strange and random happenstance

VenCo by Cherie Dimaline
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of The Once and Future Witches and Practical Magic, comes an incredibly imaginative, highly anticipated new novel featuring witches, magic, and a road trip across America - from Cherie Dimaline, the critically acclaimed author of Empire of Wild.

Métis millennial Lucky St. James is barely hanging on when she learns she'll be evicted from the tiny Toronto apartment she shares with her cantankerous but loving grandmother Stella. But then one night, something strange and irresistible calls out to Lucky. She burrows through a wall to find a tarnished silver spoon, humming with otherworldly energy, etched with a crooked-nosed witch and the word SALEM.

Lucky is familiar with the magic of her indigenous ancestors, but she has no idea that the spoon connects her to a teeming network of witches across North America who have anxiously awaited her discovery.

Enter VenCo, a front company fueled by vast resources of dark money (its name is an anagram of "coven.") VenCo's witches hide in plain sight wherever women gather: Tupperware parties, Mommy and Me classes, suburban book clubs. Since colonial times, they have awaited the moment the seven spoons will come together and ignite a new era, returning women to their rightful power.

But as reckoning approaches, a very powerful adversary is stalking their every move. He's Jay Christos, a roguish and deadly witch-hunter as old as witchcraft itself.

To find the last spoon, Lucky and Stella embark on a rollicking and dangerous road trip to the darkly magical city of New Orleans, where the final showdown will determine whether VenCo will usher in a new beginning…or remain underground forever.

A wildly imaginative and compulsively readable fantasia of adventure, history, Americana, feminism, and magic, VenCo is a novel only the supremely gifted Cherie Dimaline could write."

Dammit, I knew my book club could be something more!

The Spite House by Johnny Compton
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A terrifying Gothic thriller about grief and death and the depths of a father's love, Johnny Compton's The Spite House is a stunning debut by a horror master in the making - The Babadook meets A Head Full of Ghosts in Texas Hill Country.

Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he's desperate for money - it's not easy to find steady, safe work when you can't provide references, you can't stay in one place for long, and you're paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.

When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house's horrors don't drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.

The job calls to Eric, not just because there's a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it'll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running."

Think how bad things must be to accept this bargain?

The Twisted Dead by Darcy Coates
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Keira must decide if she should use her ability to contact ghosts to help the man who once tried to kill her.

Hunted and haunted, all she wants is to put her mysterious past behind her and move forward with her new friends as Blighty Graveyard's groundskeeper. But then she receives an invitation to dinner at the local recluse's crumbling ancestral estate. The mansion is steeped in history that is equal parts complicated and bloody - and at its center is the man who once tried to kill her, now begging for her help.

Dane Crispin believes his home is haunted - and that the unquiet dead clawing through the ancient house are after him. Unnerved but intrigued, Keira opens her second sight and discovers he's right: resentful specters cling to Dane…and if she can't find a way to stop them, threaten to consume everything in their path.

There's something dark happening in the world beyond most peoples' vision, and if Keira isn't able to sever the ties between the living and the dead, the chained spirits may not be the only things twisted beyond saving."

If it wasn't a "fate of the world" situation I'd let the ghosts have him!

Such Pretty Flowers by K.L. Cerra
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman investigating her brother's apparent suicide finds herself falling for her prime suspect - his darkly mysterious girlfriend - in this "creepy, compelling, and utterly original" (Karen Dionne) thriller.

"Get it out of me."

It was the last message Holly received from her brother, Dane, before he was found cleaved open in the lavish Savannah townhouse of his girlfriend, Maura. Police ruled his death a suicide sparked by psychosis, but Holly can't shake the idea that something else must have happened - something involving another message he sent earlier that night about a "game" Maura wanted to play.

Determined to discover the truth, Holly begins to stalk Maura, a magnetic, black-eyed florist with a penchant for carnivorous plants. But what begins as an investigation quickly veers into a fixation that lures Holly into the depths of Maura's world: Savannah high society, eerie black roses, and a whisper of something more sinister. Soon Holly is feeling a dark attraction to the one woman she shouldn't trust. As Holly falls deeper for Maura and her secrets, she's left with only one choice: find out what happened to Dane or meet the same fate."

Rule number one, don't fall for anyone your sibling dated.

Never Too Old to Save the World edited by Alana Joli Abbot and Addie J. King
Published by: Outland Entertainment
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 318 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Once every generation there is a Chosen One, who will stand between humanity and darkness.

But why is the Chosen One so often a teenager? Why do only children get swept through portals to save the fantastic world on the other side? Whose idea was it to put the fate of the world in the hands of someone without a fully developed prefrontal cortex?

In Never Too Old to Save the World, nineteen authors explore what would happen if the Chosen One were called midlife. What would happen if the Chosen One were:

a soccer mom
a cat lady
a nosy grandmother
a social worker
a retiree
an aging swordmaster?

The Chosen One could be anyone -  because when the universe calls, the real question is whether the hero will take up the mantle and answer their midlife calling. Sometimes the world needs a hero who's already been in the thick of chaos and survived. In those cases, age does matter."

Not that I'm willing to admit I'm in my midlife, I just love this concept so much. Think how experience could help in an end of the world/Chosen One situation?

Victory City by Salman Rushdie
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The epic tale of a woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the centuries - from the transcendent imagination of Booker Prize - winning, internationally bestselling author Salman Rushdie.

In the wake of an unimportant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for her namesake, the goddess Pampa, who begins to speak out of the girl's mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampana's comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga - "victory city" - the wonder of the world.

Over the next 250 years, Pampa Kampana's life becomes deeply interwoven with Bisnaga's, from its literal sowing from a bag of magic seeds to its tragic ruination in the most human of ways: the hubris of those in power. Whispering Bisnaga and its citizens into existence, Pampa Kampana attempts to make good on the task that the goddess set for her: to give women equal agency in a patriarchal world. But all stories have a way of getting away from their creator, and Bisnaga is no exception. As years pass, rulers come and go, battles are won and lost, and allegiances shift, the very fabric of Bisnaga becomes an ever more complex tapestry - with Pampa Kampana at its center.

Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, Victory City is a saga of love, adventure, and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling."

Seriously, how did Rushdie NOT get a Noble Peace Prize last year?

Love a Lady at Midnight by Charlie Lane
Published by: Independently Published
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Kindles
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this sizzling Regency romance by USA Today Bestselling author Charlie Lane, a lady with a secret runs from the gentleman who loves her.

She's not who she says she is.

Shadows, secrets, and Jackson Cavendish - all things Miss Gwendolyn Smith runs from. She's determined to live a life of obscurity, studying dusty tomes. Better that steady present than her haunting past or a future she cannot have. When a letter arrives that threatens her secrets and Jackson tells her he's done waiting, she must choose - face her past and gain a future? Or continue running from both.

He fell first, but he'll win at last.

Mr. Jackson Cavendish has chased Gwendolyn for six years but only caught her once. In Paris at midnight. He'll never forget what she felt like in his arms. And he's determined to repeat the experience. Every night for the rest of their lives. But how to convince the woman he loves to trust him with her secrets?

He's tried seduction.
He's tried retreat.
Now he'll have to reveal his own fears and secret guilt.

When these two scholars must dig into their own pasts, they'll learn how to build a future from it or lose each other forever."

Aw, romantic scholars and their secrets!

Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Of Manners and Murder is the first in the delightful new Dear Miss Hermione mystery series from Anastasia Hastings.

1885: London, England. When Violet's Aunt Adelia decides to abscond with her newest paramour, she leaves behind her role as the most popular Agony Aunt in London, "Miss Hermione," in Violet's hands.

And of course, the first letter Violet receives is full, not of prissy pondering, but of portent. Ivy Armstrong is in need of help and fears for her life. But when Violet visits the village where the letters were posted, she finds that Ivy is already dead.

She'll quickly discover that when you represent the best-loved Agony Aunt in Britain, both marauding husbands and murder are par for the course."

Because solving crimes are second nature to solving problems for Agony Aunts! Even if it's a role that's thrust upon you!

The Weight of Air by Kimberly Duffy
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe's strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. But at his unexpected death, she loses everything she's ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham for America in hope of finding the mother she's just discovered is still alive.

Isabella Moreau, the nation's most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. When her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, Isabella is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.

In this evocative novel from Kimberly Duffy, the meaning of strength takes center stage as the lives of three circus performers become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden."

I'm a sucker for circuses, of the olden thyme variety.

Double the Lies by Patricia Raybon
Published by: Tyndale House Publishers
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the cold and dangerous spring of 1924, amateur detective Annalee Spain races the clock to solve the murder of a white barnstorming pilot before the clever Black theologian - a target of the ruthless Colorado Klan - is framed for the crime, and before she is lured by the risky flirtations of the victim's dashing twin brother.

As this second installment of Patricia Raybon's critically acclaimed mystery series opens, Annalee Spain offers her fancy lace handkerchief - a gift from her complicated pastor boyfriend, Jack Blake - to a young woman crying in a Denver public library. But later that night, when police find the handkerchief next to the body of the young woman's murdered husband, Annalee becomes the number one suspect, and her panic doubles when she learns that Jack has gone missing.

With just days to solve the murder before the city's Klan-run police frame her for the crime, Annalee finds herself hunting for clues in the Colorado mountain town of Estes Park. She questions the victim's wife and her uncle, a wealthy Denver banker, at their mountain lodge, desperate for leads. Instead, she finds a household full of suspects and even more burning questions. Who keeps threatening her, why can't she find Jack, and will a dangerous flirtation be her undoing? Her answers plumb the depths of the human heart, including her own, exploring long-buried secrets, family lies, even city politics - all of which could cost the young detective her fledgling love...and perhaps even her life."

Tell me more about this households whose secret depths she must plumb?

Death by a Cornish Cove by Fliss Chester
Published by: Bookouture
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Kindle, 289 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A seaside party at a Cornish mansion with plenty of fizz, what could be more perfect? But something fishy is afoot…a killer lurks among the guests, and only Cressida Fawcett can stop them.

When Cressida Fawcett is invited to stay at Penbeagle House on the Cornish coast for a fancy-dress ball, she is looking forward to sipping rum cocktails clad as a pirate, watching the red-sailed boats go by and relaxing in the sea air with her good friend Dotty. But before they can raise their glasses to toast Cressida’s former flame Lord Canterbury's engagement, he drops dead in front of the horrified guests.

The local doctor determines that Lord Canterbury was poisoned, and soon Detective Chief Inspector Andrews is on his way from Scotland Yard. But Cressida is dismayed by the murder of the intrepid explorer who once asked for her hand in marriage, and she cannot simply leave the case to the police. Together with Dotty and her little pug Ruby, Cressida searches for clues only to discover that many of the guests have a motive for murder. Did an irate journalist or a bitter fellow explorer send Lord Canterbury on his untimely final journey?

And when a young maid is found dead, floating in the shimmering waters of the cove, Cressida knows time is running out to catch the killer. Could aclue hidden among some rather pungent crab sandwiches help her solve the case before there is another murder?

A witty and totally addictive cozy mystery packed with intrigue and glamour. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss."

A fancy-dress ball in Cornwall? Yes please!

Post After Post-Mortem by E.C.R. Lorac
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""Now tell us about your crime novel. Take my advice and don't try to be intellectual over it. What the public likes is blood."

The Surrays and their five children form a prolific writing machine, with scores of treatises, reviews, and crime thrillers published under their family name. Following a rare convergence of the whole household at their Oxfordshire home, Ruth - middle sister who writes "books which are just books" -  decides to spend some weeks there recovering from the pressures of the writing life, while the rest of the brood scatter to the winds again. Their next return is heralded by the tragic news that Ruth has taken her life after an evening at the Surrays's hosting a set of publishers and writers, one of whom is named as Ruth's literary executor in the will she left behind.

Despite some suspicions from the family, the verdict at the inquest is suicide - but when Ruth's brother Richard receives a letter from the deceased which was delayed in the post, he enlists the help of CID Robert Macdonald to investigate what could only be an ingeniously planned murder."

Poisoned Pen Press delivers again with another forgotten British Crime Classic!

The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg
Published by: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 3536 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From internationally bestselling author Katrine Engberg, the series that is a "gripping addition to the Scandinavian crime fiction pantheon" (Oprah Daily) comes to a stunning conclusion as Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner rush to untangle a long-simmering mystery before a brutal killer strikes again.

Jeppe Kørner, on leave from the police force and nursing a broken heart, has taken refuge on the island of Bornholm for the winter. Also on the island is Esther de Laurenti, a writer working on a biography on a female anthropologist with a mysterious past and coming to terms with her own crushing sense of loneliness in the wake of a dear friend’s death. When Jeppe lends a helping hand at the island’s local sawmill, he begins to realize that the island may not be the peaceful refuge it appears to be.

Back in Copenhagen, Anette Werner is tasked with leading the investigation into a severed corpse discovered on a downtown playground. As she follows the strange trail of clues, they all seem to lead back to Bornholm. With an innocent offer to check out a lead, Jeppe unwittingly finds himself in the crosshairs of a sinister mystery rooted in the past, forcing him to team up with Anette and Esther to unravel the island’s secrets before it’s too late.

With her signature "unforgettable characters and brilliant plot twists" (Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Katrine Engberg weaves a satisfying and white-knuckled finale to her Korner and Werner series that is a modern classic of Scandinavian noir."

When you need to remove yourself in an island refuge, you know things are about to go down.

I'm Not Charlotte Lucas by Kasey Stockton
Published by: Covenant Communications
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Northern California girl Charlotte "Charlie" Lucas has two great loves: Diet Coke and Pride and Prejudice. But her passion for Regency classics is tempered by a very real fear: Charlie is terrified of having to endure the fate of her namesake - spinsterhood. Despite her best attempts to maintain a modern sensibility, she can't say no when an elderly neighbor asks Charlie to attend a charity ball with her grandson. Blind date or not, Charlie is powerless to resist the allure of a real-life ball. Soon it's clear that she will struggle to resist the charms of her blind date too.

Liam Connell is every bit the swoon-worthy leading man, straight out of Charlie's daydreams. But he's completely unattainable - his last girlfriend was a gorgeous actress and a far cry from Charlie's world. So after a magical evening with Liam, Charlie is ready to get back to reality, even if her best option right now is a former boyfriend who wants to give it another shot. Unfortunately, despite imagining she’'l never see Liam again, he seems to be everywhere. How is a lady to move past a fantasy when life suddenly seems to be imitating fiction to an alarming degree?"

I'm sorry, but everyone should EMBRACE the Charlotte Lucas within, and be pragmatic but also hope for love.

Stakes, Cakes and Mandrakes by Colleen Gleason
Published by: Oliver Heber Books
Publication Date: February 7th, 2023
Format: Kindle, 227 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jacqueline Finch and her mystical, magical bookshop is back in this third entry of the bestselling Three Tomes Bookshop series!

Spring is in full swing in lakefront Button Cove, and Jacqueline is embracing her new life - her friends, her new home, the crones down the street, and especially the detective with a hot-Viking vibe. It's not half bad, considering the fact that she has the bickering literary characters of Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock's landlady) and the dour, creepy housekeeper Mrs. Danvers from Rebecca "helping" her to run the bookshop, and her nemesis Egala Stone is opening her own store down the block.

And then there's the handsome new undertaker - er, mortician - who's taken over the town funeral parlor and who has all the women ga-ga over him - including Jacqueline's friends. Things get a little weird when Detective Massermey's daughter seeks out help from Jacqueline, but surely she can handle that...right?

But when an old book falls off the shelf, signaling the arrival of yet another literary character Jacqueline has to deal with, and strange accidents and thefts begin to happen in Button Cove, Jacqueline once again finds herself in a big, fat mess."

Few things make me happier than a new Colleen Gleason book!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Anastasia Hastings, Charlie Lane, Cherie Dimaline, Darcy Coates, E.C.R. Lorac, Fliss Chester, Johnny Compton, K.L. Cerra, Kasey Stockton, Katrine Engberg, Kimberly Duffy, Patricia Raybon, Salman Rushdie

Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham must discover what could make an entire community disappear - before it's too late - in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Alpha and Omega series.

In the wilds of the Northern California mountains, all the inhabitants of a small town have gone missing. It's as if the people picked up and left their possessions behind. With a mystery on their hands and no jurisdiction on private property, the FBI dumps the whole problem in the lap of the land owner, Aspen Creek, Inc. - aka the business organization of the Marrok's pack.

Somehow, the pack of the Wolf Who Rules is connected to a group of vanished people. Werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham are tasked with investigating, and soon find that a deserted town is the least of the challenges they face.

Death sings in the forest, and when it calls, Charles and Anna must answer. Something has awakened in the heart of the California mountains, something old and dangerous - and it has met werewolves before."

This must read installment in Briggs's Mercyverse should be subtitled "So many longstanding questions answered!" Seriously. So. Many.

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Subterranean Press
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 232 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ghost hunter, fox whisperer, troublemaker. It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices. This might, by those who know her, be considered a mistake. While her cousin, police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, is off in the sticks chasing unicorns Abigail is chasing her own mystery. Teenagers around Hampstead Heath have been going missing but before the police can get fully engaged the teens return home - unharmed but vague about where they've been. Aided only by her new friend Simon, her knowledge that magic is real and a posse of talking foxes that think they're spies, Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly - why?"

I love it when Subterranean Press comes out with side volumes to series I love. Also look at the badge! It's so Moonrise Kingdom!

Mike Mignola: The Quarantine Sketchbook by Mike Mignola
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 232 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"During the coronavirus quarantine, legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola posted original pencil sketches online and auctioned off the art to raise money for José Andres' World Central Kitchen. The sketches went viral and were the talk of the comics internet.

Now those sketches are published in print for the first time, with all profits going to the World Central Kitchen.

This new, oversized hardcover collection is a must have for Mignola readers and art fans alike. The book features an introduction by Mignola, alongside sketches of Hellboy, beloved and unexpected pop culture characters, macabre chess pieces, gothic vegetable creatures, strange vampires, and more."

It's like win win here, I love Mike Mignola and I love chef José Andres!

Carmen and the House That Gaudi Built by Susan Hughes and Marianne Ferrer
Published by: Owlkids
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 32 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A joyful celebration of the nature-inspired work of architect Antoni Gaud.

Carmen Batll and Dragon, her imaginary salamander friend, love exploring the woods behind their home. But when Carmen's family announces a move to the city, Carmen is miserable. Not only will she lose her connection to nature, she will also lose Dragon. After all, the city is no place for salamanders.

As she watches her family's new house take shape under famous architect Antoni Gaud, Carmen discovers Gaud also has a passion for the natural world. Walls curve and rise like a cave, mosaic flooring sparkles like lilies on a pond, and a fireplace shaped like a mushroom keeps the house warm. Best of all, there's even a place for Dragon

Inspired by the real Batll family and the house Gaud designed for them, this picture book encourages readers to find inspiration in their surroundings and keep their hearts open to change. Stunning watercolor illustrations bring Gaud 's inventive designs to life. An author's note provides more information about the real story behind the house and Gaud 's lifelong passion for nature."

I love it when artists are celebrated by other artists in other mediums, it's just so much artistic love!

A Tapestry of Light by Kimberly Duffy
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Calcutta, 1886.

Ottilie Russell is adrift between two cultures, British and Indian, belonging to both and neither. In order to support her little brother, Thaddeus, and her grandmother, she relies upon her skills in beetle-wing embroidery that have been passed down to her through generations of Indian women.

When a stranger appears with the news that Thaddeus is now Baron Sunderson and must travel to England to take his place as a nobleman, Ottilie is shattered by the secrets that come to light. Despite her growing friendship with Everett Scott, friend to Ottilie's English grandmother and aunt, she refuses to give up her brother. Then tragedy strikes, and she is forced to make a decision that will take Thaddeus far from death and herself far from home.

But betrayal and loss lurk in England, too, and soon Ottilie must fight to ensure Thaddeus doesn't forget who he is, as well as find a way to stitch a place for herself in this foreign land."

Yes, this has so many of the things I love in a book, but the uniqueness of the beetle-wing embroidery is what made it stand out. 

The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks
Published by: Tin House Books
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 388 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the acclaimed author of The Orphan of Salt Winds.

It was like holding a couple of jigsaw pieces in my palm, knowing there was a whole picture to be made, if I could only find the rest.

Freya Lyell is struggling to move on from her sister Stella’s death five years ago. Visiting the bewitching Byrne Hall, only a few miles from the scene of the tragedy, she discovers a portrait of Stella - a portrait she had no idea existed, in a house Stella never set foot in. Or so she thought.

Driven to find out more about her sister’s secrets, Freya is drawn into the world of Byrne Hall and its owners: charismatic artist Cory and his sinister, watchful mother. But as Freya lingers in this mysterious, centuries-old house, her relationship with Cory crosses the line into obsession and the darkness behind the locked doors of the estate threatens to spill out.

In prose as lush and atmospheric as Byrne Hall itself, Elizabeth Brooks weaves a simmering, propulsive tale of art, sisterhood, and all-consuming love: the ways it can lead us toward tenderness, nostalgia, and longing, as well as shocking acts of violence."

Unknown portrait in mysterious manor house? Tell me more!

Not Yet Dark by Peter Robinson
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One of the world's greatest suspense writers returns with the 27th novel featuring the legendary detective Alan Banks in the mystery series Stephen King calls “the best now on the market.”

When property developer Connor Clive Blaydon is found dead, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his Yorkshire team dive into the investigation. As luck would have it, someone had installed a cache of spy-cams all around his luxurious home. The team hope that they’ll find answers - and the culprit - among the video recordings.

Instead of discovering Connor’s murderer, however, the grainy and blurred footage reveals another crime: a brutal rape. If they can discover the woman’s identity, it could lead to more than justice for the victim; it could change everything the police think they know about Connor and why anyone would want him dead.

Meanwhile, tensions are rising between Banks and his friend, Zelda. A super recognizer - able to recognize faces significantly better than most people - Zelda is determined to bring the men who abused her to justice. But stirring up the murky waters of the past will put her in far greater danger than ever before, and Banks worries that he won’t be able to stop her from plunging too deep before it’s too late."

One my mom would have wanted to read. 

The Cook of the Halcyon by Andrea Camilleri
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The new novel in the transporting New York Times bestselling Inspector Montalbano mystery series.

Two deaths, the suicide a newly laid-off worker and an unscrupulous businessman found murdered, leads Inspector Montalbano to inspect the Halcyon, a nearly abandoned mysterious ship with no passengers."

Another one my mom would have been excited for. 

Behind the Lens: My Life by David Suchet
Published by: Constable
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the early days of my career, I didn't think I stood a hope in hell. Look at me: I'm short, stocky, slightly overweight, deep of voice, passionate, dark haired, olive skinned, hardly your typical Englishman. What chance did I have, going into the world of British theatre?

David Suchet has been a stalwart of British stage and screen for fifty years. From Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde, Freud to Poirot, Edward Teller to Doctor Who, Harold Pinter to Terence Rattigan, Questions of Faith to Decline and Fall, right up to 2019's The Price, David has done it all. Throughout this spectacular career, David has never been without a camera, enabling him to vividly document his life in photographs. Seamlessly combining photo and memoir, Behind the Lens is the story of David's remarkable life, showcasing his wonderfully evocative photographs and accompanied by his insightful and engaging commentary.

In Behind the Lens, David discusses his London upbringing and love of the city, his Jewish roots and how they have influenced his career, the importance of his faith, how he really feels about fame, his love of photography and music, and his processes as an actor. He looks back on his fifty-year career, including reflections on how the industry has changed, his personal highs and lows, and how he wants to be remembered. And, of course, life after Poirot and why he's still grieving for the eccentric Belgian detective.

An autobiography with a difference, this is David Suchet as you've never seen him before - from behind the lens."

This is a magnificant book, I should know, I ordered my copy from Waterstones when it went on sale in England so I could get a signed copy. WORTH IT!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alpha and Omega, Andrea Camilleri, Ben Aaronovitch, David Suchet, Elizabeth Brooks, Gaudi, José Andres, Kimberly Duffy, Marianne Ferrer, Mike Mignola, Patricia Briggs, Peter Robinson, Poirot, Susan Hughes