August favorites

A Dark and Starlit Sea (Writer's Apprentice Mystery #7) by Julia Buckley (Julia Buckley, 21 August 2026).

Lena and her new husband Sam West arrive on a remote island in the Adriatic for their honeymoon.  While the location and ambience are perfect for a romantic getaway, Lena does stumble across a suspicious death.

When one of the other guests in their hotel complex is found dead below his balcony, Lena immediately suspects foul play.

The story alternates between events on the island and and events after they return home to Blue Lake, Indiana, trying to make sense of the tragedy along with their hometown friends (a group that includes a mystery writer and two policemen).  

This series is a must read for fans of Mary Stewart, but do start with the first book, A Dark and Stormy Murder.  

***

The Wash-Ashores by Hannah McKinnon (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, 30 June 2026).

Holly Goodwin has inherited the historic Cranberry Inn on Cape Cod from her grandmother Francine.  Although Francine is still very much alive, she tells Holly to run it (technically without Francine's interference) for the summer, as sort of a dry run.

The Inn has seen better days, and needs not only a lot of refurbishing, but a profitable summer.  Holly implements many changes, including opening the restaurant to the public, and hosting events like weddings.  

This is an enjoyable and captivating story by the author of The Sandy Page Bookshop and The Summer Club.

****

The Cloak and Dagger Club (Cloak and Dagger Club #1) by Jackie McMahon (Penguin Publishing Group, 14 July 2026).

This debut novel is inspired by Agatha Christie's real-life Detection Club.

Lucy Hubbard's debut mystery is selling well and receiving rave reviews.  This is amazing, but not as astounding as being invited to join Horace Hazelmoor's  elite writers' group The Cloak and Dagger Club.  This is so exciting that Lucy is even willing to deal with the possible presence of her ex-fiancé Frank Murray (who is on track to replace Horace as Britain's most popular crime writer).

When Horace is found with a knife in his back, Frank becomes the police's  prime suspect.  Despite their history, Lucy knows Frank is innocent, and sets out to prove it.

***

This Changes Everything by Lisa Scottoline (Grand Central Publishing, 14 July 2026).

In this follow-up to 2025's The Unraveling of Julia, Julia Pritzker gets involved in the murder of her best friend Courtney's grandmother, Kay.  

A sudden urge to call Courtney means Julia video-calls her just as Courtney enters her grandmother's house and finds Kay's body on the floor.  Courtney hears someone leaving through the back door and gives chase, but is unsuccessful.

Julia rushes to Pennsylvania from her home in Italy to support her friend.  The local police are less than helpful, insisting that Kay was killed in a burglary, but the two women are unconvinced.

When Julia asks a friend to recommend a lawyer, they enlist Bennie Rosato to help.

(This is not part of either the Rosato & Associates or the Rosato & DiNunzio series.)

***

The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson (Forever, 21 July 2026).

Kate Thompson has produced another amazing historical novel.

Based on real people and events, this is the story of women who form a group as a means of sharing their experiences as librarians.  When WW2 hits, and books become one of the few means of escaping the constant trauma, they manage to create a secret travelling library. 

One of them Joyce, who has taken a job in Poland, finds herself stuck there and ends up in a concentration camp, where life is even more fraught, and books are forbidden by the Germans.

Though some parts of this story are difficult to read, the theme of making literature difficult to access is particularly relevant in these times.