The Space Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Hugo, Locus, and Nebula-Award winner Mary Robinette Kowal blends her no-nonsense approach to life in space with her talent for creating glittering high-society in this stylish SF mystery, The Spare Man.
Tesla Crane, a brilliant inventor and an heiress, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between the Moon and Mars. She's traveling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and the festering chowderheads who run security have the audacity to arrest her spouse. Armed with banter, martinis and her small service dog, Tesla is determined to solve the crime so that the newlyweds can get back to canoodling - and keep the real killer from striking again."
Even when money is short, Mary Robinette Kowal is a must buy, no matter what genre the book is in. But space service Asta? Need I really say more?
Dead Man's Hand by James J. Butcher
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In the tradition of his renowned father, James J. Butcher's debut novel is a brilliant urban fantasy about a young man who must throw out the magical rule book to solve the murder of his former mentor.
On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.
After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as "not Department material," Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect.
Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive."
Talent AND really good cover art run in the family.
1989 by Val McDermid
Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In the new installment to her historical crime series that began with 1979, internationally bestselling author Val McDermid delivers a propulsive new thriller that finds journalist Allie Burns has become an editor, and as the Cold War and AIDS crisis deliver a nonstop tide of news, most of it bad, a story falls into her lap. And then there's a murder.
Hailed as Britain's Queen of Crime, Val McDermid's award-winning, internationally bestselling novels have captivated readers for more than thirty years. In her Allie Burns series, she returns to the past - both ours and in some ways her own - with the story of a female journalist whose stories lead her into world of corruption, terror, and murder.
It's 1989 and Allie Burns is back. Older and maybe wiser, she's running the northern news operation of the Sunday Globe, chafing at losing her role in investigative journalism and at the descent into the gutter of the UK tabloid media. But there's plenty to keep her occupied. The year begins with the memorial service for the victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, but Allie has barely filed her copy when she stumbles over a story about HIV/AIDS that will shock her into a major change of direction. The world of newspapers is undergoing a revolution, there's skullduggery in the medical research labs and there are seismic rumblings behind the Iron Curtain. When murder is added to this potent mix, Allie is forced to question all her old certainties.
Readers are having a great time time-traveling with Val, and 1989 is a seamless, riveting novel that brings us once again face to face with how very much past is prologue, and how history's sins stay with us."
What I love most about this series is that it's crime solving when it was still really compelling, not all tied into gadgets.
The Socialite's Guide to Murder by S.K. Golden
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The hotel was her refuge, but scandal is afoot - and a killer stalks the halls in this charming series debut perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Ashley Weaver.
It's 1958 and Evelyn Elizabeth Grace Murphy has not left the Pinnacle Hotel in fourteen months. She suffers from agoraphobia, and what's more, it's her father's hotel, and everything she needs is there. Evelyn's always been good at finding things, she discovered her mother dead in a Manhattan alleyway fifteen years earlier. Now she's finding trouble inside her sanctuary. At a party for artist Billie Bell, his newest work is stolen, and Evelyn's fake boyfriend (and real best friend), movie star Henry Fox, is accused of the theft. But just as Evelyn sets out to prove Henry's innocence, she finds Billie Bell dead.
The murder weapon links the crime to the hotel's chief of security. But why would he use a knife with his initials on the handle? With her beloved home in disarray, Evelyn joins up with hotel employee (and her secret crush) Mac Cooper to get to the bottom of the case.
As Mac picks locks and Evelyn snoops around the hotel, they discover the walls around them contain more secrets than they previously knew. Now, Evelyn must force herself to leave the hotel to follow the clues - but when she and Mac set off to chase a lead, their car crashes and they barely escape with their lives. Someone snipped Evelyn's brake lines, and now the stakes have become dangerously high.
Evelyn's knack for sleuthing - and her playful imagination - are always hard at work, and she throws an elaborate party at the hotel where every guest is a suspect. But will the killer emerge from the glamorous lineup? If not, Evelyn just might find herself…next in line for murder."
I really have a thing for murders at hotels.
The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett
Published by: Solaris
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"An unforgettable, surrealist gothic folk-thriller with commercial crossover appeal from a brilliant new voice.
1643: A small group of Parliamentarian soldiers are ambushed in an isolated part of Northern England. Their only hope for survival is to flee into the nearby Moresby Wood...unwise though that may seem. For Moresby Wood is known to be an unnatural place, the realm of witchcraft and shadows, where the devil is said to go walking by moonlight...
Seventeen men enter the wood. Only two are ever seen again, and the stories they tell of what happened make no sense. Stories of shifting landscapes, of trees that appear and disappear at will...and of something else. Something dark. Something hungry.
Today, five women are headed into Moresby Wood to discover, once and for all, what happened to that unfortunate group of soldiers. Led by Dr Alice Christopher, an historian who has devoted her entire academic career to uncovering the secrets of Moresby Wood. Armed with metal detectors, GPS units, mobile phones and the most recent map of the area (which is nearly 50 years old), Dr Christopher's group enters the wood ready for anything.
Or so they think."
Folkloric Annihilation.
The Premonition at Withers Farm by Jaime Jo Wright
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In 1910 Michigan, Perliett VanHilton is a self-proclaimed rural healer, leaving the local doctor, George Wasziak, convinced she practices quackery. It doesn't help that her mother, Maribeth VanHilton, is a Spiritualist who regularly offers her services to help others speak to their dearly departed. But when Perliett is targeted by a superstitious killer, she relies on both George and an intriguing newcomer for help.
In the present day, life has not developed the way Molly Wasziak dreamed. Facing depression after multiple miscarriages, Molly is adapting to her husband's purchase of a new farm. A search for a family tree pulls Molly deep into a vintage web of deceptions, made more mysterious by the disturbing shadows and sounds in the old farmhouse.
Perliett fights for her life, and Molly seeks renewed purpose for hers as she uncovers the records of the dead. Will their voices be heard, or will time silence their truths forever?"
Say it with me: Spiritualists!
The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson
Published by: MCD
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Andy Davidson's epic horror novel about the spectacular decline of the Redfern family, haunted by an ancient evil.
Nellie Gardner is looking for a way out of an abusive marriage when she learns that her long-lost grandfather, August Redfern, has willed her his turpentine estate. She throws everything she can think of in a bag and flees to Georgia with her eleven-year-old son, Max, in tow.
It turns out that the "estate" is a decrepit farmhouse on a thousand acres of old pine forest, but Nellie is thrilled about the chance for a fresh start for her and Max, and a chance for the happy home she never had. So it takes her a while to notice the strange scratching in the walls, the faint whispering at night, how the forest is eerily quiet. But Max sees what his mother can't: They're no safer here than they had been in South Carolina. In fact, things might even be worse. There's something wrong with Redfern Hill. Something lurks beneath the soil, ancient and hungry, with the power to corrupt hearts and destroy souls. It is the true legacy of Redfern Hill: a kingdom of grief and death, to which Nellie's own blood has granted her the key.
From the author of The Boatman's Daughter, The Hollow Kind is a jaw-dropping novel about legacy and the horrors that hide in the dark corners of family history. Andy Davidson's gorgeous, Gothic fable tracing the spectacular fall of the Redfern family will haunt you long after you turn the final page."
A family inheritance of Gothic horror? Yes please!
Little Eve by Catriona Ward
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"From Catriona Ward, the international bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street comes Little Eve, a heart-pounding tale of faith and family, with a devastating twist.
Winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel.
"A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away."
On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth.
The Adder is coming and one of their number will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction.
A reckoning beyond Eve's imagination begins when Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a brutal murder and their sacred ceremony goes terribly wrong.
And soon all the secrets of Altnaharra will be uncovered."
Shades of The Wicker Man anyone?
The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton
Published by: Head of Zeus
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Disturbing. Original. Terrifying. The 'master of horror' is back with the chilling tale of what lurks in the walls of an abandoned hospital.
Those who walk their dogs along the Sussex coastline in the morning might wander past St Rosalia's Hospital, and wonder what happens inside the large, mysterious Victorian building that overlooks the sea.
Until recently, the hospital was run by one doctor with a total of 15 patients, all of whom were terminally ill. The epidemiologist Dr Vincent Grayling was a pioneering practitioner for his radical belief that old medicinal practices should not be so-readily dismissed. But the doctor recently passed away, and so the building was sold to John and Petulia Pearson, hoteliers from Dorset.
At first, the couple are brimming with excitement for their seaside hotel. But before long, they start to hear coughs and groans in the middle of the night. And when they discover Grayling's medical notes, it becomes clear that the noises are not in their head..."
Places I would never stay but want to read about, old abandoned hospitals.
The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.
Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.
For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can't spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins - she proposes to Captain Blunt.
In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride - and to read - as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes..."
A girl with dreams I totally relate to!
To Capture His Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen
Published by: Shadow Mountain
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Seaside, England, 1886.
Eva Caldwell is an accomplished and well-known photographer who often works with the local constabulary to assist in documenting crime scenes, which means she also often works alongside the handsome and charming detective, Nathan Winston. She appreciates his intellect and how he treats her like an equal, but Eva's heart is still healing from a past relationship, so, for now, she decides to keep her feelings for Nathan a secret.
One evening, Nathan arrives on her doorstep asking for a personal favor. Would Eva be available to photograph his mother's legendary, week-long dinner party and matchmaking event? The catch is that Eva would also have to pretend they are courting in order for Nathan to avoid the many single women seeking his attention.
Though wary of the charade, Eva agrees. Spending a week with the two things she loves most - her detective and her camera - sounds simple enough. And if she wants to imagine that Nathan's pretend courtship of her is real, well, what's the harm in that?
But when a criminal from Nathan's past threatens revenge on the detective, Nathan must be extra vigilant to keep his mother and the rest of the partygoers safe. He confides in Eva, and as the two work together to solve the mystery and apprehend the criminal, they find that they might capture more than they expected - each other's heart."
Bridgerton meets Miss Scarlet and the Duke!
The Secrets of Summer House by Rachel Burton
Published by: Aria
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"1976. Rushing out of the University Library, undergraduate Alice Kenzie bumps straight into PhD student Tristan Somers. There begins a whirlwind romance, and Alice falls pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl. Then Tristan is killed in a car accident. Unable to cope, Alice takes her baby to Summer House, Tristan's family home in Suffolk, leaves her there and disappears.
2018. Olivia Somers has always been told that her mother died in the same accident as her father. But when she finds a bundle of old letters in Summer House, everything she ever believed about her mother is called into question. Can she find her - and even more importantly, forgive her?"
Family secrets that sound a lot like an episode of Inspector Morse. I'm in!
The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night Book 1 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Published by: Abrams ComicArts
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The first volume in a new graphic novel horror trilogy from Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda - the creative team behind the New York Times bestselling series Monstress.
Chinese American twins, Milly and Billy, are having a tough time. On top of the multiple failures in their personal and professional lives, they’re struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Luckily their parents, Ipo and Keon, are in town for their annual visit. Having immigrated from Hong Kong before the twins were born, Ipo and Keon have supported their children through thick and thin and are ready to lend a hand - but they're starting to wonder, has their support made Milly and Billy incapable of standing on their own?
When Ipo forces them to help her clean up the house next door - a hellish and run-down ruin that was the scene of a grisly murder - the twins are in for a nasty surprise. A night of terror, gore, and supernatural mayhem reveals that there is much more to Ipo and her children than meets the eye.
Eisner Award–winning and bestselling author Marjorie Liu and illustrator Sana Takeda have crafted a wild and wicked tale that will leave readers hungry for more. She Eats the Night is the perfect start to The Night Eaters trilogy, which is a combination of Monsters by Barry Windsor-Smith and Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan."
Even if the story didn't sound amazing, the talent of Marjorie Lie and Sana Takeda would make it so!
Joe Golem Occult Detective by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 536 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Joe Golem is an occult detective...and so much more.
In an alternate, half-submerged version of Manhattan, Joe Golem uncovers the truth behind strange and occult happenings that threaten the city’s inhabitants. But perhaps the biggest mystery of all is his own past. Fight demonic rats, pursue forbidden knowledge, and much more as Joe and his compatriots tackle the supernatural together.
Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden bring us a heartfelt and harrowing saga that combines hardboiled detective with emotional drama and lots of magic and mystery! Featuring art by Patric Reynolds and Peter Bergting with colors by Dave Stewart and Michelle Madsen.
Collects Joe Golem: Occult Detective Volumes 1–4."
Who loves Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden collaborations? Is it me!?! Yes it is!
The Oracle of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: October 11th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Multimillion-copy bestselling author Gregory Maguire brings us the enchanting second novel in the series Another Day, returning to the world he first created in Wicked.
The Oracle of Maracoor, the second in the trilogy called Another Day, continues the story of Elphaba’s green-skinned granddaughter, Rain. That strange land, Maracoor - across the ocean from Oz - is beset by an invading army. In the mayhem, Rain and Cossy, a child felon, break out of prison. Helped by a few flying monkeys, they struggle to escape the city before it falls under siege. Their arresting officer, Lucikles, also retreats with his family to a highland redoubt. But safety eludes them all. Chaos thunders upon them in the form of warriors, refugees, and brigands. The very fabric of reality loosens, liberating creatures of myth and legend - huge blue wolves, harpies, and giants made of the very landscape.
Cued in by secrets known only to the most highly placed members of the royal court, Rain and her companions hunt the fabled Oracle of Maracoor for guidance and soothsaying. Rain has to recover her forgotten past if she is to consider returning home. Cossy, the ten-year-old convicted of murder, must become invisible to avoid being taken into custody again. Meanwhile, the Fist of Mara, an arcane artifact that renders all around it barren, hammers against human lives. If the reclusive Oracle should spin a prophecy, might the desperate wicked years promise another day, one less perilous?"
The only thing I object to is that Gregory Maguire reinterpreted and expanded this world of Oz, he didn't create it.
Death of an Author by E.C.R. Lorac
Death of a Master Chef by Jean-Luc Bannalec
Magic and Miracles by Sally Britton, Sarah M. Eden, Jo Perry, Clarissa Kae, Adam Berg, Julie Wright, Mindy Strunk, Rebecca Connolly, Serene Heiner, Traci Abramson, Nancy Campbell Allen, Krista Jensen, and Charlie N. Holmberg
Deadly Summer Nights by Vicki Delany 
Nice Girls by Catherine Dang
Miss Kopp Investigates by Amy Stewart
The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen
The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves
Murder at Standing Stone Manor by Eric Brown
The Summoning by J.P. Smith
The Haunting of Leigh Harker by Darcy Coates
The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Forever Young by Hayley Mills
