerdyce and her daughter Priscilla, whose machinations threaten any hope Juliet might have of societal rehabilitation, much less an engagement. Then, Mr. Hurst proves to be only the first victim at Netherfield, casting a pall of danger - and worse, scandal - over the Bingleys' household. Jonathan and Juliet must find the culprit, and will ultimately be called to make a final choice between respectability...and love."

Hehe, Mr. Hurst. No one deserved death more.

The Missing Baroness by Bianca M. Schwarz
Published by: Central Avenue
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A cozy Regency mystery with a hidden heiress, slow-burn romance, and layered intrigue - perfect for fans of heroines who fight for their place in the world.

No one has seen Georgina Bligh in a decade - not since the night her uncle murdered her father and tried to eliminate her as well. Hidden away with her best friend's family, Georgina has spent the intervening years preparing to claim her rightful place as Baroness of Elmsford. But when a near collision with her uncle on a London street shatters her anonymity, she's forced to act before her twenty-first birthday.

Silas Bligh is desperate. Deep in debt and determined to control the Elmsford estate, he's on the verge of having Georgina declared legally dead. But unbeknownst to him, her father's true will disinherited Silas - and Georgina must find it to expose his lies.

With the aid of her steadfast beau, Lord Bertram Redwick, and a tight-knit group of loyal allies, Georgina embarks on a tense and dangerous search through hidden ledgers, long-buried secrets, and the upper echelons of London society. As the legal deadline looms, a new threat rises - someone willing to use extortion and violence to ensure the truth stays buried forever.

For fans of Mimi Matthews's fiercely independent heroines, Sophie Irwin's nuanced character arcs, and the dark intrigue of Kelly Bowen, this first book in The Inconvenient Heirs Series blends mystery, romance, and feminist grit in a compelling fight for justice and identity - set against the opulent and treacherous upper crust of Regency London."

Justice and identity in The Ton! 

Death Was Not on the Guest List by Jenni L. Walsh
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 267 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From USA Today bestselling author Jenni L. Walsh comes a witty Jazz Age mystery where rivalry, ambition, and deceit glitter under every chandelier...and no one gets out until the killer is unmasked.

In Chicago's Gold Coast district, twenty of the city's most glamorous socialites gather for a charity whist drive at the Bellevue House mansion. Brightest among them are Ginevra King Mitchell and Edith Cummings, real-life debutantes who inspired Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby.

But when their sharp-tongued hostess turns up dead and a blizzard traps everyone inside, suspicion and gossip give way to fear. After all, one guest has a habit of burying husbands, another a proclivity for poison. Their charming veneers belie jealousies, ambitions, and deceits aplenty, enough to drive any one of them to kill.

As whispers turn to accusations, the police start closing in. Ginevra and Edith compete to solve the murder, uncovering secrets far more dangerous than the gossip columns ever revealed. But when a second body is found - strangled with Ginevra's own pearls - their restless rivalry becomes a race for survival. Who's next? And is the answer hidden in Fitzgerald's exasperating novel?"

Those pearls must have been well strung to survive a strangling! 

The Butler by Clare Mackintosh
Published by: Podium Publishing
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times-bestselling author: A glamorous French villa. A carefully curated guest list. A body in the pool.

The South of France is stunning, though not without its imperfections, from pickpockets to burglars to the occasional cold-blooded killer. But in his twenty-five years of service, Baxter - with a spotless reputation as a polished, well-mannered butler - has never run into any issues catering to the ultrawealthy. Until now.

Baxter's latest assignment is at Villa Sérénité, where Alec Prescott is hosting a colorful cast of characters, including his ex-wife, his much younger lady friend, and some Hollywood hotshots, after the Cannes Film Festival. But it doesn't take long for a week of sun, wine, and a family birthday celebration to devolve into bickering and backstabbing. And soon, secrets aren't the only thing floating to the surface...

When one of the guests is found dead in the villa's glittering pool, the gendarmes turn to the unflappable Baxter to help determine who's responsible. A good butler is expected to see everything and say nothing - but what if he too becomes a target?"

If the butler didn't do it the butler knows who did.

The Pinnacle by Abir Mukherjee
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When an over-the-hill American actor finds his wife, a rising star in Bollywood, dead in their Mumbai high-rise, he quickly becomes the prime suspect in this atmospheric, razor-sharp social mystery. Perfect for fans of The White Lotus, Only Murders in the Building and Age of Vice.

Washed-up American heart throb George Abercrombie hates India, even from his apartment on the 68th floor of Mumbai's grandest luxury skyscraper. He hates the noise, he hates the heat, and just maybe he's grown to hate his wife, the newest queen of Bollywood, Sweety Sahota, decades his junior. So when George wakes from a drunken stupor (free whiskey, for which he's the national spokesperson) to find his wife murdered in their bedroom, he knows quite well just how badly he's cooked. But where is her computer, her cellphone, and where has his personal assistant gone?

The Pinnacle is a dazzling and addictive thriller that's three plots in one, as George seeks to find the killer, as a conflicted young woman working as Sweety's P.A. struggles to find out who's blackmailing her, and as a servant who knows too much goes on the run. A dark sendup of world's most privileged coexisting with the world's most desperate, from the winner of the 2025 British Book Awards Thriller of the Year."

The contrast between the worlds living side by side is astonishing. 

The Last Time We Saw Her by Jaclyn Goldis
Published by: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ten years ago, a teenage summer camper disappeared while searching for a rumored treasure on a remote island. Now, the long-buried truth of what happened to her and the long-lost gold threatens the lives of her friends in this thriller from the critically acclaimed author of The Chateau.

Ten years ago, a group of American teenage summer campers went to a lush and isolated Azores island for a hiking and heritage trip. But when a clue to a local legend of buried treasure emerged, the summer devolved into a frenzied hunt and culminated in the disappearance - and rumored murder - of "it girl" camper, Sydney. She was never seen again and the treasure never found.

Now, a decade later, Sydney's closest circle returns to honor her memory: Sydney's sister and fellow camper, Olivia; a group of childhood camp friends; and their beloved counselors. They've all agreed to participate in a documentary probing what really happened to Sydney.

The group reunites in paradise and retraces their old haunts, hiking along crater lakes and submerging in thermal hot springs. But not everyone has innocent motives for returning to the island. And when the documentary filming reveals explosive truths and fresh hints resurrect the tantalizing treasure hunt, the group begins to implode. Old feuds reignite - and then one of them turns up dead.

Which means that a murderer has surfaced...again."

I mean, doesn't anyone get that if you're going to do a true crime documentary there's a chance you will die!?!

The Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie
Published by: Run for It
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Surviving the massacre is just the beginning in this razor-sharp summer-camp slasher with a bloody twist from horror master Craig DiLouie.

It's 1992, and in the heat of Texas, camp Summer Fun rests by a crystalline lake surrounded by a shady forest. The counselors have set out the kayaks, prepped the kitchens, and refurbished the cabins. Now, on the night before camp begins, a bonfire and the teenage counselors' rites of passage await.

But the camp has a horrifying history. In the '80s, there was a massacre that left a sole survivor. One final girl. The killer never caught.

Deputy Tom Bailey is always on edge this time of year. There are rumors that the woods are haunted. That the killer might one day return. Tom has deeply personal ties to the '80s massacre, and those ties have plagued his dreams.

Then Tom gets a call reporting bloodcurdling screams coming from the camp. The real nightmare is just beginning...."

Love the concept, hate the cover.

Hemlock Bay by Martin Edwards
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The new seaside resort of Hemlock Bay offers something for everyone. For families, it's the ideal summertime playground for kids and parents alike. For artists, the seascapes are peerless. For swindlers and blackmailers, it's the perfect place to craft a new identity. And for murderers? That's what Rachel Savernake, the enigmatic heiress and brilliant amateur sleuth, is about to discover.

When crime-beat journalist Jacob Flint receives a visit from a fortune teller who insists he's had a vision of a murder soon to occur in Hemlock Bay, Jacob consults with Rachel to get her take on the man's outlandish claim. Rachel is so intrigued, she rents a cottage at the seaside resort where an artist she admires also happens to be spending the summer. Meanwhile, mild-mannered accountant Basil Palmer is en route to Hemlock Bay, determined to murder a man he's never met - a man he holds responsible for his beloved wife's death six months prior. Could this be the murder foretold by the fortune teller?

Whether pre-destined or plotted, a murder does occur. But as Rachel plunges deeper and deeper into the morass of mysterious events and suspects, and as alibis exonerate each suspect one by one, she begins to wonder whether she is equal to the case. Has Rachel finally mired herself in mystery she can't solve?"

Death foretold is a seed of death planted.

Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the second installment of the Nora Breen Investigates series - "perfect for cozy mystery lovers" (Book Riot) - beloved former nun Nora Breen returns, this time to track down a ghostly killer before it's too late.

When Dolores Chimes, a famous medium, arrives in Gore-on-Sea, even surly Detective Inspector Rideout is lured in by her promises of messages for the afterlife.

But after a reading goes disastrously wrong, Dolores loses her life - and the six sitters at the séance with her fall victim to supernatural deaths themselves in the days following the nightmare of a reading.

Determined to unveil the truth, Nora finds herself chasing a ghostly serial killer she believes to be responsible, before the sixth victim - Detective Rideout himself - perishes along with the others."

Dammit, nothing hits the spot quite like a séance gone sideways.

Tell Me My Future by Eileen M. Ruvane
Published by: Amulet Books
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perfect for fans of Krystal Sutherland and Courtney Summers, this YA debut follows a girl who pretends to be a psychic to solve a long-ago murder - and starts having real visions of the future.

Kess Turner is used to starting over. Her mom has dragged her all around the country her whole life, never spending longer than a few months in one place.

But nothing is normal about their new home - a dusty psychic shop - or the the way Kess's mom was summoned when a mysterious accident left the psychic Madame Amalia in a coma. When Kess finds coded messages and cash hidden among the crystal balls and Tarot cards, she knows there's a lot more to the story than her mom is telling her.

Desperate for answers, Kess poses as a psychic in order to pump Madame Amalia's clients for information - only to start experiencing strange visions of events that actually come true. The more she investigates, the more she suspects her mom and Madame Amalia were involved in a murder years ago.

When Kess's visions escalate - and seem to predict her own death - it becomes clear that if she wants to save her future, she'll first have to unravel the secrets of the past..."

I'm even happy for a fake psychic... Though I don't think Kess will be one for long...

Such a Lucky Girl by Wendy Heard
Published by: Christy Ottaviano Books - Little Brown and Hachette
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perfect for fans of Rory Power and Tiffany D. Jackson, this twisty horror novel follows a magnetic young influencer who gets ensnared in a web of dark, jealousy-fueled magic.

Three years ago, Bella dumped her best friend Kerry to follow her dreams of becoming an influencer. It worked; she is Such a Lucky Girl, famous for her epic manifesting glow-up and dedicated to helping other girls be "lucky," too. She's living the dream - success, sponsorships, and fame. She burned her old life to the ground and never looked back.

Leaving Kerry behind. Alone. Angry.

When Kerry picks up a vintage self-help book on shadow work, she's fascinated by the suggested rituals. Get back at those who have wronged her? Yes, please. She has one person in mind, and that girl is smiling at her millions of followers, having forgotten Kerry long ago. But there's something attached to the book, something dark and ancient, and Kerry and Bella may not be ready for what is about to be unleashed."

Anyone else think the cover girl looks like Sarah Michelle Gellar?

Three Coffin Problem by Lavie Tidhar
Published by: Jab Books
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 290 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Medieval Europe. A world of darkness. Of Gothic castles, isolated monasteries, of monks and knights and things that go bump in the night. A world where vampires can roam at will.... At least, as long as they obey the rules! For a vampire may not murder another vampire. Not unless they have a really good reason to, anyway.

Enter Judge Dee. Ancient. Immortal. Ascetic. His cold intellect draws him wherever a mystery is present, and he will rest at nothing to solve the puzzle. Jonathan, the judge's human assistant, on the other hand, mostly just wants cheese. With bread, if possible. And some pickles would be nice. After all, it's not easy spending your life in the company of murderous vampires who only see you as a tasty snack...

Their adventures take them from the warm Italian valleys to the heights of the French Alps as they come face to fang with fiendishly complicated puzzles - not the least of which is love! But as they are drawn inexplicably onwards to London, Jonathan wonders what awaits them when they finally arrive - and what choices he may have to make once they get there."

Cheese! I relate so hard to Jonathan. 

Blink and You'll Miss It by Ethan S. Parker, Griffin Sheridan, and Keith Browning
Published by: BOOM! Studios
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the strange town of Perennial Harbor, time doesn't just heal wounds - it reopens them.

Decades after their love faded, Melody and Jesse find themselves caught in a spiraling mystery where the past is more alive than the present. As Melody slips further back in time, she finds herself reliving memories and rewriting fate for a time and place she thought she'd left behind. Can she discover the unsettling truth causing reality to unravel around her? Or will it ultimately destroy her and the only person she's ever truly cared for?

From the breakout writing team of Ethan S. Parker (Hello Darkness) and Griffin Sheridan (Kill Your Darlings) and featuring stunning debut art by Keith Browning, this genre-blurring emotional thriller blends sci-fi, romance, and psychological horror into one unforgettable story.

Collects Blink and You'll Miss It #1–5."

Isn't romance technically psychological horror?

Voyagers by Meg Charlton
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When the Signal - a mysterious transmission pulsing from the edge of the solar system - arrives, the world changes overnight. Planes are grounded, satellites fail, and speculation abounds. With many believing this could be first contact with extraterrestrial life, humanity holds its breath. But for Alex, a thirtysomething lawyer who's spent years distancing himself from the unexplainable, the Signal feels deeply personal - the opening of an old wound.

Decades ago, Alex and a girl named Ana both vanished for thirty-six hours while on vacation near Palm Springs. When they returned, dazed but unharmed, the six-year-olds' account of their experience had all the hallmarks of an alien abduction. The media frenzy that followed made them famous, and the long months of child stardom, of talk shows and sitcom cameos, forged a seemingly unbreakable bond between them - until the mystery behind their disappearance began to tear them apart.

Now, with the world on edge and the Signal growing stronger, Alex is drawn back to the one person who might have answers. Ana - now a professional advocate for experiencers of extraterrestrial contact - is leading a retreat near Palm Springs, a stone's throw from the site of their childhood disappearance. As the former best friends tentatively reunite, what starts as a quest to confront the reality of their original experience becomes a larger reckoning with friendship, faith, family, and truth itself - what it means to see the stories we tell ourselves for what they really are.

With the imaginative scope and propulsive storytelling of Station Eleven and The Ministry of Time, Voyagers is a thrillingly original and brilliantly ambitious literary debut about friendship at the end of the world."

I read a book recently about experiencers and this is right up my alley.

The Frenzy: Stories by Joyce Carol Oates
Published by: Hogarth
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Frenzy (noun): a temporary madness; a violent mental or emotional agitation; intense usually wild and often disorderly compulsive or agitated activity

Joyce Carol Oates is a master of the short story and one of the legends of the form. Her collections of short fiction have twice been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize and have won numerous awards, including the O. Henry Award and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Art of the Short Story. In The Frenzy: Stories, Oates plunges us into the lives of her characters at moments of crisis and confusion, when much of what they understand about themselves and those they love comes undone.

A young woman on a supposedly romantic weekend trip to Cape May, New Jersey, turns the tables on her older, married lover. A freak bicycle accident on a bridge haunts one family for decades. A girl jealous of her popular cousin discovers she is the lucky one. A widow waits at her riverside house for her dead husband's return. A young man hiking in the woods comes upon a couple in a heated, possibly violent argument - should he intervene?

Suspenseful and psychologically astute, Oates's short stories enthrall and captivate as they dissect her character's deepest fears - revealing our own in turn. "Literature is a texture of words," says Oates of her short fiction, "evoking life in the most vivid ways - psychologically, physically." These new stories blazingly evoke life at its most vivid and perilous, when fate and free will intersect, and one ominous encounter or bad choice can be the difference between an ordinary day and the point of no return."

I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but I make an exception for Joyce Carol Oates because my Dad thinks she might be one of the greatest living writers. 

Liberty Street by Heather Marshall
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 internationally bestselling author of Looking for Jane comes a riveting novel about one journalist's harrowing journey into an infamous real-life 1960s women's prison - and the detective who uncovers her story decades later.

1961: Emily Radcliffe works as an editorial assistant at Chatelaine magazine, surrounded by the best women journalists in the country, whose articles tackle the controversial topics no other women's publication dares to touch. When a bombshell letter from an inmate at the notorious Mercer Women's Prison lands on Emily's desk, she senses a scoop that could launch her career as a real, hard-boiled journalist. But after going undercover to investigate the inmate's shocking claims, Emily discovers that getting into the prison is the easy part; the real challenge will be getting back out ...

1996: Unidentified female remains are discovered in an unmarked grave in a small-town Ontario cemetery, and Detective Rachel Mackenzie is tasked with unraveling the mystery. But when the investigation leads her to the now-shuttered Mercer Women's Prison, Rachel's own dark history threatens to surface from where she's kept it carefully buried.

Inspired by true events, Liberty Street weaves back and forth through time to shine a light on mental health, incarceration, and the various "prisons" that hold women captive."

After learning about Nellie Bly I vowed to never go undercover anywhere. 

Forever Stamps by Gail Anderson and Brian E. Smith
Published by: Clarkson Potter
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bold and beautiful, Forever Stamps tells the story of United States history, pop culture, and art through hundreds of vibrantly rendered stamps.

Forever Stamps is a visually stunning cultural celebration of the United States, told by the beautiful and unique stamps issued by the United States Postal Service since its inception in 1775. For the first time, this book looks at the breadth of American history through the lens of stamps. It showcases the artisty and pop culture influence of the tiny pieces of art we mail around the world in a way never seen before. Alongside the images, captions, essays, and interviews tell the stories behind the stamps and the historic moments, big and small that led to their creation.

Forever Stamps captures the essence of America's most memorable and influential stamps, including:
-Pop culture moments, from the iconic Elvis Presley stamp to the beloved Sesame Street collection
-Iconic artists who have contributed to U.S. stamps, like Ruth Asawa, Ellsworth Kelly, and Charles and Ray Eames
-Historic commemorative stamps that mark how the U.S. has changed over time, including stamps celebrating 1965 Voting Rights Act, memorializing the first openly gay elected official Harvey Milk, and honoring the Underground Railroad.

Organized into chapters covering U.S. historical events, activism and diversity, national parks and the American landscape, and pop culture, Forever Stamps covers 250 years of American history. This is a unique and captivating journey through the world of USPS stamps and the history of the United States, reminding us of the enduring impact and beauty of these miniature works of art."

Now THIS is how I want to celebrate 250 years of America. Cool books about cool things we've done. And trust me, stamps are cool. Ask any philatelist. 

Agnes, We're Not Murderers! by Jessica Alexander
Published by: Clash Books
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 236 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lesbian vixens from another dead world thread through moon-drenched cornfields and opulent drawing rooms in this literary horror remix of iconic gothic sagas.

Agnes is wasting away. In a bed of velvet and silk, she dreams of death - and Mary.

Mary - a wraith with bloodstained gown and mouth - drips mystery and menace. She materializes beside a lake, beneath a pear tree, outside the window. She turns servants feral and plunges the manor into anarchy. Since her arrival, nothing is right. The maids snarl. The nights grow strange. Agnes swoons.

Her brother, Arthur, calls it a sickness. A curse. He stalks the halls with scissors in his fist. He wants purity and order. He'll strike out the unintelligible. He is not the only one. Others have begun to stir - jilted lovers, disgraced doctors, moralists with sharpened knives. The disorder is spreading. It's riotous. Contagious. They'll purify the world in flame.

Written partially through footnotes and with a mystery of interwoven red text, Agnes, We're Not Murderers! is an atmospheric gothic vampire journey for fans of Kathe Koja and Mark Z. Danielewski."

I love how just the description of this book kind of breaks my brain and yet wants me to investigate further. Hence mentioning Mark Z. Danielewski is spot on. 

Six Savage Thrones by Holly Race
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From a major new voice in epic fantasy, Six Savage Thrones continues the Queens of Elben trilogy, a breathtaking epic fantasy of dragons, courtly intrigue, sapphic yearning, and the wives of Henry VIII defying their destiny.

DIVIDED HE WINS, UNITED HE FALLS.

The kingdom of Elben is in turmoil. One of its magical palaces lies in ruins at the bottom of the ocean and the king is on the hunt for the traitor Queen Seymour. He will not stop until he brings her to her knees.

No one would ever suspect Queen Howard of treachery or spy craft, but she is no longer content to be the king's songbird. She will see to Henry's downfall. But there is a new gentleman at court, one who seems to know more about her true motives than he should - is he friend or foe?

Queen Cleves has already survived a war. She knows what she must do to protect herself, but now she finds herself fighting a longing for another queen that is so fierce it might swallow her up.

Amidst the turmoil, King Henry's sister Cecilia vies for the power she has been denied. But the queens will soon learn they must work together to break the bonds that tie them to the king. For Henry is delving deeper into strange old magics, ones that could birth a monster."

While I have somewhat tired of the Tudor era, I have fully embraced Tudor era fantasy. Thank you My Lady Jane for bringing me into this amazing historical fantasy subgenre. 

Wildflower by Becky Jenkinson
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A magical florist journeys from the kingdom's capital to its wild woods to fulfill an unusual request, and stumbles upon friendship, conspiracy, and the buds of new love in this debut cozy fantasy.

The book contains hand-drawn floral sketches inside!

Cursed from birth to always tell the truth, magical florist Felicity "Fliss" Farrow chooses her words carefully to avoid trouble. But when she receives an anonymous request for a mysterious flower, her search leads her directly into trouble's path: to Willoh Vane.

Fliss knows the outcast - yet teasingly handsome - sorcerer is rumored to have used dark magic to corrupt the northern forest five years ago. She's witnessed the resulting feud with Prince Bastion, whom her best friend, Card, is soon to marry. Despite her divided loyalty, Fliss reluctantly accepts Will's help with gathering rare flowers and finds herself increasingly drawn to him.

As the royal wedding approaches, Fliss fears the flowers she's delivered are intended for a sinister purpose. But when her warnings are ignored, can she and Will save the kingdom from disaster, and ultimately discover what Fliss has sought for so long - the truth."

There's nothing I find more interesting than death brought about by unexpected means. This is a whole new way for flowers to ruin a wedding.

The Shape of Monsters by Tessa Gratton
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: June 16th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 560 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A talented heretic and the emperor she both loathes and loves will learn what monsters are really made of in the second installment of the Moon Heresies trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Tessa Gratton.

Iriset - prodigy, outlaw, now sunderer - has broken the Moon-Eater god's prison at the heart of the empire. But the consequences of her actions land her in a city of monsters where the heretical magic of human architecture is freely practiced, and the only person she knows - and can trust - is Lyric, the emperor she's lied to and loved in equal measure.

As scheming kings and capricious gods drive them towards different extremes, they soon realize that to find their way home, they must remake the world...at the risk of breaking it forever."

Sometimes something has to be broken before it can be mended.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Abir Mukherjee, Becky Jenkinson, Bianca M. Schwarz, Claudia Gray, Craig DiLouie, Heather Marshall, Holly Race, Jaclyn Goldis, Jess Kidd, Jessica Alexander, Joyce Carol Oates, Lavie Tidhar, Martin Edwards, Tessa Gratton

Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In May of 1890, Enola Holmes is finally fully on her own and, no longer hiding from her older brothers Sherlock and Mycroft, attending classes and occasionally pursuing her chosen profession as a scientific perditorian, a finder of lost things and people.

Wolcott Balestier, the representative of an American book publisher, arrived in London on a singular mission - to contract with English authors for their latest works. When Balestier disappears on the streets of London one day, his great friend - Rudyard Kipling - bursts into Enola's office looking for help in finding him. Brash and unwilling to hire a young woman, instead he turns to Sherlock Holmes. Convinced that evil has befallen Balestier, at the hands of rival American publishers who pirate the works of English authors, he sets the elder Holmes on the trail.

But Enola is not one to accept defeat, especially not to her brother, and sets off on her own - determined to learn the truth behind the disappearance of the young American. Can book publishing truly be so ruthless and deadly or can the missing man be rescued from his apparent fate and returned to his friends and loved ones?

The redoubtable Enola is determined to do just that, even if it means working with her brother Sherlock!"

I am an Enola Holmes devotee. What's more, the lawlessness of the early book publishing in the United States fascinates me!

The Dread Penny Society by Sarah M. Eden
Published by: Shadow Mountain
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This beautiful, cloth-covered hardcover collector's anthology compiles all the penny dreadful short stories from Sarah M. Eden's five-book Victorian romance series. Included in this edition are three new, never-before-released stories.

Each short story is written in the style of the Victorian fiction that became so popular during that time period. From ghost stories to adventures to mysteries, Sarah weaves these gothic tales among her romantic storylines, making it the perfect way to celebrate the Dread Penny Society series (The Lady and the Highwayman, The Gentleman and the Thief, The Merchant and the Rogue, The Bachelor and the Bride, and The Queen and the Knave)."

Oh, cloth-covered collector's edition? Yes please!

The Spy's Daughter by Bianca M. Schwarz
Published by: Central Avenue Publishing
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The fourth and final book in the darkly romantic Gentleman Spy Mysteries.

Emily March, the illegitimate daughter of Sir Henry March, has all she needs: bountiful wealth, ample beauty, and abundant talent. But will this be enough to secure the one thing she truly wants: a loving marriage and her own family? However, it's not her illegitimacy that stands in her way, but a mystery her father - an agent of the crown - has never been able to solve.

Max Warthon has twice rescued Emily from the machinations of his sinister grandfather, the Earl of Warthon, enemy of Sir Henry. Max knows that getting too close to his daughter will lead to certain peril, but he cannot resist her. Played out in front of London's high society, their whirlwind romance attracts everyone's attention - and raises the ire of the Earl.

With old secrets standing in their way, will Emily and Max be able to unravel the mystery of an ancient hatred and unmask the true enemy? Their happiness and their lives depend on it."

Bring on the curtain call and the HEA!

The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer
Published by: Scribner Book Company
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For readers of Margaret Atwood and Hilary Mantel, an immersive literary debut inspired by historical events - a deadly witch hunt in 17th-century England - that claimed many innocent lives.

East Anglia, 1645. Martha Hallybread, a midwife, healer, and servant, has lived peacefully for more than four decades in her beloved seaside village of Cleftwater. Having lost her voice as a child, Martha has not spoken a word in years.

One autumn morning, a sinister newcomer appears in town. The witchfinder, Silas Makepeace, has been blazing a trail of destruction along the coast, and now has Cleftwater in his sights. His arrival strikes fear into the heart of the community. Within a day, local women are being captured and detained, and Martha finds herself a silent witness to the hunt.

Powerless to protest, Martha is enlisted to search the accused women for "devil's marks." She is caught between suspicion and betrayal; between shielding herself or condemning the women of the village. In desperation, she revives a wax witching doll that belonged to her mother, in the hope that it will bring protection. But the doll's true powers are unknowable, Martha harbors a terrible secret, and the gallows are looming...

Set over the course of just a few weeks that will forever change history, The Witching Tide delivers powerful and psychologically astute insights about the exigencies of friendship and the nature of loyalty, and heralds the arrival of a striking new voice in fiction."

There are a few books I stumble on that I mark instantly as "must get" and this is one of them ever since Waterstones featured it in a recent email.

The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 528 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An orphaned fortune teller in 18th-century England searches for answers about her long-dead mother and uncovers shocking secrets in this immersive and atmospheric saga perfect for fans of Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry.

Cornwall, 1730: A young girl known only as Red travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient Cornish method of the Square of Sevens. Shortly before he dies, her father entrusts Red's care to a gentleman scholar, along with a document containing the secret of the Square of Sevens technique.

Raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendor of Bath, Red's fortune-telling delights in high society. But she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him?

The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red's quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads to grave danger.

Laura Shepherd-Robinson, "the queen of modern Georgian literature" (Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora), has written a dazzling and Dickensian story of mystery and intrigue, with audacious twists and turns."

Oh my, a fortune teller with comparisons to Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry, the two best English Sarahs!?!

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
Published by: Peachtree Teen
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White returns with the transgressive Gothic horror of our time!

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. According to Mother, he'll be married by the end of the year. It doesn't matter that he's needed a decade of tutors to hide his autism; that he practices surgery on slaughtered pigs; that he is a boy, not the girl the world insists on seeing.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness - a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness - and shipped away to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitorium. The facility is cold, the instructors merciless, and the students either bloom into eligible wives or disappear. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton's innards and expose its guts to the world - if the school doesn't break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White's much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity."

Gothic in so many ways.

The Mossheart's Promise by Rebecca Mix
Published by: Balzer and Bray/Harperteen
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling YA author Rebecca Mix comes the first book in a breathtaking middle grade fantasy duology about a young fairy who has always lived in her heroic grandmother's shadow, but now must step up and embark on a quest to save her mother from the ever-creeping mold overtaking their world. Perfect for readers who loved Brandon Mull's Fablehaven, The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, and Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate.

The mold takes all.

Twelve-year-old fairy Canary Mossheart knows this better than most. A few years ago, the mold took her papa, and even her famous, former-chosen-one Gran never found a cure. So when Ary's beloved mama falls ill, Ary decides it's taken enough. Armed with only a bucket and a prayer, she sneaks out to find a magical, underground lake whose healing waters are straight out of Gran's adventures.

But when Ary gets there, the lake's bone dry, and instead of healing waters, she finds a terrifying secret: Her entire world is actually trapped inside a giant terrarium - one they were meant to leave centuries ago. Worse, Gran knew and hid the truth, dooming Ary and her generation to a dying, rotting world.

Now, allied with only her doomsday-obsessed frenemy, a timid pill bug, and a particularly grumpy newt, Ary has one week to unravel the clues and find a way out of the terrarium - or they'll be trapped for good."

Yeah, being trapped in a terrarium, especially one that I'm in charge of, would be a very very bad thing.

Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire
Published by: Daw Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The 17th novel of the Hugo-nominated, New York Times bestselling October Daye urban fantasy series.

October is very happy with her life as the second daughter of her pureblood parents, Amandine and Simon Torquill. Born to be the changeling handmaid to her beloved sister August, she spends her days working in her family's tower, serving as August's companion, and waiting for the day when her sister sets up a household of her own. Everything is right in October's Faerie. Everything is perfect.

Everything is a lie.

October has been pulled from her own reality and thrown into a twisted reinterpretation of Faerie where nothing is as it should be and everything has been distorted to support Titania's ideals. Bound by the Summer Queen's magic and thrust into a world turned upside down, October has no way of knowing who she can trust, where she can turn, or even who she really is. As strangers who claim to know her begin to appear and the edges of Titania's paradise begin to unravel, Toby will have to decide whether she can risk everything she knows based on only their stories of another world.

But first she'll have to survive this one, as Titania demonstrates why she needed to be banished in the first place - and this time, much more than Toby's own life is at stake."

And you only have a month to wait until volume 18!

All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris
Published by: Gallery / Saga Press
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author returns with the fifth installment in the bestselling Gunnie Rose series as sisters Lizbeth Rose and Felicia as well as brother Eli and Peter, are reunited in Texoma only to break apart before the Wizard's Ball held in San Diego, which will determine all their fates.

Following the murderous events of the "gripping...thrill-ride" (Karin Slaughter) Serpent of Heaven, Lizbeth Rose is awaiting the arrival of her sister Felicia and her husband's younger brother Eli in Texoma. Both needed to leave the seat of the Holy Russian Empire in San Diego after Felicia's burgeoning wizardly power in death magic became the reason for kidnapping and assassination attempts from her mother's family of high-powered wizards in Mexico.

Yet bad news has traveled ahead of them, as Eli is called back to San Diego, taking Peter along with him, splitting them apart in more ways than one as their enemies' plans for revenge come to fruition. In this fifth installment in the beloved and bestselling Gunnie Rose series, #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris has crafted a family drama of murderous and magical thrills."

Charlaine Harris writes it, I will read it and love it.

Midnight at the Houdini by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 368Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A girl discovers a surreal hotel where no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight, she'll be trapped there forever unless she's able to break free from magic that in turn breaks all her rules. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Starless Sea!

Life has gone according to plan for Anna - she stays in the background, letting her sister, Emily, shine in the spotlight. But on Emily's wedding night, Anna learns that her sister is moving away, abandoning her - and all their shared dreams. Devastated, Anna leaves the reception in the middle of a raging storm, taking shelter in a hotel she's never seen before: the Houdini.

The Houdini is a hotel unlike any other, with sumptuous velvet couches, marble tiled floors, secret restaurants, winding passageways, and an undercurrent of magic in the air. And when Anna meets Max, who has lived his entire life inside its walls, she's captivated. For the first time in her life, Anna is center stage, in a place that anticipates her every desire, with a boy who only has eyes for her.

But there's a terrifying secret hidden in the Houdini. When the clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped there forever unless she can find a way to break free from its dreamlike magic. But will she be able to do it if it means leaving Max behind?

Enchanting, mysterious, and utterly fantastic, Midnight at the Houdini will cast its spell on you."

And would you really want to leave a magic hotel?

The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore
Published by: Harperteen
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Funny, moving, and heart-achingly real, this romantic romp and paranormal romcom debut - through a haunted library with trapdoors, ghosts, and memories - is full of great love that triumphs over even death, perfect for fans of Ninth House and Cemetery Boys.

Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn't uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.

Not literally, of course. She doesn't believe in ghosts. Going to her dad's school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.

But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe - probably - definitely - a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.

When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library's secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.

Except following her father's footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren't just myth. And if she isn't careful, she'll be next."

Dark academia here I come! Bring on the library and ghosts!

Holly by Stephen King
Published by: Scribner Book Company
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King's most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a Midwestern town.

Stephen King's Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers have witnessed Holly's gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges's partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King's new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.

When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl's desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.

Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie's disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.

Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King."

Aren't all professors shockingly twisted?

The September House by Carissa Orlando
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street - for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price - they couldn't believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee.

Margaret is not most people.

Margaret is staying. It's her house. But after four years Hal can't take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he's not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine - who knows nothing about the hauntings - arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep."

Why don't they got to an Airbnb for September?

There's No Way I'd Die First by Lisa Springer
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A spine-tingling contemporary horror novel that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly game, from debut author Lisa Springer.

Seventeen-year-old Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island?

With some of the top influencers in her school on the guest list, including gorgeous singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell, her popularity is bound to spike. She could really use the social boost for an upcoming brand expansion. Nothing is going to ruin this party.

Except...maybe the low budget It clown she hired for a stirring round of tag. He axes one of her classmates. From the looks of his devilish grin and bag full of killer tricks, he's just getting started. A murderous clown is out for blood, but Noelle has been waiting her entire life to prove that she's a Final Girl."

Just saying, if Randy Meeks couldn't make it...

The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ann Cleeves - New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows - returns with The Raging Storm, the extraordinary third installment in the Matthew Venn series.

Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.

When Jem Rosco - sailor, adventurer, and legend - blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.

This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded.

As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove's storm of dark secrets."

I stan Ann Cleeves!

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A fast-paced and hilarious debut crime novel, in which a burnt-out Millennial medium must utilize her ability to see ghosts and team-up with a band of oddball investigators to figure out which member(s) of a posh English family are guilty of murder.

Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch's 80th birthday. The pair have been friends since before Sophie went missing when they were seventeen. Everyone else is convinced Sophie simply ran away, but Claire knows the truth. Claire knows Sophie was murdered because Sophie has been haunting her ever since.

Despite this traumatic past, Claire and Sophie are still unprepared for what they encounter when they arrive at the manor: a ghost, tragic and unrecognizable, and clearly the spirit of someone killed in a rage at the previous year's party. Given her obsession with crime shows - not to mention Sophie's ability to walk through walls - Claire decides they're the best people to solve the case. And with the help of the only obviously not-guilty members of their host family - sexy ex-policeman Sebastian and far-too-cool non-binary teen Alex - they launch an investigation into which of last year's guests never escaped the manor's grounds.

What follows is somewhat irregular detective work involving stealing a priest's cassock, getting too drunk to remember to question your suspect, and of course, Chekhov's sparkly purple dildo. As Claire desperately tries to keep a lid on the shameful secret that would definitely alienate her new friends, the gang must race against their own incompetence to find the murderer before the murderer finds them."

I'm all here for unconventional mysteries and crime solvers.

Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An ambitious screenwriter tries to solve her friend's disappearance by re-creating their fateful final girls' trip in this riveting locked-room mystery from the author of All Dressed Up.

It should have been the perfect spring break: Five girlfriends. A remote winery on the Oregon coast. An infinite supply of delicious wine at their manicured fingertips. But then their center - beautiful, magnetic Vanessa Morales - vanished without a trace.

Emily Fischer was perhaps the last person to see her alive. But now, years later, Emily spots Vanessa's doppelganger at a local café. At the end of her rope working a lucrative yet mind-numbing gig on a network sitcom, Emily is inspired to finally tell the story that's been percolating inside her for so long: Vanessa's story. But first, she needs to know what really happened on that fateful night. So she puts a brilliant scheme into motion.

She gets the girls together for a reunion weekend at the scene of the crime under the guise of reconnecting. There's Brittany, Vanessa's cousin and the inheritor of the winery; Paige, a former athlete, bullish yet easily manipulated; and Lydia, the wallflower of the group.

One of them knows the truth. But what have they each been hiding? And how much can Emily trust anything she learns from them...or even her own memories of Vanessa's last days? Suspenseful, propulsive, and interspersed with scenes from Emily's blockbuster screenplay, Scenes of the Crime is an unforgettable mystery that examines culpability, the shiny rearview mirror of Hollywood storytelling, and the pitfalls of female friendship."

I mean, the only reason you'd go on this trip is if you're the killer and want to silence everyone right?

Murder Off Stage by Mary Miley
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to Broadway - and to an unthinkable crime! Former theater starlet turned amateur sleuth Jessie Beckett gets mixed up in murder when an on-stage shooting turns all too real.

New York, 1926. It's not like Jessie Beckett goes around looking for murders to solve, but the vaudeville star turned movie script girl has a natural talent for it. After a lifetime on stage, she's sensitive to details that other people miss.

So when leading theatre star Allen Crenshaw is shot live on stage during a performance of hit Broadway show Rules of Engagement - a horrified Jessie watching from the second row - she knows she has to act fast before Allen's co-star, the beautiful Norah Rose, goes down for murder. After all, it was Norah who fired the fateful bullet...even if the shooting was all part of the show.

Jessie investigates those closest to Allen - the presence of her theater companion, the superstar Adele Astaire, opening doors wherever they go - and finds only enemies. With the suspects for the disliked actor so numerous, can she uncover the truth in time to save Norah - or will the killer silence her too?

Packed with real-life stars of the stage and screen, this page-turning romp through the boards and backstreets of Broadway is a perfect pick for readers who enjoy Jazz Age mysteries with intrepid female sleuths."

With this cast of characters and that cover there's no way I'm not picking up this book.

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 285 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the bestselling author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk comes a novel about Hollywood, the cost of stardom, and selfless second acts, inspired by an extraordinary true story.

Chicago, 1916. Doreen O'Dare is fourteen years old when she hops a Hollywood-bound train with her beloved Irish grandmother. Within a decade, her trademark bob and insouciant charm make her the preeminent movie flapper of the Jazz Age. But her success story masks one of relentless ambition, tragedy, and the secrets of a dangerous marriage.

Her professional life in flux, Doreen trades one dream for another. She pours her wealth and creative energy into a singular achievement: the construction of a one-ton miniature Fairy Castle, the likes of which the world has never seen. So begins Doreen's public tour to lift the nation's spirits during the Great Depression - and a personal journey worth remembering.

A sweeping journey from the dawn of the motion picture era through turbulent twentieth-century America, From Dust to Stardust is a breathtaking novel about one determined woman navigating change, challenging the price of fame, and sharing the gift of real magic."

I was an still am obsessed with her Fairy Castle!

Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper
Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Juggling newfound witchy powers, a house full of ghosts, and verbal battles with the handsome local librarian is almost too much for a new witch to manage. A new witch with a coven, however, can get so much more done...

From the moment Riley Everett set foot in Starfall Point, magic bubbled inside of her. But with only her late aunt's journals and a cantankerous live-in ghost butler to instruct her on all things witchy - including her newly inherited Victorian haunted house - Riley seeks out a coven for sisterhood and support. The last person she expects to be drawn to is the town's frustrating, yet ridiculously attractive head librarian.

Edison Held knows almost everything there is to know about Starfall Point, but Shaddow House was always off-limits, thanks to its elusive owner. If he can convince the new owner, Riley, to let him take a peek inside, there's so much he could learn. But as he gets closer to Riley, he's fascinated by her dazzling wit and fiery spirit. Edison will do whatever he can to help Riley keep her family legacy alive, especially if it means spending more time with the captivating new witch in town.

Bestselling author Molly Harper wields a magical pen in this hilarious, delightful witchy romcom perfect for readers of The Ex Hex and Payback's a Witch."

It's September, which means it's "officially" fall, which means you now need to read only books with witches, AKA read this book.

The Art of Desire by Stacey Abrams
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Trouble comes in threes...

One doomed love affair after another has made lovely Alex Walton swear off men. Now, she's determined to try something that maybe she can succeed at: a writing career. Little does she know that a chance meeting with a strikingly handsome stranger, a mysterious obelisk, and a lost kingdom will change her life forever. As Alex is about to discover, truth can be stranger - and far more dangerous - than fiction.

...but true love comes only once.

After three years inside a terrorist organization, Phillip Turman is trying to rebuild his life. His first assignment is to pick up Alex Walton, the maid of honor for his best friend's wedding, at the airport. His second is to deal with his instant attraction to her. But his third may be the toughest: to keep Alex out of danger as his past - and her need to know about it - threaten to destroy their future."

I love Stacey Abrams and I am bemused by the obelisk way more than I should be. I mean, it's a romance book after all!

The Secret History of Christmas Baking by Linda Raedisch
Published by: Llewellyn Publications
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Explore the Surprising and Sometimes Dark Origins of Beloved Holiday Bakes.

Spice up your season by rolling, molding, and kneading your way through some of the world's most iconic Christmas recipes. Interspersed with tales of sailors, saints, tomb raiders, and artisans, The Secret History of Christmas Baking proves that even the humblest holiday treat has a global backstory.

Did you know that the ancient Egyptians had their own version of gingerbread or that marzipan was once considered a pharmaceutical? Linda Raedisch dispels some long-standing culinary myths and delves into the darker chapters of the West's centuries-long romance with sugar and spices. In addition to more than forty recipes for modern bakers, you'll find illustrated instructions for dressing up your cakes and cookie plates with paper stars, angels, and witches. From Linzer tartlets to Christstollen, you can turn your kitchen into an Old World Christmas market stall."

I mean, I'm here for everything about this book, but Linzer tartlets!?! Oh yeah.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ann Cleeves, Bianca M. Schwarz, Charlaine Harris, Delilah S. Dawson, Jilly Gagnon, Margaret Meyer, Mary Miley, Molly Harper, Nancy Springer, Rebecca Mix, Sarah M. Eden, Seanan McGuire, Stacey Abrams, Stephen King

The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O'Donnell
Published by: Tin House Books
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 408 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"London, 1893: high up in a house on a dark, snowy night, a lone seamstress stands by a window. So begins the swirling, serpentine world of Paraic O’Donnell’s Victorian-inspired mystery, the story of a city cloaked in shadow, but burning with questions: why does the seamstress jump from the window? Why is a cryptic message stitched into her skin? And how is she connected to a rash of missing girls, all of whom seem to have disappeared under similar circumstances?

On the case is Inspector Cutter, a detective as sharp and committed to his work as he is wryly hilarious. Gideon Bliss, a Cambridge dropout in love with one of the missing girls, stumbles into a role as Cutter’s sidekick. And clever young journalist Octavia Hillingdon sees the case as a chance to tell a story that matters - despite her employer’s preference that she stick to a women’s society column. As Inspector Cutter peels back the mystery layer by layer, he leads them all, at last, to the secrets that lie hidden at the house on Vesper Sands.

By turns smart, surprising, and impossible to put down, The House on Vesper Sands offers a glimpse into the strange undertow of late nineteenth-century London and the secrets we all hold inside us."

If that opening description didn't give you chills, I'm sorry, we can't be friends. 

Bryant and May: Oranges and Lemons by Christopher Fowler
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a prominent politician is crushed by a fruit van making a delivery, the singular team of Arthur Bryant and John May overcome insurmountable odds to reunite the PCU and solve the case in this brainy new mystery from acclaimed author Christopher Fowler.

On a spring morning in London’s Strand, the Speaker of the House of Commons is nearly killed by a van unloading oranges and lemons for the annual St. Clement Danes celebration. It’s an absurd near-death experience, but the government is more interested in investigating the Speaker’s state of mind just prior to his accident.

The task is given to the Peculiar Crimes Unit - the only problem being that the unit no longer exists. Its chief, Raymond Land, is tending his daffodils on the Isle of Wight and senior detectives Arthur Bryant and John May are out of commission - May has just undergone surgery for a bullet wound and Bryant has been missing for a month. What's more, their old office in King’s Cross is being turned into a vegetarian tapas bar.

Against impossible odds, the team is reassembled and once again what should be a simple case becomes a lunatic farrago involving arson, suicide, magicians, academics and a race to catch a killer with a master plan involving London churches. Joining their team this time is Sidney, a young woman with no previous experience, plenty of attitude - and a surprising secret."

A new Bryant and May deserves a hip hip hooray!

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the author of the international bestseller The Light Over London and The Whispers of War comes a poignant and unforgettable tale of five women living across three different times whose lives are all connected by one very special place.

Present day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens’ past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long lain hidden.

1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a triumph, but the gardens - and the people she meets - promise to change her life forever.

1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton, on the other hand, is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams. And widow Diana Symonds, the mistress of the grand house, is anxiously trying to cling to her pre-war life now that her home has been requisitioned and transformed into a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens Highbury House’s treasured gardens, these three very different women are drawn together by a secret that will last for decades.

In this sweeping novel reminiscent of Kate Morton’s The Lake House and Kristin Harmel’s The Room on Rue Amélie, Julia Kelly explores the unexpected connections that cross time and the special places that bring people together forever."

Besides sounding right up my alley, you just named-checked my favorite Kate Morton book!

The Innkeeper's Daughter by Bianca M. Schwarz
Published by: Central Avenue Publishing
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the twilight of a November evening, Sir Henry March, a man of wealth and charm - and a secret agent for the Crown - comes across a badly beaten Eliza Broad, desperate to escape her cruel stepfather. Knowing she has nowhere to go, Sir Henry takes her to his home to recover, and introduces her to a world of culture, art, and literature she never knew existed. But Eliza's brutal world follows her to London, where elite aristocratic salons coexist with the back alleys of the criminal underworld.

As romance blossoms between them, Eliza unearths an old secret that leads them into the dark, sadistic world of sex trafficking, and allows Henry to finally identify a traitor responsible for selling military secrets and causing the death of thousands.

A natural at the spy game, Eliza proves herself a worthy partner in the fight for truth and justice. But with time running out, and the fate of one girl hanging in the balance, Henry and Eliza must find a way to outwit a nasty pimp and eliminate a dangerous enemy agent."

I'm a sucker for a romance with a spy angle.

The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sparks fly in this enchanting fantasy novel from the author of Unnatural Magic when a down-and-out fire witch and a young gentlewoman join forces against a deadly conspiracy.

Dellaria Wells, petty con artist, occasional thief, and partly educated fire witch, is behind on her rent in the city of Leiscourt - again. Then she sees the “wanted” sign, seeking Female Persons, of Martial or Magical ability, to guard a Lady of some Importance, prior to the celebration of her Marriage. Delly fast-talks her way into the job and joins a team of highly peculiar women tasked with protecting their wealthy charge from unknown assassins.

Delly quickly sets her sights on one of her companions, the confident and well-bred Winn Cynallum. The job looks like nothing but romance and easy money until things take a deadly (and undead) turn. With the help of a bird-loving necromancer, a shapeshifting schoolgirl, and an ill-tempered reanimated mouse named Buttons, Delly and Winn are determined to get the best of an adversary who wields a twisted magic and has friends in the highest of places."

Magic! Magic magic magic magic magic!

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young girl discovers a portal to a land filled with centaurs and unicorns in Seanan McGuire's Across the Green Grass Fields, a standalone tale in the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Wayward Children series.

“Welcome to the Hooflands. We’re happy to have you, even if you being here means something’s coming.”

Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.

When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to "Be Sure" before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines - a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.

But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem...

A standalone Wayward Children story containing all-new characters, and a great jumping-on point for new readers."

A great "jumping-on point" but if you are smart enough to subscribe to the Tor newsletter around Thanksgiving they gave free copies of all the previous volumes for your e-reader!

Before the Ruins by Victoria Gosling
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gripping, multilayered debut in the tradition of Tana French and Donna Tartt about four friends, an empty manor, and a night that will follow them for the rest of their lives.

It's the summer of 1996 and school's out forever for Andy, her boyfriend Marcus, her best friend Peter, and Em. When Andy's alcoholic mother predicts the apocalypse, the four teenagers decide to see out the end of the world at a deserted manor house, the site of a historic unsolved mystery. There they meet David - charming and unreliable, he seems to have appeared out of nowhere.

David presents an irresistible lure for both Andy and Peter and complicates the dynamics of their lifelong friendship. When the group learns that a diamond necklace, stolen fifty years ago, might still be somewhere on the manor grounds, the Game - half treasure hunt, half friendly deception - begins. But the Game becomes much bigger than the necklace, growing to encompass years of secrets, lies, and, ultimately, one terrible betrayal.

Meticulously plotted and gorgeously written, Before the Ruins is a page-turner of the highest order about the sealed-off places in our pasts and the parts of ourselves waiting to be retrieved from them."

Oh, 1996, just when I graduated high school! Sadly I never went to a manor house that lead to horrors and secrets... or did I?

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The USA Today bestselling author of The Au Pair returns with another delicious, twisty novel - about a grand estate with many secrets, an orphan caught in a web of lies, and a young woman playing a sinister game.

1988. Beth Soames is fourteen years old when her aunt takes her to stay at Raven Hall, a rambling manor in the isolated East Anglian fens. The Averells, the family who lives there, are warm and welcoming, and Beth becomes fast friends with their daughter, Nina. At times, Beth even feels like she's truly part of the family...until they ask her to help them with a harmless game - and nothing is ever the same.

2019. Sadie Langton is an actress struggling to make ends meet when she lands a well-paying gig to pretend to be a guest at a weekend party. She is sent a suitcase of clothing, a dossier outlining the role she is to play, and instructions. It's strange, but she needs the money, and when she sees the stunning manor she'll be staying at, she figures she’s got nothing to lose.

In person, Raven Hall is even grander than she'd imagined - even with damage from a fire decades before - but the walls seem to have eyes. As day turns to night, Sadie starts to feel that there’s something off about the glamorous guests who arrive, and as the party begins, it becomes chillingly apparent their unseen host is playing games with everyone...including her."

Can you tell I love me a grand estate?

Dear Miss Kopp by Amy Stewart
Published by: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The indomitable Kopp sisters are tested at home and abroad in this warm and witty tale of wartime courage and camaraderie.

The U.S. has finally entered World War I is and Constance is chasing down suspected German saboteurs and spies for the Bureau of Investigation while Fleurette is traveling across the country entertaining troops with song and dance. Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location in France, Norma is overseeing her thwarted pigeon project for the Army Signal Corps. When Aggie, a nurse at the American field hospital, is accused of stealing essential medical supplies, the intrepid Norma is on the case to find the true culprit.

The far-flung sisters - separated for the first time in their lives - correspond with news of their days. The world has irrevocably changed - will the sisters be content to return to the New Jersey farm when the war is over?"

Epistolary Kopps!

The FBI Way by Frank Figliuzzi
Published by: Custom House
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The FBI’s former head of counterintelligence reveals the Bureau's field-tested playbook for unlocking individual and organizational excellence, illustrated through dramatic stories from his own storied career.

Frank Figliuzzi was the "Keeper of the Code," appointed the FBI’s Chief Inspector by then-Director Robert Mueller. Charged with overseeing sensitive internal inquiries, shooting reviews, and performance audits, he ensured each employee met the Bureau's exacting standards of performance, integrity, and conduct. Now, drawing on his distinguished career, Figliuzzi reveals how the Bureau achieves its extraordinary standard of excellence - from the training of new recruits in "The FBI Way" to the Bureau's rigorous maintenance of its standards up and down the organization. Unafraid to identify FBI execs who erred, he cites them as the exceptions that prove the rule.

All good codes of conduct have one common trait: they reflect the core values of an organization. Individuals, companies, schools, teams, or any group seeking to codify their rules to live by must first establish core values. Figliuzzi has condensed the Bureau’s process of preserving and protecting its core values into what he calls “The Seven C’s”. If you can adapt the concepts of Code, Conservancy, Clarity, Consequences, Compassion, Credibility, and Consistency, you can instill and preserve your values against all threats, internal and external. This is how the FBI does it.

Figliuzzi’s role in the FBI gave him a unique opportunity to study patterns of conduct among high-achieving, ethical individuals and draw conclusions about why, when and how good people sometimes do bad things. Part pulse-pounding memoir, part practical playbook for excellence, The FBI Way shows readers how to apply the lessons he’s learned to their own lives: in business, management, and personal development."

I love Frank!

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: January 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers Amber Ruffin writes with her sister Lacey Lamar with humor and heart to share absurd anecdotes about everyday experiences of racism.

Now a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers and host of The Amber Ruffin Show, Amber Ruffin lives in New York, where she is no one's First Black Friend and everyone is, as she puts it, "stark raving normal." But Amber's sister Lacey? She's still living in their home state of Nebraska, and trust us, you'll never believe what happened to Lacey.

From racist donut shops to strangers putting their whole hand in her hair, from being mistaken for a prostitute to being mistaken for Harriet Tubman, Lacey is a lightning rod for hilariously ridiculous yet all-too-real anecdotes. She's the perfect mix of polite, beautiful, petite, and Black that apparently makes people think "I can say whatever I want to this woman." And now, Amber and Lacey share these entertainingly horrifying stories through their laugh-out-loud sisterly banter. Painfully relatable or shockingly eye-opening (depending on how often you have personally been followed by security at department stores), this book tackles modern-day racism with the perfect balance of levity and gravity."

I also adore Amber.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Amber Ruffin, Amy Stewart, Bianca M. Schwarz, Bryant and May, C.M. Waggoner, Christopher Fowler, Emma Rous, England, Frank Figliuzzi, Julia Kelly, Magic, Paraic O'Donnell, Seanan McGuire, Victoria Gosling