Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of February 5 – 11, 2023 with four debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading!


Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan (Cozy) *first in a new series*
Rodeo Drive bridalwear designer Rayne McGrath expected her thirtieth birthday to start with a power lunch and end with champagne, lobster, and a diamond engagement ring from her fiancé. Instead, flat-broke and busted, she’s on a plane to Ireland where she discovers that she’s inherited a run-down family castle. Uncle Nevin’s will contains a few caveats—for example, if Rayne doesn’t turn McGrath Castle around within a year, the entire village will be financially destroyed. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

A Custom-Fit Crime by Melissa Bourbon (Cozy) *re-release*
Harlow’s designs will be featured in a big magazine spread, but she only has a few days to finalize her collection. Plus she’s busy helping to plan her mother’s upcoming wedding, playing host to her old friend Orphie, and avoiding a competitive Dallas designer set on stealing Harlow’s ideas. Harlow’s making it all work—until someone breaks into Buttons & Bows and the rival designer is found dead. Format: Digital

A Killing Notion by Melissa Bourbon (Cozy) *re-release*
Harlow is doing everything she can to expand her dressmaking business, Buttons & Bows—without letting clients know about her secret charm. When she has a chance to create homecoming dresses with a local charity and handmade mums for several high school girls—including Gracie, whose father, Will, has mended Harlow’s heart—she is ready to use her magical talents for a great cause. Format: Digital

A Seamless Murder by Melissa Bourbon (Cozy) *re-release*
Any garment Harlow stitches together has the power to grant the deepest desire of whomever wears it. So when she’s asked to sew aprons for a local women’s group, Harlow must get to know each member. First up is Delta Lee Mobley, who doesn’t care much for Harlow’s family—or anyone else in Bliss, for that matter. Granting Delta’s greatest wish could only lead to trouble. Format: Digital

Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron (Cozy)
It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, housed in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

A Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie (Police Detective)
On a rainy November evening, trainee doctor Sasha Johnson hurries through the evening crowd in London’s historic Russell Square. Out of the darkness, someone jostles her as they brush past. A moment later, Sasha stumbles, then collapses. When Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Doug Cullen, are called to the scene, they discover that she’s been stabbed. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

My Fatal Valentine by Leighann Dobbs (Cozy)
Juniper Holiday’s annual Valentines Day party is all about love and romance… and this year, it’s also about murder. When the grand prize winner is found dead in the bathroom, there are very few clues as to who did it. With a house full of guests, there are plenty who had means and opportunity, but who had motive? Format: Digital

Six Sweets Under by Sarah Fox (Cozy) *first in a new series*
Former actress Becca Ransom lived her dream in Hollywood for seven years before returning to her hometown of Larch Haven, known as the Venice of North America. The Vermont town has canals instead of roads, gondolas instead of cars, and charming cottages plucked from the pages of a fairy tale. It’s also where Becca is pursuing her newest passion as a chocolatier at True Confections, the chocolate shop owned by her grandparents, Lolly and Pops. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings (Historical) *first in a new series*
1885: London, England. When Violet’s Aunt Adelia decides to abscond with her newest paramour, she leaves behind her role as the most popular Agony Aunt in London, “Miss Hermione,” in Violet’s hands. And of course, the first letter Violet receives is full, not of prissy pondering, but of portent. Ivy Armstrong is in need of help and fears for her life. But when Violet visits the village where the letters were posted, she finds that Ivy is already dead. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

Sentenced to Death by Betty Hechtman (Cozy)
When writer for hire Veronica Blackstone is asked to write the copy for The Friends of Hyde Park’s annual house and garden tour, she never expects to get involved in a violent death. But that’s exactly what happens when famous author Landon Donte is found dead in his study during a dinner to highlight the tour. Format: Print, Digital

The Curious Case of Emily Lickenson by CeeCee James (Cozy) *first in a new series*
Cat blogger extraordinaire Emily Lickenson falls into a mystery when the head cook at the local care home unexpectedly dies. As curious as a cat, Emily can’t resist investigating exactly what happened. She recruits her snoopy Aunt Mattie (who herself is half-convinced she used to be a spy) to hunt for clues in the midst of more red herrings than at a fish market. Format: Print, Digital

Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman (Thriller)
Los Angeles is a city of stark contrast, the palaces of the affluent coexisting uneasily with the hellholes of the mad and the needy. That shadow world and the violence it breeds draw brilliant psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis into an unsettling case of altruism gone wrong. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

Alligator Alley by Mike Lawson (Thriller)
When Andie Moore, a 23-year-old working in the DOJ’s Inspector General’s Office, is murdered in cold blood in Florida’s Everglades, it falls on DeMarco to get to the bottom of things. Paired with Emma, an enigmatic, retired ex-spy with seemingly endless connections in the military and intelligence communities, they venture south to the scene of Andie’s murder: Alligator Alley. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

Sandcastle Secrets by Wendy Ledger (Cozy)
Maggie Romano is itching to put pen to paper. Tasked with covering the big opening event of the summer season, the anxious journalist takes a beachside walk to calm her nerves. But instead of being soothed, the jittery journalist is jolted when she and her feline sidekick stumble over a stranger’s body with a bullet hole in his back. Format: Digital

Invitation to a Killer by G.M. Malliet (Traditional)
Callie Moore is no ordinary aspiring writer. Notorious wife of a Washington lobbyist, Callie believes no publicity is bad publicity and that publishing her scandalous memoirs will help her achieve her heart’s desire: a diplomatic posting. She just needs crime novelist Augusta Hawke to be her ghostwriter. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

A Good Day to Pie by Misha Popp (Cozy)
Daisy bakes a little murder into every pie she creates, and she and her dog, Zoe, deliver them to the town’s worst cads. Now, Daisy’s entered a televised, elimination-style competition and has a shot at $100k in prize money—but she still has a murder pie to deliver between filming. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

Double The Lies by Patricia Raybon (Historical)
On a cold spring night in 1924, Annalee Spain offers her new fancy lace handkerchief—a gift from her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake—to a young woman crying in a Denver public library. But later that night, when police find the handkerchief next to the body of the young woman’s murdered husband, Annalee becomes the number one suspect, and her panic doubles when she learns that Jack has gone missing. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

Encore In Death by J.D. Robb (Police Procedural)
It was a glittering event full of A-listers, hosted by Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh, a celebrity couple who’d conquered both Hollywood and Broadway. And now Eve Dallas has made her entrance—but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Fitzhugh fell to the floor and died, with physical symptoms pointing to cyanide, and the police have crashed the party. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

Playing Dead by Peggy Rothschild (Cozy)
Molly Madison has barely had a moment to catch her breath after moving to the sleepy beach town she now calls home. But as a former PI, she can’t help but notice the odd chemistry between members of Playtime Academy on the first day she and her loyal Saint Bernadoodle, Noodle, and golden retriever, Harlow, visit. When a trainer’s body is found on-site, Molly knows it’s her duty to put her ex-police skills to use. She can’t say no to temporarily taking in the deceased woman’s dog, either—not with those puppy dog eyes. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Psychological Thriller)
After every divorce, one spouse gets all the friends. What does the other one get? If they’re smart, they get the benefits. Alyssa Macallan is terrified when she’s dumped by her wealthy and powerful husband. With a devastating divorce looming, she begins to suspect her toxic and manipulative soon-to-be-ex is scheming to ruin her—leaving her alone and penniless. And when the FBI shows up at her door, Alyssa knows she really needs a friend. Format: Print, Digital, and Audio

Home Is Where the Murder Is by Rosalie Spielman (Cozy)
Retired US Army officer Tessa Treslow has settled in with her Aunt Edna in her hometown of New Oslo, Idaho. After the disasters of the previous fall, Tessa and her family are back on their feet as they start a new dream venture: a vehicle restoration business, “BOSS—Band of Sisters Services, call the She-canics.” Format: Print, Digital

Red Velvet & Murder by Tanya R. Taylor (Cozy)
An elderly couple were found dead in their living room, leaving their cat, Ralphy, to fend for himself.
It appears to be a murder-suicide and the wife’s actions in the days leading up to their demise were rather suspicious. Is the death of Ralph and Janet Shelby as cut and dry as it seems? Or will Barbara Sandosa uncover something that no one would have ever suspected about her warm and loving neighbors? Format: Digital

Murder Lost and Found by Debbie Young (Cozy)
Sophie Sayers is ready for a glorious summer, but when a dead body is found in the village school’s lost property cupboard the summer holidays take an unexpected turn. Even more shocking is when the body goes missing. Without a body, the police refuse to investigate. That’s just not good enough. Format: Print, Digital

Publication date subject to change