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.

March Favorites

Definitely Maybe Not a Detective (Wyatt Investigations #1) by Sarah Fox.  (Random House Publishing Group, 6 January 2026.)

I loved this cozy mystery about Emersyn Gray, guardian to her seven-year-old niece Livy.  Emersyn is "between jobs", as well as broke because her ex cleaned out her bank account.

In an effort to help, Emersyn's friend Jemma half-jokingly makes her some business cards for "Wyatt Investigations" (Wyatt being the name of her imaginary childhood crush).

While tailing her ex, Emersyn bumps into a handsome security expert named... Wyatt, and somehow they end up working together to get Emersyn's money back.

The Kindness of Strangers by Emma Garman.  (Simon & Schuster, 12 May 2026).

This is a twisty and charming mystery starring the residents of a London boarding house in 1953.  

When a secretive young man who introduces himself as "Jimmy" appears one night, and landlady Honor Wilson takes him in without question, the  four current residents are confused and intrigued.  

They are all convinced that he's bad news, and each attempts in her/his own way to determine who he really is.

The Primrose Murder Society by Stacy Hackney.  (HarperCollins, 3 March 2026).

This is another charming cozy about a woman and child solving mysteries together. 

Lily Shaw's husband has been arrested for white-collar crime. When she is turned out of her home by the FBI, Lily and her 10-year-old daughter move into a junk-filled apartment to clean it out.  

When the owner of the building's penthouse dies a few days after Lily and Bea move in.  When they learn that his will set up a two-million-dollar reward for whoever solves the murder of his granddaughter 21 years earlier.  

As an avid true-crime fan, Bea is determined to figure it out, and, acknowledging the need for money, Lila reluctantly agrees.

Like the heroines of Definitely Maybe Not a  Detective, Lila and Bea are intelligent, appealing protagonists.

The Tree of Light and Flowers  (Jane Whitefield #10) by Thomas Perry.  (The Mysterious Press, 3 March 2026). 

After the birth of her daughter, May, Jane Whitefield believes she's retired from helping people disappear. 

Three unrelated incidents change her situation.  

A teenaged girl and a middle-aged man who are seeking justice track her down.

Russian mob boss who thought Jane was dead learns that she isn't and sends his best to deal with her.

As a result, Jane is not only attempting to help two runners disappear, she's trying to protect her family and save her own life.

Cross-posted on Substack.

Mystery Monday

 A Smoking Bun (A Bakeshop Mystery #18) by Ellie Alexander.  (St. Martin's,            20 February 2024).  

It's winter in Ashland, and Juliet's in-laws are coming to visit.  She's planning to give them an authentic Ashland winter experience, complete with snowshoe tours and winter picnics. 

An unpleasant encounter with a rule-breaking guide named Fitz Baskin puts a damper on their snowshoe tour, but they hope Ashland's unique Downhill Dummy race (in which makeshift dummies are strapped to skis and hurled down difficult ski run) will make up for it.

Unfortunately, one of the dummies speeds down the hill and lands on top of Baskin.  It's determined that he is dead.  Did the impact with the dummy kill him, or was he already dead?

Ellie Alexander's mysteries are always well-constructed,  and her characters are engaging.  Additionally, her descriptions of Juliet's baking and cooking processes are fascinating!

Ellie Alexander (who also writes as Kate Dyer-Seeley) is a Pacific Northwest native with a deep love for the region, which is why she sets her books there.  Ellie also writes the Sloan Krause mystery series, set in Leavenworth, Washington.

February releases I'm excited about

Alexander, Ellie.  A Smoking bun (Bakeshop Mystery #18).  (February 20)

Brown, Gareth.  The Book of doors.  (February 13)

Bond, Gwenda.  The Frame-up. (February 13)

Marr, Melissa.  Remedial magic. (February 20)

McKinlay, Jenn.  Fatal first edition (Library Lover's Mystery #14). (February 13)

Williams, Sheila.  No better time. (February 27)

Mystery Monday

Fatal First Edition (Library Lovers’ Mystery #14) by Jenn McKinlay.  Berkley Books, 13 February 2024.

This is one of my very favorite cozy series, and I’m always thrilled when a new installment is released.

Here, newlyweds Lindsey Norris and her husband Sully are at a rare book conference in Chicago.  One of the presenters is Brooklyn Wainwright, protagonist of Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mysteries.  Lindsey is, of course, a huge fan (as am I!) and welcomes the chance to meet one of her idols while showing her a first edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train that she’s stumbled across.

The book is whisked away for safekeeping by the director of the conference, although the astute reader is already aware that it will reappear later in the story.

On the train trip back home, Lindsey and Sully learn that the Highsmith book is valuable enough that someone would kill for possession of it.  

Along with Police Chief Emma Plewicki and their Briar Creek friends, Lindsey and Sully are once more called upon to solve a murder.

This is a wonderful homage to locked-room mysteries, Patricia Highsmith, and Agatha Christie. Jenn McKinlay is to be congratulated!

 

Many thanks to NetGalley for the egalley.

 

 

Exciting March releases!

It's hard to believe that today is the last day of February!

If you're like me, and planning what to read next month, here are some books I'm looking forward to:

Witness for the Persecution (Jersey Girl #3) by E.J.Copperman.  Severn House. 1 March 2022.

Former New Jersey prosecutor Sandy Moss moved to a prestigious Los Angeles law firm to make a new start as a family lawyer. So it seems a little unfair that Seaton, Taylor have created a criminal law division specifically for her. Just because she's successfully defended two murder trials, it doesn't mean she likes them!

But when abrasive Hollywood movie director Robert Reeves is accused of murdering a stuntman on set, Sandy finds she can't say no when he demands her help. Robert might be an unpleasant, egotistical liar, but something tells Sandy that he's innocent - even if no one else can see it.

At least this time, she reassures herself, her charismatic, adorable, and oh-so annoying TV star boyfriend Patrick McNabb isn't involved in the case. He isn't . . . right?

The Suite Spot, by Trish Doller.  St. Martin's Griffin, 8 March 2022.

Rachel Beck has hit a brick wall. She’s a single mom, still living at home and trying to keep a dying relationship alive. Aside from her daughter, the one bright light in Rachel’s life is her job as the night reservations manager at a luxury hotel in Miami Beach—until the night she is fired for something she didn’t do.

On impulse, Rachel inquires about a management position at a brewery hotel on an island in Lake Erie called Kelleys Island. When she’s offered the job, Rachel packs up her daughter and makes the cross country move.

What she finds on Kelleys Island is Mason, a handsome, moody man who knows everything about brewing beer and nothing about running a hotel. Especially one that’s barely more than foundation and studs. It’s not the job Rachel was looking for, but Mason offers her a chance to help build a hotel—and rebuild her own life—from the ground up.

Cheddar Off Dead (Cheese Shop #1) by Korina Moss.  St. Martin's Press, 29 March 2022.

Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is proving that sweet dreams are made of cheese. She’s opened her very own French-inspired cheese shop, Curds & Whey, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. The small town of Yarrow Glen is Willa's fresh start, and she's determined to make it a
success – starting with a visit from the local food critic.

What Willa didn’t know is that this guy never gives a good review, and when he shows up nothing goes according to plan. She doesn’t think the night can get any worse... until she finds the critic’s dead body, stabbed with one of her shop’s cheese knives. Now a prime suspect, Willa has always believed life’s problems can be solved with cheese, but she’s never tried to apply it to murder…

Under Lock & Skeleton Key (Secret Staircase #1) by Gigi Pandian.  Minotaur Books, 15 March 2022.

After a disastrous accident derails Tempest Raj’s career, and life, she heads back to her childhood home in California to comfort herself with her grandfather’s Indian home-cooked meals. Though she resists, every day brings her closer to the inevitable: working for her
father’s company. Secret Staircase Construction specializes in bringing the magic of childhood to all by transforming clients’ homes with sliding bookcases, intricate locks, backyard treehouses, and hidden reading nooks.

When Tempest visits her dad’s latest renovation project, her former stage double is discovered dead inside a wall that’s supposedly been sealed for more than a century. Fearing she was the intended victim, it’s up to Tempest to solve this seemingly impossible crime. But as she delves further into the mystery, Tempest can’t help but wonder if the Raj family curse that’s plagued her family for generations—something she used to swear didn’t exist—has finally come for her.

Cozy Monday

 Yes, it's that time again!

Here are my 10 favorite cozy mysteries published in 2021, listed alphabetically by author
.

Murder in the Cookbook Nook (Book Retreat #7) by Ellery Adams.  Kensington paperback, 27 April 2021.

Six chefs are preparing to compete in an outdoor tent at Storyton Hall in Virginia for prizes that will boost their careers—but is there someone who can't stand the heat? It looks that way when one of the contestants is found dead in a pantry packed with two centuries' worth of cookbooks, among other treasures and rarities.

Could there be a connection to other recent events in town, like tampering with the costume of a local mascot? Jane isn't sure, but after someone serves a second course of murder, the kitchen must be closed and the killer must be found . . 

Murder Most Fowl (Meg Lanslow #29) by Donna Andrews.  St. Martin's Press hardcover, 3 August 2021.

Meg Langslow’s in for a busy summer. Her husband is directing a production of Macbeth, and most of the cast and crew are occupying spare bedrooms in their house. She also has to keep an eye on Camp Birnam, where a group of medieval reenactors are commemorating the real-life Macbeth by setting up what they fondly believe is an authentic medieval Scottish military camp.

And then there’s Damien Goodwin, a filmmaker who has been hanging around, trying to document the production. When Goodwin hosts a showing of some of the footage he’s taken, he manages to embarrass or offend just about everyone. The next morning Meg isn’t exactly surprised to find that someone has murdered him.


But who?  Unfortunately, whoever murdered Goodwin also destroyed all the electronic devices on which his video was stored. So Caerphilly’s chief of police—and Meg—must rediscover the same secrets the filmmaker did if they want to catch a killer.

Murder by the Bookend (Antique Bookshop #2) by Laura Gail Black.  Crooked Lane Books, 7 September 2021.

The quaint warehouse district of Hokes Folly, NC, is hopping despite the drizzly November chill. The occasion? The mountain town’s beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, is throwing a bash for its grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn’s peace of mind is shattered when the local library’s Director of Antique Books turns up dead in the parking lot–his head bashed in by a glittering pair of vintage glass bookends.

Alas, finding the killer won’t be so easy, even though this is not Jenna’s first murder investigation–indeed, she inherited Twice Upon a Time from her slain uncle. The suspect list is voluminous–the late librarian had not-so-friendly run-ins with numerous guests–but suspicion eventually centers on three unsavory individuals who left the party shortly before the victim did.

God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen (Her Royal Spyness #15) by Rhys Bowen.  Berkely, 12 October 2021.

Georgie is excited for her first Christmas as a married woman in her lovely new home. She suggests to her dashing husband, Darcy, that they have a little house party, but when Darcy receives a letter from his Aunt Ermintrude, there is an abrupt change in plans. 

Aunt Ermintrude hints that the queen would like Georgie nearby. Georgie had not known that Aunt Ermintrude was a former lady-in-waiting and close confidante of her royal highness. The letter is therefore almost a royal request, so Georgie, Darcy, and their Christmas guests all head to Sandringham.

Little Black Book (Bibliophile #15) by Kate Carlisle. Berkley, 29 June 2021.

Brooklyn and her hunky husband, security expert Derek Stone, have just returned from a delightful trip to Dharma, where the construction of their new home away from home is well underway, when a little black book arrives in the mail from Scotland. The book is a rare British first edition of Rebecca, and there’s no return address on the package. The day after the book arrives, Claire Quinn shows up at Brooklyn and Derek’s home. Brooklyn met Claire when the two women worked as expert appraisers on the television show This Old Attic. 

Claire reveals that during a recent trip to Scotland she discovered her beloved aunt was missing and her home had been ransacked. Among her aunt’s belongings, Claire found the receipt for the package that wound up with Brooklyn and Derek. Claire believes both her own life and her aunt’s are in danger.

But just as Brooklyn and Derek begin to investigate, a man who Claire thinks was following her is found murdered, stabbed with a priceless jeweled dagger. With a death on their doorstep, Brooklyn and Derek page through the little black book, where they discover clues that will take them to the shadows of a medieval Scottish castle on the shores of Loch Ness.

Deadly Ever After (Lighthouse Library #8) by Eva Gates.  Crooked Lane Books, 11 May 2021.

They’re getting married! Lucy Richardson and Connor McNeil have announced their engagement. Their friends throw a party for the couple at Coquina Beach, close to Lucy’s beloved Bodie Island Lighthouse Library.

As they’re packing up the presents and the (few) leftovers from Josie’s Cozy Bakery, who should arrive, but Richard Eric Lewiston III, Lucy’s former almost-fiancé and his overbearing mother Evangeline. Push comes to love when Evangeline makes no secret of why she’s here: to get Lucy and Ricky back together.

Lucy isn’t temped in the least, and Ricky is nothing but embarrassed at his mother’s desperate ploy. Before returning to Boston Evangeline throws a dinner party at Jake’s Seafood Bar for a reluctant Lucy and her family. Lucy hopes to get the dinner over with and see Evangeline and Ricky returning to Boson. But when a body is found at the restaurant’s kitchen door, Lucy is again forced to unwillingly put on her detective’s hat and do what she can to save her family and her engagement. 

A Fatal Footnote (The Open Book #2) by Margaret Loudon.  Berkley, 6 July 2021.

The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Upper Chumley-on Stoke has all the makings of a fairy tale, complete with a glowing bride and horse-drawn carriage. But it wouldn't be much of a story without a villain, and as American Gothic novelist Penelope Parish is coming to learn, happy-ever-afters are as fraught in this charming British town as they are in her books.

When the Duke's former girlfriend is found murdered at the reception it's up to Penelope and her newfound family at the Open Book bookshop to catch the killer before they strike again.

Killer Research (Library Lover's Mystery #12) by Jenn McKinlay.  Berkely, 2 November 2021.

Ms. Cole, a librarian and current candidate for town mayor, is shocked when she opens her trunk to discover a murder victim who just so happens to be a guy she dated forty years ago and the founder of the baking empire Nana's Cookies. As the town gossip mill turns, a batch of rumors begins to circulate about Ms. Cole's rebellious youth, which--along with being a murder suspect--threatens to ruin her life and her budding political career. But Ms. Cole is one tough cookie who will not go down without a fight.

Has the campaign for mayor turned deadly? It is up to Lindsey, Sully, and the rest of the crafternoon pals to see how the cookie crumbles and figure out who is trying to frame Ms. Cole for murder and why.

The Broken Spine (Beloved Bookroom #1) by Dorothy St. James.  Berkley, 19 January 2021.

Trudell Becket, book-loving librarian, finds herself in a bind when the library where she works is turned into a state-of-the-art bookless library. In a rare move of rebellion, Trudell rescues hundreds of her library's beloved books slated for the recycle center. She sets up a secret book room in the library's basement and opens it to anyone who shares her love of the printed book.

When the town councilman, who was the vocal proponent of the library's transformation into a "futuristic technological center," is crushed under an overturned shelf of DVDs, Trudell becomes the police's prime suspect for his murder. She was the only person in the library at the time of his death, or so the police believe. But that's not true. For the past month, Trudell had been letting a few dozen residents into the building through the basement entrance so they could read and check out the printed books.

But if she tells the police about the backdoor patrons who were in the library at the time of the murder, she'd have to explain about the secret book room and risk losing the books. In order to protect herself from being arrested for a murder she didn't commit, Trudell--with the help of a group of dedicated readers--decides to investigate. She quickly discovers you can't always judge a book by its cover.

The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Upper Chumley-on Stoke has all the makings of a fairy tale, complete with a glowing bride and horse-drawn carriage. But it wouldn’t be much of a story without a villain, and as American Gothic novelist Penelope Parish is coming to learn, happy-ever-afters are as fraught in this charming British town as they are in her books.

When the Duke’s former girlfriend is found murdered at the reception it’s up to Penelope and her newfound family at the Open Book bookshop to catch the killer before they strike again.

when Georgie pays a visit to the queen, she learns that there is more to her request than just some simple eavesdropping. There have been a couple of strange accidents at the estate recently. Two gentlemen of the royal household have died in mysterious circumstances and another has been shot by mistake during a hunt. Georgie begins to suspect that a member of the royal family is the real target but her investigation will put her new husband and love of her life, Darcy, in the crosshairs of a killer.

The Joys of Binge Reading

I've recently rediscovered the joys of binge-reading.  It's so enjoyable to find out what's going to happen right away after the cliff-hanger ending, instead of having to wait for months.

When I was younger, I used to re-read series I loved, in the past several months, perhaps due to services like BookBub, Riffle and BookGorilla, it's suddenly much easier to find existing series I've never heard of.

Here are a few series I've enjoyed.

The Bakeshop Mysteries by Ellie Alexander.  (Eleven books, so far.)

The Bakeshop Mysteries are set in the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where romantic pastry chef, Juliet Montague Capshaw (Jules), has returned home to heal her broken heart and help run her family’s artisan bakeshop, Torte. Ellie Alexander’s culinary mysteries leave fans hungry for more with their decadent food descriptions, recipes, and a sinister slice of murder.   

The Eleanor Wilde Mysteries by Tamara Berry.   (Two books, so far, with one coming in October.)                                                                                                                   

When something goes bump in the night . . . it’s most likely a plumbing problem. But fake medium Eleanor Wilde is happy to investigate and cleanse your home of spectral presences—for a fee. Hey, it’s a living . . 

The Knit & Nibble Mysteries by Peggy Ehrhart.  (Five books, so far.)

Since her only daughter left for college, widow Pamela Paterson has kept busy as associate editor of a craft magazine and founder of the Knit and Nibble knitting club in quaint Arborville, New Jersey. Now, she’s trying out a new hobby—solving murders!

The Southern B& B Mysteries  by Carolyn Fardig.  (Three books so far.)

Quinn Bellandini loves her life in Savannah, Georgia, where she runs her grandfather’s B&B with her sister, Delilah. From baking fresh scones and serving up grits every morning to ensuring the guests see the best of their historic city, Quinn can’t imagine doing anything else—even if it means dealing with nuisances like the occasional malfunctioning commode. 

Mysteries coming in April

There are several mystery books scheduled to be released in April, but these are the ones I'm most excited about.  (Listed alphabetically by author; summaries are from the publisher's website.)


Murder in the Storybook Cottage (Book Retreat #3) by Ellery Adams (Kensington paperback, 28 April 2020).


Storyton Hall, Virginia, is a top travel destination for book lovers and the perfect spot for literary events. But as a children’s book publisher hosts a gathering there, some folks aren’t going to live—happier ever after or otherwise . . .

Jane Steward’s resort is hopping—not only is Peppermint Press’s conference in full swing, there are also lots of families staying on the premises, bringing their kids to events like a scavenger hunt through the Fairy Tale Forest.

Then a woman dressed like Little Red Riding Hood is found dead from a plot device straight out of a fairy tale—with a rare and valuable copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales in her basket. Not long after, a second victim is killed, with yet another treasure—a volume by Hans Christian Andersen worth thousands of dollars—nearby. It looks like a big bad wolf may be lurking among the guests, and Jane can’t just wait for a handsome prince to come to the rescue . . .

Sugar and Vice (Cookie House #2) by Eve Calder (St. Martin's paperback, 28 April 2020).

Lately, Kate has a lot on her dessert plate. She’s launching a cookie-of-the-day challenge in the heart of Coral Cay, providing sweet treats for the reception of the town’s handsome new veterinarian—not to mention dealing with tourists in town for a pirate festival and the surprise arrival of her former fiancé, Evan, who seems determined to win her back.

And if that’s not enough, a skeleton has been found—in the backyard behind her best friend Maxi’s floral shop. Kate knows Maxi could never hurt a fly. Maybe the remains belong to Sir George Bly, a long-dead pirate whose name has become urban legend—until now? It’s time for Kate to use every trick in the recipe book to prove Maxi’s innocence, and find the truth about the skeleton, before the last of the cookies crumble…

Murder in Galway (Home to Ireland #1) by Carlene O'Connor (Kensington paperback, 28 April 2020).

Tara never imagined her introduction to Ireland like this—carrying her mam’s ashes to honor her final request: “Tell Johnny I’m sorry . . . Take me home.” She’s never met her mam's estranged brother, Johnny Meehan, who owns an architectural salvage business in Galway. Although Tara is immediately charmed by the medieval city, the locals seem wary of strangers and a gypsy warns her that death is all around.

When Tara arrives at her uncle’s stone cottage, the prophesy seems true. A dead man lies sprawled over the threshold in a pool of blood. The victim turns out to be Johnny’s wealthiest client, and her missing uncle is the garda’s number-one suspect. In trying to find Johnny and solve the crime, Tara uncovers her mam and uncle’s troubled past. But with a desperate killer about, she had better mind herself, or they’ll be tossing her ashes in Galway Bay . . .

The Stolen Letter (Scottish Bookshop #5) by Paige Shelton (Minotaur hardcover, 7 April 2020).

Delaney Nichols is confident she’s doing what she loves—case in point, just one day after returning from her fabulous European honeymoon, she’s eager to get back to the Cracked Spine, the bookstore where she works. But as she disembarks her bus and hurries toward the shop she and another woman collide, sending a stack of books the woman is carrying to the ground.

Delaney’s hapless victim’s name is Mary, and the two women can’t help but notice that they bear an uncanny resemblance to one another. According to Mary, they both also look like the long-beheaded Mary Queen of Scots. Even stranger, Mary believes she is the reincarnation of the Scottish queen. But peculiar as Delaney’s doppelganger is, she doesn’t have time to dwell on it: on her arrival to the bookshop, she learns the Edinburgh city council wants to close the Cracked Spine, citing code violations, and she’s determined to stop them.

But when Mary’s husband dies in a car explosion—and Delaney learns he was the very member of city council who proposed that the city take a closer look at the bookshop’s construction—she starts to wonder if her meeting with Mary wasn’t an accident.

Mystery Monday

There are several new cozy mystery series being released in the next few months.  Here are a few that sound intriguing to me.

Al Dente's Inferno (Tuscan Cooking School #1) by Stephanie Cole (Berkley mass market, 25 February 2020).

When Nell Valenti is offered a chance to move to Tuscany to help transform an aging villa into a farm-to-table cooking school, she eagerly accepts. After all, both her job and her love life in America have been feeling stale. Plus, she'll get the chance to work under the acclaimed Italian Chef Claudio Orlandini.

But Nell gets more than she bargained for when she arrives. With only a day to go until the launch dinner for the cooking school, the villa is in shambles, and Chef O is blissfully oblivious of the work that needs to be done before a group of local dignitaries arrive, along with a filmmaker sent to showcase and advertise the new school. The situation only worsens when Nell discovers that the filmmaker is an ex-boyfriend, and he’s found murdered later that night. Even worse, Chef O has disappeared, and accusations of murder could shut the school down for good.

As tensions reach a boiling point at the villa, Nell must throw her chef's hat into the ring, and investigate the murder herself. Because if she fails to solve the case, her career, or even her life, could be next on the chopping block.

******

Statue of Limitations (Goddess of Greene Street #1) by Kate Collins (Kensington mass market, 28 January 2020).

After her divorce, Athena Spencer  returned to coastal Michigan to work in her family’s garden center and raise her son, while also caring for a mischievous wild raccoon and fending off her family’s annoying talent for nagging. Working alone at the garden center one night, Athena is startled by a handsome stranger who claims to be the rightful owner of a valuable statue her grandfather purchased at a recent estate sale.

But she has even bigger problems on her plate. The powerful Talbot family from whom her pappoús bought the statue is threatening to raze the shops on Greene Street’s “Little Greece” to make way for a condo. The recent death of the family’s patriarch already seemed suspicious, but now it’s clear that a murderer is in their midst. Athena will have to live up to her warrior goddess namesake to protect her family from a killer and save their community from ruin . . .

*****

Here Comes the Body (Catering Hall #1) by Maria DiRico (Kensington mass market, 25 February 2020).

After her philandering husband’s boat went down, newly single Mia Carina went back to Astoria, the bustling Queens neighborhood of her youth. Living with her nonna and her oversized cat, Doorstop, she’s got a whole new life—including some amateur sleuthing . . .

Mia is starting work at Belle View, her father’s catering hall, a popular spot for weddings, office parties, and more—despite the planes that occasionally roar overhead on their way to LaGuardia and rattle the crystal chandelier. Soon she’s planning a bachelor party for a less-than-gentlemanly groom. But it goes awry when the gigantic cake is wheeled in and a deadly surprise is revealed . . .

Since some of her family’s associates are on the shady side, the NYPD wastes no time in casting suspicion on Mia’s father. Now, Mia’s going to have to use all her street smarts to keep him out of Rikers Island . . .

*****

My Fair Latte (Cafe Cinema #1) by Vicki Fee (Henery Press trade pb, 3 March 2020).

Broke, unemployed barista Halley Greer is shocked when she inherits an Art Deco movie palace from the great uncle she remembers meeting once as a child. She moves to the charming tourist town of Utopia Springs, Arkansas to claim her legacy.

In addition to the timeworn theater, she discovers she's also inherited a trash-heaped apartment, family secrets, her uncle's friends, a stealthy calico kitty--and an adversary.

With a whole latte help from her new friends, the feisty barista fixes up and re-opens the theater as a coffee and wine bar, showing classic films. She generates some steam with a hunky local--and risks getting burned. The opening night of My Fair Lady looks like a big hit, and her new life feels like a bit of movie magic, until a customer turns up dead during intermission.

With the cops eyeing her as a suspect, Halley digs into the victim's life and runs into a tangle of blackmail and secrets. Can Halley and her friends unmask a killer before the curtain comes down for keeps?