Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of May 19 – 25, 2024 with three debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading!

MAY 21
Double Blast by Gretchen Archer (Humorous Mystery)
Davis Way Cole returns to her hometown of Pine Apple, Alabama, to fill in for her police chief father during the bustling Memorial Day Celebration. It’ll be fun. Relaxing. And a no-brainer. After years of leading an elite security team at a billion-dollar casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, Davis has no doubt whatsoever she can run little ole Pine Apple in her sleep. Format: Print, Digital

Murder in the Air edited by Karen Cantwell and Cathy Wiley (Cozy, Short Story Anthology)
Soar to thrilling new heights of mystery with Murder in the Air, the fourth installment of the Destination Murders anthologies. This exhilarating collection features eight cozy mystery short stories where danger soars and suspense floats on every breeze. Format: Print, Digital

Shanghai Murder by Jessie Chandler (Cozy Mystery)
Shay O’Hanlon and her team of friendly misfits travel from Minnesota to Portland to attend the annual Big on Beans Convention—in search of a new joe for Shay’s café. The crew is poised to spend the weekend flying high on Voodoo Doughnuts and a surplus of caffeine. But bad java, stolen ammunition, and an overheard conversation throw all the fun right out of the Oregon Convention Center’s window. Format: Print, Digital

Swiped by L. M. Chilton (Mystery Romance)
Gwen Turner has made a bloody mess of her life. She recently broke up with the best man she’s ever known for reasons even she can’t admit to herself and quit a lucrative job to open her own coffee shop. To top it all off, her best friend is getting married and leaving her behind in singlehood. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

A Cyclist’s Guide To Crime & Croissants by Ann Claire (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Nine months ago, Sadie Greene shocked friends and family by ditching her sensible office job in the Chicago suburbs and buying a sight-unseen French bicycling tour company, Oui Cycle. Now she’s living the unconventional life of her dreams in the gorgeous village of Sans-Souci-sur-Mer. Sans souci means carefree, but Sadie feels enough pressure to burst a tire when hometown friends arrive for a tour, including her former boss, Dom Appleton. Sadie is determined to show them the wonders of France and cycling—and to prove she made the right move. Format: Print, Digital

The Diva Goes Overboard by Krista Davis (Cozy Mystery)
In Old Town Alexandria’s unlikeliest match, Natasha Smith’s free-spirited mother, Wanda, is engaged to notoriously pompous antiques dealer, Orson Chatsworth—leaving Natasha to plan the entire wedding, beginning with an elaborate engagement party. For the extravagant affair, Natasha splurges on trendy food boards created by rising social media star, Stella St. James. The sumptuous boards go way beyond basic cheese and crackers, as Stella dazzles guests with picture-worthy butter boards, dessert boards, and even doughnut boards. Just as Natasha planned, the food is to die for—until someone actually does. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Double Tap by Cindy Dees (Thriller)
As an elite assassin for the CIA, Helen Warwick was trained to keep a low profile. To blend into the crowd. To eliminate her targets swiftly, silently, and efficiently. But now that she’s retired, Helen is forced to take on a very different, and very public, role—as the proud mother of a rising young politician. At a DC press conference for her son’s campaign, she sees the ominous green light of a gun laser fixed on her son’s head—and her CIA training kicks in. She jumps into action, pushes her son down, and saves him from a sniper’s bullet. In that moment, Helen realizes she will never escape the secrets of her past—or the deranged man she thought she killed. . . Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Lockdown by Sara Driscoll (Police Procedural)
Talking a suspect into sending his hostages out alive is NYPD Detective Gemma Capello’s specialty. Alerted to a school shooting at her nephew’s Brooklyn high school, she is one of the first officers on-scene. Detective Sean Logan and the Apprehension Tactical Team arrive next and immediately enter the school to apprehend the two shooters, while Gemma remains outside to help students evacuate. But as time stretches on, and there is no word of her nephew, her fear builds that he is one of the lost. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

A Limited Edition Murder by Lauren Elliott (Cozy Mystery)
Although enjoying her extended stay working at Second Chance Books and Bindery in West Yorkshire, Addie still feels adrift—far from home, her friends, and her own beloved bookstore, Beyond the Page Books and Curios. The engagement party of her dear friend, Tony, at Milton Manor promises to be a joyful distraction. But there’s an ill wind blowing at the estate: When Tony presents his fiancé with a special copy of Wuthering Heights as an engagement gift, the lord of the manor insists the book was stolen from his library . . . Format: Print, Digital, Audio

A Pose Before Dying by Alex Erickson (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Ashley Branson has a lot to prove with her new cat yoga studio, A Purrfect Pose. It’s a place for humans to find inner wellness—and adopt adorable cats from the local shelter. It’s also a chance for Ash to run her own life, out from under her overbearing mother and a stifling relationship. So far, so successful. Until she discovers one of her new clients, a much-disliked college professor, dead in her studio, locked in child’s pose . . . Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Death Behind Every Door by Heather Graham (Traditional Mystery) *first book in a new series*
When FBI special agent Luke Kendrick discovers chilling evidence of dozens of victims at a crime scene in London, he recognizes the calling card of the notorious H. H. Holmes Society. Named for the eighteenth-century monster regarded as America’s first serial killer, the society is comprised of a twisted web of killers, working to carry out heinous murders in Holmes’s memory. And now the group’s been linked to a Scottish castle turned B and B—where guests check in but never check out. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Liar’s Point by Laura Griffin (Police Procedural)
Detective Nicole Lawson is fed up with her job and nonexistent love life. Her first date in months gets cut short by an urgent call from the chief of police. A body has been discovered at Lighthouse Point, and the medical examiner finds an array of strange clues. When the death is ruled a homicide, the news quickly reverberates through Nicole’s beachside hometown. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Lights, Camera, Bones by Carolyn Haines (Cozy Mystery)
Delaney Detective Agency gets a taste of the spotlight when they are called to a case on a movie set in Greenville, MS, right on the Mississippi River. Marlon Brandon, heir to a wealthy and influential political family, has brought a film crew to town to film a drama about the 1927 flood that submerged a great deal of Greenville. Marlon wants the world to know the story of the flood—and the heroic role the Brandon ancestors played in rescuing dozens of local residents from drowning. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Seminarian by Hart Hanson (Private Investigator Mystery)
Xavier “Priest” Priestly is a snarky former seminarian turned private investigator. Dusty Queen is a hard-as-nails professional stuntwoman and freelance bodyguard. When Dusty’s girlfriend suddenly disappears, a woman in a strange blue wig tries to assassinate Priest, and a twelve-year-old boy shows up claiming to be his son, the two friends are thrown into a maelstrom of intrigue and high-stakes violence that’s as convoluted and dangerous as it is hilarious. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Murder at the Spelling Bee by Lee Hollis (Cozy Mystery)
Twelve-year-old Rocco Fanelli is a spelling bee champ in the making. He’s the odds-on favorite to win the local middle-school bee and go on to the regionals, the state, and ultimately the nationals. Which is why someone is trying to intimidate him to drop out with a threatening note in his locker. Rocco’s concerned parents hire Maya and Sandra to uncover the culprit and ensure their son’s safety. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

You Like It Darker by Stephen King (Suspense)
“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey (Historical Mystery 1910s)
Lady Hardcastle and her tenacious lady’s maid, Florence Armstrong, are enjoying a convivial gathering at the home of their dear friends, the Farley-Strouds. The only fly in the idyllic ointment seems to be the lack of musical entertainment for the forthcoming summer party—until, that is, Lady Hardcastle’s brother Harry calls with news of a murder. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Last Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal (Historical Mystery 1940s)
Maggie Hope has come a long way since she was Mr. Churchill’s secretary. In the face of tremendous danger, she’s learned espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance. But things are different now that she has so much to lose, including the possibility of a family with John Sterling, the man who’s long held her heart. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Truth Truth Lie by Claire McGowan (Thriller)
Amira’s less than thrilled to be spending the weekend with her husband’s university friends. Two of them are hosting a joint fortieth on a private Scottish island, with vintage champagne, expensive gifts, and soaks in the wood-fired hot tub. Despite the luxury, Amira knows she’s going to feel left out, not to mention freezing cold and cut off. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Last to Pie by Misha Popp (Cozy Mystery)
Daisy Ellery is back to doing what she does best: making pies and killing guys. And it’s about to get more dangerous than ever. Daisy knows the statistic–domestic violence perpetrated by cops is rampant. It was only a matter of time before she was called in to help. But when this request arrives in her inbox, it isn’t accompanied by the required referral and that makes Daisy nervous. Is this really a woman trapped in a violent relationship, or is it a shady cop trying to uncover Daisy’s murdery side hustle? Format: Print, Digital, Audio

MAY 23
Sentenced To Murder by Sue Minix (Cozy Mystery)
Just as Jen sits down to start writing her next murder mystery novel, she stumbles across a chilling real-life case: a man who claims he’s been wrongly convicted for murder. Time is running out for Jaylon as he needs a kidney transplant to save his life, something he’ll never receive while he’s in prison for murder. Format: Print, Digital

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