Searching for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing the week of October 5 – 11, 2025 with two debut series. I hope a few of these books take you on a reading adventure!
OCTOBER 5
SNAKEBERRY edited by Christine Bagley, Susan Oleksiw, Ang Pompano, & Leslie Wheeler (Crime Fiction Short Story Anthology)
Readers root for a criminal in fiction (or in real life) for many reasons. Perhaps the criminal is fighting an injustice, or she acts impulsively and we recognize the temptation, and sometimes it’s as simple as wishing we could do something like that crime and get away with it. Format: Digital, Print
Beside the Hollow Oak by Veronica Mixon (Cozy Mystery)
When a powerful storm uproots a centuries-old oak on the edge of Forsyth Park, it reveals more than twisted roots—beneath the hollow trunk lies a rusted tin box, a faded photograph, and a name that stops Emma Lynn Whitmore cold. Format: Digital, Print
OCTOBER 6
Script Swap by Gregory Ashe (Cozy Mystery)
Dashiell Dawson Dane isn’t thrilled that a new play at the community theater is based (however loosely) on his life. But when Dash’s friend Fox asks him to attend opening night, things take a strange turn: the actor playing Dash’s role seems to have been given a different script. Even stranger, the new lines trigger a bizarre response from the rest of the cast and crew—right before the lights go out and the box office is robbed. Format: Digital, Print
Murder, She Rolled by Shelly Jones (Cozy Mystery)
Wren Winters is thrilled when her gaming group is invited to join the town’s new superstar streamer Noelle Williams for a live demo—after all, a little publicity could put Wren’s board game shop, the Cardboard Sheep, on the map. But moments before they go live, Noelle collapses on camera, and by the time Wren arrives at her house, Noelle is dead and the police are swarming. Format: Digital, Print
OCTOBER 7
Antiques Round-Up by Barbara Allan (Cozy Mystery)
Spring! The season of hope, possibilities . . . and an opportunity for Brandy Borne and her mother Vivian to replenish their Trash ‘n’ Treasures shop. With Western antiques in demand, Vivian (true-crime author, amateur sleuth) ropes Brandy (reluctant Watson to her mother’s Sherlock) into hitting the trail for Tranquility, Texas, where a city-wide yard sale awaits. Format: Digital, Print
Killer Flock by Shannon Baker (Police Procedural)
Kate Fox has her hands full when her sister Louise and her father’s latest ex-girlfriend, Deenie, show up at her doorstep just as a freak snowstorm comes bearing down. But when the sheriff—snowbound and stranded out of town—calls on Kate to assist a van of bird-watchers stuck along the road, she has no idea what she’s signed up for. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Poison and Pooches by Sandra Balzo *first book in a new series* (Cozy Mystery)
Lucky dog-sitter Arial Mayes Kingston has inherited property in Monterey, California. But the novelty of being a first-time homeowner is short-lived due to a noxious termite fumigation in the guest house and the discovery of a body under the floorboards. Format: Digital, Print
Mockingbird Court by Juneau Black (Cozy Mystery)
It’s a crisp, cool autumn in Shady Hollow, and preparations are underway for the annual Harvest Festival. Creatures have flocked from far and wide to partake in the seasonal festivities, from pumpkin carving to pie tasting to soup throwing. With all these new faces around town, it’s the perfect time for someone to slip in unnoticed. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Mrs. Pargeter’s Past by Simon Brett (Heist Crime)
Mrs Pargeter’s friends know two important details about her marriage to her late husband. First, that it was blissfully happy. And second, that Mr Pargeter was not a man to bring his work home with him. So, while the chance of her ever being asked by the police what he did for a living is, naturally, remote, Mrs Pargeter would be able to reply, in all honesty, that she doesn’t know. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Book ‘Em Eddie by Laurie Cass (Cozy Mystery)
The Chilson library bookmobile has a new stop on its route: Honey Hollow Adult Foster Care. When Minnie learns that Honey Hollow is just down the road from an enclave of gorgeous Victorian homes, she decides she has to take a look, especially after she learns about identical houses that stood side by side, and were owned by twin siblings. But when Minnie and Eddie and the bookmobile take their scenic detour, Eddie uncharacteristically escapes from the bookmobile – and finds a woman in the woods, horribly wounded with an arrow. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Bluest Night by Aaron Philip Clark (Private Investigator Mystery)
Families are complicated. Former LAPD detective turned private investigator Trevor Finnegan might have only just learned he has an adult half-brother, but when Avery Dixion goes missing along with his girlfriend Keisha, he springs into action to track his sibling down. Trevor knows from his time in law enforcement that missing Black folk are often at the bottom of the cops’ priority list, and soon his worst fears are realized when Keisha is found dead in Malibu—and Avery is suspected of the crime. Format: Digital, Print
Sisters Before Misters by Amelia Diane Coombs (Cozy Mystery)
Remi and her sisters, Maeve and Eliana, have a knack for stumbling into murder mysteries. And after a killer family camping trip last year, they’re back together for a Halloween they’ll never forget. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Sharp Force by Patrica Cornwell (Medical Thriller)
During the early hours of Christmas morning, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta receives a chilling call. The Phantom Slasher has struck again. The serial killer has terrorized Northern Virginia for months. His pattern is to stalk with a sophisticated technology that enables him to invade his victims’ homes and watch their every move. They wake up to a ghost-like hologram before being murdered in their beds. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Masquerade Murder by Kathi Daley (Cozy Mystery)
Piper doesn’t believe in haunted tales—until she sees something she can’t explain. As she juggles mysterious sightings, spooky secrets, and her desire to make the ball a career-defining success, she finds herself pulled deeper into the heart of Holiday Bay and the lives of the people she’s grown to love. Format: Digital, Print
Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards (Traditional Mystery)
Six down-on-their-luck people with links to the world of crime writing have been invited to play a game this Christmas by the mysterious Midwinter Trust. The challenge seems simple but exciting: Solve the murder of a fictional crime writer in a remote but wonderfully atmospheric village in north Yorkshire to win a prize that will change your fortunes for good. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes by Rosie Grant (Cookbook)
From the creator of @GhostlyArchive, Rosie Grant, comes 40 recipes from headstones to graves, each with a story to tell. For so many, food is a touching, nostalgic thing that brings us together. So much so that some families choose to remember their loved ones through the dishes they made and the food that brought comfort to those around them by immortalizing their recipes on their gravestones. Format: Digital, Print
The Alpine Decision by Seeley James (Thriller)
In an exclusive resort high in the Austrian Alps, the ultra-rich gather to plot an oligarchy with their wives, lovers, and others when a blizzard cuts them off from the world. Thirteen remain to survive or die trying. Then the first murder is discovered. Pia Sabel is chosen to investigate and apprehend the killer despite the many conspiracy theories churning around the young heiress. Tensions flare, rivalries resurface, and legends begin to unravel as she learns everyone is nursing blackmailable secrets. Format: Digital, Print
Sinister Séance by Amanda M. Lee (Paranormal Mystery)
Twenty years ago teenager Bree Watson had the world at her fingertips. The only thing she was worried about was which Grimlock brother she had the biggest crush on. Then, in a moment of confusion while playing with a Ouija board, she disappeared. Nobody knew what happened to her. Her parents were c Format: Digital, Print
Giving Up the Ghost by Marilyn Levinson (Paranormal Mystery)
Divorcee, Gabbie Meyerson, moves to the sleepy town of Chrissom Harbor, Long Island, to start over and teach English at the local high school. Once she settles into her rental cottage above the Sound, however, she discovers she has an unusual housemate—the ghost of Cameron Leeds, who used to live in the cottage. Cam insists his death was no accident, and implores Gabbie to find out who murdered him. After she recovers from her initial shock, she agrees to investigate. Format: Digital
Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason (Paranormal Mystery)
On her last day as a detective, Midge McGowan is given the retirement present from hell: a ticket to a haunted house tour. She’ll have to spend a weekend ghost-hunting in an isolated mansion with a group of misfits, including a know-it-all paranormal investigator and a has-been pop star. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Intruder by Freida McFadden (Psychological Thriller)
Casey’s cabin in the wilderness is not built for a hurricane. Her roof shakes, the lights flicker, and the tree outside her front door sways ominously in the wind. But she’s a lot more worried about the girl she discovers lurking outside her kitchen window. She’s young. She’s alone. And she’s covered in blood. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
A Gargoyle’s Guide to Murder by Gigi Pandian (Cozy Mystery)
Dorian Robert-Houdin is used to living his life in the shadows, his existence only known to a few trusted friends. When a dangerous book from his past resurfaces, he follows his closest confidante, alchemist Zoe Faust, from Oregon to England to investigate. Before he can examine the magical book, Dorian witnesses a murder amidst the foggy lanes of Oxford. But when he takes Zoe to the scene, there’s no body—and no evidence a crime has taken place. Using his unique skills as a gargoyle, Dorian sets out to solve the baffling crime nobody else believes occurred. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Write Way to Die by Beth Prentice *first book in a new series* (Cozy Mystery)
A writing retreat. A famous author. A deadly fall. Aspiring novelist Aubrey Jackson never expected her big break to be wrapped in crime scene tape. Invited to an exclusive writer’s retreat hosted by the legendary author Willow Fox, Aubrey was excited to sharpen her plot twists and finally finish her first book. But when Willow is found dead—pushed from a third story window—the peaceful getaway turns into a real-life investigation. Format: Digital, Print
Murder in the Graveyard edited by Cathy Wiley (Cozy Mystery Short Story Anthology)
The fifth entry in the fan-favorite Destination Murder series, invites you to take a walk among the tombstones—just watch your step. This collection of cozy mystery short stories delivers light chills, clever thrills, and a few restless spirits who may have unfinished business. Format: Digital, Print
Murder in Matrimony by Mary Winters (Historical Mystery)
Countess Amelia Amesbury has her work cut out. As well as balancing her alter ego—secret advice columnist, Lady Agony—and the blackmailer threatening to reveal her real identity, her sister has also announced she’s getting married. It’s joyous news, but places all the planning for a high society wedding firmly at Amelia’s door. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
OCTOBER 8
Knotty by Nature by Sherry Youngquist (Cozy Mystery)
Moving away from a small town is easy. The hard part is coming back and finding where you fit in again. But for Casey June Hart, fitting in is overrated, especially when the town s only very eligible detective tells her not to investigate a murder that could put her family bakery out of business. Format: Digital, Print
Note: in some cases, print releases for digital titles will be forthcoming.