One of these days, we may all decide to buckle down to slow (and even stop?) the spread of COVID-19. It will be worth it, especially once a vaccine is found to stop it. That's one of the very first lessons my mother ever taught me: a little inconvenience can lead to countless rewards in the end.
In the mean time, there are plenty of people-- and businesses-- that have been scrambling for months. The publishing industry is one of them. I compile my list of new releases in advance, and lately when I doublecheck the release dates, many of them have been changed. I'm going to have to give my eyeballs plenty of vitamins because five of the advance reading copies I've been given now have the very same release date. That's something I try very hard to avoid! Ah well. What did I say? A little inconvenience can lead to countless rewards...
The following are my picks of the best new crime fiction being released throughout the month of July. I've grouped them according to those release dates (and hopefully none of them have changed). Book covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon. Let's see if I've chosen any that tickle your fancy!
=== July 7 ===
Series: #21 in the Andy Carpenter series set in New Jersey.
304 pages
Synopsis: "Andy Carpenter is a lawyer who would rather not practice law. He'd
rather spend his time working with the Tara Foundation, his dog rescue
organization, and being with his family and his two dogs, Tara and
Sebastian. But when a friend asks him for a favor that involves both
dogs and his lawyerly expertise, he can't say no.
Andy's friend
Beth has found a stray that seems to have belonged to a murder
victim--in fact, the man and two of his colleagues died in an explosion a
few weeks ago. But when the murdered man contacts Beth, asking for his
dog back, Andy knows there must be more to the story. The man claims his
life is in danger, and that's why he disappeared. As much as Andy
doesn't want to get involved--anything to avoid a new case--he can't
help but come to the rescue of a man who'd risk everything, even his
life, to reunite with his dog.
Once again, David Rosenfelt
delivers suspense and laughter in equal measure in another engaging
mystery from "one of the most unforgettable voices in the genre."
(Associated Press)"
Series: #1 in the Tuscan Mysteries set in Italy and featuring Nico Doyle, a former NYPD homicide detective.
312 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Mourning the loss of his wife, Rita, former NYPD homicide detective Nico
Doyle moves to her hometown of Gravigna in the winesoaked region of
Chianti. Half Italian and half Irish, Nico finds himself able to get by
in the region with the help of Rita’s relatives, but he still feels
alone and out of place. He isn’t sure if it’s peace he’s seeking, but it
isn’t what he finds. Early one morning, he hears a gunshot and a dog's
cries near his cabin and walks out to discover a dead body in the woods,
flashily dressed in gold tennis shoes. When the police arrive, Nico
hastily adopts the fluffy white dog as his own and wants nothing more to
do with the murder.
But Salvatore Perillo, the local
maresciallo, discovers Nico's professional background and enlists him to
help with the case. It turns out more than one person in this idyllic
corner of Italy knew the victim, and with a very small pool of suspects,
including his own in-laws, Nico must dig up Gravigna’s every last
painful secret to get to the truth."
Series: #10 in the Chet and Bernie private investigator series set in Arizona.
304 pages
Synopsis: "When Chet the dog, “the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction” (Boston Globe),
and his partner, PI Bernie Little of the desert-based Little Detective
Agency, arrive to a meeting with hydrologist Wendell Nero, they are in
for a shocking sight―Wendell has come to a violent and mysterious end.
What did the hydrologist want to see them about? Is his death a random
robbery, or something more? Chet and Bernie, working for nothing more
than an eight-pack of Slim Jims, are on the case.
Bernie might
be the only one who thinks the police have arrested the wrong man,
including the perp’s own defense attorney. Chet and Bernie begin to look
into Wendell’s work, a search that leads to a struggling winemaker who
has received an offer he can’t refuse. Meanwhile, Chet is smelling water
where there is no water, and soon Chet and Bernie are in danger like
never before."
Standalone thriller set in Sweden.
352 pages
Synopsis: "Faye has loved Jack since they were students at business school. Jack,
the perpetual golden boy, grew up wealthy, unlike Faye, who has worked
hard to bury a dark past. When Jack needs help launching a new company,
Faye leaves school to support him, waitressing by day and working as his
strategist by night. With the business soaring, Faye and Jack have a
baby, and Faye finds herself at home, caring for their daughter,
wealthier than she ever imagined, but more and more removed from the
excitement of the business world. And none of the perks of wealth make
up for the fact that Jack has begun to treat her coldly, undermining her
intelligence and forgetting all she sacrificed for his success. When
Faye discovers that he's having an affair, the polished façade of their
life cracks wide open. Faye is alone, emotionally shattered, and
financially devastated--but hell hath no fury like a woman with a
violent past bent on vengeance. Jack is about to get exactly what he
deserves--and so much more. In this splashy, electrifying story of sex,
betrayal, and secrets, a woman's revenge is a brutal but beautiful
thing."
=== July 14 ===
Title:
Murder at the Falls
Series: #3 in the Creature Comforts cozy series.
224 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Perri and her BFF Babette Croy team up to bring their therapy dogs to an
upscale senior living facility. But The Falls’ pleasant façade hides
some unpleasant secrets. Valuables are missing, feuds fester, and one
resident even fears for her life. Sprightly senior Magdalen Melmoth
swears she’s being targeted because her grandfather was none other than
Oscar Wilde, and her legacy includes an unpublished novel by the
literary genius.
Convinced it’ll take more than calming canines
to sniff out the truth, Perri enlists the help of her beau, hotshot
reporter Wing Pruett. When a nurse is poisoned by chocolates sent to
Magdalen, and a physician is brutally murdered, the case takes a deeply
troubling turn. Perri, Babette, and their furry friends race to bring a
killer to heel, but can they outsmart an enemy who’s simply bad to the
bone?"
Series: #12 in the Dr. Ruth Galloway series set in England.
368 pages
Synopsis: "
She has a new job, home and partner, and is no longer North Norfolk
police's resident forensic archaeologist. That is, until convicted
murderer Amyas March offers to make DCI Nelson a deal. Nelson was always
sure that March killed more women than he was charged with. Now March
confirms this, and offers to show Nelson where the other bodies are
buried - but only if Ruth will do the digging.
Curious, but wary,
Ruth agrees. March tells Ruth that he killed four more women and that
their bodies are buried near a village bordering the fens, said to be
haunted by the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure
travellers to their deaths.
Is Amyas March himself a lantern man,
luring Ruth back to Norfolk? What is his plan, and why is she so
crucial to it? And are the killings really over?"
=== July 21 ===
Title:
Lineage Most Lethal
Series: #2 in the Ancestry Detective series set in Texas.
352 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "It's the week before New Year's Eve and genealogist Lucy Lancaster is
ready to mix work and play at the beautiful Hotel Sutton, enjoying
herself while finalizing the presentation for her latest client, hotel
heiress Pippa Sutton.
Freshly arrived at the hotel―and
determined not to think about Special Agent Ben Turner, who went radio
silent on her after one date―Lucy is stopped in her tracks when a
strange man comes staggering toward her. She barely has time to notice
his weak, sweaty appearance before he presses a classic Montblanc pen
onto her hand, gasps, “Keep them safe,” and collapses at her feet, dead.
When
Lucy shows the fountain pen to her grandfather, an avid collector and
World War II veteran, she’s in for another shock. Not only does Grandpa
recognize the Montblanc, he also reveals a secret: he was an Allied spy
during the war and the pen is both a message regarding one of his
wartime missions and the key to reading a microdot left by the dead man.
On the microdot is a series of ciphers, some decrypted to form
names. Could they be the descendants of Grandpa’s fellow spies? When two
from the list end up murdered―including the chef at the Hotel
Sutton―and Grandpa’s life is put in jeopardy, Lucy’s sure she’s right.
And with Lucy’s and Pippa’s names possibly on the list, too, she’s got
to uncover the past to protect those in the present.
With a
secret Allied mission, old grievances, and traitors hiding behind every
corner, Lucy must use her research skills to trace the list’s World War
II ancestors and connect the dots to find a killer in their midst―a
killer who’s determined to make sure some lineages end once and for all."
Title:
I Saw Him Die
Series: #4 in the Agatha Christie historical series set in Scotland.
400 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Bestselling novelist and part-time undercover sleuth Agatha Christie is
looking forward to a bit of well-deserved rest and relaxation when her
longtime friend John Davison pleads with her to help him protect a
retired British agent turned hotelier who has been receiving threatening
letters.
Together they travel to Dallach Lodge, a beautiful
estate on Scotland’s picturesque Isle of Skye. There they insert
themselves among the hotel’s illustrious guests, including members of
the owner’s family, a leading lady of the theater, a brilliant botanist,
a local doctor, and two sisters who coauthor romance novels. After a
pleasant first evening, Agatha thinks it unlikely that any of them are
capable of evil, much less murder. But early the next morning, the sound
of a gunshot rings out and the hotel owner is found dead in the arms of
his nephew. At first, it appears to be a simple hunting accident, but
as Agatha digs deeper, she discovers that each and every one of the
residents has a reason for wanting the late proprietor dead."
=== July 28 ===
Title:
Tea & Treachery
Series: #1 in the Tea By the Sea cozy series set in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
304 pages
Synopsis: "As the proud proprietor and head pastry chef of Tea by the Sea, a
traditional English tearoom on the picturesque bluffs of Cape Cod,
Roberts has her hands full, often literally. But nothing keeps her
busier than steering her sassy grandmother, Rose, away from trouble.
Rose operates the grand old Victorian B & B adjacent to Lily’s tea
shop . . . for now. An aggressive real estate developer, Jack Ford, is
pushing hard to rezone nearby land, with an eye toward building a
sprawling golf resort, which would drive Rose and Lily out of business.
Tempers are already steaming, but things really get sticky when Ford is
found dead at the foot of Rose’s property and the police think she
had something to do with his dramatic demise. Lily can’t let her
grandmother get burned by a false murder charge. So she starts her own
investigation and discovers Ford’s been brewing bad blood all over town,
from his jilted lover to his trophy wife to his shady business
partners. Now, it’s down to Lily to stir up some clues, sift through the
suspects, and uncover the real killer before Rose is left holding the
tea bag."
Title:
A Royal Affair
Author: Allison Montclair
Series: #2 in the Sparks & Bainbridge historical series set in England immediately after World War II.
336 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "In London 1946, The Right Sort Marriage Bureau is just beginning to take
off and the proprietors, Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn
Bainbridge, are in need of a bigger office and a secretary to handle the
growing demand. Unfortunately, they don't yet have the necessary means.
So when a woman arrives―a cousin of Gwen's―with an interesting and
quite remunerative proposition, they two of them are all ears.
The cousin, one Lady Matheson, works for the Queen in "some capacity"
and is in need of some discreet investigation. It seems that the
Princess Elizabeth has developed feelings for a dashing Greek prince and
a blackmail note has arrived, alluding to some potentially damaging
information about said prince. Wanting to keep this out of the palace
gossip circles, but also needing to find out what skeletons might lurk
in the prince's closet, the palace has quietly turned to Gwen and Iris.
Without causing a stir, the two of them must now find out what secrets
lurk in the prince's past, before his engagement to the future Queen of
England is announced. And there's more at stake than the future of the
Empire ―there is their potential new office that lies in the balance."
Title:
The Silence of the White City
Author: Eva GarcÃa Sáenz
Series: #1 in the White City trilogy, a police procedural series set in Spain and the Basque country.
528 pages
Synopsis: "Young Inspector Unai López de Ayala, known as "Kraken," is charged with
investigating a series of ritualistic murders. The murders are eerily
similar to ones that rattled the citizens of Vitoria twenty years
earlier. But back then, police were sure they had discovered the killer,
a prestigious archaeologist who is currently in jail. Now Kraken must
race to determine whether the killer had an accomplice or whether the
wrong man has been incarcerated for two decades. This fast-paced,
unrelenting thriller weaves in and out of mythology and legends of the
Basque country as it hurtles to its shocking conclusion."
Even if the release dates on books have been shifting as fast as the dunes in the Sahara Desert, there's still some mighty fine reading to be found during the month of July. Which books caught your eye? Inquiring minds would love to know!
