Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of September 22 – 28, 2024 with four debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading!

SEPTEMBER 24
High Style and Homicide by Kathleen Bridge (Cozy Mystery)
Never in her wildest dreams did interior decorator Meg Barrett think she’d get the chance to team up with the iconic Jessica Sterling. A do-it-yourself dynamo, Jessica’s Dahlia Lane Farms brand has swept the country, and Meg is thrilled to discover she’s just as charming and gracious in person as she is on TV. But tragedy strikes when her beloved brother is killed in a hit-and-run, and when the evidence points to foul play, Meg vows to help Jessica by investigating. Format: Print, Digital

Six Stunning Sirens by Lynn Cahoon (Cozy Mystery)
In a triumph for Mia’s catering business and cooking school, Mia’s Morsels is chosen to host a fall festival event in their Idaho mountain town—which means managing a bunch of stage moms and their social-media obsessed daughters as they get ready for the big beauty contest. There’s a lot riding on the results of the Harvest Moon Festival—it’s where the local coven leader is chosen for the following year. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard (Cozy Mystery)
The chill of a San Francisco summer can be deadly. No one knows this better than Capri Sanzio, who makes her living giving serial killer tours of the city. Capri has been interested in the topic since she was a kid, when she discovered she’s the granddaughter of serial killer William ‘Overkill Bill’ Sanzio. She’s always believed in his innocence, though she’s never taken the leap to fully dive into the case. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Grounds for Murder by Betty Ternier Daniels (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Jeannie is in trouble. After the loss of her husband, everyone around her is pressuring her to leave her precious farm, including an incredibly persistent realtor who won’t name her client. But when that realtor ends up dead, killed by mistake when she borrows Jeannie’s car, it becomes clear that her client won’t take no for an answer. Who wants Jeannie’s land so badly that they are willing to kill her for it? And why her farm when there are plenty around her for sale? To find the answer, Jeannie joins forces with off-duty cop Derek and finds refuge with the young back-to-the-land tenants who rent a section of her farm. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Essentials of Murder by Kim Davis (Cozy Mystery) *re-release*
After a scandalous arrest in San Francisco, Carissa Carmichael has moved back to her small Southern California hometown to start over as she opens her Aromatherapy Apothecary shop and reflexology services. A tourist destination, Oak Creek Valley, seems the perfect place to put the past behind her, but it seems no one will let her forget. When she finds the man who threatened to drive her out of business murdered in her shop, Carissa becomes the primary suspect, especially when her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon. Despite her father’s position as Oak Creek Valley’s chief of police, most townspeople assume she’s guilty. Format: Print, Digital

A Slay Ride Together With You by Vicki Delany (Cozy Mystery)
Rudolph, New York, shop owner Merry Wilkinson’s best friend Vicky Casey is newly engaged to Chef Mark Grosse and is moving into the historic Cole House–a home surrounded by drama, intrigue, and a possible haunting that is in desperate need of renovation. The wedding is just three weeks away, but all is not bliss for the newly engaged couple as estranged relatives of the late owner fight over her will. Then, late one night, Vicky and Merry come across a dead body in the garden of Cole House–and Mark is the one standing over the corpse. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder In An Italian Café by Michael Falco (Cozy Mystery)
Though she still misses her late husband, Carlo, Bria couldn’t be happier that their dream bed and breakfast, Bella Bella, is humming along nicely. Of course, even on the stunning Amalfi Coast, things seldom run smoothly. Like Bria’s mother and mother-in-law dueling over a suitable communion site for Bria’s eight-year-old son Marco. Bria’s also juggling the demands of the famous Chef Lugo, his producer, Massimo, and Pippa, a member of the production crew who is staying at Bella Bella for a nice, long-term stay . . .Format: Print, Digital, Audio

A Killer Clue by Victoria Gilbert (Cozy Mystery)
When Eloise Anderson, the owner of an antiquarian bookshop, arrives at the grand Aircroft estate to ask retired librarian Jane Hunter and eccentric collector Cameron Clewe for help, Jane and Cam expect a bookish inquiry. But the bookseller has a different sort of assistance in mind—clearing her mother’s name of a murder Eloise is convinced she didn’t commit. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Legacy of Blood by Heather Graham (Traditional Mystery)
When Special Agent Jeannette LaFarge is called in to investigate a vineyard in the Reims region of France, the last thing she expects to find is multiple bodies with every vein bled dry. It’s yet another case tailor-made for Blackbird. Joining her is recent recruit Detective Daniel Murray, eager to use his newfound abilities to track down whoever is terrorizing Paris and its surrounding areas. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder at a Scottish Christmas by Traci Hall (Cozy Mystery)
All Paislee wants for Christmas is for her new home to be finished, but it looks like she’ll have to wait for New Year’s Day. Whether the paint on the walls has dried or not, she’ll host a feast for her twelve-year-old son Brody, Grandpa, their black Scottish terrier Wallace, and friends—including police station receptionist Amelia Henry and her brother McCormac, whose black locks can fulfill the Scottish first-footer tradition that a tall, dark-haired man should be the first person to enter your home on New Year’s to bring good luck. Format: Print, Digital

Death of a Gingerbread Man by Lee Hollis (Cozy Mystery)
With the holiday season in full swing, food and cocktails columnist and restauranteur Hayley Powell has lots to check off her last-minute to-do list. Not included is the sudden arrival of her father, who hasn’t been in the picture since she believed in Santa Claus. Dwight Jordan’s presence in Bar Harbor might just be the unwanted gift that keeps on giving—especially after he becomes the top suspect in a case of yuletide murder . . .Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Shear Terror by Dorothy Howell (Cozy Mystery)
Abbey’s life in Hideaway Grove is comfortable, and she’s grateful for her small sewing studio in the back room of her aunt’s bakery, but she’s feeling stuck. Her plan to expand her custom tote bag business by selling to a chain of gift shops has hit a snag. Making enough totes to distribute to all the stores requires large-scale production—which requires money Abbey doesn’t have. To make ends meet, she takes a part-time job at the town’s bustling Visitor Center . . .Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Cold Light Of Day by Anna Lee Huber (Historical Mystery 1920s)
The streets of Dublin seethe with revolution as the Irish Republican Army clashes with British authorities. Roving assassination squads mean nowhere is truly safe, particularly for Verity Kent and her war hero husband, Sidney. Given their celebrity as society darlings and intrepid sleuths, they must tread carefully to go unnoticed—nearly impossible when they are called upon to search for Verity’s fellow spy and friend . . .Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s by Liz Ireland (Cozy Mystery)
April Claus is looking forward to relaxing with her hubby, Nick (aka THE Santa Claus), in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. But just after Santa departs for his deliveries, an elf pulls into Santaland with three people he found lost in the frozen wilderness. The survivors of a scientific expedition are injured, but their presence endangers the future of Santaland. So, while the strangers recuperate at the infirmary, April convinces Christmastown to pull off its grandest, most impossible, most magical feat yet . . . pretend to be normal! Format: Print, Digital

Silent Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein (Cozy Mystery)
Ever since Thanksgiving, when an engagement ring in a velvet box—and no gift tag—was left behind, Poppy and her pals have been left with an unsolved mystery. But at least this mystery isn’t the kind that involves murder. That all changes when the body of a fish supplier is discovered in the kitchen of her ex’s restaurant—and he’s frozen, not fresh. Format: Print, Digital

Caught on Camera by Kara Lacey (Cozy Mystery)
It’s been more than a year since the sudden death of her husband, and photographer Bobbie Brooks wants nothing more than to escape her grief. Fleeing her life in the city, she seeks a fresh start in the serenity of the Green Mountains. But Bobbie’s new beginning comes to a halt when she finds a member of her camera club dead beneath the village’s idyllic covered bridge. Tragic accident or something sinister? With a keen photographer’s eye, Bobbie suspects murder. Format: Digital (Print to follow)

Bell, Book and Corpses by T.C. LoTempio (Cozy Mystery)
Waincroft Manor has long been tied to rumors of witchcraft and fatal curses, and to Nora Charles, that makes it the perfect place for a Halloween fundraiser. But her first trip to the deserted old mansion turns out to be truly ghoulish when she discovers a dead body. What’s more, the corpse is laid out in a coffin—with two bite marks on its neck. Then the autopsy comes back showing that the body was drained of blood, and there’s no stopping the local gossip from whispering the word vampire to anyone who will listen. Format: Print, Digital

First Week Free at the Roomy Toilet by Josh Pachter (Middle Grade/Young Adult) *first book in a new series*
When June Knight, fourteen years old and the TV spokeskid for Yummy Nibbles, “the dog food dogs love more than people love people food,” decides that she wants to break into the movies, her agent Morty comes up with a scheme to get her some national publicity: June pretends to sue her parents for emancipation and moves into the attic of a nearby boarding house, where neighborhood vandals have altered the “ROOM TO LET” sign out front to read “ROOMY TOILET.” Format: Digital (Print to follow)

Murder At King’s Crossing by Andrea Penrose (Historical Mystery)
Celebration is in the air at Wrexford and Charlotte’s country estate as they host the nuptials of their friends, Christopher Sheffield and Lady Cordelia Mansfield. But on the afternoon of the wedding, the festivities are interrupted when the local authorities arrive with news that a murdered man has been discovered at the bridge over King’s Crossing, his only identification an invitation to the wedding. Lady Cordelia is horrified when the victim is identified as Jasper Milton, her childhood friend and a brilliant engineer who is rumored to have discovered a revolutionary technological innovation in bridge design. That he had the invitation meant for her cousin Oliver, who never showed up for the wedding, stirs a number of unsettling questions. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder in Berkeley Square by Vanessa Riley (Historical Mystery)
A marriage of convenience saved Lady Abigail Worthing’s family from disgrace, but she’s finding her absent husband’s endless conditions increasingly repressive. Unable to stay at their London home during the oncoming winter, she accepts a ride to the country from her neighbor, Stapleton Henderson. However, she’s less than delighted that she’s his excuse to avoid a dinner held by Lord Charles Duncan, one of London’s most powerful—and relentless—magistrates. More irritating, women are decidedly unwelcome at the evening’s prestigious discussion of criminality—even though Abigail and Stapleton have solved several cases together . . . Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Glass Bottom Hoax by Diane Vallere (Cozy Mystery)
Madison Night has a reputation for excellence in mid-century modern decorating, but when a covert opportunity to expose a crime ring on a cruise ship comes her way, she goes undercover. The job will test her acting skills as much as her investigative prowess: she’s booked as a Doris Day impersonator and police captain Tex Allen is posing as her manager husband. But roleplay and reality blur when the body of the entertainment director is found on the lido deck sometime between shuffleboard and sunset. Format: Print, Digital

Pretty Lentil Liars by Cathy Wiley (Cozy Mystery)
The quaint town of Holland, Washington, is all abuzz with excitement for its third annual lentil festival. Among the crowd is Jackie Norwood, a former celebrity chef turned food festival judge. Jackie’s palate is ready to be delighted by the town’s culinary offerings, but she quickly discovers that Holland’s lentil dishes come with a side of secrets and lies.

Make-Up for Murder by June Wright (Traditional Mystery)
As a schoolgirl Maisie Ryan was often bullied by her peers, but a decade later she’s a TV star, the glamorously renamed Rianne May. When she’s invited to be guest of honour at Maryhill College’s annual reunion, she has a chance to dazzle her old tormentors the way she does her adoring television audience. But as she’s holding court at the reunion tea party, old grudges and new jealousies swirl around her—and suddenly one of her tablemates drops dead, poisoned. Was Rianne the intended victim? She evidently thinks so—only that day she’d received a death threat. Rianne flees the scene and cannot be found. Format: Print, Digital

SEPTEMBER 25
The Kingdom of Hatch by J B Manning (Traditional Mystery)
Arlo Hatch, a young attorney in a white-shoe New York law firm, is facing an identity crisis: A lucrative partnership is dangling within grasp, and he’s fallen for a beautiful, New York-centric philanthropist, but he feels he’s wasting his life. He’s just shuffling money around from one corporation to another, and he’s sick of his own clients—a corrupt pharma company pushing risky boner pills, a media baron catering to the lunatic fringe, and a sketchy oligarch targeted by Russian agents after he absconded with $8 billion. Format: Print, Digital

SEPTEMBER 26
Murder on the Court by Barbara Barrett (Cozy Mystery)
No good deed goes unpunished, as television star Marla Dane learns the hard way. The recently fired TV detective, trying to figure out her next move at her sister’s Minnesota condo, reluctantly agrees to sub as Water Girl at a weekend pickleball match. Which makes her the first suspect of many when the team captain turns up dead. Format: Digital (Print to follow)

Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold by Denise Jaden (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Olivia Ocean’s dream job aboard the Moonlit Majesty turns into a nightmare when she witnesses an attempt to dispose of a helpless kitten at sea. Rescuing the kitty entails a chase, which leads her to discovering a dead body! Armed with her camera and newfound feline friend, Olivia must navigate the ship’s dark corners, pounce on the clues, assist the swoon-worthy security manager, and capture the killer before the ship reaches its final destination. Format: Digital

Panic in the Panhandle by J.C. Kenney (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
In the sleepy panhandle of Florida, Benjamin “Elmo” Simpson has carved out a comfortable niche as the go-to wild animal removal specialist. Life is sweet until a peculiar service request takes him to a local condo and an unexpected scene. Retired lawyer Fran Cohen is missing and in his apartment is a well-fed alligator that appears to have enjoyed a nice breakfast with…or rather, of…Fran. Format: Digital

Bad Boy by Winona Kent (Traditional Mystery)
Fresh from a 34-day, 18-city tour of England, professional musician and amateur sleuth Jason Davey accepts an invitation from a fan, Marcus Merritt, to meet at Level 72 of The Shard to sign one of his band’s programs. Marcus hands him the booklet, then leaps to his death from the open viewing platform. Thus begins a week-long quest, during which Jason is tasked with retrieving a stolen collection of scores by England’s most famous composer, Sir Edward Elgar. Format: Print, Digital

SEPTEMBER 28
Moo River by Mollie Cox Bryan (Cozy Mystery)
Fall is always busy in the village of Shenandoah Springs, Virginia, and this year is no exception. Brynn McAlister is juggling the grand opening of a new local business and preparations for the big Harvest Festival. But when expensive koi fish vanish from Sally’s Pond Plants & Supplies, and Brynn’s mischievous bull calf, along with a close friend, are accused of the crime, she vows to find the real thief—no matter what the local police say. And if that one officer happens to have just asked her to the police ball? Well, that only complicates things. Format: Digital

Note: in some cases, print releases for digital titles will be forthcoming.