strange and random happenstance

A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"They're making a major feature film of the first Hawthorne/Horowitz mystery novel. Except - they're behind schedule, they've run out of money and...oh! The star has just been murdered.

Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne is dead.

Or, rather, the actor playing him in the film adaptation of The Word is Murder is. Rising star David Caine has been stabbed, and it seems that everyone on the set had a motive.

Caine had just fired his PA. He had fallen out with his director, slept with the screenwriter, humiliated his co-star and dropped his agent days before he was about to sign a multi-million-dollar deal to appear in the next Spider-Man movie.

But what if Caine's murderer had made a mistake? What if it was the real Hawthorne who was the intended victim? For it turns out that the brilliant detective may have got it wrong ten years earlier. An innocent man has died in jail. And perhaps someone has decided that Hawthorne must pay the price.

From the film set on the south coast of England, the story moves to Reeth, in Yorkshire, the village where Hawthorne grew up. A burned-down school, a car accident that isn't what it seems, blackmail and murder in an Elizabethan country house...somehow they combine to unlock the secret of what has happened in Hastings.

For once, the local police are helpful. DS Sarah Milnes gives Hawthorne carte blanche to investigate and there may even be a hint of romance in the air. Which leaves his hapless sidekick, Horowitz, on his own, stumbling his way to the truth.

A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, A Deadly Episode is an intriguing page-turner that once again demonstrates why Anthony Horowitz is the reigning king of the modern whodunit."

I mean, the meta onion that is this series would so be upped if they adapted it, and, in particular, this volume, for the screen.

The Dead Room by Catriona McPherson
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 335 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this atmospheric thriller from Catriona McPherson, a young widow seeking refuge from her grief wades into the mists at the far end of memory lane - where something even darker awaits.

Reeling from the death of her husband, thirty-something audiobook narrator Lindsay Hale retreats to her Scottish hometown and the comforts of old times. The bungalow where she grew up is just as she left it, next to the scrapyard her family still owns. But something is wrong...something beyond grief.

Something she can only glimpse from the corner of her eye.

Lindsay's brother and best friend are there to welcome her back. An elderly widow helps Lindsay make sense of her new normal, and a kind man hints at unexpected possibilities. But when her widow friend vanishes, only Lindsay seems to notice. And while she starts "recognizing" strangers, she begins forgetting familiar faces.

Every night, as Lindsay's dream house fills with nightmares, she wonders whether she's truly unraveling - or if something more sinister's at play. Buried secrets surface and reality bends, forcing Lindsay to face the terrifying truth that her new haven isn't so safe after all."

But what if it's even more terrifying and she's unraveling while something sinister is at play?

The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch
Published by: Love Inspired Trade
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.

Gwen McDaniel's life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park, is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.

Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it's more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don't lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic's carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood underneath.

As Gwen delves into the history of the house and the Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture emerges: A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined..."

Trying to save your marriage by going through the hell of home renovation never works.

Live Through This by Douglas Corleone
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 303 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A crime novelist reunites with old college friends to solve a decades-old murder in a riveting novel of psychological suspense by the bestselling author of Falls to Pieces.

Crime writer Gregg Dryer returns to his Pennsylvania campus for Homecoming weekend to revisit the death of his girlfriend Jess. During their freshman year, everyone assumed she took her own life when she fell from the roof of D'Amelio Hall - everyone except Gregg. After thirty years of struggling with grief, guilt, and personal demons, Gregg still has his doubts about how and why Jess really died that night.

His search for answers is also a chance to reconnect with four friends from his college class. Most of them have moved on from that terrible tragedy. Not Gregg. Nor Jess's mother, who is convinced to this day that her daughter was murdered. As Gregg's investigation leads deeper into a past he doesn't recognize, the trail grows darker and more dangerous with each new revelation.

As a reunion among old friends becomes one of secrets and suspicions, Gregg must confront his own troubled history - and a truth with which he may not be able to live."

If you murdered someone in college, would you go back for a reunion? That just seems to be playing with fire.

How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the gritty streets of 1960s Soho to the lofty galleries of present-day West London, two interlocking mysteries decades apart unfold in this latest instalment in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Castle Knoll Murder Mystery series.

Some secrets are deadlier than others.

1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she's stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington - a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her.

Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura's new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest.

Annie is no stranger to murder - after all, she's solved a few already. And something about this case feels familiar. She's read about one just like it in the journals of her late great aunt Frances, whose friend Vera was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way.

As Annie investigates, threats pile up on Laura's doorstep, and it soon becomes clear that she's next. With her mother's life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it's too late?"

A nice Last Night in Soho vibe.

A Murder Most Camp by Nicholas DiDomizio
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Guncle meets Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies in this fun, twisty mystery following a spoiled nepo baby forced to work at a struggling summer camp who stumbles into a real-life murder mystery he has no choice but to solve.

Rustic cabins. Lakefront bonfires. A painfully hot lifeguard. And a murder? Summer has never been this camp.

Mikey Hartford IV has coasted through his twenties in a distracted blur of yachts and sex and partying. But when his father discovers his latest million-dollar impulse buy and changes the terms of his trust, the party's finally over. Now, unless Mikey can make a positive contribution to the world before his thirtieth birthday - one that doesn't involve throwing cash at his problems - he'll never see another yacht again. (Or even so much as a canoe.)

Enter: Camp Lore, a struggling summer camp in upstate New York where Mikey has to work as the oldest, least-qualified staffer to prove that he can "do good" alongside his twelve-year-old aunt. (Yes, aunt.) But Mikey isn't sure he'll be able to survive the camp's ramshackle living conditions, let alone the gaggle of preteens who won't leave his side. And when his campers become obsessed with a local legend set at an abandoned cabin on the grounds, Mikey's chances of not making it through the summer become dangerously real - because it turns out there's a murder hidden beneath Camp Lore. And someone there will stop at nothing to keep it that way.

Solving a decade-old cold case will surely be enough "good" for Mikey to earn his inheritance. He just has to stay alive long enough to do it..."

My friend Johnnie has been talking about this book for quite awhile now. You don't want to disappoint Johnnie do you? So get this book!

The Witch Finder by Tracy Whitwell
Published by: Pan
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"History is revealing itself, and the lines between past and present are becoming hauntingly blurred...

The Witch Finder is the fifth and final installment in the hilarious Accidental Medium series featuring Tanz, who with the help of the dead, has become an unwilling crime-solver.

When Tanz returns to her hometown in Newcastle, she comes face-to-face with dark, ancestral secrets lurking in its shadows. Haunted by chilling visions of the witch-trials, a voice from the past warns her, You're the one. Burn it, chosen one. As a sinister figure threatens to ruin everything she's built for herself, Tanz must embrace her connection to the dead to uncover her destiny.

With everything on the line, Tanz finds herself entangled in a web of folklore, mystery and imminent danger. Elements collide as the echoes of history demand intervention and new relationships entwine in her mystical journey. Tanz must wield courage against paranormal forces and listen to old and new allies in order to prevent ominous threats from consuming her world.

Will Tanz unravel the mysteries surrounding the witch pricker and her own lineage in time, or will she fall prey to the darkness that stalks her?"

The last!?! Why the last!?! No final installment. Just another installment!

Confessions of an Amateur Sleuth by Lynn Cahoon
Published by: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bainbridge Island bookseller, aspiring author, and amateur sleuth Meg (no relation to Bill) Gates investigates the murder of a crabby food critic in New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon's latest Pacific Northwest-set mystery for fans of Kate Carlisle, Lorna Barrett, Jenn McKinlay, and Ellery Adams.

Twenty-something bookseller and sleuth Meg Gates has a confession: solving crimes may be easier than writing. She's been working on a guide to becoming a detective - but she's her own worst critic. She needs a how-to in order to write her how-to!

At the Bainbridge Island writers' group, she meets freelance food critic Lee Anderson, who invites her to join him for dinner at the Local Crab so he won't be suspected of reviewing the place. Lee is a bit of a crab himself and intends to do a hatchet job on the eatery.

Instead, someone does a job on the critic - he's found dead by the marina. Now Bainbridge's culinary elite are on the suspect list.

With help from her beau, Dalton, and the Mystery Crew at Island Books, Meg dons her sleuthing cap to solve the mystery du jour - before another murder is served cold..."

I feel like mentioning that you're no relation to Bill Gates, despite the same last name and Pacific Northwest locale, is weird. Turns me off even picking up the book.

In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After moving to France, Tabitha Knight has a new friend in fellow expat and Cordon Bleu student Julia Child, whose culinary tips can come in quite handy. But something's cooking in postwar Paris, and it isn't just cheese soufflé...

Tabitha has enjoyed an entertaining afternoon in Julia's kitchen, but her return home is a bit jarring. As she arrives at her grandfather's rue de l'Universitémansion, a woman bursts out the door babbling about messages from spirits and a warning Grand-père must heed. Oncle Rafe angrily sends the woman on her way, and neither man will answer Tabitha's questions.

It's not the last she sees of the mysterious visitor. While she's on a date that evening, she's accosted by her again - and learns that Madame Vierca is a medium who claims to have visions of a dark fate that awaits Grand-père and Oncle Rafe. The very next night, Tabitha's messieurs host a soiree at their new restaurant, inviting fellow Resistance fighters from the war known as the Nine Bluets. To commemorate the work of the Resistance network, the vase on the dinner table sports nine of the pretty blue flowers.

But shortly after the revelers leave the restaurant, one of Grand-père's old friends is found dead on the street...and one of the nine flowers is missing from the vase. When a second member of the Nine Bluets is found poisoned the next day, and a bluet flower is left with the body, Tabitha cannot ignore Madame Vierca's frightening predictions about her dear messieurs. She has no choice but to share her suspicions and fears with the enigmatic and unruffled Inspecteur Merveille.

Tabitha soon finds herself caught up in an investigation that takes her and Merveille to the seediest, most dangerous parts of the Left Bank - home of strange, fantastical legends, disquieting events, and unusual people. As she and Merveille desperately try to find a killer, they know they don't have much time before the rest of the Nine Bluets are targeted...including Grand-père and Oncle Rafe."

I'll read anything by Colleen Cambridge, but a medium!?! Heck yeah!

The Roaring Ridleys by K.M. Colley
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 283 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Jazz Age New York, a shocking murder shatters the privileged life of the city's most elite family in a propulsive mystery-thriller debut from author K.M. Colley that spans from Harlem to Long Island's Gold Coast and high society's glittering world of deadly secrets.

In the glittering world of 1920s New York, the seven Ridley heirs seem to have it all: wealth, status, and protection as the city's most powerful family. But when notorious gossip columnist Dale Caimen is found dead during their family's renowned summer soiree, their carefully constructed world begins to crack.

Behind the champagne and jazz, each adopted Ridley sibling harbors secrets that could destroy them. There's Amelia, the responsible eldest trying to hold it all together; Adesua, whose artistic ambitions in the Harlem Renaissance threaten her family's expectations; and wild child Kavita, whose dangerous nights in speakeasies may have finally caught up with her.

As the murder investigation intensifies, long-buried tensions surface and family loyalties unravel. Someone knows the truth about the Ridleys - and they're willing to kill to expose it. In a world where appearance is everything and power comes at a deadly price, the siblings must decide what matters more: protecting the family name or each other."

My grandmother would have so gotten along with Kavita.

A Murder in Marylebone by Emily Sullivan
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After over a decade away, widowed mother of two Minnie Harper has left sunny Greece and returned to her native England at the turn of the 20th century - just as a cloud of suspicion falls over her younger sister in this cozy historical mystery for fans of Jessica Fellowes, Tasha Alexander, Deanna Raybourn, Rhys Bowen, and the PBS series The Durrells in Corfu.

The world is changing at the dawn of the 20th century, but respectable English families still dread a public scandal. So Minnie agrees to accompany her reckless sister, Delia, for a night on the town with her Bohemian friends. The evening involves a raucous house party, a visit to a fortune-teller, and an encounter with a flirtatious baron, but none of that unsettles Minnie more than running into Stephen Dorian, her former employer in Corfu, who stirs in her a mix of resentment and attraction.

Soon after, Delia discovers the body of her rumored beau in his own home, and Minnie insists on playing by the rules and informing the police. After all, fleeing the scene could suggest Delia is guilty of more than an improper late-night rendezvous...

When the sisters return to the townhouse, their parents, dreading the threat of gossip, insist that Minnie help clear Delia's name. Her discreet investigation will take her back into Delia's decadent circle and have her crossing paths again with the baron - a collector of antiques - and the infuriating Stephen Dorian. But her new social life is soon overshadowed by dangerous intrigue that leads her to question even her own past..."

I'm sorry, but Lady Emily would not get on with the Durrells as depicted in the PBS series.

How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles
Published by: Bramble
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bridgerton meets The Goldfinch in How to Fake It in Society, a stunning queer romance by rising genre star KJ Charles.

It is 1821 and Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte is making a splash in London Society. The son of Jeanne de Valois de La Motte, infamous for stealing a priceless diamond necklace meant for Marie Antoinette, Nico hopes to restore his wronged mother's reputation, if only he can raise the funds. But he must operate with great secrecy, because the Bourbon dynasty murdered his mother, and he fears for his life.

At least, that's what he tells Titus Pilcrow. Titus was a simple shopkeeper, making and selling artists' paints, when he found himself suddenly married to an immensely wealthy woman who wanted to disinherit her nephew on her deathbed. As word spreads of his fortune, Titus finds himself a target of every scammer and beggar in London...including one Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte.

Nico is on his last legs, out of money, and on the run from some terrifying gangsters. When Titus offers Nico a space in his household, it's the perfect chance for him to exploit London's newest golden purse - until he falls in love with the man he needs to cheat. Still, Nico is sure they can have a happy ending together. If he can just find his way out of his own web of lies..."

Oh, a tie in to the Affair of the Diamond Necklace!?!

The Duke's Got Mail by Samara Parish
Published by: Forever
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Anonymous love letters are all well and good...until you discover you've been flirting with the enemy.

Eleanor Wright is the best compositor in London and in high demand with every printing press in town. But when whispers spread of a new machine that could put her out of a job, writing to a mysterious pen pal quickly becomes her only relief from a life that's coming apart like a badly bound book.

Peter Montgomery, Duke of Strafford, has spent years trying to get his estate out of debt. Now he finally has the solution in a machine set to revolutionize the publishing industry. If only finding a wife was as straightforward. Peter wants a lady who cares about him, not his title. Someone like his charming, witty pen pal - the only person in London who knows his most intimate secrets but not his real name. But when Peter's invention makes them bitter rivals in person, can the bond they've created on paper survive the test?"

Please say Eleanor's letters are all typeset. Please. The letterpress geek in me demands it!

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A nearly divorced trophy wife enrolls in culinary school to win back her husband, only to find a fresh start in the unlikeliest of places in this new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.

Retirement should mean long-awaited trips to the sapphire waters of Santorini or careening down a sand dune in Dubai. For sixty-three-year-old Mebel, retirement means her husband of more than forty years announcing that he's leaving her for their private chef. Mebel isn't sure who's the bigger loss.

Not to worry, Mebel has the perfect plan: she's going to win back her husband. No one knows what he needs better than her - after all, she's been anticipating his needs their whole marriage. And if he wants a wife who can cook (why else would he leave her for a chef?), she will simply go to cooking school. And where better to learn to cook for your husband than France, the most romantic country in the world?

However, Mebel quickly learns that she has mistakenly enrolled in a culinary school not in glamorous Paris but rather in England - and in some small village outside of Oxford no less. Despite the less-than-warm welcome from her much younger classmates, Mebel manages to befriend Gemma, the breakout star of the program. And this unlikely friendship starts to show Mebel that maybe there's more to her than being the perfect trophy wife..."

Yeah, maybe there's more than cooking dinner for a man who no longer wants you...

Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest installment in the lively and deliciously charming 44 Scotland Street series finds all our favorite residents of Scotland's most celebrated address navigating their enchanting and eventful lives.

Settle in and take a trip back to Scotland's favorite fictitious street with Bertie, Irene, Big Lou, newcomer Galactica Macfee and all the rest.

Once more, we catch up with the delightful goings-on in 44 Scotland Street. With his singular warmth and charm, Alexander McCall Smith gives us another installment in this popular series, where anything could happen to Bertie and the gang..."

My mom loved this series so much. Pick it up in honor of her.

Liar's Dice by Juliet Faithfull
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An astonishing debut about a teenage girl in 1970s Brazil who is torn away from her twin sister - and who must learn what it means to fight for those she loves when all the odds are stacked against her.

Dolores and Mita grow up in rural Brazil, identical and inseparable. But Mita develops a mysterious illness that challenges the family. One day, Dolores wakes up to find her sister gone - sent to a hospital in their father's native London. There is no Dolores without Mita. And now Mita is gone.

When the family moves to Rio, Dolores' parents act as if Mita never existed. Lonely and grief-stricken, Dolores struggles to learn to read and write at the stodgy British School - until she meets Andrea, a headstrong, streetwise girl from the dangerous part of town. Andrea shows Dolores a new side of Rio - and how to survive it. As the dictatorship cracks down on dissenters, and people disappear, Dolores begins to wonder if her sister is dead, and her parents are lying. Determined to uncover the truth, Dolores is willing to do whatever it takes - lie, gamble and steal - to get her sister back.

Liar's Dice captures the precarious intensity of coming of age in a volatile time - when repression and silence are the fabric of everyday life - and the cost of family secrets. Heartrending and tender, Juliet Faithfull's debut novel is a testament to the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood."

Just growing up in a volatile time in anyone's life. Dolores's journey is just compounded by loss and danger.

We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A heart-wrenching standalone novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, We Burned So Bright follows an elder gay couple on an end-of-the-world road-trip.

The road stretched out before them. No other cars, just the headlights on the blacktop. Above, the cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky....

Husbands Don and Rodney have lived a good long life. Together they've experienced the highest highs of love and family, and lows so low that they felt like the end of the world.

Now, the world is ending for real. A rogue black hole is coming for Earth and in a month everything and everyone they've ever known will be gone.

Suddenly, after 40 years together, Don and Rodney are out of time. They're in a race against the clock to make it from Maine to Washington State to take care of some unfinished business before it's all over.

On the road they meet those who refuse to believe death is coming and those who rush to meet it. But there are also people living their final days as best they know how - impromptu weddings, bright burning bonfires, shared meals, and new friends.

And as the black hole draws near, among ball lightning and under a cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky, Don and Rodney will look back on their lives and ask if their best was good enough.

Is it enough to burn bright if nothing comes from the ashes?"

For those broken by Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett on The Last of Us.

Hex House by Amy Jane Stewart
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A feverishly told, dark and unsettling Scotland-set fairy-tale about a safe haven for women which transforms them into vessels of revenge, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, A. G Slatter and Julia Armfield.

ELLY

Elly is running. Pregnant and still in her wedding dress, she flees the cottage that her new husband has rented for their wedding night. Because he's not what people think he is - and she knows that, one day, he'll hurt her in a way she can't fix. Freezing and lost in the dead of night, Elly begins to lose hope.

A woman in the woods alone is never the beginning of the story. It's usually the end.

So, when a beautiful house appears out of nowhere and a woman beckons her inside, it almost feels too good to be true.

Welcome to Hex House: a refuge, a home, a sanctuary. A place that can only be found by those who truly need it; a place that promises to teach Elly how to access a power more incredible - and more terrifying - than anything she could have imagined.

SIOBHAN

Four years after Siobhan meets Elly at Hex House, her life is in ruins. Once a promising filmmaker invited to the house to make a documentary with her brother, Theo, she's given up on her dream after witnessing unspeakable horrors there. Now, she spends her time drinking too much, toying with an older man in increasingly dangerous ways, and trying to get Theo to speak to her again. She ignores the scar on her stomach that never fully heals.

That is, until someone reaches out with news about Hex House that could change everything.

And Siobhan knows, deep down, that she was always destined to return."

The woods is where the story begins.

An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields
Published by: Redhook
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Sydney J. Shields, the breakout author of The Honey Witch, comes An Arcane Study of Stars, a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance, and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of The Atlas Six and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares and offers her a bargain: he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars. He takes a bite of her soul to seal the deal, and Claudia wakes to a letter from the High Sage of Cygnus stating she will take the place of Odette Dufort, a Rhetoric student who passed away.

Her arrival raises suspicions, rumors that she had a hand in Odette's death spread like wildfire, and Cassius MacLeod, the High Sage's apprentice and Claudia's fellow Rhetoric student, seems hellbent on humiliating her. Determined to clear her name, she searches for any evidence that could prove her innocence. When someone - or something - starts slipping her pieces of Odette's diary, Claudia uncovers a horrifying truth: over the last century, celestial witches at Cygnus have been murdered. Odette was one of them, and Claudia could be next. For her own protection, Claudia needs to free Dorian - and fast.

By night, she studies the stars, slowly unraveling the mystery of Dorian's prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. As Claudia inches closer to the truth, she must decide: would trusting Cassius be the last mistake she ever makes?"

I can see why this is compared to The Atlas Six. 

The Boyfriend Academy by JS Strange
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 332 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Love is forbidden. Truth is dangerous. Survival is everything.

Ganymede's is no ordinary boarding school. Behind its spiral towers and manicured lawns, boys are forged into the men society demands - strong, obedient, perfect. Graduate, and the world is yours: a home, a career, a wife. But fail...and you're no longer useful to society.

For Dylan Cecil it should be simple: keep his head down, survive graduation, and earn his place. But when his friend, Blake, disappears, Dylan can't silence the questions gnawing at him, even as whispers of danger shadow the school's gilded halls.

As June's trials close in - eight tests that will decide who is worthy of manhood - Dylan is haunted by Blake's absence and drawn to Roman Edwards, a boy as magnetic as he is unknowable.

In a world rebuilt on order and obedience, Dylan must decide: will he become the man the academy wants - or the man he really is?"

Always be yourself. 

This Dream Will Devour Us by Emma Clancey
Published by: Amulet Books
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Inheritance Games meets Caraval in this YA contemporary fantasy debut about a girl thrust into the intoxicating and dangerous world of magical high society.

Sometimes you have to kill a dream to escape a nightmare.

Nora is the opposite of lucky. She's still wrangling her late father's debts when a mysterious illness lands her brother in the hospital. But her fortunes take an unexpected turn when she wins the lottery to attend the Lamour family's exclusive, magical Dream Gala.

If Nora can win over the Lamour heirs, she'll get a coveted spot on their magical training program - and the money she needs to save her brother.

There's just one problem: Nora never bought a lottery ticket.

Determined to discover who wants her at the gala - and why - Nora plunges headfirst into magical high society. Caught up in a decadent world of brutal billionaires and cutthroat celebrities, Nora is soon in over her head and entangled in a messy love triangle.

When her search for answers uncovers a sinister conspiracy, will Nora stay silent or risk the wrath of a family powerful enough to get away with murder?"

Yeah, that ticket is sus.

The Night King's Court by Elisa A. Bonnin
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Caraval meets Flowerheart in this rich and immersive cozy fantasy, where dazzling magic, lush descriptions, and a sweet sapphic romance cast an irresistible spell.

Ida's father went missing without a trace seven years ago, last seen at the court of the enigmatic Night King, which comes to life only after dark with magic and revelry.

So when a position opens up for a new court Luminaire, Ida doesn't hesitate. She inherited her gift for enchantments from her father - and with this position, she'll use it to find him again.

Ida is swept into the king's collection of magical beings, those who bring light and entertainment to the Court's midnight gatherings - and swept away by the Court, where faerie gardens edge into underwater masquerades, dreaming revels offer blissful escapes, and life is a mesmerizing euphoria.

Yet a sinister thread interrupts Ida's nights of decadence. Memories go missing, the castle's magic takes on a malevolence, and Ida can't seem to leave the boundaries of the court itself.

Enlisting the help of the king's breathtakingly beautiful daughter Lenore, Ida must unravel the castle's secrets...before this enchanted world destroys her."

First, let's just stop comparing books to Caraval. Second, of course you mind goes in a faerie court...

By Blood, Shadow, and Fire by Orin Steele
Published by: Emrae Publishing
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 502 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Marked by gods. Hunted by fate. Bound to a warrior she shouldn't want.

In a realm teetering on the edge of war, Islyn never asked to be chosen by the gods, by destiny, or by the dangerously compelling warrior sworn to protect her. But power like hers doesn't stay hidden for long. As ancient forces stir and enemies close in, she must navigate a world of secrets, shifting alliances, and a connection that burns hotter than it should.

Caught between duty and desire, Islyn has to decide who she can trust and what she's willing to become to survive.

By Blood, Shadow, and Fire is a sweeping fantasy romance about fate, forbidden longing, and the kind of magic that demands everything."

Doesn't magic always demand everything?

Cast in Blood by Michelle Sagara
Published by: Hanover Square Press
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"DO NOT MEDDLE IN THE AFFAIRS OF BARRANI.

Kaylin has been warned to steer clear of the lords of the Barrani High Court. She'd be more than happy to oblige, but it's a bit difficult considering she lives with ten of them, all sent to the green to gain power or die. With Kaylin's help, they finally escaped their imprisonment. But their attempts at freedom had devastating consequences - and a price that has yet to be paid.

The first warning sign is the Consort's invitation to visit the High Halls - a Barrani invitation, which means an immediate visit.

The second sign is less subtle: Kaylin finds Nightshade's unresponsive body. He hovers on the edge of death, beyond saving through Kaylin's healing power. No one can explain his state, nor why she's powerless to save him. And if she and her Barrani friends can't figure out a way to bring him back, he'll be lost forever.

Yet even as Kaylin struggles to keep Nightshade from death, there is deeper magic at play, a growing threat with the potential to affect the entire Barrani race. Factions are shifting, new lines are being drawn - and Nightshade's near assassination is only the beginning. Can Kaylin uncover the nebulous forces that threaten the balance of Barrani - and their entire world - before it's too late?"

Always here for Michelle Sagara.

The Redwood Bargain by Markelle Grabo
Published by: Page Street YA
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"I'm the fourth Redwood girl, and I mean to be the last.

Indentured servant Katrien longs to make amends after a difficult choice extended her cousin Helsa's servitude with their lord of the manor. So when a dark creature in the forest known as The Redwood Man demands the lord's youngest daughter as payment for saving his life, Katrien is eager to make her own bargain that will guarantee her cousin's freedom - so long as she can successfully lie.

Katrien must fool The Redwood Man into believing she is the daughter he was promised, Lady Zaviera. Yet three girls have already lost their lives trying to pose as the young noblewoman, with the increasingly impatient forest lord seeing through each deception and exerting his wrath in return.

To ensure Katrien's success where the girls before her have failed, Zaviera and her sisters teach her how to be the perfect imposter, even as The Redwood Man's sentient vines threaten to consume the manor and its staff. Turning a kitchen maid into a proper lady is no simple task, and matters are complicated further as Katrien begins to fall for the tenderhearted lady she might die for. Caught between duty, desire, and Zaviera's own blooming feelings, Katrien must decide if she's truly willing to risk her life to right past wrongs and sacrifice herself for the girl she's come to love."

Can't the sentient vines, I don't know, spy on their plans and thus make success impossible?

Death Meets Cute by J. Penner
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"I am more than capable of being evil today. I think...

Iris Weyward wants to be bad. Truly bad. Terrifyingly, gloriously villainous. But after helping her sisters unleash a spell to throw the realm into chaos, Iris is left feeling strangely empty - and not at all like the villain of her dreams. So, she sets off for the quiet town of Fraywell to build her wicked legacy alone.

Things start promisingly: a crooked little cottage, a reputation for curses and potions, and a healthy dose of fear from the locals. But when her ogre bodyguard disappears, Iris needs new muscle. Good thing a fearsome orc just toppled over in her yard. Naturally, she decides to reanimate him. It's a perfect solution.

Only, Talon isn't the brooding warrior she was hoping for. He's gentle. He bakes. Worst of all, he's nice. But Iris can't possibly have a thing for her new employee. She's supposed to be the most wicked witch in town!

While Iris struggles to turn Talon into the enforcer she deserves, her sisters arrive seeking help - their magic is fading, and the cause may be closer than any of them realize. The timing couldn't be worse, and falling for an orc wasn't supposed to be part of her villain era, but love might turn out to be the best spell she's ever cast..."

I mean, who wouldn't fall for a baking orc?

The Sixth Gun: Battle for the Six by Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, and Bill Crabtree
Published by: Oni Press
Publication Date: April 28th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 146 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In celebration of 15 years of one of the most beloved smash hits in the history of creator-owned comics, return to the Eisner Award–nominated world of The Sixth Gun as co-creators Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) and Brian Hurtt (The Midnite Show) reunite for an all-new, self-contained entry point into the acclaimed saga that fantasy icon Michael Moorcock calls "an epic in its own right."

Becky Montcrief's great sacrifice destroyed the Sixth Gun - and the Grey Witch Griselda with it - but the power of the timeless weapons was also released into the world, ready to be reborn.... Familiar heroes - Ghost Eyes, Izzy, Henry Grey, Unega, and more - race to prevent the deadly cabal of villains old and new from gaining control of the reborn mythical weapons known as the Six. With the power of travel on the mystical Crossroads, the whole world is the stage for the newest battle to control its fate - the Battle for the Six!

Collecting The Sixth Gun: Battle for the Six #1–3, plus the three prelude short stories collected in The Sixth Gun: Road to the Six #0!"

Always here for Cullen Bunn and awhile back I read the first art which was enough to intrigue me. Plus, this is self-contained! 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexander McCall Smith, Anthony Horowitz, Catriona McPherson, Colleen Cambridge, Cullen Bunn, J. Penner, Jesse Q. Sutanto, Kristen Perrin, Lynn Cahoon, Markelle Grabo, Michelle Sagara, mily Sullivan, Orin Steele, TJ Klune

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Alix E. Harrow, the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, comes a moving and genre-defying quest about the lady-knight whose legend built a nation, and the cowardly historian sent back through time to make sure she plays her part - even if it breaks his heart.

Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion's greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children's books and recruiting posters - but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten.

Centuries later, Owen Mallory - failed soldier, struggling scholar - falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives - and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.

But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una's legend - if they want to tell a different story - they'll have to rewrite history itself."

What heartbreak to be doomed to die to inspire the future generations. 

Redneck Revenant by David R. Slayton
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From bestselling author David R. Slayton, Redneck Revenant is an exciting new chapter in the Adam Binder series.

Adam Binder's life has never been better. Sure, he has no money, no car, no home to call his own, and he's worried about creating a future with his boyfriend Vic, but he's closer to his family than ever before. He's also Page to the Elven Court of Swords, and that appointment is not without its perks - like the invisible sword strapped to his back.

But on Halloween night, Adam's life takes a disturbing turn. Annie, his brother's long-lost wife, turns up on her husband's doorstep alive and well, with no memory of her death. But is it really Annie, or a Trojan horse from some new magical enemy?

To uncover the truth, Adam will need help from those he loves most - as well as a couple of friends at Rogue Community College. As he navigates a perilous maze of magical politics and battles terrifying creatures from beyond the known realms, Adam will discover a secret darker and more unsettling than anything he could have imagined."

You know it could be both a magical Trojan horse AND his sister-in-law. 

The Book of Autumn by Molly O'Sullivan
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For readers of Adrienne Young, Olivie Blake, Erin Sterling, Hazel Beck, and Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House, a spellbinding debut about ambition, privilege, second chance romance, and ancient magic set at an enchanted school tucked among the red mesas of rural New Mexico, where a formidable pair of magicians are summoned to pursue an alleged killer.

Try as she might, anthropologist Marcella Gibbons can't escape the fact that she's a dimidium, one half of a formidable pair of Magicians, forever tied together to enable the other's powers. After a tumultuous final year at Seinford and Brown College of Agriculture (and Magic) in rural New Mexico, Cella felt more than a little uneasy about returning to the sun-drenched desert campus ever again. She'd cut ties with her other half - the charming and rugged rancher Max Middlemore - and sworn off Magic, academia, and heartache for good.

Until Max turns up at her door, grinning under his cowboy hat for one last favor. Something is shifting at her alma mater, something bigger than anyone understands. One student is dead. Another is floating midair in the infirmary, growling guttural nonsense and terrifying the staff. Their best, perhaps only, chance to intervene requires Cella and Max to work together. But the origins of the disturbances lie centuries ago. To unravel them, Cella will have to confront the truth about her past - and Max. Because she might be challenging a power she could never rival alone..."

I love me magical schools, I love this more because it's not in the expected place.

Witches of Dubious Origin by Jenn McKinlay
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a librarian discovers she's descended from a long line of powerful witches, she'll need all of her bookish knowledge to harness her family's magic, in this enchanting cozy fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. When a mysterious black book with an unbreakable latch is delivered to the library, Zoe has a strange feeling the tome is somehow calling to her. She decides to consult the Museum of Literature, home to volumes of indecipherable secrets, some possessing dark magic that must be guarded.

Here, among their most dangerous collection, the Books of Dubious Origin, Zoe discovers that she is the last descendant of a family of witches and this little black book is their grimoire. Zoe knows she must decode the family's spell book and solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and her grandmother. However, the book's potential power draws all things magical to it, and Zoe finds herself under the constant watch of a pesky raven, while being chased by undead Vikings, ghost pirates, and assorted ghouls.

With assistance from the eccentric staff of the Books of Dubious Origin department - including their annoyingly smart and handsome containment specialist, Jasper Griffin - Zoe must confront her past and the legacy of her family. But as their adventure unfolds, she'll have to decide whether or not she's ready to embrace her destiny."

New England and witches? Is there anything more perfect to read right before Halloween? 

The Library of Lost Girls by Kristen Pipps
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When her sister returns from finishing school a total stranger, a teen seeks out the cause and discovers that the cost of becoming a perfect lady is much higher - and more sinister - than ever expected. A lush, gothic tale that will haunt readers long after they turn the last page.

Gwen Donavan adores her beautiful and rebellious older sister, Izzy. But the Izzy who returns from the Delphi School for Girls is not the sister who left. Now she is Isolde: dull and complacent and - most shocking - eager to marry.

Gwen is determined to discover what happened to Izzy at Delphi, and the only solution she can conceive of is to cheat her way into the mysterious school. If she can see for herself what they did, maybe she can get her Izzy back.

But Delphi is far from the finishing school Gwen expects. Sinister shadows lurk in the hallways of the remote estate, and she is told to never leave her room after dark. More curious, though, are the thousands of books, each with the name of a girl on its spine. They line the walls from floor to ceiling, and the students are forbidden to read them.

Delphi says they're reforming the girls, but when Gwen discovers a note left for her by her sister, she realizes that what is happening at the school is more terrifying than she could ever have imagined. There's something dark at the center of Delphi, and somehow it's tied to those books - and to the girls who are sent there. And if Gwen doesn't confront what hides in the shadows, it won't be just Izzy who's lost forever."

Oh look, the nightmare of Margaret Atwood that so many men dream off. Which is why it's important for us women to read books like this!

The Changeling Queen by Kimberly Bea
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A lyrical, sensual, feminist retelling of the Scottish "Ballad of Tam Lin," combining folklore, desire, sacrifice, and nature's wonder in a tale perfect for fans of Natalie Haynes, Genevieve Gornichec, Holly Black, Quicksilver by Callie Hart, and Outlander.

"I am Faery and Faery is me."

On Samhain in medieval Scotland, pregnant Janet rescues her lover Tam Lin from being sacrificed by the Wild Hunt - but the callous Faery Queen is not finished with them yet. Over the span of a single night, the Queen and Janet spar over Tam Lin's fate. The Queen aims to win, knowing how fickle mortals can be. Long before she was royalty, she was simply Bess, the changeling daughter of a midwife.

Born with magical and mortal blood, Bess feared there was no true place for her on either side of the veil. She found refuge in the arms of the charming Thomas Shepherd, the bastard son of a local noble. While villagers viewed her as a scandal, Bess's cunning knowledge and secret dark gifts attracted the attention of the elf lord Amadan. Wily and silver-tongued, Amadan led Bess into Faery's realm of decadence, where her heart warred against her destiny. She fought to keep both - but at what cost?

Inspired by Scotland's famous "Ballad of Tam Lin" and weaving together mystical folklore and tragic romance, The Changeling Queen's journey into memory, betrayal, and redemption will leave you spellbound."

Who doesn't like to read about a Faery bargain? 

Hazelthorn by CG Drews
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"CG Drews, instant New York Times-bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In, returns with another deeply unsettling and yet hauntingly beautiful tale of murder and botanical body horror, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White, Annihilation, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

When Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn's immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. But Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next.

Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family's dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he's really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more."

Feed me Seymour! 

Birdlane Island by V.C. Andrews
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and Landry series - now popular Lifetime movies - an evocative and tender tale of star-crossed lovers on an isolated island.

Off the coast of Maine, on an island shaped like a seagull in flight, shrouded by mists off the bay, lives a novelist Jason Lorraine and his teenage daughter Lisa. They live a simple life, largely cut off from the mainland, and Lisa's weak health poses a frequent concern.

After the sudden and untimely death of Lisa's mother, Jason becomes even more reclusive and protective. Lisa is forbidden to see Jamie, the charming fisherman's son who has quickly become her closest confidante in her grief. The star-crossed lovers steal time with one another, but fate intervenes, and they may never find a happy ending. A brooding artist from out of town, Kyle, arrives and brings more color to Lisa's world. As Lisa fights for love, independence, and agency, will her beloved island become her sanctuary or her prison?"

It's hard to keep two people apart when they live on a small island.

The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 315 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A landscape architect unearths the tangled history of a once-celebrated English garden - and all its mysteries - in a captivating novel by the author of The Last Secret of Lily Adams.

Julia Esdaile is hired to restore the historic gardens at Havenworth Manor - the grounds of which are now an abandoned snarl of bramble and weeds - to their original splendor. For the enigmatic lady of the manor, ninety-two-year-old Margaret Clarke, the reason for the restoration is the deeply private story of a promise made a lifetime ago, and a vow to keep it before she dies.

It's 1940, and Margaret's older half sister, Irene, an aspiring artist, dreams of an exciting world beyond Havenworth. Her only escapes are James Atherton, a handsome officer in the RAF, and her sketchbook of flower drawings. Bonding over their disdain for war, Irene follows James to London, where, irrevocably in love, she is forced to make a choice she never imagined. With that, Irene vanishes from Margaret's life forever.

Now, with the help of Margaret's godson, Andrew, Julia is determined to uncover both the long-buried secrets of the past and the truth behind a heartbreaking mystery that only restoring the gardens of Havenworth can solve."

I love garden restoration, especially how in recent years in England drought has shown us original layouts that we never knew about.

In Deadly Fashion by Rosemary Simpson
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Heiress Prudence MacKenzie and ex-Pinkerton Geoffrey Hunter are about to become more than partners as investigators - they are to be wed at Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan. But a killer has designs on ruining the wedding as well as their lives...

AUGUST 1891: Prudence has her heart set on wearing her mother's wedding gown on the happy day, but she soon discovers the material has deteriorated so badly that it cannot be refurbished. With time running out, she decides to seek out a new American designer, a woman who trained in the House of Worth, the makers of the original dress in Paris, who now has a shop in New York City.

The gown is nearly complete when the expert seamstress overseeing the project is found dead in the studio, with Prudence's wedding dress slashed to ribbons and scattered over the body. The murder incites a scandal, as client after client deserts the now struggling designer. Now not only must Prudence find the murderer, she must rescue the talented young couturière's reputation - all while another gown is being hastily sewn.

The police suspect the seamstress's disgruntled lover. Prudence wonders about other designers competing in the cutthroat world of high fashion. But when additional wedding plans start to go awry, it's clear there is an elaborate campaign of sabotage and that either Prudence or Geoffrey or both are being targeted.

Once again they must work as a team to expose whoever is determined to ruin their lives - before the future they've so long dreamed of is left in tatters..."

You know, restoring one's reputation easily equals the price of one's wedding dress. 

Sisters in Death by Eli Frankel
Published by: Citadel
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Who killed the Black Dahlia? In this eye-opening shocker, an award-winning producer, true-crime researcher, and Hollywood insider finally solves the greatest - and most gruesome - murder mystery of the twentieth century just before its 80th anniversary.

In January 1947, the bisected body of Elizabeth Short, completely drained of blood, was discovered in an undeveloped lot in Los Angeles. Its gruesome mutilations led to a firestorm of publicity, city-wide panic, and an unprecedented number of investigative paths led by the LAPD - all dead ends. The Black Dahlia murder remained an unsolved mystery for over seventy years.

Six years earlier and sixteen hundred miles away, another woman's life had ended in a similarly horrific manner. Leila Welsh was an ambitious, educated, popular, and socially connected beauty. Though raised modestly on a prairie farm, she was heiress to her Kansas City family's status and wealth. On a winter morning in 1941, Leila's butchered body was found in her bedroom bearing the marks of unspeakable trauma.

One victim faded into obscurity. The other became notorious. Both had in common a killer whose sadistic mind was a labyrinth of dark secrets.

Eli Frankel reveals for the first time a key fact about the Black Dahlia crime scene, never before shared with the public, that leads inexorably to the stunning identification of a criminal who was at the same time amateurish and fiendish, skilled and lucky, sophisticated and brutish. Drawing on newly discovered documents, law enforcement files, interviews with the last surviving participants, the victims' own letters, trial transcripts, military records, and more, this epic true-crime saga puts together the missing pieces of a legendary puzzle.

In Sisters in Death, the Black Dahlia cold case is finally closed."

Can we ever really say the case is "solved?" At best this posits another good theory. As to why Elizabeth Short because a sensation and Lelia Welsh didn't... It's all about Hollywood. 

Lincoln's Ghost by Brad Ricca
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The incredible untold story of how the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, waged war upon Spiritualism, uncovering unknown magic, political conspiracies, and surprising secrets along the way.

You won't live forever, Houdini. You've got to DIE. I put a curse on you...

During a séance in 1924, Houdini - the greatest entertainer in the world - was cursed by a vengeful spirit, who said his days were numbered. Houdini laughed. He believed talking to the dead was impossible. By 1926, Houdini was dead.

This is the untold story of the last performance of Harry Houdini, who - inspired by his hero Abraham Lincoln - devotes himself full-time to a personal crusade against Spiritualism, the practice of speaking to the dead. In a spellbinding journey across Jazz Age America, haunted by the aftermath of the Great War and a deadly pandemic, Houdini encounters modern-day haunted houses, warlocks, and monsters, and uncovers a shocking conspiracy that stretches all the way to the American presidency - and to the House of Houdini itself.

In a compelling dual-timeline narrative alternating between Houdini's 1926 dramatic courtroom testimony before Congress and the last otherworldly cases he takes on that lead him there, Lincoln's Ghost is a powerful examination of deception, love, politics, the afterlife, and the very nature of magic itself."

Wait, his war upon Spiritualism was untold!?! Some one should tell the authors of all those books I've read... 

Kooky Spooky Love by Josie Silver
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An up-and-coming ghostbuster and her motley crew tackle a devilish high-wire act, aided (or more often, interrupted) by her rakish ex and the sarcastic reporter she can't seem to shake - from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Spooky Love.

Maplemead Castle is crawling with ghosts, and the new owners need them gone. When Melody Bittersweet and the Girls' Ghostbusting Agency arrive on scene, they quickly identify the main troublemaker swinging from the chandeliers. A century ago, stunning trapeze artist Britannia Lovell plunged to her death in the castle's grand ballroom, and has continued to haunt it ever since. But did she really just fall, or was there something more to her demise?

Forced to work with Leo Dark, her scoundrel ex, and the infuriating, irresistible reporter Fletcher Gunn, Melody's investigative powers are under the strain of a heart pulled in two directions. She needs her team in top form, but her best friend Marina's cake pipeline goes AWOL, her assistant Artie's distracted by a giant sausage roll, and the pug Lestat is scared witless by a lion. Melody has her work cut out for her.

Somewhere, hidden in the castle, is a heart-breaking secret, but what will it take to find it? And is there a chance it could set Britannia free, or is she doomed to repeat her last fateful act forever?"

Just saying, I think a trapeze artist could make a helluva lot of racket as a ghost. I approve. 

An Unlikely Coven by AM Kvita
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The outcast daughter of a powerful family of witches returns home to New York City and is immediately embroiled in a supernatural power struggle in this wickedly funny fantasy debut from AM Kvita. After seven long years Joan Greenwood is finally returning home. Unfortunately, her family totally forgot about it.

Joan's homecoming is lukewarm at best, but soon turns disastrous when news hits that someone has created a spell that can turn an ordinary human into a powerful witch, threatening the balance of the magical world and the Greenwood's place at the top of it.

When her best friend confesses that he has secretly, accidentally, saved this human-turned-witch from an uncertain fate, Joan is thrust headfirst into a desperate race to undo the spell before it does permanent damage to its unwilling host.

Soon, Joan finds herself drawn deeper into the heart of the city's magic, into an uncertain alliance with a (very attractive) family rival, and far beyond the limits of everything she thought her own magic capable of.

Welcome home Joan Greenwood."

It's always sad when your family forgets about you... But perhaps a rival family with a very attractive member... 

The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Journey to a magical hotel in the Swiss Alps, where two lost souls living in different centuries meet and discover if a second chance awaits them behind its doors.

"Have you travelled a long way?" she asked carefully.
A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Well, yes," he said slowly. "Yes, you could say that. But it was worth the wait."

London, 2015. When reclusive art appraiser Eve Shaw shakes the hand of a silver-haired gentleman in her office, the warmth of his palm sends a spark through her.

His name is Max Everly - curiously, the same name as Eve's favorite composer, born one hundred sixteen years prior. And she has the sudden feeling that she's held his hand before...but where, and when?

The White Octopus Hotel, 1935. In this belle époque building high in the snowy mountains, Eve and a young Max wander the winding halls, lost in time.

Each of them has been through the trenches - Eve through a family accident and Max on the battlefields of the Great War - but for an impossible moment, love and healing are just a room away...if only they have the courage to step through the door."

I want to go to a time hotel!

Two Truths and a Murder by Colleen Cambridge
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Agatha Christie's trusted housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, has become an amateur sleuth in her own right, using her little grey cells to solve crimes. When a party game leads to murder, she decides to crash the investigation in this latest sparkling mystery from Colleen Cambridge.

While her famous employer is happily back home at Mallowan Hall, wrestling with her Belgian detective's dilemma on board the Orient Express, Phyllida is finding her local renown as a sleuth has put her in high demand. A distraught Vera Rollingbroke suspects her husband of infidelity and has invited Phyllida to a dinner party to observe his behavior, particularly in regard to one Genevra Blastwick.

What she does observe at the party is that Genevra craves attention, in contrast to her shy sister Ethel. Genevra introduces a game called Two Truths and a Lie, and one of her questionable statements is that she once witnessed a murder. At this bold claim, the guests react with disbelief and pepper her with questions. Genevra remains cagey, withholding details, but insists this is not her lie.

The next morning Phyllida learns poor Ethel was purposely run down by a motorcar the previous night while inexplicably walking home alone from the party. She fears Genevra may have been the target, which means someone at the party is a killer - twice over. A chilling thought. With Genevra in potential danger - and Inspector Cork proceeding ponderously as usual - Phyllida takes it upon herself to unmask the killer. With two murders to solve, she will need to grill Genevra and the guests as well as re-examine any past sudden deaths or disappearances. And if she's smart, she'll look twice before crossing the road..."

Who knows how long Two Truths and a Lie has been around.... All I know is it's a risky game to play.

Final Cut by Olivia Worley
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The set of a low-budget slasher film turns into a real-life horror movie in this twisty, wicked blend of Scream meets The Reappearance of Rachel Price from Olivia Worley.

When recent high school graduate Hazel Lejeune gets the lead role in a slasher film, it feels like a dream come true. This is her chance to break into the industry, build her reel, and prove to her mom that this "gap year" can turn into a career. So what if it's set in the nothing town of Pine Springs, Louisiana - the same place her father, the Pine Springs Slasher, was convicted of a series of murders fifteen years ago?

But when Haze arrives on set, she gets much more than she bargained for. The shoot is plagued by suspicious "accidents." Mentions of her dad dot the entire script. And then, a gruesome murder shocks everyone to the core. Now, it's clear there's a real killer on set - one who's determined to finish the film at all costs. But is this merely a copycat, or is the wrong Slasher behind bars?

As the body count rises and reality blurs with fiction, Haze must unmask the killer before she becomes a real-life final girl…or before the killer flips the script and makes her the next victim."

Isn't she just slightly suspicious about all coincidences to get her to Pine Springs? I mean, that right there doesn't mark her out as final girl material. 

Long Shot by Luke Jennings
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 257 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The BRAND NEW instalment in the explosive, obsessive Killing Eve series - the inspiration behind the BAFTA-winning drama starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh!

All these battle scars, my love…You're running out of lives.

Determined to escape the iron shackles of the Twelve, Eve and Oxana are trying something new. Something risky, even for them. They're going freelance.

Their first client, sent their way by MI5, is Majid Ismailov. An international power player and an important friend to Britain, Majid is also a passionate racehorse owner with his eye on the racing calendar's most fiercely contested prize - the Prix de Arc de Triomphe, run annually in Paris.

When one of Majid's prize fillies is stolen from his Newmarket stable, Eve and Oxana enter a world new to both of them. What at first appears to be an amateurish ransom attempt is gradually revealed as something more sinister. A carefully plotted move in a superpower chess game.

Meanwhile Oxana has a deadly secret of her own, a secret that threatens her already volatile relationship with Eve. Can she contain the violence within her before it destroys them both?"

Sigh, Killing Eve without the horrid ending. I'm in love. 

What She Saw by Mary Burton
Published by: Montlake
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 351 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An investigative reporter returns to the scene of a decades-old crime to put her own unsettled past to rest in this chilling suspense novel by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.

Cold case reporter Sloane Grayson has come to a small mountain town in Virginia to solve a mystery.

Thirty years ago, her mother was one of four women who vanished during a music festival. The event's promoter was eventually convicted of their murders, and Sheriff CJ Taggart closed the case. But for Sloane, it's still open. Because the bodies were never found.

With Taggart now long dead, Sloane must make do with questioning the victims' families and the few remaining witnesses once again. If they're still willing to dredge up memories of a crime that made their town notorious. As for the incarcerated killer, he has always maintained his innocence. Sloane isn't entirely convinced he's lying.

Somewhere nearby, unmarked graves conceal the bones and secrets of the dead. Sloane will do anything to find them and unearth the truth, even if that means playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with someone determined to stop her..."

What She Saw twining with The Trespassers this week!

The Trespassers by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the frozen depths of an Alaskan winter, a house party turns deadly in this tightly wound thriller packed with icy suspense and devastating secrets.

You think you can bury the past...but some truths refuse to stay hidden.

Finley, Mya, River, and Eli were inseparable as kids, running wild on Alaska's vast wide-open spaces. Then tragedy struck, and Finley moved to the lower 48. But now it's Senior year, and Finley's back in Anchorage. When Mya throws a house party on a snowy Valentine's Day night, it's supposed to be a chance for the friends to heal old wounds. But an encounter with a mysterious stranger quickly turns the evening into a nightmare.

As the group scrambles to cover up what they've done, the fault lines they've grown so good at ignoring begin to crack as the police investigate and the media hounds them. Are they the most vicious teens in America, or deeply misunderstood? Everyone wants to know - even the teens themselves.

Fast-paced and thrillingly tense, The Trespassers explores guilt, loyalty, and the complex nature of friendship."

The Trespassers twining with What She Saw this week!

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The 20th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series.

Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding.

Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf.

But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he in fact arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division.

Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste, pore over what little evidence they have. Two notebooks. A few mysterious numbers on a tattered map of Québec. And a phrase repeated by the person they had called the Grey Wolf. A warning...

In a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Gamache and his small team of supporters realize that for the Black Wolf to have gotten this far, they must have powerful allies, in law enforcement, in industry, in organized crime, in the halls of government.

From the apparent peace of his little village, Gamache finds himself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse with an invisible foe who is gathering forces and preparing to strike."

An enemy spreading lies and feeding hatred? Yep. That is spot on for right now.

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"No WiFi, no distractions. No way out...

Agatha's husband has bought her a first-class ticket on the scenic six-hour train from Toronto to Montreal as a gift - a one-day writing retreat so she can get some serious work done on her new book, a highly-anticipated follow-up to Agatha's runaway bestseller debut novel. The first-class car is the perfect place to be productive, with only a handful of other passengers, plenty of snacks and drinks, and beautiful views flying by outside the window.

But Agatha has other plans for her day out...plans that are unexpectedly derailed when the train breaks down in the middle of the frigid Canadian woods and one of Agatha's fellow passengers dies quietly in his seat. Soon, a pleasant morning in transit turns into a fight for survival against an unknown and unseen enemy. Will Agatha - or any of the passengers - make it out alive?

From international bestselling author Eva Jurczyk, 6:40 to Montreal is a claustrophobic, deceivingly bloody thriller that twists and turns until the very last page."

For years I always thought a train ride through Canada would be so scenic. But then one of my friends told me the number one delay in Canadian trains is because of suicides parking on the tracks and now I'm totally good never being on a train in Canada. 

Murder by the Millions by Daryl Wood Gerber
Published by: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In a beautiful mountain community near Asheville, North Carolina, caterer and personal chef Allie Catt serves up mouthwatering, literary-themed dinner parties inspired by her clients' favorite books. Her next event is sure to be a roaring success - if a murderer isn't a killjoy...

If it were true that the best thing a girl can be in this world is a fool, then Allie Catt would be out of luck. Fortunately, Allie's business is a smashing success. And following her Pride and Prejudice event, grander plans await...

Feast for the Eyes bookstore manager and Allie's best friend, Tegan, is hosting a book club soiree and wants it to be a glittering affair based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic Jazz Age-set novel, The Great Gatsby. Soon, Art Deco table settings and visions of flappers are dancing the Charleston in their heads. Even Tegan's prickly sister, Vanna, is on board. And surely, Allie's tuxedo cat, Darcy, thinks it's the cat's meow. Amid the planning, charismatic developer Jason Gardner arrives in town to buy some historic buildings on Main Street. He, too, has plans: to create a modern mall. Allie is more than concerned. She even wants to protest. But when Jason invites her to cater a lavish party, she finds him surprisingly likable. Then she's summoned to his estate for a meeting - and finds him dead.

Once again Allie's landed in the middle of a crime scene. Worse, one of her earrings is later discovered near the body. And when police learn she was upset about the mall, she's suspect #1. Allie's blossoming sleuthing skills once cleared Tegan's name, but can she save herself - before a killer writes her a not-so-great Gatsbyesque ending..."

Just saying, you'd have to put on quite the party to approach Gatsby level...

A Death's Dough by Mindy Quigley
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The next book in the delectable Deep Dish Mystery series by Mindy Quigley, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

It's February in the ritzy lakeside resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, and love is in the air. Pizza chef Delilah O'Leary is gearing up to celebrate her first Valentine's Day with hunky police detective Calvin Capone, great-grandson of the infamous Chicago mobster. But their romance is put on ice when a shocking discovery plunges them into a century-old crime with ties to Capone's notorious forefather.

As old secrets surface, Delilah realizes that nearly everyone in town - from Capone's cagey cousin to her own quirky customers - has something to hide. With the pressure mounting and the past closing in, Delilah must help Capone follow a trail of clues that could lead them to a priceless treasure...or into a deadly trap. Can Delilah serve up justice before history repeats itself? Or will she and Capone end up sleeping with the anchovies?"

Can I just say, as a Wisconsinite, the heart shaped pizza on the cover of this book is so spot on and nostalgic. The designer knew what they were doing that's for sure. 

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 295 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Pantomime season has arrived in the brand new hilarious murder mystery from Fiona Leitch. Available to pre-order now!

It's Christmas in Penstowan, and local amateur dramatics group the Penstowan Players are putting on their annual pantomime.

This year it's 'Aladdin,' and half the town have been drafted in to help, including Shirley Parker, who only has a small part in the chorus but will no doubt upstage everybody, and Tony Penhaligon, who's treading the boards as the baddie, Abanazar. Ex-Metropolitan police officer turned caterer Jodie Parker has managed to get away with not appearing, but only if she agrees to cater the opening night party.

But it's not just terrible jokes, quick costume changes and backstage chaos that wait in the wings...When the Widow Twankey (otherwise known as Tim, the mayor's husband) trips over a corpse lying next to Aladdin's bloodstained magic lamp, it's time for Jodie and her partner, DCI Nathan Withers, to find the killer.

Was it the genie of the lamp or an overly harsh theatre critic? Or does someone in the Penstowan Players have a dark secret they will do anything to protect?"

I mean, this is ticking all the boxes for my holiday reading, murder, panto, AND Cornwall.

Cowboy, It's Cold Outside by Maisey Yates
Published by: Canary Street Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A favor owed. An Off-limits romance. Four Corners is in for the hottest Christmas it's ever seen.

Sheena Patrick has done well, all things considered. After her father's death, she raised her sisters and did all she could to give them the best life possible. But they're grown and gone now and Sheena is ready to do something for herself. But to accomplish her goals she needs Denver King.

Denver owes Sheena. He spent years watching from afar and making sure she was all right after his father's illegal activities caused her father's death. So when Sheena rolls up to the ranch looking to call in the favor he promised, Denver can't say no. He'll help her get her axe-throwing bar up and running by Christmas, and consider his debt square. But as the snow falls, sparks fly between the two black sheep of Pyrite Falls. They might be all wrong for everyone else, but are they just right for each other?"

Because sometimes you need romance instead of murder for the holidays...

Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the bestselling author of the Japanese sensation The Full Moon Coffee Shop, this charming and heartfelt novel showcases the magic of Christmas as lost souls find themselves - with a little help of from an enchanted café run by cats.

Welcome back to the Full Moon Coffee Shop, serving up star-spun treats and magical insights for the holidays.

In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they'll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a Christmastime Kyoto moon.

Satomi is devoted to her job in Tokyo, but when her long-distance boyfriend hints that he is going to propose to her on Christmas Day, she feels pulled between the career that she loves and a quieter life in the country. What will the magical cats see for her future?

Satomi's colleague Koyuki has been playing the role of the good, cheerful daughter ever since her father passed away in an accident on Christmas Day. But now that her mother has remarried, it's hard to pretend she feels part of her new happy family. What will our feline friends reveal as her true wish this Christmas?

Junko, Satomi's sister-in-law, lives in a small town with her husband and their young daughter, Ayu. When Junko's estranged father becomes ill, she returns home with Ayu in tow, where she'll learn something surprising at the enchanted coffee shop that will change her life forever.

This holiday season, each woman stands at a crossroad. With the help of some feline divinations, will they finally have the courage to seek what they most desperately wish for?"

And sometimes for the holidays you need a feel good read. 

Much Ado About Mistletoe by Christina Dodd
Published by: Kensington Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 93 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fair Verona celebrates the most joyful Christmas season in all of this flat earth, and for spirited 20-year-old Rosie Montague, sleuth and daughter of Romeo and Juliet (alive and well and still passionately in love), the season holds a thrilling new kind of mystery...

My famously optimistic and romantic mother, Lady Juliet, has declared, "I'm determined the Montagues and all of Verona shall experience a peaceful start to this holy Christmastime!"

Mamma...what were you thinking? Why would you so challenge the Fates? This season already promises to be especially eventful because Prince Escalus the younger is to be married. To me, Lady Rosaline.

Now a P.R. visit to Verona's market with Prince Escalus is dampened by a fortune teller's dire prophecy, a blaze in Verona's orphanage forces Verona's tempestuous citizens to unite to save their city from ruin, and I discover more about Escalus, his secret kindnesses and his many masks. And much to my discomfort, I also make discoveries about myself, and realize that Mamma's resolve may indeed be exactly what we need to create a joyous Montague family Christmas."

Mamma totally jinxed it.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alix E. Harrow, Christina Dodd, Colleen Cambridge, Daryl Wood Gerber, Eva Jurczyk, Fiona Leitch, Josie Silver, Louise Penny, Luke Jennings, Mai Mochizuki, Maisey Yates, Mindy Quigley, Olivia Worley, V.C. Andrews