Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of August 20 – 26, 2023 with four debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading!

AUGUST 22, 2023
Catch Me If You Candy by Ellie Alexander (Cozy)
Jules Capshaw and her team have been baking up autumn delights and trick-or-Torte bags filled with sugar cookie cutouts, spiced cider, and mummy munch. It’s the end of the season at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which means that the costumes for the parade are going to be out of this world. The elaborate guises even extend to pets. The grand marshal of this year’s parade is no other than a regal pug aptly named King George. Jules is delighted to get to share the experience with Carlos and Ramiro, but things take a dark turn when she discovers a dragon slumped in front of the bakeshop. Format: Print, Digital

Mugshots Of Manhattan by Christin Brecher (Cozy)
Liv Spyers hits the big time when she lands a photography assignment with Grammy Award-winning pop star, the one and only Bisa. A huge fan, Liv is extra thrilled that her new boyfriend, Harry, will escort her to the glamorous premiere of Bisa’s debut movie. But when Bisa’s estranged sister, Courtney, threatens to turn the photo-op into a PR disaster, Liv goes after her—only to turn to camera lens on herself when Courtney winds up dead. With all eyes on Liv, her star-studded career is suddenly on the verge of being cancelled . . .Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Board to Death by C.J. Connor (Cozy) *first book in new series*
Back in his hometown of Sugar House, running his family’s board game shop and café, Ben Rosencrantz just can’t seem to get his life to pass go, much less collect $200. Once he was a happily married English professor in Seattle. Now he’s a divorced caregiver, looking after his ill father and a Chihuahua named Beans while still figuring out the rules of retail management. At least the town has become more LGBTQ+ friendly than when Ben was a teenager—and that flower shop owner, Ezra McCaslin, enjoys flirting with him. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Nine Lives and Alibis by Cate Conte (Cozy)
It’s October in Daybreak Harbor, which means everything Halloween. The town is going all out for the holiday, hoping to one-up the festivities in neighboring Salem, Massachusetts, and Maddie James is delighted to be part of the planning for the annual happenings. Format: Print, Digital

Murder at a Cape Bookstore by Maddie Day (Cozy)
Everyone loves a festival, though Mac has a few concerns about the Spring equinox event organized by the new Chamber of Commerce director, Wagner Lavoie. After all, March weather is unpredictable. Still, there’s plenty to enjoy, between flower-shaped candies at Salty Taffy’s, spring rolls at the Rusty Anchor, and a parade of decorated bicycles. But the festivities soon take a stormy turn . . .Format: Print, Digital

Come with Me by Erin Flanagan (Psychological Suspense)
Gwen Maner is a widowed single mom, returning to her Ohio hometown with her daughter. And thanks to former acquaintance Nicola Kimmel, this is the start of Gwen’s new and promising life. Nicola’s secured Gwen a lucrative job, rented Gwen a house on her same street, and won the heart of Gwen’s daughter, but she almost seems too good to be true. She’s so selfless. So charismatic. And so take-charge. Gwen is sure Nicola is yearning only for someone to get close to. After all, according to Nicola, her marriage is falling apart, and her best friend just up and left one day. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Death of a Halloween Party Monster by Lee Hollis (Cozy)
Everyone attending Island Times Food and Cocktail columnist Hayley Powell’s Halloween bash is dressed as their favorite movie monster from the Bride of Frankenstein and Jaws to Chucky and Pennywise the clown. But when partygoers stumble upon Boris Candy’s bludgeoned costumed corpse, it falls to Hayley to discover who among her guests wanted to stop the man from clowning around permanently . . .Format: Digital

Wedding Bride & Doom by Mary Karnes (Cozy) *first book in new series*
California wedding planner, Kate Ludlow, moves back home to New England after her marriage implodes. In tow is her teen daughter Ellis, unhappy and nervous about the move. Suddenly, Kate’s responsible for turning her part-time wedding planner gig into a full-time business. Kate’s off to a good start, too, when she books the society wedding of the year. The prosperity of her business is dependent on the success of Marcy Simpson’s wedding. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Fadeaway Joe by Hugh Lessig (Thriller)
Sixty-four-year-old Joe has known violence his entire life. For forty years, he’s worked as an enforcer for loan shark and close friend Maxie Smith, breaking more than a few bones along the way. When Maxie abruptly fires him, Joe isn’t sure where to lay the blame—on Maxie, the man he once considered his brother, or on the early-onset Alzheimer’s that made Maxie lose faith in him in the first place. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder At The Elms by Alyssa Maxwell (Historical 1900s)
Back from their honeymoon in Italy, Emma and Derrick are adapting to married life as they return to their duties at their jointly owned newspaper, the Newport Messenger. The Elms, coal baron Edward Berwind’s newly completed Bellevue Avenue estate, is newsworthy for two reasons: A modern mansion for the new century, it is one of the first homes in America to be wired for electricity with no backup power system, generated by coal from Berwind’s own mines. And their servants—with a single exception—have all gone on strike to protest their working conditions. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Liar! by Fern Michaels (Traditional)
Luna Bodman always looks forward to a new shipment of furniture at the restoration shop. Her brother, Cullen, has a knack for finding discarded pieces with an intriguing history, and Luna likes to sit with each item to see if she can feel any kind of vibrations. Usually, Cullen does his thing while Luna does hers, but the arrival of an old armoire triggers a reaction in Luna that’s impossible to ignore. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carlene O’Connor; Liz Ireland; Carol J. Perry (Cozy)
From Galway, Ireland to Salem, Massachusetts, all the way up to the North Pole, a trio of Halloween mysteries from USA Today bestselling author Carlene O’Connor, Liz Ireland, and Carol J. Perry prove that the spookiest season knows no international borders–and neither do cupcakes! Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Dead Mountain by Preston and Child (Police Procedural)
In 2008, nine mountaineers failed to return from a winter backpacking trip in the New Mexico mountains. At their final campsite, searchers found a bizarre scene: something had appeared at the door of their tent so terrifying that it impelled them to slash their way out and flee barefoot to certain death in a blizzard. Despite a diligent search, only six bodies were found, two violently crushed and inexplicably missing their eyes. The case, given the code name “Dead Mountain” by the FBI, was never solved. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Scared Off by Barbara Ross (Cozy)
Three teenage girls having a sleepover on Halloween night get spooked when high schoolers crash the house for a party. But no one expected to find a crasher like Mrs. Zelisko, the elderly third floor tenant, dead in the backyard—dressed in a sheet like a ghost. With her niece traumatized, Julia Snowden must uncover who among the uninvited guests was responsible for devising such a murderous trick . . .Format: Digital

After The Night by Karen Slaughter (Thriller)
Fifteen years ago, Sara Linton’s life changed forever when a celebratory night out ended in a violent attack that tore her world apart. Since then, Sara has remade her life. A successful doctor, engaged to a man she loves, she has finally managed to leave the past behind her. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Body in the Back Garden by Mark Waddell (Cozy) *first book in new series*
Crescent Cove, a small hamlet on Vancouver Island, is the last place out-of-work investigative journalist Luke Tremblay ever wanted to see again. He used to spend summers here, until his family learned that he was gay and rejected him. Now, following his aunt’s sudden death, he’s inherited her entire estate, including her seaside cottage and the antiques shop she ran for forty years in Crescent Cove. Luke plans to sell everything and head back to Toronto as soon as he can…but Crescent Cove isn’t done with him just yet. Format: Print, Digital

A Beautiful Disguise by Roseanna M White (Historical 1901-1914) *first book in new series*
Sir Merritt Livingstone has spent a decade serving the monarch in the field, but when pneumonia lands him behind a desk in the War Office Intelligence Division just as they’re creating a new secret intelligence branch, he’s intent on showing his worth. He suspects an aristocrat of leaking information to Germany as tensions mount between the two countries, but he needs someone to help him prove it, so he turns to The Imposters, Ltd. No one knows who they are, but their results are beyond compare. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Mrs. Morris And The Wolfman by Traci Wilton (Cozy)
Saturday night at the movies has some added flair now that Darren and Elise Shultz are reopening one of Salem’s classic theaters. Charlene is delighted to help the couple with their venture, and Darren has lined up a cult classic double-header featuring Lon Chaney in The Wolfman. But things get hairier than expected when Elise starts to choke on her popcorn mid-movie—and once the lights go up, she’s dead . . . Format: Print, Digital (Aug 29)

AUGUST 25
Copycat by Amanda Feyerbend (Cozy)
Liz’s latest case is confounding from the start. Not a trace of evidence is found on the victim, who has been immaculately cleaned. The use of strange props and the lack of connection between the victim and the dumping ground have the department scratching its head. But, when Liz manages to wade her way through the sea of random clues, the truth of the killing leaves everyone in shock. Format: Digital

At The Ready by Sharon Michalove (Suspense)
Micki Press and JL Martin both have complicated lives, but when they come together, the sparks are undeniable. Micki is trying to make it to the top of one of the most conservative corporate law firms in Chicago. JL is the CEO of WatchDog Inc., a successful security company, and is struggling with his own family complications. When Micki’s former lover stalks her, JL steps in to protect her, and the two soon realize their feelings go beyond friendship. Format: Print, Digital, Audio