Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing the week of March 2 – 8, 2025 with four debut series. I hope a few of these books take you on a reading adventure!
MARCH 2
Strait Through the Heart by Colin Conway (Traditional Mystery)
Former Deputy Sam Strait follows some simple guidelines to give him the life he wants. The first rule? Only be where flip-flops can be worn. This principle, along with several others, has helped Sam follow the sun and avoid the brutal winters of the Pacific Northwest. Format: Print, Digital
MARCH 3
Death at the Village Chess Club by Debbie Young (Cozy Mystery)
With her Curiosity Shop open for business, Alice Carroll is finally settling into life in the picturesque Cotswold village of Little Pride. But then her old life comes knocking… Alice’s ex boyfriend, Steven, who dumped her to travel the world, has run out of money and asks Alice to sell off his collection of chess sets. Format: Print, Digital, Audio
MARCH 4
Glory Daze by Danielle Arceneaux (Traditional Mystery)
After her life was turned upside down by solving the murder of her best friend, Sister Amity Gay, all Glory Brousard wanted was a little peace and quiet. That included getting back to her Sunday morning routine as a bookie in a coffee shop, and planning the annual Mardi Gras gala for her church. But there’s no rest for Glory once the woman who broke up her marriage walks in to CC’s Coffee House and asks for help finding her missing husband. It doesn’t take long before Glory finds him . . . with a knife impaled in his chest. Format: Print, Digital
High Tea and Misdemeanors by Laura Childs (Cozy Mystery)
Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are tapped to cater the elegant wedding of Bettina and Jamie. Theodosia and Drayton are setting up when they hear a crash from the greenhouse. Shockingly, they discover that part of the roof has collapsed trapping a bridesmaid and the groom. He will pull through but the bridesmaid is no more. Theodosia is convinced it was murder. Format: Print, Digital
Tunnel Vision by Wendy Church (Traditional Mystery)
Gang-related murders cast a dark shadow over the city as a new player emerges in the deadly fentanyl trade. Maude Kaminski, technical analyst for the Chicago PD, takes her place on the task force created to end the bloody territory wars. Format: Print, Digital
Ambush by Colleen Coble (Traditional Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Paradise Alden’s childhood in Nova Cambridge, Alabama, was idyllic until the night her parents were murdered. Since then, life has left her scarred. The abuse she suffered in the foster care system, her first love’s betrayal, and the jaguar attack that nearly destroyed her career have led to an unshakable distrust–in men, in God, and maybe in even in herself. Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano (Humorous Mystery)
Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go . . . except Finlay’s house, right across the street. Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Murder of a Recluse by Jeanne M. Dams (Historical Mystery 1920s)
Now happily married to lawyer Fred, Elizabeth Wilkins is ready for whatever married life throws at her. So when Fred comes home anxious about his new client, Caroline Dobbs, who’s suspected of murdering her elderly Aunt Agatha, Elizabeth can’t help getting involved. Caroline was seen arguing with her aunt at Agatha’s farm on the outskirts of town the day she died by neighbour and local gossip-monger, Miss Edwards, but Fred is convinced of Caroline’s innocence. Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Not the Trip We Planned by Linda N. Edelstein and Carol G. Kerr (Cozy Mystery)
Chickie and Maddy are aging in their typical yin and yang styles when old friend Lena’s husband, Edward, suddenly dies. Maddy, a retired social worker, is eager to offer support; Chickie, a chronically underemployed journalist, is peeved at the inconvenience. Friendship prevails and the two reluctantly return to Chicago, where they’d all met decades earlier. Format: Print, Digital
Playing Dead edited by Martin Edwards (Crime Fiction Short Story Collection)
A long-married crime-writing couple plot murder most horrid, with a jaw-dropping twist . . . A group of school friends dig up a long-buried dark secret . . . A widower joins a local amdram society, with surprisingly dramatic results . . . A deranged fan stalks a celebrated TV personality . . . An online romance turns sour . . . and much, much more. From police procedurals to the sharpest satire, from historical mystery to dark and twisted chillers, these twenty-two original tales, written by some of Britain’s most remarkable bestselling authors, are essential reading for crime and mystery fans. Format: Print, Digital
A Disgraceful Embrace by Nev March (Crime Fiction Short Story)
Award-winning author Nev March takes a page from Conan-Doyle in this story, which includes a teaser for the upcoming novel, The Silversmith’s Puzzle. Summoned by an urgent cable, Jim and Diana need to soon leave London for Bombay. But Jim must first investigate the awkward case that his boss, Alfred Dupree, had assigned him. When Jim arrives, beaming with satisfaction, Diana implores him to explain. Jim’s client was discovered in a “disgraceful embrace,” and sent to Newgate Prison. Here he regales Diana and her uncle about this sticky situation and its unexpected solution. Format: Digital
Zonked in the Zucchinis by Dale Mayer (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Doreen is slowly recovering from the mad yet joyous ending to last year, as she faces the new year and what it might bring. Since she’s now engaged to Mack—and everyone around her is pressuring her to pick a wedding date and hopefully soon—she yearns for another case to keep her busy. Format: Digital
A Pre-Med(itated) Murder by Niru Mohandas (Medical Thriller)
In a hospital, every patient is a mystery and every doctor a detective. Third-year medical student, Neena Sundar, is eager to put her years of book learning to use. Equipped with a brand-new stethoscope and armed with as many pocketsized reference books as she can cram into her short white coat, Neena enters the halls of a teaching hospital for the first time. Despite rumors circulating about the Curse of the Surgical Rotation, she joins the surgical team on their rounds, scrubs in on marathon surgeries, and masters the art of scut. Format: Print, Digital
Broken Fields by Marcie R. Rendon (Suspense)
It’s spring in the Red River Valley and Cash Blackbear is doing fieldwork for a local farmer—until she finds him dead on the kitchen floor of the property’s rented farmhouse. The tenant, a Native field laborer, and his wife are nowhere to be found, but Cash discovers their young daughter, Shawnee, cowering under a bed. The girl, a possible witness to the killing, is too terrified to speak. Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Vanishing into the 100% Dark by Amber Royer (Cozy Mystery)
Bean to chocolate maker Felicity Koerber has been invited to be part of a chocolate festival in Tokyo. It’s a big deal for a Texas gal with a chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand, so a whole group of her friends come along to support her. It’s intimidating enough to be giving a class on chocolate making with the help of a translator – she also stumbles across the scene of a murder, where a quirky group of international actors and stunt performers are making a monster movie. Felicity has already solved half a dozen murders back in Texas, so at this point her friends basically expect her to get involved – even before the young media influencer in Felicity’s group becomes the main suspect. Felicity has taken on the role of chaperone for Chloe, so she can’t imagine how she could explain what went wrong to the girl’s mother. Which gives her even more motivation to figure out the real killer. Format: Digital
The Butterfly Trap by Clea Simon (Psychological Suspense)
Greg has his life all planned out: become a doctor, buy a house, and have a wife and children – and when he meets Anya during his post-doc studies in Boston, all of his dreams seem to come true. It’s love at first sight, and Greg doesn’t shy away from changing his life to provide Anya, his beautiful butterfly, with everything she wants and needs. Format: Print, Digital, Audio
No. 10 Doyers Street by Radha Vatsal (Historical Mystery 1900s)
Archana Morley knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As a woman journalist from India making her way through the cutthroat world of tabloid newspapers, she’s always on the lookout for untold stories. In the aftermath of a bloody shooting in Chinatown, Archana finds her most challenging subject—the dreaded gangster Mock Duck. But she realizes that things are not as they seem when the mayor declares Chinatown must be demolished, and the authorities raid Mock’s home and tear apart his family. She embarks on a quest for the truth that leads her from gritty alleys to the back-room politics of City Hall and beyond. Format: Print, Digital
Chasing Cupid by Erica Wynters (Romantic Suspense) *first book in a new series*
Becca Whitney, the voice behind the wildly popular love advice column Chasing Cupid, lives and breathes romance. But her idealistic world takes a dangerous turn when a piece of advice—encouraging a reader to leave an abusive relationship—puts her in the crosshairs of a vengeful, unhinged ex-boyfriend. Format: Digital
MARCH 7
Better Off Dead by Glenda Carroll (Traditional Mystery)
Successful Marin County, Ca financier, Andy Barlow, is training in the cold San Francisco Bay for a competitive open water swim. Unexpectedly, his support boat runs him over midstroke, killing the swimmer instantaneously. Consumed with grief and anger, Andy’s college-aged son Harrison, returns from London to probe what really happened. Although the local sheriff’s office calls the tragedy an accident, Harrison refuses to believe their findings. He reaches out to amateur sleuth Trisha Carson to hunt down the real killer. Format: Print, Digital
Madame Pompette Sets Up Shop by Libby Castle (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
When former circus fortune teller Charlotte Pompette hangs up her crystal ball to open a quaint tea shop in the picturesque English village of Saint-Luke’s-Upon-the-Water, she hopes for nothing more than peace, quiet, and a dash of Earl Grey. With her spirited pink-haired assistant Rosie, a cast of quirky neighbours, and her enigmatic black cat Tarot by her side, Charlie is ready to embrace a simpler life. The stars, she predicts, are aligned for success. Format: Digital
A Poisonous Plot by Hannah Ellis (Cozy Mystery)
When Lily moved to the Isles of Scilly for a fresh start, her plans were simple: open an ice cream shop and find out who owns the building she’s renting. But her peaceful new life is shaken when a local Italian restaurateur begs for help—someone’s been tampering with his food and poisoning his customers, and he’s convinced it’s no accident. Format: Print, Digital
Note: in some cases, print releases for digital titles will be forthcoming.