Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of October 29 – November 4, 2023 with four debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading!

OCTOBER 29
The Cajun Circle by Keith Donnelly (Private Investigator Mystery)
April Lake is missing. When Donald Youngblood is persuaded by a desperate mother to look for her missing daughter, little does Youngblood know that the trail of an apparent runaway will lead him into the dark and sinister world of human trafficking, facilitated by a criminal organization known as The Cajun Circle. Format: Print, Digital (Spring 2024)

OCTOBER 30
Murder in a French Village by Merryn Allingham (Cozy Mystery)
Jack is stunned to receive a call from his estranged mother, Sybil, asking him to drop everything and come to France. Together with Flora, his fellow sleuth, they pack their suitcases, dreaming of fragrant lavender fields and freshly baked pain au chocolat. It’s only when they arrive that they discover the shocking truth – Sybil’s friend was killed on a street in Paris, and she is desperate for their help. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Death by Theft by Abigail Keam (Cozy Mystery)
Josiah is happy for her pals Lady Elsmere and Shaneika Mary Todd when broodmare Jean Harlow gives birth to a male foal sired by Comanche. The owners of both horses have high hopes the foal will become a stakes winner—maybe even win the Kentucky Derby. The foal has a broad chest, indicating significant lung capacity—important for winning races, but just like his daddy, the foal is ebony with a bad attitude. Format: Print, Digital

Double Cross Dead by Lynn Morrison (Historical Mystery 1920s)
Love is in the air and all eyes are on Windsor Castle, where the royal family is celebrating a new royal engagement. When party invitations are sent to only an elite few, Dora and Rex’s invite comes with strings attached. There’s a traitor hiding within the prince’s inner circle. Dora and Rex, England’s preeminent undercover spy team, are assigned to uncover the turncoat. Format: Print, Digital

Cheap Trills by Wendall Thomas (Screwball Cozy Mystery)
After her mother sneaks off on an Eat, Pray, Love tour to Bali that goes horribly wrong, travel agent Cyd Redondo must outwit a ring of songbird smugglers and take on a killer, all while trying to keep three orphaned, endangered Bali Starling chicks alive in her purse. Format: Print, Digital

OCTOBER 31
Syrup to No Good by Catherine Bruns (Cozy Mystery)
Spring has finally come to Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and with it the end of syrup-making season. But Leila Khoury, new owner of Sappy Endings Farm, won’t be making like molasses any time soon. Her best friend Heather’s wedding is coming up, and Leila will do anything to make sure it lives up to all her sweetest dreams. Format: Print, Digital

Over My Dead Blog by Sarah E. Burr (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
With review requests piling up for her popular book blog, Winnie Lark should be reading. But when her movie star brother arrives for a visit, Winnie must place a bookmark in the pages of her normal life. Winnie thought her seaside cottage in Copper Bay, Massachusetts, would be the perfect spot to reconnect with her twin. Instead, Strider Lark becomes suspect number one when a local reporter is found murdered outside Winnie’s home. With the spotlight on her brother, Winnie takes a page out of the mysteries she loves and launches her own investigation. Format: Digital

Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich (Cozy Mystery)
Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered a freelance assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweler Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds out of his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewelry store on the same day. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Death Drop by Greg Herren (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Glam artist Jem Richard loved making New Orleans’ society mavens feel beautiful—but doesn’t like being stiffed. He reluctantly agrees to help with the make-up for the fall fashion show for the House of Mercereau, but demand payment up front after what happened the last time—when designer Marigny Mercereau’s check bounced. But no one warned him before he arrives, brushes and make-up palettes in hand, that the models he’ll be working on are drag queens! Pressed into service when one of the queens doesn’t show Jim wows the crowds and slays his fellow queens with his style and presentation on the runway. But between trips down the runway (and tequila shots for courage), Jim starts noticing bits and pieces of conversations and arguments showing all is not well behind the scenes of the House of Mercereau, and everyone seems to want Marigny dead. Format: Digital

Steak Through the Heart by Liz Lipperman (Cozy Mystery)
Jordan McAllister’s brother, Danny, is in deep trouble and has been jailed in Amarillo. After a night on the town at the local cowboy bar, Danny had awakened in a seedy motel room next to a naked woman with a steak knife protruding from her chest. Since Danny’s fingerprints are all over the knife, and his DNA is under her nails, he’s charged with the murder of Carlita Fontaine, a dancer at a local strip club. Now Jordan, along with her quirky friends and new fiancé, Dallas FBI agent Alex Moreland, race to Amarillo to try to find a way to help her brother out of his dire situation. Meanwhile, Alex, on leave after a near-death experience in the jungles of Mexico, is asked to assist the local FBI in locating the origins of a more dangerous version of fentanyl. A version that’s being laced with an animal tranquilizer and responsible for a large number of drug-related deaths. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Spoon to be Dead by Dana Mentink (Cozy Mystery)
Trinidad Jones is starting the festive season with sugary confections and a heaping scoop of worry as her shake shop enters its first Oregon winter. With snow abound and tourists trickling through, she’ll do anything to keep her milkshake dreams afloat, even if it means catering a holiday steamboat party for some new arrivals in town. Format: Print, Digital

From a Far and Lovely Country by Alexander McCall Smith (Cozy Mystery)
Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are enjoying a nice meal out at a peri-peri restaurant when an American woman named Julia approaches seeking Mma Ramotswe’s help. Julia’s beloved late grandfather was Botswanan, and he instilled in her an abiding love of his homeland. Now, years after his passing, Julia has come to visit the land he had spoken of so often and to find her relatives. Unfortunately, her grandfather’s stories, while charming and entertaining, were somewhat light on detail; all Julia can remember are a few first names and some descriptions of his village. It’s not a lot to go on, but if anyone is well poised to help, it’s Mma Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier detective. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

NOVEMBER 1
The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen (Thriller) *first book in a new series*
Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Lights Out by Elise Hart Kipness (Domestic Thriller) *first book in a new series*
Former Olympic athlete and sports reporter Kate Green isn’t sure how much more tumultuous her life can get. She’s been put on temporary leave from her job, then NBA superstar Kurt Robbins is killed and the prime suspect in his murder is none other than his wife…and Kate’s best friend. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Chasing Ashes by Joanne McLaughlin (Traditional Mystery)
In 1992, shortly before a tragic fire on their college campus, Laura Cunningham saw her best friend, Kate McDonald, for the last time. The fire’s 20th anniversary elicits Laura’s guilt and ignites her passion to learn what actually happened to Kate. Now a journalist, Laura teams up with her hot detective ex-husband to pursue cold leads in hopes of sparking interest in the decades-old mystery of what happened that day. Format: Digital

NOVEMBER 2
Dagger of Death at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison (Cozy Mystery)
At last St Mary’s church is going to have its own vicar! Not only that, the gorgeous Reverend Pritchard is sixty, single… and in need of a wife. But when he spearheads a campaign to restore a derelict chapel – rumoured to be haunted by a German Luftwaffe pilot- in a far-flung corner of the Honeychurch estate, the Dowager Countess puts her foot down. But nobody quite understands why…Format: Print, Digital

Candy Cane Killer by Katie Forrest writing as Mona Marple (Cozy Mystery)
Welcome to Candy Cane Hollow, a charming town full of excitement and secrets. Join Holly as she tackles her biggest challenge yet – solving a high-profile mystery while planning her dream wedding. The arrival of Angel Albright, the superstar pop sensation, has set tongues wagging in the town. But beneath the glitz and glamour lies a darker truth – someone is threatening her life. As the gossip mill churns, Holly must use all her investigative skills to uncover the truth behind the threats and protect Angel from harm. Format: Digital