Showing posts with label Janice Hallett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Janice Hallett. Show all posts

Monday, August 24, 2026

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Whitechapel Full Moon Society by Elizabeth DeLozier
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Set in Victorian London during Jack the Ripper's reign of terror, this gripping, original novel is perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Dana Schwartz, and Sarah Penner.

When Caroline Foster arrives at the Whitechapel Full Moon Society in search of her missing brother, she finds a dilapidated façade belying an interior as opulent as any exclusive gentlemen's club. In exchange for room and board, Caroline is hired as the Full Moon's maid, where she is given three orders: don't ask personal questions, stay out of the iron-barred room on the second floor, and remain in her bedroom from sunup to sundown on the full moon.

But when it is revealed that the previous maid was murdered - an early victim of Jack the Ripper - and her brother has left behind no answers, only more questions, Caroline begins to suspect her hosts might be hiding something. As more bodies turn up with a connection to the Society, Caroline fears she may have unwittingly stumbled into a bedtime story, the kind with monsters and curses, family secrets and ancient lore.

Tantalizing and pulsing, Elizabeth DeLozier's sophomore novel gives an exciting alternative look into the infamous Jack the Ripper story with a major, supernatural twist."

Ripperologist glee is vying with historical fantasy glee for dominance! 

Demons and Diplomacy by Megan Frampton
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A tantalizing pact between an ordinary woman and the silver-tongued son of the Devil is all that stands between Britain - and all hell breaking loose.

1851, London. All supernatural species have emerged from hiding, a result of The Great Revelation, led by Her Majesty, the vampiric Queen Victoria, and her dhamphir consort, Prince Albert.

Cora Hastings is the British government's Species Ombudsman, a human tasked with keeping the peace between supernatural creatures. It's run-of-the-mill work: enforcing the newly created shifting parameters, negotiating contracts between species, and generally making certain all Londoners are treated equally.

That is, until the Devil himself decides he wants to leave his hellish home and see the results of Prince Albert's greatest accomplishment, the Great Exhibition. His arrival could upset the uneasy peace between creatures, and worse - he's brought his son.

The Marquis of Hell is diabolically good-looking, unnaturally perceptive, and, well, a demon. Cora navigates her sinfully seductive diplomatic assignment as best she can, until she catches wind of a secret conspiracy set to come to fruition at the opening of the Great Exhibition. This leaves her with an impossible choice: Either Cora enters an unholy alliance with the Devil's son, or she watches as her world is torn asunder...."

A little more hellish Checquy. 

The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan by M.H. Foster
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Demon Overlord retires to farm turnips in peace, only to find life in a small village far more chaotic than he ever could have anticipated in this laugh-out-loud debut cozy fantasy with teeth.

When destroying the world and killing the hero grows boring, what's a Demon Overlord to do but quit while he's ahead?

Galornus Prime was the Scourge of Nations, Ender of Hope, and Master of the Cardinal Sins. He had done everything worth doing. Some of it more than once.

His retirement plan was simple: get a goat, farm quietly, and avoid accidentally conquering anything. The plan didn't include soul-crushing town halls, after-school combat lessons with children, and a war with perhaps his most worthy nemesis yet: the rose-growing, seventy-three year-old widow next door.

Even in retirement, evil never sleeps...but it does plant turnips.

When corrupt officials and greedy merchants threaten his infuriatingly loveable neighbors, Galornus faces a new kind of challenge: saving the village without revealing he is the monster parents invoke to make children eat their vegetables.

The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan is a cozy fantasy with teeth, where the hardest battle isn't defeating heroes - it's staying retired and learning how to live after 444 lifetimes of villainy."

Replace turnips with radishes and it's disturbing that I think this is my Dad's retirement plan.

Heir of Prophecy by Analeigh Sbrana
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"She's a woman bound by fate, torn between two prophecies.

He's the Prince of the underworld, fated to either claim her or end her life.

Defying destiny is one thing...the heart, another.


Magic has always been at the periphery of Audra's life. As a human, she knows that magic exists, but it's as distant as the legends she grew up with. Until one day, magic returns, bringing with it the all too real Fae and upending Audra's life entirely.

Abducted by a cult of fae Priestesses, Audra finds herself conscripted into a magical war academy. The only hope of surviving this new world filled with guilds, magic, and danger is to band together with a group of her fellow prisoners. Though unlike the others, Audra's burgeoning magic is erratic and violent - just as the prophecy foretold. She must discover what it means to be the Heir, but time is running out. The Priestesses know the Heir moves among them, and they're determined to root them out, no matter what it takes.

As she struggles to mask her power, Audra's plagued by visions of a dark, seductive being with a conflicting truth. He doesn't want to save the world; he plans to reclaim it.

Now, Audra must choose: become the savior the cult demands or the catalyst the vision promises."

Kinda sucks to have only two options, neither good. 

The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls by Jessica Spotswood
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this gothic historical tale, two girls must uncover the secrets of their haunted home before it's too late.

The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls has long stood as a place of secrets. The estate has housed hundreds of young women hidden away during their pregnancies, their homesick cries echoing through the halls, providing a haunting score to Grace Harrow's childhood.

Now, in the summer of 1947, the Home has been sold to a wealthy hotelier. Grace expects the new owner's daughters to be spoiled. Yet Rose, the eldest daughter - unaware of Mr. Harrow's abusive tendencies - is jealous of Grace's seemingly easy confidence. But as they're drawn into each other's lives, an unlikely friendship begins to form. Fortunately so, because not all of the wayward girls made it out...

One still lingers. Lurking in the shadows. Looking for vengeance.

To expose the truth buried in the walls of the Harrow Home, Grace and Rose must unravel a legacy of silence and cruelty. But Grace's father will stop at nothing to keep the past hidden, and if the truth comes to light, it could destroy both their families."

Harrow and Gothic just got together like peanut butter and jelly. 

Portrait of a Witch Undone K.S. Shay
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Thirteen stolen works of art. One haunted marsh.

And a Boston witch willing to risk everything for the friend she's already failed.

An atmospheric, eerie debut for readers of Starling House and A Discovery of Witches, Isabella Stewart Gardner art heist aficionados, witchy girls, burnt-out former gifted kids, New England history buffs, the coven curious, ride-or-die friends, folklore fanatics, and anyone who's ever wanted to wander through the looking glass.

Once, Maeve Ryan was the strongest witch of her generation. But Maeve messed up a spell to contact the Lady of the Fens, an eerie Revenant who lures the unwary to their deaths in the brackish marshlands of the North Shore. Maeve destroyed her reputation, hurt her best friend Ash, and tainted herself with unbound, wild magic that transforms witches into insane Revenants.

With unbound power eating away at Maeve's mind, all she wants is to get rid of her magic. Forever. But Ash's research into how the spell went awry leads in an unexpected direction: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and a link between the Lady and a decades-old art theft worth $500 million. When Ash disappears through a stolen painting's empty frame, Maeve has to follow.

Inside is the Other Marsh, a haunting, deadly realm where only the Lady's rules apply. Within this half-world lie secrets about North Shore's history, Maeve's failure, and the fate of the masterpieces that disappeared over three decades ago. But as Maeve fights toward the truth, she risks her friendship, her coven, and her life against enemies hiding in plain sight."

I love true crime meets fantasy, I hate that hand coming out of the picture frame. It cheapens the cover.

The Night Pool by Lauren Lee Smith
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Night Pool is a blood-soaked, page-turning horror set in the Gold Rush West, where three women must battle monsters both human and inhuman to survive - perfect for fans of Alma Katsu's The Hunger and Victor LaValle's Lone Women.

The American West is no safe haven for women - least of all in the Gold Rush town of Coloma, California. Not for Clara Tice, the blacksmith's strange and stubborn daughter. Not for Mei, the healer whose calm presence in the makeshift camp for Chinese immigrants contrasts sharply with her brother's hard-eyed pursuit of riches. And certainly not for Haloke, a Nisenan shaman's granddaughter whose native village has been devastated by smallpox, hunger, and the relentless greed of Outsiders.

One night, Clara and Haloke meet at the river's edge and watch in horror as Clementine Cobbs, the town beauty, is lured across the water. Together they witness something terrible in the Night Pool. Soon after, an unseen attacker descends upon the mining men of Coloma, abandoning heartless bodies one by one. As the gruesome killings in Coloma threaten to incite further violence, Clara, Haloke, and Mei find themselves unlikely allies - without the gangs, guns, or bravado of the men who claim Coloma's riches. The three women must work together to confront the evil that menaces them from both monsters and men.

A gripping tale of sisterhood, vengeance, and survival, The Night Pool explores the horrors of greed and lust, and the hidden strength of the most vulnerable among us."

Female supernatural Deadwood? Sign me up.

The Unheld by Luke Larkin
Published by: Hyperion Avenue
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Startling monsters and occult oddities abound in this chilling horror Western as a girl journeys across the haunted Montana Territory to rescue her father from an otherworldly creature.

Charlie's life is a lonely one. While other twelve-year-olds are in school, she spends her days skinning the animals her mercurial father hunts in the woods just outside their cabin. And the woods and its twisted creatures - an owl with four wings, a boar with two heads, a fox with gills - are becoming stranger by the day.

One night, a nightmarish beast appears and drags Charlie's father into the wilderness. To find him, she enlists the aid of two unlikely allies also in search of the beast: an Englishman with a connection to a mysterious occult society and a Northern Cheyenne policeman exiled for a crime he didn't commit. Yet as the trio prepare for the confrontation with the beast, Charlie must decide if her father, a brusque man who has always withheld his affection, is ultimately worth saving.

With its blend of Western grit and supernatural menace, The Unheld is an unsettling and atmospheric horror novel about loneliness, human connection, and how we find each other in a world that seems designed to alienate. With this assured debut, Luke Larkin marks his arrival in the genre and proves the American frontier still harbors untapped stories in its shadows."

I love occult and supernatural stories in the American West. And yet it's an undeserved love.

Any More Questions for the Corpse? by J.J. Unthank
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a young necromancer investigates a string of deaths in the hidden magical capital of England, the dead come back to haunt him - in more ways than one.

Twenty-one-year-old Malowin Gladstone was raised by the dead - two skeletons to be precise. While his parents keep a close eye-socket on him, he just wants to get through the rest of university without using any more of his much-loathed necromancy. A hope that gets all the more difficult when he's recruited by a secret Order to hunt a serial killer.

Dunwich, the hidden magical capital of England, has its fair share of oddities, its most recent being a series of murders that have the police at a dead end. But Detective Walters has an unorthodox suggestion. Who better to find a killer than someone who can talk to the dead? He proposes that Mal use his necromancy for good and solve the case before it goes stone-cold.

As more bodies begin to drop, Mal befriends several misfits who help him unearth the culprit. Among them, Des, a fledgling vampire; Hala, a magical empath; and Yu, a shapeshifting genius.

The team put their unique set of skills to the task, but as they get closer to digging up the truth, the group's ghosts come back to haunt them, and the killer won't rest until they're all dead and buried."

I mean, you think you're embrace being a necromancer if you were raised by skeletons. Perhaps it's the whole rebellion angle....

The Burn by Jonathan Sims
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the dark and twisted mind behind the podcast sensation The Magnus Archives comes a suffocating, socially charged nightmare that reveals how fear festers in the cracks of everyday life...

Beneath the streets of London, it hungers...

It's the hottest summer on record and the city is suffering. Prices are high, pay is low. And on one fateful morning five travelers find themselves trapped in a tube car deep in the London Underground.

It will change their lives forever.

By the time they leave the train they will be bound together as witnesses to a single horrific event. Something terrible, irreversible, and monstrous. Something hungry.

But they can't remember what it is.

On their own, they each begin to experience strange dissociative events. Time gets lost. Friends disappear. Something stalks them in the shadows. They make an unlikely team, but to remember what they encountered that day on the train, they will have to work together. Because now it's up to them to understand what horror they saw - and stop it in its tracks before it drags everyone else down below."

If Ben Aaronovitch did shit-your-pants horror.

The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From "modern Agatha Christie" (The Sunday Times, London) Janice Hallett, a follow-up to her blockbuster debut novel The Appeal, featuring the Fairway Players as they put on Agatha Christie's play The Hollow and find themselves embroiled in murder, blackmail, and betrayal once again.

Welcome back to Lower Lockwood. The Fairway Players return with Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald as committee cochairs. This year, they have chosen to stage Agatha Christie's The Hollow. But auditions aren't their only problem: Sarah-Jane's sister, Nicky-Rose, is suddenly back in town under mysterious circumstances, having sold her home in Barbados, left her business providing entertainment on cruise ships, and moved back into their mother Carol's house.

As always, they're short on men, and new Player Fran Elroy-Jones enlists a young married couple and the husband's cousin to join. But no one wants to play the part of the hated Gerda, leaving Kevin and Sarah-Jane with no option but to reach out to an old member they know would be happy to perform in any role.

As with any production, tensions run high, and our intrepid lawyers Femi and Charlotte are tasked with uncovering exactly what happened on the opening night of The Hollow - and whether the correct person has taken the blame."

Never trust the veteran player who comes in at the last moment. They will die or they will kill.

The Woman Who Wouldn't Die Quietly by Katarina Bivald
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When DCI Ian Ahmed agrees - reluctantly - to convalesce on a remote island in the Stockholm archipelago, he expects nothing more than bitter winds, silence, and boredom. But just across the bay, a sleek, modern house stirs to life. Staff arrive in dark clothing, cleaning and prepping with military precision. And then Margrethe Cullenberg-Franzén appears - legend of the art world, notorious matriarch, and, as Ian soon learns, a woman used to bending the world to her will. She's come to the island to celebrate her eightieth birthday, dragging her fractious, resentful family with her - and inviting Ian and his enigmatic hostess, Berit Gardner, along for the ride.

But before the candles are blown out, Margrethe is dead - fallen from the cliff into the frigid sea during a stormy night. Accident? Suicide? Ian is certain it was murder. Trapped in a landscape of muted colors and long, creeping shadows, he and Berit begin to unravel the toxic family secrets festering behind Margrethe's imposing legacy. As winter deepens and the ice seals the island in silence, the question echoes louder: who stood to gain the most from the matriarch's fall? And how long will the killer wait before striking again?"

Exactly how remote is this island? Because, once you start it's easier for a killer to just do the lot.

A Body in the B and B by Katie Marsh
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: eBook, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's a perfect location for...murder.

When sisters Jennifer and Lizzie Christie inherit their aunt's dilapidated B and B, in the beautiful Lake District village of Lupton Water, the only thing they have in common is how much they hate their housemate, a Declan Moss.

The two of them fell out thirty years before, and now they're mid-life, mid-menopause, and about to be mid-disaster. And not just because Jennifer's cat Clementine and Rose's dog Gizmo have taken an instant dislike to each other.

But when Declan's body is found in the bathtub, the sisters are top of the suspect list. Can they and their pets bury the hatchet long enough to find out who the killer is? Or will they become the next victims?

The first in the Christie Sisters Mysteries series, perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton and Faith Martin."

A bed and breakfast always make me think of murder. Which is why I don't frequent them.

The Bravest Hour by Anna Lee Huber
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"British Intelligence Agent Verity Kent managed to survive four years of The Great War, slipping in and out of German-occupied Belgium and northeastern France, dodging serious consequences or capture. But as she faces her most dangerous - and devastating - challenge yet, her luck may have run out. Hopefully, her resilience has not...

November 1920. Dublin, Ireland. Verity's efforts to foil a contemptible plot by the traitorous Lord Ardmore and save countless lives - as well as the British government's reputation - has exposed her to detrimental scrutiny, bringing her contact with the Irish rebels to light. Crushingly, she finds herself incarcerated in Dublin Castle, the "Dread Bastille," where she must withstand interrogation from her own countrymen.

Despite her circumstances, Verity knows better than to talk - though decrying Ardmore to his face would be more than satisfying. For once again he has escaped culpability, scapegoating his associates. Her only hope is intervention from her shadowy superior. And yet, when rescue finally comes, Verity finds herself changed by what she has endured, perhaps for the worst.

Still, there's no time for respite or healing. Ardmore's latest nefarious objectives go beyond mere treason. Allegiances are shifting as the war between the Irish Republican Army and the British reaches a new fever pitch. If Ardmore is to be brought down, Verity and her husband, Sidney, must gather all the allies they can for one last stand.

But just when victory seems assured, one shocking and vicious turn of events changes everything. Now Verity must decide where her loyalty lies. And it may not be on the same side as the man she's loved to the grave and back."

Seeing as, while I'm an Anglophile, I am also of Irish descent, you can guess which side my loyalties lie with.

The Dazzling Magic of a Petit Four by Kathryn Rose
Published by: Chateau Boho Books, LLC
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 372 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Serena Vandenbusch arrives in Paris with a black cat on her shoulder and an urn in her arms. On the hunt for a secret mausoleum, she must be careful not to reveal her identity as a witch and finds refuge in a flower shop called Le Dahlia Noir, run by an older woman named Marie who also practices the craft. The era of jazz, cocktails, and the debauchery she knew from New York has followed her to Paris, and in early 1923, Serena is desperate to forget what happened on New Year's Eve and the tragedy that brought her to the City of Lights. But the past has not escaped Serena yet. Through the spellwork, potions, and tarot readings of Marie and her coven, Serena learns her past is on its way to find her, and though she has been able to lie low in Paris by selling charmed cakes that promise love, luck, and happiness, the time to find a secret mausoleum for the urn's final resting place is running out, and the only one who can help might very well be Alexandre, Serena's handsome customer with a secret of his very own. A cozy yet dark tale for fans of Practical Magic, The Great Gatsby, and Chocolat, The Dazzling Magic of a Petit Four is the perfect book for a wintery night full of love, magic, and desserts."

Serena Vandenbusch? Really!?! That's too Gossip Girl for me. To reminiscence of Serena van der Woodsen.

Murder at Rosecliff by Alyssa Maxwell
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a troublemaking party crasher is found dead in a fountain during an elegant soiree in Newport, Rhode Island, newspaper editor Emma Cross Andrews must clear her own society reporter from suspicion of murder...

August 1903. Emma and her husband Derrick are among the men in white tie and tails and the women wearing white gowns from the House of Worth at Tessie Oelrichs's Bal Blanc, or White Ball, at Rosecliff, her grand cottage on Bellevue Avenue. There to cover the event of the season is young Ethan Merriman, society reporter for the Newport Messenger, the newspaper owned by Emma and Derrick.

It's an utterly charming affair until a stranger intrudes flaunting a green-striped necktie and matching vest in defiance of their hostess's theme. But his fashion crime is a mere misdemeanor compared to his intention to blackmail Mrs. Oelrichs by producing a compromising document supposedly signed by Tessie over a decade ago.

Insisting it's a forgery but terrified of scandal, she agrees to his terms, but the blackmailer will not live to see payday. His body is found face down in a fountain before the party's end. Beside him stands a very wet Ethan, who was seen being confronted by the man earlier in the evening. Coming to the aid of their luckless cub reporter, Emma and Derrick must sort through the white lies and blackened reputations to discover the identity of the true killer."

I've watched enough of The Gilded Age to know that that waistcoat led to his death.

Miss Morton Takes the Waters by Catherine Lloyd
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Victorian England, Bath is the destination to restore a lady's health. But after accompanying Mrs. Frogerton to the spa town, a poison-pen campaign and a locked-room murder lead lady's companion Caroline Morton into troubled waters...

On the advice of her doctor, Mrs. Frogerton has arranged a visit to Bath to take the waters and regain her health and good spirits. While she reflects on her own next steps in light of her changing circumstances, Caroline goes with her to ensure the good lady's well-being. Daily life in Bath takes on a routine of its own, with visits to the spa interspersed with social occasions and new acquaintances, including a group of women who live on Queen Square and gather to drink tea, play cards, and gossip.

When it comes to light that some of the ladies are recipients of poison pen letters, a rejuvenated Mrs. Frogerton offers to help. Sorting through the social dynamics of the group for motive and opportunity, she talks with the ladies while Caroline questions their companions.

The situation becomes more grave when Lady Greatmere, the oldest and most unpleasant of the ladies, is discovered strangled in her own locked drawing room, a half-finished epistle on her dressing table suggesting she might be the author of the poison pen letters. As Lady Greatmere's companion falls under the suspicion of the Bath constabulary, Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton attempt to read between the lines to force the killer to come clean..."

Oh, a locked-room mystery! 

Midnight at Pemberley by Regina Jeffers
Published by: Ulysses Press
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gothic romance where passion defies death and Mr. Darcy's darkest secret could destroy him - and the woman he loves.

When Fitzwilliam Darcy arrives in Hertfordshire, his proud reserve hides a secret far darker than Elizabeth Bennet could ever imagine. Beneath his impeccable manners and quiet intensity lies a hunger that defies nature itself - and a past shadowed by loss, betrayal, and blood.

Drawn to the spirited Elizabeth despite every warning of danger, Darcy struggles to protect her from the truth of what he has become. But when the mysteries of Pemberley's moonlit halls begin to unravel, Elizabeth finds herself caught between desire and dread, uncovering a love powerful enough to challenge immortality itself.

From candlelit ballrooms to graveyards veiled in mist, Midnight at Pemberley transforms Jane Austen's classic tale into a sweeping gothic romance of passion, redemption, and forbidden desire. With her signature mastery of Regency detail and emotional depth, Regina Jeffers reimagines the world of Pride and Prejudice in a story where love is eternal - and eternity comes at a price."

Regency Magic! Muppet arm flail! 

The Art of Charming a Changeling by Sylvie Cathrall
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A cozy slice-of-life romantic fantasy set in a Regency-inspired world where humans and fairies compete for artistic supremacy, from Sylvie Cathrall, author of A Letter to the Luminous Deep.

On her first day working in the prince's galleries, art conservator Florrie Hyverfell discovers that the most famous portrait in the collection is not only a fake - it's also inhabited by Vern, a fairy trapped in the forged painting.

Tracking down the stolen original is the only way for Florrie to save her job and for Vern to escape his canvas. Yet as they journey to a famed fairy museum to find the missing artwork, Florrie finds herself taking more than an art historical interest in the changeling painting's charming inhabitant."

This gives me chills. The child trapped in the painting in The Witches always terrified me.

Wolftamer by Maggie Rapier
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Legends don't die.

Saoirse and Faolan's quest for freedom turns into a battle for the fate of their entire world, in this aching and lush conclusion to the Magpie and the Wolf duology.

Faolan has escaped death. Twice.

After a lifetime chasing freedom and legends, he was finally on the brink of becoming one himself when it all went up in flames. Stranded on the Isle of Lost Souls, bound by an oath he did not make, Faolan is plagued by dreams of drowning and a past he swore never to revisit. The pirate in him wants nothing more than to raise hell and run away - but with no ship, and no way to untether his wife, Saoirse, from the land she's pledged herself to, Faolan is trapped.

And everyone knows who tamed the Wolf.

When their sinister rival King Maccus unveils an ancient godly relic - one with the power to unbalance their entire world - Faolan knows the game has changed. There's only one person who can hunt down the missing relics before Maccus can, and the Wolf of the Wild will do anything to protect his wife.

Even if that means leaving her behind."

Very Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.

Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher
Published by: Bramble
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author T. Kingfisher returns to the charming fantasy world of Swordheart in this delightful and unexpected new romantic adventure.

Learned Edmund, a disillusioned scholar, is transporting yet another precious relic from one stuffy temple to a different stuffy temple. Another great adventure for the ages...

But when Edmund is set upon by bandits, in desperation, he breaks the cardinal rule and grabs for the relic, an ancient sword. To his surprise, instead of unsheathing a rusty, ancient weapon, an alarmingly handsome man appears, wielding daggers of blue steel and cutting the thieves down.

This man is the Dervish, an immortal warrior who's been trapped for centuries in a sword of enchanted steel, and is angry as hell about it. He hates the curse that put him there, and he wants to hate Edmund, just as he has hated every wielder before him.

But the damned scholar is just so sweet and clever and kind. And while the Dervish may be able to protect Edmund from bandits, cultists, dragons, and strange inhuman diplomats, he may find it much harder to protect his own heart."

Aw, sexy sword man!

Brona by Terry Brooks and Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Return to the world of Shannara with the sequel to Galaphile, and discover how the seeds of the greatest evil that the Four Lands has ever known inadvertently grew out of Galaphile's dream for peace - from the New York Times bestselling authors Terry Brooks and Delilah S. Dawson.

Years have passed since Galaphile Joss and his life partner, Nirianne, established Paranor as a way to bring harmony to the Four Lands. Now their two sons are becoming men in a land of peace and plenty. Admittedly, it is a land that their eldest child, Abronja, finds rather boring. At sixteen, he longs for a way to prove himself - a chance to show he is every bit the equal of his famous father. But when the excitement he has been longing for materializes, it is in the form of an old evil: a dark sorcerer whom his father had defeated but not destroyed. And who is now back, stronger and deadlier than ever.

Galaphile has always dreaded this wicked resurgence - and not just because of what it means for the wider world. Abronja was conceived while the dark sorcerer had control of Nirianne, and Galaphile has always feared that a spark of malevolence lives on in his beloved child.

Abronja, for his part, is certain he will never be corrupted by evil. He is fully committed to his father's vision for peace and is determined to make his name by finally destroying the monster that has targeted his family. But tangling with dark magic is not a thing to be taken lightly - especially for a young man as yet untested in the ways of the world. And when the repercussions of this encounter could have consequences for centuries to come..."

Yikes. Those consequences are a bit dire. Centuries to come!?!

Tales of a Treacherous Fate by Jennifer Delaney
Published by: Diversion Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The darkness beneath never wished to be used at all. It simply wished to be free.

With trust fractured and our heroes separated across the burning face of Elysior, full-scale war looms closer. With Alma trapped in the clutches of the Countess, Kat, Emrys and Gideon must find a way to play the next game the Countess wishes to play in order to rescue her. Only time is running out and loyalties are a fickle thing as the surviving Fey are fleeing into the north, chased by the dark summoning of Montagor set on revenge.

New allies will be found in the strangest of places and ghosts from the past return to try and stop the next deadly twist in fates game.

But nothing is quite what it seems. As demons are unleashed upon the earth in their murderous legions, Kat and Emrys must call upon their very last resort for help...the Old Gods themselves.

For not all darkness is their enemy and fate is about to begin its final deadly game.

Tales of a Treacherous Fate concludes the Sunday Times bestselling gothic fantasy series that began with Tales of a Monstrous Heart - a sumptuous magical retelling of Jane Eyre, unmissable for fans of Rachel Gillig and Kaylie Smith."

Personally, I always worry that calling on the Old Gods means they're just going to destroy everything and start over.

Only One for the Orc by Isabelle Taylor
Published by: Harlequin
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A local bookshop employee falls hard for her polar opposite - who just happens to be an orc - in the second installment of Isabelle Taylor's Claw Haven monster romance series, perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes and Ruby Dixon.

In Claw Haven, Alaska, monsters are real - but fated mates? Bookseller Vi Harper doesn't believe, and it's up to one smitten orc to prove otherwise in this sweet and spicy romance.

Vi Harper is good at many things. Fixing problems for everyone in Claw Haven, for one. Keeping Sweethelm Bookstore running smoothly, for another. Above all, Vi is great at pretending she's got her life figured out. The truth is, she's a hot mess inside - especially when cocky, gorgeous orc Nick Wicker goads her in his infuriating way.

Nick has found his mate. That's the good news. The bad: he's already blown it. Every time Nick speaks to soft-spoken, overworked bookseller Vi, she seems to hate him even more. What's a lovestruck orc to do but stress-bake and look for some way to redeem himself? Even it means joining the book club.

Then a batch of apology brownies sparks one passionate night together and suddenly, sensible Vi is doing something completely out of character: offering her one-time enemy a friends-with-benefits arrangement. It's more than Nick dreamed. Phenomenal. And it won't be enough. Not until he's found a way to show her that sometimes, fate gets it exactly right..."

Can we say inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast!?!

The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps by Elizabeth Hrib
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 290 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fans of The Baby Dragon Cafe, Legends and Lattes and How to Train Your Dragon will fall head over heels for this cozy, spicy sapphic romantasy.

When burn nurse Eden who has a fear of dragon fire meets Vaela, a gorgeous but reckless dragon wrangler, things burn hot enough to light their small mountain town on fire.

Burn nurse Eden has accepted a job from her old mentor at the Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps, hoping for peace and quiet in Ember Ridge - a charming mountain town famous for singed tourists and reckless dragon riders. Instead, she arrives to find the infirmary in chaos.

Her mentor is stranded out of town, wild dragons are causing havoc and Eden is left running the infirmary on her first day. Worse, she keeps crossing paths with Vaela, the town's dragon wrangler, whose talent for surviving impossible situations is matched only by a talent for getting under Eden's skin.

Vaela is everything Eden hates: brooding, reckless and arrogant.

But when local dragons begin acting strangely and the kingsguard descends on Ember Ridge, whispers spread of the Wretch - the most feared dragon in the realm. Eden and Vaela are forced into an uneasy partnership to save the town, but every argument between them sparks into something hotter and far more dangerous than they expected.

Because falling for a dragon wrangler was never part of Eden's plan. But neither is watching Ember Ridge - and her guarded heart - go up in flames.

Filled with cozy taverns, chaotic dragons and a fiercely lovable found family, this cozy romantasy is the perfect escape for readers who like their fantasy warm, whimsical and fiery."

To the cover designer, do we really think in this world they'd be using the universal symbol for a hospital? 

Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
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 standalone novel brings more lost souls to the enchanted café - where they might find some help from the cats who run it.

Under the energetic star of Neptune the doors to people's hearts are opening...

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 bright moon.

Under one such moon in August, Neptune pays the Full Moon Coffee Shop a visit, taking the form of a beautiful human called Sala. Sala's special talent is giving people dreams and helping them to open their hearts. As the cats work with Sala, they find new ways to guide people as their customers face personal conflict.

When Satsuki, returning home after she spent three years away with minimal contact, decides to introduce her new boyfriend to her mother Fujiko, she learns an unexpected truth about her family's past.

Meanwhile, Fujiko is struggling to come to terms with her true feelings about her place in life and author Wataru is facing writer's block after years of success. Can Sala and the cats help Fujiko and Wataru open their hearts?

Beautifully weaving together three people in a story about love in all forms, this heartwarming novel in the USA Today bestselling series highlights the importance of being true to oneself and recognizing one's innermost feelings."

How do I get a job working for the cats?

I Haunt It That Way by Isabelle Popp
Published by: Afterglow Books by Harlequin
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 284 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"She wanted her dream cabin. She's getting her worst nightmare.

Creaky floorboards, crisp fallen leaves, chilly evenings by the bonfire...Thora Williamson thinks she knows what to expect when she moves into her family's long-abandoned mountain cabin for a fresh start. Instead, she gets the surprise of her life when Lee Halliday - her ex's best friend and her own personal nemesis - pulls up in the driveway.

What's even worse? The place is not a simple fixer-upper, and Lee is determined to help with the renovation. But no amount of elbow grease will fix the mysterious phone calls or the unsettling sense they're not alone.

The more Thora and Lee work together, the more it becomes clear this cabin has unfinished business...and so do they. As eerie autumn nights lead to unexpected sleeping arrangements - Thora wonders: Is the cabin trying to push them closer, or keep them here forever?

I Haunt It That Way is a spicy, fast-paced romance you can read in one sitting."

If you are not totally in love with this book's title AND sing it every single time you read it I'm sorry but we can't be friends. 

Practically Magic by Jen Calonita
Published by: Avon a
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"On the eve of Halloween, a sister's well-intentioned love spell turns into a curse in this witchy, flirty rom-com perfect for fans of The Ex Hex, Gilmore Girls, and Practical Magic.

The Hadley sisters of Mystic Hollow are magic. Literally.

But for all the generations of witches behind her, Kat Hadley could swear that she's utterly invisible to boys.

Then she learns that her perfect older sister, Harriet, cast a curse to protect her from heartbreak. Kat is so furious, she loses control - and it's not just their sisterhood that shatters. It's magic itself.

Suddenly, every spell a Hadley witch has ever cast starts reversing. Spells to do good start bringing evil. Curses to repel suddenly attract. And the veil between worlds begins to thin. If Kat and Harriet don't do something fast, this Halloween might be Mystic Hollow's last.

As they race to repair the balance of magic - and their relationship - Kat notices that every crush who's ever rejected her is suddenly magically lovesick. Even her annoying class rival seems to have fallen under her spell. For the first time in her life, she feels practically magic. Who cares if it's all just a spell?"

And this is why you don't work magic on family members!

Some Kind of Haunted by Hazel Beck
Published by: Mira Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the USA Today bestselling authors of the Witchlore series, Hazel Beck, comes the first book in a cozy, autumnal horror romance duology set in a seemingly charming Midwestern town that harbors a deep, dark plot at its core - one that could spell the end of its two newest arrivals if they can't unravel the secrets woven into their late grandmother's yarn shop.

Home is where the haunt is.

Lexi Darling has always been a city girl through and through. New York is loud, crowded, and just chaotic enough to keep her mind off everything she'd rather not think about - especially the eerily realistic nightmares that have plagued her all her life. So when she and her twin brother, Logan, are summoned to the postcard-perfect town of Midas, Iowa, one golden October to handle an inheritance from the grandmother they never knew, Lexi figures it'll be a quick detour: sign a few papers, snap a fall foliage selfie, and catch the next flight home.

But Midas has other plans.

The town has been waiting for the Darling twins, and it's not about to let them leave. Their arrival stirs up a centuries-old curse, one that promises something dark and hungry will rise again by Halloween night. And the key to stopping it might just lie in their family's mysterious past. Now, trapped in Midas with the shadows closing in, Lexi has to team up with a group of stubborn locals to save the town...including Jack, the grumpy-but-unfairly attractive diner owner who drives her crazy in all the wrong ways.

As the nights grow longer and an uncanny evil creeps closer, Lexi must uncover the truth behind the curse before Midas - and everyone in it - is consumed. Because in Midas, some secrets refuse to stay buried - and some nightmares never end."

Oh, attractive diner owner? Sold! Gilmore Girls style. 

Murder Like Magic by Trisha Blanchet
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Being able to read minds should make it pretty easy to solve crimes, right? Right?

A sort-of-telepathic witch-slash-PI takes on a murder case in this light urban fantasy mystery, perfect for fans of A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer.

Tess Tulley is the proud proprietor of Mill City Investigations - the premier (if you ask her) private investigation business in her small Massachusetts city. Business is slow, especially after she blew up her credibility among her fellow Spinners (do not call them witches) by turning in her own uncle for a crime spree three years ago. Loyalty among Spinners is top priority, and Tess's decision to put the investigation over her coven has left her out in the cold.

So when the local "Officer Handsome" comes knocking with a bizarre murder investigation involving a dead Spinner, Tess is reluctant to take the case. Even more so when she learns the details: The victim was stabbed postmortem, there's no sign of who or what actually killed her, and the body was found in a pool of someone else's blood.

Left with few other options, Tess dusts off her investigative skills, revs up her so-so telepathy, and dives headfirst back into her old community of Spinners. If she's lucky, she'll be able to unmask a killer and figure out whose blood had been left behind at the crime scene - and why. If she's not lucky (and let's face it, she rarely is), Tess might just become the next casualty on a slab in the Mill City morgue."

Oh, the mysterious blood has me hooked!

Witchbane by Deborah Carr
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: eBook, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Dancing with the devil's son.

1640 Jersey

Rue Underwood has long understood that her magic could kill her. In an age where witches are reviled and hunted gleefully by men like Elias le Cerf, the notorious Witchfinder, it's crucial that she remain hidden. But when whispers reach Elias's ears of Rue's abilities, he sends his new apprentice - his son, Theo - to find Rue and bring her in.

But after one chance moonlit meeting, everything changes.

In a world where witches burn, loving the enemy is the most dangerous magic of all..."

Rue and Theo should off the Witchfinder...

The Sunken, The Adored by Donyae Coles
Published by: Amistad
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A chilling Lovecraftian horror story from the author of Midnight Rooms, in which a recently freed slave from America making a new life for herself in 1800 Venice finds the mysterious plague that killed her former master may have followed her to Italy...and now stalks the canals.

Venice, Italy, 1800's. The only survivor on a ship, Mercy disembarks in Italy, carrying two precious possessions: the first-ever camera that makes daguerreotype plates and a letter regarding an appointment meant for the dead slave holder.

The letter takes her to Umberto, an Anatomist. In his basement workspace, she learns he hired the man who formally owned her to capture images of dissected corpses. But that man is dead. With no other recourse for her or Umberto, Mercy assumes the position. In return for the sample plate she took, Umberto takes her to the home of the Contessa, a British woman who married into her title. Charmed by Mercy, she invites the young woman to stay for the season to take pictures.

Formerly enslaved, Mercy finds this new life of freedom heady, as she takes on the mantle of a photographer and guest in a decadent house of pleasure under the hospitality of an aristocrat. Under the Contessa's roof, she meets a diverse cast of friendly and strange individuals with whom she forms new bonds and friendships.

But all is not well in her new life. Something dark and hungry stalks the canals that snake through the city, biting at her heels. The same death that rode the waves with her now surrounds her in this strange place. What is this malevolence that haunts her? As she tries to understand this macabre force, she must grapple with a greater fear: that the horror that endangers her friends is herself.

The Sunken, The Adored is dark, eerie, and wholly original - at once unsettling and irresistibly addictive."

1800's as in 1830's? Because if not... 

Miss Beresford and the Beast by Mimi Matthews
Published by: Perfectly Proper Press
Publication Date: August 25th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A spirited Victorian beauty with a fondness for fairytales unwittingly falls under the power of a beastly, scandal-plagued nobleman in the first book in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews's new Daughters of Somerset series.

Charlotte Beresford has spent far too long under the iron rule of strict governesses and unflinching finishing school teachers. When she's offered a brief window of freedom - an invitation to spend the summer with a recent acquaintance in a remote corner of Yorkshire, far from societal expectations - she jumps at the chance. Never mind that her new friend is odd, their chaperone questionable, and the village rumored to be cursed. Charlotte knows how to look after herself. All she must do is show a friendly face, keep her wits about her, and - above all - avoid the derelict manor house that stands on the edge of the moors...

Battle-scarred and bad tempered, Magnus Sterling never intended to return to England, let alone Yorkshire. But now he's inherited the title, it's his responsibility to settle his late father's affairs. It should be simple enough to do without riling up the superstitious locals. Indeed, they don't even need to know that the infamous son of the equally infamous Earl of Eversleigh is back on British soil. Magnus will keep to himself, and to the crumbling manor house, and for once in his miserable life avoid any cloud of scandal. A straightforward enough plan, or so he believes, until he catches sight of the bold, auburn-haired intruder infiltrating the grounds of his estate..."

Shades of The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla! I approve!

Monday, September 22, 2025

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Sisterhood by Tasha Alexander
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lady Emily investigates the murder of a glamorous debutante in the next irresistible mystery of Tasha Alexander's New York Times bestselling series.

London, 1907: When the Season's most accomplished and elegant debutante, Victoria Goldsborough, collapses and dies at her engagement ball, the great and good of London Society prepare to mourn the tragic loss of an upstanding young woman. But all is not what it seems, and after a toxic beverage is revealed to be the cause of death, the king himself instructs Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves to unearth the truth.

Who would want to harm one of the most popular women of the year? Is it her fiancé with whom she had an unusually brief courtship; a rival for his affections bitter at being cast aside; her best friend who is almost certainly hiding a secret from Colin and Emily; a disappointed suitor with a hidden gambling habit; or a notorious jewel thief who has taken a priceless tiara from the Goldsborough home? When a second debutante succumbs to poison, the race is on to find a ruthless killer.

Emily and Colin's investigation leads to a centuries old tomb in the center of London with a mysterious link to another death dating back to Roman times and the violent reign of Boudica, ancient Britain's fearsome warrior queen. As the stakes rise and the clock ticks down, Emily must find the killer before they strike again."

I mean, I might be biased, but this is easily one of the top ten books you should be reading this year. It's captivating and, if you must have it, there's a touch of Bridgerton. Bridgerton with blood! 

Murder in the Soho Graveyard by Emily Organ
Published by: Storm Publishing
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 318 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A churchyard discovery. A shocking secret. A deadly confrontation.

London,1890. When the body of a wealthy widow is found in the neglected graveyard of St Anne's Church, Soho, Emma Langley and Penny Green soon discover her respectable façade concealed a web of bitter enemies.

From a disgraced doctor stripped of his livelihood to a governess whose reputation was destroyed by lies, the victim, Mrs Melbourne, left a trail of devastation in her wake.

Then Mrs Melbourne's Belgravia mansion is consumed by a mysterious fire. Emma and Penny must race to decipher water-damaged papers salvaged from the ruins that could hold the key to the truth.

But as anonymous threatening letters arrive warning them to abandon their investigation, the friends realise they're hunting someone who will kill again to protect their secret. In the shadow-filled streets of Victorian London, can Emma and Penny expose the murderer before they become the next victims?

An atmospheric Victorian mystery that takes you from the crumbling graveyards of Soho to the grand squares of Belgravia - and will keep you reading late into the night."

But did the killer have to destroy a Belgravia mansion? Murder I can understand, arson of beautiful architecture is where I draw the line!

Murder in Trafalgar Square by Michelle Salter
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: eBook, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A murdered suffragette. A missing politician. A stolen artwork.

London, 1910

Coral Fairbanks is a contradiction. As well as a suffragette, she's a bit-part actress and nude model, earning her the disapproval of her fellow suffragettes.

Guy Flynn is an artist. He's also a detective inspector at Scotland Yard, who doesn't always see eye to eye with fellow officers in the Metropolitan Police.

When Home Secretary Winston Churchill orders the police to terrorise the suffragettes during an afternoon of violence that becomes known as Black Friday, the battlelines are drawn - and Coral Fairbanks and Guy Flynn are on different sides.

But when a young suffragette is found murdered in the National Portrait Gallery and one of their paintings is stolen - Fairbanks and Flynn must put their differences aside and combine their knowledge to track down the killer.

Introducing an iconic detective duo in Fairbanks and Flynn, this is an exciting and gripping historical mystery, which will delight fans of Agatha Christie, Benedict Brown and T. E. Kinsey."

I mean, she's making money off of being a nude model, should't her fellow suffragists be glad about that?

Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The second installment in the Maple Bishop historical mysteries continues the adventures of intrepid amateur sleuth Maple Bishop.

Inspired by the real-life mother of forensic science, Frances Glessner Lee, this smartly plotted series will appeal to fans of Rhys Bowen.

In post-WWII Vermont, Maple Bishop has a thriving dollhouse business and a new career as a crime scene consultant for the local sheriff's office. On the surface, she seems to be doing well, but deep down Maple is still reeling from the death of her husband. When the body of an aspiring firefighter - who was close childhood friends with Kenny, the sheriff's deputy and Maple's confidante - is discovered in the charred remains of a burned cabin, Maple is called in to help determine whether the fire was an accident or a case of murder by arson.

Realizing there's more to the crime than meets the eye, she sets out to unearth the discrepancies from the scene by re-creating the cabin in miniature. The investigation leads them to Maple's old Boston neighborhood, forcing her to confront the past she's desperately trying to forget.

As Maple and Kenny sift through clues, they uncover dark secrets that hit close to home, unraveling in unexpected ways - and putting their lives in danger."

My life would have been significantly better had I known about Frances Glessner Lee at a younger age.

A Slowly Dying Cause by Elizabeth George
Published by: Viking
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 656 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A hightly anticipated series reboot Lynley releasing this fall from BritBox

Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley are back in the next Lynley novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George.

Michael Lobb has just been found dead on the floor of his family's tin and pewter workshop. It's suspicious enough that his body was found by a representative of Cornwall EcoMining, a company keen on acquiring his family's land, and it's made even worse when he's revealed to have been the majority owner of the business and the sole obstacle preventing a deal from being made. But it doesn't take long for Inspector Beatrice Hannaford to unearth the layers of estrangement that surrounded Michael in his final days, pointing suspicions elsewhere. In comes Kayla, a young woman half Michael's age, who has just been made his widow.

Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers are brought in to help solve the crime and search for justice in a community where lust, greed, and family traditions collide with devastating consequences."

September is the month of Lynley this year; new show and new book, we are truly spoiled!

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Janice Hallett, "the new queen of crime" (Electric Literature), returns with a fresh, edge-of-your-seat mystery that takes place at a pub's weekly trivia night, revealed through quiz categories, phone messages, and email correspondence.

Sue and Mal Eastwood run an isolated rural pub called The Case is Altered where a weekly trivia game has revived its flagging fortunes - that is, until a body is found in the nearby river. Soon after, a mysterious new team arrives and shakes up the diverse field of regulars by scoring top marks in every round...every week.

Meanwhile, Sue and Mal have a secret of their own. Before arriving here, they were caught up in a secret police operation which meant they had to leave town - and whatever happened back then seems to have finally caught up with them.

Five years later, the pub lies derelict, and their nephew Dominic is determined to make a documentary about their story. What happened at this unassuming pub? And can a single question really kill?"

Oh, I can so see people killing over a pub quiz. I've been to one. It got violent. 

A Tour to Die For by Michelle Chouinard
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Michelle Chouinard's A Tour to Die For, Capri Sanzio is back, giving a true crime tour her guests won't soon forget. After all, a tour guide who specializes in serial killers knows better than most that San Francisco is a city with killer charm.

Capri Sanzio knows that when you give serial killer walking tours for a living, unexpected situations are more common than San Francisco's famous fog. So, when one of her guests claims to see a woman being attacked during a tour, Capri remains unphased. The police search the apartment in question and find no evidence of anything amiss, so they chalk it up to a false report from a true crime fanatic looking to be a part of a case. And Capri thinks they might be right, since lately her tours have been attracting even more obsessives than usual - as it turns out, finding the actual serial killer who committed the "Overkill Bill" murders didn't stop the constant questions about her grandfather's supposed crimes, it only intensified them.

But Capri would never forgive herself if someone is in trouble and she walks away. Plus, something about the whole situation has every one of Capri's investigative journalist instincts going haywire - why would someone lie about seeing an attack? So Capri starts to dig, and when her questions lead to a body, she finds herself at the center of another murder investigation."

San Francisco, serial killers, oh, this is so me.

The Haunting at Morsley Manor by George Morris De'ath
Published by: Rising Action
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gory, supernatural campy horror set in a haunted English manor, The Haunting at Morsley Manor follows a troubled paranormal investigator uncovering terrifying secrets that blur the line between the living and the dead. Perfect for The Haunting of Hill House fans and The Woman in Black.

World-famous paranormal investigator Eric Thompson's career took a nose-dive after a particularly gruesome case which left most of his camera crew dead. His partner and best friend also abandoned Eric, leaving him floundering.

He is soon approached by a mysterious woman who has purchased the supposedly haunted, but previously off-limits to paranormal sleuths, Morsley Manor. To drum up publicity about the house, she hires Eric to perform and host a paranormal investigation on the premises."

As he ventures over to England to uncover the darkness bleeding through the veins of Morsley, horrors begin to spring from every corner and Eric soon begins to realise that not all is as it seems..."

I'm just saying, if you're into the paranormal and everyone you work with dies gruesomely, wouldn't that just make you more popular? 

Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gothic feminist body horror in two timelines revolving around three Anatomical Venuses - ultrarealistic wax figures of women - that come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them.

Seoul, present day. Antiques dealer Alys's task is nearly complete. She has at last secured Elizabeth, the final anatomical Venus in a dangerously intertwined trio. Crafted in eighteenth-century London and modeled after real-life sex workers to entice male medical students to study female anatomy, these eerie wax figures, known as slashed beauties, carry unsavory lore. Legend has it that the figures are bewitched, and come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them. Now Alys embarks for England, where she knows what she must do: sever her cursed connection to the Venuses once and for all.

London, 1763. Abandoned and penniless in Covent Garden, wide-eyed Eleanor and another young woman, Emily, are taken under the wing of beautiful and beguiling Elizabeth, one of the city's most highly desired courtesans. But as Eleanor is seduced deeper into a web of money, materialism, and men, it seems that Elizabeth may not be the savior she appears to be.

As past and present begin to intersect, it becomes clear that the women's stories are linked in deeper, darker ways than it initially seems. And that the only method for Alys to end the witchcraft that binds her legacy is to gather all three models in one place and destroy them.

The problem is, Elizabeth is not ready to burn. Far from it. Centuries on, she is determined to rise again, and she will obliterate anything standing in her path. Including Alys herself."

I have a very feminist Hammer Horror vibe from this book. I like it. 

The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino
Published by: Forever
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Love. Loyalty. Sacrifice.

Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier. She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier's to wield. They are bound together by blood and magic, but there is one truth Grey dare not reveal...not even to Kier.

When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into a dangerous mission, Grey will need to decide what she's willing to sacrifice to protect her secret.

For Grey is no ordinary magical well, and if she dies, all magic dies with her.

The Second Death of Locke is a devastatingly romantic epic fantasy about the undying bond between a knight and their mage, perfect for fans of Rachel Gillig and Alix E. Harrow."

Praise Kier!

The Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 880 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The ninth floor. Faction Wars. Nine armies enter, led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. The winning team must capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, betrayal...It all makes for great fun and even greater television.

But thanks to Carl, Donut, and Katia, this season is different.

For the first time ever, the crawlers have their own army. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and have formed an unprecedented team of their own. And it's not just the crawlers who are at risk this Faction Wars. Any combatant who dies on the battlefield stays in the ground.

For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. No matter who wins the war, only one of them will be allowed to leave this level. If they all want to survive, they're going to need a little help from a veteran or two.

This is it. This is what they've been fighting toward. This is war."

NPCs to the rescue! 

Road Trip with a Vampire by Jenna Levine
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A vampire who can't remember his past and a witch with secrets of her own hit the road in this zany, cross-country romantic comedy from beloved author Jenna Levine.

Reformed bad witch Grizelda "Zelda" Watson had hoped to never see another vampire again when she slipped away to sunny California for a fresh start. She'd grown tired of them and their nonsense ages ago. But when a vampire with amnesia unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep with a letter from her old friend Reggie, and asks for her help, she can't say no. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Peter Elliott is tall and gorgeous, looks great in yoga shorts, and has the kind of dark hair and surly expression Zelda's been a sucker for for hundreds of years.

Peter isn't completely harmless - he is fanged, after all - but he's harmless enough, and soon becomes the only person in Zelda's new life who knows the truth about what she is. If she can help him decipher the cryptic notes in his journal, the only clues to his lost memories, she might as well try before sending him on his way.

But when an alarming message from Peter's past coincides with a clear sign that Zelda can't keep running from her own, they embark on a cross-country road trip for answers - only to find what they're looking for in each other."

It's the time of the season to sink your teeth into the supernatural. 

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
Published by: Knopf
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the Booker prize–winning, bestselling author of Atonement and Saturday, a genre-bending new novel full of secrets and surprises; an immersive exploration, across time and history, of what can ever be truly known.

2014: At a dinner for close friends and colleagues, renowned poet Francis Blundy honors his wife's birthday by reading aloud a new poem dedicated to her, 'A Corona for Vivien.' Much wine is drunk as the guests listen, and a delicious meal consumed. Little does anyone gathered around the candlelit table know that for generations to come people will speculate about the message of this poem, a copy of which has never been found, and which remains an enduring mystery.

2119: Just over one hundred years in the future, much of the western world has been submerged by rising seas following a catastrophic nuclear accident. Those who survive are haunted by the richness of the world that has been lost. In the water-logged south of what used to be England, Thomas Metcalfe, a lonely scholar and researcher, longs for the early twenty-first century as he chases the ghost of one poem, 'A Corona for Vivian.' How wild and full of risk their lives were, thinks Thomas, as he pores over the archives of that distant era, captivated by the freedoms and possibilities of human life at its zenith. When he stumbles across a clue that may lead to the elusive poem's discovery, a story is revealed of entangled loves and a brutal crime that destroy his assumptions about people he thought he knew intimately well.

What We Can Know is a masterpiece, a fictional tour de force, a love story about both people and the words they leave behind, a literary detective story which reclaims the present from our sense of looming catastrophe and imagines a future world where all is not quite lost."

I mean, I love the irony that a poem at some pretentious dinner party becomes someone's talisman. 

Thief of Night by Holly Black
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The highly-anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black's stunning adult debut, Book of Night.

There'd always been something wrong with Charlie Hall. Crooked from the day she was born. Never met a bad decision she wasn't willing to double down on. She may be good enough to steal a shadow from a tower, but will she be good enough to steal back a heart?"

I know I've personally been highly-anticipating this book.

The Castaway and the Witch by Ioanna Papadopoulou
Published by: Ghost Orchid Press
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 186 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After her boat capsizes, Nine-year old Nefele is washed up on the Floating Forest, an infamous mythical prison-island, holding onto her father's corpse and with little chance to survive in the wild. It appears miraculous that a herd of native elks guide her to a tree house, filled with all she needs to survive, as well as plenty of books.

As the years pass, Nefele gradually loses her identity to the secrets of the Floating Forest, but the transition is interrupted by the arrival of a second castaway. Nefele must choose between the witch she wishes to be, straight out of a fairytale, and the real, living person she actually is.

Inspired by the mythical prison island Aeaea, The Castaway and the Witch combines coming of age and romance with a dream-like storyline filled with symbolism and insight."

That cover speaks to me, invoking cold nights spent reading fairy tales by the fire.

A Steeping of Blood by Hafsah Faizal
Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After the jaw-dropping ending of #1 New York Times-bestseller A Tempest of Tea, Hafsah Faizal crafts a deliciously twisty and seductive sequel that will leave readers breathless until the very last page. A romantic vampire fantasy novel for fans of Immortal Dark and Heartless Hunter.

Arthie Casimir has had her tea. Now she's out for blood.

White Roaring is sharpening its fangs after the deadly night that left the city in shambles. The press are dead, the public is calling for justice, vampires are in danger, and amid the turmoil, the Ram announces a celebration.

Still reeling from the bloodshed, Arthie Casimir has no time to mourn the death of anyone, let alone her own. She has no time for love, either, even though it had saved her life. As Arthie navigates new emotions and new allies, she must reassemble her scrambled crew and scrape what little they have left to fight one last time - and she will need to face the ghosts of her past to do it.

In Ceylan."

You know, they say that vampires are a fad that comes and goes, well, it's been coming on strong for many many years now and I don't see it going anywhere. 

Dragon Fires Everywhere by Hazel Beck
Published by: Graydon House
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a witch plays with fire, she might just ignite a love that can't be extinguished...

Newly-minted Historian of the soon-to-be-ascended Riverwood Coven Georgie Pendell has always played her part - so why does she feel like an outsider in her own life? Duped and dumped by her boyfriend, Georgie finds herself dismissing love as a fairytale. But when the words she reads aloud from an enchanted storybook free a dragon shifter, everything changes.

Georgie finds herself drawn to the dragon in ways she didn't think were even possible for her, and her dragon, with his fiery golden gaze, all but claims Georgie as his own. But beneath his scorching intensity lies a secret, one that stretches back into the ancient past.

With the Joywood Coven still finding ways to upend the new order of the witching world, Georgie and her coven will need to prove themselves up to the task of being in charge, and right the wrongs their predecessors committed - if they can uncover the truth. Because something is missing. Something that will stop the Joywood once and for all. Something that only a Historian and an ancient dragon can find."

All the best men, er, dragon shifters, comes from books right?

The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch by Laini Taylor
Published by: Amulet Books
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For centuries faeries have lived safely in their ancient forests, but now their peace is under threat. Devils are escaping the prisons that have held them since the Dawn Days, and only one faerie stands in their way.

Magpie Windwitch is the greatest - the only - devil-hunter of the Age. Together with her trusted band of crows, she tracks down and recaptures these ravenous beasts that devour everything in their path.

When the hunt leads them to the legendary forest of Dreamdark, Magpie finds herself outmatched. Facing the greatest foe her kind has ever known (not to mention an imposter queen, a disgusting imp, and a young faerie warrior as infuriating as he is brave), one thing is certain: If she's to save the world, she'll need all the help she can get.

Bestselling author Laini Taylor's thrilling first novel is now available for the first time for a new generation of fans."

I am so excited at this new edition. My copy of this book was sadly destroyed by an ice damn around a window. At least that means I can legitimately claim I need this new version. If only the ice damn would pay for it... 

Cat Dragon by Samantha Birch
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the whimsical world of Tangleroot Valley, magic flows like the seasons, and every witch has her cat dragon - except Aloysia Papplewick.

She's far from bonding with her fiery feline familiar, and with her magical farm in chaos, her prattling pumpkin patch meddling in her life and the annual Harvest Festival to prepare for, Aloysia has enough to handle - even before her best friend's insufferable brother, Hollis, brings danger and distraction to her door.

When she and Hollis are whisked away on a quest to a mysterious mountain, Aloysia must contend with magic, mayhem - and a spark she never expected.

Embrace the magic as this delightful tale weaves a cozy spell of adventure, self-discovery, friendship and romance. For fans of Studio Ghibli, Harry Potter, The Spellshop and cottagecore."

But but I want a cat dragon!

More Weight: A Salem Story by Ben Wickey
Published by: Top Shelf Productions
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 532 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""Every word is an accusation...and every whisper kills." This staggering graphic novel explores the infamous Salem witch trials and the long shadows they cast more than 300 years later.

In Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 is a year of terror. When accusations of witchcraft plunge the community into paranoia and death, curmudgeonly farmer Giles Corey and his great-souled wife Martha are forced to confront their troubled pasts, fighting to hold onto their principles even at the cost of their lives. In the 1860s, famed writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow stroll the streets of Salem together, reflecting on their own dark connections to those wicked days. Today, graphic novelist Ben Wickey wrestles with the complex legacy of "the Witch City" and what it shows us about the best and worst of humanity.

Based on true events, set in three centuries, and hand-drawn over a decade, More Weight is a stunning visual symphony - a unique and profound inquiry into the infamous Salem witch trials and the long shadows they still cast on us all."

And in, what was it, 2004, I walked the streets of Salem following in Hawthorne's steps. If you're anything like me, you NEED this book.

The Girl, the Priest, and the Devil by Theo Prasidis and Stasa Gacpar
Published by: Dead Sky Publishing
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Ottoman Greece, a motherless girl named Daphne leads a suffocating farmer's life. When her older brother dies after a short illness, her patriarch father curses God for leaving him with only a daughter. Unable to pay the local priest for his son's burial, he compels Daphne to go to the village and beg for money. Daphne gets rejected and mocked by the villagers, and flees to the mountains, where she finds a gold pouch. She dares to dream - this could be her way out. But just before she's about to carry out her escape plan, the Devil pays her a visit. These lands belong to him. And payment is due.

Black Mass Rising author Theo Prasidis and emerging artist Stas a Gacpar invite you to the mystical countryside of 19th century Greece, a land wreathed in legends and superstition. Inspired by actual folktales of the time, The Girl, the Priest, and the Devil is a captivating graphic novel with the otherworldly quality of the weird folklore of old."

So much yes here.

Spit Back the Bones by Teagan Olivia King
Published by: Keylight Books
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Midnight Mass comes a haunting new horromance. Something dreadful is festering in the old Thomas Bog. For years, it's done what it has been taught to do - it swallows. But it's done following orders.

It's been three years since Mila Thomas' brother Jed went missing and his case went cold. Since then, Mila has fled town, running from the voices of the dead that reach her from the depths of the old family bog, afraid she would hear her brother's among them.

But when her younger sister, Agatha, calls her back home to celebrate her graduation, Mila can't help but return to her old haunts. When she arrives, Mila comes face to face with the town reverend, who informs her that Agatha is now also missing. Finding her mother and the local police utterly useless, Mila opens herself up to the voices of the bog in the hopes that they can tell her where her sister is. But something else lurks beneath the bog's waters, something that would sooner hunt her than help her. As more bodies turn up on the sandy shores, Mila must overcome her complicated history with the reverend's estranged son - the boy she never quite got over - to unearth the fate of the town's missing members and the family secrets that may be behind everything."

Midnight Mass you say? Any chance the sexy sheriff played by Rahul Kohli could stop by and read this to me?

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A pair of Gothic novelists trade rivalry for love in this swoony, steamy, sapphic Regency by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti.

Celebrated authoress Lady Georgiana Cleeve has achieved fame and fortune. Unfortunately, she's also acquired an enemy: the enigmatic Lady Darling, whose spine-tingling plots appear to be pulled straight from Georgiana's own manuscripts. What's a stubborn, steely writer to do? Unmask her rival, of course.

But unmasking doesn't go according to plan - because Lady Darling is actually Cat Lacey, the butler's daughter and object of Georgiana's very secret, very embarrassing teenage infatuation.

Cat Lacey has spent a decade clawing her family out of poverty. The last thing she needs is to be distracted by the stunning(ly pretentious) Lady Georgiana Cleeve. But Cat can't seem to escape her infuriatingly beautiful rival - including at the eerie manor where they both plan to set their next books. The plot unexpectedly thickens, however, when the novelists find themselves trapped in the manor together. In between ghostly moans and spectral staff, Cat and Georgiana come face-to-face with real danger: the scorching passion that's been haunting their rivalry all along."

Methinks there will be more moans than the ghostly kind...

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