Searching for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing the week of April 5 – 11, 2026 with five debut series. I hope a few of these books take you on a reading adventure!
APRIL 6
Death on a Deck by CeeCee James (Cozy Mystery)
Real estate agent Stella O’Neil just wants to unload the infamous estate, but when a midnight game ends with the host clutching his chest and a fortune in play, the stakes turn lethal. With her crew, ex-cop Carlson, research savant Georgie, and eccentric Oscar (not to mention Peanut) Stella races to expose the killer before the next toast. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Fowl Deeds by Wanda McLaughlin (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
After catching her husband cheating with his bombshell secretary, Darby Alexander swears her life can’t get any messier. Until a dead man shows up in her front yard. Now, her quiet Arkansas neighborhood is crawling with cops—including the town’s new police chief whose good looks stir feelings she can’t ignore. When the victim turns out to be an ex-con—with her address tucked into his pocket—Darby realizes she’s not just unlucky in love… she might be next on a killer’s list. Format: Digital, Print
APRIL 7
Staged Evidence by Tracy Hunter Abramson (Political Thriller)
From the queen of clean romantic suspense—one terrified witness, one unsuspecting Broadway playwright, and a killer who won’t stop until the final curtain falls. When Tessa Seidel delivers costumes to a Manhattan television studio late at night, she expects an empty set—not a murder scene. After stumbling upon a woman’s body and nearly being attacked by a man fleeing the scene, Tessa escapes with no idea who to trust—and a fear that the killer knows who she is. Format: Digital, Print
Trouble’s Turn to Lose by Susan M. Boyer (Cozy Mystery)
Life on Sullivan’s Island is about as close to bliss as it gets—bike rides at sunrise, cases that don’t make headlines, and a romance with SLED agent Cash Reynolds that’s finally on solid ground. They have one ironclad rule: never work the same case. When a wealthy Charleston socialite turns up dead, Cash charges her housekeeper, Bridget Donovan, with murder. But the young single mother has a formidable ally in Carolyn Talbot, a local matriarch who implores Hadley to help. Hadley’s heart overrides her head, and her agreement with Cash is gone like confetti in a hurricane. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
A Disorganised Death by Simon Brett (Cozy Mystery)
Professional declutterer Ellen Curtis doesn’t do house clearances. So when Tamara Nicklin, owner of a local gastropub, asks Ellen to clear her late father’s house, she’s not interested . . . even when Tamara admits that the real reason she wants to hire Ellen is to find his missing will. Then Ellen discovers Tamara’s husband has plans for the house. Plans Tamara doesn’t know about. And it’s clear to Ellen that this is the right job for her, after all. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
A Cruise to Die For by Heather Graham (Romantic Thriller)
Special Agent Chloe McMurray has been asked to do many things in the name of her job. Going undercover on a cruise ship leaving from her home port of Miami, however, is a new one. Not only that, but she’s tasked with posing as the wife of her federal counterpart, Special Agent Wesley Law. Their investigation? A string of murders and suicides across three states that seem unrelated, until they uncover a deadly technological connection. Every victim was an expert in technology and had some connection to Milestones, a megacorporation with ties to many industries…including the cruise industry. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Spies of Hartlake Hall by R.L. Graham (Historical Mystery 1910s)
When a man’s body is found deep inside Room 40, a highly secretive organization within the Admiralty, intelligence agent Patrick Gallagher is brought in to investigate. The man has no identification and was discovered in a room locked from the inside with no other apparent exit. Moreover, found in his pocket is a highly confidential telegram which would be political dynamite if it were to fall into the wrong hands. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Everyone Is Perfect Here by Jane Haseldine
It’s been fifteen years since Carly Bennett’s mother was brutally murdered during a home robbery. Since then, she’s worked hard to build a normal life with a stellar career as an English professor―far away from the picture-perfect stepfamily that abandoned her at boarding school. When a male colleague is found dead in Carly’s office―her name scrawled next to his body―everything she’s strived for starts to fall apart. There are eerie similarities to her mother’s attack, and Carly determines to find the truth. Format: Digital, Print
Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst (Cozy Mystery)
It’s been an eventful transition, but retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen are finally settling into life on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Val’s even joined the neighborhood orchid society to make some new friends. So when she’s asked to step in to cater their latest social event, as the newbie of the group she can’t exactly say no. But what should have been a straightforward gig is soon a dining disaster when the food from the event poisons and kills the society president. Format: Digital, Print
Silks and Stones by Quinn Lawrence (Cozy Fantasy Mystery)
Hokuren’s steady life in Velles, tracking lost pets through the bustling city with her street-smart assistant Cinna, is upended when a magically sealed letter arrives to inform her of her estranged father’s death. Combined with her mother’s death soon after she was born, Hokuren has now lost both parents. She must return to the muddy provincial hometown she fled a decade ago and deal with the family business, tangled in smuggling. Format: Digital, Print
The Dead Can’t Make a Living by Ed Lin (Traditional Mystery)
Jing-nan, the owner of the most popular food stand in Taipei’s world-famous Shilin night market, is hauling trash after a successful evening of hawking Taiwanese delicacies to tourists when he finds a corpse propped up against the dumpsters. The dead man turns out to be Juan Ramos, a Philippine national who came to Taiwan for a job at a massive ZHD food processing plant. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey (Young Adult Thriller)
For as long as seventeen-year-old apothecary Rose Allgood can remember, the towering stone Wall surrounding Noah’s Valley has protected her people. No one leaves. No one fights. And no one questions why. But their paradise has been hiding its thorns. When Rose’s mother becomes the Valley’s first murder victim and her twin brother is swiftly condemned, she alone is searching for the real killer. Determined to find the truth, she follows a trail of hidden messages, forbidden knowledge, and whispers of a past no one dares to remember. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
A Slice Of Mystery by Sophie Maddon (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
When you’re lucky enough to land on a project in your hometown, nothing can ruin it—right? That is, until your boss disappears and you’re given her job, the police suspect you, and the cheesemonger runs out of your favourite Gouda. When socially-awkward IT consultant Abigail Palmer is sent to work on a local factory’s new computer systems, she’s looking forward to daily get-togethers with best friend Hannah and cozy nights with Jasper the cat—not being blackmailed by boss Lynn into investigating a threatening note. Format: Digital, Print
The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss (Young Adult Thriller)
Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set. Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show’s trickiest escape rooms. There’s Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master; and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister’s murder. Or so everyone believes. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Family Biz by Alan Orloff (Humorous Caper)
Ex-con Chance Winston has been out of prison and on the straight-and-narrow for one thousand days, now making ends meet driving for a ride-sharing company. So, when he picks up a fare who threatens to upend his entire life, he’s a bit skeptical. But a family member is in trouble—serious, kneecapping trouble—and he reluctantly gets sucked back into the family business. Can he and his band of grifters pull off one last job to save the day? Or is Chance the one being scammed? In a family of con artists, where honesty is but a passing fancy, it’s really hard to tell. Format: Digital, Print
Hot Shots : Celebrating Thirty Years of the Short Mystery Fiction Society edited by Josh Pachter (Short Story Crime Fiction Anthology)
To celebrate the Society’s pearl anniversary, this volume collects twenty-eight pearls, one Derringer-winning story from each year the awards have been presented. Included in these pages you’ll find fiction by such masters of the genre as Doug Allyn, Michael Bracken, Bill Crider, John Floyd, BV Lawson, Henry Slesar, Cathi Stoler, Art Taylor, Melissa Yi, and many more. Whether you like your crime fiction hardboiled or cozy, lighthearted or dark, you’re sure to find lots here to keep you riveted to your chair … and eagerly looking forward to the next crop of Derringer winners. Format: Digital, Print
The Summer House Murder by Ava Roberts (Domestic Thriller)
Sisters Esme, Piper, and Regina go on their annual visit to their remote summer house on Lake George expecting a tense vacation. Each has their own families to deal with plus their own secrets to hide. Esme, the oldest sister, is desperate to keep up appearances after discovering her husband’s infidelity with the one person who hurts her the most. Piper, the middle child, has a four-month-old baby boy and is too tired to keep playing peacekeeper to her siblings. Regina, the youngest, is a sarcastic rule breaker with a secret to hide that could cost her everything. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Pressed to the Nines by Misty Simon (Cozy Mystery)
There’s a wedding in the works at The Charmed Inn, and Roxy Gleason is the main star this time. The final countdown is on for the nuptials the entire Gleason family has been waiting for, and Roxy just wants to get all the way to saying “I do” at the altar with no missteps. Everything is set, everyone has their assignments, and this is going to go off without a single hitch. It has to. But Roxy isn’t counting on finding the owner of the florist shop dead when she shows up to get her order of a dozen bouquets. Format: Digital, Print
Agnes Sharp and the Wedding to Die For by Leonie Swann (Cozy Mystery)
Spring is in the air, and Sunset Hall is abuzz with anticipation of Bernadette’s upcoming wedding. But not everyone is feeling celebratory. Namely, her best friend, Agnes Sharp, who isn’t a fan of Bernadette’s plan to leave the house share and its residents behind. Nevertheless, Agnes and the not-so-sprightly gang of pensioners launch into wedding-planning mode after a spot opens at the high-class Foxglove Manor—in just two weeks. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
APRIL 8
Close Call by Isabella Bassett (Historical Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Lady Ursula has always eschewed the telephone. After all, a letter is a far more civilized way to communicate. And one simply knows that Gladys at the exchange is listening in on every call. But when murder shatters the tranquility of Thistle-Upon-Avon, and Gladys is the first to hear of the latest developments, Lady Ursula begins to reconsider her position. Format: Digital
A Hero’s Heart by Evelyn Timidaiski (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Seeking safety and comfort offered by her beloved Aunt Vonnie, Victoria Ansley flees to Seagrass Cove to escape a violent blackmailer. Moments after her arrival in the small tourist town, the no-nonsense town sheriff informs her Vonnie has gone missing. Almost immediately, random events suggest the building which houses her aunt’s home as well as her popular bakery might be key to Vonnie’s disappearance. While waiting for her aunt to be found, Victoria takes over the running of the business and starts learning the intricacies of pastry making. She and the sheriff begin a methodical search of the building—and discover dead bodies, a hidden speakeasy-casino, and a desiccated skeleton. Format: Digital, Print
APRIL 9
Stolen Family by Lisa Regan (Serial Thriller)
As a heatwave chokes the small town of Denton, Maxine and Haven Barnes are discovered dead at a local festival, blood-red camellias pressed into their once-clammy skin. Detective Josie Quinn races through the crowds to attend the scene, horrified that something so disturbing could happen at a family event. Maxine was known to the police for issues with her abusive husband, but the trail ends there. Format: Digital, Print
The Lies in the Lefse by George Robstad (Traditional Mystery)
Cash Kristiansen, newly back on the island to honor his late aunt, has settled into the comfort of early mornings and the steady rhythm of a bakery that’s beginning to feel like his own. For a moment, it seems as though the island might stay peaceful. But when a shocking discovery jeopardizes a friend’s business, Cash is compelled to get involved. Small things feel slightly off, old stories resurface in half-spoken hints, and Cash has the uneasy sense that meaning is hiding just beyond his grasp. A quiet anticipation threads through the town, as if the island itself knows a secret it isn’t ready to share. Format: Digital, Print
The Drowned Truth by Erica J Whelton (Ghost Suspense) *first book in a new series*
Beatrice Whitmore knows her husband’s secrets: his gambling debts, his mistress, his lies. When she threatens to expose him, he silences her forever. Hours later, the deadliest hurricane in American history erases all evidence of his crime. Doctoral student Julia Lynn moves into the historic Whitmore house, expecting to research the Great Storm. Instead, she encounters a ghost desperate to be heard, a woman with bruises on her throat and a story that refuses to stay buried. Format: Digital, Print
APRIL 10
A Very Irish Mystery by Verity Bright (Historical Cozy Mystery, 1920s)
Lady Eleanor Swift is visiting Dublin with her husband Hugh Seldon and butler Clifford to meet Samuel O’Sullivan, a man who may be able to tell her more about the mysterious disappearance of her parents two decades ago. Deciding they should explore the city a little more, they jump at the chance to visit the world-renowned Finnegan’s brewery. But their taste test of the famous black stout turns deadly when Eleanor spots a body in one of the barrels! The dead man is none other than the owner of the brewery, Fergal Finnegan himself. Sensing a scandal, the head of operations hires The Byron Detective Agency to investigate. Format: Digital, Print
The Games People by L.C. McConnell (Conspiracy Thriller)
In Maple Grove, secrets never stay buried—no matter how deep the mountains hide them. For generations, Emilia Hayes and her tight-knit group of friends have been the golden faces of their small Appalachian town. Perfect photos. Perfect lives. Perfect lies. But when an anonymous account called MapleTruth begins posting chilling messages—and a sinister game challenges them to confess their hidden sins—Emilia realizes someone knows far too much about the things they never talk about. Format: Digital, Print
The Fatal Flotilla at Sea Oats Beach by Karen C. Whalen (Cozy Mystery)
The dazzling lights of the Christmas Flotilla shimmer across Sea Oats Beach, transforming the December night into a twinkling wonderland. But for Breanna Hart, the brilliance dims when she discovers a gunshot fatality on an abandoned boat. The victim, known for his generosity in the animal welfare community, seems an unlikely target, making the suspicion cast upon one of Bree’s own neighbors all the more perplexing. Format: Digital, Print
APRIL 11
The Pharaoh’s Curse Murders by Melodie Campbell (Historical Mystery, 1920s)
The voyage should be a treat, as two rival teams of archeologists will give lectures while on route to their digs. Old-school Doctor Phineas King and his daughter, Isla, make up one team, while the other’s led by flamboyant, privately funded American adventurer Anton Margolis. Both teams seek to discover a prized tomb, despite local whispers of a curse that befalls upon all those who dare to disturb the pharaoh’s grave. Format: Digital, Print
Hazard of the Pursuit by Cara Devlin (Romantic Historical Mystery)
As an assistant in a busy London morgue, Leonora Spencer is accustomed to death. But she is astonished when a woman who has been declared dead and delivered to an undertaker is discovered to still be very much alive. Even more revolting is the scheme Leo and Detective Inspector Jasper Reid uncover: It appears the woman’s new husband planned her death for months—and she might not be the first wealthy spinster he married with an aim to kill. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Note: in some cases, print releases for digital titles will be forthcoming.