Searching for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing the week of September 27 – October 3 with three debut series. I hope a few of these books take you on a reading adventure!
SEPTEMBER 29
The Pumpkin Vice Café by Elle Alexander (Cozy Mystery)
As autumn settles over the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, ushering in cool, crisp breezes and a stunning show of color, everyone at Torte is keeping warm by whipping up a bevy of fall treats and spicy lattes. Jules is nearing her due date, and the whole town is abuzz—placing bets on when the twins will make their grand debut. Helen and the team are working on a secret surprise baby shower, complete with cupcakes, cookies, and a feast fit for royalty, or maybe just a mother-to-be. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
A Critical Conjunction by Lorna Barrett (Cozy Mystery)
When Tricia Miles’s sister, Angelica, announces to their chosen family that they’re going into business together, it’s news to Tricia. But rejuvenating Stoneham Stoneware, a struggling kitchen and home goods store, is something the sisters know they can do. It’s a win-win situation. But right after they take possession, they find the store trashed and the previous owner dead. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Peg and Rose Deck the Halls by Laurien Berenson (Cozy Mystery)
Peg has always been the alpha dog when it comes to the Cherry Valley Kennel Club’s annual Christmas fundraiser—so she isn’t thrilled that Jonabell Goff has been chosen to run it this year. Especially since she’s had run-ins with the abrasive and rather incompetent board member. Still, she tries to be a pleasant hostess when Jonabell attends her holiday open house. But the two have no chance to work out their differences after Jonabell drops dead . . . Format: Digital, Print, Audio
I Think We Should Kill Other People by L.M. Chilton (Humorous Mystery)
Hazel and Marc were paired together on Love Synced, a revolutionary reality AI dating show that matches hopeful lovers. But when it came time to say “I do,” Hazel left her perfect match at the altar. Now all she wants to do is fly home. Instead, she’s trapped at a tiny, snowed-in airport with her ex and his obnoxiously rich family. But when they start turning up dead, a jilted lover is the least of Hazel’s worries—there’s a serial killer to catch first. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves (Traditional Mystery)
A scorching heatwave marks the start of the summer in Devon. Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death, when the body of a young woman, Lottie, is found in the swimming pool of a luxurious holiday home. The girl’s best friend, Hannah, whose family owns the house, is missing. The girls had arrived a few days earlier to celebrate the end of their school exams, quickly stirring unrest in the small community with incendiary social media videos mocking the place as parochial. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Three Days Gone by Charly Cox (Police Procedural)
When fifteen-year-old Brynn Hagen and her five-year-old sister Eveleigh vanish from their uncle’s home in the Montana mountains, the search for them becomes a race against time. Because the girls weren’t reported missing for three days. Detective Alyssa Wyatt of the Albuquerque PD and her partner, Cord Roberts, travel to Montana to assist the Bozeman PD, joining forces with FBI Special Agent Ryker Newlin. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Ghost and the Dead Librarian by Cleo Coyle (Cozy Mystery) *first book in a new series*
As a young widow, Penelope moved back to her quaint Rhode Island town to give her young son a safer home and her aunt’s dying bookshop new life. Using her late husband’s insurance money, Pen polished the store into a local treasure. But her updates did more than attract new customers. They roused a dead private eye from his big sleep. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Historical Mystery 1900s)
Frances and George are looking forward to a Christmas season enlivened by all the diversions London can provide. But family comes first, and George’s sister Fiona and her husband persuade everyone to gather at their Norfolk estate for the holiday. The weather will be chilly, but the prospect of snow delights the youngsters. And with blazing fires and invigorating country walks in store, Frances envisions a peaceful, jolly Christmas. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Whatever It Takes by Karen Grose (Thriller)
After narrowly escaping death at the hands of a murderer, Bri Watters gives up everything to obtain a PI license to track down the man responsible. But when she messes up during her first stake-out and the mayor of her Vermont hometown is killed on her watch, she’s relegated to the office. The city is on edge and her boss, Art, is under intense scrutiny. Banned from field work, Bri can do nothing to help bring the mayor’s killer to justice. Until a mysterious cold case lands on her desk. Format: Digital, Print
Death of a Grill Master by Lee Hollis (Cozy Mystery)
Hayley and her husband are snuggled into a secluded spot on Maine’s rocky shoreline to take in the big fireworks display on Frenchman’s Bay. But when they find Hank Desmond’s body floating in the darkness, it looks like summer is ending with a bang—from a gun registered to a rival BBQ chef. Despite the evidence, Hayley thinks there’s more to the story than a gunshot from a disgruntled pit master. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding by Liz Ireland (Cozy Mystery)
“Dear Mrs. Claus, I know you have a good heart. Please take care of baby August.” When April finds the poignant note accompanying an infant elf left at Castle Kringle’s door, she’s filled with emotion—and questions. After all, there’s an orphanage in Christmastown. And how is it that the baby’s name uniquely echoes her own? Despite her packed schedule, April is determined to care for little Augie while searching for answers. But one more drama is yet to come . . . Format: Digital, Print
Countdown to Christmas Murder by Leslie Meier (Cozy Mystery)
With all four kids out of the house, Lucy Stone’s suddenly empty nest has put a damper on her usual zest for Christmas. She’s got plenty of article ideas to keep her busy though, including reports of vicious social media posts targeting several town residents. Plus, there’s the self-proclaimed “reputation changer” who promises he can clean up any negative press. It all seems a bit too convenient to Lucy, who decides an investigation is in order. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Murder on Threadneedle Street by Andrea Penrose (Historical Mystery)
Lord Wrexford and Charlotte’s growing family ensures that life is a source of constant adventure. The addition of Wrexford’s half-sister to their household is proving an unexpected delight. But some surprises are less welcome—and trouble strikes when Hawk, one of the young boys in their care, arrives home distraught after learning that his new drawing teacher has been found murdered on Threadneedle Street. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Haunted Hula-ween by Sally J. Smith (Cozy Mystery)
It’s the spookiest time of year at Aloha Lagoon, and travel agent turned reluctant sleuth Gabby LeClair is up to her pixie cut in trouble! Global pop superstar Echo Celeste has descended on Kauai to debut her My Haunted Heart album. But the concert of the decade goes south when it’s discovered that hundreds of furious fans bought bogus tickets, and it was Julie, Gabby’s guy Rick’s “little sister,” who sold those tickets. Format: Digital, Print
The Vanished Sister by Sherry Thomas (Historical Mystery 1860s)
It’s been three years since Charlotte Holmes struck a decisive blow against Moriarty’s operations in Britain, three years of relative calm and benign developments. In a buoyant mood, everyone gathers at Lord Ingram’s seaside cottage in North Devon for what promises to be a perfect summer holiday. Until Mrs. Watson receives an invitation from Mrs. Carstairs, her long-estranged sister, to attend a house party nearby. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
Final Witness by Kimberly Van Meter (Romantic Suspense)
Opening a time capsule is like opening Pandora’s box for BIA Agent Nizhoni Gray. It yields evidence of her best friend’s murder — a cold case that’s traumatized and haunted her for decades. Partnering with FBI Agent Aiden Erikson to investigate, the strong-willed Nizhoni senses a kindred soul. They must race against a killer systematically eliminating witnesses to the teen’s murder…while their mutual attraction risks professional danger. But uncovering a deadly conspiracy and a shocking betrayal won’t hinder their digging…though the truth could upend their lives forever. Format: Digital, Print
Coastal Vendetta by Caleb Wygal (Traditional Mystery)
Clark Thomas and his wife Detective Gina Gomez are left staring into the wreckage of everything they thought was secure. The peaceful life he built on the sun-washed shores of Myrtle Beach now feels fragile, haunted by unanswered questions and a past that refuses to stay buried. As authorities close in and old wounds reopen, Clark is drawn toward cases long thought closed—cases tied to Gomez’s father’s unfinished legacy as a Newark detective and the violent history that once scarred Surfside Beach. Someone is settling scores, and the pattern is chillingly precise. Now, they must find out who is behind it all while protecting what they hold most dear–their adoptive son, Timmy. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
SEPTEMBER 30
Murder at Bramhurst Art Class by Izzie Harper (Private Investigator Mystery)
With summer fading, Ellie Blix wants a new hobby. She joins the village painting class, imagining a peaceful morning to herself, new arty friends, and a watercolour for the lounge. Instead, she finds a dead woman in the stream on the green. The victim is Harriet Broom, a Canterbury tour guide, recently sacked as judge of the Best Village in Kent Competition. Format: Digital, Print
Bones and Brews by Allie Katt and Tasha Oakwood (Cozy Mystery)
The Labor Day Fair is supposed to be my reprieve from the crazy in Willowbark. Witches are finally working together, thanks to yours truly, and peace with vampires is a possibility. I could use one normal weekend to search for my missing cat-dragon, Floofs. When queen of horticulture, Nigella Burberry, wins first prize at the flower show for her suspiciously bright blooms, beside an equally suspicious smelling bag of bone meal, the other entrants are livid. Format: Digital, Print
OCTOBER 1
The Ferryman’s Daughter by Yasmin Angoe (Thriller) *first book in a new series*
Forensic science teacher Sanaa Karrem buried her past as deep as she could. When her serial killer father, known as “the Ferryman,” disappeared eighteen years ago, she tried to disappear with him. She changed her name, built a new life. And for a while, it all felt like a distant nightmare. Format: Digital, Print, Audio
The Year of the Goat by Lila Blake (Cozy Mystery)
San Francisco chef Renzo Castagna has built an empire on a beloved family legend: an old North Beach trattoria, a grandmother’s recipes, and a corner of Columbus Avenue the city thinks it remembers. Vivian Salvatore remembers something else. Format: Digital, Print
Where There’s Smoke by Rebecca Frost (Traditional Mystery)
The wildly popular podcast Not Forgotten has finally led to the arrest of a suspect in the Milwaukee Millennium Murders. Researcher Jo Lewis should be over the moon with that success, but instead she’s troubled. Not Forgotten’s hosts ran with the first lead, but they missed a huge part of the story. Jo’s convinced that the man currently awaiting trial isn’t responsible for all of the murders. Everyone who followed along with the podcast and did their own sleuthing is convinced the Milwaukee police finally have their man, so Jo needs indisputable proof before she can make her case. Format: Print
Capital Partners by Libby Fischer Hellmann (Financial Thriller)
When hedge fund owner, Jay Montgomery, raids his own fund, he disappears with millions belonging to his investors-who include his wife Grace, his dead partner’s widow, and a vengeful Russian oligarch. Long-time frenemies, Grace and widow Dana want their money back and reluctantly team up. They travel to the Ozarks, Switzerland, and Monaco, trying to discover where Jay is hiding out. Format: Digital, Print
A Faire to Remember by Nancy Lynn Jarvis (Private Investigator Mystery)
Fun at the Volunteer Firefighters Spring Faire comes to a stunning end when a vendor is electrocuted. It quickly becomes apparent his death wasn’t an accident. Many vendors, volunteers, and firefighters disliked him but not enough to kill him, at least that’s what everyone thought until amateur private investigator Pat Pirard discovers his dark past. Format: Digital, Print
Beyond The Frame by Terry Odell (Romantic Suspense)
Evvie Gale and Colton Hughes are dog park friends—nothing more. Until deepfake photographs threaten to end both their careers. Evvie changed her name after a childhood trauma and has spent years perfecting the art of not being seen—safer behind the lens than in front of it. It’s the life she’s built for herself, exactly where she wants to be: beyond the frame, out of sight. Format: Digital
Harbour of Lies by Alec Peche (Traditional Mystery) *first book in a new series*
Lori Dalton, former agency spy, and now small town Wisconsin resident and pickleball player runs into another former spy in a local dive bar famous for their fried cheese curds. The two women feel each out and determine they have more in common than Brandy Old-Fashioned drinks and pickleball. During their first pickleball game, they notice law enforcement lights responding nearby and decide to observe. They find a local real estate agent whose remains are hauled out of the local boat launch Format: Digital, Print
OCTOBER 2
The River House by Sophie Lyon (Cozy Animal Mystery)
The Queets is at glacial flood stage. The cabin is half-submerged. The mother, Maiken Sund, was in Seattle for work when the call came. Search teams have been on the water for twelve hours and recovered nothing but a child’s shoe in a debris snag downstream. The Park Service is calling it a tragedy. Kate Soren is calling it something else. Format: Digital, Print
Up The Creek by Shelley March (Amateur Sleuth Mystery)
After losing her research grant, marine botanist Amanda Wright returns to her Florida hometown and takes a job at her family’s eco-tour business. But the quiet marshlands she once loved are under threat from a flashy new resort and a suspicious rezoning effort on protected land. Then a fellow scientist dies under mysterious circumstances, and a rare aquatic plant is found that may hold the key to stopping development. Format: Digital, Print
Note: in some cases, print releases for digital titles will be forthcoming.
Publication date subject to change