Searching for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing the week of April 26 – May 2, 2026 with three debut series. I hope a few of these books take you on a reading adventure!

APRIL 26
Murder and Madeleines by Kat Bellemore (Cozy Mystery)
A year ago, the Darby sisters would never have believed they’d be traveling to Thailand, let alone eating madeleines and hiking to waterfalls while soliciting business advice from the owner of a local bakery. It was everything they could have hoped for. But when Jo and Dottie visit an elephant sanctuary and an unexpected monsoon leaves them stranded, their vacation quickly turns from relaxing to deadly. Jo doesn’t mind being stuck with elephants in a tropical paradise—it’s the staff member who turns up dead that leaves her unsettled. Especially when all evidence points to foul play. Format: Digital, Print

APRIL 28
Clawed and Dangerous by Rita Mae Brown (Cozy Mystery)
The leaves have fallen in Crozet, Virginia, and with a sudden downpour of cold rain, autumn gloom has settled. But Harry and her best friend, Susan, are determined to cheer up the town, and with the help of a kind local doctor, they just might succeed. Not only is Dr. Anglin kind and generous, he’s also the owner of multiple properties, and he agrees to let Harry and Susan use one of his homes to throw a spooky Halloween bash. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Confessions of an Amateur Sleuth by Lynn Cahoon (Cozy Mystery)
Twenty-something bookseller and sleuth Meg Gates has a confession: solving crimes may be easier than writing. She’s been working on a guide to becoming a detective—but she’s her own worst critic. She needs a how-to in order to write her how-to! At the Bainbridge Island writers’ group, she meets freelance food critic Lee Anderson, who invites her to join him for dinner at the Local Crab so he won’t be suspected of reviewing the place. Lee is a bit of a crab himself and intends to do a hatchet job on the eatery. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

In The Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge (Historical Mystery 1950s)
Tabitha has enjoyed an entertaining afternoon in Julia’s kitchen, but her return home is a bit jarring. As she arrives at her grandfather’s rue de l’Universitémansion, a woman bursts out the door babbling about messages from spirits and a warning Grand-père must heed. Oncle Rafe angrily sends the woman on her way, and neither man will answer Tabitha’s questions. It’s not the last she sees of the mysterious visitor. While she’s on a date that evening, she’s accosted by her again—and learns that Madame Vierca is a medium who claims to have visions of a dark fate that awaits Grand-père and Oncle Rafe. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Some Like It Fudgy by Nancy Coco (Cozy Mystery)
As a gesture of goodwill, Allie is bringing a tray of assorted fudge to her new husband’s ex-wife, Melonie. But she finds Melonie’s body on the floor of her photography studio—where a remote-controlled camera keeps snapping picture after picture. In one, she’s alive, and in the next, she’s dead. While Rowan Giles, another visitor to the shop, chatters nervously—and incessantly—Allie dials the police, though she encourages her husband to leave the case to another officer. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

A Poisonous Pour by Maddie Day (Cozy Mystery)
It’s Memorial Day weekend and Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley is buzzing with activity. For Cece, business at Vino y Vida is going great, as is her romance with new beau, Benjamin. Meanwhile, Cece’s neighbor, Richard Flora, is stirring up controversy with his newest article, an exposé of Regan Greene, power-hungry director of a valley district organization. Also in the mix is the town’s big classic car show, paired with wine tastings . . . Format: Digital, Print, Audio

A Murder Most Camp by Nicolas DiDomizio
Mikey Hartford IV has coasted through his twenties in a distracted blur of yachts and sex and partying. But when his father discovers his latest million-dollar impulse buy and changes the terms of his trust, the party’s finally over. Now, unless Mikey can make a positive contribution to the world before his thirtieth birthday—one that doesn’t involve throwing cash at his problems—he’ll never see another yacht again. (Or even so much as a canoe.) Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Crafting a Knockoff by Barbara Emodi (Cozy Mystery)
Valerie Rankin, manager of the Gasper’s Cove Crafter’s Co-op, is ready for a successful Spring Craft Show, until the lights go out, she falls down the stairs, and a pushy entrepreneur won’t leave her alone. Murray Nunn claims he’s there to help local businesses grow, but when Valerie rejects his export scheme, he drops dead at her feet, on camera. With suspects ranging from local artisans to international opportunists, and her boyfriend’s nephew in the mix, Valerie must unravel secrets, schemes, and strained romances to uncover the truth. Format: Digital, Print

Murder in a Lavender Daze by Daryl Wood Gerber (Cozy Mystery)
With its soothing décor and tempting treatments, customers are flocking to Aroma Wellness for more than just facials and massages. Lately, Emma has been booking private events, from spa parties to bridal showers and birthdays. Next on her calendar is something really unique: A “Happily Divorced” party. After eight years of marriage, Addison Lacey is divorcing her husband, whom she claims convinced her he was Mr. Nice Guy when he was really Mr. Controlling Guy. Format: Digital, Print

Death by Chocolate Ladyfingers by Sarah Graves (Cozy Mystery)
As the sun sets on summer in Eastport, local celebrations are in full swing—and Jake and Ellie have their hands full supplying the most decadent of desserts for Eastport High School’s Class of ’97 reunion. Unexpectedly, the gathering includes ex-spouses, Cindy Munson and Terry Lawson, seemingly reunited as a family with their precocious 6-year-old daughter, Ivy. But when Cindy’s body is discovered murdered in Lawson’s car that night, suspicion immediately falls upon the tech-financier, who was once also Eastport High’s most notorious school bully. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

The Lone Island Mystery by Emylia Hall (Private Investigator Mystery)
Lone Island is a remote and windswept spot, but for nature reserve warden Pippa Grant it’s always been a haven. Until a body washes ashore—and she’s the one to find it. The police believe the deceased, Axel Marks, accidentally fell from the cliffs near Porthmerrin House, the grand estate on the mainland where Axel’s mother once served as housekeeper to the Grey family. But Pippa is adamant that there’s more to Axel’s death, and begs Ally and Jayden, the Shell House Detectives, to take the case. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper (Legal Thriller)
Los Angeles, right now. America with its back up against the wall. This Frankenstein’s monster of crimes and lurid dreams sewn together into something like a city. A city ready to explode: A Hollywood pedophile is arrested, and is ready to tear down the city to get his freedom. A young woman goes missing—and men in black rubber gloves who look like cops clean out her apartment in the middle of the night. And the serial killer known as the LA Ripper is on the loose, leaving tragic/graphic/brutal crime scenes in his wake. Three people trying to keep their heads above the dirty water will find themselves coming together to unite these strands into one enormous, unspeakable crime … Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Gimme Shelter by Libby Klein (Women’s Fiction / Traditional Mystery)
As the song says, you can’t always get what you want. Maybe that’s why, instead of fulfilling her youthful dream of being a rock star, Layla Virtue is living in a trailer park while playing third-rate gigs, including a stint at a seventies ABBA brunch. Given everything else she’s been through lately, she’s not complaining (much) about satin ruffles and go-go boots. She has a squad of supportive new BFFs, and she’s reclaimed a relationship with her famous rocker dad. His recent diagnosis has brought them even closer—sharing the trailer park’s lake house, which he’s had remodeled in typically over-the-top style. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

A Gift in Time by Shaen Layle (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
It’s opening day of Sarah Morgan’s gifts and curiosities shop, Heavenly Presents. Not only are her family and friends there to support her new business, but a local television crew is on-site to interview her. Sarah decides her latest acquisition, an antique music box that supposedly belonged to Thomas Edison, is the perfect item to show off on television. They’ve only heard a few notes in the strange melody when an onlooker claims her great-grandmother used to play that same tune on the piano but was secretive about its origins. Format: Digital, Print

This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone by Catherine Mack (Humorous Mystery)
Eleanor Dash can never catch a break. Not only has she had to solve two real-life murder plots in the past year, but both times it was when she was meant to be on vacation. Now she’s finally got a ticket to a relaxing weekend—an all-inclusive resort at the Bahamas where she’s speaking at a conference for murder mystery writers—but she arrives to find a body on the floor of her hotel room. Because of course she does. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Murder Out Of Character by Olivia Matthews (Cozy Mystery) *re-release*
Marvey, still adjusting to life in Peach Coast, Georgia, is at a library fundraising event when she comes across a list of four names. One is the name of someone who recently died—and who may have been murdered. Another is Spencer Holt, the handsome newspaper owner who’s become one of Marvey’s best friends. Format: Digital, Print

How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin (Cozy Mystery)
1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she’s stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington–a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her. Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura’s new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

A Murder in Marylebone by Emily Sullivan (Historical Mystery 1890s)
The world is changing at the dawn of the 20th century, but respectable English families still dread a public scandal. So Minnie agrees to accompany her reckless sister, Delia, for a night on the town with her Bohemian friends. The evening involves a raucous house party, a visit to a fortune-teller, and an encounter with a flirtatious baron, but none of that unsettles Minnie more than running into Stephen Dorian, her former employer in Corfu, who stirs in her a mix of resentment and attraction. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

APRIL 29
The Afternoon Tea Murders by Helena Dixon (Historical Mystery 1940s)
Miss Jane Treen is at her desk in Whitehall sipping a strong coffee when she receives an urgent message about her colleague, codebreaker Arthur Cilento. He’s in danger in Devon, and Jane needs to get there sharpish. But before her bags are properly unpacked, the local teashop owner in Arthur’s village is found lying amidst the scones and teacakes… and she’s dead. When Jane arrives, it quickly becomes clear that the murder is a half-baked attempt to curdle Arthur’s current codebreaking mission – but how? Format: Digital, Print, Audio

What’s a Little Duelling Between Friends by Lynn Morrison (Historical Mystery 1860s)
Etty Redgrave will bend rules, reputations, and polite society itself to protect the innocent. This time, justice demands she stand beside the last man she ever wanted to defend. Her childhood nemesis is accused of killing a man on the duelling field, an illegal and dishonourable act shielded by aristocratic privilege. The evidence is damning. The scandal inevitable. Yet something about the death refuses to sit neatly in its box. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

APRIL 30
A Game of Luck by Sandra J. Cady (Traditional Detective Mystery) *first book in a new series*
The puzzling murder of a beloved teacher leaves Detroit homicide detective Sam Roma searching for answers. To her chagrin, not only does Sam have a murder to solve, she’s been assigned a new homicide investigator, Tom Green, who comes with his own set of problems and challenges. As Tom makes a series of rookie mistakes, Sam wonders if she’s up to mentoring a partner with personal struggles-one who she suspects is involved in departmental politics. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Death at the Regency Inn by Kitty Kildare (Historical Mystery 1920s)
The Regency Inn’s glittering charity soiree ends in shock when a charming antiquities dealer is found poisoned in a private room. The police quickly arrest Dorothea Finch as the prime suspect, claiming artistic humiliation turned murderous. Her brother Edgar pushes forward to take the blame, insisting she is innocent. None of it sits right with Veronica Vale. Format: Digital, Print

Diggin’ Up Bones by Cindy Kirk (Cozy Mystery)
When the town dog, Jory, leads Penelope Penrose to a long-forgotten corner of the local cemetery, the remains of a young man who vanished years ago are uncovered—and a story the town thought settled begins to unravel. Most people have always believed Nate Jeppersen simply left. Pen isn’t so sure. Format: Digital, Print

Chicory and Charms by Jen Pitts (Cozy Mystery)
Althea Fontenot is finally settling into life as a witch—until her daughter, Olivia, arrives in New Orleans, furious that her magical heritage was kept from her. Determined to embrace her newfound abilities, Olivia casts her first charm … only for it to be tied to a shocking crime. Now, another Fontenot witch is accused of murder, and Althea must uncover the truth before it’s too late. Format: Digital, Print

MAY 1
The Dead Room by Catriona McPherson (Psychological Thriller)
Reeling from the death of her husband, thirty-something audiobook narrator Lindsay Hale retreats to her Scottish hometown and the comforts of old times. The bungalow where she grew up is just as she left it, next to the scrapyard her family still owns. But something is wrong…something beyond grief. Something she can only glimpse from the corner of her eye. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Olive Groves & Alibis by L.G. Reed (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
In the charming wine country town of Paso Robles, Rose seeks a peaceful retirement but quickly discovers that small-town life can be anything but quiet. Rose finds herself entwined in a murder mystery that reveals secrets lurking beneath the idyllic surface. When her friend Natalie is framed for the murder at a gallery exhibit gone wrong, Rose knows she must step beyond polite society to exonerate her friend, uncover the truth, and catch a killer. Together with a pint-sized dog named Watson, Rose and her friends navigate a web of deceit, danger, and delicious wines as Rose learns that the olive trees she’s come to love hold more than just fruit—they hide villains. Format: Digital, Print

The Haunted Cottage by Dorothea Stiller (Cozy Mystery)
Retired schoolteacher Elizabeth Bilbrough insists her house is haunted. But no one believes the elderly woman. Instead, they think she’s losing her mind and urge her to move into a care home. In desperation, she turns to her friend, Rufus Whalley, who is only too eager to help. He passes on the strange events to June and Pomona. Format: Digital, Audio

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