Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of January 31 – February 6, 2021. Reading is an adventure and I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Enjoy!

Dead Man’s Hand by Lorraine Bartlett and Gayle Leeson (Cozy)
It’s all fun and games when Katie Bonner and her friends play poker for chocolate-covered peanuts, but the very next day Jamie Seifert collapses and dies after visiting Katie’s tearoom on Victoria Square. Katie’s business is on the line and she needs to prove Jamie wasn’t poisoned at Tealicious.

Killer Content by Olivia Blacke (Cozy) *new series*
Bayou transplant Odessa Dean has a lot to learn about life in Brooklyn. So far she’s scored a rent free apartment in one of the nicest neighborhoods around by cat-sitting, and has a new job working at Untapped Books & Café. Hand-selling books and craft beers is easy for Odessa, but making new friends and learning how to ride the subway? Well, that might take her a little extra time.

The Sign of the Gallows by Susanna Calkins (Historical)
London, 1667. On her way to a new market to peddle her True Accounts and Strange News, printer’s apprentice Lucy Campion quickly regrets her decision to take the northwestern road. Dark and desolate, the path leads her to the crossroads – and to the old hanging tree. She doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she’s not sure ghosts don’t believe in her.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (Traditional) *new series*
Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

Festival Felony by Ami Diane (Cozy)
Time for Keystone’s annual festival—only it hasn’t been so annual in recent years. The highlight of the festivities? The Keystone Treasure Hunt. In a town with gladiator-style potlucks, it isn’t surprising that the quirky residents are just as competitive about treasure seeking.

Beth Laid Plans by Gwen Florio (Traditional) *new series*
Nora Best is the envy of her friends. She’s just turned fifty and has traded in her home with The Perfect-Ass Husband for an Airstream trailer and an adventure of a lifetime across the US. But during their leaving party, Nora finds her husband in a compromising position with a friend. Storming out of the party she jumps into her truck with no idea how to tow the Airstream or where she’s going.

Bikinis and Murder by H.Y. Hanna (Cozy)
Ellie’s vacation in Florida is coming to an end but there’s barely time to savor her last days on the beautiful Gulf Coast. When death strikes a bikini contest at her luxury beach resort, Ellie must use all her sleuthing skills to find the killer. Helped by Hemingway the parrot and Mojito the resort cat—not to mention her eccentric Aunt Olive—Ellie is soon busy combing the beach for clues.

Murder Ink by Betty Hechtman (Traditional) *new series*
Veronica Blackstone is a writer for hire. Be it love letters, biographies, resumes or wedding vows, Veronica has you covered. Her latest assignment is writing a celebration of life book for the funeral of one-time client Rachel Ross who tragically died one year after her wedding.

Scot on the Rocks by Catriona McPherson (Cozy) *hardcover release*
A community is devastated when the bronze statue of local legend Mama Cuento is stolen on Valentine’s Day. When Lexy Campbell arrives on the scene, a big bronze toe is found along with a ransom note – “Listen to our demands or you will never see her again. There are nine more where this came from”.

Blood Grove by Walter Mosley (Noir)
It is 1969, and flames can be seen on the horizon, protest wafts like smoke though the thick air, and Easy Rawlins, the Black private detective whose small agency finally has its own office, gets a visit from a white Vietnam veteran. The young man comes to Easy with a story that makes little sense. He and his lover, a beautiful young woman, were attacked in a citrus grove at the city’s outskirts.

The Sharpest Needle by Renee Patrick (Historical)
1939, Los Angeles. Marion Davies has a problem. The actress has received poison pen letters highlighting an embarrassing event in her past from the mysterious ‘Argus’. Can Lillian Frost and her friend and partner-in-crime, celebrated costume designer Edith Head, expose the writer before they expose Marion? Lillian’s boss, millionaire inventor Addison Rice, seems to think so, but when Lillian speaks to her idol, Marion is reluctant to reveal her secrets, fearful of jeopardizing her affair with newspaper tycoon W.R. Hearst.

18 1/2 Disguises by Larissa Reinhart (Humorous)
#DisguisedDetectiving Maizie Albright might have once played a (teenage) private investigator on TV, but she’s now living the (adult) part. Her (mother’s) name is on her business cards. Her (boss’s) appointment book is brimming with new clients. And her bank account has grown large enough to finally trade in her dirt bike for an actual new (pre-owned) vehicle. And then there’s Wyatt Nash. Love of her life. Future father of her. . .

Caught Off Guard by Kristi Rose (Cozy)
When Samantha’s friend and sometimes boss AJ Gunn is accused of murdering the star quarterback for the Oregon pro-team she knows three things: 1) No way is AJ guilty even if he doesn’t have a solid alibi; 2) This is not a one gal PI gig, she’s going to need help; 3) Rich people are crazy. If Samantha thought she was out of her element in Wind River, investigating in a new town is like working in a foreign land.

Fruit Basket Upset by Tess Rothery (Cozy)
Though she’s still healing from serious injuries, Taylor Quinn’s heart is ripe with happiness. Business at Flour Sax Quilt Shop has blossomed in the early spring sun, and with it hope for the future of Comfort, Oregon. But the promise of the season is poisoned when she discovers a dead body.

Grand Openings Can Be Murder by Amber Royer (Cozy) *new series*
Felicity Koerber has had a rough year. She’s moving back to Galveston Island and opening a bean to bar chocolate factory, fulfilling a dream she and her late husband, Kevin, had shared. Craft chocolate means a chance to travel the world, meeting with farmers and bringing back beans she can turn into little blocks of happiness, right close to home and family.

Booked for Murder by Morgan W. Silver (Cozy)
Maggie Matthews is ready for Halloween in Castlefield. When she gets invited to a murder mystery weekend, she gets the chance to solve a fake murder. However, it’s not long before the fake murder turns into a real one and Maggie has to exchange her quill for her magnifying glass once again.

Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal (Cozy) *new series*
The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk is normally an idyllic place. Until death arrives on recently widowed bookstore owner Clark Thomas’ doorstep. When the body of a local businesswoman and environmentalist gets dumped by the back door of his shop, Clark finds himself in a unique position to investigate the crime. But should he? When it comes to murder, something else drives him he doesn’t want to admit.