Wednesday, October 26, 2016

November 2016 New Mystery Releases!


Sometimes it seems to be feast or famine around here when it comes to the topic of books. Last month, I had advance reading copies of over half of my picks. This month, I only have one. I'm only mentioning this because of the high turnaround from one month to the next; it's definitely not a complaint! Which reminds me of the way some book bloggers behave when they're around those advance reading copies, but that has nothing to do with any of you and most certainly not anything to do with the subject of this post.

The following books are my picks of the new crime fiction being released during the month of November. I have them grouped by release date, and I've included all the information you'll need to find them at all your favorite book spots. Book synopses are courtesy of Amazon. Happy Reading!


=== November 1 ===


Title: Better Late Than Never
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Series: #7 in the Library Lovers cozy series set in Connecticut
ISBN: 9780399583735
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Hardcover, 304 pages

Synopsis: "When the Briar Creek Public Library holds its first overdue book amnesty day—no fines for late returns—the volume of incoming materials is more than Lindsey and her staff can handle. In a bind, Lindsey drafts the crafternoon ladies to help check in and sort the stacks of books.

But one tardy tome catches her attention—a copy of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, twenty years past due. When Lindsey looks up the borrower, she’s shocked to discover it was a murdered teacher named Candice Whitley, whose killer was never found.

Candice checked out the novel on the day she was murdered. Now Lindsey wonders if it could provide a clue to the decades-old cold case. No one noticed who brought the book back in, but could it be Candice’s killer? Lindsey is determined to catch the culprit one way or another because justice for Candice Whitley is long overdue...


Title: Deck the Hallways
Author: Kate Carlisle
Series: #4 in the Fixer-Upper cozy series set in northern California.
ISBN: 9780451488220
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "Even at Christmastime, Shannon is more spackle than sparkle, which is why she leaps at the chance to transform a grand old Victorian mansion into ten charming apartments for homeless families. Filled with the spirit of the season, all of Lighthouse Cove turns out to help—including her best friends, a troupe of far-from-angelic Santa Claus impersonators, and her father, Jack.

But their merriment is soon dashed by a heated scuffle between Jack and the miserly president of the bank who’s backing the project. When the man is murdered, all eyes are on Jack, and visions of prison time dance in Shannon's head. Now, she needs to pull off a crime-solving miracle, before her father’s Christmas goose is cooked…


Title: The Champagne Conspiracy
Author: Ellen Crosby
Series: #7 in the Wine Country series set in Virginia.
ISBN: 9781250076557 
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 368 pages

Synopsis: "Winter has come to the Montgomery Estate Vineyard in Atoka, Virginia. Lucie Montgomery and winemaker Quinn Santori have decided to make champagne, a first for the vineyard.

But then Gino Tomassi, Quinn’s uncle, turns up on their doorstep one afternoon, demanding help in solving the mystery of what happened to Zara Tomassi, the first wife of his grandfather, who died in a San Francisco hotel in 1923 under suspicious circumstances. And it seems there’s no coincidence that her death came the day after President Warren Harding passed away in that same hotel. Gino needs answers before his blackmailer takes him for all he’s worth―or exposes an explosive family secret.

Lucie searches for what happened almost a hundred years ago as she delves into Prohibition-era Washington, D.C.―a town of bootlegging and duplicity, jazz clubs and speakeasies. But then the investigation turns deadly, threatening Lucie, her relationship with Quinn, and the vineyard, as they realize someone is still out there nearly a century later who will go to any lengths to keep the truth about Zara’s death a buried secret.
"
 


Title: The Wrong Side of Goodbye
Series: #21 in the Harry Bosch police procedural/private investigator series set in Los Angeles
ISBN: 9780316225946 
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Hardcover, 400 pages

Synopsis: "Harry Bosch is California's newest private investigator. He doesn't advertise, he doesn't have an office, and he's picky about who he works for, but it doesn't matter. His chops from thirty years with the LAPD speak for themselves.

Soon one of Southern California's biggest moguls comes calling. The reclusive billionaire is nearing the end of his life and is haunted by one regret. When he was young, he had a relationship with a Mexican girl, his great love. But soon after becoming pregnant, she disappeared. Did she have the baby? And if so, what happened to it?

Desperate to know whether he has an heir, the dying magnate hires Bosch, the only person he can trust. With such a vast fortune at stake, Harry realizes that his mission could be risky not only for himself but for the one he's seeking. But as he begins to uncover the haunting story--and finds uncanny links to his own past--he knows he cannot rest until he finds the truth.

At the same time, unable to leave cop work behind completely, he volunteers as an investigator for a tiny cash-strapped police department and finds himself tracking a serial rapist who is one of the most baffling and dangerous foes he has ever faced.
"
 
 


Title: We Wish You a Murderous Christmas
Author: Vicki Delany
Series: #2 in the Year-Round Christmas cozy series set in New York state
ISBN: 9780425280812 
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "It’s Christmastime three hundred sixty-five days a year in Rudolph, New York, and as Christmas Day approaches, shop owner Merry Wilkinson is enjoying a rare evening off at the Yuletide Inn when she runs into owners Grace and Jack Olsen. With Jack's health failing, Merry is relieved to hear that his son Gord will be taking over the day-to-day running of the Inn. 

But then Gord reveals that his new plans have no room for Christmas at the Inn, and Merry and the other shopkeepers start to fret about the effect a bland franchise hotel could have on their livelihoods. 

When Gord is found stabbed to death, there’s an entire town of potential suspects—and it’s up to Merry to find whoever brought homicide home for the holidays...


Title: Inherit the Bones
Series: #1 in the Cedar Valley police procedural series set in Colorado.
ISBN: 9781250089397
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 336 pages

Synopsis: "Secrets and lies can’t stay buried forever in Cedar Valley.

In the summer, hikers and campers pack the small Colorado town’s meadows and fields. And in the winter, skiers and snowboarders take over the mountains. Season by season, year after year, time passes and the lies, like the aspens and evergreens that surround the town, take root and spread deep.

Now, someone has uncovered the lies, and it is his murder that continues a chain of events that began almost forty years ago. Detective Gemma Monroe’s investigation takes her from the seedy grounds of a traveling circus to the powerful homes of those who would control Cedar Valley’s future.

Six-months pregnant, with a partner she can’t trust and colleagues who know more than they’re saying, Gemma tracks a killer who will stop at nothing to keep those secrets buried.
"
 


=== November 3 ===


Title: Rather Be the Devil
Author: Ian Rankin
Series: #22 in the John Rebus series set in Edinburgh, Scotland.
ISBN: 9781409159407
Publisher: Orion
Hardcover, 320 pages

*UK Release

Synopsis: "For John Rebus, forty years may have passed, but the death of beautiful, promiscuous Maria Turquand still preys on his mind. Murdered in her hotel room on the night a famous rock star and his entourage were staying there, Maria's killer has never been found.

Meanwhile, the dark heart of Edinburgh remains up for grabs. A young pretender, Darryl Christie, may have staked his claim, but a vicious attack leaves him weakened and vulnerable, and an inquiry into a major money laundering scheme threatens his position. Has old-time crime boss Big Ger Cafferty really given up the ghost, or is he biding his time until Edinburgh is once more ripe for the picking?




Title: A High Mortality of Doves
Author: Kate Ellis
Standalone historical mystery set in post-World War I England
ISBN: 9780349413082
Publisher: Piatkus
Hardcover, 368 pages

*UK Release

Synopsis: "1919. The Derbyshire village of Wenfield is still reeling from four terrible years of war, and now, just when the village is coming to terms with the loss of so many of its sons, the brutal murder of a young girl shatters its hard-won tranquillity.

Myrtle Bligh is found stabbed and left in woodland, her mouth slit to accommodate a dead dove, a bird of peace.


During the war Myrtle worked as a volunteer nurse with Flora Winsmore, the local doctor's daughter, caring for badly wounded soldiers at the nearby big house, Tarnhey Court.


When two more women are found murdered in identical circumstances, Inspector Albert Lincoln is sent up from London, a man not only wounded in war but damaged in peace by the death of his young son and his cold, loveless marriage. Once in Wenfield, Albert begins to investigate the three recent murders and the Cartwright family of Tarnhey Court and their staff fall under suspicion as their hidden lives and secrets are uncovered.


With rumours of a ghostly soldier with a painted face being spotted near the scene of the murders, the village is thrown into a state of panic - and with the killer still on the loose, who will be the next to die at the hands of this vicious angel of death?



=== November 8 ===


Title: Rhythm and Clues
Series: #11 in the Odelia Grey cozy series set in southern California
ISBN: 9780738718859
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Paperback, 312 pages

Synopsis: "Amateur sleuth Odelia Grey tries to get a band back together―and get her mother off the hook―in book eleven of the award-winning series.

It’s a rockin’ flashback for Odelia Grey when her mother asks her to look into the disappearance of her neighbor Bo Shank, the former lead singer for a band Odelia idolized in her youth. But when a body is found in Bo Shank’s house, everything quickly gets thrown out of tune.


=== November 15 ===


Title: A Voice in the Night
Author: Andrea Camilleri
Series: #20  in the Inspector Salvo Montalbano police procedural series set in Sicily.
ISBN: 9780143126447
Publisher: Penguin Books
Paperback, 288 pages

Synopsis: "Montalbano investigates a robbery at a supermarket, a standard case that takes a spin when manager Guido Borsellino is later found hanging in his office. Was it a suicide? The inspector and the coroner have their doubts, and further investigation leads to the director of a powerful local company.

Meanwhile, a girl is found brutally murdered in Giovanni Strangio’s apartment—Giovanni has a flawless alibi, and it’s no coincidence that Michele Strangio, president of the province, is his father. Weaving together these two crimes, Montalbano realizes that he’s in a difficult spot where political power is enmeshed with the mafia underworld.
"
 


Title: Into the Lion's Den
Series: #1 in the middle-grade Devlin Quick series set in New York City
ISBN: 9780399186431
Publisher: Dial Books
Hardcover, 320 pages

Synopsis: "Someone has stolen a page from a rare book in the New York Public Library. At least, that’s what Devlin’s friend Liza thinks she’s seen, but she can’t be sure. Any other kid might not see a crime here, but Devlin Quick is courageous and confident, and she knows she has to bring this man to justice—even if it means breathlessly racing around the city to collect evidence. But who is this thief? And what could the page—an old map—possibly lead to? With her wits, persistence, and the help of New York City’s finest (and, okay, a little bit of help from her police commissioner mother, too), Dev and her friends piece the clues together to uncover a mystery that’s bigger than anyone expected—and more fun, too.

With all of the heart-pounding excitement that made her internationally bestselling Alexandra Cooper series a hit, Linda Fairstein paves the way for another unstoppable heroine . . . even if she is only twelve.


Title: Ruler of the Night
Author: David Morrell
Series: #3 in the Thomas De Quincey historical trilogy set in Victorian London
ISBN: 9780316307901  
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Hardcover, 352 pages

Synopsis: "1855. The railway has irrevocably altered English society, effectively changing geography and fueling the industrial revolution by shortening distances between cities: a whole day's journey can now be covered in a matter of hours. People marvel at their new freedom.

But train travel brings new dangers as well, with England's first death by train recorded on the very first day of railway operations in 1830. Twenty-five years later, England's first train murder occurs, paralyzing London with the unthinkable when a gentleman is stabbed to death in a safely locked first-class passenger compartment.

In the next compartment, the brilliant opium-eater Thomas De Quincey and his quick-witted daughter, Emily, discover the homicide in a most gruesome manner. Key witnesses and also resourceful sleuths, they join forces with their allies in Scotland Yard, Detective Ryan and his partner-in-training, Becker, to pursue the killer back into the fogbound streets of London, where other baffling murders occur. Ultimately, De Quincey must confront two ruthless adversaries: this terrifying enemy, and his own opium addiction which endangers his life and his tormented soul.

Ruler of the Night is a riveting blend of fact and fiction which, like master storyteller David Morrell's previous De Quincey novels, 'evokes Victorian London with such finesse that you'll hear the hooves clattering on cobblestones, the racket of dustmen, and the shrill calls of vendors' (Entertainment Weekly)
." 


=== November 29 ===


Title: Lone Wolf
Author: Sara Driscoll
Series: #1 in the FBI K-9 police procedural series set in various locations in the U.S. 
ISBN: 9781496704412
Publisher: Kensington Books
Hardcover, 304 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Meg and Hawk are part of the FBI’s elite K-9 unit. Hawk can sniff out bodies anywhere—living or dead—whether it’s tracking a criminal or finding a missing person. When a bomb rips apart a government building on the National Mall in Washington D.C., it takes all of the team’s extensive search-and-rescue training to locate and save the workers and visitors buried beneath the rubble.

But even as the duo are hailed as heroes, a mad bomber remains at large, striking terror across the Eastern seaboard in a ruthless pursuit of retribution. As more bombs are detonated and the body count escalates, Meg and Hawk are brought in to a task force dedicated to stopping the unseen killer. But when the attacks spiral wide and any number of locations could be the next target, it will come down to a battle of wits and survival skills between Meg, Hawk, and the bomber they’re tracking to rescue a nation from the brink of chaos.




There are certainly some good ones becoming available in November! I have to admit that I'm most looking forward to David Morrell's Ruler of the Night-- I've been enjoying his Thomas De Quincey mysteries so much! 

And as far as book covers go, I think the cover for Camilleri's A Voice in the Night is heartbreaking.

What do you think of my lineup? Did any of my picks find their way to your own wish list? Which ones? Inquiring minds would love to know!


3 comments:

  1. Oooh, a Connelly, a Rankin, and an Ellis? *Sigh* Why even bother to try to manage the TBR.... ;-) - Looks like a great month ahead, Cathy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Connelly, Rankin and Camilleri, so far. I can't contemplate the TBR list right now, but I'll add them.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!