strange and random happenstance

A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas
Published by: Bloomsbury YA
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Romance, danger, and intrigue await you in the breathtaking sixth book in the #1 bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.

What was broken will be remade.

Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he's been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands.

The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still piecing itself together in the wake of the devastating Hybern War, the task of uniting is proving more difficult by the day.

To make matters worse, those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from recent betrayals and revealed truths. The rifts dividing them seem insurmountable.

But to defeat Koschei's creeping shadow, they must find a way back to each other and resurrect their former alliances. To survive, they must find a way to repair the splintered harmony all around them."

This book might be important to plans for my blog next year.

The Jewel of Corlivo by Kathleen Carr Foster
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In a reimagined Byzantine empire, a runaway courtesan and her disgraced suitor are on the hunt for ancient treasure. But in Kathleen Carr Foster's glittering debut, what they find will be far more troublesome...

Raised for the most luxurious pleasure house in mountain-ringed Corlivo, Anna has no illusions about her future. She'll be a courtesan, as her mother was before she disappeared - and like her mother, gamble that her charms attract a patron rich enough to pay her debts.

But when a gruff explorer with connections at the capital notices Anna, it's her sharp eye that draws him in. Sebastianus thinks Anna's found a clue within the pages of an ancient book to the lost city of treasure he seeks, and she might well discover more.

Together they escape to the imperial court, where marvels are commonplace - and so is treachery. Anna's courtesan training has hardly prepared her for the dangers of court life, let alone for delving into artifacts from the empire's past. But when she uncovers a secret tied to her mother's fate, Anna realizes more than her life is at stake. She holds the key to untold possibilities not only for herself, but for any of the women of Corlivo...if she can use it."

Personally, I think training for court intrigue is lesson number one for a courtesan...

Where We Go at Night by Ikwo Ntekim
Published by: HarperCollins Us
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"To name a thing is to see it, and no one can see the folk if they don't want to be seen.

As far as seventeen-year-old Trixie Godfrey is concerned, her hometown of Woods Crossing would be perfect - if not for the dark world of fae and magic lurking in the shadows. Growing up, her grandfather, Pops, never allowed her to get close to them - those aberrations, Mama used to say.

But on graduation night, when Trixie sneaks home past curfew she witnesses Pops' brutal murder in a moment so sudden, so inhuman she can no longer avoid the fae. Those without the Sight will blame wild animals, calling Pops' death an accident, a tragedy, but Trixie knows the truth because she has the Sight. She spent years burying her "gift", but she needs to revive it now.

Determined to get justice for Pops and rid Woods Crossing of its monsters, Trixie ventures into the intriguing but deceitful world of the fae - only to find herself caught in a power struggle between ancient families more terrible and crueler than hers could ever be. Or so she thinks...."

Never willingly deal with the fae. Even if you're out for revenge.

Elderwitch by Lucie Bowins
Published by: Cranthorpe Millner Publishers
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sixteen-year-old Emeline de Gournay has always dreamed of adventure.

But as the only daughter of a wealthy Norman baron, she knows her future is to marry a stranger her parents have chosen for her and remain by his side as a dutiful wife and mother.

That is, until the morning of her betrothal, when her younger brother is abducted by a terrifying, shapeshifting Elderwitch. To make things worse, her only hope of rescuing him is to join forces with Owain ap Hywel, a young Welsh half-Hazelwitch she is inexplicably drawn to...and the boy accused of her brother's kidnapping.

As they journey from her home in the turbulent Welsh Marches to a world of fighting Treewitches and mythical beasts, Emeline comes to realise that rescuing her brother will not be enough.

The only way for peace to be restored, in both her own world and the world of the Treewitches, is to destroy the Elderwitch for good."

I mean, two sides to every coin, at least she won't have to marry a stranger...

Scorpion Deep by CG Drews
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"CG Drews, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn, weaves a disturbing and intoxicating siren-call in Scorpion Deep, about a lonely boy who accidentally awakens an obsessive eldritch sea god.

The only thing Jonathan Covey wants from the gloomy, moldering isle of Kelcarrow is to leave it. Summer is ending, and his friends are looking forward to college on the mainland, unaware that Jonathan was not accepted to join them. He'll be left behind with nothing but the ocean's haunts and a rising dread of being abandoned.

In an act of wild desperation, Jonathan pays a tithe to Scorpion Deep, an eldritch sea god who many of the locals have dismissed as myth. He wants to forget the past, he wants to follow his friends, and most of all he wants to finally escape.

To his shock and horror, the ritual works - Scorpion Deep awakens. And despite his terror, Jonathan can't help but feel drawn toward the ageless entity that seems just as mutually obsessed with him. As scales start growing down his spine and Scorpion Deep's adoration of him turns bloody, Jonathan realizes the only way to end the nightmare is to destroy the monster one way or another.

But once a god has awoken, the only way to be free is to pay a price of blood."

If H.P. Lovecraft wrote Widow's Bay.

Château Reverie by Natasha Siegel
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Another sweeping speculative, romantic novel from the author of As Many Souls as Stars, in which attendees of a magical auction must bid secrets in exchange for their greatest desires. Perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern or V.E. Schwab.

Reverie and Sons humbly requests your attendance at THE AUCTION OF SECRETS.

Genevieve de Vienne does not remember the journey to the Château Reverie. She only remembers receiving her invitation to the Auction of Secrets, writing upon it her greatest desire - to forget the woman she once loved - and setting it aflame.

Leander Sterne does not remember a life outside of the Château Reverie. When he receives his own invitation, he does not have any secrets to bid, but his greatest desire - his liberty - is worth risking everything. He has nothing to lose.

Alongside five fellow attendees, Leander and Genevieve must survive three nights in the Château in order to bid their secrets and win their hearts' desire. But the Château has a mind of its own. As guests begin to disappear and Leander and Genevieve become more and more entangled, it becomes clear that the rules of the Auction might not be in anyone's favor...and even those who win might not be allowed to leave.

Written in Natasha Siegel's transportive, lush prose and set amidst the final days of the French Revolution, Château Reverie is a rococo fairytale full of horrors and wonders: both a sweeping romance and a twisting speculative mystery."

Whomever has the ability to grant your greatest desire should not be trusted. 

Rosemary and Thyme by Olivia Atwater
Published by: Starwatch Press
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: eBook, 344 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Olivia Atwater offers up another gothic fantasy romance, full of dark magic, deceitful faeries, and "witty and nuanced enchantment" (Stephanie Burgis), in the second instalment of the Victorian Faerie Tales.

An ancient evil has awoken in Victorian England, and it knows Clarimonde Betony's name.

London is no longer safe for Clarimonde Betony. Branded as a black magician, cut off from her staid and sensible life, and hounded by a mysterious pursuer, Clarimonde has little choice but to make common cause with her foppish, self-appointed faerie adviser, Lord Foxglove - a beautiful coward with absolutely no affection for the truth.

Clarimonde's last, best hope is a weapon that lies in Whitby, under the watch of a lovely, bloodthirsty lady known as the Leanansidhe. Foxglove's keen talent for duplicity could gain them both hospitality beneath the monster's roof...but the Leanansidhe's temptations are endless, and her unearthly beauty hides a cruelty beyond mortal understanding. One wrong word might lead to a fate much worse than death…and Clarimonde always has been far too honest for her own good."

A rule I abide by, read anything Stephanie Burgis recommends.

Brown Eyed Earl by Jenny Holiday
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ted Lasso meets Bridgerton in USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday's laugh-out-loud bromantic comedy featuring three Regency-era Earls on their annual trip. These ride-or-die buddies offer one another unconditional support in everything from Lady problems to family woes, but this year, the country house retreat will be earls-plus-girls as our trio of heroes is joined by two beloved wives...and an exceedingly charming lady's companion.

Simon Courteney isn't like the other earls. He was never supposed to be the heir or the spare. Yet when his older brothers tragically died in an accident, he suddenly found himself a peer of the realm. Strait-laced and scholarly, Simon is resigned to a quiet life of work and service. The two bright spots in his calendar are the annual Earls Trip with his best friends, Effie and Archie, and his visits to Archie's mother - where he trades books with her beguiling lady's companion.

Miss Diantha Brown has long been settled into her role as Lady Harcourt's companion. On the shelf and alone in the world, it's a better life than Diantha ever imagined for herself. But her boring yet peaceful existence is upended when an old enemy returns, threatening blackmail and forced marriage.

Determined to escape her fate - and to protect Lady Harcourt - Diantha devises a shocking solution: her ruination. She needs just one thing: a kind, intelligent, brave man to help her..."

I love a good ruination that is secretly a love match. 

To All the Earls I've Loved Before by Emma Orchard
Published by: Boldwood Books Ltd
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 258 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bianca Constantine has no intention of surrendering her freedom to marriage. Newly wealthy and determined to make her name as an artist, she plans to avoid the dangers of Society altogether - until a chance encounter with a charming young lord draws her back into London's glittering world.

Commissioned to paint the boy's portrait, Bianca expects nothing more scandalous than long afternoons in an elegant townhouse. Instead, she comes face to face with the one man she hoped never to see again.

The summer Bianca spent in Venice with Xan Challender was filled with passion, freedom, and lies. She never told him she was an heiress. He never revealed that he was set to inherit an earldom.

Now Xan has returned to England to claim his title, and neither has forgotten the betrayal that tore them apart - or the desire that still burns between them.

What happened in Venice should stay in Venice - but some secrets are just too explosive to stay hidden..."

Kind of reminds me of what they're trying to do on the new version of The Forsytes.

The Killing of a Chestnut Tree by Oliver K. Langmead
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Meet Havelock Harper, gentleman detective. Dapper, delightful, and decidedly queer, he's here to solve your most magical mysteries.

Everyone in England knows Havelock Harper, the celebrated consulting detective from the papers. But if any of them read his private files, they would discover secrets that must never reach the public eye - extraordinary cases, impossible crimes, and a committed love affair with his formidable companion Major Sebastian Wright.

And their next case might be the queerest yet.

Havelock and Sebastian have been summoned to investigate the murder of the Duke of Farleigh. When they arrive at the scene of the crime - a secluded, enchanting forest - they discover that the victim is a tree!

The trees of Farleigh have begun to write words in their bark and branches, expressing themselves for all to read. The Duke is an ancient chestnut, cruelly chopped down, and to the villagers of Farleigh, he is a beloved friend. They want justice.

Havelock and Sebastian must use all their wits and wisdom to find the murderer who has shattered the peace of Farleigh."

Perhaps inspired by the Sycamore Gap tree?

Murder at Pellhurst Pond by Clara McKenna
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst and his wife Stella, an American "Dollar Princess," dive into a new investigation after discovering a body in a pond on the estate of a man rumored to have killed his wife...

When a hot air balloon lands near Morrington Hall, it draws the attention of Stella and Lyndy as well as others, including Quentin Lockyear, son-in-law of Reuben Woodridge, a recluse who is suspected of murdering his wife. Quentin is keen to invest in aeronautic ships and automobiles, and invites Stella and Lyndy to Woodridge's estate, Exbury Lodge.

Upon their arrival, they meet the mysterious patriarch, accompanied by his nurse, and his daughter, Enid. Reuben takes Stella and Lyndy on a tour of his stables and a large mill pond on the property, encouraging them to take his skiff out whenever they like. Returning the next day for a bird shoot, the couple go for a ride in the skiff only to discover a body in the pond.

The woman is dressed in expensive clothes but has no identification on her. An accidental drowning? Suicide? What is she doing on the property? When an autopsy reveals traces of poison, Stella and Lyndy attempt to discover who she was and who might have had a reason to do her harm. Rumors aside, what secrets are they hiding at Exbury Lodge?"

Please say she also fell from the sky!

Death Down the Aisle by Colleen Cambridge
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Agatha Christie's cherished housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, not only keeps the celebrated author's home running smoothly, but she has also proven herself an accomplished sleuth. So when a murderer brings mayhem to a wedding, in this USA Today bestselling series' latest installment, she's on hand to sweep up the mystery...

Phyllida is delighted to receive an invitation to the wedding of her friend Dr. John Bhatt. It's a chance to get to know his fiancée, Emily Hartparker, and to explore Coatesworth Manor - the grand seaside estate that belongs to Emily's distant relatives. Coatesworth is now managed by Lady Artemis Coatesworth and offers ample space for a celebration. But it's soon clear that some of the guests have intentions beyond cheering on the happy couple.

As is often the case when extended family gathers, there is bickering, not to mention an awkward love triangle between Emily's lovely cousin Lily, her handsome ex-husband Heath, and his new wife, Tibby. Besides that, some of the other cousins - all of whom are there simply to appease Lady Artemis, who has the power to enact a morals clause in her late husband's will that could impact the heirs' inheritances - don't seem to get along. Discomfiting, certainly. Dramatic for sure.

And the drama gets infinitely worse when a wedding guest is discovered dead in the small chapel only hours after the ceremony.

Phyllida immediately agrees to help discover what happened, and brings some of her staff over from Mallowan Hall, Mrs. Christie's manor house, for cover. But with plenty of dark secrets and ugly family dynamics, it seems the killer could be any one of the Coatesworths - and that killer is dangerously motivated to keep the grisly truth from being revealed..."

I think I'm going to bequeath the title of most prolific cozy author to Colleen Cambridge. Her output is starting to keep pace with Seanan McGuire! 

The Spiral by Rosanne Limoncelli
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When Nina finds the dead body of a woman who could easily be her twin, she must divide the men in her life into two groups: the ones she can trust and the ones who might be the killer.

A refreshing new take on the noir-thriller genre, The Spiral is perfect for fans of Tana French and Stieg Larsson.

It's 1979, and nineteen-year-old Nina Esposito survives gritty Greenwich Village by tending bar with plenty of sarcasm and elbow grease. She can navigate the lewd customers, dirty streets, and danger-after-dark of NYC until a serial killer arrives on the scene targeting women who look exactly like her. Now survival for Nina means finding the killer before he finds her.

She has the constant feeling that she is prey surrounded by predators and every man she meets could be the killer: the guy following her on the subway, her leering acting coach, the restaurant owner pressuring her for a date. But is she really a target, or are the demons of her past clouding her judgment? Detective Frankie Lopez seems to be on her side - but she knows that trusting the wrong person could make her the next victim.

Set in crime-ridden New York City, when the subways were covered in graffiti and the burned-out buildings of the East Village were homes for squatters and punk rock teens, this psychological thriller is a dark murder mystery, one that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final twist is revealed."

Sometimes it's all about the atmospherics! And boy, does this book have those in spades. Like an art house thriller from the seventies. 

A Classic Case of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber
Published by: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Personal chef and caterer Allie Catt combines her love of fiction with her love of food in the scenic North Carolina mountains - but amid her latest themed event, based on Dickens's beloved classic, A Christmas Carol, a rare-book expert's goose is cooked...

In the charming town of Bramblewood, not far from Asheville, Allie's preparing for a special seasonal soiree: a literary-themed dinner party that's a tribute to Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It'll take place at the Amber Lantern, the quaint inn recently opened by her best friend's mother, Noeline - and the holiday spirit has even led a Scroogelike local businessman to lend his prized first edition of the nineteenth-century novella for the event.

With the voices of carolers ringing in the air and the community theater staging a special performance, it looks like it will be a happy Christmas - until the priceless book disappears and someone murders the expert who authenticated it. And if the police have their way, Allie's lawyer friend Freddy will be dragged away in chains like Marley's ghost...

The crime has also cast a shadow over Noeline's fledgling business, so Allie feels doubly obliged to find the real killer among the gathered guests and local visitors - and put an end to this nightmare. It's time to investigate them all, every one..."

My question is, is the party going to be more Fezziwig or more ghostly?

Murder in the Upper Crust by Mindy Quigley
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The sixth book in the delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

Chef Delilah O'Leary is going where no deep dish pizza chef has gone before: a swanky wellness retreat, where she's agreed to cater for a crowd of the who's who. Instead of cashing a fat check for an easy gig, though, she encounters a diabolical plot with more layers than one of her signature pies.

The exclusive event, hosted by superstar guru Rhiannon Frost, promises inner transformation - but when a spiteful attendee turns up dead during the guided meditation, Delilah smells more than incense in the air. Every guest has a motive…and access to a sinister walled garden brimming with exotic poisonous plants.

With her restaurant short-staffed, and her boyfriend, Detective Calvin Capone, splitting his time between bartender duties and undercover sleuthing, Delilah's got her hands full. Can she slice through the lies before the killer strikes again? Or will this luxe getaway turn into a one-way trip to the great beyond?"

Only in Wisconsin would deep dish be on the menu at a wellness retreat! We CAN NOT LIVE without our cheese!

The Moriarty Murders by Jack Gatland
Published by: Simon Stream
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to Moriarty and Co: who would have thought that solving crimes is more fun than committing them?

Investigative journalist Abigail Wren has spent her career chasing cases no one else cares about. But everything changes when Abbie learns she's the last living heir to the Moriarty criminal empire (yes, that Moriarty). Now, not only has she inherited a crumbling country house, she's also acquired a cellar full of ageing operatives who've spent their lives on the wrong side of the law. She wants none of it.

Her new 'employees' aren't too thrilled either. They want a Moriarty in charge - not someone who's only ever solved crimes, rather than committed them. But when Maurice Finch, one of the old guard, is found dead in circumstances nobody believes were accidental, the team wants revenge.

Abbie sees an opportunity: she decides they're switching sides and going straight to find Finch's killer. But pulling at the threads of his death turns up a second body, and a name that keeps surfacing where it shouldn't. Because someone thinks the Moriarty inheritance should have been theirs, and he's only just getting started...

With time running out to catch the killer, can they solve the case before another body turns up? Or is the world's most unconventional detective agency also going to be its most short-lived?

The Moriarty Murders is a cozy crime novel with a Sherlock Holmes twist - the first in a new series from Multi-Million Selling and #1 New York Times bestselling author Tony Lee, writing as Jack Gatland."

I'm assuming Abbie survives given that this is a series, but otherwise she'd be at the top of my list of potential victims. 

The Poison Pen Murders by Dee MacDonald
Published by: Bookouture
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 242 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Anonymous letters, a years-old mystery and...a dead body? Ally McKinley is on the case!

Ally McKinley might be the owner of the cosiest little guesthouse in the Scottish Highlands, but she also has a reputation as an amateur detective! So when a threatening note drops through her elderly neighbour Juliet Munro's door, Ally is called in to investigate. But what first seems like a nasty prank soon proves lethal, when the very next day, Juliet is found murdered...

Her faithful dog Flora by her side, Ally soon learns that more than one woman in Locharran has received a poison pen letter. And though locals' lips are sealed over coffee and cake, Ally skilfully unlocks the old Locharran mystery that connects the recipients: they were all rumoured to be involved in the death of a young woman called Marie McKay. Is someone trying to stamp out Marie's killer? And if so, who in Locharran is not who they seem?

A faded photo of a little blond boy with pale eyes has Ally on the right track, but when a woman's scream shatters the village's gentle calm, can Ally sort through the secrets before the post delivers another murder?

Fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Clare Chase will love this totally addictive and cozy mystery set in the beautiful Scottish Highlands from bestselling author Dee MacDonald."

If any of the recipients of the letters had a hand in the young woman's death.... Well, let them die.

Venus, Vanishing by Rebecca Birrell
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In raucous 1928 Berlin, Hannah Sherman has deviated from the traditional arc of a woman's life. An artist and a runaway, she revels in the city's underground art scene and her newfound freedom. Working as a tailor while studying art in every spare moment, Hannah comes to know women and their bodies, first with measuring tape and silk, and later through sensuous layers of paint.

Hannah feels like she can finally call herself an artist when an intoxicating, wealthy female collector commissions an elaborate series of nude portraits. But after Hannah finishes the acclaimed Venus paintings, she discovers that her work has been tampered with and exhibited under a man's name. When lines between artist and muse are crossed in a heady but perilous affair, Hannah transforms her work into an act of revenge, finding herself caught up in a devastating game of betrayal.

Laced with queer desire and life-threatening secrets, Venus, Vanishing pulses with the hedonism and danger of 1930s Berlin as history comes to Hannah's door, offering a heart-pounding story of Jewish survival, creativity, and resistance."

And hopefully vengeance on the man exhibiting her art!

The Resurrection of Evania James by Jaime Jo Wright
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"If walls could talk, what nightmare might they expose?

1879
When Eloise James's sister, Evania, goes missing after being admitted to an asylum, Eloise is determined to find her sibling but instead discovers evidence of dying patients and missing remains. Wannabe journalist Silas Dobbs has his own suspicions that something more nefarious is at work, and that black market sales may originate at the asylum. Together, they are intent on learning whether Evania is alive, or if her body has also been stolen. But unraveling a web of underground resurrectionists proves daunting, and the dead cannot share their secrets.

Present Day
Tilly Thompson is horrified to find historical human remains entombed in a wall of the Gothic mansion her grandfather just purchased, launching her into an investigation of the original owners' questionable past. The James family legacy harbors a darkness tightly woven through decades of secrets, but the past refuses to remain ensnared by silence. Will revealing the truth resurrect dangers best kept buried forever?

Jaime Jo Wright masterfully weaves a dual-timeline gothic suspense novel that brings together a haunting historical tale and a shadowy modern-day mystery. For fans of atmospheric thrillers, spooky reads, the Victorian era, creepy mansions, and dark family secrets."

1879 is a bit late for resurrectionists...

From the Library of Jurgen Leitner by Premee Mohamed with Jonathan Sims
Published by: Random House Worlds
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Enter the library of an enigmatic collector, where occult books are guarded and researched at a fatal cost, with this uncanny eldritch horror novel from Nebula Award-winning author Premee Mohamed and The Magnus Archives' Jonathan Sims.

Fear comes before the fall.

In the winding, perilous corridors of Jurgen Leitner's private library, you never know what you'll find. A starving cookbook. An ancient scroll that casts cool, predatory breezes. A cloth-bound hardback that compels you to DIG, DIG, DIG, DIG.

Free, these books are more than simply unnerving - they're deadly. But the library keeps their dangers in check and their would-be readers safe....

Or so Leitner claims.

For two of his employees, the risks are worth it. Hugh Franklin, research assistant, has finally found a place he belongs, where his skill in translation is valued, even if his employer is a bit odd. Sebastian Everett, acquisition specialist, can indulge his arcane ambitions, even if it means pretending to care about Leitner's mission.

Though their tenures at the library were years apart, Hugh and Sebastian's stories unfold in parallel, and their footsteps echo down the same eerie aisles, caught in a web spun long before either ever heard the name "Jurgen Leitner."

Will they find a way out...or will the library consume them before it's too late?"

For anyone doubting the power of books.

Public Access Aferworld by Jane Schoenbrun
Published by: Hogarth
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 608 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mysterious realm on the other side of our screens. A dark force that draws victims into its static. The unlikely hero called to save them and herself from this electric hell. Public Access Afterworld is the profound, binge-all-night, headrush of a novel by the celebrated filmmaker of I Saw the TV Glow and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

Find the receiver. Make it real.

At 5:35 p.m. on September 3, 1988, Dallas weatherman Ray "Can You Say Sunshine" Davino makes passing reference to Public Access Afterworld during a rambling monologue, right before he puts a gun to his head on live television and pulls the trigger.

On June 12, 2009, David Sawyer and Erin Morrison, two lonely, TV-obsessed suburban teens who might be falling in love, gather in Erin's basement to watch TV's analog-to-digital transition. But in the static that follows, Erin witnesses surreal broadcasts from a pirate TV network called Public Access Afterworld, and their lives are changed forever.

Seventeen years later, Bethany Peters toils through the night shift at megacorp GlobalVill's bleak Austin campus. A trans content moderator, she spends her evenings reviewing an endless stream of horrific videos. But then a young streamer begins to crop up in her feed calling out to Public Access Afterworld.

But what is Public Access Afterworld?

Spanning decades and realities, with an unforgettable ensemble of outcasts and nerds - especially the messy but wholly relatable Bethany, who must overcome paranoia and self-doubt to transform into a hero of our times - Public Access Afterworld will have you reading through the night and rooting for its characters to survive. A mesmerizing mash-up of speculative fiction, horror, and conspiracy, it marks the arrival of a major new force in contemporary fiction by a groundbreaking filmmaker who's been compared to David Lynch and Paul Thomas Anderson."

Just the thought of being trapped in an afterlife that is just Public Access gives me the goosebumps. 

Wandering Cat's Cage by Akane Torikai
Published by: Takumigraphics
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 344 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Akane Torikai's Wandering Cat's Cage, it is the near future. Only a few women are still able to menstruate, and even fewer men will be born to them. Reproduction is limited to medical intervention controlled from on high, and the structures and lives of the past hold no weight: they are only hinted at through the remaining scraps of a world that no longer exists. Life can be good, though, if you fall in line, and the women of The City live bright, happy, tightly controlled lives. But complete obedience isn't for everyone. For the women across the river, who live in a rundown shantytown, viewing the opulence of the city from afar each night, life is different. It is humble, and often dangerous, but it is free. It is here that Sanada, a young acupuncturist, lives with the mysterious Reiho, the only male she's ever met, and who sells himself to the rich women who sneak across the river for something they've never experienced...The two form a small "family," taking in other young women ousted from the city. But a real, living, breathing male might be too precious to leave to the shabby streets. When Reiho is kidnapped at gunpoint and taken to the breeding program in the city, Sanada must join with the other outcasts to try and rescue him, and learn the difficult truths of love, self-actualization, society, community, safety, and the future itself.

Master manga-ka Akane Torikai (Sensei's Pious Lie) has produced a stunning work of relational SF through a gender-bent looking glass. Torikai pulls no punches examining the deeply messy subjects of our day - sexuality, gender dynamics, romantic love, familial trauma, freedom, and control, through immaculately realized settings and character-rich, emotive body language. Produced in partnership with MSX: Mangasplaining Extra."

You'll find me across the river.

An Uncertain Magic by A.M. Kvita
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Brooklyn's most chaotic coven is back in An Uncertain Magic. This time all they have to do is take on ancient gods (yes, gods), avoid a magical apocalypse, and save New York City. No big deal. Joan Greenwood has been adjusting nicely to her life away from her powerful family of witches. She has an apartment full of friends, her dream job at an architecture firm, and a constant companion in the sentient magic that makes up New York City. For once, everything's coming up Joan.

Until her best friend gets possessed.

There's a god wearing his skin, a new cult is springing up around him, and magic is going haywire. Things go from bad to worse when Joan's rival-turned-crush, Astoria Wardwell, arrives from California with the news that her best friend is also possessed. That's one hell of a coincidence, and the two have to work together to save their best friends before these gods corrupt them. Unless their pesky feelings for each other get in the way."

Possession is never good. Especially with higher powers involved.

The Coven of Redthorn Manor by D.M. Million
Published by: Midnight Haus
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 348 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Her ancestors are calling on her to stop The Second Burning...

All Davina wants is to finish her dissertation on the connection between Seventeenth-Century Witch Hysteria and modern witch intolerance to change the way the world perceives witch-kind. Inside Redthorn Manor, Davina is the reluctant high priestess of the Divine Moon Coven. She can't seem to wield magic with authority. Now, with the rise of a Puritan revivalist group and their leader, Patrick Parris, and the group's frequent live-streams of witch-burnings, she knows she must step up and protect her coven at all costs.

When one of her sisters is attacked outside of the coven's apothecary, Davina uses her family's grimoires and academic research skills to find a solution to keep them safe. During her research, and with the help of an old acquaintance, Nathan Graham, Davina learns of an ancient prophecy that she must fulfill to stop The Second Burning Times. Her ancestral lineage is the key to Davina accessing an ancient form of magic that will help her defeat Parris and his lackeys, the King James Brotherhood (KJB). Her destiny is written in the stars: she either defeats Parris or he burns every last witch.

Redthorn Manor is no longer a safe haven for the coven. Davina can no longer ignore the prophecy - she must fight back! Saved by new allies, The Equinox, a secret coven of elemental sorcerers, and their sexy yet infuriating high priest, Cato, the Divine Moon Coven must leave Redthorn behind to help prepare Davina for her battle with Parris.

To accomplish her goal, she needs to access sorcery magic before Parris does. He's already ten steps ahead, and the clock is ticking."

The fact that she thinks that a dissertation could change minds is so naively sweet.

Supernatural Machines by David Brandon Hodge
Published by: Insight Editions
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Supernatural Machines is a groundbreaking visual history of the devices invented to speak with the dead.

From the spectral raps of the Fox Sisters to the rise of the Ouija board, Brandon Hodge guides readers through two centuries of spiritual innovation - exploring the haunted technologies born from our longing to pierce the veil between life and death. A unique fusion of esoteric history, visual culture, and ghost story, this richly illustrated, large-format volume reveals the occult ingenuity of mediums, inventors, and mystics who crafted writing planchettes, talking boards, spirit trumpets, and other strange apparatus to reach beyond the grave. With original photography, archival ephemera, and gripping historical narratives, Supernatural Machines brings to light a forgotten chronicle of technological mysticism. Each of its 14 chapters is a portal to the past, a captivating read accompanied by stunning photographs, detailed illustrations, and haunting accounts that breathe life into the arcane artifacts that have captivated the imagination of our ancestors and ourselves."

Here's hoping the book also details how their ingenuity was used to create cons.

In My Own Time by Christopher Lloyd
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Emmy Award-winning actor Christopher Lloyd - one of the most iconic performers of his generation - shares an intimate portrait drawn from the defining moments of his life, from his early years in theater to his time on the sets of iconic television and film, his struggles with addiction, and an isolated childhood of privilege.

Whether appearing as a disembodied head in Wednesday or taking on the title role in a stage production of King Lear, Christopher Lloyd has become known for portraying larger-than-life characters with a singular intensity and imagination. Now, for the first time, Christopher shares stories from his life that he has rarely spoken about before.

In My Own Time begins with Christopher's childhood at Waveny, the sprawling Connecticut estate. Raised primarily by governesses and wandering the grounds, he became a quiet observer of the people and relationships around him, including the complicated dynamic between his creative mother and his stern father.

With New York already a familiar part of his world, Christopher immersed himself in the demanding life of the theater. On stage he developed the intensity, imagination, and fearlessness that would come to define his work. From there, Christopher's career expanded across television and film, where audiences came to know him as the intense and unpredictable Taber in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the eccentric and beloved Reverend Jim Ignatowski on Taxi, and the wild-eyed genius Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy - performances that helped define some of the most enduring films and television of their time.

Christopher Lloyd offers a rare and deeply personal reflection on a life spent both onstage and on screen, told with charm, dry wit, and honesty. In sharing the stories behind his work, his struggles, and the people and places that shaped him, In My Own Time reveals the thoughtful and deeply observant man behind the iconic characters."

This detestable Fester's the echt Fester Addams!

We'd Thought They'd Never Leave by Tony Shalhoub with Josie Adams
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: October 27th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe winner Tony Shalhoub comes a delightful, heartfelt memoir about food, family, recipes, and the stories we pass down around the table.

Every summer for over five decades, more than fifty members of the Shalhoub family have gathered in Door County, Wisconsin, for a week of home-cooked meals, fiercely competitive card games, old stories, new memories, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

Written with his daughter Josie Adams, We Thought They'd Never Leave is Tony Shalhoub's warm and deeply personal reflection on the people who shaped him. Through stories spanning four generations - from an orphaned Lebanese boy who survived wartime hunger to the sprawling family he would one day help create - Tony traces the Lebanese American family traditions, meals, and rituals that continue to bring the Shalhoubs back together year after year.

Along the way, the beloved actor known for Monk and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reflects on growing up as one of ten children in a lively Lebanese American household in Green Bay, Wisconsin; navigating family life, work, and parenthood; and helping preserve a reunion that has become a beloved family institution. Also included are twenty treasured family recipes, ranging from stuffed grape leaves and tabbouleh to Midwestern chili and cherry pie.

Filled with unforgettable characters, deeply moving stories, and Tony's signature humor, We Thought They'd Never Leave is an invitation to join the Shalhoub table, where everyone has an opinion, everyone is expected to pitch in, and there's always room for one more."

A table my father has been at a time or two. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Christopher Lloyd, Clara McKenna, Colleen Cambridge, Daryl Wood Gerber, Dee MacDonald, Emma Orchard, Jaime Jo Wright, Jenny Holiday, Mindy Quigley, Natasha Siegel, Olivia Atwater, Premee Mohamed, Sarah J. Maas, Tony Shalhoub

The Last Word by Elly Griffiths
Published by: Mariner Books
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Words turn deadly with an unlikely detective duo on the case of a murdered obituary writer in this literary mystery from the internationally bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway series. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz.

Natalka and Edwin are perfect if improbable partners in a detective agency. At eighty-four, Edwin regularly claims that he's the oldest detective in England. He is a master at surveillance, deploying his age as a cloak of invisibility. Natalka, Ukrainian-born and more than fifty years his junior, is a math whizz, who takes any cases concerning fraud or deception. Despite a steady stream of minor cases, Natalka is frustrated. She loves a murder, as she's fond of saying, and none have come the agency's way. That is until local writer Melody Chambers dies.

Melody's daughters are convinced that their mother was murdered. Edwin thinks that Melody's death is linked to that of an obituary writer who predeceased many of his subjects. Edwin and Benedict go undercover to investigate and are on a creative writing weekend at isolated Battle House when another murder occurs. Are the cases linked and what is the role of a distinctly sinister book group attended by many of writers involved? By the time Edwin has infiltrated the group, he is in serious danger..."

I have been a little obsessed with Elly Griffiths since I read all her Brighton Mysteries. I think it's time to try some of her other books. And yes, probably because I've read all the Brighton Mysteries currently available, even the one I had to special order from England.

Next of Kin by Samantha Jayne Allen
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Tony Hillerman Prize-winning author Samantha Jayne Allen comes Next of Kin, a mesmerizing novel set in a hardscrabble Texas town, where the past is never far away.

At a gathering for her cousin's wedding party, newly-licensed PI Annie McIntyre gets asked an age-old question: what really makes us who we are, nature or nurture? Clint Marshall, an up-and-coming musician and an adoptee at a personal crossroads, wants to hire Annie to find his biological parents, and that question is on his mind. Annie accepts his case, not knowing then that she, too, must decide if she really believes what she tells him that night - in essence, that people are in charge of their destinies. That people can change.

When Annie discovers her client's father is a bank robber who her granddad, Leroy, arrested back when he was sheriff, reverberations sound between the past and the present, igniting old flames and rivalries. When the brother of her client dies suddenly, his death ruled a suicide, Annie questions whether or not it was in fact homicide - and who in this family of outlaws would rather some secrets stay buried.

As Annie sets out to find who killed the brother - and stays out of sight lest she be next - she finds herself searching abandoned, overgrown fields, scouring pool halls and roadside motels, wondering if she will ever escape the sense that her world in Garnett, TX expands and contracts in off-kilter ways, growing smaller and yet still more confounding. Fearing that in a place where everyone knows everyone, your enemy is always closer than you think."

Wait, is the brother that's killed his adopted brother or a newly found brother? Read to find out!

Lost Birds by Anne Hillerman
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman, a thrilling and moving chapter in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series involving several emotionally complex cases that will test the detectives in different ways.

Joe Leaphorn may be long retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, but his detective skills are still sharp, honed by his work as a private detective. His experience will be essential to solve a compelling new case: finding the birth parents of a woman who was raised by a bilagáana family but believes she is Diné based on one solid clue, an old photograph with a classic Navajo child's blanket. Leaphorn discovers that his client's adoption was questionable, and her adoptive family not what they seem. His quest for answers takes him to an old trading post and leads him to a deadly cache of long-buried family secrets.

As that case grows more complicated, Leaphorn receives an unexpected call from a person he met decades earlier. Cecil Bowleg's desperation is clear in his voice, but just as he begins to explain, the call is cut off by an explosion and Cecil disappears. True to his nature, Leaphorn is determined to find the truth even as the situation grows dangerous. Investigation of the explosion falls in part to Officer Bernadette Manuelito, who discovers an unexpected link to Cecil's missing wife.

Bernie also is involved in a troubling investigation of her own: an elderly weaver whose prize-winning sheep have been ruthlessly killed by feral dogs.

Exploring the emotionally complex issues of adoption of Indigenous children by non-native parents, Anne Hillerman delivers another thought-provoking, gripping mystery that brings to life the vivid terrain of the American Southwest, its people, and the lore and traditions that make it distinct."

Because if you've read all the Tony Hillerman books in anticipation of the new season of Dark Winds and still need more, read Anne Hillerman!

Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 1: The Case of the Missing Men by Kris Bertin
Published by: Oni Press
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 312 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perfect for fans of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Hardy Boys mysteries, The Hobtown Mystery Stories take the teen investigator genre to new levels as they explore small town identity and the surreal.

Welcome to Hobtown, a charmingly bleak village (Population: 2,006) and an easy place to get bored if you don't make your own fun.

Hobtown Regional High's top girl, Dana Nance, runs the Teen Detective Club - a registered after-school program that makes it their business to investigate each and every one of their town's bizarre occurrences including pagan secret societies, psychic assaults, and possible "wee man" sightings. Their small world of missing pets and shed fires is turned upside down when real-life kid adventurer and globetrotter Sam Finch comes to town and enlists them in their first real case: the search for his missing father. Something strange is going on, and no one in Hobtown will talk about it. It turns out Sam's dad is the sixth man to go missing this year. The rot runs deep in Hobtown, and it's up to the teen detectives and associates to stay alive long enough to crack the Case of the Missing Men!

Childhood friends Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes have built a truly unique and discrete universe in Hobtown - an exploration of small town identity drawing from the world of pulp, filtered through a lens of esoteric spirituality, skewed genre tropes, deft character work, and an incredible eye for detail."

I still think they could have just namechecked David Lynch instead of listing so many of his works...

A Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The City of Light is surging back to life in the wake of war, and its citizens are seizing every opportunity to raise a glass or share a delicious meal. But as American ex-pat Tabitha Knight and chef-in-training Julia Child discover, celebrations can quickly go awry when someone has murder in mind...

Set in midcentury Paris and starring Julia Child's fictional best friend, this magnifique reimagining of the iconic chef's years at Le Cordon Bleu blends a delicious murder mystery with a unique culinary twist.

The graceful domes of Sacré Coeur, the imposing cathedral of Notre Dame, the breathtaking Tour Eiffel...Paris is overflowing with stunning architecture. Yet for Tabitha Knight, the humble building that houses the Cordon Bleu cooking school, where her friend Julia studies, is just as notable. Tabitha is always happy to sample Julia's latest creation and try to recreate dishes for her Grand-père and Oncle Rafe.

The legendary school also holds open demonstrations, where the public can see its master chefs at work. It's a treat for any aspiring cook - until one of the chefs pours himself a glass of wine from a rare vintage bottle - and promptly drops dead in front of Julia, Tabitha, and other assembled guests. It's the first in a frightening string of poisonings that turns grimly personal when cyanide-laced wine is sent to someone very close to Tabitha.

What kind of killer chooses such a means of murder, and why? Tabitha and Julia hope to find answers in order to save innocent lives - not to mention a few exquisite vintages - even as their investigation takes them through some of the darkest corners of France's wartime past..."

I've been a fan of Colleen's under many different names for years I'm so glad so many people are embracing this new series of hers!

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes a YA murder mystery noir set in 1930s Los Angeles's Chinatown.

LOS ANGELES, 1932: Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown, has a face known to practically everyone, especially the Chow sisters - May, Gemma, and Peony - Lulu's former classmates and neighbors. So the girls instantly know it's Lulu when they discover a body one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, far from the Beverly Hills home where she lived after her fame skyrocketed.

The sisters suspect Lulu's death is the result of foul play, but the police don't seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, there are signs that point to a cover-up, and powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown is a den of iniquity and crime, even more reason it should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station.

Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat Lulu fairly - no matter her fame and wealth - the sisters set out to solve their friend's murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu's killer still on the loose, the girls' investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded murderer."

Old Hollywood glamor meets a killer! Oh, I can't wait!

The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson
Published by: John Scognamiglio Book
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Drawing on the little-known true story of one tragic night at an Ozarks dance hall in the author's Missouri hometown, this beautifully written, endearingly nostalgic novel picks up 50 years later for a folksy, character-driven portrayal of small-town life, split second decisions, and the ways family secrets reverberate through generations.

Daisy Flowers is fifteen in 1978 when her free-spirited mother dumps her in Possum Flats, Missouri. It's a town that sounds like roadkill and, in Daisy's eyes, is every bit as dead. Sentenced to spend the summer living with her grandmother, the wry and irreverent town mortician, Daisy draws the line at working for the family business, Flowers Funeral Home. Instead, she maneuvers her way into an internship at the local newspaper where, sorting through the basement archives, she learns of a mysterious tragedy from fifty years earlier...

On a sweltering, terrible night in 1928, an explosion at the local dance hall left dozens of young people dead, shocking and scarring a town that still doesn't know how or why it happened. Listed among the victims is a name that's surprisingly familiar to Daisy, revealing an irresistible family connection to this long-ago accident.

Obsessed with investigating the horrors and heroes of that night, Daisy soon discovers Possum Flats holds a multitude of secrets for a small town. And hardly anyone who remembers the tragedy is happy to have some teenaged hippie asking questions about it - not the fire-and-brimstone preacher who found his calling that tragic night; not the fed-up police chief; not the mayor's widow or his mistress; not even Daisy's own grandmother, a woman who's never been afraid to raise eyebrows in the past, whether it's for something she's worn, sworn, or done for a living.

Some secrets are guarded by the living, while others are kept by the dead, but as buried truths gradually come into the light, they'll force a reckoning at last.

Inspired by the true story of the Bond Dance Hall explosion, a tragedy that took place in the author's hometown of West Plains, Missouri on April 13, 1928.

The cause of the blast has never been determined."

True Crime merged with fiction, how did they know what I wanted to read?

Death and Glory by Will Thomas
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In 1894, Cyrus Barker, London's premier enquiry agent, is entangled in a conspiracy to revive the American Civil War by prominent figures, long believed deceased.

Private Enquiry agent Cyrus Barker, along with his partner Thomas Llewelyn, has a long, accomplished history - he's taken on cases for Scotland Yard, the Foreign Office, and even the crown itself, fulfilling them all with great skill and discretion. None of those cases, however, are as delicate and complicated as the one laid before him by a delegation of men who, thirty years before, fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. These men want to revive the Confederacy with a warship promised to the Rebels from the British Government in 1865. To get it now, they're threatening to reveal the long-secret treaty with the Confederacy. Barker is hired to use his connections to discreetly bring their threats to the Prime Minister.

With a web of prominent, if secret, supporters throughout England ready to through their support to their efforts to wage war anew on the United States, the delegates are just waiting for the warship to begin their plans. But some of the men are not who they claim to be, and the American government has their own team watching, and waiting, for the right moment to take action.

As this fuse on this powder keg of a situation grows ever shorter, it's up to Barker and Llewelyn to uncover the real identities and plans of these dangerous men."

I'm always here for the new Will Thomas book!

Dark Parts of the Universe by Samuel Miller
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Outer Banks meets Bone Gap in New York Times bestselling author Samuel Miller's propulsive and genre-bending YA mystery, following a group of teenagers who discover a dead body while playing an app-based adventure game that sends players to "random" locations, unlocking a much deeper mystery about their small town.

In Calico Springs, Willie's life has been defined by two powerful forces: God and the river. The "miracle boy" died for five minutes as a young child, and ever since, Willie is certain he survived for a reason, but that purpose didn't become clear until he found the Game.

The Game is called Manifest Atlas, and the concept is simple: enter an intention and the Game provides a target - a blinking blue dot on the map. Willie's second time playing Manifest Atlas, his intention takes him to an ominous target: three empty graves. Willie is sure the Game is telling him he's going to die.

Willie's older brother, Bones, doesn't believe him, but their friends are intrigued. Sarai, a girl from across the river, sets the next intention: something bloody. The group follows the Game's coordinates and they discover something even more unsettling than the graves: a dead body. Sarai's stepfather's body. The Game is suddenly personal.

Willie is dedicated to proving the Game works while Sarai is set on finding out what happened to her stepdad. Bones just wants to enjoy his last summer before real life begins. As the group digs deeper into Manifest Atlas, stranger and wilder things begin to appear, unlocking a much deeper mystery running like an undercurrent through the small town."

I mean, maybe run as soon as an app sends you to a crime scene?

Blood Justice by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Published by: Tom Doherty Associates/Tor Publishing Group
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Blood Justice is the hotly anticipated sequel to Terry J. Benton-Walker's Most Anticipated debut Blood Debts.

Cristina and Clement Trudeau have conjured the impossible: justice.

They took back their family's stolen throne to lead New Orleans' magical community into the brighter future they all deserve.

But when Cris and Clem restored their family power, Valentina Savant lost everything. Her beloved grandparents are gone and her sovereignty has been revoked - she will never be Queen. Unless, of course, someone dethrones the Trudeaus again. And lucky for her, she's not the only one trying to take them down.

Cris and Clem have enemies coming at them from all directions: Hateful anti-magic protesters sabotage their reign at every turn. A ruthless detective with a personal vendetta against magical crime is hot on their tail just as Cris has discovered her thirst for revenge. And a brutal god, hunting from the shadows, is summoned by the very power Clem needs to protect the boy he loves.

Cris's hunger for vengeance and Clem's desire for love could prove to be their family's downfall, all while new murders, shocking disappearances, and impossible alliances are changing the game forever.

Welcome back to New Orleans, where gods walk among us and justice isn't served, it's taken."

Power is always so hard to maintain.

The Garden Girls by Jessica R. Patch
Published by: Love Inspired Trade
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past.

FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It's not just the macabre way both victims - found posed in front of lighthouses - are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There's also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape.

Bexley Hemmingway's sister has gone missing, and she'll do anything to find her - including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn't know he's the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.

As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he's not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive..."

How did he get into the FBI with a past in a shadowy cult?

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light, Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.'s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.'s sister Sophy, and Henerey's brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind - and learn what their siblings' disappearance might mean for life as they know it.

Inspired, immersive, and full of heart, this charming epistolary tale is an adventure into the depths of a magical sea and the limits of the imagination from a marvelous debut voice."

I mean, I can't be the only one who's dreamed of living under the sea?

The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New to wealth and to London high society, American heiress Cora Dove discovers that with the right man, marriage might not be such an inconvenience after all....

Cora Dove and her sisters' questionable legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York's gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father's reputation. So when the girls each receive a generous, guilt-induced dowry from their dying grandmother, the sly Mr. Hathaway vows to release their funds only if Cora and her sisters can procure suitable husbands - far from New York. For Cora, England is a fresh start. She has no delusions of love, but a husband who will respect her independence? That's an earl worth fighting for.

Enter: Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament whose plan to pass a Public Health bill that would provide clean water to the working class requires the backing of a wealthy wife. He just never expected to crave Cora's touch or yearn to hear her thoughts on his campaign - or to discover that his seemingly perfect bride protects so many secrets....

But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface, and Devonworth has a few of his own. With their pasts laid bare and Cora's budding passion for women's rights taking a dangerous turn, they'll learn the true cost of losing their heart to a stranger - and that love is worth any price."

To fill that void until the new season of The Buccaneers drops!

A Duke of One's Own by Emma Orchard
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Kindle, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Summer, 1816. A notorious rebel is about to meet her match...

Lady Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite society. But when a so-called 'friend' invites her to a clandestine party, Georgiana is shocked to discover the event is more scandalous than even she could have imagined. So when a mysterious stranger offers help, she accepts, not realising their encounter will turn her life upside down.

Later that summer, Georgiana is invited to attend a house party at an infamous castle in Yorkshire. The gathering is a loosely veiled effort to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Northriding, who desperately needs an heir. Duke Gabriel Mauleverer has a terrible reputation as a rake, and Georgiana is happy to be a guest purely for the entertainment, but upon arrival, she is shocked to discover that the Duke is none other than the stranger who rescued her weeks earlier.

As the other ladies vie for the Duke's attention, Georgiana is desperate to avoid their shocking secret getting out. But she finds herself caught, unable to avoid Gabriel's gaze. Are they a threat to each other? Or could they be the answer to each other’s greatest desires?"

I love the title and cover so very very much.

Earl's Trip by Jenny Holiday
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ted Lasso meets Bridgerton for a 19th century spin on The Hangover in USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday's laugh-out-loud bromantic comedy featuring three Regency-era Earls on their annual trip - ride-or-die buddies offering one another unconditional support in everything from Lady problems to family woes.

The perfect romp for fans of Evie Dunmore, India Holton, Virginia Heath, Manda Collins, and Suzanne Allain!

Even an earl needs his ride-or-dies, and Archibald Fielding-Burton, the Earl of Harcourt, counts himself lucky to have two. The annual trip that Archie takes with his BFFs Simon and Effie holds a sacred spot in their calendars. This year Archie is especially eager to get away until an urgent letter arrives from an old family friend, begging him to help prevent a ruinous scandal. Suddenly the trip has become earls-plus-girls, as Archie's childhood pals, Clementine and Olive Morgan, are rescued en route to Gretna Green.

This...complicates matters. The fully grown Clementine, while as frank and refreshing as he remembers, is also different to the wild, windswept girl he knew. This Clem is complex and surprising - and adamantly opposed to marriage. Which, for reasons Archie dare not examine too closely, he finds increasingly vexing.

Then Clem makes him an indecent and quite delightful proposal, asking him to show her the pleasures of the marriage bed before she settles into spinsterhood. And what kind of gentleman would he be to refuse a lady?"

I'd say this book exudes some Kenergy!

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Discover the work of the greatest writer in the English language as you've never encountered it before by pre-ordering internationally renowned actor Dame Judi Dench's Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent - a witty, insightful journey through the plays and tales of our beloved Shakespeare.

Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig...

Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green...

Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head...

These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare.

For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. In a series of intimate conversations with actor and director Brendan O'Hea, she guides us through Shakespeare's plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans.

Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour, striking level of honesty and a peppering of hilarious anecdotes, many of which have remained under lock and key until now.

Instructive and witty, provocative and inspiring, this is ultimately Judi's love letter to Shakespeare, or rather, The Man Who Pays The Rent."

It's Judi Dench, it's Shakespeare. What more needs to be said? Go. Buy.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Anne Hillerman, Colleen Cambridge, Elly Griffiths, Emma Orchard, Harper St. George, Jenny Holiday, Judi Dench, Michelle Collins Anderson, Samuel Miller, Stacey Lee, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Will Thomas