strange and random happenstance

Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A group of employees and their CEO, celebrating the sale of their remarkable emotion-mapping-AI-algorithm, crash onto a not-quite-deserted tropical island.

Luckily, those who survived have found a beautiful, fully-stocked private palace, with all the latest technological updates (though one without connection to the outside world). The house, however, has more secrets than anyone might have guessed, and a much darker reason for having been built and left behind.

Kristen, the hyper-competent "chief emotional manager" (a position created by her eccentric, boyish billionaire boss, Sumter) is trying to keep her colleagues stable throughout this new challenge, but staying sane seems to be as much of a challenge as staying alive.

Being a woman in tech has always meant having to be smarter than anyone expects - and Kristen's knack for out-of-the-box problem-solving and quick thinking has gotten her to the top of her field. But will a killer instinct be enough to survive the island?

A gleefully decadent near future whodunit from Madeline Ashby, the acclaimed futurist and author of Company Town - perfect for fans of Severance, The White Lotus, and Black Mirror."

Please say AI kills them. Fingers crossed! 

I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The author of the "clever, atmospheric, and creepy" (Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon returns with a sly and addictive new mystery about an advice columnist searching for answers about her predecessor's murder.

Her most important letter might be her last...

Years ago Alex Marks escaped to New York City for a fresh start. Now, aside from trips to her regular diner for coffee, she keeps to herself, gets her perfectly normal copywriting job done, and doesn't date. Her carefully cultivated world is upended when her childhood hero, Francis Keen, is brutally murdered. Francis was the woman behind the famous advice column, Dear Constance, and her words helped Alex through some of her darkest times.

When Alex sees an advertisement searching for her replacement, she impulsively applies, never expecting to actually get the job. Against all odds, Alex is given the position and quickly proves herself skilled at solving other people's problems. But soon, she begins to receive strange, potentially threatening letters at the office. Francis's murderer was never identified, turning everyone around her into a threat. Including her boss, editor-in-chief Howard Dimitri, who has a habit of staying late at the office and drinking too much.

As Alex is drawn into the details surrounding her predecessor's murder, her own dark secrets begin to rise to the surface and Alex suddenly finds herself trapped in a dangerous and potentially deadly game of cat and mouse that takes her all the way from the power centers of Manhattan to Francis Keen's summer house, where her body was found and where the killer may just be waiting for her."

A body in a summer house? Oh, so much yes.

The Queen City Detective Agency by Snowden Wright
Published by: William Morrow and Company
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Following an unforgettable cast of characters and a jaded female P.I. enmeshed in a criminal conspiracy in 1980s Mississippi, The Queen City Detective Agency is a riveting, razor-sharp Southern noir that unravels the greed, corruption, and racism at the heart of the American Dream.

Meridian, Mississippi - once known as the Queen City for its status in the state - has lost much of its royal bearing by 1985. Overshadowed by more prosperous cities such as New Orleans and Atlanta, Meridian attracts less-than-legitimate businesses, including those enforced by the near-mythical Dixie Mafia. The city's powerbrokers, wealthy white Southerners clinging to their privilege, resent any attempt at change to the old order.

Real-estate developer Randall Hubbard took advantage of Meridian's economic decline by opening strip malls that catered to low-income families in Black neighborhoods - until he wound up at the business end of a .38 Special. Then a Dixie Mafia affiliate named Lewis "Turnip" Coogan, who claims Hubbard's wife hired him for the hit, dies under suspicious circumstances while in custody for the murder.

Ex-cop turned private investigator Clementine Baldwin is hired by Coogan's bereaved mother to find her son's killer. A woman struggling with her own history growing up in Mississippi, Clem braves the Queen City's corridors of crime as she digs into the case, opening wounds long forgotten. She soon finds herself in the crosshairs of powerful and dangerous people who manipulate the law for their own ends - and will kill anyone who threatens to reveal their secrets."

There's something more gritty and real about crime set in the 80s.

Through the Midnight Door by Katrina Monroe
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Three sisters. Three keys. Three unspeakable horrors.

The Finch sisters once spent long, hot summers exploring the dozens of abandoned properties littering their dying town - until they found an impossible home with an endless hall of doors...and three keys left waiting for them. Curious, fearless, they stepped inside their chosen rooms, and experienced horrors they never dared speak of again.

Now, years later, youngest sister Claire has been discovered dead in that old, desiccated house. Haunted by their sister's suicide and the memories of a past they've struggled to forget, Meg and Esther find themselves at bitter odds. As they navigate the tensions of their brittle relationship, they draw unsettling lines between Claire's death, their own haunted memories, and a long-ago loss no one in their family has ever been able to face. With the house once again pulling them ever-closer, Meg and Esther must find the connection between their sister's death and the shadow that has chased them across the years...before the darkness claims them, too.

As emotional as it is haunting, Through the Midnight Door explores the sometimes-fragile bonds of sisterhood and the way deeply rooted trauma can pass from generation to generation."

Trauma, mystery, yeah yeah, this house totally eats people right?

The Dark We Know by Wen-Yi Lee
Published by: Zando - Gillian Flynn Books
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Gillian Flynn Books, a lyrical young adult horror by debut author Wen-yi Lee that's perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting, Stephen King's IT, and The Haunting of Hill House.

Growing up in Slater, Isadora Chang never felt at ease in the repressive small town, even before she realized she was bisexual - but after the deaths of two childhood friends, Slater went from feeling claustrophobic to suffocating. So, Isa took off before the town could swallow her, too. Even though it meant leaving everything she knew behind, including her last surviving friend, Mason.

When Isa's abusive father dies, however, she agrees to come back from art school just long enough to collect the inheritance. But then Mason turns up at the cemetery with a revelation and a plea: their friends were murdered by an evil that haunts the town, and he needs Isa to help stop it - before it takes anyone else.

When Isa begins to hear strange songs on the wind, and eerie artwork fills her sketchbook that she can't recall drawing, she's forced to stop running and confront her past. Because something is waiting in the shadows of Slater's valleys, something that feeds on the pain and heartbreak of its children. Whatever it is, it knows Isa's back...and it won't let her escape again.

Wen-yi Lee's young adult debut is an intimate and gripping exploration of trauma, healing, and the lasting power of friendship, as a runaway teen must finally face the sinister forces that defined her childhood, and in doing so, demand her right to survive."

I mean, if you're stupid enough to go back you have to see it through...

The Queen's Lies by Oliver Clements
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest in the thrilling and "lively" (The New York Times) Agents of the Crown series follows John Dee and his wife working together in an act of espionage that may turn out to be treason.

While working on a powerful new weapon for England, the country's first secret agent John Dee finds himself threatened from all sides. First, his secret plans are stolen, then his son is kidnapped by a vengeful enemy from his past. At the same time, Dee's wife, Jane, is sent by Queen Elizabeth I to console her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, whom court advisors are determined to try for treason.

But Jane suspects her assignment is much more than a visit from a sympathetic cousin. Is it possible that Elizabeth sent her to speed Mary to her death without the public trial that she knows will forever define the limits of royal power? Together, John and Jane begin to feel genuine sympathy for the Scottish queen and work to finish his invention, protect their son, and save Mary from the scaffold. But can they do that while still remaining loyal to the English crown?"

I am SUCH a sucker for John Dee!

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
Published by: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare's most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.

The Lady knows the stories: how her eyes induce madness in men.

The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.

The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of strategy, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.

But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armor. She does not know that her magic is greater and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.

She does not know this yet. But she will."

I'm loving this new trend of reexamining Lady Macbeth!

The House Keeper's Secret by Iona Grey
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Duty, desire, and deception reside under one roof.

Standing in the remote windswept moors of Northern England, Coldwell Hall is the perfect place to hide. For the past five years, Kate Furniss has maintained her professional mask so carefully that she almost believes she is the character she has created: Coldwell's respectable housekeeper.

It is the summer of 1911 that brings new faces above and below the stairs of Coldwell Hall - including the handsome and mysterious new footman, Jem Arden. Just as the house's shuttered rooms open, so does Kate's guarded heart to a love affair that is as intense as it is forbidden. But Kate can feel her control slipping as Jem harbors secrets of his own.

Told in alternating timelines from the last sun-drenched summer of the Edwardian Age to the mud-filled trenches of WWI, The Housekeeper's Secret opens its door to a world of romance, the truths we hold onto, and the past we must let go."

Why are so many deliciously unavoidable men named Jem?

Through the Mist by Lindsay Jayne Ashford
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 331 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two women disturb the dark history of a deceptively quiet postwar Cornwall village in a haunting novel by the bestselling author of A Feather on the Water and The Woman on the Orient Express.

It's winter 1947 when newlyweds Ellen and Tony Wylde move into an abandoned Cornish farmhouse overlooking the sea. For both, it's a new beginning in the country, and together they're bringing Carreg Cottage back to life. Yet Ellen can't hide a creeping unease. There's the ominous iconography painted on their bedroom ceiling, the sinister doll hidden away in the chimney. And Tony seems more familiar with the peculiar villagers than he's letting on.

Meanwhile, after nearly a decade away, young Iris returns to Cornwall seeking sanctuary in memories and longing for what she lost as a child. It was here that her mother died on the moors under a shroud of mystery and rumor - and was last seen alive in the isolated, long-shuttered cottage the Wyldes now call home.

Discovering more about each other and themselves, Ellen and Iris soon unite in a quest to uncover every dark secret this village - and the West Country mist - holds before it destroys them."

At doll hidden in chimney I would be already moving.

The Winged Tiara by J'nell Ciesielski
Published by: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Diamonds and danger dazzle in Ciesielski's latest enchanting romp through post-war Europe as estranged spouses and jewel thieves hunt an elusive Valkyrie tiara.

November 12, 1918. It was a match made in champagne-soaked heaven, but all too soon the bubbles dried up, and Esme Fox awakens the morning after celebrating the end of the Great War to find herself shockingly and accidentally married. She gathers her belongings and slips out before her new husband can stop her. After all, she knows it's best to leave before he does.

Four years later, Jasper Truitt, after having made a name for himself in the underground world of jewel thieves, is on the hunt for a valuable heirloom: a one-of-a-kind winged tiara - the last Valkyrie tiara ever created. So it's with great surprise that he discovers it at a charity event atop the head of a woman he's never forgotten. His long-lost wife...who happens to be pursuing the tiara for a vengeful opera diva desperate to obtain the jewel for herself.

The reunion is cut short when Esme vanishes - again - but their separation is temporary. With a hitman on their heels and a deadline looming, the pair find themselves in an epic game of cat and mouse across Europe following leads from the French Riviera to a shop of wonders in Venice, a fairy-tale castle in Bavaria, and a veritable circus thrown by a champagne heiress, all before a dramatic horseback flight through the French countryside.

In the end only one can win, and with both of their hearts on the line, the winner may well turn out to be the loser.

In her latest glamorous historical romance, J'nell Ciesielski spins a sparkling story filled with her signature snappy dialogue and vivid atmosphere that will keep you reading late into the night to see what happens next."

I love the trope of accidental marriage actually working out in the end. Even if they're both thieves.

A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a perfect wedding is called off just days before the big event, it sends two people - and their families - reeling, in this poignant novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun and Women in Sunlight.

A great marriage is an elusive thing, and only a few know the secret to making one.

Dara Willcox, in New York for a weekend, meets Austin Clarke at an art gallery. If love at first sight can happen, it happens to them. These two vivid, ambitious people are on different courses - he's British, working temporarily in New York. She's from North Carolina, set on law school. They don't care. They will make their lives together happen. At their April engagement dinner at Dara's family home, her mother, Lee, sets a beautiful table, and the family and close friends gather to celebrate. Rich, Dara's father, raises a toast. Suddenly, Lee spills the wine, a brilliant red stain splashing onto the tablecloth and onto Austin.

Days later, Austin hears unsettling news from London that wrecks their plans. Dara abruptly cancels the wedding. She refuses to reveal the reason, not even to her best friends or her parents or grandmother, disrupting their family tradition of openness. As everyone knows, Lee and Rich have a great marriage, and Charlotte, her grandmother, had a colossal one, to the late Senator Mann. Charlotte literally wrote the book on the subject: She's the author of international bestsellers on what makes a good or possibly a great marriage.

While Dara escapes to California and Indigo Island, South Carolina, Austin, back in London, faces a major tragedy, the consequences of which are life-altering. But it's Lee, Dara's mother, whose impulsive visit to London alters their fate.

With her signature warmth, humor, and incisive style, beloved author Frances Mayes creates a multigenerational probe into the complexity of love and the great mystery ride of marriage. A novel of casual choices and fateful consequences, A Great Marriage introduces two unforgettable families and the arrival of a stranger who rearranges their futures."

Come on, like me, I know you need to know what they broke up!

Beyond Ivy Walls by Rachel Fordham
Published by: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, a recluse and a young woman discover that the scars of life are no match against an act of love.

Iowa, 1903. All of Monticello believes Otis Taylor has been away fostering his musical genius. But the truth is that his father exiled him long ago, rejecting Otis's appearance and the scars that came with it. Now that he is the last living Taylor, Otis has covertly returned to settle his family's affairs and rid himself of his past for good. However, he soon discovers that he may not have been the only abandoned Taylor and begins a tireless search for his missing toddler niece.

At twenty-three years old, Sadie West left her family farm and found employment at the Hoag feather duster factory. It isn't a romantic job, but she's hardly had a glimmer of romance since her beau went off to college, leaving her with no promise of a future together. Desperate to save money and help her family make ends meet, she trespasses and finds shelter in an abandoned building - and is thrown in the path of the town's mysterious bachelor.

Otis's wounds are deep, but as Sadie's friendship with him grows, she begins to fall for the man beneath the mask. Locating his long-lost niece, however, is more difficult than either could have imagined, and Sadie West may be the key to Otis Taylor finally finding his way home."

Yes, romance, yes, recluse, I want to know more about the Hoag feather duster factory!

Netherford Hall by Natania Barron
Published by: Solaris Nova
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 360 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Pride and Prejudice and Witches.

After a mysterious fire at their home in Regency London displaces Gentlewitch Edith Rookwood and her now much-reduced family to their ancestral seat of Netherford Hall in Kent, she faces a new threat in the form of her tenant-the chaotic and lovely Poppy Brightwell.

The repairs on the old pile are prohibitive, Edith's standing is uncertain, and her inheritance has been challenged by a forgotten American branch of the family. It is clear she needs to marry, soon and wisely-but the lively girl from Harrow House gradually comes to occupy all of her thoughts.

As tenants, rivals, suitors and enemies start to circle Netherford, and dark secrets about both women's pasts come to light, Edith and Poppy must confront what it means to fight for love and family, and to be their authentic selves."

Regency Magic Bitches! Or should I say Witches?

A Bachelor Establishment by Jodi Taylor
Published by: Headline
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"High adventure and dark mystery combine in this sparkling historical romance from the internationally bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's series.

Elinor Bascombe, widowed and tied to an impoverished estate, has learned to ask little of life. With no hope of leaving, the years have passed her by.

Lord Ryde, exiled abroad after a scandal, has returned to strip his estate and make a new start in America.

A chance encounter changes their plans, plunging Elinor and Lord Ryde into adventure and not a little peril until, finally, they are forced to confront the mystery of what happened on That Night, all those years ago.

Are they both so entangled in the riddles of the past that they are about to miss this one last opportunity for future happiness?"

Come on, a night so mysterious it's capitalized!?!

Over My Dead Body by Maz Evans
Published by: Headline
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 352Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Hello? Can you hear me? Probably not. I'm Dr Miriam Price...and I'm dead.

The local police, who couldn't investigate their own nostrils, think I drank myself into an early grave. The nerve! I was murdered. I was just too plastered to know whodunnit, that's all.

Unless I prove to my inquest this week that my death was no 'misadventure', I'm condemned to 50 years in Limbo. I have to find my killer - but I can't communicate with any living human. Well, there's one, but she barely qualifies...Winnie - my neighbour and nemesis. It seems the dying can interact with the dead, which is helpful news for me, if not stellar for Winnie. Oh well. She'll live. Maybe.

Suspects? How long have you got? My saintly husband, who'd reached his limit? My best friend, who was anything but? My secret lover, or his wife? My disgruntled colleague? The mother who wrongly holds me responsible for her child's death? Professor Plum? Your guess is as good as mine.

So Winnie - slap on your deerstalker and strap on your granny pants. Let's catch a killer! Assuming we don't kill each other first..."

But maybe the killer had a good reason?

The Story Collector by Evie Woods
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An evocative and charming novel full of secrets and mystery, from the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop.

In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything...

One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life.

In New York in the present day, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland. But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets - secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.

With a taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Woods's latest novel is full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales to tell."

All about the fairy stories being translated. Perhaps something was released?

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca
Published by: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone's spirits in this new series from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.

Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn't have to run air-conditioning.

Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there's something unusual with her new home (her laptop won't charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn't read "WRONG" and "MY HOUSE" when she put them up), she's charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she's catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.

As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don't get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie's worried she's in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing...and Nick's afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good."

What's a ghost or two when love is on the line?

Clickbait by Holly Baxter
Published by: Harper Perennial
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"With the dark comedy and sharp observations of Monica Heisey and Dolly Alderton, a whip-smart and laugh-out-loud funny debut novel about a disgraced, newly divorced journalist demoted to a "clickbait" job at a Manhattan tabloid.

The first thing they tell you when you begin your training is never to become the news.

Natasha has screwed up royally. Her mistake isn't just embarrassing, it's a breach of journalistic ethics that makes headlines and costs her a plum job reporting from London. Back in New York at thirty-five and single, divorced from a kind man she loved, she finds herself at the bottom of the media food chain - a junior reporter at a clickbait factory, rewriting sensational tabloid stories to make them just different enough to avoid lawsuits.

As if her professional fall from grace weren't bad enough, she's taken the money she'd saved for a down payment for a home on a charming Brooklyn block with her husband, and rashly bought a boxy apartment overlooking the gray ocean in Rockaway Beach, Queens.

Though seeing friends and family only serves to remind her of what she's lost, things begin to pick up when her ex-boyfriend Zach moves back to New York and accepts her offer of a spare bedroom. The arrangement is strictly platonic, of course - for him. But Natasha can't help but wonder whether he might be the solution to all her problems.

As Natasha's obsession with Zach grows and her involvement in increasingly dystopian "churnalism" deepens, her worlds threaten to collide in the most cataclysmic, extremely public way."

Never go down the internet rabbit hole. It's a deep dark well.

New Adventures in Space Opera edited by Jonathan Strahan
Published by: Tachyon Publications
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ann Leckie / Becky Chambers / Alastair Reynolds / T. Kingfisher / Charlie Jane Anders / Anya Johanna DeNiro / Yoon Ha Lee / Lavie Tidhar / Tobias S. Buckell / Arkady Martine / Aliette de Bodard / Seth Dickinson / Karin Tidbeck

Award-winning Australian science-fiction editor Jonathan Strahan (The Best Science Fiction of the Year series) presents the quintessential guide to the exciting New Space Opera. This skillfully curated, must-read volume gathers fifteen dramatic, newly classic interstellar adventures from some of the most highly acclaimed and popular speculative-fiction authors.

In "Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance," a cloud-based contractor finds a human war criminal clinging to the hull of the ship. The clones of "All the Colors You Thought Were Kings," about to attend their coming-of-age ceremony, are also plotting treason. During "A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime," two outlaws go on the run after stealing a device from a space cult.

Take a faster-than-light trip to the future. Discover where memes rise and fall in moments. Here are the new and adventurous takes on interplanetary battles, sentient starships, and galactic intrigue. This must-read volume gathers fifteen dramatic, newly classic stories from some of the most highly acclaimed speculative authors."

I mean, you have to buy it for the T. Kingfisher story alone.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ava Reid, Evie Woods, Frances Mayes, Holly Baxter, Iona Grey, Jen DeLuca, Jessa Maxwell, Jodi Taylor, Katrina Monroe, Madeline Ashby, Maz Evans, Natania Barron, Oliver Clements, Rachel Fordham, Space Opera

Feel the Bern by Andrew Shaffer
Published by: Ten Speed Press
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 256Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Who knew fighting for a living wage could be so deadly? Bernie Sanders and his Gen Z intern are drawn into a murder investigation in a small Vermont town in this hilarious spin on cozy mysteries from the New York Times bestselling author of Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery.

Fall is bursting out all over Vermont, and while the rest of the Congress enjoys its recess, Senator Bernie Sanders has returned to his beloved home state for a weekend of events in Eagle Creek, "America’s #1 Leaf Peeping Destination." It's up to intern and Eagle Creek native Crash Robertson to keep the senator on schedule - and out of trouble.

Crash's hopes for a quiet homecoming are dashed, however, when the lifeless body of a community banker with ties to "Big Maple" is found in Lake Champlain. While the sheriff's department closes the case as an accident, a leaked autopsy indicates foul play...with a trail of syrup leading directly to one of the senator's oldest friends. Bernie, taking a page from the cozy mysteries he's addicted to, enlists Crash in a quest to uncover the killer’s true identity.

If Crash allows the senator to go too far off-script, it will be the end of her yet-to-begin political career. But as the suspect list grows to include a tech bro set on "disrupting" the maple syrup industry, struggling small-business owners, and even Crash's own family, she realizes there's more on the line than her own future. If the unlikely duo can't solve the mystery of the Maple Murderer before they strike again, Bernie's life-long fight for justice may come to an unplanned end.

This (totally fictional!) mystery also features recipes from Eagle Creek's Vermont Country Shed, including Vermont Cheddar Mac and Cheese, "Feel the Bern!" Maple Sriracha Hot Sauce, and more!"

I needed this Bernie book in my life so bad. I also really hope that in some universe he is addicted to cozy mysteries.

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Renaissance Faire is on the move, and Lulu and Dex are along for the ride, in the next utterly charming rom-com from Jen DeLuca.

A high-powered attorney from a success-oriented family, Louisa "Lulu" Malone lives to work, and everything seems to be going right, until the day she realizes it's all wrong. Lulu's cousin Mitch introduced her to the world of Renaissance Faires, and when she spies one at a time just when she needs an escape, she leaps into the welcoming environment of turkey legs, taverns, and tarot readers. The only drawback? Dex MacLean: a guitarist with a killer smile, the Casanova of the Faire...and her traveling companion for the summer.

Dex has never had to work for much in his life, and why should he? Touring with his brothers as The Dueling Kilts is going great, and he always finds a woman at every Faire. But when Lulu proves indifferent to his many plaid charms and a shake-up threatens the fate of the band, Dex must confront something he never has before: his future.

Forced to spend days and nights together on the road, Lulu's interest in the kilted bad boy grows as he shows her a side of himself no one else has seen. The stresses of her old lifestyle fade away as she learns to trust her intuition and follow her heart instead of her head. But when her time on the road is over, will Lulu go with her gut, or are she and Dex destined for separate paths?"

I love anything Ren Faire, and I would totally see The Dueling Kilts if they came to my faire.

Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An unlucky witch and her know-it-all nemesis must team up in the first of a new, spicy romantic comedy series from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn.

Could it possibly get any worse than having absolutely no magical abilities when you're a member of the most powerful family of witches ever? It used to be that I'd say no, but then I keep getting set up on dates with Gil Connolly whose hotness is only matched by his ego. Seriously. I can't stand him. Even if I also can't stop thinking about him (specifically kissing him) but we're going to pretend I never told you that part.

So yeah, my life isn't the greatest right now, but then it goes straight to the absolute worst hell when I accidentally make my sister's spell glitch and curse my whole family. And the only person who can help non-magical me break the spell? You guessed it. Gil the super hot jerk.

Now we have to work together to save my family and outmaneuver some evil-minded nefarious forces bent on world domination. Oh yeah, and we have to do all that while fighting against the attraction building between us because I may not be magical, but what's happening between Gil and I sure feels like it."

Because you need your cute witchy fix and Charmed was canceled.

Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels Book Two by Serena Blasco
Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Book 2 of the series, Enola is back on the case, deciphering clues and developing leads in each of three new mysteries. What she doesn’t know is that she, too, is being pursued - by her own brother! Once again, Sherlock Holmes' brilliant, strong-willed younger sister takes center stage in this delightfully drawn graphic novel based on Nancy Springer’s bestselling mystery series.

London, 1889. A woman is being held prisoner while she awaits a forced marriage. Another has been kidnapped, and yet another disappears...

As Enola seeks to rescue the three women, her brother embarks on a quest of his own. When Sherlock receives a mysterious package, he knows he'll need Enola's help to decipher its meaning. In the end, the three Holmes siblings will have to work together to answer the question that started it all: What happened to their mother?

Book Two contains three engrossing mysteries: The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan, The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, and The Case of Baker Street Station."

Interesting that they've renamed the sixth book yet again...

Bryant and May: Peculiar London by Christopher Fowler
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Thinking of a jaunt to England? Let Arthur Bryant and John May, London's oldest police detectives, show you the oddities behind the city's façades in this tongue-in-cheek travel guide.

It's getting late. I want to share my knowledge of London with you, if I can remember any of it.

So says Arthur Bryant. He and John May are the nation's oldest serving detectives. Who better to reveal its secrets? Why does this rainy, cold, gray city capture so many imaginations? Could its very unreliability hold the key to its longevity?

The detectives are joined by their boss, Raymond Land, and some of their most disreputable friends, each an argumentative and unreliable expert in their own dodgy field.

Each character gives us a short tour of odd buildings, odder characters, lost venues, forgotten disasters, confusing routes, dubious gossip, illicit pleasures, and hidden pubs. They make all sorts of connections - and show us why it's almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in London."

You've always wanted a rather "peculiar" tour of London, right?

Murder in the Basement by Anthony Berkeley
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When two newlyweds discover that a corpse has been buried in the basement of their new home, a grueling case begins to trace the identity of the victim. With all avenues of investigation approaching exhaustion, a tenuous piece of evidence offers a chance for Chief Inspector Moresby and leads him to the amateur sleuth Roger Sheringham, who has recently been providing cover work in a school south of London.

Desperate for evidence of any kind in the basement case, Moresby begins to sift through the manuscript of a satirical novel Sheringham has been writing about his colleagues at the school, convinced that amongst the colorful cast of teachers hides the victim - and perhaps their murderer.

A novel pairing dark humor and intelligent detection work, this 1932 mystery is an example of a celebrated Golden Age author's most inventive work. This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger Award–winning author Martin Edwards."

For Golden Age Detective enthusiasts many haven't heard of Roger Sheringham, and let me tell you, you are in for a treat. I was delighted when I first discovered Anthony Berkeley's creation almost a decade ago! 

The Earl and the Pharaoh by The Countess of Carnarvon
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bestselling author the Countess of Carnarvon tells the thrilling behind-the-scenes story of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun on its centennial, and explores the unparalleled life of family ancestor George Herbert - the famed Egyptologist, world-traveler, and 5th Earl of Carnarvon behind it - whose country house, Highclere Castle, is the setting of the beloved series Downton Abbey.

In November 1922, the world was mesmerized by news of an astonishing historical find in Egypt's legendary Valley of Kings: the discovery of the tomb of the Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamun. George Herbert, himself a famed amateur Egyptologist and noted antiquities collector, financed the expedition and excavation headed by lead archaeologist Howard Carter, and accompanied him inside this sacred space that had remained untouched for centuries.

Inside the tomb, the explorers found King Tut's sarcophagus and a treasure trove of astonishing artifacts: chariots and model boats, board games and paintings, a coffin made of pure gold. But these objects were more than just beautifully crafted works of art; they shed new light on Tutankhamun world and this fabled period of history, and changed our understanding of how the ancient Egyptians had lived - transforming overnight what had been formed through centuries of history and myth.

Drawing on Highclere Castle's archives, the Countess of Carnarvon pays homage to her ancestor on the 100th anniversary of this extraordinary event. In vivid and dramatic detail, she brings into focus the larger-than-life characters and lustrous settings - as well as those twists of luck and tragedies that shaped Herbert's life. Across the early 1900s, Highclere saw no less drama than the fictional Downton Abbey, with early tragedies for the Earl and love affairs, as well highs of exorbitant wealth and trials of punishing debt. But above all there was adventure. While Herbert first went to Egypt for his health, this mysterious, romantic land would become a second home; the beloved place where he funneled his attentions over a period of decades, never quite realizing how great the fruits of his labors would prove."

Two of my favorite things, Egypt and Downton Abbey!

A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley
Published by: Knopf
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author of A Thousand Acres: a rollicking murder mystery set in Gold Rush California, as two young prostitutes follow a trail of missing girls.

Monterey, 1851. Ever since her husband was killed in a bar fight, Eliza Ripple has been working in a brothel. It seems like a better life, at least at first. The madam, Mrs. Parks, is kind, the men are (relatively) well behaved, and Eliza has attained what few women have: financial security. But when the dead bodies of young women start appearing outside of town, a darkness descends that she can't resist confronting. Side by side with her friend Jean, and inspired by her reading, especially by Edgar Allan Poe's detective Dupin, Eliza pieces together an array of clues to try to catch the killer, all the while juggling clients who begin to seem more and more suspicious.

Eliza and Jean are determined not just to survive, but to find their way in a lawless town on the fringes of the Wild West - a bewitching combination of beauty and danger - as what will become the Civil War looms on the horizon. As Mrs. Parks says, "Everyone knows that this is a dangerous business, but between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise...""

This sounds just like my favorite arc on season two of Deadwood. Who doesn't want to watch prostitutes inspired by Edgar Allan Poe to solve crime?

A History of Fear by Luke Dumas
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Devil is in Scotland.

Grayson Hale, the most infamous murderer in Scotland, is better known by a different name: the Devil's Advocate. The twenty-five-year-old American grad student rose to instant notoriety when he confessed to the slaughter of his classmate Liam Stewart, claiming the Devil made him do it.

When Hale is found hanged in his prison cell, officers uncover a handwritten manuscript that promises to answer the question that's haunted the nation for years: was Hale a lunatic, or had he been telling the truth all along?

Unnervingly, Hale doesn't fit the bill of a killer. The first-person narrative that centers this novel reveals an acerbic young atheist, newly enrolled at the University of Edinburgh to carry on the legacy of his recently deceased father. In need of cash, he takes a job ghostwriting a mysterious book for a dark stranger, but has misgivings when the project begins to reawaken his satanophobia, a rare condition that causes him to live in terror that the Devil is after him. As he struggles to disentangle fact from fear, Grayson's world is turned upside-down after events force him to confront his growing suspicion that he's working for the one he has feared all this time - and that the book is only the beginning of their partnership.

A History of Fear is a propulsive foray into the darkness of the human psyche, marrying dread-inducing atmosphere and heart-palpitating storytelling."

Read this to find out if Grayson's satanophobia was justified!

A Arranged Christmas by Mary E. Taylor
Published by: Independently Published
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 90 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Can Bain bring forth a Christmas miracle and prove his love to his reluctant bride-to-be?

Not if she has anything to say about it.

Her family faces financial ruin, but Lady Adalyn can't accept that the only way to save them is to marry for money, not love. When her parents arrange for her to wed a stranger despite her objections, she flees her childhood home. Just when she thinks her daring escape has been a resounding success, she finds herself in more trouble than ever.

When her knight in shining armor sweeps in like a fairytale, Adalyn can hardly believe it. He's charming and dashing, with the most beautiful green eyes she's ever seen. She's completely smitten with her handsome stranger. That is, until she realizes who he is...

Viscount Bain Cooke can't believe his luck. His future bride is witty and beautiful, with a strong mind and delightfully sharp tongue. She's less than thrilled with their engagement, but he couldn't imagine a better fit. He only has until Christmas Day to change her mind, and time is running out.

Can Adalyn open her heart to the possibility of love in her arranged marriage?

If you enjoy sweet, regency romances with strong heroines, sweet gentlemen and a touch of Christmas spirit, you'll love An Arranged Christmas."

Because I have to vary up my holiday reading. I can't read ALL murder mysteries...

The Princess Bride: The Official Cookbook by Jenn Fujikawa
Published by: Smart Pop
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""As you dish!"

Few films have captured the hearts and imaginations like The Princess Bride. Based on the book by William Goldman, the 1987 film, directed by Rob Reiner and starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Billy Crystal, Andre the Giant, Carol Kane, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest, Fred Savage, and Peter Falk is as universally beloved as it is quotable.

Now, for the first time, The Princess Bride Cookbook: The Official Cookbook features more than 50 recipes for dishes seen in, and inspired by, the film, including:

Buttercup Buttermilk Scones
Hash You Wish
Farm Boy Breakfast
Six-Fingered Sandwiches
Chips of Insanity
MLT
The Grandson's Soup and Sandwich
Vizzini's Sicilian Meatballs
Fezzik's Stew
The Spaniard's Paella
Bread Pirate Roberts
Twu Wove's Kiss Cookies
Iocane Powder Punch
Inigo Montoya's Taste of Revenge

Perfect for fans, families, and Brute Squads, The Princes Bride: The Official Cookbook is the ultimate way for home cooks to plate up the adventure, comedy, and romance of everyone’s favorite film."

Because why not? Also the MLT makes total sense.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrew Shaffer, Anthony Berkeley, Avery Flynn, Bernie Sanders, Bryant and May, Christopher Fowler, Downton Abbey, Enola Holmes, Jane Smiley, Jen DeLuca, Luke Dumas, Mary E. Taylor, The Princess Bride