My Life Solving America's Cold Cases by Paul Holes
Published by: Celadon Books
Publication Date: April 26th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From the detective who found the Golden State Killer, a memoir of investigating America’s toughest cold cases and the rewards - and toll - of a life solving crime.
I order another bourbon, neat. This is the drink that will flip the switch. I don’t even know how I got here, to this place, to this point. Something is happening to me lately. I’m drinking too much. My sheets are soaking wet when I wake up from nightmares of decaying corpses. I order another drink and swig it, trying to forget about the latest case I can’t shake.
Crime solving for me is more complex than the challenge of the hunt, or the process of piecing together a scientific puzzle. The thought of good people suffering drives me, for better or worse, to the point of obsession. People always ask how I am able to detach from the horrors of my work. Part of it is an innate capacity to compartmentalize; the rest is experience and exposure, and I’ve had plenty of both. But I have always taken pride in the fact that I can keep my feelings locked up to get the job done. It’s only been recently that it feels like all that suppressed darkness is beginning to seep out.
When I look back at my long career, there is a lot I am proud of. I have caught some of the most notorious killers of the twenty-first century and brought justice and closure for their victims and families. I want to tell you about a lifetime solving these cold cases, from Laci Peterson to Jaycee Dugard to the Pittsburg homicides to, yes, my twenty-year-long hunt for the Golden State Killer.
But a deeper question eats at me as I ask myself, at what cost? I have sacrificed relationships, joy - even fatherhood - because the pursuit of evil always came first. Did I make the right choice? It’s something I grapple with every day. Yet as I stand in the spot where a young girl took her last breath, as I look into the eyes of her family, I know that, for me, there has never been a choice. "I don’t know if I can solve your case," I whisper. "But I promise I will do my best."
It is a promise I know I can keep."
I am a total fangirl of Paul Holes because of the Golden State Killer, therefore this book isn't just on my to buy list, I'm getting a signed first edition!
The Mad Girls of New York by Maya Rodale
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 26th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"An exciting novel based on the fearless reporter Nellie Bly, who would stop at nothing to expose injustices against women in early 19th century New York, even at the risk of her own life and freedom.
In 1887 New York City, Nellie Bly has ambitions beyond writing for the ladies pages, but all the editors on Newspaper Row think women are too emotional, respectable and delicate to do the job. But then the New York World challenges her to an assignment she'd be mad to accept and mad to refuse: go undercover as a patient at Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum for Women.
For months, rumors have been swirling about deplorable conditions at Blackwell’s, but no reporter can get in - that is, until Nellie feigns insanity, gets committed and attempts to survive ten days in the madhouse. Inside, she discovers horrors beyond comprehension. It's an investigation that could make her career - if she can get out to tell it before two rival reporters scoop her story.
From USA Today bestselling author Maya Rodale comes a rollicking historical adventure series about the outrageous intrigues and bold flirtations of the most famous female reporter - and a groundbreaking rebel - of New York City’s Gilded Age."
As I have been saying, Nellie Bly is the It Girl of the moment!
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
Published by: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: April 26th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Drowning Kind comes a genre-defying new novel, inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein, that brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us.
1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she’s home with her cherished grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran - teaching them how to take care of their pets, preparing them home-cooked meals, providing them with care and attention and love.
Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family. Iris - silent, hollow-eyed, skittish, and feral - does not behave like a normal girl.
Still, Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate. She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club, where they catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them. Before long, Iris begins to come out of her shell. She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles, go to the drive-in, meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.
2019: Lizzy Shelley, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, is traveling to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted, and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar. She’s determined to hunt it down, because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real - and one of them is her very own sister.
A haunting, vividly suspenseful page-turner from the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson” (Chris Bohjalian, author of The Flight Attendant), The Children on the Hill takes us on a breathless journey to face the primal fears that lurk within us all."
If I hadn't already been sold with the Frankenstein vibe, name checking Shirley Jackson put the nail in the coffin.
In the Face of the Sun by Denny S. Bryce
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: April 26th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"At the height of the Civil Rights Movement amidst an America convulsed by the 1960s, a pregnant young woman and her brash, profane aunt embark upon an audacious road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles to confront a decades-old mystery from 1920’s Black Hollywood in this haunting novel of historical fiction from the author of Wild Women and the Blues.
A lime-gold Ford Mustang is parked outside my building. Unmistakable. My Aunt Daisy, the driver, is an audacious woman that no one in our family actually speaks to. They only speak about her - and not glowingly. Still, she is part of my escape plan...
1928, Los Angeles: The newly-built Hotel Somerville is the hotspot for the city's glittering African-American elite. It embodies prosperity and dreams of equality for all - especially Daisy Washington. An up-and-coming journalist, Daisy anonymously chronicles fierce activism and behind-the-scenes Hollywood scandals in order to save her family from poverty. But power in the City of Angels is also fueled by racism, greed, and betrayal. And even the most determined young woman can play too many secrets too far...
1968, Chicago: For Frankie Saunders, fleeing across America is her only escape from an abusive husband. But her rescuer is her reckless, profane Aunt Daisy, still reeling from her own shattered past. Frankie doesn't want to know what her aunt is up to so long as Daisy can get her to LA—and safety. But Frankie finds there’s no hiding from long-held secrets—or her own surprising strength.
Daisy will do whatever it takes to settle old scores and resolve the past - no matter the damage. And Frankie will come up against hard choices in the face of unexpected passion. Both must come to grips with what they need, what they’ve left behind - and all that lies ahead..."
An old Hollywood mystery? Yes please!
A Queen for All Seasons by Joanna Lumley
Published by: Hodder and Stoughton
Publication Date: April 26th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A sparkling celebration of our much-loved Queen Elizabeth II for her Platinum Jubilee including special writings and illuminating insights around key moments in her 70-year reign, introduced and edited by her biggest fan Joanna Lumley.
In 2022 Queen Elizabeth II celebrates seventy years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth. She is Britain's longest reigning monarch and the very first to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.
A Queen For All Seasons, edited and introduced by Joanna Lumley, is a perceptive, touching and engaging tribute to this unique woman. A treasure chest of first-hand writings, insights and snapshots of the Queen during key moments of her reign to form a vibrant portrait of the woman herself and the extraordinary role she plays.
Joanna Lumley guides us as we meet Princess Elizabeth in 1952, aged just twenty-five, and about to become Queen, and brings us through to the present day when, as our matriarch, the Queen keeps the national ship steady, including in moments of crisis and suffering. Here are unique perspectives into some of the most fascinating aspects of the Queen's life - her role as head of state at home and abroad, her private passions and public interests and a bird's-eye look at key events that have held the nation together and the Queen in our affection throughout Britain and beyond.
This book is a special and unique portrait of our constant Queen in an ever-changing world."
The obligatory anglophile Platinum Jubilee book post. With 100% more Joanna Lumley!
One Foot in the Fade by Luke Arnold
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: April 26th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 464 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Welcome back to the streets of Sunder City, a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.
In a city that lost its magic, an angel falls in a downtown street. His wings are feathered, whole - undeniably magical - the man clearly flew, because he left one hell of a mess when he plummeted into the sidewalk.
But what sent him up? What brought him down? And will the answers help Fetch bring the magic back for good?
Working alongside necromancers, genies, and shadowy secret societies, through the wildest forests and dingiest dive bars, this case will leave its mark on Fetch's body, his soul, and the fate of the world."
Luke Arnold should be gleeful for the Aaronovitch comparison, and not just in cover design.
Veil by Dylan Farrow
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: April 26th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Dylan Farrow's Veil is the thrilling sequel to Hush, one of the most talked about YA fantasies of 2020.
Shae’s entire world has been turned upside down, and everything she’s ever believed is a lie. More determined than ever, she sets out to the mysterious land of Gondal - a place forbidden to mention and resigned to myth - in search of a dangerous magical book that could alter the fabric of the world.
Following the trail of Ravod, the boy she thought she knew and trusted, Shae discovers there is far more to the young man who stole the Book of Days than she ever realized. Together, with her friends, Mads and Fiona, and a newfound ally in her fierce former trainer, Kennan, Shae crosses the borders of the only home she’s ever had and into a world ruled not by magic, but technology and industry - one fraught with perils of its own.
In a world shrouded in lies, Shae is desperate for answers and to restore peace, but who will lift the veil?"
Most talked about for a good reason!
Locke and Key: The Golden Age by Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez, and Jay Fotos
Published by: IDW Publishing
Publication Date: April 26th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 264 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The beloved graphic novel series turned Netflix hit continues!
Take a trip through the past and unlock moments from Keyhouse's long history that expand the saga of the Locke family in this collection of stories including the crossover with Neil Gaiman's Sandman Universe!
Contains three prequel short stories, "Small World," "Open the Moon," and, collected for the first time, "Face the Music," leading into the gut-wrenching tour de force that begins with ...In Pale Battalions Go... and culminates with the Sandman Universe crossover Hell and Gone.
Each of these individual stories takes a glimpse into the lives of the Locke family ancestors from the early 20th century as they use the keys to fight battles big and small. From the killing fields of Europe during WWI to the depths of Hell, the Lockes struggle desperately to keep the dark forces of their world at bay."
Wait, they didn't say that "Open the Moon" will also have you balling your eyes out!
Well if you are really into crime or comic books this past year's swath of television adaptations has been for you. It seems like weekly Marvel is dropping another show on Disney+, and I don't just mean new episodes, but whole new shows. What have we had so far? Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, with She-Hulk and her horrible CGI still to come? And that's not even counting other comic book adaptations from The Boys to The Umbrella Academy to Locke and Key to Paper Girls. As for keeping up with criminal activities, what with so many British imports showing up on a plethora of streaming platforms, I feel like I've spent the last year adding and dropping services just so I could watch them all! And I've barely dented the surface with more being released every week! But I will say this, moody period crime and Roger Allam are all you really need to satisfy me. And yes, the moody period piece I'm talking about oddly is different from the Roger Allam one I am talking about. But one thing was certain about this years adaptations, some really knocked it out of the park and some barely made it to first base. There were a few shows I was dying to see, and well, was occasionally pleasantly surprised. But if there's one thing I know, I'll keep watching and judging adaptations for as long as they make them. And let's put it this way, Hollywood rarely has any original ideas, so adaptations will always be here! But are any of them prizeworthy? Well just have to watch and see... 
Mr Selfridge is a series that really came into it's own in the second series. If it had kept on the self-indulgent and self-destructive trajectory of the first series it wouldn't have lasted beyond it's second series, and I wouldn't have watched another episode. Did anybody really want to watch the hallucinatory post car crash episode? NO! Well, probably Jeremy Piven, but no one else. Instead we were lucky enough to have four series, three of which understood that while Selfridge, the man and the establishment, were the glue that held the series together, it was really the supporting cast that made the show work. It was the romance of Henri and Agnes, Miss Mardle finding purpose in her life besides being Mr. Grove's mistress, Arthur Crabb just being Arthur Crabb, the unexpected alliance of Frank and Kitty, the machinations of Lord Loxley, the delights of Lady Mae, I could go on and on because there was so much to love in this show. But what really made the show click for me in series two, besides the tonal shift, was that I knew Rose Selfridge was on the way out. Here's the thing. Everyone has an actor or actress they just can't stand. Watching them is like having your eyes being slowly clawed out of their sockets or having really painful dental surgery. Well, for me, Frances O'Connor and that Jack Nicholson Joker-esque smile of hers is at the top of my hate list. The hate started for me with the horrific 1999 adaptation of Mansfield Park, of which the less said the better. My feelings were really solidified by the movie A.I., and well, the rest is history, as in, I historically and forevermore will hate her, not matter what, and I thank the stars above every day that the adaptation of the Locke and Key series wasn't picked up with her as Nina. Anyway, after the first series when the show was picked up for a second series I read a bit about Harry Gordon Selfridge and saw that his beloved wife Rose, played by Frances O'Connor, died in the pandemic of 1918. Not good news for the real Rose, great news for me! All I had to do was get through her scenes in series two, which were minimized because of expanding the plotlines to include the supporting characters, and I'd be home free. Series three starts with a very welcome funeral. Sometimes the tragedies of life can make me happy. 
There's FINALLY an adaptation of 
Locke and Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
