strange and random happenstance

House of Splinters by Laura Purcell
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"House of Splinters is the long-awaited prequel to bestselling and multi-award-winning author Laura Purcell's gothic horror classic, The Silent Companions.

Not every house is a home...

Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her anxious mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband, Wilfred, and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home together: born a merchant's daughter, she will now be lady of the manor.

But their new home quickly proves far from ideal. The garden is a wilderness, the estate is struggling financially, there are whispers about the mysterious death of a servant many years before, while their young son, Freddy, seems unusually fixated on the strange wooden figures - so-called "silent companions" - that were once owned by his ancestors.

When Wilfred's charismatic brother, Nathan, arrives unexpectedly from abroad, bringing a very different account of the family's past, Belinda begins to question what her husband has told her. What really lies behind the sad history of the house?

And are Belinda's children truly safe here?"

As a huge Laura Purcell fan, the fact that she's finally written her first "sequel" which just happens to be to her breakout The Silent Companions, I am all aflutter. I also ordered a signed copy from overseas last year because I couldn't wait until February! 

The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the internationally bestselling author of The Porcelain Moon comes a haunting Gothic novel set in 1911 China. Two young women living in a crumbling, once-grand Shanghai mansion face danger as secrets of their pasts come to light, even as the mansion's own secret threatens the present.

Shanghai, 1911. Lisan Liu is elated when she is hired as secretary to wealthy American Caroline Stanton, the new mistress of Lennox Manor on the outskirts of Shanghai's International Settlement. However, the Manor has a dark past due to a previous owner's suicide, and soon Lisan's childhood nightmares resurface with more intensity and meld with haunted visions of a woman in red. Adding to her unease is the young gardener, Yao, who both entices and disturbs her.

Newly married Caroline looks forward to life in China with her husband, Thomas, away from the shadows of another earlier tragedy. But an unwelcome guest, Andrew Grey, attends her party and claims to know secrets she can't afford to have exposed. At the same party, the notorious princess Masako Kyo approaches Lisan with questions about the young woman's family that the orphaned Lisan can't answer.

As Caroline struggles with Grey's extortion and Thomas's mysterious illness, Lisan's future is upended when she learns the truth about her past, and why her identity has been hidden all these years. All the while, strange incidents accelerate, driving Lisan to doubt her sanity as Lennox Manor seems unwilling to release her until she fulfills demands from beyond the grave."

Gothic is even better when it's set in far off lands don't you think?

A Slow and Secret Poison by Carmella Lowkis
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the early 1900s, a young gardener at a lush English manor falls in love with her employer whose past is shrouded in deadly secrets - from the author of the "twisty, Gothic thriller" (Entertainment Weekly) Spitting Gold.

1922, Wiltshire: When Vee Morgan accepts the job of gardener at a crumbling stately home in southwest England, she's hoping it's a fresh start.

But Harfold Manor is shadowed by its own grief and the memories of long-faded glory, its rooms haunted by the only surviving member of the family, Lady Arabella Lascy. Vee is fascinated by her enigmatic new employer, a woman obsessed with the curse she believes has killed her family one by one and is coming for her next. Her only hope for escape is a local folktale: the elusive dancing hare that gave her ancestor its blessing and the house its name.

But even as Vee falls deeper under the thrall of Harfold and Lady Arabella, her own dark past finally catches up to her in this lush and atmospheric novel."

Tell me more about this elusive dancing hare...

She Made Herself a Monster by Anna Kovatcheva
Published by: Mariner Books
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A heady, dark-hued Gothic gem of a debut novel: in nineteenth-century Bulgaria, a self-proclaimed vampire slayer - in truth, a traveling con artist - joins forces with a teenage girl to create a monster deadly enough to vanquish their own demons.

We make monsters in order to destroy them. For thousands of years, we've named witches and burned them, suspected demons and exorcised them. When crops die and children fall ill, who better to blame than a monster?

Yana rides from one desolate town to the next, staging grisly displays while the villagers sleep: animal corpses in the public square, eggs filled with blood in the chicken coop. She tells the stricken villagers stories of vampires that stalk the night. Then she eliminates the threat, and sows seeds of hope in her wake.

The village Koprivci is plagued by exceptional illness and misfortune, its children rarely surviving infancy. There, Yana meets Anka: a headstrong orphan who the villagers blame for their curse. As Anka approaches womanhood, the village Captain is grooming her for marriage against her will. Anka is powerless against him - that is, until Yana arrives. Together, the orphan and the vampire slayer hatch a plan: to conjure a monster so vile, it might provide cover for Anka to escape. But their plan quickly takes on a horrifying life of its own...

Inspired by Slavic folklore, She Made Herself a Monster concocts a clever mix of witchery, ghost stories, heresy, and deception to spin a feminist fable about agency and the power of collective action. It is a haunting and astoundingly cathartic tale of two women who will stop at nothing to take control of their fate."

Collective action! That is the watchword! 

A Forest, Darkly by A.G. Slatter
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perfect for fans of Ava Reid and Lucy Holland, this is a page-turning dark fantasy of persecuted witches, snatched children, twisted magic, changelings and the sins that bind.

Set in the multi-award-winning author's acclaimed Sourdough universe, this standalone story sits alongside previous novels, including All the Murmuring Bones and The Briar Book of the Dead.

Deep in the forest lives Mehrab the witch, quietly battling her demons. One evening, a young woman arrives at her door pursued by god-hounds, who wish to destroy all those practising magic, and Mehrab's solitary existence is disrupted. Together they forge a cure for their isolation with heartbreaking consequences... Meanwhile, in the local village, children begin to disappear. Sinister offerings appear on Mehrab's doorstep, and a dark power pursues her through the trees. As the villagers turn hostile and the god-hounds close in, Mehrab finds herself at the centre of a struggle to save the soul of the forest, the life of an old love - and her own new-formed family.

Set in Slatter's bewitching gothic Sourdough universe, this is a haunting, gripping tale written with wit and heart. A book to both savour and devour."

Savour and devour, much like sourdough? 

Bianca's Cure by Gigi Berardi
Published by: She Writes Press
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Lessons in Chemistry, a based-in-fact novel imagining young Renaissance noblewoman Bianca Capello's experiences as she pursues a cure for malaria in the Medicis' Florence.

Florence, 1563. Forbidden from practicing her herbal cures in Venice, the young noblewoman Bianca Capello flees to Florence, where the ruling Medici family practices alchemy. There, she wins herself an invitation to their palace, and, as it turns out, a path to the duke regent Francesco's bed.

The impassioned bond between Francesco de Medici and Bianca is at the core of this fact-driven dive into medicine, politics, love, and ultimately death in Renaissance Florence. Malaria killed many of the Medicis, but traces of the poison arsenic were recently found in Francesco's remains. Even more sinister: Bianca's remains have never been found. To this day, what happened to Bianca and Francesco remains one of the greatest mysteries surrounding Renaissance Italy's legendary Medicis.

Bianca's Cure probes what might have been as Bianca's quest for a malaria cure - in palaces, gardens, sick rooms, and whorehouses - collides with Francesco's intensifying illness. Her main tool is the herb artemisia - medicine still used today. A woman who dared to practice science well ahead of her time, Bianca fights off self-doubt until she believes herself invincible. But is she? When only she stands between Francesco and death, her skill may save him or doom them both."

Yes, just like Lessons in Chemistry, except real, not about food, and, you know, almost four hundred years early. So exactly. Sheesh. 

Murder Most Foul by Guy Jenkins
Published by: Legends Press
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Murder Most Foul is a dark, witty and fast-paced novel, from one of Britain's best-loved screenwriters.

It's 1593, Elizabeth I is Queen, and everyone is terrified of the worst outbreak of plague in a generation. Shakespeare has only written six plays and is lagging behind his friend Christopher Marlowe, London's leading playwright.

When Marlowe is stabbed to death in mysterious circumstances, rumors abound - but the one that won't go away is that Shakespeare did it to remove his greatest rival. Will is determined to clear his name, and teams up with his old flame, Marlowe's sister Ann, who has plenty of secrets of her own.

In their search to solve the crime, Will and Ann uncover a dark world of treachery, murder, and corruption - which in turn provides Shakespeare with scenes and characters which will appear in his greatest plays."

Writing criminals into plays probably isn't wise unless they asked you to immortalize them...

The Widow Hamilton by Mollie Ann Cox
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The widow of Alexander Hamilton faces another mystery in the second Eliza Hamilton mystery, perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn.

It's December 1805, and Eliza Hamilton is determined to seek justice. One young woman is dead, another has vanished - both residents of a house where Eliza's friend, Alice, lives among other craftswomen struggling to survive in a city unforgiving toward widows and orphans.

With no help from the constabulary because the young woman's body was found in a bad part of town - and was dressed as a man - Eliza vows to protect the women and uncover the truth. She suspects a connection between the death and the disappearance, especially given that the young lady who disappeared went missing while searching for the woman who was later found dead.

As Eliza traces their last known steps, she unearths a hidden world of dangerous secrets lurking beneath the city - secrets that could tear apart everything she holds dear.

This pulse-racing historical mystery will intrigue and delight anyone fascinated by the Founding Fathers and feminist history."

Oh yes, so much I want here I love I just want to dive in.

Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin by Nancy Springer
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Enola Holmes - international bestselling and Netflix streaming sensation - returns when the rescue of a young woman sends her into battle with her brother Sherlock against his most deadly, implacable enemy - Professor Moriarty.

In February 1891, London, Enola Holmes - the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes - is attending a burial when she hears the faint sound of a handbell in the graveyard. It is not in Enola's nature to ignore such oddities, no matter the occasion and when she investigates further, as is the Holmes' family instinct, she discovers something absolutely chilling. The ringing bell is attached to the tombstone erected over a recent gravesite and someone, buried within, is pulling the string to ring the alarm.

Galvanized into action, Enola and her companions swiftly and successfully unearth the coffin within, freeing a still-living young woman, one Trevina Trairom. Enola, by predilection and by trade a Scientific Perditorian, a finder of lost things, finds herself comforting and protecting this young girl. The girl herself is a mystery - she remembers very little, including her identity, and has no idea who has buried her alive, much less why. While protecting this mysterious girl from an enigmatic enemy, she discovers that Sherlock is engaged in a related mystery. Enola joins Sherlock in his battle against the scourge of London, the Napoleon of Crime himself, Professor Moriarty. Facing her most brutal foe ever, determined to protect and unravel the secrets surrounding the mysterious Trevina, Enola takes her place more fully than ever as a proud member of the Holmes family."

And that is the problem with this book. It's about Enola taking her place as a member of her family. She has always done her own thing, been alone. That is what made her special. Now she's just one of the family and is subsumed into Sherlock's life and HIS mysteries. 

The Final Problem by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Published by: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this locked-room mystery set in 1960, a washed-up actor puts his on-camera detective skills to the test when a suspicious death shatters the quiet peace for a group of strangers staying at an isolated Greek island resort. Perfect for fans of Knives Out, Benjamin Stevenson, and Anthony Horowitz.

June, 1960. Rough weather at sea leaves a group of strangers stranded on the idyllic Greek island of Utakos, all guests of the only local hotel. Nothing could prepare them for what happens next: Edith Mander, a quiet British tourist, is found dead inside a beach cabana. What appears at first glance to be a clear suicide reveals possible signs of foul play to Ormond Basil, an out-of-work but still well-known actor who in his glory days portrayed the most celebrated detective of all time. Accustomed to seeing him display Sherlock Holmes' amazing powers of deduction on the big screen, the other guests believe that the actor is the best equipped to uncover the truth.

But when a second body is discovered, there is not a doubt in Basil's mind: a murderer walks among them. What's more, the killer is staging each crime as a performance, leaving complex clues that bear an eerie resemblance to those found in the pages of Conan Doyle stories. This is a criminal who knows every trick in the book and is playing a deadly literary game. As the storm rages, Basil must become the genius detective he has only pretended to be.

This clever, whip-smart, locked-room mystery from internationally bestselling author Arturo Pérez-Reverte is a love letter to golden-age detective novels. The Final Problem delights in exploring the tension between an investigator and his suspects, as well as a writer and his reader, delivering a revelatory twist that will shock even the sharpest of mystery fans."

I love the trope where an actor who is famous for playing a detective must actually become a detective. LOVE IT!

The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When the last fare of the night turns up dead in her backseat, a Sri Lankan American taxi driver works off the clock to clear her name in this mystery novel by debut author Yosha Gunasekera.

Siriwathi Perera doesn't quite know where she's going in life. She never expected to be a taxicab driver in New York City, struggling to make ends meet and still living with her parents at twenty-eight. The true-crime podcasts that keep Siri company as she drives don't do much to make up for the legal career she imagined for herself, or the brother she's grieving.

When public defender Amaya Fernando gets into her cab, they make a quick connection through their shared Sri Lankan roots. Siri, whose social circle is limited to her grade-school best friend, Alex, thinks things might finally be looking up with this new potential friendship. But she's suddenly dropped into her own true crime when she discovers her next passenger murdered in the backseat, and she has to call Amaya sooner than she'd expected.

Pinned as the obvious and only suspect, and desperate to clear her name, Siri chases down leads across the boroughs of New York City with Amaya's help. But with her court date looming, they have just five days to find out who really killed the midnight passenger - or Siri's life will be over before she can even truly live it."

I'm just saying, the real mystery is why anyone in this day and age would name their protagonist Siri...

Out of the Loop by Katie Siegel
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"She spent two years in a time loop. Now she's ready to solve a murder. And maybe grab a bagel.

The Seven Year Slip meets Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers in this wholly original time loop mystery.

For the past two years, Amie Teller has been stuck in a time loop. Each day, she wakes up, and it's September 17. Same day, same weather, same people, same conversations. Until one day, it's September 18, and Amie is free.

Before she can celebrate, Amie learns her neighbor was murdered the day before - the day Amie has lived hundreds of times. Amie knows she has to help; nobody knows yesterday like she does. But acclimating to her new nonrepeating life proves to be more difficult than expected. How does one resume their life after a time loop, anyway?

Assisted by an ex-girlfriend who wants to make their friendship work and a grumpy neighbor who spends his days building Rube Goldberg machines, Amie sets out to track down who killed (and killed and killed and killed) Savannah Harlow.

Readers who love time loop novels, amateur sleuth mysteries, and original takes on classic tropes will love Out of the Loop."

I'd avoid the bagel personally.

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl.

All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family's aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. He figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there's a complication.

Even though the settlers were promised they'd be left in peace, Earth's government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Industries is hired to commence an "eviction action." But maximizing profits will always be Apex's number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their homes?

The game is called Operation Bounce House.

Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who've paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known."

Personally I hope every single character that paid to be a killer gets what's coming to them.

Secondhand Luck by Kim Harrison
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Against an ancient shadow with a deadly agenda, Petra Grady's luck may be about to run out, in the next book in the enthralling contemporary fantasy series from the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows novels.

It's been months since Petra Grady bonded with the shadow Pluck. With the help of researcher Benedict Strom, she has made a place for herself at St. Unoc University as the first weaver to use shadow magic in a thousand years. But some are not happy to acknowledge the new shadow/weaver pair, and Petra and Pluck aren't surprised when they're blamed for every recent trouble.

When a new weaver is drawn to St. Unoc, Pluck quickly realizes the novice magic user has not come alone. Trailing her is Thoth, a devious shadow responsible for betraying his own kind and setting mage against weaver thousands of years ago. His goal hasn't changed, and when Thoth turns both the mage courts and the university against Petra, she and Pluck must risk everything to uncover a truth that even Pluck has forgotten.

Shadows, though, have earned their terrifying reputation, and if Petra can't prove her and Pluck's innocence and capture Thoth, any hope of balance will be gone - taking Pluck and her with it."

That's the problem with shadows, how can you trust that which is basically darkness?

Death of a Groom by M.C. Beaton
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sergeant Hamish Macbeth returns to protect his sleepy Scottish village of Lochdubh in the latest mystery in M.C. Beaton's beloved, New York Times bestselling series.

It is February and the Scottish Highlands village of Lochdubh is dealing with heavy snow and freezing temperatures. Sergeant Hamish Macbeth can handle the weather, but with a surprise influx of high-society visitors for a Valentine's Day wedding at Tommel Castle Hotel, he has bigger problems.

The guest list includes not one, but two women from his own romantic past! And Hamish isn't the only one disrupted by the arrival of the wedding party. The groom - the supposedly suave and sophisticated Darius Palmerston - is involved in a series of incidents in the local pub. Tensions between guests and villagers escalate until, shortly after the lavish wedding ceremony, a body is found in the hotel dining room.

The gruesome killing means Hamish suddenly has a murder investigation on his hands, one with a very long list of suspects."

My Mom would be so happy this series continues on.

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An enemies-to-lovers spicy novella set in the world of video gaming from the New York Times bestselling author of Problematic Summer Romance - now in print and ebook!

Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, aka her archnemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her - and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can't think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there's more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one."

Aw, snowbound love.

The Baby Dragon Bookshop by A.T. Qureshi
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Will romance be the plot twist?

Emmy has an enemy, and his name is Luke. The good news? She rarely sees him. The bad news? When she does, she (and her pet dragons) are reminded just how handsome he is.

Besides, Emmy is too busy focusing on her dragon-fuelled business to have time for love. But when both she and Luke approach the same local investor for funding, she's suddenly unable to avoid him. The kookie investor insists they must compete for the cash by working at the local failing baby dragon bookshop to prove their magical business knowledge.

Determined to win the funding, Emmy dives into the task. But making a very flammable bookshop fit for baby dragons is no small feat, and it seems these rivals may need to join forces. Could Luke and Emmy's fiery animosity spark something more between them?"

But don't dragons love books? They can be hoarded after all...

Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"8 HOURS TO STOP AN EXPLOSION...8 HOURS TO FALL IN LOVE.

From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and Aurora Rising comes a high-stakes, high-chemistry, sci-fi romp about a stowaway girl and the richest boy in the galaxy, racing the clock to outwit a gang of mercenaries.

It's 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from a lifeless rock into a chaotic patch of settlements - equal parts national pride, and corporate power grab.

Enter Hunter Graves: handsome, ambitious, and with spectacularly bad timing. He shows up at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation sends everyone scurrying for safety. Except he's left behind. Uh oh.

Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tonged stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy might just help you survive, so here we are.

Turns out the evacuation was just a cover for the mercenaries who came next, and the plan to blow up the base - and every trace of their crime - in eight hours.

Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they're falling for each other.

The clock is ticking."

I mean, with eight hours to go, just fall, right?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A.G. Slatter, A.T. Qureshi, Ali Hazelwood, Amie Kaufman, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Guy Jenkins, Janie Chang, Katie Siegel, Kim Harrison, Laura Purcell, M.C. Beaton, Matt Dinniman, Mollie Ann Cox, Nancy Springer, Yosha Gunasekera

Shadowstitch by Cari Thomas
Published by: Voyager
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 672 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Anna survived the attempt to bind her magic, but Anna and her coven aren't free from danger yet.

Haunted by her aunt's death, living in fear of her curse, and fated to love the one man she can never have, the last thing Anna needs is a witch hunt. Now she must conceal her magic once more or risk losing everything.

But when deadly hysteria strikes across the capital, and in her own school, the coven are left dangerously exposed. Delving deeper into the magical underworld of London, Anna and her twin sister Effie must find a way to work together to protect the coven.

But as the witch hunt intensifies and the hysteria spirals out of control, can Effie and Anna truly trust each other?"

I am so obsessed with this series that I ordered my copy from England because it was published a month earlier. And it was SO worth it.

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch
Published by: Farrago
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The hilarious first novel in a cosy and inclusive historical romantasy series by the writer of Horrible Histories.

Two strangers.

Two Londons.

Two hearts that won't stop beating...

In an alternative Elizabethan London, Fang awakes from his death to discover he is not quite human anymore. In fact, despite having somehow acquired the power of immortality, he's also not quite vampire, zombie, werewolf or any of the other supernatural beings who roam the twin cities of Upper London and its underground counterpart, Deep London.

A jaded traveller from the Ming Empire, Fang is desperate to find a way to reverse the spell and get on with being dead when he stumbles upon Lazare de Quitte-Beuf, a theatrical Frenchman who is afflicted with the same mysterious condition. Thrown together by the curse they share, the two men set out to undo the strange magic that binds them. As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they unearth a dangerous plot which they appear to be right in the middle of...

And, surely, when in grave danger, the worst thing they could do would be to fall in love, wouldn't it?"

Just to clarify, Horrible Histories writer yes, Ghosts writer no.

Summers End by Juneau Black
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A unique take on dark academia, featuring everyone's favorite vulpine sleuth, Vera Vixen.

It's late August in Shady Hollow, and intrepid reporter Vera Vixen agrees to chaperone the school's annual field trip to Summers End, an ancient tomb built by an early woodland culture. Naturally, her good friend Lenore Lee comes along to help her.

But when the group enters the tomb one morning, they find a corpse that is distinctly more...modern than expected. Digging deeper, Vera and Lenore discover that the deceased was involved in the recent excavation at the site, and very unpopular with their colleagues - including Lenore's sister, Ligeia. Now the fox and raven must delve into the dark world of academia and archaeology to clear Ligeia's name. Some creature at Summers End thought they were clever enough to get away with the perfect murder. Can Vera and Lenore unearth the truth in time?"

I mean, you KNOW this is the dark academia take you've been waiting for!

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Published by: Bramble
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gorgeous hardcover edition featuring lavender sprayed edges! The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst's romantasy debut-a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn't had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire's precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city's elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She's hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy - and very handsome - neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.

The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she's determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks--the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high."

With the rise of the cozy fantasy there are so many books I just want to move into, I mean, how could you not with this book? Look at that cover!

Goodnight Tokyo by Atsuhiro Yoshida
Published by: Europa Editions
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A symphony of interconnected lives that offers a compelling reflection on life in modern-day metropolises at the intersection of isolation and intimacy in Yoshida's English-language debut.

Set over several nights, between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., in and around Tokyo, this mind-blowingly constructed book is an elaborate, energetic fresco of human nocturnal existence in all its mystery, an enigmatic literary mix of Agatha Christie, Teju Cole, and Heironymous Bosch.

On this journey through the labyrinthine streets and hidden corners of one of the world's most fascinating cities, everybody is searching for something, and maybe searching in the wrong places. Elements of the fantastical and the surreal abound, as they tend to do in the early pre-dawn hours of the morning, yet the settings, the human stories, and each character's search are all as real as can be.

Goodnight Tokyo offers readers a unique and intimate take on Tokyo as seen through the eyes of a large cast of colorful characters. Their lives, as disparate and as far apart as they may seem, are in fact intricately interconnected, and their fates converge against the backdrop of the city's neon-lit streets and quiet alleyways. In his English-language debut, Yoshida masterfully portrays in captivating and lyrical prose the complexities of human relationships, the mystery of human connection, and the universal quest for meaning."

Like the modern literary equivalent of Night on Earth, the Jim Jarmusch film.

Totality by Kim Harrison
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 143 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After a solar eclipse opens a way between our world and a paranormal realm, and the dark side of first contact emerges, one woman’s loyalties will be tested in this gripping serialized adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Hollows series.

Dr. Renee Caisson never expected that her scientific expertise would lead to a role playing interpreter between humans and the demonic-looking Neighbors. When the door between their worlds opened, she was drafted by the government to study the otherworldly beings and was able to prove her theory: the Neighbors had been to Earth before - and now they simply wanted to save their dying planet.

At least, that's the story, and everyone - both human and Neighbor - is sticking to it. The Neighbor in charge of the new portal's operation, Noel, isn't that sure anymore. Having succeeded in finding a new planet to inhabit, the leaders of her world have made the dark truth of their existence clear to her: the Neighbors forcibly tried to make a foothold on Earth in the past - and they can't afford to fail again.

But the Neighbors' ability to magically teleport from place to place has convinced Major Jackson that the only way to keep control of the situation is to embrace it and tell the world of the Neighbors' existence.

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees."

Phase two! And only a week after phase one! I love this weekly serialization! 

Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi
Published by: Knopf Publishing Group
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 576 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times best-selling author of The Windup Girl and The Water Knife comes a sweeping literary fantasy about the young scion from a ruling-class family who faces rebellion as he ascends to power.

"You must be as sharp as a stilettotore's dagger and as subtle as a fish beneath the waters. This is what it is to be Navolese, this is what it is to be di Regulai."

In Navola, a bustling city-state dominated by a handful of influential families, business is power, and power is everything. For generations, the di Regulai family - merchant bankers with a vast empire - has nurtured tendrils that stretch to the farthest reaches of the known world. And though they claim not to be political, their staggering wealth has bought cities and toppled kingdoms. Soon, Davico di Regulai will be expected to take the reins of power from his father and demonstrate his mastery of the games of Navolese diplomacy: knowing who to trust and who to doubt, and how to read what lies hidden behind a smile. But in Navola, strange and ancient undercurrents lurk behind the gilt and grandeur - like the fossilized dragon eye in the family's possession, a potent symbol of their raw power and a talisman that seems to be summoning Davico to act.

As tensions rise and the events unfold, Davico will be tested to his limits. His fate depends on the eldritch dragon relic and on what lies buried in the heart of his adopted sister, Celia di Balcosi, whose own family was destroyed by Nalova's twisted politics. With echoes of Renaissance Italy, The Godfather, and Game of Thrones, Navola is a stunning feat of world-building and a mesmerizing depiction of drive and will."

Who wouldn't want to read about a world like Italy during the Renaissance but with dragons?

All This and More by Peng Shepherd
Published by: William Morrow and Company
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of The Cartographers and The Book of M comes an inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she's ever made... and how far she'll go to find her elusive "happily ever after." But there's a twist: the reader gets to decide what she does next to change her fate.

One woman. Endless options. Every choice has consequences.

Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsh is convinced she's missed her chance at everything - romance, professional fulfillment, and adventure - and is desperate for a do-over.

She can't believe her luck when she's selected to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the chance to revise their pasts and change their present lives. It's Marsh's only shot to seize her dreams, and she's determined to get it right this time.

But even as she rises to become a famous lawyer, gets back together with her high school sweetheart, and travels the world, she begins to worry that All This and More's promises might be too good to be true. Because while the technology is amazing, something seems a bit off....

Can Marsh really make her life everything she wants it to be? And is it worth it?

Perfect for fans of Matt Haig's The Midnight Library and Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, bestselling author Peng Shepherd's All This and More is an utterly original, startlingly poignant novel that puts the reader in the driver's seat."

Yes, it is original, so don't compare it to The Midnight Library. Damn I hated that book.

London in Black by Jack Lutz
Published by: Pushkin Vertigo
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A ticking-bomb and an edgy female detective offers an explosive debut set in near-future London and a "gripping, gritty, and timely police procedural destined to be a bestseller." (Independent Ireland)

Detective Inspector Lucy Stone's life was changed forever when terrorists deployed a lethal nerve gas at Waterloo Station, killing 10% of London's population. Lucy should have died - but she didn't, all because of something she'll spend the rest of her life atoning for.

Two years later, copy-cat strikes plague the city. When London's most important scientist is brutally murdered, Lucy discovers he may have been working on an antidote to the chemical weapon. But time is running out. Will Lucy find the antidote - and catch the killer - before it's too late?"

I like the lethal nerve gas attack on London which reminds me of Bodies. 

The Unforgettable Loretta Darling by Katherine Blake
Published by: Harper Paperbacks
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An aspiring makeup artist takes on predatory Hollywood in this addictive debut novel with bite - a sultry, thrilling blend of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Killing Eve, and A Promising Young Woman.

It's 1950 and Loretta Reynolds is newly arrived in Hollywood, fresh off a con that brought her from England to the sunny shores of California. She's running away from a complicated past to fulfill her ambition of becoming a makeup artist to the stars.

When her new husband, a would-be actor, takes her to a sex-fueled Hollywood party on their wedding night - hoping to trade her to a powerful director for a favor - she discovers the dark side of Tinseltown and sets out on a path of revenge against the cruel men who use their money and power to play with lives and dreams.

In her quest for vengeance, Loretta gathers a band of La-La-Land misfits: a fading starlet past her prime, a friendly neighborhood sex worker, and a brooding screenwriter who proves yes, not all men are evil - just most...

Now, Loretta is about to get her big break - and Hollywood better beware. Loretta has learned a lot about makeup, and more... and some of her clients might not make it out alive."

But hopefully she does, because mentioning Killing Eve and A Promising Young woman has put me on edge...

Blood and Mascara by Colin Krainin
Published by: Pulp Lit
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 292 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Iris is watching Bronze.

Bronze is following Carolyn.

Carolyn is sleeping with Billy.

Now Billy is dead and a killer is coming for them all.

Washington, DC, 1997:

A city stumbling toward recovery after a decade of violence, drugs, AIDS, and exodus. Bronze Goldberg - a soft-boiled private detective in a hard-boiled world - scrapes out a living stalking the steps of cheating spouses while bearing the trauma of the past like an open wound. But his latest assignment, surveilling the indiscretions of a stunning femme fatale, has entangled him in the murder of an up-and-coming congressman and made him the target of an unstoppable assassin. Meanwhile, the spiraling chaos of Bronze's dangerous adventures has attracted the obsessive attention of his landlord, Iris Margaryan, a brilliant romance novelist who may hold the missing piece in the puzzle of Bronze's fatal past. Can Bronze survive long enough to reach the ultimate truth?

A gripping noir mystery-both intensely provocative and darkly thrilling - Blood and Mascara descends into the depths of the human soul before exploding in an ending too shocking to ever forget."

I'd think a PI would make a really good living in Washington, DC!

A Refiner's Fire by Donna Leon
Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the thirty-third installment of Donna Leon's magnificent series, Commissario Guido Brunetti confronts a present-day Venetian menace and the ghosts of a heroism that never was.

Around one AM on an early spring morning, two teenage gangs are arrested after clashing violently in one of Venice's squares. Commissario Claudia Griffoni, on duty that night, perhaps ill-advisedly walks the last of the boys home because his father, Dario Monforte, failed to pick him up at the Questura. Coincidentally, Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy friend of Vice-Questore Patta to vet Monforte for a job, triggering Brunetti's memory that twenty years earlier Monforte had been publicly celebrated as the hero of a devastating bombing of the Italian military compound in Iraq. Yet Monforte had never been awarded a medal either by the Carabinieri, his service branch, or by the Italian government.

That seeming contradiction, and the brutal attack on one of Brunetti's colleagues, Enzo Bocchese, by a possible gang member, concentrate Brunetti's attentions. Surprisingly empowered by Patta, supported by Signorina Elettra's extraordinary research abilities and by his wife, Paola's, empathy, Brunetti, with Griffoni, gradually discovers the sordid hypocrisy surrounding Monforte's past, culminating in a fiery meeting of two gangs and a final opportunity for redemption.

A Refiner's Fire is Donna Leon at her very best: an elegant, sophisticated storyteller whose indelible characters become richer with each book, and who constantly explores the ambiguity between moral and legal justice."

My Mom sure knew how to pick good mysteries series. This was a favorite of hers.

Ladykiller by Katherine Wood
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Everyone has a story. But not everyone's story is true.

When a young woman vanishes from her remote Greek island estate, her best friend races to find her, using clues found in the explosive manuscript she left behind.

Gia and Abby have been friends since childhood, forever bonded by the tragedy that unfolded in Greece when they were eighteen. Now thirty, heiress Gia is back in Greece with her shiny new husband, entertaining glamorous guests with champagne under the hot Mediterranean sun, while bookish Abby is working fourteen-hour days as an attorney. When Gia invites Abby on an all-expenses-paid trip to Sweden to celebrate her birthday, Abby's thrilled to reconnect.

But on the day of her flight, Abby receives an ominous email that threatens to unearth the skeletons of her past, and when she and Gia's brother, Benny, arrive in Sweden, Gia isn't there. Worried, Abby and Benny fly to Greece, where they find Gia's beachfront estate eerily deserted, the sole clue to her whereabouts the manuscript she penned, detailing the events leading up to her disappearance. Gia's narrative reveals the dark truth about her provocative new marriage and the dirty secrets of their seductive guests, a story almost too scandalous to be believed. But the pages end abruptly, leaving more questions than answers.

How much of Gia's story is true? Where is she now? And will Abby find her before it's too late?"

The dark gritty reboot of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants I've longed for!

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lenny Marks is excellent at not having a life.

She bikes home from work at exactly 4pm each day, buys the same groceries for the same meals every week, and owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit (currently arranged by height). The closest thing she has to a friendship is playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar while watching Friends reruns.

And Lenny Marks is very, very good at not remembering what happened the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was still a child. The day a voice in the back of her mind started whispering, You did this.

Until a letter from the parole board arrives in the mail - and when her desperate attempts to ignore it fail, Lenny starts to unravel. As long-buried memories come to the surface, Lenny's careful routines fall apart. For the first time, she finds herself forced to connect with the community around her, and unexpected new relationships begin to bloom. Lenny Marks may finally get a life - but what if her past catches up to her first?

Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, Kerryn Mayne's stunning debut is an irresistible novel about truth, secrets, vengeance, and family lost and found, with a heroine who's simply unforgettable."

It's bad I want Lenny's life right? I mean, before the letter from the parole board arrives...

Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An exhilarating novel about one American family, the dark moment that shatters their suburban paradise, and the wild legacy of trauma and inheritance, from the New York Times bestselling author of Fleishman Is in Trouble.

"Were we gangsters? No. But did we know how to start a fire?"

In 1980, a wealthy businessman named Carl Fletcher is kidnapped from his driveway, brutalized, and held for ransom. He is returned to his wife and kids less than a week later, only slightly the worse, and the family moves on with their lives, resuming their prized places in the saga of the American dream, comforted in the realization that though their money may have been what endangered them, it is also what assured them their safety.

But now, nearly forty years later, it's clear that perhaps nobody ever got over anything, after all. Carl has spent the ensuing years secretly seeking closure to the matter of his kidnapping, while his wife, Ruth, has spent her potential protecting her husband's emotional health. Their three grown children aren't doing much better: Nathan's chronic fear won't allow him to advance at his law firm; Beamer, a Hollywood screenwriter, will consume anything - substance, foodstuff, women - in order to numb his own perpetual terror; and Jenny has spent her life so bent on proving that she's not a product of her family's pathology that she has come to define it. As they hover at the delicate precipice of a different kind of survival, they learn that the family fortune has dwindled to just about nothing, and they must face desperate questions about how much their wealth has played a part in both their lives' successes and failures.

Long Island Compromise spans the entirety of one family's history, winding through decades and generations, all the way to the outrageous present, and confronting the mainstays of American Jewish life: tradition, the pursuit of success, the terror of history, fear of the future, old wives' tales, evil eyes, ambition, achievement, boredom, dybbuks, inheritance, pyramid schemes, right-wing capitalists, beta-blockers, psychics, and the mostly unspoken love and shared experience that unite a family forever."

Because it's true when they say, money can't buy you everything... Even if it saved your life at one time.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Atsuhiro Yoshida, Cari Thomas, Colin Krainin, Donna Leon, Jack Lutz, Juneau Black, Katherine Blake, Katherine Wood, Kerryn Mayne, Kim Harrison, Paolo Bacigalupi, Peng Shepherd, Sarah Beth Durst

Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell
Published by: Hyperion Avenue
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In her most imaginative novel yet, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell (None of This Is True) launches the Marvel Crime series of thriller books for adults with an original story starring the private detective Jessica Jones.

Meet Jessica Jones: Retired super hero, private investigator, loner. She tried her best to be a shiny spandex crimefighter, but that life only led to unspeakable trauma. Now she avoids that world altogether and works on surviving day-to-day in Hell's Kitchen, New York.

The morning a distraught mother comes into her office, Jessica would prefer to nurse her hangover and try to forget last night's poor choices. But something about Amber Randall's story strikes a chord with her. Amber is adamant that something happened to her teenage twins while they were visiting their father in the UK. The twins don't act like themselves, and they now have flawless skin, have lost their distinctive tics and habits, and keep talking about a girl named Belle. Amber insists her children have been replaced by something horrible, something "perfect."

Traveling to a small village in the British countryside, Jessica meets the mysterious Belle, who lives a curiously isolated life in an old farmhouse with a strange woman who claims to be her guardian. Can this unworldly teenager really be responsible for the Randall twins' new personas? Why does the strange little village of Barton Wallop seem to harbor dark energies and mysteries in its tight-knit community?

A mother's intuition is never wrong. And Jessica knows that nothing in life is perfect - not these kids, not her on-again, off-again relationship with Luke Cage, and certainly not Jessica herself. But even as she tries to buy into the idea that better days are ahead, Jessica Jones has seen all too clearly that behind every promise of perfection trails a dark, dangerous shadow.

Breaking the Dark, the first book in the brand-new Marvel Crime series, introduces fans to a grittier, street-level side of the Marvel Universe, and will continue with original novels featuring fan-favorite characters like Luke Cage, written by S.A. Cosby, and Daredevil, written by Alex Segura."

Oh my, Lisa Jewell and Jessica Jones together!?! It's like peanut butter and chocolate, a combination we've longed for and is now a classic.

The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris
Published by: Pegasus Books
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author Joanne Harris comes a richly imagined and captivating novel of two colliding worlds.

Deep in the heart of London, a young photographer named Tom Argent walks the streets and captures whatever catches his eye: an old man drinking coffee; a striking woman sipping champagne in St. Pancras station; a cloud of moths taking flight across the sky. He's orphaned, lonely, and lost in his work. He certainly has no intention of falling in love.

And yet, love finds him in the shape of beautiful Vanessa, who lives a dangerous double life in the heart of the city. Tom's pursuit of Vanessa leads him to discover an alternate world, hiding in plain sight among the streets and rooftops of London. A world unseen by common folk and inhabited by strange and colorful beings, in which two warring factions - one nocturnal, one in the light - wage war for the sake of a long-lost love, which can only end with one side's total annihilation.

The Moonlight Market will enchant readers with new worlds and epic romance and in this captivating modern fairytale about what could be hiding in the corner of your eye."

No one does magical realism like Joanne Harris.

First Contact by Kim Harrison
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Kindle, 168 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the wake of the solar eclipse, a portal between our world and a paranormal realm opens - and a scientist's life will never be the same, in this thrilling serialized adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hollows.

Dr. Renee Caisson knows there are worse things than an attractive man in uniform drafting her into a secret government project - especially when Major Jackson makes it clear that he isn't bothered by her questionable past. But when her labs come back with decidedly odd results, the Major is forced to come clean over who the government is actually studying. Renee is shocked to learn her subjects are demonic-looking beings who call themselves "Neighbors" - refugees from a dying world, who arrived during the nation-wide solar eclipse.

The Neighbors' technology is unlike anything Renee's ever encountered. At first, she dismisses an injury that inexplicably heals as "just one of those things." And surely August, the most gregarious Neighbor, begins to speak English overnight because of the team linguist's skills?"

Get ready to see this serialized story featured for the next three weeks!

Gin Palace by Tracy Whitwell
Published by: Pan Publishing
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Tracy Whitwell's second novel Gin Palace picks up with the main character, Tanz, from The Accidental Medium, as she grows accustomed to her rather unusual gift...

Tanz can talk to ghosts, although she'd prefer it if she couldn't. Struggling to make ends meet as an actress and wholly unsuited to supply teaching, Tanz is only one bad day away from a meltdown. And the babbling ghosts aren't helping.

So when Tanz is offered a paid acting gig in her hometown, things start to look up. But Newcastle's dead won't stay quiet for long, and soon Tanz becomes haunted with visions of a mysterious Gin Palace guarded by a sinister figure. As Tanz starts to piece together a terrible tragedy, it becomes clear there's no limit to what the poltergeist will do to keep his secrets his own.

Unfortunately, he's never met anyone quite like Tanz before..."

Hometown ghosts are the worst.

The Shadow on the Glass by Jonathan L. Howard
Published by: Aconyte
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When two spiritist swindlers accidentally summon something horrific from beyond the stars, they must thwart a sinister time-spanning plot, in this first Victorian-era gaslight fantasy set in the world of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu.

London, 1891. Elizabeth Whittle and William Grant enjoy scalping London's bourgeoisie, taking on the personas of grand spiritist Cerulia Trent and her agent to connect the living and the dead. When a detective arrives, sniffing out fraud with a scientifically minded spiritualist society, the duo decides to take one last job before escaping to the continent. However, their final séance ends horrifically...and soon Lizzie isn't Lizzie anymore. William, desperate to banish whatever monster they summoned, is soon embroiled in an electrifying eldritch mystery where he makes a deal with the devil to save his friend and stop an even greater evil from transforming the known world."

Spiritualists are my catnip, combining it with Cthulhu is a genius trap to lure me in.

Herald of Ruin by Tim Pratt
Published by: Aconyte
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The enigmatic Carl Sanford is the master of all things occult in Arkham, until a charismatic newcomer threatens to take everything away from him in this dark mystery set in the world of Arkham Horror.

Carl Sanford's mastery of the Silver Twilight Lodge gives him unbridled power and influence, but unforeseen turmoil is coming to Arkham... A new occult curiosity shop in the city, opened by newcomer Randall Tillinghast, draws Sanford's ire, challenging his formerly unrivalled authority. Sanford expects to crush the newcomer like an ant and take what he wants from the wreckage, but Randall Tillinghast isn't quite as humble and harmless as he seems. In possession of an array of magical artifacts, Tillinghast begins to subvert Sanford's reputation in more ways than one, forcing Carl Sanford to call all the monsters and magic at his disposal to stop him. Will it be enough?"

Oh my, occult curiosity shop? Yes please!

The Mummy of Mayfair by Jeri Westerson
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Private investigators Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson take on another unusual and baffling case in Victorian London when a mummy unwrapping party takes a chilling turn.

London, 1895. Although their last high-profile case was a huge success, private detectives Tim Badger and Benjamin Watson know they can't afford to turn down any work, despite financial assistance from their mentor, Sherlock Holmes.

So when the eminent Doctor Enoch Sawyer of St. Bart's Hospital asks Badger if the duo will provide security for a mummy unwrapping party he is hosting, Badger doesn't hesitate to take the job. After all, how hard can guarding the doctor's bizarre Egyptian artifacts be? But with Doctor Sawyer running late for his own party, the 'genuine' ancient sarcophagus of Runihura Saa is unravelled to reveal the remains of...Doctor Sawyer! Suddenly, the pair are drawn into a case that's stranger and twistier than they could ever have imagined."

Wait, isn't this the setup used for an episode of Murder Rooms? OK, it was a corpse but not the host's own corpse. Which I thought would always be a great twist. So read this!

Murder in Punch Lane by Jane Sullivan
Published by: Echo
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Kindle, 326 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Melbourne, 1868. When dazzling theatre star Marie St. Denis dies in the arms of her best friend, fellow actress Lola Sanchez, everyone believes it was suicide by laudanum overdose. Everyone except Lola. On the brink of stardom herself, she risks everything by embarking on a quest to find Marie's killer.

When journalist Magnus Scott, writing as 'the Walking Gentleman', publishes a compassionate obituary about her friend, Lola decides to seek his help. A fraught attraction develops between these two amateur detectives from opposite sides of society, and their volatile relationship soon begins to compromise their investigation.

Lola keeps a secret from Magnus. She traverses the corrupt underbelly of the brash young metropolis just as he does, but disguised as a boy, entering dangerous, forbidden spaces where the lives of the rich and privileged intersect with the city's underclass and outsiders: bohemians, theatre folk, prostitutes, down-and-outs and opium addicts.

Neither are prepared for the truths they will uncover about the powers that rule Melbourne - or the consequences for their own lives. And now they must race to find the murderer before the city destroys them both."

I have become obsessed with Australia lately, especially anything set in Melbourne.

A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman
Published by: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Honeys meets The Secret History in a work of dark academia like no other - a boarding school thriller about a queer teen from Mississippi who finds himself swept into a world of old money, privilege, and the secret society at the heart of it all.

When Cal Ware wins a scholarship to an elite New England boarding school, he's thrilled to leave his past behind. Back home in Mississippi, he was the poor, queer kid who never fit in. But at Essex Academy, he'll be able to reinvent himself. Or so he hopes...

But at Essex, Cal's classmates only see his cheap clothes and old iPhone. They mock his accent, and can't believe he's never left the country, or heard of The Hamptons. Cal, at his breaking point, is about to give up and return to Mississippi when he learns about a secret society on campus - the key to becoming Essex royalty.

Cal knows he's not exactly secret society material, but to his surprise, he finds an unlikely champion in the handsome, charismatic, and slightly dangerous Luke Kim. As they get swept up in the mystery and glamour of the Rush process, Cal finds himself falling in love for the first time.

But as the initiation rituals grow riskier - and increasingly nefarious - Cal must decide how far he's willing to go, and how much of himself he's willing to sacrifice, to save everything and everyone he cherishes most. Because nothing at Essex - not even Cal's first love - is quite what it seems."

Wait, because until recently I had a janky old iPhone 6 would that mean I'd be looked down on? Team Cal!

Illustrated Girl by Josephine Angelini
Published by: Sungrazer Publishing
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 264 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From bestselling author Josephine Angelini comes a whimsical cozy fantasy read with loads of adventure and none of the triggers. Perfect for fans of Olivia Atwater and Travis Baldree.

Ever wish you could travel inside your favorite book and become the main character? Of course you have. Everyone has. But if you ever manage to pull it off, here's a tip. Timing is everything...

Take Holly for example, who after saying a spell is transported inside a fairytale called The Chronicles of Lucitopia, a magical world infested with grifter grandmas, halitosis-riddled bandits, and devoid of any functioning toilets.

Holly becomes Princess Pleasant exactly as she wished, but she gets there too late, right after an evil sorcerer turns Lucitopia into a tetanus-ridden hellhole. And now, it's up to Holly to make things right.

With the help of a freakishly handsome, yet frustratingly virtuous knight, Holly sets out to fix her story, but she only has fifteen days left to do so or she risks being stuck in Lucitopia for the rest of her life, which may prove to be a short one considering she's overdue for her shots."

Hey I just got my tetanus, I'll take her place, I'm good for ten years!

The Women of Wynton's by Donna Mumma
Published by: Barbour Fiction
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mid-Century Glam Meets Murder Mayhem.

Get swept away to the glamor of a 1950's department store where four women's loyalties, vanity, friendship, and detective skills are put to the test.

Audrey Penault once led a glamorous life as a model but now works as devoted secretary to Mr. Wynton. To her fellow employees, she is too vain and uppity.

Mary Jo Johnson, a wife and mother, longs to find her worth in the cosmetics department, but it may take a while for the shy housewife to discover her voice.

Vivian Sheffield owns and runs the bridal salon within Wynton's. She is proud of her accomplishments and won't let anyone take them away.

Gigi Woodard dislikes her job as waitress in the store's lunchroom, but she is determined not to let her secret shortcomings cause her to lose the position.

These four women have much to dislike about each other, but they unanimously agree that Mr. Wynton is the best of employers and must be protected at all costs from someone who seems determined to see him gone for good. When other employee deaths occur, can the women band together to solve the murders, or will they discover it is one of their own bent on destroying Wynton's from within?"

Anyone else love vintage murders set in period department stores? I know I can't be the only one loving very specific episodes of Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and Endeavour! 

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Published by: Harper Perennial
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this charming and emotionally resonant follow up to the internationally bestselling Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, Satoshi Yagisawa paints a poignant and thoughtful portrait of life, love, and how much books and bookstores mean to the people who love them.

Set again in the beloved Japanese bookshop and nearby coffee shop in the Jimbochi neighborhood of Toyko, More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop deepens the relationship between Takako, her uncle Satoru, and the people in their lives. A new cast of heartwarming regulars have appeared in the shop, including an old man who wears the same ragged mouse-colored sweater and another who collects books solely for the official stamps with the author's personal seal.

Satoshi Yagisawa illuminates the everyday relationships between people that are forged and grown through a shared love of books. Characters leave and return, fall in and out of love, and some eventually die. As time passes, Satoru, with Takako's help, must choose whether to keep the bookshop open or shutter its doors forever. Making the decision will take uncle and niece on an emotional journey back to their family's roots and remind them again what a bookstore can mean to an individual, a neighborhood, and a whole culture."

Damn, I love bookstores.

Meet Me at the Starlight by Rachel Hauck
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Eighties supermodel Harlow Hayes seeks solace in a quaint Florida beach town to hide and heal from a heartbreak that shattered her entire world. To her surprise, she encounters Matt Knight - a Hollywood A-lister with a bad-boy reputation - who has returned to his hometown to help his plucky grandmother, Tuesday, save her century-old skating rink, the Starlight.

The Starlight holds a special place in the hearts of the community, once acting as a refuge for Depression-era families and bringing the town together with gatherings and celebrations. Tuesday's determination and resilience even protected her beloved rink from her husband's shady business dealings. Yet when the Starlight is threatened with demolition, Tuesday may not be able to stop it.

As Matt and Harlow plot with Tuesday to save the Starlight, they find themselves on a journey of surprises, self-discovery, and the kind of healing that leads to love.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hauck weaves a heartfelt tale of romance, perseverance, and the enduring power of community."

Damn, I miss skating rinks.

My Lady's Secrets by Katy Moran
Published by: Aria
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2024
Format: Kindle, 282 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Regency England.

When rebellious aristocrat Cressida and Lord Greville parted ways, they swore never to meet again. Their short marriage had already descended into bitter estrangement, destroyed by scandal and betrayal.

Years later, Greville is a soldier in the Peninsular War and Cressida is following the drum as another man's lover. Scorned by society, she has learned to survive as a spy - until the day she is caught behind enemy lines, by none other than Greville himself.

Threatened with paying the ultimate price, Cressida is offered a deal: she must entrap and betray the most famous man in England. And Greville, unforgiving, angry and still shockingly attractive, must ensure she complies.

Catapulted to the heights of fame, Lord Byron is just as chaotic, charming and ruthless as he was when he, Greville and Cressida were teenagers. As the three old friends gather for a summer house party in the Scottish Highlands, Cressida is forced to confront her past and ask herself a terrifying question: is it too late for she and Greville to fight for one another at last?"

A Regency house party with Lord Byron!?! Hell yes!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Derek Milman, Donna Mumma, Jane Sullivan, Jeri Westerson, Joanne Harris, Jonathan L. Howard, Josephine Angelini, Katy Moran, Kim Harrison, Lisa Jewell, Rachel Hauck, Satoshi Yagisawa, Tim Pratt, Tracy Whitwell