strange and random happenstance

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Murder links past and present once again in this mind-boggling metafictional mystery from Anthony Horowitz featuring detective Atticus Pünd and editor Susan Ryeland, stars of the New York Times bestsellers Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders.

Editor Susan Ryeland has left her Greek island, her hotel and her Greek boyfriend, Andreas, in search of a new life back in England.

Freelancing for a London publisher, she's given the last job she wants: working on an Atticus Pünd continuation novel called Pünd's Last Case. Worse still, she knows the new writer. Eliot Crace is the troubled grandson of legendary children's author Miriam Crace who died twenty years ago. Eliot is convinced she was murdered - by poison.

To her surprise, Susan enjoys reading the manuscript which is set in the South of France and revolves around the mysterious death of Lady Margaret Chalfont, days before she was about to change her will. But when it is revealed that Lady Margaret was also poisoned, alarm bells begin to ring.

The more Susan reads, the clearer it becomes that Eliot has deliberately concealed clues about his grandmother's death inside the book.

Desperately, Susan tries to prevent Eliot from putting himself in harm's way - but his behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic. Another murder follows...and suddenly Susan finds herself to be the number one suspect.

Once again, the real and the fictional worlds have become dangerously entangled. And if Susan doesn't solve the mystery of Pünd's Last Case, she could well be its next victim."

I was wondering if the third installment would be television only, and then here comes the third book! But poor Andreas...

Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura
Published by: HarperVia
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband.

Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one obsession: becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone's surprise but her own, she overcomes every obstacle and becomes a global superstar with millions of dollars, countless awards, and several Los Angeles villas to her name. But as any celebrity will tell you, getting to the top is one thing; staying there is another.

Now thirty-three years old, Cléo is taking her first real vacation in years, on a remote island with no one else in sight. With the never-ending spin cycle of her life finally on pause and no paparazzi peeking out from behind the coconut palms, she can work on her fourth album in peace. Except that with so much time to think, she can't help but ruminate on her past - including how, just six months earlier, things started to go very, very wrong...

Taking place between New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and the South Pacific, Make Me Famous is a brilliant sophomore novel from Maud Ventura that dives intoxicatingly deep into the machinations of one woman's complicated mind, and her relentless pursuit of fame."

I'm here for the Patricia Highsmith of it all!

The Labyrinth House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
Published by: Pushkin Vertigo
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A twisty and ingenious stand-alone classic Japanese murder mystery from the author of The Decagon House Murders.

Can the brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada solve the mystery of this bizarre house before all those trapped in its labyrinth are dead? Can you guess the solution before he does?

Miyagaki Yōtarō is one of Japan's most famed mystery writers, but several years ago he put down his pen and left the Tokyo literary world for a life of seclusion in the remote Labyrinth House, built by the notorious architect Nakamura Seiji. When four of the country's most exciting up-and-coming crime writers are invited to the house for Yōtarō's birthday party, they are honoured to accept. But no sooner have they arrived than they are confronted with a shocking death, then lured into a bizarre, deadly competition with each other...

As the competition proceeds, and murder follows murder, the brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada investigates. Can he solve the mystery of the house before all those trapped in its labyrinth are dead? And can you guess the solution before he does?

Readers of Japanese crime classics and fans of clever puzzle mysteries, such as Magpie Murders, Eight Detectives, and The Appeal will love the third stand-alone book from the author of Decagon House Murders and Mill House Murders - Japanese crime classics that have dazzled readers with their ingeniously constructed plots and solutions. The whole book is like a magic trick, with one of Ayatsuji's trademark breathtaking reveals at the end."

A very Murder By Death vibe. I love it!

The Silversmith's Puzzle by Nev March
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Captain Jim Agnihotri and Lady Diana Framji return to India as they investigate a murder amidst colonial Bombay's complex hierarchy in March's fourth mystery.

In 1894 colonial India, Lady Diana's family has lost their fortune in a global financial slump, but even worse, her brother Adi is accused of murder. Desperate to save him from the gallows, Captain Jim and Lady Diana rush back to Bombay. However, the traditional Parsi community finds Jim and Diana's marriage taboo and shuns them.

The dying words of Adi’s business partner, a silversmith, are perplexing. As Captain Jim peels back the curtains on this man's life he finds a trail of unpaid bills, broken promises, lies and secrets. Why was the silversmith so frantic for gold, and where is it? What awful truth does it represent?

Set in lush, late-Victorian India, Captain Jim and Diana struggle with the complexities of caste, tradition, and loyalty. Their success and their own lives may depend on Diana, who sacrificed her inheritance for love. Someone within their circle has the key to this puzzle. Can she find a way to reconnect with the tight community that threw them aside?"

I more than a little obsessed with colonial India...

The Stolen Heart by Andrey Kurkov
Published by: HarperVia
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the follow-up to The Silver Bone, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2024, Samson Kolechko must rescue his kidnapped fiancée while investigating the illegal sale of meat in lawless 1920s Kyiv - based on a real-life case.

Samson Kolechko and his colleague have been dispatched to investigate the illegal sale of meat. How selling cuts of one's own livestock qualifies as a crime eludes the young investigator, but an order is an order, and, at the insistence of the secret police officer assigned to "reinforce" the Lybid police station, Samson vows to do his very best.

But just as Samson is beginning to dig into the very meat of this case, his live-in fiancée Nadezhda is abducted by striking railway workers who object to the census she's carrying out. Complicating matters, the police station has been infiltrated by a mysterious thief, a deadly tram accident - which may have been premeditated - disrupts the city, and, to top it all, the culprit from Samson's "silver bone" investigation may have resurfaced.

Against this backdrop, it's no wonder the "meat case" takes a backseat. Yet, despite the rising danger, the detective cannot let himself be distracted from his dogged pursuit of the seemingly mundane matter of the meat sellers, for ultimately his fate, and Nadezhda's too, rests on it."

Never forget the heart of the matter!

Bochica by Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro
Published by: Atria/Primero Sueno Press
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A real-life Latin American haunted mansion. A murky labyrinth of family secrets. A young, aristocratic woman desperate to escape her past. This haunting debut Gothic horror novel is perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic and The Shining.

In 1923 Soacha, Colombia, La Casona - an opulent mansion perched above the legendary Salto del Tequendama waterfall - was once home to Antonia and her family, who settle in despite their constant nightmares and the house's malevolent spirit. But tragedy strikes when Antonia's mother takes a fatal fall into El Salto and her father, consumed by grief, attempts to burn the house down with Antonia still inside.

Three years later, haunted by disturbing dreams and cryptic journal entries from her late mother, Antonia is drawn back to her childhood home when it is converted into a luxurious hotel. As Antonia confronts her fragmented memories and the dark history of the estate, she wrestles with unsettling questions she can no longer ignore: Was her mother's death by her own hands, or was it by someone else's?

In a riveting quest for answers, Antonia must navigate the shadows of La Casona, unearthing its darkest secrets and confronting a legacy that threatens to swallow her whole."

Next level haunted house! LOVE!

Of Earthly Delights by Goldy Moldavsky
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A contemporary YA Gothic romance about a dark family secret, a lush, mysterious garden, and a love that never dies, from New York Times bestselling author Goldy Moldavsky.

Aspiring artist Rose Pauly is not happy moving from her home in New York City right before her senior year of high school. But on her first miserable day in Connecticut, she meets Hart Hargrove. The two share an immediate, undeniable connection.

Hart introduces Rose to his slice of paradise - the immense private garden nestled behind the Hargrove family mansion. There, the two spend a fever dream of a summer together. But as their bond blossoms into love, Rose can't shake the feeling that all is not as it seems.

When Rose uncovers the truth about the garden, she's forced to question how genuine her love story truly is. But Hart can't bear to lose Rose, and he will stop at nothing to save their relationship.

Posing haunting questions about beauty and desire, this is an atmospheric and darkly romantic tale that will enthrall readers."

The perfect time of year to get lost in a book about a summer in a mysterious garden.

The Thirteen Doors of Black House by Laura Lavoie
Published by: Union Square Kids
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Maya Murtagh can't wait to spend a week at Black House, a looming seaside mansion that was once home to her favorite mystery author, Augusta Black. After a falling out with her best friend and journalism partner, she needs ideas for a juicy new story that will repair their friendship and earn them a coveted regular column in the school newspaper. Black House is the perfect place to spark inspiration.

But when Maya and her family arrive at the mansion, the host who greets them is totally creepy. So are the thirteen doors inside Augusta Black's old office, each one carved with an eerie symbol. Add in the unshakeable feeling that someone - or something - is watching her, and Maya becomes convinced: there's a mystery to be solved here, real...or supernatural. Each of the thirteen doors hides a secret but opening them leads to dire consequences. When too many doors are open and Maya and her cousins are unable to close them, not only are they and the mansion at risk, so are their parents who are left stranded in town. Maya receives some help from an unexpected place, but will it be enough to save them?

Told over the course of one thrilling day, The Thirteen Doors of Black House is a fast-paced mystery that is sure to hook young readers. A little bit spooky, and a little bit funny, it perfectly pairs the magic of vacationing with your family with the magic of an old, storied house."

The kind of story I love to read but would never in a million years want to live. Not matter the desire of a regular newspaper column.

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire
Published by: W. W. Norton and Company
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In a tiny farm on the edge of the miserable village of East Grasby, Isabella Nagg is trying to get on with her tiny, miserable existence. Dividing her time between tolerating her feckless husband, caring for the farm's strange animals, cooking up "scrunge," and crooning over her treasured pot of basil, Isabella can't help but think that there might be something more to life. When Mr. Nagg returns home with a spell book purloined from the local wizard, she thinks: what harm could a little magic do?

This debut novel by beloved rare bookseller and memoirist Oliver Darkshire reimagines a heroine of Boccaccio's Decameron in a delightfully deranged world of talking plants, walking corpses, sentient animals, and shape-shifting sorcerers. As Isabella and her grouchy, cat-like companion set off to save the village from an entrepreneurial villain running a goblin-fruit Ponzi scheme, Darkshire's tale revels in the ancient books and arcane folklore of a new and original kind of enchantment.

A delightful and entertaining story of self-discovery - as well as fungus, capitalism, and sorcery - Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a story for those who can't help but find magic even in the oddest and most baffling circumstances."

I mean, I was already sold on the book because, come on, that cover, but then there's a goblin-fruit Ponzie scheme!?! Doubly sold!

Anima Rising by Christopher Moore
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore comes a hilariously deranged tale of a mad scientist, a famous painter, and an undead woman's electrifying journey of self-discovery.

Vienna, 1911. Gustav Klimt, the most famous painter in the Austrian Empire, the darling of Viennese society, spots a woman's nude body in the Danube canal. He knows he should summon a policeman, but he can't resist stopping to make a sketch first. And as he draws, the woman coughs. She's alive!

Back at his studio, Klimt and his model-turned-muse Wally tend to the formerly-drowned girl. She's nearly feral and doesn't remember who she is, or how she came to be floating in the canal. Klimt names her Judith, after one of his most famous paintings, and resolves to help her find her memory.

With a little help from Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, Judith recalls being stranded in the arctic one hundred years ago, locked in a crate by a man named Victor Frankenstein, and visiting the Underworld.

So how did she get here? And why are so many people chasing her, including Geoff, the giant croissant-eating devil dog of the North?

Poor Things meets Bride of Frankenstein in Anima Rising, Christopher Moore's most ingenious (and probably most hilarious) novel yet."

I mean, who doesn't want to watch the bride of Frankenstein cause a little havoc among the elite in Vienna?

The Emilie Adventures by Martha Wells
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: eBook, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two novel-length steampunk adventures from the author of the wildly successful Murderbot Diaries.

Together in one volume for the first time:

Emilie and the Hollow World
Running away from home and stowing away on the wrong ship, Emilie embarks on a fantastic adventure.

Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use an experimental engine to journey to the interior of the planet, but when the ship becomes damaged on arrival and evidence points to sabotage, they encounter the treacherous Lord Ivers, along with a strange new race.

Can Emilie and her new-found friends possibly reach the surface world again?

Emilie and the Sky-World
When Emilie arrives in Silk Harbor, Professor Abindon, an old colleague of her friend Lady Marlende, warns them of something strange and potentially deadly in the sky, a disruption in an upper air aether current. On further investigation they realize it’s a ship from another aetheric plane.

How to determine if it’s a friendly explorer, or something far more sinister? Nothing less than a journey into the dangerous air currents will do.

Join Emilie and she navigates the strange landscapes of the upper air, and the deadly menace that inhabits the Sky World."

If anyone can bring back Steampunk literature it's Martha Wells!

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 832 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Carl and Princess Donut journey into insanity in the wildly entertaining sixth book in the New York Times bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series - now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition!

Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, have survived longer and leveled up higher than anyone ever thought they could in the galaxy's most popular reality show, but after the shocking conclusion of the seventh level, it's now anyone's game.

A pantheon of forgotten gods. An old grudge between a talk show host, an heiress, and the man they shattered along the way. A rapidly deteriorating AI system. An inconvenient tiara upon the head of a friend.

It is bedlam on the eighth floor.

The crawlers are given a new task: Find and capture six monsters, each of which will be turned into a card. The stronger, the deadlier, the better. At the end of the floor, the bad guys will also have decks, made of some of the most powerful cards available. So it's crucial for crawlers to assemble the toughest squad possible. But, like always, there is a catch. There’s always a catch.

If Carl and Donut want a winning hand, they'll have to capture the most lethal and terrifying monster of them all: Shi Maria. She was once married to a now-missing god. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride.

But even if Carl and Donut can capture her, they know all too well that just because someone has been captured, it doesn't mean they have been tamed.

Welcome, Crawlers. Welcome to the eighth floor of the dungeon."

Oh, can your monster cards turn against you?

Dungeons and Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: Random House Worlds
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A party of adventurers must brave the horrors of Ravenloft in this official Dungeons and Dragons novel!

Five strangers armed with steel and magic awaken in a mist-shrouded land, with no memory of how they arrived: Rotrog, a prideful orcish wizard; Chivarion, a sardonic drow barbarian; Alishai, an embittered tiefling paladin; Kah, a skittish kenku cleric; and Fielle, a sunny human artificer.

After they barely survive a nightmarish welcome to the realm of Barovia, a carriage arrives bearing an invitation:

Fairest Friends,

I pray you accept my humble Hospitality and dine with me tonight at Castle Ravenloft. It is rare we receive Visitors, and I do so Endeavor to Make your Acquaintance. The Carriage shall bear you to the Castle safely, and I await your Arrival with Pleasure.

Your host,
Strahd von Zarovich

With no alternative, and determined to find their way home, the strangers accept the summons and travel to the forbidding manor of the mysterious count. But all is not well at Castle Ravenloft. To survive the twisted enigmas of Strahd and his haunted home, the adventurers must confront the dark secrets in their own hearts and find a way to shift from strangers to comrades - before the mists of Barovia claim them forever."

I am SO excited for Delilah S. Dawson to be writing D and D!

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Naomi Novik's Scholomance series meets Plain Bad Heroines in this sapphic dark academia fantasy by instant national and international bestselling author Emily Tesh, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.

"Look at you, eating magic like you're one of us."

Doctor Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood School and one of the most powerful magicians in England. Her days consist of meetings, teaching A-Level Invocation to four talented, chaotic sixth formers, more meetings, and securing the school's boundaries from demonic incursions.

Walden is good at her job - no, Walden is great at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It's her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. And it's possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from - is herself."

Oh, is the danger already in the house!?!

Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fantastic universes and personal dramas collide as a group of friends blur the line between real life and fiction with delightfully disastrous results from the acclaimed author of the "timeless and original" (The New York Times) The Body Scout.

Perennially single, socially awkward, and drowning in debt, Michael Lincoln finds his life has turned out nothing like the intergalactic lives of the pulp heroes of his youth. But these are pedestrian concerns - he has a higher calling, and that is to preserve for all posterity the greatest series in the history of the written word: The Star Rot Chronicles.

Written collectively by Michael's best (and perhaps only) friend Taras K. Castle and his misfit science fiction writing group, the Orb 4, the stories follow Captain Baldwin and his fearless crew on their mind-bending adventures across the Metallic Realms, from solar whales swallowing suns at the edge of spacetime to extraterrestrial romances and interstellar wars. These masterpieces have gone tragically unpublished - until now.

But the most urgent story Michael must tell takes place in the more intimate (if no less dramatic) confines of literary Brooklyn. Behind the greatest universe ever created, there are the all-too-mortal people who wrote it. As Michael chronicles the personal melodramas of the Orb 4 as well as the fun house reflections in their fiction, the line between real and unreal becomes dangerously thin, and the true reasons for the group's fallout begin to emerge. As he labors away in hiding, Michael has just one mission: to bring the Metallic Realms to the world. No matter the cost."

Ah yes, being the keeper of the flame, the one who wallows in nostalgia. I heavily relate.

You and Me on Repeat by Mary Shyne
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this debut rom-com graphic novel, two former friends are trapped in a time loop together, repeating their high school graduation day over and over and over - for fans of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Pumpkinheads, and Groundhog Day.

Chris O'Brien has a genius plan: If he can share the perfect first kiss with his crush, Andy, then of course he'll break free from the time loop that has him repeating graduation day over and over...and over.

Alicia Ochoa thinks Chris's plan is doomed. Valedictorian and a total nerd, she knows it'll take more than a kiss to escape the loop they're trapped in together. Besides, Chris may be a hopeless romantic, but Alicia doesn't think he has a real shot with Andy.

Once close friends, Alicia and Chris have history - lots of it. As they got older, the pair fell out after Chris ditched her for the "cool kids" and left her in the dust. But when you're looping side by side, you never know if friendship might rekindle or what new feelings could spark along the way."

I mean, obviously they need to repair their friendship, but the romantic in me knows that a kiss can totally break a time loop.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrey Kurkov, Anthony Horowitz, Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro, Christopher Moore, Delilah S. Dawson, Goldy Moldavsky, Martha Wells, Matt Dinniman, Maud Ventura, Nev March, Oliver Darkshire, Yukito Ayatsuji

The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 17th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times bestselling team of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White - a novel of money and secrets set among the famous summer mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, spanning over a century from the Gilded Age to the present day.

2019: Andie Figuero has just landed her dream job as a producer of Mansion Makeover, a popular reality show about restoring America’s most lavish historic houses. Andie has high hopes for her latest project: the once glorious but gently crumbling Sprague Hall in Newport, Rhode Island, summer resort of America’s gilded class - famous for the lavish "summer cottages" of Vanderbilts and Belmonts. But Andie runs into trouble: the reclusive heiress who still lives in the mansion, Lucia “Lucky” Sprague, will only allow the show to go forward on two conditions: One, nobody speaks to her. Two, nobody touches the mansion’s ruined boathouse.

1899: Ellen Daniels has been hired to give singing lessons to Miss Maybelle Sprague, a naive young Colorado mining heiress whose stepbrother John has poured their new money into buying a place among Newport’s elite. John is determined to see Maybelle married off to a fortune-hunting Italian prince, and Ellen is supposed to polish up the girl for her launch into society. But the deceptively demure Ellen has her own checkered past, and she’s hiding in plain sight at Sprague Hall.

1958: Lucia "Lucky" Sprague has always felt like an outsider at Sprague Hall. When she and her grandmother - the American-born Princess di Conti - fled Mussolini’s Italy, it seemed natural to go back to the imposing Newport house Nana owned but hadn’t seen since her marriage in 1899. Over the years, Lucky's lost her Italian accent and found a place for herself among the yachting set by marrying Stuyvesant Sprague, the alcoholic scion of her Sprague stepfamily. But one fateful night in the mansion’s old boathouse will uncover a devastating truth...and change everything she thought she knew about her past.

As the cameras roll on Mansion Makeover, the house begins to yield up the dark secrets the Spragues thought would stay hidden forever...."

For me this is THE BOOK I've been waiting for this spring. What's more I couldn't possibly forget it's release date because it's my brother's birthday. I hope you have your copy preordered, I know I do!

Who Killed Jane Stanford? by Richard White
Published by: W. W. Norton and Company
Publication Date: May 17th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A premier historian penetrates the fog of corruption and cover-up still surrounding the murder of a Stanford University founder to establish who did it, how, and why.

In 1885 Jane and Leland Stanford cofounded a university to honor their recently deceased young son. After her husband’s death in 1893, Jane Stanford, a devoted spiritualist who expected the university to inculcate her values, steered Stanford into eccentricity and public controversy for more than a decade. In 1905 she was murdered in Hawaii, a victim, according to the Honolulu coroner’s jury, of strychnine poisoning. With her vast fortune the university’s lifeline, the Stanford president and his allies quickly sought to foreclose challenges to her bequests by constructing a story of death by natural causes. The cover-up gained traction in the murky labyrinths of power, wealth, and corruption of Gilded Age San Francisco. The murderer walked.

Deftly sifting the scattered evidence and conflicting stories of suspects and witnesses, Richard White gives us the first full account of Jane Stanford’s murder and its cover-up. Against a backdrop of the city’s machine politics, rogue policing, tong wars, and heated newspaper rivalries, White’s search for the murderer draws us into Jane Stanford’s imperious household and the academic enmities of the university. Although Stanford officials claimed that no one could have wanted to murder Jane, we meet several people who had the motives and the opportunity to do so. One of these, we discover, also had the means."

The Gilded Age is going on right now and I am SO HERE for it's moment!

The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions by Kerry Greenwood
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: May 17th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The elegant Miss Phryne Fisher returns in this scintillating collection, featuring four new stories.

The Honourable Phryne Fisher - she of the Lulu bob, cupid's bow lips, diamante garters, and pearl-handled pistol - is the 1920s' most elegant and irrepressible sleuth.

Miss Phryne Fisher is up to her stunning green eyes in intriguing crime in each of these entertaining, fun, and compulsively readable stories. Whether sniffing out the whereabouts of a priceless pilfered book, an heirloom locket, or a missing eight-year-old girl, Miss Fisher proves herself more than equal to the task - and always fashionably attired. With the ever-loyal Dot, the ingenious Mr. Butler, and all of Phryne's friends and household, the action is as fast as Phryne's wit and logic."

Yes, I know, I'm not the biggest fan of short stories, but a counter with Miss Fisher!

Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver
Published by: Neon Hemlock Press
Publication Date: May 17th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 94 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Three days after I was expelled from the Marable School for Girls, our poor Simon arrived.

In the 1920s gothic comedy Uncommon Charm, bright young socialite Julia and shy Jewish magician Simon decide they aren't beholden to their families' unhappy history. Together they confront such horrors as murdered ghosts, alive children, magic philosophy, a milieu that slides far too easily into surrealist metaphor, and, worst of all, serious adult conversation.

Part of Neon Hemlock's 2022 Novella Series."

I am in love with everything about this novella!

Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 17th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Repeat New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore returns to the mean streets of San Francisco in this outrageous follow-up to his madcap novel Noir.

San Francisco, 1947. Bartender Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin and the rest of the Cookie's Coffee Irregulars - a ragtag bunch of working mugs last seen in Noir - are on the hustle: they're trying to open a driving school; shanghai an abusive Swedish stevedore; get Mable, the local madam, and her girls to a Christmas party at the State Hospital without alerting the overzealous head of the S.F.P.D. vice squad; all while Sammy's girlfriend, Stilton (a.k.a. the Cheese), and her "Wendy the Welder" gal pals are using their wartime shipbuilding skills on a secret project that might be attracting the attention of some government Men in Black. And, oh yeah, someone is murdering the city’s drag kings and club owner Jimmy Vasco is sure she’s next on the list and wants Sammy to find the killer.

Meanwhile, Eddie "Moo Shoes" Shu has been summoned by his Uncle Ho to help save his opium den from Squid Kid Tang, a vicious gangster who is determined to retrieve a priceless relic: an ancient statue of the powerful Rain Dragon that Ho stole from one of the fighting tongs forty years earlier. And if Eddie blows it, he just might call down the wrath of that powerful magical creature on all of Fog City.

Strap yourselves in for a bit of the old razzmatazz, ladies and gentlemen. It’s Christopher Moore time."

Christopher Moore and San Francisco, does more need to be said?

From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: May 17th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Opposites attract in this wickedly charming rom-com by Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback’s a Witch.

Wild child Isidora Avramov is a thrill chaser, adept demon summoner, and - despite the whole sexy-evil-sorceress vibe - also a cuddly animal lover. When she’s not designing costumes and new storylines for the Arcane Emporium’s haunted house, Issa's nursing a secret, conflicted dream of ditching her family’s witchy business to become an indie fashion designer in her own right.

But when someone starts sabotaging the celebrations leading up to this year's Beltane festival with dark, dangerous magic, a member of the rival Thorn family gets badly hurt - throwing immediate suspicion on the Avramovs. To clear the Avramov name and step up for her family when they need her the most, Issa agrees to serve as a co-investigator, helping none other than Rowan Thorn get to the bottom of things.

Rowan is the very definition of lawful good, so tragically noble and by-the-book he makes Issa’s teeth hurt. In accordance with their families’ complicated history, he and Issa have been archenemies for years and have grown to heartily loathe each other. But as the unlikely duo follow a perplexing trail of clues to a stunning conclusion, Issa and Rowan discover how little they really know each other...and stumble upon a maddening attraction that becomes harder to ignore by the day."

I am here for ALL the witchy rom-coms!

On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass
Published by: Graydon House
Publication Date: May 17th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The perfect neighborhood can be the perfect place to hide...

Who wouldn't want to live in Brighton Hills? This exclusive community on the Oregon coast is the perfect mix of luxury and natural beauty. Stunning houses nestle beneath mighty Douglas firs, and lush backyards roll down to the lakefront. It's the kind of place where neighbors look out for one another. Sometimes a little too closely...

Cora thinks her husband, Finn, is cheating - she just needs to catch him in the act. That's where Paige comes in. Paige lost her son to a hit-and-run last year, and she's drowning in the kind of grief that makes people do reckless things like spying on the locals, searching for proof that her son's death was no accident...and agreeing to Cora's plan to reveal what kind of man Finn really is. All the while, their reclusive new neighbor, Georgia, is acting more strangely every day. But what could such a lovely young mother possibly be hiding?

When you really start to look beyond the airy open floor plans and marble counters, Brighton Hills is filled with secrets. Some big, some little, some deadly. And one by one, they're about to be revealed..."

You KNOW you need to know the secrets of Brighton Hills!

Wild Prey by Brian Klingborg
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: May 17th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The search for a missing girl sends Inspector Lu Fei undercover into the wild corners of Myanmar, and the compound of the deadly and mysterious woman warlord responsible for the illegal trafficking of exotic animals and possibly more, in the next book from Brian Klingborg, Wild Prey.

Police Inspector Lu Fei has an unfortunate talent for getting himself into hot water with powerful and well-connected people. Which is why he’s been assigned to a backwater town in a rural area of Northern China and quietly warned to keep his head down. But while running a sting operation on the sale and consumption of rare and endangered animals, Lu comes across the curious case of a waitress who has gone missing. Her last known whereabouts: a restaurant frequented by local elites, owned by smooth-talking gangster, and known for its exotic - and highly illegal - delicacies.

As usual, Lu's investigation ruffles some feathers, resulting in his suspension from the police force. Lu figures he's reached a dead-end. Then he's contacted by a mysterious government official in Beijing who wants him to go undercover to track down the mastermind behind an illegal animal trafficking network - and hopefully, the answer to the fate of the missing waitress. The mission will require Lu to travel deep into the lawless wilds of Myanmar, where he will risk his life to infiltrate the hidden compound of a mysterious and ruthless female warlord in a bloody and nearly hopeless quest for justice."

Ever since I saw the movie The Freshman I've been obsessed with the illegal trafficking of exotic animals for consumption.

The Emma Project by Sonali Dev
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: May 17th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Emma gets a fresh Indian-American twist from award-winning author Sonali Dev in her heartwarmingly irresistible Jane Austen inspired rom com series.

No one can call Vansh Raje’s life anything but charmed. Handsome - Vogue has declared him California’s hottest single - and rich enough to spend all his time on missions to make the world a better place. Add to that a doting family and a contagiously sunny disposition and Vansh has made it halfway through his twenties without ever facing anything to throw him off his admittedly spectacular game.

A couple years from turning forty, Knightlina (Naina) Kohli has just gotten out of a ten-year-long fake relationship with Vansh’s brother and wants only one thing from her life…fine, two things. One, to have nothing to do with the unfairly blessed Raje family ever again. Two, to bring economic independence to millions of women in South Asia through her microfinance foundation and prove her father wrong about, well, everything.

Just when Naina’s dream is about to come to fruition, Vansh Raje shows up with his misguided Emma Project... And suddenly she’s fighting him for funding and wondering if a friends-with-benefits arrangement that’s as toe-curlingly hot as it is fun is worth risking her life’s work for."

If there's one Austen open to reinterpretations I view it is Emma. And if there's one author great at reinterpretations that is Sonali Dev.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Beatriz Williams, Brian Klingborg, Christopher Moore, Emily Bergslien, Karen White, Kat Weaver, Kerry Greenwood, Lana Harper, Lauren Willig, Richard White, Seraphina Nova Glass, Sonali Dev, The Gilded Age

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Published by: Custom House
Publication Date: May 12th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gothic-infused debut of literary suspense, set within a secluded, elite university and following a dangerously curious, rebellious undergraduate who uncovers a shocking secret about an exclusive circle of students...and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige.

Trust us, you belong here.

Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years - summers included - completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises a future of sublime power and prestige, and that its graduates can become anything or anyone they desire.

Among this year’s incoming class is Ines Murillo, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline - only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. Even the school’s enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand their minds, to find themselves within the formidable iron gates of Catherine. For Ines, it is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had. But the House’s strange protocols soon make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when tragedy strikes, Ines begins to suspect that the school - in all its shabby splendor, hallowed history, advanced theories, and controlled decadence - might be hiding a dangerous agenda within the secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum.

Combining the haunting sophistication and dusky, atmospheric style of Sarah Waters with the unsettling isolation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Catherine House is a devious, deliciously steamy, and suspenseful page-turner with shocking twists and sharp edges that is sure to leave readers breathless."

I've been excited about this book for awhile now, and then, just this past week The Blosgess announced it's her book club's pick! Now I'm super hyped! 

Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 12th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Shakespeare meets Dashiell Hammett in this wildly entertaining murder mystery from New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore - an uproarious, hardboiled take on the Bard’s most performed play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring Pocket, the hero of Fool and The Serpent of Venice, along with his sidekick, Drool, and pet monkey, Jeff.

Set adrift by his pirate crew, Pocket of Dog Snogging - last seen in The Serpent of Venice - washes up on the sun-bleached shores of Greece, where he hopes to dazzle the Duke with his comedic brilliance and become his trusted fool.

But the island is in turmoil. Egeus, the Duke’s minister, is furious that his daughter Hermia is determined to marry Demetrius, instead of Lysander, the man he has chosen for her. The Duke decrees that if, by the time of the wedding, Hermia still refuses to marry Lysander, she shall be executed...or consigned to a nunnery. Pocket, being Pocket, cannot help but point out that this decree is complete bollocks, and that the Duke is an egregious weasel for having even suggested it. Irritated by the fool’s impudence, the Duke orders his death. With the Duke’s guards in pursuit, Pocket makes a daring escape.

He soon stumbles into the wooded realm of the fairy king Oberon, who, as luck would have it, IS short a fool. His jester Robin Goodfellow - the mischievous sprite better known as Puck - was found dead. Murdered. Oberon makes Pocket an offer he can’t refuse: he will make Pocket his fool and have his death sentence lifted if Pocket finds out who killed Robin Goodfellow. But as anyone who is even vaguely aware of the Bard’s most performed play ever will know, nearly every character has a motive for wanting the mischievous sprite dead.

With too many suspects and too little time, Pocket must work his own kind of magic to find the truth, save his neck, and ensure that all ends well.

A rollicking tale of love, magic, madness, and murder, Shakespeare for Squirrels is a Midsummer Night’s noir - a wicked and brilliantly funny good time conjured by the singular imagination of Christopher Moore."

Because we could all use a little humor right now. 

Alice in Puzzleland by R. W.  Galland and Jason Ward
Published by: Carlton Books
Publication Date: May 12th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Work your way through 250 riddles and brainteasers with Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen and the rest of Wonderland's unforgettable cast of characters.

Solve this curious and curiouser selection of 250 puzzles, all drawn from the characters, language, and locations in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There. These perplexing and vexing conundrums, enigmas, and acrostics will test your powers of deduction, logic, and creativity. Featuring some of Carroll's own riddles and Sir John Tenniel's beloved original illustrations, this collection will take you straight down the rabbit hole and into a wondrous world with Alice.

Bind-up of Lewis Carroll's Puzzles in Wonderland and Alice's Puzzles Through the Looking Glass."

I LOVE clever Alice adjacent books! 

Cecil Beaton's Cocktail Book by Cecil Beaton
Published by: National Portrait Gallery
Publication Date: May 12th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 120 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Drink like one of the Bright Young Things with Cecil Beaton's Cocktail Book.

Cecil Beaton (1904-80) was one of the most celebrated British portrait photographers of the 20th century, so renowned for his images of celebrities and high society that his own name has become synonymous with elegance, glamour and style. In the 1920s and '30s, Beaton used his camera, his ambition and his larger-than-life personality to mingle with a flamboyant and rebellious group of artists and writers, socialites and partygoers whose spirit and style cut a dramatic swathe through the epoch. Canonizing the era's "Bright Young Things" in his distinctive brand of opulent studio portraiture, Beaton worked his way up from middle-class suburban schoolboy to glittering society figure.

This miniature cocktail book features a delightful array of recipes inspired by the decadent drinks of Beaton's youth, and the fabulous friends and celebrities whom he photographed. Period classics such as the Hanky Panky, Manhatten, Negroni and Sidecar are given contemporary twists by the Head Bartender and Mixologist of the world famous Claridge's Hotel in London, which played host to some of the most extravagant Bright Young gatherings. It is illustrated with the artist's own photographs and the witty and distinctive drawings he produced throughout his life, recording people, travels and experiences, which were featured in Vogue magazine. A must-have for every well-appointed bar cart, Cecil Beaton's Cocktail Book brings to life a deliriously eccentric, glamorous and creative era."

Because we're all stuck inside and it's the twenties again, why not have some festive era appropriate fun from one the names of the era!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alice in Puzzle, Alice in Wonderland, Catherine House, Cecil Beaton, Christopher Moore, Cocktail Book, Elisabeth Thomas, Shakespeare, Shakespeare for Squirrels, The Bloggess, Through the Looking Glass

The Elizas by Sara Shepard
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: April 17th, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars Sara Shepard makes her mark on adult fiction with this Hitchcockian double narrative composed of lies, false memories, and a protagonist who must uncover the truth for survival.

When debut novelist Eliza Fontaine is found at the bottom of a hotel pool, her family at first assumes that it’s just another failed suicide attempt. But Eliza swears she was pushed, and her rescuer is the only witness.

Desperate to find out who attacked her, Eliza takes it upon herself to investigate. But as the publication date for her novel draws closer, Eliza finds more questions than answers. Like why are her editor, agent, and family mixing up events from her novel with events from her life? Her novel is completely fictional, isn’t it?

The deeper Eliza goes into her investigation while struggling with memory loss, the closer her life starts to resemble her novel, until the line between reality and fiction starts to blur and she can no longer tell where her protagonist’s life ends and hers begins.

Fans of Pretty Little Liars, S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep, and Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 will be drawn to the drama of feeling like no one is on your side, the high tension of not knowing who you can trust, the hair-raising truths hidden among lies, and a faceless, nameless presence controlling Eliza’s life from the shadows."

I'm all about this book, it's named after me, Miss Eliza right? 

The She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: April 17th, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her.

And then she was gone.

Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?"

I want to know why her new beau's daughter reminds her of her own!

In Prior's Wood by G.M. Malliet
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: April 17th, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Agatha Award-winning author G. M. Malliet has charmed mystery lovers and cozy fans with her critically acclaimed mysteries. In Prior's Wood, featuring handsome spy-turned-cleric Max Tudor, won’t disappoint.

Newly returned from investigating a murder in Monkslip-super-Mare, handsome Max Tudor wants nothing more than to settle back into his predictable routine as vicar of St. Edwold’s Church in the village of Nether Monkslip. But the flow of his sermon on Bathsheba is interrupted when the lady of the local manor house is found in a suicide pact with her young lover.

Lady Duxter’s husband rallies quickly from the double tragedy―too quickly, it is murmured in the village. Lord Duxter already has offered his manor house to a motley crew of writers, including Max’s wife Awena, for his writers’ retreat, and he insists the show must go on.

When a young girl goes missing and a crime writer becomes a target, DCI Cotton asks Max to lend his MI5 expertise to the investigation.

Many suspects emerge as the scope of the investigation widens beyond the writers to villagers who had crossed swords with the insufferably smug crime author. But Max begins to wonder: was the attack on the writer only part of a broader conspiracy of silence?"

English country cozy death!

The Mechanical Devil by Kate Ellis
Published by: Piatkus
Publication Date: April 17th, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When archaeologist Neil Watson unearths a long-buried mechanical figure in a Dartmoor field, he is determined to discover the truth behind the bizarre find.

Soon, however, the sleepy village becomes the focus of press attention for another reason when two people with no apparent connection to each other are found shot dead in nearby Manor Field, seemingly victims of an execution-style double murder.

DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate, but the two murders aren't his only problem. The daughter of a local MP has gone missing and the pressure is on to find her, especially when it's revealed that she has a connection to one of the murder victims. And Wesley's own life is thrown into turmoil when a woman he helped on a previous investigation finds herself subjected to a campaign of terror...

Is there a link between the double murder and the accidental death of a young history student in Manor Field twenty years ago? And just what is the true identity of the Mechanical Devil?"

So many interconnections, but I really want to know about the mechanical figure! 

Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 17th, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A new smartphone dating game turns the Village Blend into a hookup hot spot, until one dark night, when a gunshot leaves a dead body behind and the landmark coffeehouse becomes the center of a whole new scene--a crime scene.

As Village Blend manager Clare Cosi attempts to finalize a date for her wedding, her ex-husband becomes addicted to making dates through smartphone swipes. Clare has mixed feelings about these quickie matchups happening in her coffeehouse. Even her octogenarian employer is selecting suitors by screenshot! But business is booming, and Clare works hard to keep the espresso shots flowing. Then one dark night, another kind of shot leaves a dead body for her to find.

The corpse is a successful entrepreneur who became notorious for his "hit it and quit it" behavior: prowling for women on dating apps, then devastating his conquests with morning-after insults. Though the NYPD quickly arrests one of his recent victims, Clare finds reason to believe she's been framed.

Now, with the help of her ex and crew of quirky baristas, Clare starts "swiping" through suspects in her own shop, determined to find the real killer before another shot rings out.

Includes a bang-up menu of tempting recipes."

A new brew for you!

Noir by Christopher Moore
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: April 17th, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The absurdly outrageous, sarcastically satiric, and always entertaining New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore returns in finest madcap form with this zany noir set on the mean streets of post-World War II San Francisco, and featuring a diverse cast of characters, including a hapless bartender; his Chinese sidekick; a doll with sharp angles and dangerous curves; a tight-lipped Air Force general; a wisecracking waif; Petey, a black mamba; and many more.

San Francisco. Summer, 1947. A dame walks into a saloon...

It’s not every afternoon that an enigmatic, comely blonde named Stilton (like the cheese) walks into the scruffy gin joint where Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin tends bar. It’s love at first sight, but before Sammy can make his move, an Air Force general named Remy arrives with some urgent business. ’Cause when you need something done, Sammy is the guy to go to; he’s got the connections on the street.

Meanwhile, a suspicious flying object has been spotted up the Pacific coast in Washington State near Mount Rainer, followed by a mysterious plane crash in a distant patch of desert in New Mexico that goes by the name Roswell. But the real weirdness is happening on the streets of the City by the Bay.

When one of Sammy’s schemes goes south and the Cheese mysteriously vanishes, Sammy is forced to contend with his own dark secrets—and more than a few strange goings on—if he wants to find his girl.

Think Raymond Chandler meets Damon Runyon with more than a dash of Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes All Stars. It’s all very, very Noir. It’s all very, very Christopher Moore."

Hell, I'd be interested just for the San Francisco angle, Moore is just MORE!

Coyotes by Sean Lewis
Published by: Image Comics
Publication Date: April 17th, 2018
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Women are going missing in the City of Lost Girls, a border town in the desert. Officer Frank Coffey is trying to get to the bottom of this when he meets Red, a thirteen girl with a katana blade and a mission: murder the Werewolves stalking the border picking women off one by one. When it's discovered that the Wolves are the men of these villages, both Red and Officer Coffey are thrown together in a thriller of mythic proportions with he lives of their friends and loved ones in the balance."

Oh, I hope my local library gets this! Yes, I have a rule, I'm not allowed to buy graphic novels until I read them first. 

The Case of the Perilous Palace by Jordan Stratford
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 17th, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The history-mystery-science series concludes as the Wollstonecraft Detectives - Ada Byron Lovelace and Mary Shelley - take on a case by royal request.

Ada's imperious grandmother has absolutely shut the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency down--until they get a case from a princess, that is.

The princess Alexandrina Victoria, age 9 (who will grow up to be Queeen Victoria), is the most closely watched girl in England. She is never alone. Every morsel she eats is catalogued. Every visitor overseen. Every move noted down. She has but one thing of her own--a sketchbook she uses as a secret diary, where she records her private thoughts in code. But now, somehow, that sketchbook has disappeared.

And so the princess enlists Ada and Mary to figure out what has happened to the sketchbook without arousing the suspicions of her minders. A most clandestine case indeed! One that will involve breaking into Kensington Palace and uncovering a host of surprising royal secrets...

This funny, Christmas-time romp of a caper will delight history and mystery fans alike."

What's this "last" BS!?!

Before Mars by Emma Newman
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: April 17th, 2018
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Hugo Award winner Emma Newman returns to the captivating Planetfall universe with a dark tale of a woman stationed on Mars who starts to have doubts about everything around her.

After months of travel, Anna Kubrin finally arrives on Mars for her new job as a geologist and de facto artist in residence--and already she feels she is losing the connection with her husband and baby at home on Earth.

In her room on the base, Anna finds a mysterious note, painted in her own hand, warning her not to trust the colony psychiatrist. A note she can't remember painting.

When she finds a footprint in a place that the colony AI claims has never been visited by humans, Anna begins to suspect that she is caught up in an elaborate corporate conspiracy. Or is she losing her grip on reality? Anna must find the truth, regardless of what horrors she might discover or what they might do to her mind."

Mars, it's the new thing that all books should have in them!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Christopher Moore, Cleo Coyle, Coyotes, Emma Newman, G.M. Malliet, In Prior's Wood, Kate Ellis, Lisa Jewell, Sara Shepard, The Elizas, The Mechanical Devil, Then She Was Gone, Wollstonecraft Detective Agency

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: April 22nd, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy from the Queen of Britain: the rascal-Fool Pocket.

This trio of cunning plotters—the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago—have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.

But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.

Greed, revenge, deception, lust, and a giant (but lovable) sea monster combine to create another hilarious and bawdy tale from modern comic genius, Christopher Moore."

Um, I'm a sucker for anything Venetian... 

Deception's Princess by Esther Friesner
Published by: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 22nd, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Some lies lead to true adventure. . . .

Maeve, princess of Connacht, was born with her fists clenched. And it's her spirit and courage that make Maeve her father's favorite daughter. But once he becomes the High King, powerful men begin to circle--it's easy to love the girl who brings her husband a kingdom.

Yet Maeve is more than a prize to be won, and she's determined to win the right to decide her own fate. In the court's deadly game of intrigue, she uses her wits to keep her father's friends and enemies close--but not too close. When she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the son of a visiting druid, Maeve faces a brutal decision between her loyalty to her family and to her own heart.

Award-winning author Esther Friesner has a remarkable gift for combining exciting myth and richly researched history. This fiery heroine's fight for independence in first-century Ireland is truly worthy of a bard's tale. Hand Deception's Princess to fans of Tamora Pierce, Shannon Hale, and Malinda Lo."

I've always been interested in Friesner's books, but one in Ireland? Totally 100% sold!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Christopher Moore, Deception's Princess, Esther Friesner, Ireland, The Serpent of Venice

Grave Mercy by Robin (RL) LaFevers
Published by: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 560 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?"

One of the best books I've read all year. Robin is one of my favorite authors and despite being very different than her other books, it was amazing. I can't wait a year for book two... I just can't. In fact, if you ever pay attention, I always list books in order of favorite to least on my Tuesday Tomorrow posts, and this is a busy week, so busy I omitted several books, and if you notice this is even before that literary titan, Alexander McCall Smith. Just go buy it k?

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Pantheon
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this latest episode in the beloved, best-selling series, the kindest and best detective in Botswana faces a tricky situation when her personal and professional lives become entangled.

Precious Ramotswe is haunted by a repeated dream: a vision of a tall, strange man who waits for her beneath an acacia tree. Odd as this is, she’s far too busy to worry about it. The best apprentice at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors is in trouble with the law and stuck with the worst lawyer in Gaborone. Grace Makutsi and Phuti Radiphuti are building the house of their dreams, but their builder is not completely on the up and up. And, most shockingly, Mma Potokwane, defender of Botswana’s weak and downtrodden, has been dismissed from her post as matron at the orphan farm. Can the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency help restore the beloved matron to her rightful position?

As wealthy and powerful influences at the orphan farm become allied against their friend, help arrives from an unexpected visitor: the tall stranger from Mma Ramotswe’s dreams, who turns out to be none other than the estimable Clovis Andersen, author of the No. 1 Ladies’ prized manual, The Principles of Private Detection. Together, Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi, and their teacher-turned-colleague help right this injustice and in the process discover something new about being a good detective."

Hmmm, a new Alexander McCall Smith book... will I be buying it? Do we need water to survive?

Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It is the color of the Virgin Mary's cloak, a dazzling pigment desired by artists, an exquisite hue infused with danger, adventure, and perhaps even the supernatural. It is . . . Sacre Bleu

In July 1890, Vincent van Gogh went into a cornfield and shot himself. Or did he? Why would an artist at the height of his creative powers attempt to take his own life . . . and then walk a mile to a doctor's house for help? Who was the crooked little "color man" Vincent had claimed was stalking him across France? And why had the painter recently become deathly afraid of a certain shade of blue?

These are just a few of the questions confronting Vincent's friends—baker-turned-painter Lucien Lessard and bon vivant Henri Toulouse-Lautrec—who vow to discover the truth about van Gogh's untimely death. Their quest will lead them on a surreal odyssey and brothel-crawl deep into the art world of late nineteenth-century Paris.

Oh la la, quelle surprise, and zut alors! A delectable confection of intrigue, passion, and art history—with cancan girls, baguettes, and fine French cognac thrown in for good measure—Sacre Bleu is another masterpiece of wit and wonder from the one, the only, Christopher Moore."

It's about Vincent Van Gogh and includes a bit about his "suicide." I'm sold. Ever since that one Doctor Who episode, Van Gogh somehow seems even more amazing and real to me.

Paris in Love by Eloisa James
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James took a leap that many people dream about: she sold her house, took a sabbatical from her job as a Shakespeare professor, and moved her family to Paris. Paris in Love: A Memoir chronicles her joyful year in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

With no classes to teach, no committee meetings to attend, no lawn to mow or cars to park, Eloisa revels in the ordinary pleasures of life—discovering corner museums that tourists overlook, chronicling Frenchwomen’s sartorial triumphs, walking from one end of Paris to another. She copes with her Italian husband’s notions of quality time; her two hilarious children, ages eleven and fifteen, as they navigate schools—not to mention puberty—in a foreign language; and her mother-in-law Marina’s raised eyebrow in the kitchen (even as Marina overfeeds Milo, the family dog).

Paris in Love invites the reader into the life of a most enchanting family, framed by la ville de l’amour."

I wish a was a well known writer that could go to Paris for a year and then write a book about it that will become a best seller... sigh, my dreams.


The Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back-at least not all the time.

Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. He can't choose when he shifts, the transition is often abrupt and, as he gets older, the time he spends in human form is gradually decreasing. But Maria, who loves him without hesitation, wouldn't trade their unusual relationship for anything.

Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself..."

A perfect birthday present for my friend Matt... maybe I shouldn't have posted it then... ah, he nevers reads my blog much.


The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas
Published by: NAL
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Rinette Leslie of Granmuir has the ancient gift of divining the future in flowers, but her gift cannot prepare her for the turmoil that comes when the dying queen regent entrusts her with a casket full of Scotland's darkest secrets. On the very day she means to deliver it to newly crowned Mary, Queen of Scots, Rinette's husband is brutally assassinated.

Devastated, Rinette demands justice before she will surrender the casket, but she is surrounded by ruthless men who will do anything to possess it. In the end, the flowers are all she can trust-and only the flowers will lead her safely home to Granmuir."

Elizabeth Loupas' first book got great acclaim last year, luckily she had another one up her sleeve.

Imperial Scandal by Teresa Grant
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Amid the treachery of war and the whirl of revelry, no one is what they seem. . .

Nights filled with lavish balls. . .lush, bucolic afternoons. . .. Removed to glamorous Brussels in the wake of Napoleon's escape from Elba, Intelligence Agent Malcolm Rannoch and his wife, Suzanne, warily partake in the country's pleasures. But with the Congress of Vienna in chaos and the Duke of Wellington preparing for battle, the festivities are cut short when Malcolm is sent on a perilous mission that unravels a murderous world of espionage. . .

No one knows what the demure and respectable Lady Julia Ashton was doing at the château where Malcolm and a fellow British spy were ambushed. But now her enigmatic life has been ended by an equally mysterious death. And as the conflict with Napoleon marches toward Waterloo, and Brussels surrenders to bedlam, Suzanne and Malcolm will be plunged into the search for the truth--revealing an intricate labyrinth of sinister secrets and betrayal within which no one can be trusted."

Tracy Grant, I mean Teresa Grant's, newest book, yeah Regency!

A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
Published by: KTEEN
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A scholarship student at an exclusive prep school, Emma Townsend feels like an outsider. Her stepmother doesn't come close to filling the void left by her mother's death. And her only romantic prospect - apart from a crush on her English teacher - is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma's confusion. "Escape" comes in the old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre that Emma receives as a gift. Then a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane's body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma experiences a sense of belonging she's never felt before, and a growing attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane's story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own..."

I have been "patiently" waiting for this book to come out for awhile now... yes, "patiently." What?

Heads You Lose by Lisa Luta and David Hayward
Published by: Berkley Trade
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times-bestselling author Lisa Lutz conspires with-or should we say against?- coauthor David Hayward to write an original and hilarious tag-team crime novel.

Meet Paul and Lacey Hansen: orphaned, pot-growing twentysomething siblings eking out a living in rural Northern California. When a headless corpse appears on their property, they can't exactly dial 911, so they move the body and wait for the police to find it. Instead, the corpse reappears, a few days riper . . . and an amateur sleuth is born. Make that two.

When collaborators Lutz and Hayward (former romantic partners) start to disagree about how the story should unfold, the body count rises, victims and suspects alike develop surprising characteristics (meet Brandy Chester, the stripper with the Mensa IQ), and sibling rivalry reaches homicidal intensity. Think Adaptation crossed with Weeds. Will the authors solve the mystery without killing each other first?"

Hilarous book where what happens in the "real world" is just as funny as the book world. Check out my review from last year!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexander McCall Smith, Christopher Moore, Elizabeth Loupas, Eloisa James, Eve Marie Mont, Grave Mercy, Jane Eyre, Lisa Lutz, Robin LaFevers, Sharon Shinn, Teresa Grant, Vincent Van Gogh