strange and random happenstance

Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 704 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's off to the races in the explosive eighth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series - featuring bonus material exclusive to this print edition.

As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they're forced to compete in a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Well, normal for the dungeon.

Races. Get from point A to point B, and don't come in last. After each race, they pick an upgrade for their vehicle and the track gets more challenging. It all seems a little too normal, a little too simple.

Ignore those strange glitches that are occurring with increasing frequency. Don't listen to those whispers about what's happening on the mysterious eleventh floor, something the system AI calls A Parade of Horribles. Nobody, not even the showrunners, knows what that means. Just that the AI has ominously dubbed it "a coming-out party for the ages."

Everything is fine, Crawler. I repeat, everything is fine.

Carl hates that it's business as usual. The rules of this floor have taken away his agency. That just will not do.

So Carl is planning a party of his own. It's a plan so dangerous, so insane, he can't even consult his friends lest the AI put a stop to it. Because if it goes wrong, it's not just the end of Carl and Donut. No. The stakes are higher than they've ever been.

Includes part eight of the exclusive bonus story "Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.""

I am so excited for this month because I have finally got my book club to read the first book in this series.

Femme Feral by Sam Beckbessinger
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Hyper-competent Ellie thinks she's going through perimenopause, but discovers she's actually turning into a werewolf in this feminist, dark-comedy debut.

The head of a company she started from the ground-up, the worried mother of a troublingly secretive daughter, and the wife of an easy-going man who always has her picking up the slack - Ellie is already juggling too much. So, it's an inconvenient time to find herself beset by strange physical changes: hair sprouting in new places, running hot, trouble sleeping, losing time, finding bloodstains in all her clothing. And underneath it all, a boiling rage that threatens to disrupt the life she's worked so hard to build.

Her doctor diagnoses perimenopause. But it's another twenty-eight-day cycle that's taking hold, one that involves fur, teeth, and a not-insignificant amount of howling at the moon - and that gifts Ellie incredible strength and speed. Her new power's thrilling, as is releasing the anger she's suppressed for years - especially as it turns out that there are some problems that can be solved with violence: The terrible new hire who is sabotaging her careful plans. The creep who's stalking her daughter. Only, the beast within isn't easy to control, and its bloody trail is getting harder to hide. With an obsessive hunter on her trail and a growing fear of what she's becoming, Ellie must find a way to yoke her fury before she tears through the people she loves.

A deeply gratifying, highly addictive and provocative read, Femme Feral is an exhilarating expression of feminine rage, with a warning: If you swallow your anger, it's sure to come back with a bite."

I was talking about this book to a friend the other day and she was instantly asking when she could get it. Women SO relate.

All Hail Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"All Hail Chaos is Sarah Rees Brennan's wicked, unmissable sequel to Long Live Evil.

One of the New York Times "Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2024."

THE EMPEROR IS HERE. AND SHE MADE HIM WORSE.

Rae is a fantasy reader who's been transported to her favorite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far more deadly than the one she knew. Her friends are on the run: the Cobra shelters in an eerie manor haunted by dark secrets, while Emer and Lia stoke a revolution in the gutters. Undead armies roam the kingdom, raiders camp at the city gates, and the all-powerful Emperor - Rae's favorite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land - wants her to be his evil queen.

Romantic in fiction, complicated in reality. What's a villainess to do? Time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone."

Seriously, while this series is so fun, I would not want to be sucked into any of my favorite book series.

Vile Lady Villains by Danai Christopoulou
Published by: Union Square and Co.
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A queer, gothic horrormantasy that's perfect for readers of S.T. Gibson and Kiersten White.

With the consequences of her murderous actions closing in, Lady Macbeth turns to the three witches for help. They give her a potion that transports her to an unknown realm. Desperately lost, she opens a door and comes face to face with a beautiful woman drenched in blood.

Klytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae, is exacting bloody vengeance on her husband. Yet as she revels in her triumph, an otherworldly door appears and a strange woman steps in. Thinking this stranger a spirit, she chases Lady Macbeth into the realm of stories.

Hunted by screaming wraiths into worlds that are hell bent on their demise, this murderous pair are forced to form an alliance or perish. Yet the realm's goddess, The Mistress of the House of Books, claims to hold the key to saving them.

As every threat brings our vile lady villains closer, turning ill intentions into fiery attraction that no author dare write, they have a choice: remain within the confines of their original tales... or burn down the world to pen a new story together..."

I love that our villains look like hot and sexy versions of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford's characters in What Ever Happen to Baby Jane?

The Devil and Mrs. Gooch by Oliver Darkshire
Published by: W. W. Norton and Company
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the storm-drenched city of Verdigris, home to indolent sorcerers and undead hotels, something is dreadfully wrong. Buildings are starting to crumble due to the kidnapping of their hobs, the many-legged house spirits that keep each home in order. In such times, one would ordinarily blame the Devil, but he has been enchanted by a new and enticing evil: The jackbooted villainy of Gwendolyn Gooch, who has taken the hobs for her latest diabolical scheme - apartments for rent. As the hobs retrofit the gaudy Gooch Towers, the fate of the city lies in the hands of the arboreal Professor Green; his rare, complete set of the Household Gramarye; and its famulus, the prim Mrs. Bobkins.

A delightful new novel in a series "perfectly cut to fit the Pratchett-shaped hole in my heart" (C.M. Waggoner), The Devil and Mrs. Gooch is witty, imaginative, and brimming with charm.

The Household Gramarye series may be read in any order you wish, as wizards care little for strict sequentiality."

This series seriously has the best cover art, but this is a step beyond. Love it!

Under a Carnivore Sky by Brianna Jett
Published by: Page Street YA
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"I'm the only one left hunting the monster, the only one left with a chance of saving us all.

Raised in a town surrounded by a labyrinthian, man-eating swamp, Lili craves nothing more than to track down the monster lurking in its depths and kill it.

The monster's curse claims the flesh and bone of every adult in town, stealing them away, piece by piece. For generations, people have tried to kill it or escape the town altogether, but every path out of town leads them right back in.

Caleb, a bookish boy with dreams of freedom, is hungry to escape. He thinks that with Lili's help and knowledge of the swamp, he can make a map to freedom. And Lili hopes that with a better sense of its territory, she might finally find and kill the monster.

Together, they chart the swamp's shifting terrain. Sharing in the danger and the beauty of the landscape sparks a friendship between them - and then something more. However, what they discover disrupts everything Lili thought she knew about the town, her father, the monster - even herself. The truth at the root of the curse could devour them all. And Lili must decide if risking her life to be the town's savior is worth sacrificing her own chance of escape."

Knowledge can be just as dangerous as a deadly swamp.

The Hanging Bones by Elle Tesch
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the author of What Wakes the Bells comes a rich, gothic fantasy steeped in Germanic folklore about a girl who enters a dangerous, magical hunt with the goal of winning the death of her predatory overlord. Perfect for fans of Adalyn Grace, Maggie Stiefvater, and V.E. Schwab.

Some monsters are born. Some are made. All can be killed.

Once every few years, the Scavenge Moon rises. From beyond its pale glow steps the Breimar Stag, an otherworldly creature with eyes of burning gold. Any reckless adventurer who chooses to join the hunt for the stag only has until the Scavenge Moon sets to claim their prize - if they catch it, they are granted the death of any person of their choice. And if no one catches it, the stag will claim one of the hunters' souls instead.

Katrin has lived on the border of the forest her whole life, raised on tales of the Folk that dwell within. As a gamekeeper for the baron who rules over the region, she is saddled with the onerous task of escorting the entitled nobles who descend upon her home for the Breimar Hunt. None of them respect the forest or its legends, and Katrin is only too happy to let them risk their foolish necks for what they see as a cheap thrill.

When her beloved cousin becomes the latest target of the baron's lecherous appetites, Katrin knows only his death will keep her family safe, and the only way she can claim his life is to win the hunt herself. But something hungry has begun to stir in the woods, something even older and more powerful than the stag. As the horrifying, mutilated bodies pile up, Katrin begins to question where the true danger lies."

So, she can't just like poison the baron?

Deathbringer by Sonia Tagliareni
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: eBook, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Naomi Novik and Kerri Maniscalco, "a slow-burn dark academia filled with delicious yearning, dripping with atmosphere, and a compelling mystery" (Ellis Hunter, author of Blood Bound) about a death mage who hates her magic and a poison mage who hates her that are forced to work together to stop a killer before one of them is next.

Everything about Sylas Archyr feels like a sin.

Born with the ability to speak with the dead, Viola's magic killed her sister, Olivia, and if she doesn't learn why, it will kill her too. Her only hope lies within the perilous walls of Gorhail Institute of Magic, where Olivia spent her final days.

There, Viola clashes with Sylas, a poison mage whose magic stems from three magical snakes. Immortal, tormented, and reckless, Sylas is tethered to a life he never asked for and haunted by guilt for his father's death. His hatred for death mages runs deep, and he's determined to keep Viola at a distance. But when an attack forces him to heal her, their fates become intertwined by a magical bond that threatens to upend his loyalties - and his common sense.

As more students start turning up dead, Viola and Sylas are drawn into an uneasy alliance that pulls them deeper into Gorhail's treacherous passageways, where secrets fester beneath the stone and the dead do not rest. And as enemy lines begin to blur and their undeniable attraction grows, Viola and Sylas uncover a chilling conspiracy: someone is hunting mages for their magical relics, and if they can't uncover the killer in time, Viola will be next."

It's amazing how deadly academia has become.

You're Dead to Me, Reed Walker by Gwenyth Reitz
Published by: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A swoonworthy YA supernatural romcom where two academic rivals are trapped as ghosts to haunt the same house.

They'd kill each other... if they weren't already dead.

Tessa Sinclair is a winner. Winner of spelling bees, science fairs, and scholarships. So when she finds herself unexpectedly dead after a graduation party in an abandoned mansion, she's none too pleased. What's worse, her Harvard-bound, Mr. Perfect academic rival, Reed Walker, is there too - deceased, smug, and annoying as hell.

Being a ghost is hard enough, but it's a thousand times worse having to haunt the same house as your nemesis. But as Tessa and Reed retreat to RIP in their respective corners of the mansion, a mystery unfurls about the exact cause of their deaths.

Though they'd rather die (again) than work together, they'll need to overcome their differences to hunt down a murderer on the loose. And should they happen to fall for each other along the way... Who ever said you can't find love after death?"

I think finding out how you died would overcome rivalry. 

Never Leave Me Alone by Crissa-Jean Chappell
Published by: Regal House Publishing
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 178 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Seventeen-year-old Birdie lives for danger - from rooftopping abandoned hotels to chasing the perfect shot for her Instagram alter ego, Bad Altitude.

Her dying Florida beach town may be crumbling, but her follower count is rising fast.

She's one viral post away from escaping the Space Coast for good.

Then she meets Micah, a daredevil TikTok star with a taste for high-stakes stunts and even higher risks.

At first, Birdie thinks she's found a kindred spirit.

But Micah is secretly playing a deadly game online - and after he falls to his death, Birdie is left with more questions than answers.

Determined to uncover the truth, she retraces his final stunts, getting dangerously close to his brother, Jayce.

Can she trust him, or is he hiding something too?

Now someone's watching Birdie - both online and off - and she's forced to keep playing.

Because in this game, there's only one rule: if you quit, you die."

But do you live if you win?

The Kindness of Strangers by Emma Garman
Published by: S and S/Summit Books
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
A wildly entertaining debut and homage to the classic murder mystery set in post-WWII London where a stranger's arrival at a boarding house sets a deadly chain of events in motion - perfect for fans of Kate Atkinson, Agatha Christie, and Richard Osman.

London, 1953. Jimmy Sullivan lies dying on the drawing room floor while his housemates look on, their lives about to change forever.

One foggy night in the dead of February, a young man arrives unannounced at 42 Tregunter Road in Chelsea. Self-styled Bohemian Mrs. Honor Wilson - who runs a minor literary journal and lodgings from this timeworn Victorian house - introduces him to her "dear house guests": Robbie, the writer; Mina, the teenage sleuth; George, the debutante; and Saul, the haunted refugee. Jimmy Sullivan is a family friend, Honor says - yet clearly, something is not right. Despite everyone's misgivings, she lets the stranger move into the attic.

As they each try to disprove Jimmy's dubious account of himself, secrets, jealousies, and disturbing schemes come to light, fracturing the household's delicate allegiances and setting in motion, unstoppably, a tale of perilous self-invention, complicated love, and murderous revenge.

In a house built on lies, the truth will get you killed."

Wait, if this is for fans of Kate Atkinson does that mean for fans of books with nebulous endings and no actual crime solving? 

Murder Like Clockwork by Nicola Whyte
Published by: Union Square and Co.
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this London-based version of The Paris Apartment meets Only Murders in the Building, author Nicola Whyte continues the adventures of the delicious cast of 10 Marchfield Square characters.

Every Thursday at midday Audrey Brooks cleans the Petrov house. Mr. Petrov is never home - in fact he seems to use the house purely as storage for his impressive collection of antiques - but that doesn't affect the care with which Audrey mops, polishes, and carefully winds each of the dozens of beautiful clocks that decorate the tall, elegant, empty London mansion.

Until the morning she finds a corpse in the back bedroom, the pristine walls and floor covered in blood, and flees the house in panic. Fifteen minutes later, the police arrive... and find nothing. No body. No blood. The only thing slightly out of the ordinary is the clock in that back bedroom, which is now running four minutes slow.

With no victim, the police are convinced there was no murder, but Audrey knows better. A man has been killed, and if they won't do anything about it, she - and her annoying friend Lewis - will. Whodunnit is one thing, but this detective duo must also wrestle with when - and where on earth is the body?

It's not long since they solved the murder of their neighbor, so they're not rookie sleuths, and at least this time the case has no connection to their home. Does it?"

I'm more impressed by the villains who can clean a crime scene in under fifteen minutes. 

Killing Eve: Medusa by Luke Jennings
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: eBook, 264 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest instalment of Luke Jennings's bestselling Killing Eve series - the inspiration behind the BAFTA-winning drama starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh.

I lie to her constantly, and it's always the same lie. That I'm as human as she is.

Deceived once too often by Oxana, Eve flees to the country town where she lived as a child. But violence and death are hard on her heels, and time will not be turned back. Reeling from Eve's departure, Oxana throws herself into her latest mission: to assassinate the leaders of a newly formed European drug cartel.

Turkish mafia boss Tahir Yilmaz is hosting a voyage around the Greek islands on his luxury yacht Medusa. The group includes his seventeen-year-old daughter Defne and her friend Buse, and Tahir is taking no chances. He's hired a chaperone, a nanny from a top-drawer English training school. At least he thinks that's who Oxana is...

As the Medusa moves from isle to idyllic isle, a brutal showdown draws closer, and with it, a deadly reckoning for Eve and Oxana. Can the star-crossed couple save their relationship? Can they even save themselves?

The latest Killing Eve adventure is charged with all the savage humour, chilling violence and perversely romantic longing that fans of the series have come to love and expect. Welcome aboard the Medusa!"

First, so here for the correct continuation of Killing Eve. Second, murder on a luxury yacht! YAS!

A Very Vexing Murder by Lucy Andrew
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Harriet Smith investigates... A murder most Austen.

A witty debut whodunit that reimagines Harriet Smith, the gullible sidekick of Jane Austen's Emma, as a spitfire con woman, hired to break off an engagement and uncover a murderer in the genteel village of Highbury.

"Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure."  - Jane Austen, Emma

Is a killer lurking in the idyllic country domain of Emma Woodhouse?

No longer Emma's naïve companion, Harriet Smith is a feisty con-woman-turned-detective tasked with breaking off Frank Churchill's engagement and uncovering his aunt's would-be murderer. While Harriet has doubts that the deadly threats are little more than society scandal, the shrewd Mrs. Churchill suspects Frank's unsuitable fiancée, Jane Fairfax, is out to kill her. What begins as a routine investigation among Highbury's elite quickly spirals into a web of deception, dangerous secrets, and a game of survival.

As Harriet interrogates a growing list of suspects with the help of her long-suffering best friend, Robert Martin, not only does she have to contend with a potential homicidal maniac and striking out as a single woman in Regency society, but is also afraid her father (and former partner-in-crime) is out for revenge.

With a cast of unforgettable characters - including a charming scoundrel, a lovesick farmer, a ghoulish butler, and a ruthless heiress determined to hide her skeletons at any cost - this brilliantly reimagined mystery featuring the characters from Jane Austen's Emma is as deliciously dark as it is delightfully clever."

I mean, no matter how reimagined this is Frank Churchill has to be the culprit. He's a psychopath. 

The Last Lady B by Eloisa James
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lady B may have married Bluebeard; she may have fallen in love with a gorgeous, grumpy solicitor; she may have met a ghost and survived to tell the tale! New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Eloisa James delights with witty historical romance with a gothic twist.

In the depths of winter, Lady Genevieve Hughes, her pet piglet, and her septuagenarian husband travel to a haunted abbey in the Scottish Highlands. Evie is excited to meet a ghost (perhaps one of her husband's three previous wives), but didn't expect the funny, quirky guests to become the friends she's never had. And she certainly didn't imagine meeting Sir Godric Everly, a sardonic, witty solicitor who loathes her husband.

Yet as secrets and lies turn Evie's world upside down, Sir Godric becomes the one person whom she can trust.

When ghosts, multiple wills, and a shocking marriage certificate bring Lord Burnsby's past crashing into his present, Burnsby promptly dies, leaving Evie free to remarry... though as a virgin wife, now a virgin widow, she is more unnerved by the marriage bed than a spectral visit.

More importantly, she has to figure out whose identity is false, whose vows are dishonorable, whose truths could destroy her reputation - and where her heart belongs."

I can't wait for this book! What's more I can't wait for my copy which is part of JQ Editions!

The Lister Sisters by Rebecca Batley
Published by: Pen and Sword History
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When Anne Lister, 'Gentleman Jack, ' and her infamous diaries hit the headlines a few years ago, their popularity spawned a plethora of Gentleman Jack blogs, research and books which have focused primarily on Anne Lister's romantic relationships with (a huge) number of women, but whilst they are an integral part of the Lister story, there is another woman lurking in the pages of her diaries: The original Lister Sister, Marian.

Marian Lister was Anne's younger sister and the two women had a complex and fascinating relationship. The evidence reveals Marian to be a complicated woman who both resented, loved and was fiercely protective of her older sister. Forced to live together for a large part of their lives Anne vehemently disapproved of Marian's desire to escape in order to marry a "carpet maker" feeling him to be unworthy of the sister she herself derided. Marian, for her part, did not understand her elder sister's relationships with women, but she accepted them, defended her and worried about her excessively even whilst she ranted about Anne's spending, scheming and selfishness.

When together, the two women bickered constantly with Marian, literally at times screaming in frustration at her headstrong sister. Anne, for her part, complained that Marian was "simple... good for nothing," yet her approval meant a good deal to her.

Here, for the first time, we look at the complex relationship between the two women, how it developed, its moments of triumph and tragedy, as well as the profound influence it had on each of their lives."

If I learned anything from Gentleman Jack it's that Anne was a bitch to her sister. 

Memory House by Elaine Kraf
Published by: Modern Library
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The never-before-published final novel by cult feminist author Elaine Kraf, exploring what happens when a drained writer fakes her death and joins a mysterious club for failing artists.

Once the darling of the literary world, Marlane Frack is fading into obscurity: her once-brilliant career seems over, her creativity feels nonexistent, and her demanding husband would prefer she spend her time caring for him instead of struggling to find inspiration. But one day, an enigmatic chauffeur arrives to spirit her away to Memory House, a secluded sanctuary where formerly successful artists of all kinds - writers, painters, musicians, and more - are spending the rest of their lives. They have all decided that fame in death is preferable to decline in real life.

Nestled in a remote, picturesque landscape, the house is a labyrinth of secrets and whispers, where time seems to flow differently and creativity is both a blessing and a curse. There, Marlane finds herself among a diverse group of residents, some of whom she knew in the outside world, all of them fighting with their own artistic demons - and with each other. As the line between reality and imagination blurs, and her past begins to manifest in startling ways, Marlane starts to question what is real and what is merely a figment of the house's influence.

Will Marlane find the redemption she seeks, or will the house consume her creative spirit entirely? In the last book she wrote before her death, which has never been published before, Elaine Kraf explores the challenges of being a female creator, the transformative power of art, and the enduring quest for self-discovery."

I'd be more worried that the house says you will get "fame in death." That really sounds like the house will elaborately kill you.

The Lost Book of Lancelot by John Glynn
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A queer retelling of the legend of Sir Lancelot, following the famous knight as he grows up orphaned, falls in love, and attempts to fulfill his destiny at the Round Table - from the bestselling author of Out East.

Hidden away on the Isle of Women, a nameless orphan grows up among a powerful sisterhood, but always at a distance. He hears whispers of a prophecy that may shed light on his destiny - and his true identity: Lancelot. Determined to master the skills of knighthood, he begins training in tandem with the handsome Galehaut. As the two become inseparable, they guide one another toward their truest selves. But no matter how tightly they cling to one another, each has a role to play in the wizard Merlin's grand prophecies.

When Lancelot is forced to follow Merlin to Camelot, he fights to protect his heart while seeking the fabled grail alongside King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. But when Roman legionaries encroach on their kingdom, their quest takes on new urgency, as does Lancelot's explosive secret - the truth of what he left behind on the Isle of Women.

Steeped in rich medieval lore, The Lost Book of Lancelot is at once an immersive, a poignant love story and an epic, unforgettable tale of a vulnerable boy who is forced to rise to the occasion amid a battle between the old world and the new."

I mean, the denizens of Camelot are always rife for a queer bent. I mean, just watch Lancelot in the musical...

Hana and Taru by Léo Schilling and Motteux 
Published by: Magnetic Press
Publication Date: May 12th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Deep in an ancient forest, young Taru feels like a misfit among her tribe of hunter-warriors. As she tries to make her mark in the adult world, she finds herself marginalized as much for her naïveté as for her radical ideas, which are dismissed by her mother and peers as nonsense. She is responsible for watching a prisoner - Hana, a young human with a mysterious past who has been captured by Taru's own tribe. Hana provides Taru with both solace and an opportunity to find her own way. When Taru's village is once again attacked by giant rampaging forest beasts, the unlikely pair will work together to try to understand the uncontrollable and deadly force that threatens them. What is causing the beasts to rampage? And how can they be stopped?

This ecological fantasy tale by writer Leo Schilling and cartoonist Motteux unravels an exciting fantasy tale about finding your own purpose and a responsible balance with nature."

FernGully for the literary set.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Crissa-Jean Chappell, Elaine Kraf, Eloisa James, Emma Garman, Gentleman Jack, John Glynn, Léo Schilling, Lucy Andrew, Luke Jennings, Matt Dinniman, Motteux, Nicola Whyte, Oliver Darkshire, Rebecca Batley, Sarah Rees Brennan

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Murder links past and present once again in this mind-boggling metafictional mystery from Anthony Horowitz featuring detective Atticus Pünd and editor Susan Ryeland, stars of the New York Times bestsellers Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders.

Editor Susan Ryeland has left her Greek island, her hotel and her Greek boyfriend, Andreas, in search of a new life back in England.

Freelancing for a London publisher, she's given the last job she wants: working on an Atticus Pünd continuation novel called Pünd's Last Case. Worse still, she knows the new writer. Eliot Crace is the troubled grandson of legendary children's author Miriam Crace who died twenty years ago. Eliot is convinced she was murdered - by poison.

To her surprise, Susan enjoys reading the manuscript which is set in the South of France and revolves around the mysterious death of Lady Margaret Chalfont, days before she was about to change her will. But when it is revealed that Lady Margaret was also poisoned, alarm bells begin to ring.

The more Susan reads, the clearer it becomes that Eliot has deliberately concealed clues about his grandmother's death inside the book.

Desperately, Susan tries to prevent Eliot from putting himself in harm's way - but his behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic. Another murder follows...and suddenly Susan finds herself to be the number one suspect.

Once again, the real and the fictional worlds have become dangerously entangled. And if Susan doesn't solve the mystery of Pünd's Last Case, she could well be its next victim."

I was wondering if the third installment would be television only, and then here comes the third book! But poor Andreas...

Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura
Published by: HarperVia
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband.

Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one obsession: becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone's surprise but her own, she overcomes every obstacle and becomes a global superstar with millions of dollars, countless awards, and several Los Angeles villas to her name. But as any celebrity will tell you, getting to the top is one thing; staying there is another.

Now thirty-three years old, Cléo is taking her first real vacation in years, on a remote island with no one else in sight. With the never-ending spin cycle of her life finally on pause and no paparazzi peeking out from behind the coconut palms, she can work on her fourth album in peace. Except that with so much time to think, she can't help but ruminate on her past - including how, just six months earlier, things started to go very, very wrong...

Taking place between New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and the South Pacific, Make Me Famous is a brilliant sophomore novel from Maud Ventura that dives intoxicatingly deep into the machinations of one woman's complicated mind, and her relentless pursuit of fame."

I'm here for the Patricia Highsmith of it all!

The Labyrinth House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
Published by: Pushkin Vertigo
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A twisty and ingenious stand-alone classic Japanese murder mystery from the author of The Decagon House Murders.

Can the brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada solve the mystery of this bizarre house before all those trapped in its labyrinth are dead? Can you guess the solution before he does?

Miyagaki Yōtarō is one of Japan's most famed mystery writers, but several years ago he put down his pen and left the Tokyo literary world for a life of seclusion in the remote Labyrinth House, built by the notorious architect Nakamura Seiji. When four of the country's most exciting up-and-coming crime writers are invited to the house for Yōtarō's birthday party, they are honoured to accept. But no sooner have they arrived than they are confronted with a shocking death, then lured into a bizarre, deadly competition with each other...

As the competition proceeds, and murder follows murder, the brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada investigates. Can he solve the mystery of the house before all those trapped in its labyrinth are dead? And can you guess the solution before he does?

Readers of Japanese crime classics and fans of clever puzzle mysteries, such as Magpie Murders, Eight Detectives, and The Appeal will love the third stand-alone book from the author of Decagon House Murders and Mill House Murders - Japanese crime classics that have dazzled readers with their ingeniously constructed plots and solutions. The whole book is like a magic trick, with one of Ayatsuji's trademark breathtaking reveals at the end."

A very Murder By Death vibe. I love it!

The Silversmith's Puzzle by Nev March
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Captain Jim Agnihotri and Lady Diana Framji return to India as they investigate a murder amidst colonial Bombay's complex hierarchy in March's fourth mystery.

In 1894 colonial India, Lady Diana's family has lost their fortune in a global financial slump, but even worse, her brother Adi is accused of murder. Desperate to save him from the gallows, Captain Jim and Lady Diana rush back to Bombay. However, the traditional Parsi community finds Jim and Diana's marriage taboo and shuns them.

The dying words of Adi’s business partner, a silversmith, are perplexing. As Captain Jim peels back the curtains on this man's life he finds a trail of unpaid bills, broken promises, lies and secrets. Why was the silversmith so frantic for gold, and where is it? What awful truth does it represent?

Set in lush, late-Victorian India, Captain Jim and Diana struggle with the complexities of caste, tradition, and loyalty. Their success and their own lives may depend on Diana, who sacrificed her inheritance for love. Someone within their circle has the key to this puzzle. Can she find a way to reconnect with the tight community that threw them aside?"

I more than a little obsessed with colonial India...

The Stolen Heart by Andrey Kurkov
Published by: HarperVia
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the follow-up to The Silver Bone, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2024, Samson Kolechko must rescue his kidnapped fiancée while investigating the illegal sale of meat in lawless 1920s Kyiv - based on a real-life case.

Samson Kolechko and his colleague have been dispatched to investigate the illegal sale of meat. How selling cuts of one's own livestock qualifies as a crime eludes the young investigator, but an order is an order, and, at the insistence of the secret police officer assigned to "reinforce" the Lybid police station, Samson vows to do his very best.

But just as Samson is beginning to dig into the very meat of this case, his live-in fiancée Nadezhda is abducted by striking railway workers who object to the census she's carrying out. Complicating matters, the police station has been infiltrated by a mysterious thief, a deadly tram accident - which may have been premeditated - disrupts the city, and, to top it all, the culprit from Samson's "silver bone" investigation may have resurfaced.

Against this backdrop, it's no wonder the "meat case" takes a backseat. Yet, despite the rising danger, the detective cannot let himself be distracted from his dogged pursuit of the seemingly mundane matter of the meat sellers, for ultimately his fate, and Nadezhda's too, rests on it."

Never forget the heart of the matter!

Bochica by Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro
Published by: Atria/Primero Sueno Press
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A real-life Latin American haunted mansion. A murky labyrinth of family secrets. A young, aristocratic woman desperate to escape her past. This haunting debut Gothic horror novel is perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic and The Shining.

In 1923 Soacha, Colombia, La Casona - an opulent mansion perched above the legendary Salto del Tequendama waterfall - was once home to Antonia and her family, who settle in despite their constant nightmares and the house's malevolent spirit. But tragedy strikes when Antonia's mother takes a fatal fall into El Salto and her father, consumed by grief, attempts to burn the house down with Antonia still inside.

Three years later, haunted by disturbing dreams and cryptic journal entries from her late mother, Antonia is drawn back to her childhood home when it is converted into a luxurious hotel. As Antonia confronts her fragmented memories and the dark history of the estate, she wrestles with unsettling questions she can no longer ignore: Was her mother's death by her own hands, or was it by someone else's?

In a riveting quest for answers, Antonia must navigate the shadows of La Casona, unearthing its darkest secrets and confronting a legacy that threatens to swallow her whole."

Next level haunted house! LOVE!

Of Earthly Delights by Goldy Moldavsky
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A contemporary YA Gothic romance about a dark family secret, a lush, mysterious garden, and a love that never dies, from New York Times bestselling author Goldy Moldavsky.

Aspiring artist Rose Pauly is not happy moving from her home in New York City right before her senior year of high school. But on her first miserable day in Connecticut, she meets Hart Hargrove. The two share an immediate, undeniable connection.

Hart introduces Rose to his slice of paradise - the immense private garden nestled behind the Hargrove family mansion. There, the two spend a fever dream of a summer together. But as their bond blossoms into love, Rose can't shake the feeling that all is not as it seems.

When Rose uncovers the truth about the garden, she's forced to question how genuine her love story truly is. But Hart can't bear to lose Rose, and he will stop at nothing to save their relationship.

Posing haunting questions about beauty and desire, this is an atmospheric and darkly romantic tale that will enthrall readers."

The perfect time of year to get lost in a book about a summer in a mysterious garden.

The Thirteen Doors of Black House by Laura Lavoie
Published by: Union Square Kids
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Maya Murtagh can't wait to spend a week at Black House, a looming seaside mansion that was once home to her favorite mystery author, Augusta Black. After a falling out with her best friend and journalism partner, she needs ideas for a juicy new story that will repair their friendship and earn them a coveted regular column in the school newspaper. Black House is the perfect place to spark inspiration.

But when Maya and her family arrive at the mansion, the host who greets them is totally creepy. So are the thirteen doors inside Augusta Black's old office, each one carved with an eerie symbol. Add in the unshakeable feeling that someone - or something - is watching her, and Maya becomes convinced: there's a mystery to be solved here, real...or supernatural. Each of the thirteen doors hides a secret but opening them leads to dire consequences. When too many doors are open and Maya and her cousins are unable to close them, not only are they and the mansion at risk, so are their parents who are left stranded in town. Maya receives some help from an unexpected place, but will it be enough to save them?

Told over the course of one thrilling day, The Thirteen Doors of Black House is a fast-paced mystery that is sure to hook young readers. A little bit spooky, and a little bit funny, it perfectly pairs the magic of vacationing with your family with the magic of an old, storied house."

The kind of story I love to read but would never in a million years want to live. Not matter the desire of a regular newspaper column.

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire
Published by: W. W. Norton and Company
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In a tiny farm on the edge of the miserable village of East Grasby, Isabella Nagg is trying to get on with her tiny, miserable existence. Dividing her time between tolerating her feckless husband, caring for the farm's strange animals, cooking up "scrunge," and crooning over her treasured pot of basil, Isabella can't help but think that there might be something more to life. When Mr. Nagg returns home with a spell book purloined from the local wizard, she thinks: what harm could a little magic do?

This debut novel by beloved rare bookseller and memoirist Oliver Darkshire reimagines a heroine of Boccaccio's Decameron in a delightfully deranged world of talking plants, walking corpses, sentient animals, and shape-shifting sorcerers. As Isabella and her grouchy, cat-like companion set off to save the village from an entrepreneurial villain running a goblin-fruit Ponzi scheme, Darkshire's tale revels in the ancient books and arcane folklore of a new and original kind of enchantment.

A delightful and entertaining story of self-discovery - as well as fungus, capitalism, and sorcery - Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a story for those who can't help but find magic even in the oddest and most baffling circumstances."

I mean, I was already sold on the book because, come on, that cover, but then there's a goblin-fruit Ponzie scheme!?! Doubly sold!

Anima Rising by Christopher Moore
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore comes a hilariously deranged tale of a mad scientist, a famous painter, and an undead woman's electrifying journey of self-discovery.

Vienna, 1911. Gustav Klimt, the most famous painter in the Austrian Empire, the darling of Viennese society, spots a woman's nude body in the Danube canal. He knows he should summon a policeman, but he can't resist stopping to make a sketch first. And as he draws, the woman coughs. She's alive!

Back at his studio, Klimt and his model-turned-muse Wally tend to the formerly-drowned girl. She's nearly feral and doesn't remember who she is, or how she came to be floating in the canal. Klimt names her Judith, after one of his most famous paintings, and resolves to help her find her memory.

With a little help from Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, Judith recalls being stranded in the arctic one hundred years ago, locked in a crate by a man named Victor Frankenstein, and visiting the Underworld.

So how did she get here? And why are so many people chasing her, including Geoff, the giant croissant-eating devil dog of the North?

Poor Things meets Bride of Frankenstein in Anima Rising, Christopher Moore's most ingenious (and probably most hilarious) novel yet."

I mean, who doesn't want to watch the bride of Frankenstein cause a little havoc among the elite in Vienna?

The Emilie Adventures by Martha Wells
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: eBook, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two novel-length steampunk adventures from the author of the wildly successful Murderbot Diaries.

Together in one volume for the first time:

Emilie and the Hollow World
Running away from home and stowing away on the wrong ship, Emilie embarks on a fantastic adventure.

Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use an experimental engine to journey to the interior of the planet, but when the ship becomes damaged on arrival and evidence points to sabotage, they encounter the treacherous Lord Ivers, along with a strange new race.

Can Emilie and her new-found friends possibly reach the surface world again?

Emilie and the Sky-World
When Emilie arrives in Silk Harbor, Professor Abindon, an old colleague of her friend Lady Marlende, warns them of something strange and potentially deadly in the sky, a disruption in an upper air aether current. On further investigation they realize it’s a ship from another aetheric plane.

How to determine if it’s a friendly explorer, or something far more sinister? Nothing less than a journey into the dangerous air currents will do.

Join Emilie and she navigates the strange landscapes of the upper air, and the deadly menace that inhabits the Sky World."

If anyone can bring back Steampunk literature it's Martha Wells!

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 832 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Carl and Princess Donut journey into insanity in the wildly entertaining sixth book in the New York Times bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series - now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition!

Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, have survived longer and leveled up higher than anyone ever thought they could in the galaxy's most popular reality show, but after the shocking conclusion of the seventh level, it's now anyone's game.

A pantheon of forgotten gods. An old grudge between a talk show host, an heiress, and the man they shattered along the way. A rapidly deteriorating AI system. An inconvenient tiara upon the head of a friend.

It is bedlam on the eighth floor.

The crawlers are given a new task: Find and capture six monsters, each of which will be turned into a card. The stronger, the deadlier, the better. At the end of the floor, the bad guys will also have decks, made of some of the most powerful cards available. So it's crucial for crawlers to assemble the toughest squad possible. But, like always, there is a catch. There’s always a catch.

If Carl and Donut want a winning hand, they'll have to capture the most lethal and terrifying monster of them all: Shi Maria. She was once married to a now-missing god. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride.

But even if Carl and Donut can capture her, they know all too well that just because someone has been captured, it doesn't mean they have been tamed.

Welcome, Crawlers. Welcome to the eighth floor of the dungeon."

Oh, can your monster cards turn against you?

Dungeons and Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: Random House Worlds
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A party of adventurers must brave the horrors of Ravenloft in this official Dungeons and Dragons novel!

Five strangers armed with steel and magic awaken in a mist-shrouded land, with no memory of how they arrived: Rotrog, a prideful orcish wizard; Chivarion, a sardonic drow barbarian; Alishai, an embittered tiefling paladin; Kah, a skittish kenku cleric; and Fielle, a sunny human artificer.

After they barely survive a nightmarish welcome to the realm of Barovia, a carriage arrives bearing an invitation:

Fairest Friends,

I pray you accept my humble Hospitality and dine with me tonight at Castle Ravenloft. It is rare we receive Visitors, and I do so Endeavor to Make your Acquaintance. The Carriage shall bear you to the Castle safely, and I await your Arrival with Pleasure.

Your host,
Strahd von Zarovich

With no alternative, and determined to find their way home, the strangers accept the summons and travel to the forbidding manor of the mysterious count. But all is not well at Castle Ravenloft. To survive the twisted enigmas of Strahd and his haunted home, the adventurers must confront the dark secrets in their own hearts and find a way to shift from strangers to comrades - before the mists of Barovia claim them forever."

I am SO excited for Delilah S. Dawson to be writing D and D!

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Naomi Novik's Scholomance series meets Plain Bad Heroines in this sapphic dark academia fantasy by instant national and international bestselling author Emily Tesh, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.

"Look at you, eating magic like you're one of us."

Doctor Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood School and one of the most powerful magicians in England. Her days consist of meetings, teaching A-Level Invocation to four talented, chaotic sixth formers, more meetings, and securing the school's boundaries from demonic incursions.

Walden is good at her job - no, Walden is great at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It's her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. And it's possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from - is herself."

Oh, is the danger already in the house!?!

Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fantastic universes and personal dramas collide as a group of friends blur the line between real life and fiction with delightfully disastrous results from the acclaimed author of the "timeless and original" (The New York Times) The Body Scout.

Perennially single, socially awkward, and drowning in debt, Michael Lincoln finds his life has turned out nothing like the intergalactic lives of the pulp heroes of his youth. But these are pedestrian concerns - he has a higher calling, and that is to preserve for all posterity the greatest series in the history of the written word: The Star Rot Chronicles.

Written collectively by Michael's best (and perhaps only) friend Taras K. Castle and his misfit science fiction writing group, the Orb 4, the stories follow Captain Baldwin and his fearless crew on their mind-bending adventures across the Metallic Realms, from solar whales swallowing suns at the edge of spacetime to extraterrestrial romances and interstellar wars. These masterpieces have gone tragically unpublished - until now.

But the most urgent story Michael must tell takes place in the more intimate (if no less dramatic) confines of literary Brooklyn. Behind the greatest universe ever created, there are the all-too-mortal people who wrote it. As Michael chronicles the personal melodramas of the Orb 4 as well as the fun house reflections in their fiction, the line between real and unreal becomes dangerously thin, and the true reasons for the group's fallout begin to emerge. As he labors away in hiding, Michael has just one mission: to bring the Metallic Realms to the world. No matter the cost."

Ah yes, being the keeper of the flame, the one who wallows in nostalgia. I heavily relate.

You and Me on Repeat by Mary Shyne
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: May 13th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this debut rom-com graphic novel, two former friends are trapped in a time loop together, repeating their high school graduation day over and over and over - for fans of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Pumpkinheads, and Groundhog Day.

Chris O'Brien has a genius plan: If he can share the perfect first kiss with his crush, Andy, then of course he'll break free from the time loop that has him repeating graduation day over and over...and over.

Alicia Ochoa thinks Chris's plan is doomed. Valedictorian and a total nerd, she knows it'll take more than a kiss to escape the loop they're trapped in together. Besides, Chris may be a hopeless romantic, but Alicia doesn't think he has a real shot with Andy.

Once close friends, Alicia and Chris have history - lots of it. As they got older, the pair fell out after Chris ditched her for the "cool kids" and left her in the dust. But when you're looping side by side, you never know if friendship might rekindle or what new feelings could spark along the way."

I mean, obviously they need to repair their friendship, but the romantic in me knows that a kiss can totally break a time loop.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrey Kurkov, Anthony Horowitz, Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro, Christopher Moore, Delilah S. Dawson, Goldy Moldavsky, Martha Wells, Matt Dinniman, Maud Ventura, Nev March, Oliver Darkshire, Yukito Ayatsuji

The Flames by Sophie Haydock
Published by: The Overlook Press
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Set in the extravagant, Bohemian art world of early 20th century Vienna, the electrifying untold story of the four women who posed for and inspired the groundbreaking erotic art of controversial painter Egon Schiele.

Amid an opulent society living under the shadow of war are four muses, women whose bodies were shown in intimate detail, depicted by the charming yet controversial artist Egon Schiele. Adele, his passionate and fierce admirer; Gertrude, his sister who survived their blighted childhood but is possessive, single-minded, and jealous; his mistress Vally, a poor young woman from a bad background but with steel at her core; and the two, very different, Harms sisters, Edith and Adele, both of whom vie to become Schiele's wife.

Over the course of little more than a decade, the four women risk everything - their reputations, their most precious relationships, and their sanity and souls - as they try to hold on to the man they adore. As World War I throws their lives off course forever, and the Spanish influenza pandemic ravages Europe, threatening everyone in its path, one question remains: Will any of them emerge unscathed from their relationship with this man? Sophie Haydock’s The Flames reimagines the intertwining lives of these women: four wild, blazing hearts longing to be known. In an elegant Bohemian city like 1900s Vienna, everything seems possible. But just as a flame has the power to mesmerize, it can also destroy."

Oh, the college undergraduate who majored in art and loved her art history classes is loving this!

The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loesch
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A haunting, epic novel about betrayal, revenge, and redemption that follows three generations of Russian women, from the 1917 revolution to the last days of the Soviet Union, and the enduring love story at the center.

In a faraway kingdom, in a long-ago land...

...a young girl lived happily in Moscow with her family: a sister, a father, and an eccentric mother who liked to tell fairy tales and collect porcelain dolls.

One summer night, everything changed, and all that remained of that family were the girl and her mother.

Now, a decade later and studying at Oxford University, Rosie has an English name, a loving fiancé, and a promising future, but all she wants is to understand - and bury - the past. After her mother dies, Rosie returns to Russia, armed with little more than her mother's strange folklore - and a single key.

What she uncovers is a devastating family history that spans the 1917 Revolution, the siege of Leningrad, Stalin's purges, and beyond.

At the heart of this saga stands a young noblewoman, Tonya, as pretty as a porcelain doll, whose actions - and love for an idealistic man - will set off a sweeping story that reverberates across the century...."

Oh I love sweeping generational tales and nowhere are they better set than in Russia.

Daughter Dalloway by Emily France
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 350 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perfect for fans of Marie Benedict and Renee Rosen, Daughter Dalloway is both an homage to the Virginia Woolf classic and a brilliant spin-off - the empowering, rebellious coming-of-age story of Mrs. Dalloway's only child, Elizabeth.

London, 1952: Forty-six-year-old Elizabeth Dalloway feels she has failed at most everything in life, especially living up to her mother, the elegant Mrs. Dalloway, an ideal socialite and model of perfection until she disappeared in the summer of 1923 - and hasn't been heard from since.

When Elizabeth is handed a medal with a mysterious inscription from her mother to a soldier named Septimus Warren Smith, she's certain it contains a clue from the past. As she sets out, determined to deliver the medal to its rightful owner, Elizabeth begins to piece together memories of that fateful summer.

London, 1923: At seventeen, Elizabeth carouses with the Prince of Wales and sons of American iron barons and decides to join the Bright Young People - a group of bohemians whose antics often land in the tabloids. She is a girl who rebels against the staid social rules of the time, a girl determined to do it all differently than her mother. A girl who doesn't yet feel like a failure.

That summer, Octavia Smith braves the journey from the countryside to London, determined to track down her older brother Septimus who returned from the war but never came home. She falls in with a group of clever city boys who have learned to survive on the streets. When one starts to steal her heart, she must discover whether he is a friend or foe - and whether she can make it in the city on her own.

Elizabeth and Octavia are destined to cross paths, and when they do, the truths they unearth will shatter their understanding of the people they love most."

The hook here is Mrs. Dalloway disappeared!

Once Upon a Tome by Oliver Darkshire
Published by: W. W. Norton and Company
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to Sotheran's, one of the oldest bookshops in the world, with its weird and wonderful clientele, suspicious cupboards, unlabeled keys, poisoned books, and some things that aren’t even books, presided over by one deeply eccentric apprentice.

Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd (est. 1761) to apply for a job. Allured by the smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap, Darkshire was soon unteetering stacks of first editions and placating the store’s resident ghost (the late Mr. Sotheran, hit by a tram).

A novice in this ancient, potentially haunted establishment, Darkshire describes Sotheran's brushes with history (Dickens, the Titanic), its joyous disorganization, and the unspoken rules of its gleefully old-fashioned staff, whose mere glance may cause the computer to burst into flames. As Darkshire gains confidence and experience, he shares trivia about ancient editions and explores the strange space that books occupy in our lives - where old books often have strong sentimental value, but rarely a commercial one.

By turns unhinged and earnest, Once Upon a Tome is the colorful story of life in one of the world's oldest bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment."

Hard to believe it isn't fiction.

All the Queen's Spies by Oliver Clements
Published by: Atria/Leopoldo and Co
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The "lively" (The New York Times) Agents of the Crown series continues with this thriller about Queen Elizabeth I's advisor John Dee in a race to save the Empire with the help of a mysterious manuscript that offers global power.

With rumors of the end times swirling, philosopher and astronomer John Dee travels to Prague in an effort to prevent one of Catherine de Medici's seductive ladies-in-waiting from luring the Holy Roman Emperor into a crusade against England.

To convince the famously occult-loving Emperor to join his side, Dee entices him with the esoteric Book of Secrets, a volume that, if decoded, could provide the chance to control the levers of heaven and earth. But Dee faces enemies at every turn, including a female codebreaker who could be the undoing of Dee and the British Empire."

Did someone say John Dee!?!

Death on Deck by Verity Bright
Published by: Bookouture
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Kindle, 332 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When Lady Swift embarks upon her first luxury cruise she imagines a gilded ballroom, afternoons on deck taking tea and all the delectable food she can eat. But she can't seem to escape from murder...

Lady Eleanor Swift is all set to spend her birthday with her beau, dashing Detective Hugh Seldon, until he calls to cancel on her again at the last minute. What's a girl to do? Pack up her staff and her faithful old bulldog, Gladstone, and head off on a cruise to New York, that's what!

On the stunningly opulent ocean liner Celestiana, Eleanor tries to forget her worries and make the most of her trip. That is, until she sees a man being shot and falling overboard. On closer inspection of the scene, Eleanor literally stumbles over the likely murder weapon. And the nick in the barrel is unmistakeable: this gun belongs to Detective Seldon...

With some discreet digging, Clifford discovers Detective Seldon is aboard the ship on an undercover mission. Eleanor doesn't want to make waves but she's sure that something fishy is going on and he's being framed. To get Seldon off the hook, Eleanor casts her net wide and searches for the real murderer among a sea of suspects including European nobility, Italian opera stars and American nouveau riche. But does the victim's expensive gold ring point to a lavish lifestyle or is it a red herring?

When another passenger is found dead in his first-class cabin, a poisoned whisky glass clutched in his hand, Eleanor realises they are really in hot water. Will the killer be Eleanor's catch of the day, or will she spend her birthday at the bottom of the sea?

A totally charming, unputdownable Golden Age mystery with characters readers will adore. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss."

I adore the locked-room trope of sea voyages!

Death and Croissants by Ian Moore
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Richard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B and B in the fictional Val de Follet in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to Richard, and really that's the way he likes it.

One day, however, one of his older guests disappears, leaving behind a bloody handprint on the wallpaper. Another guest, the exotic Valérie, persuades a reluctant Richard to join her in investigating the disappearance.

Richard remains a dazed passenger in the case until things become really serious and someone murders Ava Gardner, one of his beloved hens... and you don't mess with a fellow's hens!

Death and Croissants is an unputdownable, hilarious mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club."

Anyone who names a chicken Ava Gardner is someone I need to know more about.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.

Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady - ah, lady of a certain age - who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco's Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to.

Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing - a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn't know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of...swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer.

What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?"

Because sometimes you need a lighthearted mystery that takes place in San Francisco and you've read The Spellman Files a million times already.

So Shall You Reap  by Donna Leon
Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the thirty-second installment of Donna Leon's bestselling series, a connection to Guido Brunetti's own youthful past helps solve a mysterious murder. On a cold November evening, Guido Brunetti and Paola are up late when a call from his colleague Ispettore Vianello arrives, alerting the Commissario that a hand has been seen in one of Venice's canals. The body is soon found, and Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder of an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant. Because no official record of the man's presence in Venice exists, Brunetti is forced to use the city's far richer sources of information: gossip and the memories of people who knew the victim.

Curiously, he had been living in a small house on the grounds of a palazzo owned by a university professor, in which Brunetti discovers books revealing the victim's interest in Buddhism, the revolutionary Tamil Tigers, and the last crop of Italian political terrorists, active in the 1980s.

As the investigation expands, Brunetti, Vianello, Commissario Griffoni, and Signora Elettra each assemble pieces of a puzzle - random information about real estate and land use, books, university friendships - that appear to have little in common, until Brunetti stumbles over something that transports him back to his own student days, causing him to reflect on lost ideals and the errors of youth, on Italian politics and history, and on the accidents that sometimes lead to revelation."

Because my mom loved this series...

The Lonesome Hunters by Tyler Crook
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 120 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Russ Manning award-winning and Eisner-nominated Harrow County co-creator Tyler Crook comes this supernatural fantasy about loss, power, and destiny.

An old and out-of-practice monster hunter in hiding crosses paths with a young girl that forces him to confront these chaotic creatures. As the beasts invade their tenement they set off on a supernatural road trip to stop these ancient evils in a story that explores the ways that youth informs adulthood and how early traumas can haunt us of in old age.

Collects The Lonesome Hunters #1–#4."

Tyler Crook is a genius.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot Deck and Guidebook by Gilly and Karl James Mountford
Published by: Insight Editions
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
Format: Cards, 76 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Follow the wisdom of Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike, and others with this beautifully illustrated tarot deck inspired by the beloved series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In every generation, there is a chosen one - explore your destiny like Buffy the Vampire Slayer with this magical and bold take on the traditional 78-card tarot deck. This set features the heroes you love, casting Buffy, Willow, Angel, Spike, Xander, Giles, and more in gorgeous original illustrations based on classic tarot iconography. Featuring both major and minor arcana, the set also includes a helpful guidebook explaining each card's meaning and simple instructions for easy readings. Packaged in a sturdy, decorative gift box, this alluring tarot deck is the perfect gift for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan or tarot enthusiast.

ORIGINAL ART: Each of the 78 cards in this deck and the booklet features never-before-seen original Buffy the Vampire Slayer-themed art.

GUIDEBOOK INCLUDED: This unique deck includes a guidebook to help tarot practitioners of all skill levels do fun and informed readings.

BEAUTIFUL GIFT: The tarot deck and guidebook are packaged in a deluxe gift box perfect for gift-giving.

OFFICIAL LICENSED BUFFY DECK: This is the only official licensed Buffy the Vampire Slayer deck and guide.

25TH ANNIVERSARY: This deck is the perfect way to celebrate 25 years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

As Deanna Raybourn recently asked, "Can one have too many tarot decks?" The answer is no when there's a Buffy one coming out!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Donna Leon, Egon Schiele, Emily France, Ian Moore, Jesse Q. Sutanto, Kristen Loesch, Mrs. Dalloway, Oliver Clements, Oliver Darkshire, Russia, Sophie Haydock, Tyler Crook, Verity Bright