Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of June 23 – 29, 2024 with three debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading!

JUNE 24
The Case of the Secretive Secretary by Cathy Ace (Cozy Mystery)
When private investigator Mavis MacDonald grudgingly allows Dowager Duchess Althea Twyst to accompany her to investigate some puzzling problems at a picturesque hotel near the Welsh coastal town of Tenby, they find themselves facing an unexpected death, a group of quirky residents…and danger. Format: Print, Digital

Death By Betrayal by Abigail Keam (Cozy Mystery)
Josiah knows all about betrayal. In the glamorous Bluegrass world of oak-cured bourbon, antebellum mansions, and Thoroughbred horse farms, betrayals never die—never remain hidden. The dark and bloody land called Kentucky eventually gives up its secrets from its dark, loamy soil, laying them bare for all to see. Format: Print, Digital

JUNE 25
Peg and Rose Play The Ponies by Laurien Berenson (Cozy Mystery)
From the moment Peg arrives in Kentucky, dragging level-headed Rose along for the week-long excursion proves a smart move. Because after she brings her canine expertise to prestigious conformation shows, next on the agenda is selling her Thoroughbred broodmare’s offspring at a high-stakes yearling sale. And when the ladies arrive to meet the young horse at Six Oaks farm, something seems off about the place—especially Jim Grable, the yearling manager with serious anger issues . . . Format: Print, Digital, Audio

You’ll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan (Private Investigator Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Working alone as a private investigator is tough. Estranged from her PI family, Margo Angelhart does what she must to get by—including taking on sordid cases that pay the bills, even if she’d rather be helping those the justice system has failed. That is, until a cheating husband case she’s working intersects with her siblings’ corporate espionage investigation, forcing Margo to cooperate with the Angelhart firm. Now, as the siblings compare notes, it’s clear they need to work together before a white-collar crime escalates to murder. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Firework Frenzy by Kathi Daley (Cozy Mystery)
Tess and the entire gang who work and volunteer at the local wild and domestic animal rescue and rehabilitation facility, are up in arms when they find out that the annual fireworks show has been moved to a small lake nestled in the center of a large meadow not all that far from the shelter. Tess tries to explain how setting off explosives of any sort near the shelter will stress out all the animals in their care. She argues that the firework display should be moved back to the larger lake south of town where it has always been held. It seems however that the new president of the local chamber of commerce has his own reasons for moving the show and refuses to cooperate. When the unpleasant man shows up dead hours after Tess publicly threatens him, Tess finds herself in the hot seat. As crazy as it is that anyone would believe she would actually carry through with her threats, it seems the only way to really clear her name is to find the real killer. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder at the Rusty Anchor by Maddie Day (Cozy Mystery)
A rainy July weekend in Westham means the beaches are empty and business is dead at Mac’s Bikes but couldn’t be livelier inside the Rusty Anchor Pub. But come Monday morning one patron is not so lively when the chef opens up and finds a body behind the bar. It’s last call for Bruce Byrne, an elderly high school teacher who’s been around so long it seems like he taught everybody. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Daughter Of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd (Historical Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here’s the thing: That’s not how it ended at all. Romeo and Juliet are alive and well and the parents of seven kids. I’m the oldest, with the emphasis on ‘old’—a certified spinster at twenty, and happy to stay that way. It’s not easy to keep your taste for romance with parents like mine. Picture it—constant monologues, passionate declarations, fighting, making up, making out . . . it’s exhausting. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Terminal Surf by Brendan DuBois (Private Investigator Mystery)
When retired Department of Defense analyst and local columnist, Lewis Cole, stumbles upon a harrowing scene—a drowned migrant woman and her child—he is thrust into the middle of a thriving human smuggling operation on the coasts of New Hampshire and Maine. Appalled by the discovery and determined to unveil the hidden machinery of this inhumane trade, Lewis navigates the choppy waters of local politics, high emotions, and escalating violence. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder At An English Séance by Jessica Ellicott (Historical Mystery 1910s)
Hidden beneath her British reserve, Edwina has a secret: she’s finished her novel and is bravely mailing the manuscript to a publisher. Beryl also has a secret: as thanks for solving a case, the American adventuress has been gifted an airplane. After swooping over the fields and hedgerows of Walmsley Parva, livestock scattering beneath her, she flamboyantly lands the plane on the village green, prompting a startled Edwina to consider a stiff gin fizz. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Historical Mystery 1900s)
Frances and her husband, George, have two points of interest in Paris. One is an impromptu holiday to visit the Paris Exposition. The other is personal. George’s Aunt Julia has requested her nephew’s help in looking into the suspicious death of renowned artist Paul Ducasse. Though Julia is not entirely forthcoming about her reasons, she is clearly a woman mourning a lost love. Format: Print, Digital

Nothing but the Truth by Robyn Gigl (Legal Thriller)
New Jersey State Trooper Jon Mazer has been charged with killing Black investigative reporter Stewart Marshall in a racially charged, headline-making murder. The evidence against criminal defense attorney Erin McCabe’s new client is overwhelming. The gun used is Mazer’s off-duty weapon. Fingerprints and carpet fibers link Mazer to the crime. And Mazer was patrolling Marshall’s neighborhood shortly before the victim took three bullets to the chest. Mazer’s argument? He’s a gay officer being set up to take the fall in an even bigger story. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Requiem For A Mouse by Miranda James (Cozy Mystery)
At last, Charlie and Helen Louise’s wedding is only a month away. They’re busy preparing for the big day, and the last thing Charlie needs is a new mystery to solve. Enter Tara Martin, a shy, peculiar woman who has recently started working part-time at Helen Louise’s bistro and helping Charlie in the archive. Tara isn’t exactly friendly and she has an angry outburst at the library that leaves Charlie baffled. And then she abruptly leaves a catered housewarming party Charlie’s son Sean is throwing to celebrate his new home in the middle of her work shift. Before ducking out of the party, Tara looked terrified and Charlie wonders if she’s deliberately trying to escape notice. Is she hiding from someone? Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder Buys a One-Way Ticket by Laura Levine (Cozy Mystery)
What could be more idyllic than starting a new gig with an exclusive train ride from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara? Turns out, a whole lot. Jaine must figure out how to tolerate her client—Chip Miller, aka Iron Man, a wealthy gym chain owner—who Jaine soon discovers is a tyrant and a bully with an ego as pumped as his pecs. Format: Print, Digital

A Murder for the Sages by Amy Lillard (Cozy Mystery)
The unusual death of local herb farmer, Ginger Reed, is the talk of Yoder. Naturally, Sissy is intrigued. The official report classifies Ginger’s demise as an accident, concluding that she ran herself over with a tractor. But Sissy’s cousin, Naomi, a friend and longtime employee of Ginger’s, insists that’s impossible. When she asks for Sissy’s help in unearthing the truth, Sissy’s on the case—accompanied as ever by her loyal Yorkie companion, Duke . . . Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Come Shell or High Water by Molly MacRae (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
As a professional storyteller, Maureen Nash can’t help but see the narrative cues woven through her life. Like the series of letters addressed to her late husband from a stranger—the proprietor of The Moon Shell, a shop on Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. The store is famous with shell collectors, but it’s the cryptic letters from Allen Withrow, the shop’s owner, that convince Maureen to travel to the small coastal town in the middle of hurricane season. At the very least, she expects she’ll get a good story out of the experience, never anticipating it could end up a murder mystery . . . Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Farewell Performance by Donna Huston Murray (Cozy Mystery) *re-release*
Returning home to star in a movie about going home, Jan Fairchild stirs up old resentments galore. When the actress is found dead the morning after a nostalgic pajama party, several of her former high-school girlfriends become murder suspects—including amateur sleuth Ginger Barnes. Format: Print, Digital

Haunting License by Carol J. Perry (Cozy Mystery)
It’s June in Haven, Florida, a “between seasons” time in the tourism business, and Maureen’s Haven House Inn is feeling the pinch. There are plenty of ghosts in residence, but Maureen needs living guests to pay the bills. Inspired by an old brochure she finds in a trunk she inherited along with the inn from her mysterious benefactor Penelope Josephine Gray, she gets the brilliant idea to revive a June fishing tournament from twenty years ago, hoping to reel in anglers who’d love to catch the Gulf Coast’s popular kingfish and take home a trophy. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Silenced Witness by K.D. Richards (Mystery Romance)
After her brother dies under a cloud of suspicion, Alexis Douglas will do whatever it takes to clear his name. Enlisting the help of TJ Roman proves a double-edged sword. Her brother’s onetime best friend, the ex-military PI can’t afford any missteps. Alexis’s safety is all that matters, despite the powerful attraction drawing them closer. Up against a killer desperate to keep the truth buried, TJ must step up his game before he and Alexis are both silenced forever. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

A Chocolate is Announced by Amber Royer (Cozy Mystery)
Felicity Koerber is finally getting her life together. She has a fiancé, her bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand has become a gathering spot for the community, and she is ready to embrace whatever the future holds. She’s ready for another launch party – despite the disaster at her grand opening, when she’d first gotten involved with solving a murder. And this time she’s embracing her status as a sleuth. Format: Print, Digital

Masquerades Can Be Murder by Susan Santangelo (Cozy Mystery)
Carol Andrews is a happy woman. Her retired husband Jim finally has a project that will get him out of the house and out of her hair every day—organizing the reenactment of their town’s 1779 Revolutionary War battle. While Jim’s focused on meetings and marching practices, Carol plans to shop ’til she drops (using her secret credit card) and enjoy frequent lunches out with friends. Format: Print, Digital

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