Tuesday Tomorrow
Mystery Play by Elizabeth Kostova
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The last living member of a family of historians who has been hunted by dark forces associated with Dracula finds himself in peril at the hands of a new threat in this thrilling novel from the #1 bestselling author of The Historian.
After his beloved mother passes away suddenly, Jay Turner finds himself at a crossroads. She was always secretive, and when he returns to their Boston home to clear out her possessions, he finds an unusual item: a partially burned scrap of newspaper bearing the name "Gael Brogan." Soon after, a deliveryman leaves behind a package containing a small antique volume bound in leather - and two bloody footprints.
The sight of the volume is chilling. As a young scholar, his mother had been given the medieval book - one of a set commissioned by Vlad Țepeș, otherwise known as Dracula, just before his death in 1477. She'd always warned Jay of the dangers associated with it, and had donated it to a museum before she died...yet here it is, back in his possession.
Jay sets out to learn more about Gael Brogan, a prominent nineteenth-century actor whose last and most famous role was based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. As Jay begins to dig deeper - with the help of a mysterious woman named Rhiannon - he uncovers the frightening story of a young actress who fell under Brogan's sway long ago. Before long, Jay and Rhiannon realize that something similarly implacable is pursuing them.
In this epic and riveting tale, Elizabeth Kostova takes us deep into the Gilded Age of the theater and across the Atlantic in pursuit of an ancient evil and its dramatic followers."
When it first came out I was beyond obsessed with The Historian. The fact she's finally delving back into that world and not about soup and women with daddy complexes has me doing cartwheels. Figurative cartwheels because I've never been able to do one.
Beau Scamp by C.M. Harris
Published by: Last Laugh
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 268 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"England, 1794: What a time to be alive!
Charlotte Goddard has spent her life performing. First, as Charlie, the stable hand raised in breeches by her highwayman father, and then as Beau Scamp, the notorious road thief whose reputation does considerably more work than her actual skills.
When a botched robbery brings her face to face with Lady Catherina Pemberton - the childhood friend Charlotte has loved since she was twelve - she finds herself talked out of fleeing to America to avenge her father's death and instead talked into the most ill-advised disguise of her career: maid to the woman she's desperately in love with, in the house she's been robbing, and under the noses of everyone who wants her hanged.
A screwball Georgian caper with real blood in its veins. Beneath the wigs and pistols, a tender meditation on grief, class, and the difference between a hiding place and a home.
For fans of Emma R. Alban, TJ Alexander, and Cat Sebastian."
I like to think Renegade Nell with a lighter touch of Fingersmith.
The Ferryman's Rest Inn and Grogshop by Seana Kelly
Published by: Nancy Yost Literary Agency, Inc
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Meg, or Megaera, is one of the Furies you probably read about in Greek Mythology. She's also been sitting on one of Sam Quinn's stools in The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar since it opened, glaring into silence anyone who tries to strike up a conversation with her.
Sam, being Sam, eventually broke through Meg's walls and a tentative friendship grew - not a warm one, certainly. Meg doesn't do warm. She has, though, in a crisis situation, shown up to fight alongside Sam.
Until recently, that is.
Sam's getting more and more concerned about Meg's strange absences and then she and Clive receive a text that turns their lives upside down. Meg tells Sam and Clive it's their turn to help her...in Greece...in the Underworld.
Sam badgers her friend Stheno into coming with them. I mean, if you have to descend into Hades' realm, a Gorgon can be pretty handy.
Keep your fingers crossed. Things are about to get downright mythological around here."
I have always loved the mythological aspects of the series and in particular Stheno.
Something is Killing the Children: Hope Is a Knife by James Tynion IV and Kiersten White
Published by: Crown
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Welcome to the dark. It has very sharp teeth.
Based on the internationally bestselling comic series, with millions of copies in print, the first full-length novel from the terrifying world of Something Is Killing the Children - a stunning collaboration between Eisner-winning co-creator James Tynion IV and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White
As a Black Mask, Erica Slaughter has a very straightforward job: find the monster, kill the monster, then do it all again. But when she arrives in Badwater, Idaho, nothing is simple. She can't determine whether the horrific killer of a twelve-year-old was a bear, a person, or something much worse. Complicating matters is the charismatic doomsday preacher who is quickly leading the small town to the verge of hysteria. If Erica wants to save the surviving children, she has to figure out which kid's fears might have summoned a monster - and fast. Erica must get to the truth before the Order and the town come to the same conclusion: to stop the monster, you have to kill the girl.
Hope Is a Knife is a chilling, original tale in SIKTC lore, where monsters are real and only the hunters of the Order of St. George are equipped to challenge them. Whether or not you've already devoured the Eisner Award-winning comics, this standalone vision of supernatural horror is a thrill ride of the highest order."
I've devoured the whole series, I have all the spinoffs, AND I'm getting I an Erica Slaughter Funko Pop! figure, so you know this book is for me. In fact I have a signed special edition already ordered from Barnes and Noble.
A Darker Act by Amy Goldsmith
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A chilling romantic folk horror inspired by the legend of the Wild Hunt! Months after their harrowing final performance, a teen girl reunites with her acting troupe for a weekend in the woods - only to find something they awakened has followed them there.
There's something on those moors that likes to hunt young maidens for sport....
Senior Hazel Fletcher is thrilled when she scores the lead in her high school theater group's latest production: a doomed romance inspired by local legends of a fearsome huntsman who once rode over the moors. Reclusive and talented, the Edgemoor Players usually keep their parts - and their secrets - to themselves, most of all Roman Cavalero, their enigmatic leading man.
That was then. Now, months later, no one dares talk about the play, its disastrous final performance, or the eerie events that dogged their rehearsals.
When Hazel is unexpectedly reunited with her old castmates on an extra-credit camping trip, the group finds themselves holed up in a ruined church, deep within the wintry fold of an ancient wood. There, tragedy strikes, and Hazel and the rest of the Players are forced to confront old fears and reckon with a deadly truth: What they started last year isn't over.
Months ago, the Edgemoor Players woke something up - and now it won't rest until it hunts down its prey."
I have a mild obsession with the Wild Hunt. Through in a theatrical troupe in danger, and this is must read material.
Strange Cases by Riotbones
Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A rakish law student inherits his late mother's practice - and its beastly secrets - in this sumptuous gothic graphic-novel debut from Riotbones, perfect for fans of James Tynion IV and paranormal crime dramas.
In the wake of his attorney mother's sudden death, dutiful law student Jude Aguilar returns to the town of Lazaro to take over her practice - but the only thing stranger than the peculiar cases she left behind are the clients themselves.
As the cases unfold, Jude uncovers a tapestry of family secrets and local monsters. Can he save Lazaro, his mother's legacy, and himself before it all goes up in flames?
• The new-adult debut from queer creator Riotbones
• Coming-of-age paranormal horror meets crime drama
• An uncanny world inspired by Filipino and European history
• Lush, atmospheric, gothic graphic novel art
• The gloom of Emily Carroll meets the socio-political drama of Jose Rizal
Step onto the streets of Lazaro, where justice and monstrosity blur and leave an indelible mark."
Emily Carroll gloom? I have about ten friends I have to go tell about this book right away.
To Bewitch a Hunter by Luciano Lamberti
Published by: HarperVia
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"For fans of Pet Sematary and Tender is the Flesh, an award-winning novel from Argentina that begins when an adopted woman is approached by someone claiming to know what happened to her real parents - an encounter that triggers a hallucinatory odyssey into the dark years of dictatorship and a family history of disappearances and blood sacrifice.
"I know who you think you are, and I know who you truly are."
One blustery winter's day in Buenos Aires, Julia Ruiz discovers that she is being followed. Her stalker, an elegantly dressed older woman named Griselda, promises to explain herself and so, cautiously, Julia agrees to listen. Claiming to be her grandmother - her real grandmother - Griselda insists that Julia's mother and father are not her true parents. For Julia, long estranged from her family, this earth-shattering revelation comes almost as a relief. But, unbeknownst to her, this newfound birthright has already laid claim to her with a frightening grip....
What follows is a terrifying odyssey into the dark years of the dictatorship that ruled Argentina and the story of the Lara family: the golden child Luis, his physician father Braulio, and the unforgettable Griselda - whose love and desperation drive them to strike a deal with a terror beyond comprehension. Winner of the prestigious Premio Clarín, To Bewitch a Hunter announces the chilling English debut of "an astonishing writer" (Mariana Enríquez).
Translated from the Spanish by Frank Wynne."
It's all well and good reuniting with your lost family until the curse is revealed.
Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones
Published by: S and S/Saga Press
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A ragtag group of activists sets out to repatriate the bones of a Blackfeet boy taken to the infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School in author Stephen Graham Jones's return to the Blackfeet reservation of his award-winning New York Times bestsellers The Only Good Indians and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.
Five years have passed since the massacre on the Blackfeet reservation in Stephen Graham Jones's breakout bestseller The Only Good Indians. Nathan Yellow Tail, one of the survivors of the revenge murders, finds himself in the hospital after a terrible accident that should've killed him and that nearly killed his best friend, Sebby, who is hanging on to life in a room a few doors down.
Nate's life is out of balance, so when he is given the chance to reset his life, and maybe save Sebby in the process, Nate steps up, again. This time it's into a camper van that is almost as run down as his broken body, filled with three older Blackfeet, to find the bones of the lone Blackfeet boy who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School - where many Indigenous children were abused - and repatriate this boy home. The problem is, when they get the bones, something terrible has escaped with them.
By turns terrifying and deeply moving, Off the Reservation is a haunting American Indian novel of survival, reckoning, and redemption, shining light on the dark corners of this country's history while also showing the desperate choices people make when they're put up against a wall."
I really don't think people know the history of how horrible places like the Carlisle Indian Industrial School were. They were a horror we perpetrated.
What a Nightmare by Rebekah Faubion
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"They called her a nightmare, so she became one.
Haven Powers has spent years trying to disappear. Once a loud, troublemaking girl who defied every expectation in her small town of Friendship, Texas, now she's learned to hide her fire behind a quiet receptionist's smile. It's safer that way - for her, and for everyone else.
When an unsettling encounter with her predatory boss cracks open the tightly locked box inside her, Haven dreams a terrifying dream about him, only to wake up and discover it's come true; he's dead. Desperate to gain control of this deadly power once and for all, Haven returns home.
Welcomed suspiciously with open arms, Haven is immediately met with the ghosts of her past. Under the suffocating pressure of the town and her family who believe obedience is next to godliness, Haven soon finds herself on a path to revenge. She'll show them what happens when the girl they called too much, too loud, too everything, finally lets her demons loose."
Sometimes you just gotta let those demons loose.
The Forest Bleeds by Rachel Kitch
Published by: Union Square and Co.
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A speculative horror-romance that combines the magical dark academia of The Atlas Six, the unsettling atmosphere of Mexican Gothic, and the psychosexual power dynamics of The Last Housewife.
Saige Chambers, Arcane Bioengineering student and blood witch, is constantly anxious and chronically over-prepared. When Saige and her fellow witch doctoral candidates depart for a conference, she plans and anticipates every last detail. Except she's not prepared for the moment their bus turns off the highway and takes them to a remote mansion in the Appalachian Mountains, the gates sealing shut behind them.
The mansion's owner, Arius Medea, issues a simple mandate: fix his injured, rotting leg or die. But it's no ordinary injury - the flesh melts off the bone, emitting waves of foul magic that set Saige's blood alight. Saige's colleagues want to fight back and escape. Saige thinks their best chance is to fix him fast and get out.
As tensions rise, Saige finds herself growing closer to Vaishnavi Sri, a poison witch and Saige's long-term crush. But first impressions can be misleading, and as Saige's reluctant attraction to Arius grows, she begins to wonder if there's a better life waiting for her in the walls of this mansion.
But, as one by one, Saige's colleagues start to disappear, Saige realizes that dying may not be the worst option - because there are far worse fates lurking in the woods."
Or just being trapped IN the mansion might not be too great either...
The Water House by Nneoma Ike-Njoku
Published by: S and S/Summit Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"An unexplained tragedy. A handsome stranger. A house of ghosts and memories. In this fresh take on the Gothic tale, a young Nigerian woman returns to the family mansion where her brother died - only to find the past ready to consume her - perfect for readers of Tananarive Due and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
1967, Nigeria. Celia has been estranged from her family since they banished her to St. Agnes's reform school after her brother's death. When the school closes down, she has nowhere to go and no one to write for help.
She secures a job as a typist, marking the beginning of a new chapter; she hopes to leave behind the demons of her past and become a normal, happier person. And when a charismatic yet secretive aspiring politician hires her to be his fiancé, Celia begins to dream of a possible new future. But when everything falls apart, Celia, in desperation, returns to her childhood home - the Water House.
There, Celia is confronted by her hostile mother, a past love, and the horrors that the house holds deep in its walls. As a civil war brews in the outside world, Celia begins to suspect that the truth behind her brother's death might be more sinister than she imagined.
In a twist on Jane Eyre and Rebecca, Nneoma Ife-Njoku weaves a mesmerizing story of a woman confronting a home where the past refuses to stay buried."
Jane Eyre and Rebecca you say?
Solo Female Traveler by Jasper Lowe
Published by: Run the Game Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 316 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Solo Female Traveler: The Straightest Path Into Night by Jasper Lowe is an edge-of-your-seat, historical thriller set in 1973 South America that blends fact and fiction.
Our narrator: eighteen-year-old English solo traveler, Fran, is embarking on a gap year, just as her parents are filing for divorce. She takes a job working for sixty-something, Jewish-German émigré couple, Agatha and Dieter Voss, who run a quaint Argentine ski hostel, Beethoven House, located in picturesque Patagonia.
Little does Fran know that Agatha and Dieter are harbouring a diabolical secret. With Juan Perón returned from political exile and about to take up the presidency once more, Fran becomes an unwitting pawn in their game.
What follows is a fast-paced, gap year thrill ride, played out across Argentina and Brazil, and against the backdrop of the politics and history of the era.
Original, addictive, bold and unhinged, Solo Female Traveler is The Serpent meets The Talented Mr.Ripley, and will have your pulses racing until the final page.
With a wildly inventive plot that examines guilt, power and buried trauma, this is THE debut thriller everyone will be talking about in 2026."
I took a gap year. I thankfully did not end up in the same situation as Fran.
Hazelwood by I.L. Jordan
Published by: Spark and Quill
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 322 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
""Hazelwood desires fear and blood. Always and forever."
To uphold the blood oath bound to an ancient manor that stands as one of the seals between this world and Hell, five elite families of a secret society host an annual gathering filled with balls, blood and deadly games where they must sacrifice new souls to feed Hazelwood.
But this year, things go awry as Raena Raith, the reigning bloodline's heiress, goes rogue and brings chaos upon the festivities.
Each bloodline holds their own secrets and motives as dangerous pasts and deceptive future plans clash with the sinister spirits and beasts that roam the halls of the opulent and voracious Hazelwood manor.
Daegan Brooks: Raena's biggest rival, former lover and resident chaos master.
Kurt Cavanaugh: Shadowguard, logistics mastermind and hopelessly in love with the woman he is sworn to protect.
Jace Raith: Raena's stepbrother, Daegan's best friend, and third to their throuple before his death that just didn't stick.
Between these four, the laws of life, death and normal human morality cease to exist.
Welcome to Hazelwood. Will you survive?"
I'm picturing blood actually raining down. I don't think that's too far off.
Mothsblood by Lynn D. Jung
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"An ambitious alchemist must uncover her university's dark secrets while trying to escape from her mysterious past in this electrifying debut.
On a rain-soaked night in modern-day Paris, Larkspur Lee and her academic rivals find themselves at the center of an impossible crime - the murder of their university's headmistress, the immortal Petronelle Flamel.
In the aftermath of Flamel's death, the school devolves into chaos. The mysterious investigator assigned to the case, Violaine, believes a cult known as the Promethean Genesis is responsible for Flamel's murder. But Lark, who is all too familiar with the Prometheans' horrors, will do anything to stay out of the cult's reach. Matters are complicated when the mentor she crossed an ocean and a continent to escape re-enters her life, enticing her to his side once again while secretly wielding an agenda of his own.
As the Prometheans' plans come to fruition and the university's dark history comes to light, Lark has no choice but to decide whether the power she desires is truly worth the price."
Power rarely is.
Monstera by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A reclusive young woman moves into what seems like the perfect apartment and is obsessively drawn to her mysterious neighbour, who keeps a lush garden and is hiding a deadly secret...Eat the Ones You Love meets Wilder Girls in this sensual, sapphic, botanical horror novella from the New York Times-bestselling author of Bloom and House of Idyll.
When Lucy McClintock moves into a dreamy Victorian in downtown Savannah after years of suffering under the rule of her overbearing grandfather, she feels like she's won the lottery - well, outside of the creepy landlord. She soon notices a glorious green haven in the backyard and meets her downstairs neighbor, Saskia, a weightlifter who lives in a magical apartment overflowing with plant life and beautiful artwork. Naïve and lonely Lucy is drawn to strong and secretive Saskia, and as the two women grow closer, they discover they share more than just an apartment building...
A seductive, heady, sinister read: breathless romance and bone-chilling suspense collide in this sweet and deadly tale."
Never trust anyone who can keep that many plants alive.
Solace House by Will Maclean
Published by: Grove Press
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"You are about to enter a place of strange genius, possible madness, and timeless love...
An addictive and brilliant puzzle box of a novel following a group of university students who discover an astonishing secret while clearing out a neglected Victorian mansion.
For Alex Lane's wealthy university friends, the summer break stretches out before them, full of promise and fabulous plans. But for Alex, broke as usual, going home is not an option. So when the university offers him an unusual summer job clearing out a dilapidated Victorian mansion, Solace House, he jumps at the chance.
Alex joins an unlikely crew of students, from stoner Clive to uptight, short-tempered Helen, and the extremely peculiar Adam. Alex is particularly drawn to mercurial, red-headed Ella, and as the students begin sorting through piles of old newspapers and magazines, dusty antiques, and esoteric junk, Alex and Ella become enthralled by the elaborate and eerie journals of the house's former owner, Edwin Flayne. In these diaries, Flayne details his obsession with his missing mother and his belief in a mysterious realm lying parallel to ours, along with coded instructions on how it might be reached.
As the students gradually uncover the house's secrets, the rift between those who want to delve further and those who believe they've already gone too far grows ever wider."
I have a particular obsession with secrets found while cleaning out houses. After all I've cleaned out my share of houses.
Rottenheart by Kat Dunn
Published by: Zando
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From the bestselling author of Hungerstone, an intoxicating and chilling gothic horror novel that reimagines Hamlet with a seductive sapphic twist - and where the only thing more dangerous than a family secret is a mother's revenge.
Revenge me. For I am murdered...
Odette and her best friend, Cecilia, grow up between two grand homes, one in Hampstead and one in Suffolk, the ancient and imposing Herne House. Odette's mother, Lydia, is almost parasitic in her neediness, but despite her, Odette and Cecilia come of age together - free to roam, to learn, and to love. When Lydia inexplicably sickens and dies, a dark veil falls. Odette's father retreats to his study, while her aunt - the cold and cruel Claudine - increasingly takes charge of the household. Lost in grief and spiraling into madness, Odette disappears into the shadows, leaving Cecilia alone and with her affections tested. As Claudine is announced as Odette's new stepmother, the girls reckon with this final betrayal, and a sinister presence awakens. To her horror, Odette realizes that her mother never truly left. She now haunts the manor, ready to drag long-held secrets into the light and exact revenge against those who thought her dead and gone. A visceral tale of grief and madness, Rottenheart exhumes the heart of Hamlet to tell a fearless queer love story laced with an unforgettable haunting, asking whether we can truly outrun our suffering, or if we are forever indebted to the vengeful dead."
Hamlet and the vengeful dead. AKA a perfect fall read.
Please Enjoy Your Stay by Tara Goedjen
Published by: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"After a true crime podcast reopens her cousin's murder case, a woman must confront her past at a glamorous European castle where she follows a trail of toxic family secrets and deadly lies in this "addictive, atmospheric" (Tiffany Crum, New York Times bestselling author), gothic-tinged thriller perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
When they were teenagers, Mia's beloved cousin was murdered during their stay at an infamous castle in the Austrian Alps. As the only witness, Mia's testimony put the killer behind bars, but it tore her life apart: the media accused her aunt, a controversial true crime author, of being involved. Now, a decade later, the murderer is appealing his conviction, and a popular true crime podcast starts covering the case, determined to exonerate him, and resurfacing lies about Mia's family in the process.
Desperate to protect her aunt - and what she knows to be the truth - Mia returns to Austria. The castle is being revamped as a luxury hotel, and Mia gets a job as a nanny for the new owner, hiding in plain sight as she investigates, needing to set the story straight once and for all. But after someone mysteriously disappears on the property and sinister new evidence emerges regarding her cousin's death, she realizes she might have accused the wrong man...and put her own life in danger."
When trying to find the truth it's best if you try to avoid putting your own life in danger.
The Woman of the House by Kate Mooney
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A terrifying, twisty, and impossible-to-put-down supernatural thriller that reminds us that houses are never just houses - and secrets never stay buried.
Rose Crawley isn't the perfect wife - or the perfect woman - that her husband thinks she is. And she isn't about to let him find that out, ever. She's finally gotten everything she's ever wanted: a house by the lake, an adoring husband, and a fresh start from the past she's long tried to outrun.
But the house she now calls home seems to have other plans. She wakes with bloody scratches lining her arms. She sees reflections in mirrors, only to find she's standing alone. She hears the floors creak under invisible footsteps. And when Rose lies awake in the dark, the air feels heavy, like the house is pressing in on her, waiting for her to crack.
When Rose learns that the previous occupant, a wife and mother named Angela, vanished under suspicious circumstances, she becomes obsessed with uncovering what happened. Drawn deeper into the disappearance by her peculiar and prying neighbor, Rose digs into Angela's past. But the more she discovers, and as the house's strange occurrences escalate, Rose finds herself questioning not just what happened to Angela, but whether she'll share the same fate."
If you don't get out, you will share the same fate!
Look What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak
Published by: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From the New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Pictures and The Last One at the Wedding comes a new supernatural thriller about a young woman pet-sitting a cat with a mysterious secret, featuring more than eighty pages of illustrations.
Meet Penny Padgett, a twenty-seven-year-old cartoonist in Philadelphia who agrees to pet-sit a very peculiar cat named Godfrey in her home. At first, he's a warm and affectionate companion who follows Penny all around the house and insists on sleeping by her side every night. But soon strange things are happening: Penny is haunted by disturbing and violent nightmares. There's a terrible insect infestation in her basement. Her cute cartoon illustrations turn dark and surreal, as if influenced by some invisible hand. And her health starts failing, as if her mind and body are under attack by a sinister, malevolent force.
Penny may be a cat person, but she's starting to think Godfrey is no ordinary cat....
Fully illustrated with more than eighty pages of original artwork, Jason Rekulak's new novel is intensely plotted, wonderfully frightening, and wildly clever. He more than lives up to his reputation as having "a freakishly fertile imagination" (The New York Times)."
Always here for a cat. Not matter what it really is.
Merry Spooky Love by Josie Silver
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A ghostbuster and her motley crew face the ghosts of Christmas - and the exes of Christmas past - in this haunted holiday rom-com from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Spooky Love.
Melody Bittersweet's Christmases are always more haunted than holly jolly, but even she's not used to a heartbreak holiday - which this one could end up being, if she can't save a beloved family-run department store...and if, despite their incredible chemistry and deepening emotional connection, her on-and-off boyfriend, Fletcher Gunn, still won't believe in her paranormal abilities.
When Lucy Libertine, namesake of the charming old-school department store Libertines, unexpectedly dies, the store goes to her deceased sister's three children: businessmen twins Francis and Tom, and their younger sister Fleur.
Despite Fleur and the local community protesting, the twins are excited to sell up. They hold all the cards as the majority shareholders - that is, until Lucy Libertine herself decides to even the playing field, haunting the twins out of house and home (and department store).
While the twins call in Melody's ghost-hunting ex to defend them, Lucy goes to Melody to represent Fleur and the deceased Libertine family. Melody is all too happy to take another job, save a beloved local store, and maybe knock her ex down a paranormal peg or two.
But old paperwork states that the store cannot be sold within three months of the death of a board member - and Lucy has already been dead for one. With tensions riding high and her relationship with Fletcher caught in the crosshairs, Melody and her crew only have two months left to save the store.
If they don't, Libertines will close its doors on Christmas Eve - forever."
Nothing goes more logically together than ghosts and Christmas.
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder by Ally Carter
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A billionaire's grandson and the housekeeper's daughter square off in this cat-and-mouse holiday romance-mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year.
Ella Chambers didn't kill Liam Montgomery.
If she had, she certainly wouldn't have done it outside his family's mansion during the Christmas party of the year. She definitely wouldn't have loaded his body into the trunk of her car. And she absolutely would not have announced to the town that the boy who ruined her life ten years ago was "so dead to her."
But now Liam is missing - nothing but a bloody spot on the drive and a host of unanswered questions - and Ella is the only person who knows he's still alive.
So it's up to her to prove it.
Liam Montgomery didn't want to die.
But, it turns out, when you're the sole heir to a billionaire, someone might want you dead. Luckily for Liam, being dead works for him.
Now he's on the hunt for a killer. Unfortunately, Ella is on the hunt for him.
She'll have to prove he's still alive to clear her name, but that's easier said than done in a quaint mountain town where everyone knows your story but no one knows the truth. Can the billionaire's grandson and the housekeeper's daughter join forces to catch a killer? Or is their past too steeped in secrets and lies?
As the storm of the century blows in, every step will bring these two childhood rivals closer to a killer - and each other.
Because, this Christmas, only one thing is certain: it's beginning to look a lot like murder."
Please say this one, unlike The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, has actual murder in it. I'm fine with holiday romance, I just like a corpse or two as well.
Not Another Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Anna's taking the family away for a quiet Christmas in this hilarious, standalone murder mystery...
Unlike last year, there will be no risk of her burning the turkey, far less nagging from her mother-in-law and - crucially - a zero per cent chance of finding a dead body in her larder.
All she wants is to relax with a glass of wine in front of the fire. But when another group of guests show up just before a snowstorm, her plans begin to go awry. And the appearance of a dead body threatens to bugger up Christmas once again...
Can Anna get merry and root out the murderer? Or will this be another bloody Christmas nightmare?
A hilarious whodunnit that will keep you guessing this Christmas, perfect for fans of Gill Sims, Ian Moore and Richard Osman."
If holiday murderers are drawn to you, what's a girl to do? Holidays just won't cut it.
'Twas the Night by Kevin Johnson
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A young reporter follows a string of disappearances into the middle of a terrifying Christmas cult inspired by our favorite holiday classics.
You better watch out. You better not cry.
It's Christmas in the village of Yule, Maine.
In fact, it's always Christmas in Yule. Here, Santa Claus isn't a storybook figure. He's an icon. A god. The villagers don't just believe in him - they worship him. And the world is better for it.
Halley Belanger hates Christmas, and she doesn't have much love for Santa either. But when a string of child disappearances across Maine seems to spare only the village of Yule, Halley - a sharp, skeptical reporter - decides to investigate.
What she finds is a town that guards its secrets with gingerbread smiles and a snow globe sheen. Outsiders aren't welcome. She isn't welcome. And something sinister is keeping the Christmas spirit alive.
As Halley digs deeper, she begins to uncover the horrifying truth behind Yule's eternal cheer. Christmas comes at a grisly cost. And Santa Claus is no saint."
This is giving me Joe Hill vibes.
The Bluff by Wade Rouse
Published by: Mira Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Succession meets The Family Stone in bestselling author Wade Rouse's humorous and sharply observant look at a family teetering on the edge of merry mayhem.
The Chapmans do Christmas the way they do everything: impeccably, expensively, and with the unshakable belief that good lighting can conceal bad blood. Their annual Christmas card may look picture-perfect, but behind the polite smiles there's a storm brewing. This year, at their grand lakefront cottage on Mackinac Island, a snowstorm traps generations of Chapmans - and their schemes - under one roof.
Chris Chapman is on the verge of losing everything: his father's trust, his role at the helm of the family business, and his wife's respect. Kat Chapman is already fed up with hosting her critical, stuck-up in-laws and their impossibly inflexible holiday traditions. Her solution? Invite her working-class parents - born and bred Islanders - for Christmas, much to the horror of the Chapmans, whose rule that "We do not share Christmas with other people" is about to be broken.
As the snow piles up, so do the grievances: their children - fiercely liberal Leah and conservative golden-boy Chip - are locked in a battle of wits, Chris's vaguely corrupt brother Cormac and his calculating trophy wife are stirring the pot, and Kat's mother is holding onto a secret that could upend the entire game.
Deliciously messy and surprisingly tender, The Bluff is a feisty festive family drama about money, marriage, power, and all the things we bring to the holiday table besides the turkey."
And if you're trapped on Mackinac Island you're REALLY trapped.
Cue the Murder by Claire Hart-Palumbo
Published by: Sibylline Digital First
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 310 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"How do you go from acting in Nöel Coward plays to catching psycho killers?
Thirty-two-year-old stage actress Darcy Donovan juggles five jobs to follow her art. With two shows closing, and laid off from job #3, she is hired as a freelancer by a magazine run by her dream guy, but romance is upstaged by the return of her not quite ex-husband.
Playing investigative reporter has its own risks. When her favorite security guard at the theater takes a swan dive off a skyscraper, she sets out to prove it wasn't suicide and find the granddaughter he talked about. It's a wild ride through the streets of H-town in her billboard VW bug, as she becomes a murder suspect, rescues an abused woman only to be run off the road by the maniacal husband, investigates her own divorce lawyer, encounters a desperate real-estate tycoon, and is thoroughly intimidated by her NPR radio-reporter mom before scoring her first cover story and the love of her editor."
The most unbelievable part of this is that she gets a job at a magazine.
A Murder at Midnight by Ellie Alexander
Published by: Storm Publishing
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"It's autumn in Redwood Grove, and Annie and Fletcher have their hands full running the Secret Bookcase and handling their growing caseload at the Novel Detectives.
To add to the excitement, a popular ghost hunter has set his sights on the old English estate to feature on his hit TV show - Sleeping with the Spirits - and is going to record an episode overnight at the bookstore. It seems like a great idea for publicity and a fun way to generate more revenue.
But when the star of the show is found dead, Annie and Fletcher know they're dealing with something much more alarming than an angry poltergeist.
It's up to the Novel Detectives to track down the real culprit and put an end to any otherworldly rumors - before someone else gets hurt.
This gripping cozy mystery will have you sleeping with the lights on! Perfect for fans of Lauren Elliott, Merryn Allingham and M.C. Beaton."
A traumatic cozy!?! New subgenre?
Samantha: The Next Chapter by Fiona Davis
Published by: American Girl Publishing
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From American Girl and New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis comes the next chapter of Samantha Parkington's story - now an adult searching for justice after her legacy is stolen in New York City in 1920.
It's 1920, and 25-year-old Samantha Parkington is working hard to educate women in New York about suffrage and encourage them to vote in their first presidential election that fall. But when Samantha's large inheritance, including her childhood Mount Bedford home, is stolen in a shocking scheme, she goes from socialite to shop girl overnight and experiences a very different side of New York City living in a boarding house. Searching for clues regarding the theft of her inheritance, she infiltrates the business of a notorious criminal in New York City. Determined as ever, Samantha will do whatever it takes to find answers and save her family's legacy."
As a girl who grew up in the home of American Girl and as a fan of Fiona Davis, this is so exciting for me.
Unspeakable Things by Elizabeth Hand
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A chance meeting on a windswept English moor sparks an obsessive - and soon deadly - love affair between two lonely young women in this clever inversion of the Gothic classics, with a fresh spin that could only come from the award-winning author of A Haunting on the Hill.
It's the 1920s and the English countryside is quiet - which suits Olivia and Tamsin, two young women happy to be overlooked by society. Their relationship is complicated: unruly, working-class Tamsin was brought to Kerrith Manor to be tutored at Olivia's side, but the two quickly have found something more than friendship - a bone-deep recognition that ignites an endless passion.
But an unexpected visitor and an unexplained death disrupt their idyll, sending both women on the run. They find harbor at Ledges, the dazzling estate of ruthlessly wealthy and mysterious Rex de Voil - and a favorite hang-out for the bohemian "bright young things" eager to cut loose far from London's prying eyes. Olivia and Tamsin revel in their newfound freedom...until they learn that nothing in Rex's world is without cost.
Richly evoking a vibrant time in queer history, Unspeakable Things is a seductive historical thriller that explores the haunting bond between two women coming into their power even as it unspools their obsession to its deadly end."
Hopefully it's Rex that ends up dead.
The Dancer and the Dream Thief by Rowenna Miller
Published by: Redhook
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A dancer finds herself at the center of a bootlegging scheme run by elfin creatures in this sweeping Prohibition-era historical fantasy from the author of The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill.
Working as a dancer in the Palace Ballroom, Evelyn Pulaski has become familiar with the idea of selling dreams. For a dime a dance she plays into a cheap fantasy of romance before returning to the independent life she's made for herself. When a group of elfin bootleggers start to hang around the Palace, Evelyn and her friends grow wary. Several dancehall girls have disappeared, and the bootleggers are the prime suspects.
Raife is also in the business of selling dreams. One of the bootleggers at the Palace, he is part of an operation stealing dreams from humans and selling them in the elfinlands. Raife takes a shine to Evelyn, suspecting her to be a rare, vivid dreamer. As he investigates further, Rafe tells himself his interest is purely professional, but there is something entrancing about Evelyn.
When her best friend disappears, Evelyn forges an uneasy alliance with Raife to find her. But their rescue mission sets off a chain of events that endangers them both and reveals to Evelyn that her dreams hold more power than she could ever imagine."
To actually live the dream of romance for a dime a dance is a fascinating conceit.
Entities to Lovers by Mallory Marlowe
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 5368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A connection that's more than supernatural emerges between two rival tour guides who wish they could ghost each other in this sparkling romantic comedy from USA Today bestselling author Mallory Marlowe.
Paranormal medium Rory Woods spends her days offering psychic readings at Ye Olde Spirit Shop and nights haunting the streets of Boston as a ghost-tour guide. Sure, business could be better, but she's proud of the shop she runs with her mom.
Enter Ezra Blackwell: adjunct history professor, noted thorn in Rory's side, and - though she'd only admit it under threat of medieval torture he surely knows too much about - a distractingly handsome, charismatic coworker.
Rory can't stand Ezra's know-it-all, show-offy behavior. Ezra loves to tease the gorgeous, brilliant medium at the shop. And when the two are forced to host a tour together? It's no wonder they end up hexed after disturbing a matchmaking ghost.
Saddled with perpetual bad luck unless they're physically near each other, Rory and Ezra will try anything, from séances to kissing, to stop the jinx from wreaking havoc on both their lives. But in their quest to appease the spirit, they realize that growing closer might not be the curse they once thought it was."
Perhaps the ghost knew exactly what it was doing?
A Waltz of Sinister Import by Stephanie Burgis
Published by: Stephanie Burgis
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: eBook
To Buy
The official patter:
"When the notorious Lady Riven is summoned to Vienna to solve a supernatural mystery, her debonair vampiric husband insists on accompanying her. However, neither of them is prepared for the true scope of the danger lurking within the sprawling Hofburg Palace...and by the time they uncover the truth behind every glittering illusion, their relationship may change forever.
The third and final (for now!) sparkling installment of The Supernatural Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven contains copious amounts of delicious cake, a protective vampire husband, unexpected new friendships, and a waltz that might just sweep the whole continent into war unless Margaret is stubborn enough to prevent it."
Let's give it up for a new Stephanie Burgis book! What what!
Written in the Starlight by Sloane Brooks
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A storybook chambermaid's and an intergalactic bounty hunter's worlds - and hearts - collide through a magical book, threatening to rewrite fate in this romantic portal fantasy with a cosmic twist. Perfect for fans of Tusk Love and The Spellshop.
Della Farley has always known her place: scrubbing floors, keeping her head down, and dreaming of something more. But when she stumbles upon a strange book that seems to be writing itself - a story about a man named Ansel Tulzok, a wanted fugitive traveling the stars - her quiet life turns extraordinary.
Light-years away, Ansel finds a mirror copy of the same book. Page by page, the story unfolds with details of a woman he's never met - one whose words feel achingly familiar. As the two begin writing to each other through the mysterious pages, they open doors not just to each other's worlds, but to their most vulnerable hopes and fears.
But every story has its price. And as their worlds entwine and their hearts collide, Della and Ansel must decide how far they're willing to go to change the ending fate has written for them."
Anyone else getting Firefly meets Outlander vibes?
The Gilded Rose by Joanna Shupe
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"USA Today bestselling author Joanna Shupe returns with an angst-filled retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set against the excess and opulence of Gilded Age New York.
Love isn't always a fairy tale.
Charming and popular, Orson Grey is the most sought-after bachelor in Manhattan. When Caroline pledges to spend her life with him, it feels like the beginning of a fairy tale.
The fairy tale quickly turns into a nightmare.
Behind closed doors, Orson is controlling and cruel. Trapped by laws that prevent women from leaving unhappy marriages, Caroline has no choice but to endure her husband's behavior. Each day grows more intolerable, and her frustration and resentment mounts. Even her passion for rare books is stifled, leaving her isolated and lonely, a fading rose trapped under glass.
When Caroline is offered the opportunity to catalogue a private library, she seizes it like a lifeline. Exploring the literary treasures, she discovers a friend in the library's owner, Zane Bishop - a brilliant, wealthy recluse who was disfigured in an explosion years ago.
Thoughtful and kind, Zane is everything Orson is not. As their trust builds, Zane realizes that Caroline's pain runs much deeper than she lets on. He suffers with her, knowing precisely of Orson's cruelty firsthand. Zane will stop at nothing to set Caroline free, even if it means risking everything.
The Gilded Rose is a story of resilience, passion, and the transformative power of love."
I love that because of Disney all Beauty and the Beast retellings must not include a fantastic library.
Wench by Erynne Rivers
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Maid Marian's life is over.
Her cowardly father has betrothed her to the most reviled man in the land: the Sheriff of Nottingham. Devastated, she's sent on the quickest path to meet her husband, through the fae-infested Sherwood Forest.
But everything changes when her carriage is attacked by the most feared fae of all: the Merry Men, followers of the infamous Robin Hood. Kidnapped and waiting on the Sheriff's rescue, Marian finds herself surrounded by the magical creatures she's been raised to fear. But the more time she spends in their presence, Marian realises that not everything she's been taught by her family is true.
And Marian can't help but find herself drawn to her captor - the sinfully handsome Robin, who stands between her and returning to life amongst the humans.
As the Sheriff's men close in on Marian's location, she will soon be faced with the ultimate choice: the family she's always known, or the love she can choose for herself...
A breathtaking debut romantasy novel for lovers of Robin Hood, The Knight and the Moth and Heavenly Bodies."
Please say Robin Hood is a shapeshifter who turns into a fox. If you know, you know.
Cooking Up Magick by H.L. Bernabe
Published by: Hl Bernabe
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 426 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Paisley Dell just wants to cook. A halfling with big culinary ambitions, she sets off across the realm of Erdea to learn its cuisines - only to discover, days into her journey, that she can wield magick no one has seen in five hundred years. That's a problem, because the sorcerer who wiped out magick users the first time around is back, raising an army of orcs to finish what he started.
With a talking cat, a pair of dwarven companions, and an orc prince determined to restore his people's honor, Paisley is pulled from spice markets into a siege - and finds that she and her friends may be the only thing standing between Erdea and ruin. Cozy fantasy warmth meets epic fantasy stakes in a story where kindness, love, and community aren't weaknesses to overcome, but the very strengths that win wars.
Includes a map of Erdea and appendices featuring a pronunciation guide, glossary, and cast of characters."
Always stronger together. Especially if there's a talking cat.
When the Magic Comes by Shereen Vedam
Published by: Shereen Vedam
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: eBook
To Buy
The official patter:
"Magic. Prophecy. Murder.
It's been said that Kennard of Grimm is destined to be the first in a long line of warriors who battle evil with magic.
Just one problem: he teaches magic at a prestigious university, but he has no magical abilities.
What he has is a dangerous curiosity, piercing instincts, and a responsibility for a baby dragon named Tala. Normal chaos rules Kennard's life until a student is murdered, and another is blamed. Convinced the accused is innocent, he sets out to find the real killer.
To further complicate Kennard's life, his mother and sister visit him, sparking Tala's protective instincts. Then things turn more dangerous when a second body shows up.
The killer's audacity is mounting.
Kennard must stop the murderer and soothe his indignant dragonet or risk death and destruction on a much larger scale.
If you enjoy your mystery with a hint of fairy tale, you'll love meeting Kennard of Grimm and his dragonet, and sharing in their epic adventure as amateur detectives in a magical medieval fantasy world."
Everything is better with a hint of fairy tale.
Liberal Arts by David McGlynn
Published by: Triquarterly Books
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A kaleidoscopic novel-in-stories set at a fictional Midwest college.
Two centuries old and covered in ivy, Wisconsin's Buchanan College is populated by an eclectic mix of students, staff, and professors hailing from the nearby suburbs to the far corners of the globe. From the outside, Buchanan seems an idyllic world of higher learning. Yet behind its bucolic exterior, a series of interconnected dramas play out: a slew of first-year students mysteriously disappear within days of moving in; an injured hockey star discovers an unlikely fountain of youth; an alumna returns to campus after fifty years in the hope of reconnecting with a former love. And throughout the novel we follow the story of Jenny Ramirez, a social worker and the wife of a popular professor, who commits an act that alters how the college sees her, and how she sees herself. Over a span of four years, from orientation to graduation, the characters in Liberal Arts are forced to weigh their ideals and aspirations against the harsh and often ridiculous realities of the world, and are left asking what, if anything, a liberal arts education has left to teach them."
Obviously fictional because no one in any Wisconsin college graduates in four years.
A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney
The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo
The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling
Odd Spirits by S.T. Gibson
The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke
Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
Lesser Ruins by Mark Haber
Cross Bones by Tracy Whitwell
A Christmas Ghost Story by Kim Newman
The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict
Killing Time by M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
My Darlings by Marie Still
The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni
The Bloodstained Doll by John Everson
The Murderess by Laurie Notaro
Divine Mortals by Amanda M. Helander
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai
The Spamalot Diaries by Eric Idle
