Searching for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing the week of December 14 – 20, 2025 with one debut series. I hope a few of these books take you on a reading adventure!

DECEMBER 15
These Crooked Things by Ellen Byerrum (Historical Mystery 1930s)
Post-Prohibition lingers like a hangover in New York City as famous gangsters fight for headlines with local criminals, Broadway shows, and society sinners. Amid the glitz and glamour, a man lies dead on the floor of a swanky Upper East Side apartment as his injured pregnant wife hides nearby. Private detective Graydon Chase and his new fiancé, playwright Esmé de LaForet, are called in by the family to keep the scandal at bay. But there’s no keeping this crime quiet, as playwright and playboy pursue a crooked path to untangle multiple would-be killers, with more than enough motives to go around. Format: Digital, Print

Dog’s Kitchen by Neil S. Plakcy (Cozy Mystery)
When the Cuisine Network brings its brand-new reality show, Dog’s Kitchen, to the peaceful Friar Lake Conference Center, Steve Levitan expects chaos—but not sabotage. Celebrity chefs, foodie influencers, and gourmet-loving dogs descend on the property, turning Steve’s summer into a whirlwind of barking, baking, and behind-the-scenes drama. His golden retriever, Rochester, just wants to stay close to the food. Then the accidents begin… Format: Digital, Print

DECEMBER 16
Smoke and Mirrors by Laura Bradford (Cozy Mystery)
Hannah Prentiss is touched by the belated birthday luncheon her church women’s group throws in her honor, complete with thoughtful and charming gifts! When Hannah opens an unlabeled box, she questions who it’s from―especially when she finds a beautifully crafted creamer inside, eliciting a shocked reaction from her friend, police department receptionist Vanessa Lodge. Format: Digital, Print

Death of an Antiquarian by Rose Kerr (Cozy Mystery)
When archaeologist Dr. Mia Reid takes a contract position at the Lakeview City Museum, she expects artifacts, exhibitions, and research notes, not murder. The death of a local antique dealer, with unexpected ties to artifact smuggling, draws Mia into a dangerous mystery. As chatter of an international smuggling ring surfaces, Mia and Luke race to uncover the truth. The stakes rise when threats reach her—and her beloved grandmother. Format: Digital, Print

The Red Scare Murders by Con Lehane (Private Investigator Mystery)
Mick Mulligan has just hung out his shingle as a private investigator in New York’s sweaty Hell’s Kitchen. A former Hollywood cartoonist who was blacklisted during a communist witch hunt, Mick is broke, divorced, and in need of a paying gig to make his child support payments. But maybe not this gig. First off, it’s impossible. Worse, it’s liable to get him killed. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Trapped and Tested by Sharon Marchisello (Cozy Mystery)
When DeeLo’s niece, Demi Myer, tries to find her father on an ancestry website, she meets Kwintone, a half-brother with a few secrets. After getting a speeding ticket, Kwintone is assigned to community service in the Pecan Point Humane Society’s Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return program—trapping cats with DeeLo on the new Oakwood Studios lot. The disinterested trainee leaves abruptly on his first night, and later, DeeLo finds his car abandoned beside the road, phone on the seat. Format: Digital, Print

Code Blue by Fern Michaels (Traditional Mystery)
Theresa Gallagher has never met her Aunt Dottie, though she remembers her mother’s stories about the wild sister who left home at seventeen. When a letter arrives from one of Dottie’s neighbors, telling Theresa that her aunt is now incapacitated and in a nursing home, Theresa decides to fly out to Arizona to see her. The staff at the Sunnydale Care Facility seem pleasant and efficient, but Theresa finds it strange that she’s only permitted to “observe” her elderly aunt from a viewing room. It’s the first of several red flags that lead Theresa to start asking questions. Is it just coincidence that as soon as she does, her car is almost run off the road? Format: Digital, Print, Audio

May Contain Murder by Orlando Murrin (Cozy Mystery)
While his flooded house undergoes repairs, chef-turned-writer Paul Delamare has been offered an accommodation upgrade—an all-expenses-paid trip aboard a private superyacht in the company of Xéra, one of his dearest friends. Paul will help Xéra work on her memoirs as Maldemer glides its sumptuous way to the Caribbean. The scenery is stunning, the luxury is unparalleled, and the food…well, at least the dishes that Paul is roped into preparing are delicious. The hired chef, meanwhile, seems completely out of her depth. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Zero Point by Anette Strohmeyer (Traditional)
From the watery depths off the coast of Brazil, an eighty-year-old mystery emerges: the wreckage of a plane that crashed during an escape attempt by high-ranking Nazi officers at the end of World War II. The downed plane is of particular interest to historians, as it holds a watertight box in the largely undamaged cockpit that is said to contain a logbook with plans for a secret weapon developed by inventor Nikola Tesla—with which the Nazis had hoped to win the war. But the coveted container is nowhere to be found . . . Format: Digital, Print, Audio

The Mysterious Death Of Junetta Plum by Valerie Wilson Wesley (Historical Mystery 1920s) *first book in a new series*
Harriet Stone, a liberated, educated Black woman, and Lovey, the orphaned, biracial, 12-year-old she is bound to protect, are Harlem-bound, embarking on a new, hopefully less traumatic chapter in their lives. They have been invited to move from Connecticut by Harriet’s cousin, Junetta Plum, who runs a boarding house for independent-minded single women. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley (Cozy Mystery)
Former celebrity chef Jackie Norwood heads to the Florida Keys expecting sunshine, sweets, and maybe a little music—not her former high school band teacher at the center of a murder investigation. Between judging dessert contests, managing her growing online cooking channel, and finding that not everyone in the Keys is as sweet as key lime pie, Jackie must tune into the island’s rhythm of lies, rivalries, and retribution. Format: Digital, Print

You Can Scream by Rebecca Zanetti (Thriller)
Laurel’s family was never simple—but her half-sister, Abigail, a brilliant, unpredictable psychopath, just made it lethal. Accused of murdering their father, a man she always called a monster, Abigail claims
self-defense. As the trial unfolds and long-buried family secrets explode into headlines across Washington State, Laurel’s hard-won privacy is shattered. And the nightmare is just beginning. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

DECEMBER 17
A Deadly Switch by Siobhan Purcell (Cozy Mystery)
Sinead Long is bringing Christmas magic to Cloncastle for the very first time. The inaugural Christmas lights celebration promises to be spectacular, with her father volunteering as Santa, a beautiful tree crafted by the men’s shed, and a special floating tree on the water that has the whole village buzzing with excitement. Format: Digital, Print

DECEMBER 18
Murder Through the Snow by Lyla Blue (Cozy Mystery)
Clare Garner is determined to make this holiday season merry and bright. Between decorating the gallery, planning the town’s annual Snow Stroll, and avoiding another romantic tangle between Jackson and Blake, she’s juggling enough tinsel to wrap the whole town. But when a body is found surrounded by suspiciously perfect snowmen—Silver Pines goes from festive to frantic. With cocoa-fueled gossip swirling faster than a snow globe, Clare finds herself knee-deep in clues, cocoa, and Christmas chaos. Format: Digital

The Hyde Park Murder by Emily Organ (Historical Mystery 1920s)
When the body of a dazzling socialite is found in Hyde Park, London is scandalised. The young woman was last seen at a glittering nightclub – dancing with a mysterious man. As snow blankets the city, Augusta Peel is drawn into a world of Bright Young Things, bohemian artists, and dangerous secrets. Each of the victim’s glamorous sisters hides something… and someone will kill to keep the past buried. Format: Digital, Print

Gumbo and Grudges by Erica J. Whelton (Cozy Mystery)
When celebrity chef Garrett Majors challenges Jessica to a gumbo cook-off at the town festival, she’s ready to prove her grandfather’s recipe is the best. Victory tastes delicious, until Garrett is found murdered an hour later, stabbed with Jessica’s custom-made chef’s knife. Arrested in front of hundreds of witnesses, Jessica knows she’s been framed. But by who? And why? Format: Digital, Print

DECEMBER 19
No Stones Left Unturned by Annette Dashofy (Police Procedural)
When a local Erie vet is shot during a robbery, Erie City Police Detective Matthias Honeywell and his partner Cassie Malone are tasked with pursuing the perpetrators. But as they close in on the truth, a mysterious sniper targets those involved in the case. Format: Digital, Print, Audio

Chocolate Eclairvoyant by P.D. Workman (Cozy Mystery)
In the picturesque town of Bald Eagle Falls, Erin Price runs Auntie Clem’s Bakery, where gluten-free delights and charming community vibes create the perfect recipe for happiness. But when a threatening cryptic letter lands on her counter, a chill falls over the town and Erin Price finds herself caught in a web of intrigue and suspense. As whispers of clairvoyance swirl around town like flour in the air, panic brews among the locals. Format: Digital, Print

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