Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of May 5 – 11, 2024 with five debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading!

MAY 6
The Light Beside The Sea by Connie di Marco (Cozy Mystery)
San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti has been haunted for years by the hit and run death of her fiancé, Michael Sefton. The driver of the vehicle was never apprehended. The lone witness to the accident spoke to no one and now is dead. Even the cold case detective assigned to the case died before any resolution was found. Every time Julia thought she might be getting close to an answer, each clue led only to a dead end. Format: Print, Digital

The 24th Hour by James Patterson (Thriller)
SFPD Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano, and crime writer Cindy Thomas gather at one of San Francisco’s finest restaurants to celebrate exciting news: Cindy is getting married. Before they can raise their glasses, there’s a disturbance in the restaurant. A woman has been assaulted. Claire examines the victim. Lindsay makes an arrest. Yuki takes the case. Cindy covers it. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

MAY 7
Easier Dead Than Drawn by Bailee Abbott (Cozy Mystery)
When the town council hires Chloe Abbington’s close friend, famous wall muralist Lana Easton, to paint a mural advertising the return of the floating amphitheater, not everyone in Whisper Cove is happy about the theater or Lana. Naysayers think the noise from concerts and visitors will disrupt their quiet community. It doesn’t help that a lot of money taken from the town’s budget is being used to pay the muralist for her services. The mood turns even more grim when Lana is found dead, and since Chloe was there alone to discover her body, that makes her the prime suspect. Format: Print, Digital

An Intrigue of Witches by Esme Addison (SFF Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Thirty-year-old Black woman Sidney Taylor is a talented early American history professor, working in fast-paced Washington DC, with her eyes on promotion. She’s also currently persona non grata. Who knew that making an inconvenient historical discovery would see her stuck at her desk, shuffling paper? Format: Print, Digital

I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay (Thriller)
It’s a question everyone asks themselves, but few have to face in real life. English teacher Richard Boyle certainly never thought he would find himself talking down a former student intent on harming others, but when Mark LeDrew shows up at Richard’s school with a bomb strapped to his chest, Richard immediately jumps into action. Thanks to some quick thinking, he averts a major tragedy and is hailed as a hero, but not all the attention focused on him is positive. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Nonna Maria and the Case of the Lost Treasure by Lorenzo Carcaterra (Traditional Mystery)
As Nonna Maria’s longtime pal and sometimes colleague, Captain Murino, in charge of the local carabinieri, never wanted to see harm brought to the doorstep of everyone’s favorite espresso-brewing, counsel-giving amateur sleuth. But when you live a long life, you’re bound to make a few enemies. And when those enemies come calling, you have to rely on friends. Faced with an assassin seeking revenge for a decades-old grudge, Captain Murino has no choice but to turn to Maria, who must use all her neighborly resources, clever faculties, and web of connections to save him from his perilous predicament. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Instruments of Darkness by John Connolly (Private Investigator Mystery)
In Maine, Colleen Clark stands accused of the worst crime a mother can commit: the abduction and possible murder of her child. Everyone—ambitious politicians in an election season, hardened police, ordinary folk—has an opinion on the case, and most believe she is guilty. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Dodge and Burn by Ellen Crosby (Traditional Mystery)
When billionaire philanthropist and art collector Robson Blake hires Sophie Medina to take photographs for him, she doesn’t expect to show up and find her client dead. It seems he was the victim of a burglary gone wrong. But why was his state-of-the-art security system turned off . . . and why, in a house full of priceless Old Masters, is the only thing missing a beautiful but insignificant Ukrainian religious icon? Format: Print, Digital

What Comes Around by Annette Dashofy (Traditional Mystery)
Just as Monongahela County Coroner Zoe Chambers-Adams decides to fire her abrasive chief deputy, Dr. Charles Davis, and put an end to his constant undermining of her position, a suspicious car crash severely injures the county’s only other forensic pathologist. To keep the office operational, Zoe has little choice but to keep Davis on staff. Format: Print, Digital

Blood Rubies by Mailan Doquang (Thriller)
Seven days are all it takes for Rune Sarasin’s life to completely derail. It starts with a routine heist: lifting a pouch of rubies from the Bangkok hotel room of wealthy smuggler Charles Lemaire. Rune nearly gets caught when Lemaire’s goons give chase, but she manages to escape with her boyfriend Kit. Then Kit delivers some terrifying news: his teenage sister Madee has gone missing. They track her cell phone to the dangerous Khlong Toei slum, but the trail ends there. The night gets even worse when Rune realizes she lost the pouch of gems somewhere in the slum while searching for Madee. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Stolen Pieces by S.K. Golden (Heist Crime Mystery)
Ex-con artist Bee Cardello is going legit. Divorced from her mafia boss husband, she is determined to stay on the straight and narrow. So, when ex-hubby Charlie steals $37.5 million from a dangerous kingpin, who puts out a hit on Bee and her ten-year-old son Oliver, she finds herself pulled back into the life she’s worked so hard to escape. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Star Struck by Marjorie McCown (Historical Mystery 1930s)
Costumer Joey Jessop is working on a movie set in 1930s Hollywood and starring two of the world’s biggest stars. The male lead is also a dedicated social activist, and the female lead, Gillian Best, is known for her lifestyle brand. After a hit-and-run near the set, Joey realizes that the car involved belongs to Gillian, and she begins to wonder if the actress has more to hide than her Botox appointments. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder at Tanton Towers by Amy Myers (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Everyone told Cara Shelly that she was crazy to set up a café in the shadow of eccentric Kentish stately home Tanton Towers. But now, three years later, the forty-something single mother can’t believe her good luck. The Happy Huffkin café is thriving, and Cara considers the Tanton Towers staff – and its equally eccentric owners, Max and Alison – to be more like family than colleagues. Three cheers for Tanton Towers! Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Bad Boy Beat by Clea Simon (Thriller)
Boston Standard journalist Emily – Em – Kelton is desperate for a big story. As a new reporter Em covers the police beat, which has her responding to every crime that comes across the newsroom scanner. Despite the drudgery and the largely nocturnal hours, it’s a beat that suits her – especially with her affinity for the low-level criminals she regularly interacts with and what she considers a healthy skepticism for the rules. Format: Print, Digital

Lightning Strikes the Silence by Iona Whishaw (Historical Mystery 1940s)
A warm June afternoon in King’s Cove is interrupted by an explosion. Following the sound, Lane goes to investigate. Up a steep path she discovers a secluded cabin and, hiding nearby, a young Japanese girl injured and mute, but very much alive. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

MAY 8
Corpse in the Craftsman Cottage by Lori Pollard-Johnson (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Thirty-four, newly divorced and parenting two little girls, Jan Weatherly is determined to make it on her own doing what she knows best: do-it-yourself home flipping. With her BFF Pam Bacchus by her side, she purchases their first fixer-upper—a cute Craftsman cottage with quick profit potential in rainy Rainier, Washington. With the first swing of her claw hammer, however, Jan pries back faux cedar paneling and reveals a nude, snow-haired corpse floating in a makeshift aquarium. Format: Print, Digital

Murder at the Paris Fashion House by Nancy Warren (Historical Mystery 1920s) *first book in a new series*
When news reporter Abigail Dixon trades the Chicago newsroom for the Paris fashion scene, she finds herself dazzled by the latest looks from Coco Chanel, sipping champagne at the Ritz, and interviewing a famous designer. Stepping into his luxurious atelier on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Abigail is ready to swoon over the exquisite gowns. The last thing she expects to find is her estranged stepmother lying dead on the fitting room floor – and Abigail framed as the prime suspect. Format: Print, Digital

The Body in the Fountain by Diana Xarissa (Cozy Mystery)
It’s the weekend before Valentine’s Day and the lodge is full of happy couples ready to celebrate over two very special days. The guests include not just Abigail’s boyfriend, but also Mandy and her boyfriend. Everyone is having a wonderful time until they all go on a hayride at the local park. Format: Print, Digital

MAY 9
Hattie Brings the House Down by Patrick Gleeson (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Troublesome directors and fastidious assistants soon become the least of Hattie’s worries as, a week into rehearsals, an actress is found dead backstage on the same day that an extremely valuable theatrical mask goes missing. Format: Print, Digital

MAY 10
Better Safe Than Sorry by Mike Martin (Traditional Mystery)
Winston Windflower is sort of enjoying his retirement from the RCMP in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, happily spending time with his young family, but feeling a little restless. Corporal Eddie Tizzard is running the Marystown detachment and struggling with the demands of the role while his own family grows. When a new kind of drug threatens the community, a body (the wrong body) is found dead in a hearse, and then another drug-connected mysterious death occurs, Tizzard knows he’s dealing with a deadly menace in their quiet, close-knit community. Format: Print, Digital

Dazed in Colorado by Diana Xarissa (Cozy Mystery)
I was excited to finally be making the trip to Colorado that I’d planned for earlier in the year. Sure, July was going to be hotter than May would have been, but I was still going to enjoy the breathtaking scenery on my first-ever trip to Colorado Springs. Format: Print, Digital

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