strange and random happenstance

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Alix E. Harrow, the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, comes a moving and genre-defying quest about the lady-knight whose legend built a nation, and the cowardly historian sent back through time to make sure she plays her part - even if it breaks his heart.

Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion's greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children's books and recruiting posters - but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten.

Centuries later, Owen Mallory - failed soldier, struggling scholar - falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives - and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.

But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una's legend - if they want to tell a different story - they'll have to rewrite history itself."

What heartbreak to be doomed to die to inspire the future generations. 

Redneck Revenant by David R. Slayton
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From bestselling author David R. Slayton, Redneck Revenant is an exciting new chapter in the Adam Binder series.

Adam Binder's life has never been better. Sure, he has no money, no car, no home to call his own, and he's worried about creating a future with his boyfriend Vic, but he's closer to his family than ever before. He's also Page to the Elven Court of Swords, and that appointment is not without its perks - like the invisible sword strapped to his back.

But on Halloween night, Adam's life takes a disturbing turn. Annie, his brother's long-lost wife, turns up on her husband's doorstep alive and well, with no memory of her death. But is it really Annie, or a Trojan horse from some new magical enemy?

To uncover the truth, Adam will need help from those he loves most - as well as a couple of friends at Rogue Community College. As he navigates a perilous maze of magical politics and battles terrifying creatures from beyond the known realms, Adam will discover a secret darker and more unsettling than anything he could have imagined."

You know it could be both a magical Trojan horse AND his sister-in-law. 

The Book of Autumn by Molly O'Sullivan
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For readers of Adrienne Young, Olivie Blake, Erin Sterling, Hazel Beck, and Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House, a spellbinding debut about ambition, privilege, second chance romance, and ancient magic set at an enchanted school tucked among the red mesas of rural New Mexico, where a formidable pair of magicians are summoned to pursue an alleged killer.

Try as she might, anthropologist Marcella Gibbons can't escape the fact that she's a dimidium, one half of a formidable pair of Magicians, forever tied together to enable the other's powers. After a tumultuous final year at Seinford and Brown College of Agriculture (and Magic) in rural New Mexico, Cella felt more than a little uneasy about returning to the sun-drenched desert campus ever again. She'd cut ties with her other half - the charming and rugged rancher Max Middlemore - and sworn off Magic, academia, and heartache for good.

Until Max turns up at her door, grinning under his cowboy hat for one last favor. Something is shifting at her alma mater, something bigger than anyone understands. One student is dead. Another is floating midair in the infirmary, growling guttural nonsense and terrifying the staff. Their best, perhaps only, chance to intervene requires Cella and Max to work together. But the origins of the disturbances lie centuries ago. To unravel them, Cella will have to confront the truth about her past - and Max. Because she might be challenging a power she could never rival alone..."

I love me magical schools, I love this more because it's not in the expected place.

Witches of Dubious Origin by Jenn McKinlay
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a librarian discovers she's descended from a long line of powerful witches, she'll need all of her bookish knowledge to harness her family's magic, in this enchanting cozy fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. When a mysterious black book with an unbreakable latch is delivered to the library, Zoe has a strange feeling the tome is somehow calling to her. She decides to consult the Museum of Literature, home to volumes of indecipherable secrets, some possessing dark magic that must be guarded.

Here, among their most dangerous collection, the Books of Dubious Origin, Zoe discovers that she is the last descendant of a family of witches and this little black book is their grimoire. Zoe knows she must decode the family's spell book and solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and her grandmother. However, the book's potential power draws all things magical to it, and Zoe finds herself under the constant watch of a pesky raven, while being chased by undead Vikings, ghost pirates, and assorted ghouls.

With assistance from the eccentric staff of the Books of Dubious Origin department - including their annoyingly smart and handsome containment specialist, Jasper Griffin - Zoe must confront her past and the legacy of her family. But as their adventure unfolds, she'll have to decide whether or not she's ready to embrace her destiny."

New England and witches? Is there anything more perfect to read right before Halloween? 

The Library of Lost Girls by Kristen Pipps
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When her sister returns from finishing school a total stranger, a teen seeks out the cause and discovers that the cost of becoming a perfect lady is much higher - and more sinister - than ever expected. A lush, gothic tale that will haunt readers long after they turn the last page.

Gwen Donavan adores her beautiful and rebellious older sister, Izzy. But the Izzy who returns from the Delphi School for Girls is not the sister who left. Now she is Isolde: dull and complacent and - most shocking - eager to marry.

Gwen is determined to discover what happened to Izzy at Delphi, and the only solution she can conceive of is to cheat her way into the mysterious school. If she can see for herself what they did, maybe she can get her Izzy back.

But Delphi is far from the finishing school Gwen expects. Sinister shadows lurk in the hallways of the remote estate, and she is told to never leave her room after dark. More curious, though, are the thousands of books, each with the name of a girl on its spine. They line the walls from floor to ceiling, and the students are forbidden to read them.

Delphi says they're reforming the girls, but when Gwen discovers a note left for her by her sister, she realizes that what is happening at the school is more terrifying than she could ever have imagined. There's something dark at the center of Delphi, and somehow it's tied to those books - and to the girls who are sent there. And if Gwen doesn't confront what hides in the shadows, it won't be just Izzy who's lost forever."

Oh look, the nightmare of Margaret Atwood that so many men dream off. Which is why it's important for us women to read books like this!

The Changeling Queen by Kimberly Bea
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A lyrical, sensual, feminist retelling of the Scottish "Ballad of Tam Lin," combining folklore, desire, sacrifice, and nature's wonder in a tale perfect for fans of Natalie Haynes, Genevieve Gornichec, Holly Black, Quicksilver by Callie Hart, and Outlander.

"I am Faery and Faery is me."

On Samhain in medieval Scotland, pregnant Janet rescues her lover Tam Lin from being sacrificed by the Wild Hunt - but the callous Faery Queen is not finished with them yet. Over the span of a single night, the Queen and Janet spar over Tam Lin's fate. The Queen aims to win, knowing how fickle mortals can be. Long before she was royalty, she was simply Bess, the changeling daughter of a midwife.

Born with magical and mortal blood, Bess feared there was no true place for her on either side of the veil. She found refuge in the arms of the charming Thomas Shepherd, the bastard son of a local noble. While villagers viewed her as a scandal, Bess's cunning knowledge and secret dark gifts attracted the attention of the elf lord Amadan. Wily and silver-tongued, Amadan led Bess into Faery's realm of decadence, where her heart warred against her destiny. She fought to keep both - but at what cost?

Inspired by Scotland's famous "Ballad of Tam Lin" and weaving together mystical folklore and tragic romance, The Changeling Queen's journey into memory, betrayal, and redemption will leave you spellbound."

Who doesn't like to read about a Faery bargain? 

Hazelthorn by CG Drews
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"CG Drews, instant New York Times-bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In, returns with another deeply unsettling and yet hauntingly beautiful tale of murder and botanical body horror, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White, Annihilation, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

When Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn's immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. But Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next.

Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family's dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he's really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more."

Feed me Seymour! 

Birdlane Island by V.C. Andrews
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and Landry series - now popular Lifetime movies - an evocative and tender tale of star-crossed lovers on an isolated island.

Off the coast of Maine, on an island shaped like a seagull in flight, shrouded by mists off the bay, lives a novelist Jason Lorraine and his teenage daughter Lisa. They live a simple life, largely cut off from the mainland, and Lisa's weak health poses a frequent concern.

After the sudden and untimely death of Lisa's mother, Jason becomes even more reclusive and protective. Lisa is forbidden to see Jamie, the charming fisherman's son who has quickly become her closest confidante in her grief. The star-crossed lovers steal time with one another, but fate intervenes, and they may never find a happy ending. A brooding artist from out of town, Kyle, arrives and brings more color to Lisa's world. As Lisa fights for love, independence, and agency, will her beloved island become her sanctuary or her prison?"

It's hard to keep two people apart when they live on a small island.

The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 315 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A landscape architect unearths the tangled history of a once-celebrated English garden - and all its mysteries - in a captivating novel by the author of The Last Secret of Lily Adams.

Julia Esdaile is hired to restore the historic gardens at Havenworth Manor - the grounds of which are now an abandoned snarl of bramble and weeds - to their original splendor. For the enigmatic lady of the manor, ninety-two-year-old Margaret Clarke, the reason for the restoration is the deeply private story of a promise made a lifetime ago, and a vow to keep it before she dies.

It's 1940, and Margaret's older half sister, Irene, an aspiring artist, dreams of an exciting world beyond Havenworth. Her only escapes are James Atherton, a handsome officer in the RAF, and her sketchbook of flower drawings. Bonding over their disdain for war, Irene follows James to London, where, irrevocably in love, she is forced to make a choice she never imagined. With that, Irene vanishes from Margaret's life forever.

Now, with the help of Margaret's godson, Andrew, Julia is determined to uncover both the long-buried secrets of the past and the truth behind a heartbreaking mystery that only restoring the gardens of Havenworth can solve."

I love garden restoration, especially how in recent years in England drought has shown us original layouts that we never knew about.

In Deadly Fashion by Rosemary Simpson
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Heiress Prudence MacKenzie and ex-Pinkerton Geoffrey Hunter are about to become more than partners as investigators - they are to be wed at Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan. But a killer has designs on ruining the wedding as well as their lives...

AUGUST 1891: Prudence has her heart set on wearing her mother's wedding gown on the happy day, but she soon discovers the material has deteriorated so badly that it cannot be refurbished. With time running out, she decides to seek out a new American designer, a woman who trained in the House of Worth, the makers of the original dress in Paris, who now has a shop in New York City.

The gown is nearly complete when the expert seamstress overseeing the project is found dead in the studio, with Prudence's wedding dress slashed to ribbons and scattered over the body. The murder incites a scandal, as client after client deserts the now struggling designer. Now not only must Prudence find the murderer, she must rescue the talented young couturière's reputation - all while another gown is being hastily sewn.

The police suspect the seamstress's disgruntled lover. Prudence wonders about other designers competing in the cutthroat world of high fashion. But when additional wedding plans start to go awry, it's clear there is an elaborate campaign of sabotage and that either Prudence or Geoffrey or both are being targeted.

Once again they must work as a team to expose whoever is determined to ruin their lives - before the future they've so long dreamed of is left in tatters..."

You know, restoring one's reputation easily equals the price of one's wedding dress. 

Sisters in Death by Eli Frankel
Published by: Citadel
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Who killed the Black Dahlia? In this eye-opening shocker, an award-winning producer, true-crime researcher, and Hollywood insider finally solves the greatest - and most gruesome - murder mystery of the twentieth century just before its 80th anniversary.

In January 1947, the bisected body of Elizabeth Short, completely drained of blood, was discovered in an undeveloped lot in Los Angeles. Its gruesome mutilations led to a firestorm of publicity, city-wide panic, and an unprecedented number of investigative paths led by the LAPD - all dead ends. The Black Dahlia murder remained an unsolved mystery for over seventy years.

Six years earlier and sixteen hundred miles away, another woman's life had ended in a similarly horrific manner. Leila Welsh was an ambitious, educated, popular, and socially connected beauty. Though raised modestly on a prairie farm, she was heiress to her Kansas City family's status and wealth. On a winter morning in 1941, Leila's butchered body was found in her bedroom bearing the marks of unspeakable trauma.

One victim faded into obscurity. The other became notorious. Both had in common a killer whose sadistic mind was a labyrinth of dark secrets.

Eli Frankel reveals for the first time a key fact about the Black Dahlia crime scene, never before shared with the public, that leads inexorably to the stunning identification of a criminal who was at the same time amateurish and fiendish, skilled and lucky, sophisticated and brutish. Drawing on newly discovered documents, law enforcement files, interviews with the last surviving participants, the victims' own letters, trial transcripts, military records, and more, this epic true-crime saga puts together the missing pieces of a legendary puzzle.

In Sisters in Death, the Black Dahlia cold case is finally closed."

Can we ever really say the case is "solved?" At best this posits another good theory. As to why Elizabeth Short because a sensation and Lelia Welsh didn't... It's all about Hollywood. 

Lincoln's Ghost by Brad Ricca
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The incredible untold story of how the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, waged war upon Spiritualism, uncovering unknown magic, political conspiracies, and surprising secrets along the way.

You won't live forever, Houdini. You've got to DIE. I put a curse on you...

During a séance in 1924, Houdini - the greatest entertainer in the world - was cursed by a vengeful spirit, who said his days were numbered. Houdini laughed. He believed talking to the dead was impossible. By 1926, Houdini was dead.

This is the untold story of the last performance of Harry Houdini, who - inspired by his hero Abraham Lincoln - devotes himself full-time to a personal crusade against Spiritualism, the practice of speaking to the dead. In a spellbinding journey across Jazz Age America, haunted by the aftermath of the Great War and a deadly pandemic, Houdini encounters modern-day haunted houses, warlocks, and monsters, and uncovers a shocking conspiracy that stretches all the way to the American presidency - and to the House of Houdini itself.

In a compelling dual-timeline narrative alternating between Houdini's 1926 dramatic courtroom testimony before Congress and the last otherworldly cases he takes on that lead him there, Lincoln's Ghost is a powerful examination of deception, love, politics, the afterlife, and the very nature of magic itself."

Wait, his war upon Spiritualism was untold!?! Some one should tell the authors of all those books I've read... 

Kooky Spooky Love by Josie Silver
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An up-and-coming ghostbuster and her motley crew tackle a devilish high-wire act, aided (or more often, interrupted) by her rakish ex and the sarcastic reporter she can't seem to shake - from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Spooky Love.

Maplemead Castle is crawling with ghosts, and the new owners need them gone. When Melody Bittersweet and the Girls' Ghostbusting Agency arrive on scene, they quickly identify the main troublemaker swinging from the chandeliers. A century ago, stunning trapeze artist Britannia Lovell plunged to her death in the castle's grand ballroom, and has continued to haunt it ever since. But did she really just fall, or was there something more to her demise?

Forced to work with Leo Dark, her scoundrel ex, and the infuriating, irresistible reporter Fletcher Gunn, Melody's investigative powers are under the strain of a heart pulled in two directions. She needs her team in top form, but her best friend Marina's cake pipeline goes AWOL, her assistant Artie's distracted by a giant sausage roll, and the pug Lestat is scared witless by a lion. Melody has her work cut out for her.

Somewhere, hidden in the castle, is a heart-breaking secret, but what will it take to find it? And is there a chance it could set Britannia free, or is she doomed to repeat her last fateful act forever?"

Just saying, I think a trapeze artist could make a helluva lot of racket as a ghost. I approve. 

An Unlikely Coven by AM Kvita
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The outcast daughter of a powerful family of witches returns home to New York City and is immediately embroiled in a supernatural power struggle in this wickedly funny fantasy debut from AM Kvita. After seven long years Joan Greenwood is finally returning home. Unfortunately, her family totally forgot about it.

Joan's homecoming is lukewarm at best, but soon turns disastrous when news hits that someone has created a spell that can turn an ordinary human into a powerful witch, threatening the balance of the magical world and the Greenwood's place at the top of it.

When her best friend confesses that he has secretly, accidentally, saved this human-turned-witch from an uncertain fate, Joan is thrust headfirst into a desperate race to undo the spell before it does permanent damage to its unwilling host.

Soon, Joan finds herself drawn deeper into the heart of the city's magic, into an uncertain alliance with a (very attractive) family rival, and far beyond the limits of everything she thought her own magic capable of.

Welcome home Joan Greenwood."

It's always sad when your family forgets about you... But perhaps a rival family with a very attractive member... 

The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Journey to a magical hotel in the Swiss Alps, where two lost souls living in different centuries meet and discover if a second chance awaits them behind its doors.

"Have you travelled a long way?" she asked carefully.
A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Well, yes," he said slowly. "Yes, you could say that. But it was worth the wait."

London, 2015. When reclusive art appraiser Eve Shaw shakes the hand of a silver-haired gentleman in her office, the warmth of his palm sends a spark through her.

His name is Max Everly - curiously, the same name as Eve's favorite composer, born one hundred sixteen years prior. And she has the sudden feeling that she's held his hand before...but where, and when?

The White Octopus Hotel, 1935. In this belle époque building high in the snowy mountains, Eve and a young Max wander the winding halls, lost in time.

Each of them has been through the trenches - Eve through a family accident and Max on the battlefields of the Great War - but for an impossible moment, love and healing are just a room away...if only they have the courage to step through the door."

I want to go to a time hotel!

Two Truths and a Murder by Colleen Cambridge
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Agatha Christie's trusted housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, has become an amateur sleuth in her own right, using her little grey cells to solve crimes. When a party game leads to murder, she decides to crash the investigation in this latest sparkling mystery from Colleen Cambridge.

While her famous employer is happily back home at Mallowan Hall, wrestling with her Belgian detective's dilemma on board the Orient Express, Phyllida is finding her local renown as a sleuth has put her in high demand. A distraught Vera Rollingbroke suspects her husband of infidelity and has invited Phyllida to a dinner party to observe his behavior, particularly in regard to one Genevra Blastwick.

What she does observe at the party is that Genevra craves attention, in contrast to her shy sister Ethel. Genevra introduces a game called Two Truths and a Lie, and one of her questionable statements is that she once witnessed a murder. At this bold claim, the guests react with disbelief and pepper her with questions. Genevra remains cagey, withholding details, but insists this is not her lie.

The next morning Phyllida learns poor Ethel was purposely run down by a motorcar the previous night while inexplicably walking home alone from the party. She fears Genevra may have been the target, which means someone at the party is a killer - twice over. A chilling thought. With Genevra in potential danger - and Inspector Cork proceeding ponderously as usual - Phyllida takes it upon herself to unmask the killer. With two murders to solve, she will need to grill Genevra and the guests as well as re-examine any past sudden deaths or disappearances. And if she's smart, she'll look twice before crossing the road..."

Who knows how long Two Truths and a Lie has been around.... All I know is it's a risky game to play.

Final Cut by Olivia Worley
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The set of a low-budget slasher film turns into a real-life horror movie in this twisty, wicked blend of Scream meets The Reappearance of Rachel Price from Olivia Worley.

When recent high school graduate Hazel Lejeune gets the lead role in a slasher film, it feels like a dream come true. This is her chance to break into the industry, build her reel, and prove to her mom that this "gap year" can turn into a career. So what if it's set in the nothing town of Pine Springs, Louisiana - the same place her father, the Pine Springs Slasher, was convicted of a series of murders fifteen years ago?

But when Haze arrives on set, she gets much more than she bargained for. The shoot is plagued by suspicious "accidents." Mentions of her dad dot the entire script. And then, a gruesome murder shocks everyone to the core. Now, it's clear there's a real killer on set - one who's determined to finish the film at all costs. But is this merely a copycat, or is the wrong Slasher behind bars?

As the body count rises and reality blurs with fiction, Haze must unmask the killer before she becomes a real-life final girl…or before the killer flips the script and makes her the next victim."

Isn't she just slightly suspicious about all coincidences to get her to Pine Springs? I mean, that right there doesn't mark her out as final girl material. 

Long Shot by Luke Jennings
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 257 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The BRAND NEW instalment in the explosive, obsessive Killing Eve series - the inspiration behind the BAFTA-winning drama starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh!

All these battle scars, my love…You're running out of lives.

Determined to escape the iron shackles of the Twelve, Eve and Oxana are trying something new. Something risky, even for them. They're going freelance.

Their first client, sent their way by MI5, is Majid Ismailov. An international power player and an important friend to Britain, Majid is also a passionate racehorse owner with his eye on the racing calendar's most fiercely contested prize - the Prix de Arc de Triomphe, run annually in Paris.

When one of Majid's prize fillies is stolen from his Newmarket stable, Eve and Oxana enter a world new to both of them. What at first appears to be an amateurish ransom attempt is gradually revealed as something more sinister. A carefully plotted move in a superpower chess game.

Meanwhile Oxana has a deadly secret of her own, a secret that threatens her already volatile relationship with Eve. Can she contain the violence within her before it destroys them both?"

Sigh, Killing Eve without the horrid ending. I'm in love. 

What She Saw by Mary Burton
Published by: Montlake
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 351 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An investigative reporter returns to the scene of a decades-old crime to put her own unsettled past to rest in this chilling suspense novel by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.

Cold case reporter Sloane Grayson has come to a small mountain town in Virginia to solve a mystery.

Thirty years ago, her mother was one of four women who vanished during a music festival. The event's promoter was eventually convicted of their murders, and Sheriff CJ Taggart closed the case. But for Sloane, it's still open. Because the bodies were never found.

With Taggart now long dead, Sloane must make do with questioning the victims' families and the few remaining witnesses once again. If they're still willing to dredge up memories of a crime that made their town notorious. As for the incarcerated killer, he has always maintained his innocence. Sloane isn't entirely convinced he's lying.

Somewhere nearby, unmarked graves conceal the bones and secrets of the dead. Sloane will do anything to find them and unearth the truth, even if that means playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with someone determined to stop her..."

What She Saw twining with The Trespassers this week!

The Trespassers by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the frozen depths of an Alaskan winter, a house party turns deadly in this tightly wound thriller packed with icy suspense and devastating secrets.

You think you can bury the past...but some truths refuse to stay hidden.

Finley, Mya, River, and Eli were inseparable as kids, running wild on Alaska's vast wide-open spaces. Then tragedy struck, and Finley moved to the lower 48. But now it's Senior year, and Finley's back in Anchorage. When Mya throws a house party on a snowy Valentine's Day night, it's supposed to be a chance for the friends to heal old wounds. But an encounter with a mysterious stranger quickly turns the evening into a nightmare.

As the group scrambles to cover up what they've done, the fault lines they've grown so good at ignoring begin to crack as the police investigate and the media hounds them. Are they the most vicious teens in America, or deeply misunderstood? Everyone wants to know - even the teens themselves.

Fast-paced and thrillingly tense, The Trespassers explores guilt, loyalty, and the complex nature of friendship."

The Trespassers twining with What She Saw this week!

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The 20th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series.

Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding.

Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf.

But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he in fact arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division.

Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste, pore over what little evidence they have. Two notebooks. A few mysterious numbers on a tattered map of Québec. And a phrase repeated by the person they had called the Grey Wolf. A warning...

In a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Gamache and his small team of supporters realize that for the Black Wolf to have gotten this far, they must have powerful allies, in law enforcement, in industry, in organized crime, in the halls of government.

From the apparent peace of his little village, Gamache finds himself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse with an invisible foe who is gathering forces and preparing to strike."

An enemy spreading lies and feeding hatred? Yep. That is spot on for right now.

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"No WiFi, no distractions. No way out...

Agatha's husband has bought her a first-class ticket on the scenic six-hour train from Toronto to Montreal as a gift - a one-day writing retreat so she can get some serious work done on her new book, a highly-anticipated follow-up to Agatha's runaway bestseller debut novel. The first-class car is the perfect place to be productive, with only a handful of other passengers, plenty of snacks and drinks, and beautiful views flying by outside the window.

But Agatha has other plans for her day out...plans that are unexpectedly derailed when the train breaks down in the middle of the frigid Canadian woods and one of Agatha's fellow passengers dies quietly in his seat. Soon, a pleasant morning in transit turns into a fight for survival against an unknown and unseen enemy. Will Agatha - or any of the passengers - make it out alive?

From international bestselling author Eva Jurczyk, 6:40 to Montreal is a claustrophobic, deceivingly bloody thriller that twists and turns until the very last page."

For years I always thought a train ride through Canada would be so scenic. But then one of my friends told me the number one delay in Canadian trains is because of suicides parking on the tracks and now I'm totally good never being on a train in Canada. 

Murder by the Millions by Daryl Wood Gerber
Published by: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In a beautiful mountain community near Asheville, North Carolina, caterer and personal chef Allie Catt serves up mouthwatering, literary-themed dinner parties inspired by her clients' favorite books. Her next event is sure to be a roaring success - if a murderer isn't a killjoy...

If it were true that the best thing a girl can be in this world is a fool, then Allie Catt would be out of luck. Fortunately, Allie's business is a smashing success. And following her Pride and Prejudice event, grander plans await...

Feast for the Eyes bookstore manager and Allie's best friend, Tegan, is hosting a book club soiree and wants it to be a glittering affair based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic Jazz Age-set novel, The Great Gatsby. Soon, Art Deco table settings and visions of flappers are dancing the Charleston in their heads. Even Tegan's prickly sister, Vanna, is on board. And surely, Allie's tuxedo cat, Darcy, thinks it's the cat's meow. Amid the planning, charismatic developer Jason Gardner arrives in town to buy some historic buildings on Main Street. He, too, has plans: to create a modern mall. Allie is more than concerned. She even wants to protest. But when Jason invites her to cater a lavish party, she finds him surprisingly likable. Then she's summoned to his estate for a meeting - and finds him dead.

Once again Allie's landed in the middle of a crime scene. Worse, one of her earrings is later discovered near the body. And when police learn she was upset about the mall, she's suspect #1. Allie's blossoming sleuthing skills once cleared Tegan's name, but can she save herself - before a killer writes her a not-so-great Gatsbyesque ending..."

Just saying, you'd have to put on quite the party to approach Gatsby level...

A Death's Dough by Mindy Quigley
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The next book in the delectable Deep Dish Mystery series by Mindy Quigley, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

It's February in the ritzy lakeside resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, and love is in the air. Pizza chef Delilah O'Leary is gearing up to celebrate her first Valentine's Day with hunky police detective Calvin Capone, great-grandson of the infamous Chicago mobster. But their romance is put on ice when a shocking discovery plunges them into a century-old crime with ties to Capone's notorious forefather.

As old secrets surface, Delilah realizes that nearly everyone in town - from Capone's cagey cousin to her own quirky customers - has something to hide. With the pressure mounting and the past closing in, Delilah must help Capone follow a trail of clues that could lead them to a priceless treasure...or into a deadly trap. Can Delilah serve up justice before history repeats itself? Or will she and Capone end up sleeping with the anchovies?"

Can I just say, as a Wisconsinite, the heart shaped pizza on the cover of this book is so spot on and nostalgic. The designer knew what they were doing that's for sure. 

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 295 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Pantomime season has arrived in the brand new hilarious murder mystery from Fiona Leitch. Available to pre-order now!

It's Christmas in Penstowan, and local amateur dramatics group the Penstowan Players are putting on their annual pantomime.

This year it's 'Aladdin,' and half the town have been drafted in to help, including Shirley Parker, who only has a small part in the chorus but will no doubt upstage everybody, and Tony Penhaligon, who's treading the boards as the baddie, Abanazar. Ex-Metropolitan police officer turned caterer Jodie Parker has managed to get away with not appearing, but only if she agrees to cater the opening night party.

But it's not just terrible jokes, quick costume changes and backstage chaos that wait in the wings...When the Widow Twankey (otherwise known as Tim, the mayor's husband) trips over a corpse lying next to Aladdin's bloodstained magic lamp, it's time for Jodie and her partner, DCI Nathan Withers, to find the killer.

Was it the genie of the lamp or an overly harsh theatre critic? Or does someone in the Penstowan Players have a dark secret they will do anything to protect?"

I mean, this is ticking all the boxes for my holiday reading, murder, panto, AND Cornwall.

Cowboy, It's Cold Outside by Maisey Yates
Published by: Canary Street Press
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A favor owed. An Off-limits romance. Four Corners is in for the hottest Christmas it's ever seen.

Sheena Patrick has done well, all things considered. After her father's death, she raised her sisters and did all she could to give them the best life possible. But they're grown and gone now and Sheena is ready to do something for herself. But to accomplish her goals she needs Denver King.

Denver owes Sheena. He spent years watching from afar and making sure she was all right after his father's illegal activities caused her father's death. So when Sheena rolls up to the ranch looking to call in the favor he promised, Denver can't say no. He'll help her get her axe-throwing bar up and running by Christmas, and consider his debt square. But as the snow falls, sparks fly between the two black sheep of Pyrite Falls. They might be all wrong for everyone else, but are they just right for each other?"

Because sometimes you need romance instead of murder for the holidays...

Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the bestselling author of the Japanese sensation The Full Moon Coffee Shop, this charming and heartfelt novel showcases the magic of Christmas as lost souls find themselves - with a little help of from an enchanted café run by cats.

Welcome back to the Full Moon Coffee Shop, serving up star-spun treats and magical insights for the holidays.

In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they'll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a Christmastime Kyoto moon.

Satomi is devoted to her job in Tokyo, but when her long-distance boyfriend hints that he is going to propose to her on Christmas Day, she feels pulled between the career that she loves and a quieter life in the country. What will the magical cats see for her future?

Satomi's colleague Koyuki has been playing the role of the good, cheerful daughter ever since her father passed away in an accident on Christmas Day. But now that her mother has remarried, it's hard to pretend she feels part of her new happy family. What will our feline friends reveal as her true wish this Christmas?

Junko, Satomi's sister-in-law, lives in a small town with her husband and their young daughter, Ayu. When Junko's estranged father becomes ill, she returns home with Ayu in tow, where she'll learn something surprising at the enchanted coffee shop that will change her life forever.

This holiday season, each woman stands at a crossroad. With the help of some feline divinations, will they finally have the courage to seek what they most desperately wish for?"

And sometimes for the holidays you need a feel good read. 

Much Ado About Mistletoe by Christina Dodd
Published by: Kensington Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 93 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fair Verona celebrates the most joyful Christmas season in all of this flat earth, and for spirited 20-year-old Rosie Montague, sleuth and daughter of Romeo and Juliet (alive and well and still passionately in love), the season holds a thrilling new kind of mystery...

My famously optimistic and romantic mother, Lady Juliet, has declared, "I'm determined the Montagues and all of Verona shall experience a peaceful start to this holy Christmastime!"

Mamma...what were you thinking? Why would you so challenge the Fates? This season already promises to be especially eventful because Prince Escalus the younger is to be married. To me, Lady Rosaline.

Now a P.R. visit to Verona's market with Prince Escalus is dampened by a fortune teller's dire prophecy, a blaze in Verona's orphanage forces Verona's tempestuous citizens to unite to save their city from ruin, and I discover more about Escalus, his secret kindnesses and his many masks. And much to my discomfort, I also make discoveries about myself, and realize that Mamma's resolve may indeed be exactly what we need to create a joyous Montague family Christmas."

Mamma totally jinxed it.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alix E. Harrow, Christina Dodd, Colleen Cambridge, Daryl Wood Gerber, Eva Jurczyk, Fiona Leitch, Josie Silver, Louise Penny, Luke Jennings, Mai Mochizuki, Maisey Yates, Mindy Quigley, Olivia Worley, V.C. Andrews

The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Subterranean Press
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young - fop, flaneur, and Englishman abroad - as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps. That is, until his old friend Thomas Nightingale arrives, pursuing a rather mysterious affair concerning an old saxophone - which will take Gussie from his warm bed, to the cold shores of Long Island, and down to the jazz clubs where music, magic, and madness haunt the shadows..."

If you've ever wanted magical P.G. Wodehouse, well, Ben Aaronovitch has answered the call. This is a delightful tale with Wodehouse argot that is pitch perfect and a magician who very much shares my views on the Nightingale.

Bindle Punk Jefe by Desideria Mesa
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From award-winning author Desideria Mesa comes the glittering sequel to Bindle Punk Bruja in which Earth witch Rose (Luna) Lane's secret life comes to a breaking point as outside threats lurk - perfect for fans of Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson, Libba Bray's The Diviners, and Chloe Gong's These Violent Delights duology.

Prohibition is in full swing, and the glamorous life of upper-class Kansas City is everything Rose (Luna) Lane ever hoped it would be. Being married to her best friend isn't so bad either, considering their agreement to keep their real love lives out of the public eye. However, try as she might to continue her life of anonymity, her popularity as a land developer's wife - and as a successful club owner - draws even more attention to her personal endeavors. Soon, the balancing act between the life of Luna and Rose becomes a full-time job itself, making visiting home harder than ever before.

However, her haven, which once offered a place of acceptance, is growing more hostile. Her community of brujas criticizes her methods of using magic for economic and social gain while consorting with nefarious witches of the North. Meanwhile, the Pendergast Machine is running at full force, pushing his will and money all over the city. Keeping her true identity and powers a secret while posing for the society papers gets all the more dangerous as new enemies start to question her origins...and old ones creep up from dark realms.

The pressure could force Rose to do questionable things for the greater good, distancing herself from her loved ones and who she wants to be. She may have mastered her earth magic, but she still has a lot to learn about the heart..."

Don't be making me feel bad about books I've been planning on reading. So now I have to read The Diviners before I read this because it's been on my TBR Pile for years...

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Death is only the beginning in Olivia Blacke's A New Lease on Death, a darkly funny supernatural mystery that introduces an unlikely crime-solving duo.

Ruby Young's new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost.

Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she's kept up her residency, despite being bored out of her (non-tangible) skull and frustrated by her new roommate. When her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot and killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong outside their building, Cordelia is convinced there's more to it and is determined to bring his killer to justice.

Unfortunately, Cordelia, being dead herself, can't solve the mystery alone. She has to enlist the help of the obnoxiously perky, living tenant of her apartment. Ruby is twenty, annoying, and has never met a houseplant she couldn't kill. But she also can do everything Cordelia can't, from interviewing suspects to researching Jake on the library computers that go up in a puff of smoke if Cordelia gets too close. As the roommates form an unlikely friendship and get closer to the truth about Jake's death, they also start to uncover other dangerous secrets."

An apartment haunted by someone named Cordelia? The Angel fanatic in me is appeased. 

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jessica Goodman meets The Agathas in this taut, twisty YA thriller set in the glittering world of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where secrets - and bodies - never stay buried.

For the New Orleans elite, the Les Masques Ball is sure to be the social event of the season - if they can avoid another dead Queen. When debutante Margot Landry was found dead the morning after her reign at last year's ball, it was a tragedy, but not a shocking one. Margot was a wild child with a self-destructive streak, nothing like this year's Queen, Lily LeBlanc. With a perfectly poised debutante on the throne, everything is going according to plan...until the ball is hijacked by a mysterious figure in a Jester costume. That night, Lily sends a text to three of the Maids on her royal court - her best friend, Vivian; her boyfriend's sister, Piper; and April, her former frenemy - asking them all to meet the next morning. But Lily never shows up.

On the surface, these three debutantes don't have anything in common except their exclusive private school and their ties to Les Masques. But soon, they realize why Lily brought them together: something dark is lurking beneath the glamorous surface of the debutante world, and it might be the reason she disappeared. And the further the girls dig, the more they begin to suspect that Margot's death may not have been an accident - and that Lily may be next. When the Jester starts threatening to expose their own secrets, this unlikely trio must team up to uncover the monsters behind the Mardi Gras masks - before they're left with another dead debutante."

A wonderful combination of the dark underbelly of being a deb with the equally dark underbelly of Mardi Gras!

Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The acclaimed author of the "tour de force" (The New York Times Book Review) Before You Knew My Name returns with a fresh suspense novel about a woman haunted by a serial killer and the ghosts he left behind.

Ruth-Ann Baker is a college dropout, a bartender - and an amateur detective who just can't stay away from true crime. Nineteen years ago, her childhood friend was murdered by suspected serial killer Ethan Oswald. Still tormented by the case, Ruth can't help but think of the long-dead Oswald when another young girl goes missing from the same town. And when she uncovers startling new evidence that suggests Oswald did not act alone, she is determined to find his deadly partner in crime.

Embarking on a global investigation, Ruth becomes close to three very different women - one of whom might just hold the key to what happened to the missing girl. And her childhood friend, all those years ago."

I mean, isn't every true crime devotees secret passion to discover a serial killer didn't act alone?

A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 495 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison comes a taut thriller about one author at the pinnacle of her career, whose past threatens to destroy everything she has - and everyone she knows.

A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder.

With a number of hit titles and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. Fans around the world adore her. But on the final night of her latest book tour, one face in the crowd makes the author collapse. And by the next morning, she's lying dead in a pool of blood.

Columbia's death shocks the world and leaves Darian, her daughter and publicist, reeling. The police have nothing to go on - at first. But then details emerge, pointing to the author's illicit past. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, her secrets won't stay buried long. But how many lives will they shatter as the truth comes out?"

I've always wondered how authors who have secret pasts can survive going on a book tour? Hint, maybe they don't...

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The 19th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series.

Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning.

That's only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin The Grey Wolf, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times-bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading "this might interest you," a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list - and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.

Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they're chasing becomes clear. If they fail the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages.

Including Three Pines."

I have to put on my graphic designer hat and just say, damn, I love the cut paper wolf of the cover. So striking. So different than previous covers. I love it.

Agony in Amethyst by A.M. Stuart
Published by: Oportet Publishing
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An important visitor casts a shadow of darkness and death over Singapore.

Harriet Gordon, newly settled in her new role as a teacher at a girls' school in Singapore, faces uncertainty in her budding relationship with Robert Curran, who has just returned from months in Kuala Lumpur. Curran's expected promotion turns sour when the position is given to an old adversary from his Scotland Yard days.

The arrival of the Colonial foreign secretary, Sir Henry Cunningham, revives memories of one of Curran's unresolved cases. The death of a schoolgirl at a lavish ball, hosted by the Governor in honour of the visitor, brings Curran into direct conflict with his new superior officer. When he confides his suspicions to Harriet, she inadvertently betrays his trust, threatening his already shaky career.

With their relationship on the brink of irreparable damage, a second death changes the course of the investigation. Can Harriet and Curran bring justice to a grieving family and emerge from this ordeal with their connection intact?

Delve into the captivating world of the Harriet Gordon mysteries. Grab your copy today for a tale of intrigue and suspense set in the tropical heat of colonial Singapore."

They just can't break up. They just can't!

The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn
Published by: 47north
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 395 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this magical tale of self-discovery from New York Times bestselling author Carrie Vaughn, a young widow taps into the power that will change the world - if the man's world she lives in doesn't destroy her and her newfound friends first.

In the summer of 1880, the death of Beth Stanley's husband puts her life's work in jeopardy. The magic of Arcane Taxonomy dictates that every natural thing in the world, from weather to animals, can be labeled, and doing so grants the practitioner some of that subject's unique power. But only men are permitted to train in this philosophy. Losing her husband means that Beth loses the name they put on her work - and any influence she might have wielded.

Brandon West and Anton Torrance are campaigning for their expedition to the South Pole, a mission that some believe could make a taxonomist all-powerful by tapping into the earth's magnetic forces. Their late friend Harry Stanley's knowledge and connections would have been instrumental, but when they attempt to take custody of his work, they find that it was never his at all.

Tied together by this secret and its implications, Beth, Bran, and Anton must find a way for Beth to use her talent for the good of the world, before she's discovered by those who would lay claim to her rare potential - and her very freedom."

I love the concept that somehow discovery leads to power, but in a very magical way.

An Age of Winters by Gemma Liviero
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 331 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the seventeenth century, witchfinders rule and paranoia thrives in a chilling novel about unrequited love, persecution, and betrayal by the bestselling author of The Road Beyond Ruin and Broken Angels.

In 1625, the Franconian village of Eisbach has been plagued by disease, famine, heinous crimes, and a merciless winter. Katarin Jaspers is the maidservant to the enigmatic Reverend Zacharias Engel, appointed by Rome to cure the village of suspected diabolism and save every God-fearing soul.

Zacharias soon finds his first witch, and the public burning of a local man could spell the end of misfortune. As a sense of peace settles over the village, Katarin finds herself increasingly infatuated with Zacharias, who is a disruption to her predictable existence and a balm for her cruel past. But peace for Katarin is short-lived. Margaretha Katz - the new midwife - is seen as a rival for the reverend's attention. Fear and recrimination reach a fever pitch when a great tragedy sets the town fully on edge.

With the walls of winter closing in around Eisbach once again, rumours flourish and villagers turn on each other. Now, no one is safe from the pyre."

It's just the perfect season for witchfinders and winter looming on the horizon. 

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ten years ago, they saved the realm. It ruined their lives.

Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the realm from darkness. It's a tale beloved by all - except the heroes. They haven't spoken in a decade, devastated by what their quest cost them.

But when they all receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria's wedding, it's a summons they can't refuse...and a reunion for the ages - with Clare secretly not over his long-ago fling with Beatrice, Beatrice fighting the guilt she feels over how everything ended, Elowen unprepared for the return of her ex-love (the cunning Vandra), and all of them lost without Galwell. And if reuniting with former friends and lovers wasn't perilous enough, dark forces from their past have also returned.

Dusting off old weapons and old instincts, Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen will face undead nemeses, crystal caves, enchanted swords, coffee shops, games of magical Truth or Dare, and, hardest of all, their past - rife with wounds never healed and romances never forgotten.

This time around, will their story end in happily ever after?"

If Lev Grossman and Travis Baldree wrote a book together. 

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
Published by: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever, in this standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen.

For twenty years, Sciona has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry.

When Sciona finally passes the qualifying exam and becomes a highmage, she finds her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues are determined to make her feel unwelcome - and, instead of a qualified lab assistant, they give her a janitor.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was not always a janitor. Ten years ago, he was a nomadic hunter who lost his family on their perilous journey from the wild plains to the city. But now he sees the opportunity to understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the privileged in power.

At first, mage and outsider have a fractious relationship. But working together, they uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever - if it doesn't get them killed first."

NEVER underestimate a janitor! NEVER!

Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series: Volume I: 1988-1993 by Tom Salinsky
Published by: White Owl
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Explores the unique journey of the long-running British sitcom, detailing its creation, cast changes, and enduring legacy through critical analysis and behind-the-scenes insights.

Red Dwarf is virtually unique among British sitcoms. It began in 1988 and was still releasing new episodes in 2020, making it one of the longest running sitcoms of all time, but the core cast has remained largely unchanged. And its science fiction flavour contrasts strongly with the drawing rooms and sofas which were the norm when it launched, and the fast-cut mockumentary style which is popular today. And yet, this is a show which nobody wanted to make, and which only barely made it to our screens at all. In this work, Tom Salinsky will look at exactly how it came to be; who was considered for the cast but didn't make it; how it was radically reinvented for the third, sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth seasons; how it survived the breakup of its key creative partnership, the loss of the original spaceship models, BBC strikes, the departure of a major cast member, and the seemingly self-defeating rules which the writers imposed on themselves. But this isn't just a behind-the-scenes account. It's also a detailed critical analysis, examining why the best episodes succeed and why the less impressive episodes struggle, while also finding time to ask just how a hologram made of light can smell burning camphor wood, why a creature evolved from a cat is familiar with Wilma Flintstone, or just how long Lister and Kochanski were dating for. How can all this possibly be contained in one book? It can't! Volume I will cover the first six series and Volume II will conclude the story of Red Dwarf on television as well as looking at the novels, comic strips, computer games and more."

Yeah... I was wondering why they were mentioning season seven and nine when this only goes through 1993, which is season six. Also can we, just, you know, never talk about season eight?

Morning Star by Tim Daniel and David Db Andry
Published by: Mad Cave Studios
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"1956. Kootenai National Forest, Montana. When smokejumper Nathan Garrett perishes in a raging wildfire, his surviving family's hopes and happiness turn to ashes.

One year following her husband Nathan's death, wife, and mother of two, Jolene Garrett, takes her crumbling family to the Morning Star lookout seeking solace through closure - to scatter her husband's remains. But something far beyond the reach of their wildest imaginings awaits the Garrett family in the Montana wilderness - something more powerful than their anguish and torment. Something that transcends space and time. No telephones. No electricity. No transportation. No escape."

Oh yeah, perfectly spooky and scary for this week!

I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner
Published by: Harperalley
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Prince and the Dressmaker goes to Austenland in this historically inspired, joyfully queer, stunningly romantic graphic novel mash-up of Jane Austen novels - where two friends discover their feelings for each other and find a space in their world for their love and identity.

George has major problems: They've just inherited the failing family estate, and the feelings for their best friend, Eleanor, have become more complicated than ever. Not to mention, if anyone found out they were secretly dressing in men's clothes, George is sure it would be ruination for the family name.

Eleanor has always wanted to do everything "right," including falling in love - but she's never met a boy she was interested in. She'd much rather spend time with her best friend, George, and beloved cousin Charlotte. However, when a new suitor comes to town, she finds her closest friendships threatened, forcing her to rethink what "right" means and confront feelings she never knew she had.

Perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Ngozi Ukazu, I Shall Never Fall in Love shines a light on what it means to be true to yourself and rewrites the rules for what makes a happily ever after."

You just mentioned two books I love! SOLD!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A.M. Stuart, Ben Aaronovitch, Carrie Vaughn, Desideria Mesa, E.B. Asher, Gemma Liviero, Hari Conner, J.T. Ellison, Jacqueline Bublitz, Louise Penny, M.L. Wang, Morning Star, Olivia Blacke, Olivia Worley, Red Dwarf