Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of June 2 – 8, 2024 with one debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading!

JUNE 2
Puzzles, Purrs & Murder by Kathy Manos Penn (Cozy Mystery)
Leta Parker needs a distraction. With her boyfriend temporarily staying in Connecticut, the confident retiree is ready to dive into the design and team-building conference being hosted by her adopted Cotswolds village. But when one of the lead consultants is late to a meeting and she goes next door to wake him up, she’s shocked to stumble across his strangled corpse. Format: Print, Digital

JUNE 4
Dead Tired by Kat Ailes (Cozy Mystery)
Alice didn’t think her maternity leave would involve so much, well, murder. Before becoming proud new moms, she and her friends bonded more than members of a prenatal group usually would, as they became accidental amateur sleuths and solved a crime together. Now, with all this behind them and Alice’s son Jack somehow already a year old, Alice is keen to finally catch up on some sleep. So when an opportunity presents itself in the unlikely form of an eco-protest, Alice and her friends willingly chain themselves to trees and settle in as an excuse to get some overdue rest. Not the most comfortable arrangement ever, but at this point, they’ll take what they can get. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Forget Me Never by Susan Wittig Albert (Cozy Mystery)
Olivia Andrews is locally famous for her blog and podcast, “Forget Me Not: A Crime Victim’s Storyboard,” which is dedicated to telling the stories of victims of crime. Now, she has a stunning story to tell about a decades-old murder mystery involving a prominent citizen of Pecan Springs—someone who isn’t the man everybody thinks he is. But she is killed by a hit-and-run driver while she’s out jogging early one morning. Was it an accident—or something else? Her sister wants to know. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder at the Dinner Party by C.J. Archer (Historical Mystery 1900s)
Cleo is hired by the housekeeper at a Mayfair residence after the police rule the sudden death of the butler was the result of natural causes. Not convinced by the verdict, she wants Cleo to prove foul play was involved. Considering he was acting mysteriously around some of the guests, and they were equally mysterious when they saw him, murder is a possibility. Format: Print, Digital,

Blackmail at Beckwith Place by Jenna Bennett (Historical Mystery 1920s)
Several months ago, in the blackmail notes that Grimsby, the now-dead valet, compiled about everyone in the family, Philippa Darling learned about a young woman with a baby who showed up at Sutherland House in London, looking for the man who got her in the family way. Format: Print, Digital

Olive You to Death by Lynn Cahoon (Cozy Mystery)
Things are looking up for the owner of Coffee, Books, and More—Jill’s finally getting her MBA, and though her wedding to police detective Greg is postponed a few months, she still has plenty to celebrate. A girls’ weekend in Santa Barbara is just the ticket. But back in South Cove, someone else’s big day has become a big problem. Antiques dealer Josh Thomas and Mandy Jensen were planning a small private ceremony under an olive tree on the historic Jensen farm—until Mandy went missing . . .Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Unwedding by Ally Condie (Traditional Mystery)
Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world. She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on earth? Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Hall of Mirrors by John Copenhaver (Historical Mystery 1950s)
In May 1954, Lionel Kane witnesses his apartment engulfed in flames with his lover and writing partner, Roger Raymond, inside. Police declare it a suicide due to gas ignition, but Lionel refuses to believe Roger was suicidal. A month earlier, Judy Nightingale and Philippa Watson—the tenacious and troubled heroines from The Savage Kind—attend a lecture by Roger and, being eager fans, befriend him. He has just been fired from his day job at the State Department, another victim of the Lavender Scare, an anti-gay crusade led by figures like Senator Joseph McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover, claiming homosexuals are security risks. Format: Print, Digital

Same Difference by E. J. Copperman (Traditional Mystery)
Taking a break from their usual business of helping adoptees find their birth parents, New York private investigators – and super-sized, ever-so-slightly-paranormal siblings – Fran and Ken Stein accept a job to find a missing young woman. Nineteen-year-old college student Eliza Hennessey is trans – and she has a rocky relationship with her father, their new client. Brian’s convinced his daughter’s vanished, rather than run away, but Fran and Ken aren’t so sure she wants to be found. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Homecoming and Homicide by Kathi Daley (Cozy Mystery)
The Bistro at Holiday Bay plays host to the Holiday Bay High School class of 2004 as they gather to celebrate their twentieth reunion. While every class seems to have its story to tell, this particular class is most famous for the murder of one of its most popular students shortly before graduation. The case was never solved, and the killer was never caught, but there is more than one alumnus who feels certain that the secret to finally bringing this cold case full circle is to take a hard look at a group of students who, on the surface, seem the least likely to have been involved in any sort of crime let alone murder. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Village Politics Can Be Murder by Jeanne M. Dams (Cozy Mystery)
Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired chief constable Alan Nesbitt, jump at the chance to holiday in the beautiful Lake District when Alan’s old friend, Christopher Prideaux, invites them to visit him in Grasmere. A party at Christopher’s cottage is the perfect way to meet the locals, but one stands out – accountant Donald Atkinson, an egoist hoping to become a politician, clearly isn’t popular among his fellow villagers. Format: Print, Digital

The Stranger in the Library by Eva Gates (Cozy Mystery)
When a traveling show of impressionist art comes to Nags Head, North Carolina, librarian Lucy and the staff at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library are inspired to create an educational display about art history. Their launch of the display is a huge success, but the morning after, they discover that a reproduction of a famous painting has gone missing. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

One of You by Lorie Lewis Ham (Traditional Mystery)
With her life on the California Coast behind her, Roxi Carlucci is beginning to feel at home in the Tower District—the cultural oasis of Fresno, CA—where she now lives with her cousin P.I. Stephen Carlucci, her pet rat Merlin, a Pit Bull named Watson, and a black cat named Dan. She has a new entertainment podcast, works as a part-time P.I., and is helping local bookstore owner Clark Halliwell put on the first-ever Tower Halloween Mysteryfest! The brutal summer heat is gone and has been replaced by the dense tule fog—perfect for Halloween! Format: Print, Digital

First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder edited by Teresa Inge and Heather Weidner (Short Story Anthology)
First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder features nineteen juicy tales of revenge, betrayal, bad breakups, and a few I dos and some I don’ts. Each short story takes ruthless relationships to an all-new level in all kinds of places like destination weddings, riverboat cruises, wineries, bachelorette parties, creepy stalkers, cheating spouses, and sneaky friends trying for their own version of happily ever after. So, settle in for some love stories with a twist of revenge, infidelity, and murder. Format: Print, Digital

I Sleep Around by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Memoir)
With no camping or RV experience, author Sue Ann Jaffarian decided to chuck her life in Los Angeles for a life on the road in a van. Newly retired from her long-time career as a paralegal, she got rid of most of her belongings, packed up her laptop, and embraced a new adventure of traveling the country and writing full-time, adding travel writing to her career as a popular mystery novelist. Format: Print, Digital

Bluegrass Homicide by Gin Jones (Cozy Mystery)
The Three Sisters B&B in the heart of Kentucky’s bourbon country is starting to flourish—thanks to the hard work of Jess Walker and her two sisters, Em and CJ. With a big auction coming up at the horse farm next door to the B&B, there’s an overflow crowd at both properties. And while the sisters may love the full rooms, the workload is enough that the middle sister, Em, sneaks away for a much needed break with the horse she boards at the farm. Only instead of her horse, what she finds in the stall is the dead body of the farm’s beloved vet! Format: Print, Digital

Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow by Mary Keliikoa (Domestic Thriller)
Beth Ralston, a paralegal in Portland, Oregon, would rather be racking up billable hours than mingling at an office party— especially when her sister Lindsay, aka her plus one, is a no-show. After making her obligatory rounds, Beth returns to her office to find that her boss, who she’ d talked with moments before, has been murdered. She sees a woman fleeing the scene. Wait— was that Lindsay? Unable to catch up to her in time, Beth waits for the police to arrive and notices that Lindsay has left her phone behind with an unsent text message to Beth displayed on the screen: “ Don’ t ask. Don’ t follow.” Format: Print, Digital, Audio

A Plague of Grackles by Dharma Kelleher (Thriller)
A swatting attack on a fellow transgender woman ignites a fire within Avery Byrne. A goth tattoo artist by day and a fierce vigilante by night, Avery sees a sinister pattern linking this tragedy to escalating assaults on the trans community—a pattern the police refuse to acknowledge. Format: Print, Digital

Murder in the Moms’ Club by Laurèn Lee (Domestic Thriller) *first book in a new series*
In an affluent city by the beach, the seemingly idyllic world of a moms club shatters when one of its members vanishes without a trace. As suspicion ripples through the close-knit community, a new family moves to town, ready to embrace a fresh start. Format: Print, Digital

Kill or Bee Killed by Jennie Marts (Cozy Mystery)
The small town of Humble Hills, Colorado, is abuzz with excitement over the upcoming annual Bee Festival, sponsored by Bailey’s Granny Bee and the Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch. The long weekend of festivities includes a beauty pageant, beekeeping demonstrations, a local restaurant bake-off, and a 3K Bear Run where all the participants are dressed as bears. The bake-off brings in a television crew from California to film, so it’s the most drama-filled part of the weekend, especially when the famous celebrity host winds up dead. Format: Print, Digital

Fondant Fumble by Jenn McKinlay (Cozy Mystery)
Professional football players Keogh Graham and Tyler Matthews want to open a Fairy Tale Cupcakes franchise. They’re spending the off-season in Scottsdale working in Mel’s bakery, learning about the business and how to bake show-stopping cupcakes. The popular athletes bring a boom of customers to the store as football fans flock to see the friends mixing batter and piping icing. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Deep Beneath Us by Catriona McPherson (Domestic Thriller)
Tabitha Muir returns to her childhood home in the remote hills of Hiskith in Scotland after twenty years away. She’s lost her job, her house, and custody of her son after a divorce, and thinks this must be rock bottom – but worse is to come. An unplanned explosion at the dam on the loch and the suspicious death of her beloved cousin Davey force Tabitha to confront her past demons. Format: Print, Digital

Murder of a Hermit by Carol Miller (Cozy Mystery)
An impromptu Tarot reading reveals the stranger who has been watching Hope and Summer over the last few days to be the Hermit – a seeker of knowledge and wisdom. The sisters discover that he has been hired to steal a valuable and potentially dangerous book from them, but only after he’s found drowned in their back garden! Format: Print, Digital

Farewell, Amethystine by Walter Mosley (Private Investigator Mystery)
January 1970 finds Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, LA’s premier Black detective, at 50 years of age despite all expectations. He has a loving family, a beautiful home, and a thriving investigation agency. All is right with the world… and then Amethystine Stoller, his own personal Helen of Troy, arrives. Her ex-husband is missing. A simple enough case. But even as Easy takes his first step in the investigation he trips. He falls into the memory of things past. Little things, like loss, love, a world war, and a hunger that has eaten at him since he was a Black boy on his own on the streets of Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Black Bird by Mark Pawlosky (Thriller)
Something-or someone-is killing the religious followers and scientists, and Newshound reporter Nik Byron is determined to find out what’s behind the deaths. Could Xion Labs’ top-secret vaccine program be connected? Nik suspects so, but he’s being stonewalled at every turn. As he inches closer to the truth, Nik’s professional enemies move to quash his investigation, threaten his career, and destroy his personal life. With his world crumbling, Nik finds one last lead: Puck Hall, a resolute, free-spirited young woman and Xion Labs researcher, who is soloing the Appalachian Trail. Format: Print, Digital

Murder on the Med by Nancy Cole Silverman (Historical Mystery)
A travel feature turns into a deadly investigation for Kat Lawson when she discovers a missing passenger, presumed overboard, may have been used as a mule to smuggle ancient artifacts aboard Athena, a luxury cruise ship designed for retired seniors at sea. Format: Print, Digital

The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas (Historical Mystery 1950s)
In the quaint town of Mendol, Oklahoma, Bailey Dowery is a Black dressmaker for the wives and daughters of local oil barons. She earns a good living fitting designer gowns and creating custom wedding dresses for the town’s elite. But beyond her needle and thread lies a deeper talent, one passed down from her mother: the gift of insight. With just a fleeting touch or brush against the skin, Bailey has sudden flashes of intuition— witnessing the other person’s hopes, dreams, and nightmares, as well glimpses of their past and future. To protect herself, she wears gloves to keep from grazing the skin of her clients as she pins them into their gowns. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (Historical Mystery 1940s)
Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion—the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing. Psychologist and Investigator Maisie Dobbs visits the mansion on behalf of the owners and discovers that a demobilized soldier, gravely ill and reeling from his experiences overseas, has taken shelter with the group. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Sorry, Knot Sorry by Lois Winston (Cozy Mystery)
Magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack may finally be able to pay off the remaining debt she found herself saddled with when her duplicitous first husband dropped dead in a Las Vegas casino. But as Anastasia has discovered, nothing in her life is ever straightforward. Strings are always attached. Thanks to the success of an unauthorized true crime podcast, a television production company wants to option her life—warts and all—as a reluctant amateur sleuth. Format: Print, Digital

JUNE 6
Callahan and the Spy by Rebecca Barrett (Cozy Mystery)
Dax and Callahan have drifted south now, Dax working on a small construction project for the owner of the Paradise Bed & Breakfast in Key West, while Callahan makes himself at home, scrounging the occasional gourmet fish dinner and chumming around with the island’s Hemingway cats. But trouble soon shows up when Ginger Browne, the inn’s owner, discovers that a guest has perished in their nicest suite. Format: Print, Digital

A Lethal Lake Effect by Lorraine Bartlett (Cozy Mystery)
Things go awry for Katie Bonner when her former mother-in-law, Margo, throws a housewarming party at her lakeside rental and one of her guests ends up dead in the water. Maxwell Preston was a devoted husband–and a not-so-great dad. He was a beloved pharmacist who didn’t take care of his ramshackle property, which is destined to be a hot commodity on Victoria Square when his heir puts it up for sale. But most of all, Preston was a stranger to the others who attended the party. Format: Digital

How to Solve Murders Like a Lady by Hannah Dolby (Historical Mystery)
Violet Hamilton is no ordinary lady…She is a Lady Detective, who spends her time solving mysteries and unveiling scandals in the bustling seaside town of Hastings and St Leonards, a popular spot for the Victorian middle classes. But when the body of a local woman is found on the beach, Violet’s efforts to investigate are blocked at every turn. Format: Print, Digital

Death in le Jardin by Ian Moore (Cozy Mystery)
On the surface, Richard Ainsworth has life where he wants it. Middle-aged navel gazing and Olympic levels of procrastination are exactly what rural life in France should be about. Then crisis hits his posh B&B when redoubtable housekeeper, Madame Tablier, is accused of murder. Even more surprisingly, it’s the murder of a former fiancé, turned brother-in-law. None of which the stubborn old woman denies. Format: Print, Digital

The Angsana Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu (Historical Mystery 1940s)
When all the angsana trees on the island bloom at the same time it’s a glorious fragrant display that lasts only one day… and the next morning Su Lin comes across an old friend laughing hysterically while holding her dead lover on the thick carpet of yellow flowers by the quarry pool that was their childhood haunt. She instantly realises her friend could not be the killer as she could not have sliced so cleanly through the man’s throat with no weapon in sight. Format: Digital, Print (Sept 10, 2024)

JUNE 7
A Premonition of Murder by Mary Kennedy (Cozy Mystery)
When Abigail Marchand, Savannah’s famously reclusive heiress, invites the Dream Club ladies to lunch at her Beaux Reeves mansion, Taylor and Ali hope for an invitation to join the distinguished Magnolia Society. But Abigail has a more pressing concern: a recent dream that seems to foretell her death. Format: Print, Digital

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