Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of October 20 – 26, 2024 with two debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading!

OCTOBER 21
Between You and Me by Gregory Ashe (Cozy Mystery)
Dashiell Dawson Dane is certain the universe is conspiring against him. After all, things have been good—almost too good—for way too long. He’s got a great group of friends. He’s writing regularly. And things with Bobby seem like they might, maybe, possibly be moving beyond friend territory. It’s all so good, in fact, that it feels like the setup for something truly catastrophic. Not to mention, it’s the weekend before Valentine’s Day. Format: Digital (Print to follow)

OCTOBER 22
The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams (Cozy Mystery)
When an elderly Miracle Springs resident, Lucille Wynter, arranges for Nora to deliver an order of books to her creepy, crumbling Southern Gothic mansion on the outskirts of town, Nora doesn’t expect to be invited in. An agoraphobe, Lucille doesn’t leave Wynter House. But when Lucille doesn’t come to the door to collect her books, Nora begins to worry. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

In the Blink of a Pie by Catherine Bruns (Cozy Mystery)
It’s Thanksgiving in Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and Leila Khoury, manager of Sappy Endings Farm, is ready to usher in the holiday season by hosting a pie-baking contest. The day is meticulously planned, from the judging panel to the maple lattes, and Leila can’t wait for the entire town to enjoy some sweet treats. But when a neighbor drops dead from sampling a poisoned pumpkin pie, it’s not just Leila’s perfect day that’s in jeopardy—her livelihood is now at stake. Format: Print, Digital

Murder Takes The Stage by Colleen Cambridge (Historical Mystery 1930s)
Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is quite in her element at Mallowan Hall, the charming English manor that she keeps in tip-top shape. By contrast, the bustling metropolis of London, where her famed employer Agatha Christie has temporarily relocated, leaves Phyllida a bit out of her depth. Not only must she grapple with a limited staff, but Phyllida also has to rein in a temperamental French cook who has the looks of Hercule Poirot, but none of the charm. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

The Knife Before Christmas by Kate Carlisle (Cozy Mystery)
Christmas has come to Lighthouse Cove, but business hasn’t slowed down for Shannon Hammer. She’s been contracted to renovate a local hotel owned by the Garrisons, a family that’s so devoted to the holidays they serve a seven-course dinner every night from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Last year’s festivities featured a train that transported guests around the breathtaking Cliffside property. This year, Shannon and her crew have been commissioned to build a Victorian-style carnival midway with games and prizes galore. Format: Print, Digital

The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers (Historical Mystery)
Single, 6 foot 2, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams took a job working for America’s first espionage agency, years before cooking or Paris entered the picture. The Secret War of Julia Child traces Julia’s transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to Washington, DC file clerk, to head of General “Wild Bill” Donovan’s secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

In Too Deep by Lee Child and Andrew Child (Thriller)
Jack Reacher wakes up alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a makeshift bed. His right arm has suffered some major damage. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there. The last thing Reacher can recall is the car he hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Fudgy Christmas Murders by Nancy Coco (Cozy Mystery)
This Christmas, event planner Jenn Christensen has come back to Mackinac Island to race for charity in the Santa Fun Run, rekindle her love for CSI tech Shane Carpenter, and indulge in her BFF Allie McMurphy’s fabulous fudge. But there’s one event she didn’t plan—chasing down a killer . . .Format: Digital (Print to follow)

Mystery in the Title by Ian Ferguson & Will Ferguson (Cozy Mystery)
Miranda Abbott, actor, will once again be a star. After a very long dry spell that followed her network hit series, Pastor Fran Investigates, Hollywood has come calling and wants Miranda back. This time, she will be the female lead in an oddly expensive movie of the week being filmed in Happy Rock. Miranda signs on the dotted line, but her trusty assistant, Andrew, a whiz with apps and clouds, thinks it all seems a bit fishy. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Gingerbread Danger by Amanda Flower (Cozy Mystery)
Amish Candy shop owner and star of TV’s Bailey’s Amish Sweets, Bailey King has a lot to be excited about. She’s happily engaged to Aiden Brody, newly appointed county sheriff, and her candy factory is finally having its grand opening in Harvest, Ohio—just before Christmas! Bailey is ready to let the sweet celebrations begin . . .Format: Print, Digital

Murder On The Page by Daryl Wood Gerber (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients’ favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie’s cat, Darcy, approves), and it’s so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette’s Feast and more. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Staying The Course by Rebecca K. Jones (Traditional Mystery)
Tucson prosecutor Mack Wilson is finally finding her stride. With a new girlfriend, Beth Shankar, and her best friend Jess Lafayette back in the Homicide unit, life seems to be settling down. But peace is short-lived as Mack is thrust into a brutal murder investigation amid the chaos of the District Attorney’s reelection campaign. Format: Print

Murder In Highbury by Vanessa Kelly (Historical Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Less than one year into her marriage to respected magistrate George Knightley, Emma has grown unusually content in her newfound partnership and refreshed sense of independence. The height of summer sees the former Miss Woodhouse gracefully balancing the meticulous management of her elegant family estate and a flurry of social engagements, with few worries apart from her beloved father’s health . Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Overture to Murder by Erica Miner (Cozy Mystery)
The curtain comes down on murder in OVERTURE TO MURDER, the third novel of the Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series. Julia heads to the San Francisco Opera, this time with her significant other, former NYPD detective Larry Somers, and their five-year-old daughter Rebecca. Julia is under inordinate amounts of pressure as she replaces the ailing concertmaster, Ben, who has suffered serious injuries in a suspicious hit-and-run accident, which Julia suspects might not have been accidental. Then, one prominent company member becomes the victim of a grisly murder, and Julia cannot resist becoming involved in the investigation. Format: Digital (Print to follow)

A Lethal Truth by Alexis Morgan (Romantic Suspense)
Aubrey Sims escaped a serial killer, but she never stopped looking over her shoulder. And now her deepest fear is beginning again: the killer is back. He’s begun playing a cat and mouse game with Aubrey, making her relive a nightmare that never really went away. Cold case detective Jonah Kelly—a man who has his own past failings to atone for—will do whatever it takes to protect Aubrey. But their wounded hearts are drawing them all too close just as the killer’s noose tightens around them…Format: Print, Digital

Fondue or Die by Korina Moss (Cozy Mystery)
The small town of Yarrow Glen’s neighbor, Lockwood, hosts an annual Labor Day weekend bash: Dairy Days. And Willa Bauer and her cheese shop, Curds & Whey, refuse to miss out on the fun. Willa is thrilled to celebrate her favorite thing—she is a cheesemonger after all—and this festival goes all out: butter sculptures, goat races, cheese wheel relays, even a Miss Dairy pageant. Too bad the pageant runner, Nadine, is treating Dairy Days prep like it’s fondue or die and is putting everyone around her on edge. Format: Print, Digital

You Have Gone Too Far by Carlene O’Connor (Traditional Mystery)
After two pregnant women in Dingle who have never met each receive a chilling email warning them that they’re in grave danger, the two decide to meet each other to figure out what is going on. But when one of the mothers, Shauna, a deaf woman, arrives at their meeting place at the village Spring Festival, she fears a trap and hurries off to meet the couple who plan to adopt her baby. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Late Checkout by Alan Orloff (Traditional Mystery)
Motel proprietor Mess Hopkins is more interested in helping others than turning a profit, so he opens the doors of the Fairfax Manor Inn to those seeking refuge from a bad situation. But when his cousin Finn shows up in trouble, his world is rocked, because Mess had thought Finn was dead, having run away six years earlier. Unfortunately, Finn was in the wrong place at the wrong time and saw the wrong thing—an incident with deadly consequences. Format: Digital (Print to follow)

Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley (Cozy Mystery)
Pizza chef Delilah O’Leary and her kitty companion, Butterball, get into the holiday spirit as Geneva Bay, Wisconsin hosts the nation’s premier snow sculpting championship. The annual event transforms the charming resort town into a wonderland of snow castles, ice rinks, and cozy cups of cocoa. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

Under Lock and Key by K.D. Richards (Romantic Suspense)
Maggie Scott has worked hard to become an assistant curator at the Larimer Museum. But following the theft of a rare, priceless jewel and the murder of her fellow employee and friend, Maggie is suspected of complicity. Only investigator Kevin Lombard believes in her innocence. But thanks to their shared history, he’s hardly objective. In fact, this may be the second chance he never thought possible. First, though, he must prove Maggie’s innocence…and protect the woman he never forgot from whoever is out to get her. Format: Print, Digital

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson (Humorous Mystery)
My name’s Ernest Cunningham. I used to be a fan of reading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays. I was wrong. Format: Print, Digital, Audio

OCTOBER 23
Burn The Diaries and Run by Kate Flora (Traditional Mystery)
Heartbroken and betrayed, college senior Jenny Cates returns home for spring break, seeking solace in her family. Instead, she stumbles upon her mother, a prominent lawyer, brutally attacked in her office. With her last breath before slipping into a coma, her mother utters a desperate plea: Run, Jen. Burn the diaries and run. Format: Print, Digital

OCTOBER 24
A St Ives Christmas Mystery by Deborah Fowler (Cozy Mystery)
When tragedy brings Merrin McKenzie back to St Ives, she knows adjusting might take time, even with the charm of her childhood home at Christmas. As she settles in, Merrin steps back from her career as a solicitor and falls into cleaning holiday rentals for friends who own cottages nearby. She expects to encounter dirty laundry and the odd forgotten phone charger in the course of the changeovers, but certainly didn’t bargain on finding a dead body. Format: Print, Digital

OCTOBER 25
Trouble in Store by Clare Kauter (Cozy Mystery)
And I thought it was going to be a good week. When my least competent coworker messes up his first investigation, I get sent in to clean up the mess. This case is a horror show: dead bodies, missing women, customer service. Basically a waking nightmare. Format: Digital (Print to follow)

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