strange and random happenstance

The Austen Intrigue by Julia Golding
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 345 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"1812 London

Up-and-coming novelist Jane Austen joins forces with London's most esteemed investigative duo - the infamous Dora Fitz-Pennington and disgraced son of a Viscount, Jacob Sandys - to solve the brutal murder of a French count and his opera singer wife. The killer took his own life immediately after the crime - but who sent him and why?

As they find themselves swept up in London's shadowy underworld, can Dora and Jacob uncover the truth without jeopardising national security, and with the promises they made to each other still intact? And will their unique love story end up in the pages of one of Austen's novels?"

I'm intrigued as to why the killer took his own life...

Murder at Donwell Abbey by Vanessa Kelly
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This latest Regency-era mystery from USA Today bestselling author Vanessa Kelly finds Jane Austen's clever Emma Knightley (nee Woodhouse) as an amateur sleuth, navigating shocking changes in her family - while meeting her match in a deadly adversary...

Emma's spirits are elevated after she and husband George Knightley host a joyful holiday celebration at the Hartfield estate. But it's instantly a bitter January when her father makes an unexpected announcement - he and Miss Hetty Bates have decided to marry. Not only must Emma relinquish her role as mistress of the household, but also accept the reality that the excitable Miss Bates will become her stepmother...

More unwanted news arrives during an extravagant betrothal ball at Donwell Abbey, the grand Knightley estate where Emma and George will soon permanently reside. Nearly every villager in Highbury revels in the dazzling affair - except Emma's hardworking lady's maid, Prudence Parr. To Emma's horror, Prudence is found dead, sprawled across the stones of the library terrace...

The woman's tragic fall is quickly ruled a terrible accident and whispers circulate around personal troubles leading up to her untimely demise. But Emma's instincts tell her that something far more sinister is at play. Now, Highbury's matchmaker-turned-sleuth vows to outwit a cunning criminal before an innocent man loses his freedom - or Donwell Abbey plunges into a darker mystery..."

Oh my, just the sheer inanities of a Miss Bates and Mr. Wodehouse wedding! It's destined for failure but I can't look away!

A Murder in the Making by Victoria Laurie
Published by: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest mesmerizing novel in a new mystery series featuring the captivating Dovey Van Dalen, once the belle of 1840s Copenhagen, now a spellbound, magic-wielding mystic in present-day Washington, D.C., charged with recovering magical property from the unbound - by any means necessary.

Dovey didn't expect to fall in love after the age of 200, yet she can't stop thinking about Grant "Gib" Barlow, the gorgeous FBI agent who helped her crack her last case. A romance with an unbound is obviously a terrible idea, but for Gib, it could be fatal - because Dovey's employer, Elric Ostergaard, arguably the most powerful mystic in the world, also happens to be her longtime lover.

Alas, Dovey's efforts to steer clear of Gib become impossible when her best friend, fellow mystic, and unapologetic romantic, Ursula Göransdotter, tricks them into a lunch date - during which Gib is alerted that a fellow agent has been murdered in his own home. The state of the crime scene, and of the body, seem to defy logic - but Dovey immediately recognizes the Crushing Curse, which could only be cast by a supremely powerful mystic - like her boss. When another agent is killed in the same manner, Dovey races to find Elric for answers.

Meanwhile, the FBI body count rises, and it becomes clear that a rogue mystic is targeting the unbound agents, but why? What ensues is another missing magical trinket, a tense confrontation with Elric, a shocking discovery about Gib, and grave danger to all involved - forcing Dovey to navigate realm-crossing love triangles, supernatural power struggles - and ultimately, her own surprisingly vulnerable heart..."

Anyone else picture Gib as a young Mark Harmon?

The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Academy always comes first...which makes marriage to its most formidable adversary an exceedingly inconvenient arrangement.

Well removed from London's more curious eyes, the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies strives toward one clandestine goal: to distract, disrupt, and discredit men in power who would seek to harm the advancement of women - by appropriate means, of course.

When intrepid newspaper editor Miles Quincey starts to question the school's intentions, the Academy appoints Penelope "Nell" Trewlove, one of their brightest graduates, to put this nuisance to rest. An easy enough mission, she supposes. Or it would be, if Miles wasn't so fascinating - too fascinating to resist - and if Nell's visit to London didn't perfectly coincide with the murder of one of Miles's reporters.

When the inexorable claws of fate trap Nell and Miles in a compromising situation, they agree to an arrangement that will save their reputations while enabling them to investigate the story that led to a man's death, as well as the surprising chemistry between them..."

I love that even with a clandestine academy one's reputation can be ruined.

Murder at Cottonwood Creek by Clara McKenna
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Far from England and their beloved Morrington Hall, Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst and his American wife, heiress and equestrian Stella Kendrick - now Lady Lyndhurst - find fossils and murder in Montana...

Led by his passion for paleontology, Lyndy's father, Lord Atherly, has traveled all the way to Montana, to explore the fossil-rich horse ranch owned by Stella's mother, Katherine, and her second husband, Ned Smith. Urged by Lady Atherly to look after her husband, Stella and Lyndy follow in his wake. Stella is excited to be reunited with her mother, and Lyndy is eager to experience the real "Wild West." Both are equally thrilled to participate in a fossil dig.

But when a local man who was guarding the dig site overnight is found the next morning dead in a creek bed, the couple fear his death may not have been an accident - especially when things get wilder still. The paleontologist on the dig has his notebook stolen, several fossil bones disappear, and a second body is found in the research tent.

No one is above suspicion - a rival paleontologist up to some skullduggery, members of their own crew, even Lord Atherly himself. Stella and Lyndy must keep digging to unearth the clues that will expose a killer in their midst - before more bones must be buried..."

Montana is prime fossil territory. I mean, we all learned that from Jurassic Park right?

Trouble in the Alps by Vivian Conroy
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 312 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A devastating accident.

An isolated hotel.

A murdered guest...

When Miss Atalanta Ashford learns that her dear friend Raoul Lemont has had a serious accident, she rushes to his remote hotel in the Alps only to discover he has no memory of her - or his life before.

Atalanta is determined to stay undercover while she helps Raoul recover. But when another resident is found dead, she is pulled into the hotel's dark secrets. Can she untangle the web in time for them to escape the snowy mountains with their lives?

Look out for more Miss Ashford mysteries and get your passports ready as you travel with her to some of the most sought-after destinations on the continent..."

I love me some murder in snowbound locals.

The Bishop Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine
Published by: Pushkin Vertigo
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 394 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In one of the most well-known classic American murder mysteries, amateur detective Philo Vance must solve a puzzle series of crimes based on nursery rhymes.

A series of gruesome murders has left the glittering world of Jazz Age Manhattan in shock.

When Cock Robin is found dead with an arrow through his chest, New York's DA calls in amateur detective and professional flâneur Philo Vance to solve the case. But this mystery proves to be more challenging than Vance could have imagined, and a cunning presence seems to be constantly one step ahead of him. As Vance investigates, more gruesome murders occur, and a sinister pattern begins to emerge: each perverse death is staged to represent a line from a nursery rhyme.

In an even more disturbing twist, after each murder, the perpetrator sends a note to the press, signed simply 'The Bishop.' As more deaths go unsolved, the murderer's hubris grows, and each act is more brazen than the last. Vance must move quickly to stop the Bishop's bloody spree among the upper echelons of New York society.

Set against the glittering backdrop of Jazz Age Manhattan with a distinctive and erudite detective, this is considered one of the great classic detective stories. This intricate and skillfully crafted murder mystery is sure to delight any armchair detective."

If you're a fan of mysteries and you don't have any S.S. Van Dine on your shelf you need to rectify that. Now.

Murder at the Scottish Ball by Millicent Binks
Published by: Bookouture
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 269 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Holly wreaths, eggnog by a roaring fire and...A body by the Christmas tree? Opal Laplume is on the case!

December 1934. Spending the holidays in a Scottish castle has made Opal Laplume's festive wishes come true. Sir Seamus' Christmas Eve ball is legendary, and Opal dons her finest gown for an exquisite night of bubbles, baubles, and tartan kilts. But the festivities come to a screeching halt when their gracious host is electrocuted by some faulty Christmas lights.

The mood soon turns from festive to frosty when Opal discovers that what seemed like a tragic accident was in fact a deadly sabotage. Everyone has something to hide. Sir Seamus' marriage was crumbling like a piece of Scottish shortbread. Did his wife take 'til death do us part' too far? The butler was promised a large sum from Sir Seamus' will. Did he want an early Christmas bonus? And who is the ghostly figure playing bagpipes in the tower at night?

Just as the killer proves as difficult to find as the Loch Ness Monster, one of the guests is found smothered in their bedroom. Opal soon discovers Sir Seamus was hiding a deadly secret on a small island off the rugged Scottish coast. Can she find the key to the mystery there, before the entire party perishes? Or will this Christmas be her last?

An addictive and twisty Golden Age murder mystery set in the Scottish Highlands. Fans of Agatha Christie. T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright won't be able to put this down!"

Now that we're so near to Thanksgiving you better have your holiday reading list ready. And if you don't, here's one to add to it!

Vows and Villainy by Elizabeth Penney
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Vows and Villainy is the fifth book in Elizabeth Penney's delightful Cambridge Bookshop series set in Cambridge, England, where celebrations are about to commence.

It's wedding season in Cambridge, and Molly Kimball is thrilled that it's almost time for her best friend's special day. With the help of her boyfriend Kieran Scott, she is determined to be the best maid of honor for Daisy and Tim. Daisy's heart is set upon a Shakespeare-themed wedding to be held at Hazelhurst House, Kieran's family's home. The Scotts are also hosting a Shakespeare troupe for the summer, and the actors have kindly agreed to be part of the festivities.

But all goes awry with the discovery of Sir Nigel Peck, a famous actor with a checkered past and present-day misdeeds, floating dead in the moat with flowers strewn around him, à la Ophelia. When Kieran's brother Alan becomes a top suspect, Molly and company must investigate to uncover the ugly truth behind this picturesque scene...before more bodies pile up.

Can Molly solve the murder before Daisy and Tim say "I do"?"

The one time I was a maid of honor I would have totally rocked solving a murder at the same time.

Death and Dinuguan by Mia P. Manansala
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Love is in the air for the citizens of Shady Palms, but Cupid's arrow isn't the only thing striking the town - not with another killer on the loose.

Things are looking up for the Brew-ha Cafe, and Lila Macapagal can't think of anything that could break the spell, especially with Valentine's Day coming up - she can't wait to celebrate with her boyfriend, Jae Park. Adding to the lovey-dovey atmosphere is Hana Lee, Shady Palms's newest resident. She's also Jae's beloved cousin and chocolatier at Choco Noir, the latest addition to the town's culinary offerings. Everything is coming into place for Hana, who left her old life in Minnesota behind to work at Choco Noir, owned by her best friend.

Unfortunately, beneath the sweet surface of Shady Palms runs a bitter undercurrent, as a series of attacks against women-owned businesses in the area escalates from petty theft to assault and murder when Hana is found knocked unconscious inside Choco Noir, and the chocolate shop owner is put out of business - for good.

With Hana left in a coma, a murderer hiding amongst them, and the safety of the women entrepreneurs of Shady Palms at risk, the Park brothers team up with the Brew-ha crew to put a stop to the villain before they strike again."

Come one, didn't one person at Berkley think to make a unsweetened chocolate joke instead of bitter undercurrent!?!

Now Dead by Kate Bold
Published by: Kate Bold
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 191 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a serial killer leaves an eerie trail echoing Greek mythology, brilliant FBI Agent Brynn Justice must race to halt a delusional psychopath - and save the next victim before it's too late...

In a deadly twist on ancient warfare, victims are forced into lethal duels at the hands of a killer emulating the wrath of Ares. It's up to FBI Agent Brynn Justice to enter the arena of murder and outwit an adversary who's always one fatal step ahead.

Now Dead is book #4 in a new series by #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Kate Bold, whose bestseller Not Me (a free download) has received over 3,00 five star ratings and reviews. The series begins with Now Run (Book #1).

The Brynn Justice mystery series is a heart-racing cat-and-mouse narrative brimming with shocking twists and unexpected turns. This series breathes new life into the mystery genre with its unique lead character, guaranteed to capture your heart and compel you to read well past bedtime. Fans of Lisa Regan, Karin Slaughter, and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love."

I'm always here for a serial killer with a twist.

Fatal Decision by Ted Taylor
Published by: Vinci Books Ltd
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"He thought he'd left his life as a detective behind. But the past has a deadly way of catching up.

Three years after losing his wife, retired DI Gus Freeman is drawn back into the force to lead a new cold case unit. His first investigation: the brutal murder of Daphne Tolliver, a widow killed during her morning walk through the seemingly peaceful Wiltshire woods.

As Freeman and his team peel back layers of small-town secrets, they discover a web of hidden relationships and festering grudges. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous their investigation becomes.

With the killer still at large and watching their every move, Freeman must confront not only a cunning adversary but the demons of his own past - before another life is claimed.

In this picturesque town, every silence has a story - and not everyone wants the truth revealed."

I just want to read this for the Wiltshire woods. And obviously the murder.

The Villa, Once Beloved by Victor Manibo
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A dark history is unearthed amid crumbling façades in Lambda Literary fellow Victor Manibo's new gothic tale of family, homecoming, and postcolonial vengeance...

SOME LEGACIES ARE BEST LEFT BURIED...

Villa Sepulveda is a storied relic of the Philippines' past: a Spanish colonial manor, its moldering stonework filled with centuries-old heirlooms, nestled in a remote coconut plantation. When their patriarch dies mysteriously, his far-flung family returns to their ancestral home. Filipino-American student Adrian Sepulveda invites his college girlfriend, Sophie, a transracial adoptee who knows little about her own Filipino heritage, to the funeral of a man who was entwined with the history of the country itself.

Sophie soon learns that there is more to the Sepulvedas than a grand tradition of political and entrepreneurial success. Adrian's relatives clash viciously amid grief, confusion, and questions about the family curse that their matriarch refuses to answer. When a landslide traps them all in the villa, secrets begin to emerge, revealing sins both intimately personal and unthinkably public.

Sifting through fact, folklore, and fiction, Sophie finds herself at the center of a reckoning. Did a mythical demon really kill Adrian's grandfather? How complicit are the Sepulvedas in the country's oppressive history? As a series of ill omens befall the villa, Sophie must decide whom to trust - and whom to flee - before the family's true legacy comes to take its revenge..."

Here for all the gothic goodness.

Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 3: The Secret of the Saucer by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes
Published by: Oni Press
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 264 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Return to Hobtown, the charming rural village in Nova Scotia at the heart of surreal and haunting mysteries, and home to the after-school Teen Detective Club dedicated to solving them. The third must-read volume of the page-turning series that the New York Times calls "forceful and haunting" starts here for the first time ever in a fully colored edition from creators Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes!

The lines between conspiracy and reality tangle during election season in Hobtown as a new-old member of the Teen Detective Club surfaces to challenge Dana's leadership and redirect the group's attention back to the discounted but pressing concern that "ALIENS!" are among us. On a grander scale, amid the town's hotly contested mayoral race, the arrival of a flying saucer and a chaotic "Ape Lord" being pursued by the local Knitting Circle have the teen sleuths of Hobtown unsure if they're coming or going, as literal backward thinking tears at the threads of their friendships and their grasp on their latest case..."

Regressive thinking is the most dangerous threat out there!

Friday: The Complete Series by Ed Brubaker, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vincente
Published by: Image Comics
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Yellowjackets meets The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in this genre-defying, post-YA masterpiece, now collecting all three volumes in one deluxe hardcover!

Friday Fitzhugh spent her childhood solving crimes and digging up occult secrets with her best friend Lancelot Jones, the smartest boy in the world. But that was the past, now she's in college, starting a new life on her own. Except when Friday comes home for the holidays, she's immediately pulled back into Lance's orbit and finds that something very strange and dangerous is happening in their little New England town...

This is literally the Christmas vacation from Hell and neither of them may survive to see the New Year.

From award-winning creators Ed Brubaker (Criminal, Reckless, Kill or be Killed) and Marcos Martin (The Private Eye, Daredevil), with brilliant colors by Muntsa Vicente, Friday is a chilling, coming-of-age story about growing up, letting go, and uncovering the darkness hidden in familiar places.

Collects all three volumes plus extra features."

Christmas vacation for college freshman is a deadly vortex of past and present! So masterfully brought to life here. I will literally read anything Ed Brubaker writes!

As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An inventive and romantic speculative novel about two women - a witch and an immortal demon - who make a Faustian bargain and are drawn into a cat-and-mouse chase across multiple lifetimes.

1592. Cybil Harding is a First Daughter. Cursed to bring disaster to those around her, she is trapped in a house with a mother paralyzed by grief and a father willing to sacrifice everything in pursuit of magic.

Miriam Richter is a creature of shadow. Forged by the dark arts many years ago, she is doomed to exist for eternity and destined to be alone - killing mortals and consuming their souls for sustenance. Everything changes when she meets Cybil, whose soul shines with a light so bright, she must claim it for herself. She offers a bargain: she will grant Cybil reincarnation in exchange for her soul.

Thus begins a dance across centuries as Miriam seeks Cybil in every lifetime to claim her prize. Cybil isn't inclined to play by the rules, but when it becomes clear that Miriam holds the key to breaking her family curse, Cybil finds that - for the first time in her many lives - she might have the upper hand. As they circle each other, drawn together inescapably as light and dark, the bond forged between them grows stronger. In their battle for dominance, only one of them can win - but perhaps they can't survive without each other.

Natasha Siegel has written an unexpected love story that feels both epic and deeply personal. Ambitious, gothic, and magical, As Many Souls as Stars is about the lengths we go to protect ourselves, our legacy, and those we love."

A true symbiosis.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Clara McKenna, Ed Brubaker, Elizabeth Penney, Julia Golding, Kate Bold, Mia P. Manansala, Millicent Binks, Mimi Matthews, Natasha Siegel, S.S. Van Dine, Ted Taylor, Vanessa Kelly, Victor Manibo, Victoria Laurie, Vivian Conroy

The Possession of Alba Díazby Isabel Cañas
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a demonic presence awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine, the young woman it seizes must turn to the one man she shouldn't trust…from bestselling author Isabel Cañas.

In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiancé, Carlos, to his family's isolated mine for refuge. But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions. She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin. Something angry. Something wrong.

Elías, haunted by a troubled past, came to the New World to make his fortune and escape his family's legacy of greed. Alba, as his cousin's betrothed, is none of his business. Which is of course why he can't help but notice the growing tension between them every time she enters the room…and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon's thirst for blood gets stronger.

In the fight for her life, Alba and Elías become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and each other… not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom."

Oh, this sounds like peak Isabel Cañas Gothic goodness!

The Secrets of Blackthorn House by Marie McWilliams
Published by: Quill and Crow Publishing House
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After a whirlwind romance, Evelyn is excited to start her new life with her husband, Peter. But when the sudden passing of Peter's uncle gives him the title Lord Black, along with the family's remote manor, Blackthorn House, she finds herself in the middle of the wild Yorkshire Moors, separated from the only life she has ever known. She quickly realizes something is wrong with Blackthorn House: children's laughter can be heard throughout the halls, the constant fog is full of wailing specters, and her dreams are haunted by an entity wearing her mother's corpse like a suit. Furthermore, her new husband has become a stranger to her, treating her with barely veiled disdain. Under the constant surveillance of the staff of Blackthorn House, Evelyn struggles to find answers. Unable to gain any insight from the frightened locals in the nearby village, Evelyn and her trusted servant, Lilly, must seek answers from the dead. They learn that the Black family has long kept a dark and terrible secret. A secret that threatens both of their lives and, now, the life of Evelyn's unborn baby. A secret involving a bargain paid in blood."

Like, well, everything here, everything is what I love about this book.

Daughter of the Tarot by Claire Marchant
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: eBook, 311 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Brand new from the bestselling author of The House of the Witch. Perfect for fans of The Midnight House and The Square of Sevens.

Two women, linked by the cards, unravel a secret spanning the decades...

1644: Portia is living in London, having escaped an abusive man in Italy, with just baby Vittoria and the clothes on their backs. Making her living reading tarot cards, she starts to realise there are other women like her - who need help. As she delivers the Devil card to their door, each has the chance to escape... But to what future? Because Portia is a woman with secrets. And they are about to come back to haunt her.

Now: After her mother's death and father's hasty plans to remarry, Beatrice has left home to open a tarot shop in London. But when she's unpacking, she finds a set of cards she's never seen before, one that's evidently been handed down through generations of her family. It's a set that is missing a card though… the Devil's Card. She begins to search for the lost card, but she also starts to hear rumours of that very card being linked to a series of murders of women in 17th century London...

Will she find the truth… or will she only see the illusions the cards are suggesting?"

Murders or rescues? I'm a sucker for anything with the tarot. 

Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the vein of Alice Hoffman and Charlie Jane Anders's own All the Birds in the Sky comes a novel full of love, disaster, and magic.

A young witch teaches her mother how to do magic - with very unexpected results - in this relatable, resonant novel about family, identity, and the power of love.

Jamie is basically your average New England academic in-training - she has a strong queer relationship, an esoteric dissertation proposal, and inherited generational trauma. But she has one extraordinary secret: she's also a powerful witch.

Serena, Jamie's mother, has been hiding from the world in an old one-room schoolhouse for several years, grieving the death of her wife and the simultaneous explosion in her professional life. All she has left are memories.

Jamie's busy digging into a three-hundred-year-old magical book, but she still finds time to teach Serena to cast spells and help her come out of her shell. But Jamie doesn't know the whole story of what happened to her mom years ago, and those secrets are leading Serena down a destructive path.

Now it's up to this grad student and literature nerd to understand the secrets behind this mysterious novel from 1749, unearth a long-buried scandal hinted therein, and learn the true nature of magic, before her mother ruins both of their lives."

When did hunky type over some sort of color ground become synonymous with books about witches?

The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland by Rachael Herron
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A "warm, witchy, and wonderful" family story that is the queer love-child of Practical Magic and The Parent Trap as one woman is about to discover that she's a witch (Sarah Beth Durst).

Beatrice Barnard doesn't believe in magic. She definitely doesn't believe the predictions of the celebrity psychic who claims that she will experience seven miracles and that she will die. And as it turns out, her husband is cheating on her. Bea, now in desperate need of solitude, flees to Skerry Island, off the Pacific Northwest coast. Immediately upon arrival, she finds her life on the line as a rogue woodchopper blade almost kills her. Her survival is almost like a miracle.

And then things get more miraculous when she discovers her twin sister, Cordelia, and her mother, Astrid, who supposedly died when Beatrice was two years old. Astrid and Cordelia reveal that Beatrice (given name Beatrix) is an immensely powerful witch who can commune with the dead. When Cordelia and Beatrice's twin magic is joined, it shines like a beacon on the malevolent spirits who are locked in an age-old struggle for magical dominance over the Hollands.

Beatrice doesn't know what to believe, but she begins to fear that the seven predicted miracles may occur and that her death is near. But when her niece, Minna, goes missing, Bea's own life suddenly seems much less important. Beatrice must join her mother and her sister to save Minna even if she dies in the process."

Twin magic? Really!?!

The Late-Night Witches by Auralee Wallace
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An enchantingly warm and funny novel about family, love lost and found, discovering who you are, and how difficult it is to slay a vampire from the beloved national bestselling author of the TikTok sensation In the Company of Witches.

Cassie Beckett's life is anything but magical. With a wild younger sister, three unruly kids, and an absent husband, she's really not looking forward to the witching month of October. At least the gorgeous, foggy Prince Edward Island is always quiet.

That is, until the vampires arrive.

As the creatures sink their teeth into Cassie's tenuous grip on normalcy, she's forced to come face-to-face with long - disregarded family secrets. The legacy gifts her with power, but also a lofty responsibility: rid the island of vampires, or let them win. (Both options suck, in more ways than one.)

Armed with her family, newfound friends, and a baby in a spectacularly garlicky onesie, Cassie must learn what it is to be a witch and how to fight for what she loves before time runs out. Because on Halloween night, the stakes will be higher than ever before... and it's up to Cassie to finish what the witches that came generations before her started."

Witches and PEI!?! Sold!

Feral and Hysterical by Sadie Hartmann
Published by: Page Street Publishing
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Discover the Scream Queens of Must-Read Horror.

Bram Stoker Awards® winning author Sadie "Mother Horror" Hartmann has curated the ultimate collection of recommendations from the leading ladies of horror! From classic authors such as Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, and Daphne du Maurier to the modern wave of indie names and all the underrated voices waiting to be discovered, there's enough deadly damsels in here to leave you feeling distressed long after you've run out of shelf space.

Each recommendation includes a spoiler-free synopsis and has been carefully catalogued and organized into thematic reading lists making it easier than ever to sate your darkest desires. Are you in your Gothic Era? Love watching a marriage gruesomely fall apart? Just finished Mexican Gothic and need more Sporror in your life? Whatever you're vibing with, there's a list for that.

Featuring a foreword by prolific horror author Ania Ahlborn and five essays from Alma Katsu, Alexis Henderson, Christina Henry, Rae Wilde, and Laura Purcell, this fully illustrated reader's guide is a must-have for any horror fanatic looking to get out of a reading slump or diversify their TBR pile."

I mean, I don't have more shelf space, but I'll make room for this book if just for Laura Purcell's essay.

The End of the World As We Know It edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 800 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An original short story anthology based on master storyteller Stephen King's #1 New York Times bestselling classic The Stand!

Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered Stephen King's seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraordinary works exploring the unraveling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel - generations of writers have been impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of characters.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today's greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World As We Know It features unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of The Stand - brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the classic, bestselling novel.

Featuring an introduction by Stephen King, a foreword by Christopher Golden, and an afterword by Brian Keene. Contributors include Wayne Brady and Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S.A. Cosby, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, and Rio Youers."

I mean, I was in this just because Christopher Golden edited it, and then I saw the author list, and damn. Must buy.

Hatchet Girls by Joe R. Lansdale
Published by: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Your next dose of pitch-black comedy, mystery, and mayhem has arrived as Hap and Leonard find themselves in a vicious and ridiculous situation - just as the best friends may finally be calling it quits.

When Hap and Leonard are called in on a strange request (subduing a meth-hopped hog) by a desperate young lady, they quickly learn this woman is part of a fringe group: The Hatchet Girls, who have pledged their allegiance to a crazed and grudge-bearing leader bent on bloody societal revenge. The timing couldn't be worse to be caught in such a vile, sticky wicket of a case: both boys are wrapped up in their domestic lives: Leonard is in the midst of wedding planning with fiancee, Pookie. And meanwhile, Hap and Brett are hard at work on their new home. Homemaking bliss will have to wait as Hap and Leonard are driven to stop the danger in its tracks and better understand the group's mission and the plans they have already set in place for helter-skelter esque mayhem.

Life changes, midnight sneaks, and dark encounters with misguided dames who yell "Chop, Chop," lead Hap and Leonard into one of their darkest adventures yet."

Damn, I can never get enough Hap and Leonard. I still wish we had gotten a longer run of the show as well. Thankfully we have the books. And this one looks murderously fun.

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a body is found the day after Halloween, a small British community must reckon with its past and the dangers lurking in its present in this spine-tingling novel from "not to be missed" (Hayley Scrivener, author of Dirt Creek) author Hannah Richell.

On Halloween, a group of teenage students meet in the woods near Sally in the Wood, a road steeped in local lore and rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a murdered girl. By the end of the night, one student will be dead.

Rachel, the school guidance counselor, is trying to keep a handle on her increasingly distant teenaged daughter, Ellie, while students and parents panic and mourn. Her ex-husband and detective Ben, dealing with a personal crisis of his own, has concerns about his daughter's safety as he investigates the death. Meanwhile, Ellie is keeping secrets from both her parents, including one about where she was that night.

Told from multiple perspectives and with Hannah Richell's distinct "atmospheric and ever-twisting" (Emylia Hall, author of the Shell House Detective Mysteries) prose, One Dark Night is a white-knuckled and suspenseful thriller about urban legends, privilege, and how the past continues to haunt us."

Halloween and urban legends always are the sweet spot for me.

The Story That Wouldn't Die by Christina Estes
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Emmy Award-winning reporter Christina Estes uses her twenty-year career for inspiration for her mysteries. In The Story That Wouldn't Die, Jolene Garcia refuses to stop investigating, but someone is determined to kill the story - and maybe her.

Phoenix, Arizona TV reporter Jolene Garcia is fresh off winning her first Emmy and committed to covering stories that matter to her community. But Jolene's managers want stories that grab immediate attention and generate clicks, not ones that take time to develop.

When a beloved small business owner dies in a car crash, Jolene isn't convinced it was an accident. He'd been raising questions about who keeps getting lucrative deals at city hall - questions that powerful people don't want answered. The deeper Jolene digs, the more suspicious things she uncovers.

Exposing greed, ambition, and deception could become the biggest story of Jolene's career. Her bosses tell her to drop it. But there's a story here, and Jolene's going to find it."

Could her bosses be in on it? Claiming "clicks" when it's really them that's up to no good?

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The perfect summer read, full of charm and heart, written in the vein of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building but with a southern California twist.

Mrs. B, the landlady of The Marigold Cottages is a stubborn idealist who only rents to people she cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright with a dark past; Hamilton, an agoraphobe who likes to overshare; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the perfectionist Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro who's hiding secrets.

The tenants live contentedly in their doll-house bungalows in Santa Barbara, just minutes from the beach, until their peace is shattered when Anthony, a quiet, hulking, but potentially violent ex-con moves in. Three weeks later, a dead body is discovered on the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. Anthony is arrested, and the tenants heave sighs of relief. Until Mrs. B, convinced that he's innocent, marches down to the police station and confesses to the crime herself. The tenants band together and form "The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective" to save their beloved landlady. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit... until a second body is found. Full of eccentricity, humor, community, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will keep you hooked until the last page."

Though I will point out that Only Murders in the Building was in California this past season...

Joy Moody Is Out of Time by Kerryn Mayne
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the author of the beloved novel Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder comes another quirky and irresistible crime novel.

Strange things are happening behind the bright pink facade of Bayside's premier laundromat, Joyful Suds, home to Joy Moody and her twin daughters.

For much of their lives, Joy has been lying to Cassie and Andie. What started as a colorful tale to explain how the twins came to live with her grew over the years and was always something she meant to set straight. Joy really did think she had more time. Worse still, Joy is struggling to define the truth from the lies.

The girls have long believed they are vital to the future and must stay hidden to stay safe. Joy has told them that their impending twenty-first birthday is significant; they will step into their roles as leaders of a revolution and life as they know it will change. Joy was right - everything will change, just not in the way they expected. On Andie and Cassie's birthday, Joy Moody is found dead and her girls face a world they are not prepared for without their mother. Joy Moody is out of time... in more ways than one."

Unless she helps her children from beyond the grave...

Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club by Mary-Jane Riley
Published by: Allison and Busby
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"1948. The shadow of war still lingers over Britain and Beattie Cavendish, former Secret Operations Executive agent, refuses to settle into civilian life. When offered an undercover role at the newly formed GCHQ, the nerve centre of Britain's intelligence network, she doesn't hesitate. Her first mission is to infiltrate the powerful Bowen family and find out what she can about politician Ralph Bowen, who is suspected of being a communist sympathiser.

Her mission takes a deadly turn when the Bowen's housekeeper, Sofia, has her throat cut. As the investigation spirals, Beattie teams up with war-weary detective Patrick Corrigan to expose a dangerous web of spies and secrets all leading back to The White Pearl Club, a Soho establishment that caters to gentlemen with dangerous appetites.

As powerful forces attempt to bury the truth, Beattie must survive a ruthless game of deception and the dark underbelly of 1940s Soho at the dawn of the Cold War."

You know, Britain after the war had a lot of sketchy and dangerous gentlemen's clubs... Definitely more than dukes in romance novels. 

Lessons in Crime edited by Martin Edwards
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Delving into the stacks and tomes of the British Library collections, Martin Edwards invites you to a course on the darker side of scholarly ambition with an essential reading list of fifteen masterful short stories.

With a cohort of writers including Dorothy L. Sayers, Ethel Lina White, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Innes, and Edmund Crispin, this new anthology offers a selection of classics and rarities to provide a rewarding education in the beguiling art of mystery writing.

"The Master? Dr. Greeby? You don't say so! Murdered? Dear me! Poor Greeby! This will upset my whole day's work."

An Oxford Master is slain on campus during Pentecost. A headmaster faces off in a deadly battle of wits with a disgruntled parent. A sixth-form public school prank courts a murderous consequence.

Theft, blackmail, murder, and mystery run amok through the hush of the university library, the cacophonies of school corridors, and the simmering tensions of the staff room."

I mean, for me, this summer has been all about the darker side of academia... 

A Kennedy Affair by Emily Hourican
Published by: Mobius
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy left London four years ago, Europe was facing war and Billy Cavendish, the man she loved, had told her he could never marry her. Now, as London stands a shell of its former self, Kick returns to volunteer with the Red Cross, determined to do what she can for the city that holds a part of her heart, and to reconnect with Billy - despite what London society thinks of her. For Lady Brigid Guinness, life is unrecognisable. She has swapped dinner parties, social engagements and high fashion for long shifts as a nurse helping wounded soldiers. And the only person she can really talk to is a man shunned by her inner circle.

When Sissy, a young Irish girl, arrives from Wicklow under the care of the Guinness family, she brings her own secrets and all three women begin to realise that in a time of war, friendship might be the only thing they can rely on.

A Kennedy Affair is a story of forbidden love, family discord, and how in the worst of times, we can discover the best of ourselves, and each other."

If anyone doubts that the Kennedys are cursed, read up about Kick Kennedy's life sometime.

Murder in Hollywood by Millicent Binks
Published by: Bookouture
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 269 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lights, camera, action and... murder?

1934. Opal Laplume's star is on the rise when she gets a job making costumes for Hollywood's biggest talkie star, Jane Margeaux. But when Jane is fatally shot on set by a prop gun, and security guard Augusto finds a bullet missing from his pistol, it falls to Opal to save her favourite new friend from a wrongful murder accusation.

Opal soon discovers that Jane had a list of enemies as long as the train on her designer gown. Jane's co-star Betty envied her rise to fame, but did her jealousy take a deadly turn? Jane's loyal assistant Virginia was overworked and underpaid. Did she get Jane out of the way to get ahead at the studio? Or did Jane's fortune-hunting husband Carey see an opportunity to inherit his wife's jaw-dropping Sunset Boulevard mansion?

Just when Opal thinks she's found her prime suspect, a crew member is found dead in the California desert with a briefcase stuffed full of movie scripts. And a close look at the director's cut of Jane's latest picture reveals a secret message hidden in plain sight. Soon, Opal will find that Jane was hiding the biggest secret in Hollywood - one truly worth killing for.

Can Opal keep her English cool among the Tinseltown drama and crack the case before it's a wrap for the entire crew?

Grab a first-row seat to this fabulous and utterly charming Golden Age whodunnit full of glamour, intrigue and murder set in 1930s Hollywood. Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright won’t be able to put this down!"

Even in the past prop guns are dangerous.

Guardians of Dawn: Yuli by S. Jae-Jones
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The third book in the sweeping, richly imagined Guardians of Dawn fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.

Princess Yulana has a few problems. Her late grandfather has died without naming an heir, civil war threatens to tear the Morning Realms apart, a strange waking dreamer sickness is sweeping through the land, and a plague of hungry ghosts roam the steppes. On top of all of that, Kho, her former best friend turned rival, is getting under her skin. A struggle for power divides the north, and the outcome rests on the winner of the Grand Game - a competition that will determine not just the future of her people, but the course of the entire empire.

When the world is out of balance, the Guardians of Dawn are reborn.

As the Guardian of Wind, it is Yuli's responsibility to bring order to chaos, along with the Guardian of Fire and the Guardian of Wood. But can she restore balance to the Morning Realms when she can't even win the political games being played at home? The fate of the Morning Realms depends on the Guardians of Dawn, and whether Yuli can manage both the demonic and political chaos at once.

Guardian of Wind, there you are."

Hungry ghosts are the scariest thing to me.

The Dragon Wakes with Thunder by K.X. Song
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young woman who wields the unimaginable power of a dragon spirit must decide where her loyalties lie - and where her heart belongs - in this enthralling fantasy that reimagines the legend of Mulan.

The explosive sequel to The Night Ends with Fire!

The war may be over, but Hai Meilin is still paying a heavy toll. In spite of securing victory for the kingdom of Anlai, she is imprisoned upon her return. Her crime? Wielding a sword as a woman.

In the palace, Meilin is an outcast and a social pariah. But beyond the imperial walls, the legend of the woman warrior has taken on a life of its own. To the east, a new rebel leader needs Meilin to helm his people's revolution. In the south, a former enemy prince, now a prisoner of war, seeks Meilin's aid in restoring balance to the Three Kingdoms. And back home in Anlai, Liu Sky, Meilin's commander and first love, requires Meilin by his side in his bid for the throne.

Pulled in all directions by those who seek to use her for their own ends, Meilin vows that this time, she will not be so quick to trust. Yet there is one she cannot help but listen to - for he dwells within her.

Beyond any human machinations, the sea dragon Qinglong has his own plans for the spirit realm. During the last war, Meilin wielded his power to cheat death and attain victory for Anlai; now the dragon has come to collect his dues. Meilin's mother warned her long ago: The spirits demand blood. And Qinglong is ravenous."

Specifically for my friend Huyen who is addicted to anything Mulan.

Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: August 19th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock and Silver, a dark reimagining of "Snow White" steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind.

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save - seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja's unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all."

I mean, I'll read anything T. Kingfisher writes, but a narcissistic cat? I'm SO there.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Auralee Wallace, Christina Estes, Emily Hourican, Hannah Richell, Jo Nichols, Joe R. Lansdale, Kerryn Mayne, Martin Edwards, Mary-Jane Riley, Millicent Binks, S. Jae-Jones, Sadie Hartmann, Stephen King, T. Kingfisher