While many of you folks are finally experiencing spring, the Sonoran Desert is already beginning to slip into our two-part summer. Yes, that's right-- the Sonoran Desert really has five seasons, the normal four plus an extra summer because monsoon season differs so much from the blazingly hot and dry May and June. Don't cry for me, I love the heat, and (both) summers are my optimal times to devour books!
Here are my picks for new mysteries being released in May. They're sorted by release dates and contain all the information you'll need to find them at all your favorite "book procurement locations." Book synopses are courtesy of Amazon. Happy Reading!
=== May 1 ===
Title: The Shroud Maker
#18 in the Wesley Peterson police procedural series set in South Devon, England
ISBN: 9780749958046
Publisher: Piatkus Books
Hardcover, 368 pages
Synopsis: "A year after the mysterious disappearance of Jenny Bercival, DI Wesley
Peterson is called in when the body of a strangled woman is found
floating out to sea in a dinghy. The discovery mars the festivities of
the Palkin Festival, held each year to celebrate the life of John
Palkin, a 14th century Mayor of Tradmouth who made his fortune from
trade and piracy. Now it seems like death and mystery have returned to
haunt the town. Could there be a link between the two women? One
missing, one brutally murdered? And is there a connection to a fantasy
website called Shipworld which features Palkin as a supernatural hero
with a sinister, faceless nemesis called the Shroud Maker? When
archaeologist Neil Watson makes a grim discovery on the site of Palkin's
warehouse, it looks as if history might have inspired the killer. And
it is only by delving into the past that Wesley comes to learn a truth
that will bring mortal danger in its wake."
Title: Red Man Down
#5 in the Sarah Burke police procedural series set in Tucson, Arizona
ISBN: 9780727883674
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Hardcover, 192 pages
Synopsis: "Sarah Burke's Saturday off is interrupted when she is called to a
shooting – a rookie cop has been involved in a shootout with a criminal
stealing copper wire from a warehouse. When the criminal in question
turns out to be ex-cop and Red Man Ed Lacey, Sarah is shocked. The
evidence suggests he wanted the cop to shoot him. But why?
Sarah
and her team delve into Ed’s life, and soon decide to re-open an
investigation into three deaths. The more they investigate, the more
obstacles they encounter – particularly from the family, who quickly
close ranks. What are they hiding?"
=== May 6 ===
Title: Death of a Mad Hatter
#2 in the Hat Shop cozy series set in London, England
ISBN: 9780425258903
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Synopsis: "Scarlett Parker and her British cousin, Vivian Tremont, are hard at work
at Mim’s Whims—their ladies’ hat shop on London’s chic Portobello
Road—to create hats for an Alice in Wonderland themed afternoon tea, a
fund-raiser for a local children’s hospital. It seems like a wonderfully
whimsical way to pass the hat, and Scarlett and Viv are delighted to
outfit the Grisby family, the hosts who are hoping to raise enough money
to name a new hospital wing after their patriarch.
Unfortunately, the Grisby heir will not live to see it—he’s been
poisoned. When traces of the poison are found on the hat Scarlett and
Viv made for him, the police become curiouser and curiouser about their
involvement. Now the ladies need to don their thinking caps and find the
tea party crasher who’s mad enough to kill at the drop of a hat…"
Title: Doing It at the Dixie Dew
Debut cozy set in Littleboro, North Carolina
ISBN: 9781250046383
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 256 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "When Beth McKenzie returns to her hometown and attempts to turn an old
Southern mansion into a bed and breakfast called The Dixie Dew, her
first guest is murdered. Three days later a young priest who looks
better in tennis whites than cleric black is found strangled in his
chapel. The whole town of Littleboro is turned upside down, inside out,
and Ossie Delbardo, the town cop whose job heretofore mainly
involved controlling football traffic on Friday nights, is not cut out
to solve the murders. Beth fears her newly opened B&B is in danger
of failing. She’s even more worried that she is Ossie’s number one
suspect. Aided by her friend from high school and trusty handyman, she
sets out to discover the truth of the murders.
Littleboro has its
share of characters, some of which are helpful and others
misleading. There's Crazy Reba who lives in a tree, bathes in any
bathtub she finds empty, and Dumpster dives; Verna, the town know-it-all
and affectionate owner of Robert Redford, a huge white rabbit; and Miss
Tempie Merritt, music teacher and organist who always wears hat,
gloves, and lace-trimmed white socks. When Beth herself is
attacked, there’s no more time for baking muffins and stenciling
pineapples on the porch. She’s in a race to uncover her neighbors’
secrets before her hometown becomes her burial ground."
Title: Invisible City
#1 in the Rebekah Roberts series set in New York City
ISBN: 9781250043399
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 304 pages
Synopsis: "Just months after Rebekah Roberts was born, her mother, an Hasidic Jew
from Brooklyn, abandoned her Christian boyfriend and newborn baby to
return to her religion. Neither Rebekah nor her father have heard from
her since. Now a recent college graduate, Rebekah has moved to New York
City to follow her dream of becoming a big-city reporter. But she’s also
drawn to the idea of being closer to her mother, who might still be
living in the Hasidic community in Brooklyn.
Then Rebekah is
called to cover the story of a murdered Hasidic woman. Rebekah’s shocked
to learn that, because of the NYPD’s habit of kowtowing to the powerful
ultra-Orthodox community, not only will the woman be buried without an
autopsy, her killer may get away with murder. Rebekah can’t let the
story end there. But getting to the truth won’t be easy—even as she
immerses herself in the cloistered world where her mother grew up, it's
clear that she's not welcome, and everyone she meets has a secret to
keep from an outsider."
=== May 13 ===
Title: Any Other Name
#10 in the Sheriff Walt Longmire police procedural series set in Absaroka County, Wyoming
ISBN: 9780670026463
Publisher: Viking
Hardcover, 336 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "Sheriff Walt Longmire had already rounded up a sizable posse of devoted
readers when the A&E television series Longmire sent the Wyoming
lawman’s popularity skyrocketing. Now, with three consecutive New York Times bestsellers to his name and the second season of Longmire
reaching an average of 5.4 million viewers per episode, Craig Johnson
is reaching a fan base that is both fiercely loyal and ever growing.
In Any Other Name,
Walt is sinking into high-plains winter discontent when his former
boss, Lucian Conally, asks him to take on a mercy case in an adjacent
county. Detective Gerald Holman is dead and Lucian wants to know what
drove his old friend to take his own life. With the clock ticking on the
birth of his first grandchild, Walt learns that the by-the-book
detective might have suppressed evidence concerning three missing women.
Digging deeper, Walt uncovers an incriminating secret so dark that it
threatens to claim other lives even before the sheriff can serve
justice—Wyoming style."
Title: Fatal Enquiry
#6 in the Barker and Llewelyn PI historical series set in late Victorian England
ISBN: 9781250041043
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 304 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "Brimming with wit, atmosphere, and unforgettable characters, FATAL
ENQUIRY reintroduces private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker and his
assistant, Thomas Llewellyn, and their unforgettable world of Victorian
London.
Some years ago, Cyrus Barker matched wits with Sebastian
Nightwine, an aristocrat and sociopath, and in exposing his evil, sent
Nightwine fleeing to hide from justice somewhere in the far corners of
the earth. The last thing Barker ever expected was to encounter
Nightwine again—but the British government, believing they need
Nightwine’s help, has granted him immunity for his past crimes, and
brought him back to London. Nightwine, however, has more on his mind
than redemption—and as Barker and Llewellyn set out to uncover and
thwart Nightwine’s real scheme, they find themselves in the gravest
danger of their lives."
Title: Murder at Honeychurch Hall
#1 in the Kat Standford cozy series set in Devon, England
ISBN: 9781250007797
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 304 pages
Synopsis: "
Kat Stanford is just days away from starting her dream antique
business with her newly widowed mother Iris when she gets a huge shock.
Iris has recklessly purchased a dilapidated carriage house at
Honeychurch Hall, an isolated country estate located several hundred
miles from London.
Yet it seems that Iris isn’t the only
one with surprises at Honeychurch Hall. Behind the crumbling façade, the
inhabitants of the stately mansion are a lively group of eccentrics to
be sure—both upstairs and downstairs —and they all have more than their
fair share of skeletons in the closet.
When the nanny
goes missing, and Vera, the loyal housekeeper ends up dead in the
grotto, suspicions abound. Throw in a feisty, octogenarian countess, a
precocious seven year old who is obsessed with the famous fighter pilot
called Biggles, and a treasure trove of antiques, and there is more than
one motive for murder.
As Iris’s past comes back to
haunt her, Kat realizes she hardly knows her mother at all. A when the
bodies start piling up, it is up to Kat to unravel the tangled truth
behind the murders at Honeychurch Hall."
=== May 15 ===
Title: Trouble in the Cotswolds
#12 in the Thea Osborne series set in the Cotswolds in England
ISBN: 9780749014438
Publisher: Allison and Busby
Hardcover, 288 pages
Synopsis: "Thea Osborne hopes to spend a quiet Christmas house-sitting in the
picturesque village of Stanton. Walks in the local countryside with the
dogs are all the excitement she wants. Her arrival at the village
coincides with the funeral of Douglas Callender and the murder of his
girlfriend the following day.
Thea finds herself thrust into the
middle of another Police investigation as she unwraps motives and
scandals across the village. The arrival of Drew Slocombe is the best
present Thea could receive. Amid the bleak winter of Stanton and the
murderous scandal, Thea is determined that she will survive the festive
season.
Thea’s interest is stirred but the onset of flu looks to
prevent any sleuthing. However, when two people show up brutally
murdered the following afternoon, even when battling a fever Thea finds
herself thrust into the middle of yet another Police investigation. With
the Callendar family linked to most of the village Stanton is bursting
with motives for the murders including jealousy, closures of footpaths
and secret animal testing. Thea turns to local resident Dennis Ireland
for safety but Dennis, as with the other villagers, may not be as safe
as first appears and Thea wonders who she can trust to help her survive
the festive season."
=== May 20 ===
Title: The Devil's Workshop
#3 in the Murder Squad historical police procedural series set in late Victorian England
ISBN: 9780399166433
Publisher: Putnam
Hardcover, 400 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "London, 1890. Four vicious murderers have escaped from prison, part of a
plan gone terribly wrong, and now it is up to Walter Day, Nevil
Hammersmith, and the rest of Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad to hunt down
the convicts before the men can resume their bloody spree. But they
might already be too late. The killers have retribution in mind, and one
of them is heading straight toward a member of the Murder Squad, and
his family.
And that isn’t even the worst of it. During the
escape, the killers have stumbled upon the location of another notorious
murderer, one thought gone for good but now prepared to join forces
with them.
Jack the Ripper is loose in London once more."
=== May 21 ===
Title: Nursing Homes Are Murder
#6 in the Paul Jacobson Geezer-Lit series set in Hawaii
ISBN: 9781432828165
Publisher: Five Star
Hardcover
Synopsis: "Paul Jacobson, who suffers from short-term memory loss, becomes an
undercover resident at a nursing home to help the Honolulu police track
down a sexual assault perpetrator.
The police give Paul the names of three persons-of-interest and Paul begins investigating. None of the three appear suspicious.
Things go downhill when the woman who had been assaulted is found murdered.
Paul meets interesting residents, including a woman with synesthesia, a woman who eats soap, and a woman who races wheelchairs.
After another sexual assault, someone tries to smother Paul.
Interrupting a third attempted sexual assault, Paul figures out who the culprit is.
The bad guy tries to abduct Paul at gunpoint, but Paul escapes when a resident in an electric wheelchair runs into the bad guy."
=== May 22 ===
Title: The Killing Club
#3 in the DS Mark "Heck" Heckenburg of Scotland Yard's Serial Crimes Unit series set in England
ISBN: 9780007551255
Publisher: Avon
Paperback, 400 pages
Synopsis: "Get hooked on Heck: the maverick detective who knows no boundaries. The
perfect read for fans of Stuart Macbride and Luther. DS Mark 'Heck'
Heckenburg is used to bloodbaths. But nothing can prepare him for this.
Heck's most dangerous case to date is open again. Two years ago, he put
the ringleader of The Nice Guys Club - a vicious rape and murder gang -
behind bars. But Heck knows that this depraved organisation stretches
far beyond UK shores. When brutal murders start happening across the
country, it's clear that the Nice Guys are at work again. Their victims
are killed in cold blood, in broad daylight, and by any means necessary.
And Heck knows it won't be long before they come for him. Brace
yourself as you turn the pages of a living nightmare. Welcome to The
Killing Club."
=== May 29 ===
Title: Sundance
Author: David Fuller
Standalone Historical mystery set in the USA at the turn of the twentieth century
ISBN: 9781594632457
Publisher: Riverhead
Hardcover, 352 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "Legend has it that bank robber Harry Longbaugh and his partner Robert
Parker were killed in a shootout in Bolivia. That was the supposed end
of the Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy.
Sundance tells a
different story. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Longbaugh is
very much alive, though serving in a Wyoming prison under an alias.
When he is released in 1913, Longbaugh reenters a changed world. Horses
are being replaced by automobiles. Gas lamps are giving way to electric
lights. Workers fight for safety, and women for the vote. What hasn’t
changed are Longbaugh’s ingenuity, his deadly aim, and his love for his
wife, Etta Place.
It’s been two years since Etta stopped
visiting him, and, determined to find her, Longbaugh follows her trail
to New York City. Confounded by the city’s immensity, energy, chaos, and
crowds, he learns that his wife was very different from the woman he
thought he knew. Longbaugh finds himself in a tense game of cat and
mouse, racing against time before the legend of the Sundance Kid catches
up to destroy him.
By turns suspenseful, rollicking, and poignant, Sundance is the story of a man dogged by his own past, seeking his true place in this new world. "
This is what I call a Jackpot Month. There's nothing like watching a mature woman dance around the house clutching a book to her bosom like I did when I received an unsolicited copy of Craig Johnson's newest book, Any Other Name. (I'm so glad Denis wasn't home that afternoon-- video may have been made available!) I was just as thrilled to see another of my favorites, Will Thomas, appear with a long overdue book in his Barker and Llewelyn series. Stay tuned because I'll have five copies of Fatal Enquiry to give away during the week of its release! Then there's two more additions to favorite series... if I were a grasshopper, I wouldn't know which way to jump. As it is, I'm a simple human "bean" who can only read and concentrate on one book at a time....
What new mysteries are you looking forward to in May? Did any of these titles tickle your fancy? Which ones? Inquiring minds want to know!
