Searching for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing the week of August 29 – September 5, 2026 with seven debut series. I hope a few of these books take you on a reading adventure!
AUGUST 30
Murder After Death by Melara Marlowe
Helen Marwood is dead. The problem is, she’s still here. Two months after her murder, guests gather at Wrydecombe House for a Christmas memorial weekend. Family, friends, old rivals, and people with far too much to hide. They have come to remember Helen. Helen has other plans. Format: Digital
AUGUST 31
The Filbert Steps by Lila Blake (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Vivian Salvatore came back to Telegraph Hill with a cat, a divorce settlement, and a book she cannot seem to write. At fifty-two, newly single and trying to rebuild her life, she has settled into the rhythms of San Francisco’s most beautiful staircase: coffee at the corner café, morning walks on the Filbert Steps, old neighbors on three corners, and the comforting illusion that everyone knows everyone. Format: Digital, Print
The Trouble With Tiles by Lyssa Lund (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Phoebe Lindstrom thought learning mahjong might be the perfect cure for an empty nest and too many quiet evenings. Instead, she finds herself completely hooked—on the beautiful tiles, the complicated rules, and especially the three women who quickly become much more than Tuesday-night game partners. Format: Digital, Print
Fireworks, Fog & Fatality by C.A. Phipps (Cozy Mystery)
The owners of a gorgeous lakeside property are on an extended cruise, leaving house-sitter Ellie Prescott and her toy poodle, Toffee, to care for the property. Ellie intends to make the most of their latest stay in Misty Pines before returning to Portland to face her pending divorce. But peace proves short-lived when the owners’ son disappears. At first, nobody seems especially worried. Ryan Sheldon has drifted through jobs, friendships, and responsibilities before. According to locals, disappearing for a while is simply what Ryan does. Format: Digital, Print
SEPTEMBER 1
Silent Strike by Traci Hunter Abramson (Political Thriller)
Captain Luke Steele knows the corridors of power can be as perilous as any battlefield. As a military aide to the president, he carries the nuclear codes and stands at the center of America’s most closely guarded secrets. But when whispers of betrayal swirl inside the White House, Luke is drawn into a web of political corruption and hidden agendas that threaten not just the presidency but the stability of the entire nation too. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
A Fall to Remember by Elle Alexander (Romance) *first book in a new series*
Miranda Brown never meant to become famous. She just wanted a quiet vacation—a rare break from running The Green Grocer, the cozy market that’s been the heart of Half Moon Bay, California, for three generations. But when her spectacularly terrible travel photos go viral, Miranda becomes an unlikely internet sensation. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Heiress of Northanger Abbey by Nancy Bilyeau (Historical Mystery 1820s)
Twenty-two years after the close of Northanger Abbey, Catherine Tilney seems to be living a happily ever after. But her busy life as a clergyman’s wife is shattered by a letter that resurrects her darkest fears. Her daughter Phoebe has fallen under the influence of the unscrupulous Thorpe family—the very figures who once nearly destroyed Catherine’s happiness. Format: Digital, Print
Hidden Currents by Claire Booth (Police Procedural)
When the new owner of a local fishing store is found murdered, Sheriff Hank Worth has plenty of suspects. The owner was in the middle of a highly acrimonious divorce, had fallen out with his stepson, and was being threatened by the abusive ex-boyfriend of one of his employees. Format: Digital, Print
Familiars and Foul Play by Beth Dolgner (Paranormal Cozy Mystery)
When Hazel Underwood and her coven of middle-aged witches stumble on a dead body in the woods, it sure looks like the work of dark magic. Unfortunately, the case falls under the jurisdiction of a non-magical town, and the sheriff there is looking at the witches a little too closely. Format: Digital, Print
An Unlikely Masquerade by Gina X. Grant (Cozy Mystery)
Burglaries, forgeries, and confidence schemes—Agatha Shadewell had always preferred to work alone. So now, it’s killing her to sit on the Unlikely Masquerade Gala Committee listening to people’s “constructive” ideas, and complaints about the high price of plastic skeletons. If it goes on much longer, Agatha might have to rethink her stance on violence. Format: Digital, Print
The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett (Cozy Mystery)
Welcome back to Lower Lockwood. The Fairway Players return with Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald as committee cochairs. This year, they have chosen to stage Agatha Christie’s The Hollow. But auditions aren’t their only problem: Sarah-Jane’s sister, Nicky-Rose, is suddenly back in town under mysterious circumstances, having sold her home in Barbados, left her business providing entertainment on cruise ships, and moved back into their mother Carol’s house. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean (Traditional Mystery)
Married, pregnant, and thriving in her career, Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life finally feels whole, until an explosive new case shatters everything. A mother is dead. Her sixteen-year-old daughter, Naomi, has disappeared. And the search will awaken questions about Chelsey’s own origins—questions she’s spent a lifetime afraid to ask. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Soufflé Also Rises by Lauren Johnson (Cozy Caper) *first book in a new series*
It’s 2008 and Lizi just can’t catch a break. On the heels of a nasty divorce and a paltry settlement agreement—barely enough to reload her Starbucks card—Lizi is laid off from her job during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Flat broke, Lizi takes a job at Whole Foods where she meets Frankie, a twenty-seven-year-old artist half her age whose overly simplistic worldview is exactly what Lizi needs to get on with her life. But after an unfortunate incident involving her ex-husband, his pregnant girlfriend, and a carton of cage-free eggs, Lizi finds herself, once again, out of a job. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
No Bones About It by Annie McEwen (Cozy Mystery)
While Emmy Cooper is happy to have settled back in her hometown in the Wisconsin Northwoods, leaving her life as an interior designer in Chicago behind, her skills come in handy when her good friends need help restoring a rundown Victorian mansion into a B&B on the shores of Lake Superior. But things take a turn for the sinister when Emmy uncovers a hidden tunnel on the property—and a skeleton that’s been keeping its secrets for over a century! The discovery points to a possible Prohibition past and a mystery that spans decades. Format: Digital, Print
An A-List for Murder by Amy Patricia Meade (Historical Cozy Mystery 1940s)
Evelyn Galloway is hard at work as script supervisor on the next Alfred Hitchcock film when twenty-three-year-old Phoebe Dillon, an aspiring actress and extra on the film, is found stabbed to death in an empty lot in downtown Los Angeles. Evelyn had encountered a rattled Pheobe the morning of her last day on set. Did she have pre-performance jitters as she claimed, or was she frightened of something or someone? And what did she mean by ‘secrets’ that needed to be kept? Format: Digital, Print
Murders in the Marquee by Dana Mentink (Historical Mystery 1900s) *first book in a new series*
the Grand Mallard Marquee is well known for its iconic style, as well as its daily duck parade. For Saul Niffler, a reformed jewel thief, working at the luxurious hotel offers a much-needed second chance. Staying out of trouble and in gainful employment is essential. Which makes seeing a body plummet from a penthouse window extra complicated. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Evil Ways by Julie Mulhern (Cozy Mystery)
Ellison agreed to one afternoon of bridge, one favor for a woman whose husband is having a heart attack. She doesn’t ask who else is playing. She should have. When Lavinia Denton dies at the bridge table, Ellison is sure she’s been murdered. Ellison doesn’t mean to investigate. Really, she doesn’t. But people keep telling her things. Format: Digital, Print
Murder in St. James’s Park by Vanessa Riley (Historical Mystery 1800s)
Lady Abigail Worthing’s marriage of convenience to James Monroe, the Lord Worthing, is over. But James is out of her life quicker than Abigail anticipated when she finds his body in St. James’s Park. Shocked by her husband’s brutal murder, Abigail is determined to catch his killer. But when she discovers that James’s transgressions ran far deeper and darker than she thought possible, Abigail questions her own judgment. Did she make a terrible mistake when solving a past crime, and does the key to James’s death lie in the letters he was writing shortly before his demise? Format: Digital, Print
Mother Daughter Sister Stranger by Hank Phillipi Ryan (Psychological Thriller)
The sole survivors of the fiery plane crash that killed their parents, Eliza Ramsey and her sister Bea share an unbreakable bond. But now, on the eleventh anniversary of the tragedy, Bea fails to retrieve her pre-teen daughter from a sleepover at Eliza’s. Eliza knows her sister would never leave her precious Piper behind, and fears the worst. But did Bea plan her own disappearance? Format: Digital, Print, Audio
A Murder Most Austen by Dorothea Stiller (Cozy Mystery)
The Jane Austen Fan Club is hosting a grand ball, and June has been invited! To her great surprise, among the guests is an old acquaintance: Detective Sergeant Sean Darcy. There’s a distinct spark between June and the attractive detective. However, any budding romantic connections are derailed when something terrible occurs. The event’s sponsor collapses and dies – apparently from an allergic reaction. It quickly becomes clear that Sean Darcy’s sister Elizabeth had wanted to play a prank on the victim. But could she be responsible for the sponsor’s death? Format: Digital, Audio
The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury (Historical Mystery 1950s) *first book in a new series*
The Honorable Ginevra Bishop likes red lipstick, clever retorts, and earning top marks in her tutorials. She’s following her mother’s footsteps by studying at Oxford, eager to prove she’s more than a debutante. Sidney Braithwaite likes brooding, Latin, and ignoring his nightmares. He’s determined to forge a new life for himself at Oxford, far from his childhood mining village and free from memories of the war. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
SEPTEMBER 2
Possessed by Murder by JP Bird (Cozy Mystery)
When her best friend convinces Amelia Wethers to participate in a séance, the newly minted psychic, barista and artist is forced to add possessed to her repertoire. Now, instead of seeing a ghost pleading with her to find her murdered body, Ami is sharing her body with the very hungry ghost of Henrietta Bathers, a Hillside resident who mysteriously disappeared over eighty years ago. Format: Digital, Print
SEPTEMBER 3
The Man with the Golden Bun by Adelaide Mills (Cozy Mystery)
Betty Fletcher bakes the best sticky toffee pudding in the Cotswolds. She also recognises a professional kill when she sees one — especially when the technique was taught at the same facility where she learned hers. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Last Telegram of Mrs Hudson by Mattea Orr (Historical Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Heartbroken, widowed, and penniless, Katherine Hudson never intended to become a lady’s maid; especially not to the eccentric Violet Holmes, mother of a precocious seven-year-old named Sherlock. But to keep her family out the poorhouse, Hudson is forced into a life of service. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Witchwork and Wishbones by Alia Smith (Cozy Mystery)
Spring has arrived in Winterset—and with it, miracles. Lost rings return, fortunes change, and broken hearts start mending overnight. At least until the wishes bite back. When every dream in town begins to twist into something darker, The Hearth is once again in demand and in over its collective head. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Sugar and Spies by Amanda Sterczyk (Cozy Mystery)
Reginald “Reg” Thorne just wants to be a normal retired dad. After a career spent in high-level covert logistics, he’s finally settled into the flat above Dr. Sniffles’ Pet Surgery with his two faithful pugs, Pudding and Pickles. They are the only ones who know his secrets, and they’re not talking—except to him, thanks to a special herbal blend. He’s traded “dead drops” for “dog walks,” but keeping his past hidden from his daughter, Rowan, is proving to be his toughest mission yet. Format: Digital, Print
A Book Club’s Guide To Murder by Nancy Robards Thopson (Cozy Mystery)
When hometown celebrity Helen-Mae Turner, better known by her pen name, Evangeline Hart, returns to Sugar Hollow for a monthlong writer-in-residence program at The Chapter and Verse Bookshop, her book club appearance draws a standing-room-only crowd. Little does she know that a public threat during the event from a man with a very personal grudge marks the beginning of the end. Format: Digital, Print
Note: in some cases, print releases for digital titles will be forthcoming.
Publication date subject to change