Mercy, there's a boatload of new mysteries coming out in June that I can't wait to get my hands on! It's as if the publishers know that this is the time of year where I'm to be found sitting in the shady end of the pool, book in hand.
One of these days, I'm going to show you the sheet of notebook paper on which I compile the list of books I intend to feature in a new release post. It's a miracle that I can decipher all the cross-outs, color codes, scribble-throughs, arrows, asterix, and check marks! It turns out that June proved to be a particularly difficult month to narrow down to a dozen titles.
Here are the ones that made the final cut. The books are grouped by release dates, and I've included the
information you'll need to find them at all your favorite book spots.
Hopefully I've chosen a title or two that you just can't do without. (I don't want to be all alone with my endless wish list....) Happy summer reading!
=== June 5 ===
Series: #2 in the Threadville mystery series set in Elderberry Bay, Pennsylvania
ISBN: 9780425251324
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
Synopsis: "Darlene
Coddlefield, the winner of a national sewing competition, has come to
Willow Vanderling’s embroidery shop, In Stitches, to be presented with a
top-of-the-line Chandler Champion sewing and embroidery machine as her
prize. But Darlene’s triumph is short-lived after she’s found dead under her sewing table, apparently crushed by the heavy machine.
It
soon becomes clear that this was no freak accident. Who had it in for
Darlene Coddlefield? The long string of suspects includes Darlene’s fire
chief husband. So Willow and her best friend, Haylee, become volunteer
firefighters to uncover the truth. But when a second sewing machine
sparks trouble, the friends realize they may have jumped from the frying
pan into the fire…."
Series: #4 in the Chief Inspector Kaldis series set in Greece
ISBN: 9781590589786
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Paperback, 250 pages
Synopsis: "Set on the Aegean pilgrimage island of Tinos, Siger’s superb fourth
procedural featuring Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis cleverly integrates the ancient with the modern. When Andreas
looks into the mysterious immolation of two gypsies on Tinos, apparently
a hate crime against immigrants, he faces formidable pressures from his
fiery fiancée, Lila, whom he’s to marry in six days on nearby
Mykonos—and from his wily boss, Spiros Renatis, who abruptly orders him
to close the investigation. While the Greek government can’t afford bad
publicity during the country’s current financial crisis, Andreas, aided
by his feisty chief assistant, Yianni Kouros, and his friend Tassos
Stamatos, chief homicide investigator for the Cyclades, pursues this
eerie case, which soon involves ruthless Albanian mobsters, the history
of Greek independence from Turkey, and a Tinos-based esoteric cult. A
likable, compassionate lead; appealing Greek atmosphere; and a
well-crafted plot help make this a winner." (Starred review from Publishers Weekly)
Series: #4 in the Bess Crawford historical mystery series set in World War I England and France
ISBN: 9780062015723
Publisher: William Morrow
Hardcover, 272 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*
Synopsis: "
In the spring of 1918, the Spanish flu epidemic spreads, killing
millions of soldiers and civilians across the globe. Overwhelmed by the
constant flow of wounded soldiers coming from the French front,
battlefield nurse Bess Crawford must now contend with hundreds of
influenza patients as well.
However, war and disease are not
the only killers to strike. Bess discovers, concealed among the dead
waiting for burial, the body of an officer who has been murdered. Though
she is devoted to all her patients, this soldier's death touches her
deeply. Not only did the man serve in her father's former regiment, he
was also a family friend.
Before she can report the terrible
news, Bess falls ill, the latest victim of the flu. By the time she
recovers, the murdered officer has been buried, and the only other
person who saw the body has hanged himself. Or did he?
Working
her father's connections in the military, Bess begins to piece together
what little evidence she can find to unmask the elusive killer and see
justice served. But she must be as vigilant as she is tenacious. With a
determined killer on her heels, each move Bess makes could be her last."
Title:
Hearse and Buggy
Author:
Laura Bradford
Series: #1 in the Amish mystery series set in Pennsylvania
ISBN: 9780425251317
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Synopsis: "
Claire Weatherly has fled a high-stress lifestyle for a slower
pace—in Amish country: Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She only planned a short
visit but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop,
Heavenly Treasures, and settling in. Claire loves her new home, and she’s
slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish
woman who works in the shop. So when the store’s former owner,the
unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on
becomes a suspect, Claire can’t help but get involved.
Newly
returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly—and his Amish
upbringing—as a teenager, is on the case. But his investigation is
stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak with
him. Claire’s connections make her the perfect go-between.
As
Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about
her neighbors. And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this
peaceful refuge is at risk...."
Series: #4 in the Hijazi and Sharqi mystery series set in Saudi Arabia
ISBN: 9780316074247
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Hardcover, 368 pages
Synopsis: "A secret grave is unearthed in the desert revealing the bodies of 19
women and the shocking truth that a serial killer has been operating
undetected in Jeddah for more than a decade.
However, lead
inspector Ibrahim Zahrani is distracted by a mystery closer to home. His
mistress has suddenly disappeared, but he cannot report her missing
since adultery is punishable by death. With nowhere to turn, Ibrahim
brings the case to Katya, one of the few women in the police department.
Drawn into both investigations, she must be increasingly careful to
hide a secret of her own.
Portraying the lives of women in one of
the most closed cultures in the world, award-winning author Zoë
Ferraris weaves a tale of psychological suspense around an elusive
serial killer and the sinister forces trafficking in human lives in
Saudi Arabia."
Series: #2 in the Detective Constable Lacey Flint series set in England
ISBN: 9780312600532
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 384 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*
Synopsis: "
When a rash of suicides tears through Cambridge University, DI Mark
Joesbury recruits DC Lacey Flint to go undercover as a student to
investigate. Although each student’s death appears to be a suicide, the
psychological histories, social networks, and online activities of the
students involved share remarkable similarities, and the London police
are not convinced that the victims acted alone. They believe that
someone might be preying on lonely and insecure students and either
encouraging them to take their own lives or actually luring them to
their deaths. As long as Lacey can play the role of a vulnerable young
woman, she may be able to stop these deaths, but is it just a role for
her? With her fragile past, is she drawing out the killers, or is she
herself being drawn into a deadly game where she’s a perfect victim?
Dark and compelling, S. J. Bolton’s latest thriller—a follow-up to the acclaimed Now You See Me—is another work of brilliant psychological suspense that plumbs the most sinister depths."
=== June 12 ===
Title:
Cop to Corpse
Author:
Peter Lovesey
Series: #12 in the police detective Peter Diamond series set in Bath, England
ISBN: 9781616950781
Publisher: Soho Crime
Hardcover, 304 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*
Synopsis: "
PC Harry Trasker is the third policeman in the Bath area to be shot
dead in less than twelve weeks. The assassinations are the work of a
sniper who seems to be everywhere and nowhere at once, always a step
ahead.The younger detectives do their best with what little evidence he
leaves, but they're no match for this murderer and his merciless
agenda.
When Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond is assigned to
the case, he begins to find curious connections between the dead
officers after talking to their widows. But then a chilling encounter
wit the killer leaves Diamond in the lurch and the sniper in the wind.
Things get even more complicated when the evidence starts to suggest
that the killer might be one of Britain's finest--a theory unpopular
among Diamond's colleagues. Can Diamond manage to capture an elusive
and increasingly dangerous killer while keeping his team from losing
faith in him?"
Title:
Q: Awakening
Author:
G.M. Lawrence
Standalone
ISBN: 9781935142539
Publisher: Variance Publishing
Hardcover, 352 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*
Synopsis: "
Q: Awakening is the provocative tale of the lost Christian
gospel called Q--for the German word "quelle" (the source)--and the
brilliant but damaged scholar Declan Stewart, whose destiny is
inextricably intertwined with it. From the stormy coasts of New Zealand
to the deserts of the Sinai, from the cobbled streets of Zurich to the
desolate mountains of Syria, Declan Stewart must locate the scattered
clues to solve a 2,000-year-old puzzle in a race against hostile forces
that would turn Q to their own dark ends.
Combining the
unrelenting tension of an international thriller with the intellectual
breadth of a spiritual hero's journey, Q: Awakening delves deeply into
the human heart and the yearning of people from every age to find
meaning and purpose in the enduring challenges and great questions of
life."
=== June 19 ===
Series: #4 in the Stella Hardesty series set in Missouri
ISBN: 9780312648381
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 272 pages
Synopsis: "A call from Stella’s little sister brings the news that Stella’s
step-nephew, Chip, has been threatened with serious bodily harm if he
doesn’t settle his unpaid gambling debts. Stella makes the drive to
Chip’s home in Wisconsin, only to walk in on a wee-hours dismemberment.
Chip and his Russian girlfriend, Natalya, insist the man was left,
already dead, on their porch. Suspicious but compelled to help family,
Stella tracks down other suspects, including the deceased’s business
partner, a purveyor of black-market Botox, and a jilted violist. Matters
are complicated by the unexpected arrival of BJ Broderson, who has
picked the worst possible time to pursue his amorous intentions toward
Stella. Meanwhile, thoughts of Sheriff “Goat” Jones make Stella blush
and wonder where, and with whom, she will spend her fifty-first
birthday."
Series: #4 in the Kate Burkholder series set in Ohio
ISBN: 9780312658564
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 288 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*
Synopsis: "Rumspringa is the time when Amish teens are allowed to experience
life without the rules. It’s an exciting time of personal discovery and
growth before committing to the church. But when a young teen disappears
without a trace, the carefree fun comes to an abrupt and sinister end,
and fear spreads through the community like a contagion.
A missing child is a nightmare to all parents, and never more so than in
the Amish community, where family ties run deep. When the search for the
presumed runaway turns up a dead body, the case quickly becomes a
murder investigation. And chief of Police Kate Burkholder knows that in
order to solve this case she will have to call upon everything she has
to give not only as a cop, but as a woman whose own Amish roots run
deep.
Kate and state agent, John Tomasetti, delve into the lives
of the missing teen and discover links to cold cases that may go back
years. But will Kate piece together all the parts of this sinister
puzzle in time to save the missing teen and the Amish community from a
devastating fate? Or will she find herself locked in a fight to the
death with a merciless killer?"
Series: #2 in the Jimm Juree series set in rural Thailand
ISBN: 9780312564544
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 336 pages
Synopsis: "When Jimm Juree’s mother sold the family house and invested in a rundown
'holiday camp' at the southern end of Thailand on the Gulf of Siam, the
family had little choice but to follow. Jimm Juree, who was well on her
way to achieving her goal of becoming the primary crime reporter for
the major daily newspaper in Chiang Mai, is less than thrilled to have
lost her job as a reporter and to be stuck in the middle of nowhere
where little of interest happens. So it is with mixed feelings that she
greets the news that a head has washed up on the beach. It’s tragic, of
course, but this could be the sort of sensational murder that would get
her a byline in a major daily and keep her toehold on her journalism
career. Now all she has to do is find out who was murdered, and why."
Author: Malla Nunn
Series: #3 in the Emmanuel Cooper series set in 1950s South Africa
ISBN: 9781451616927
Publisher: Atria Books
Paperback, 336 pages
Synopsis: "The body of a beautiful seventeen-year-old Zulu girl, Amahle, is
found covered in wildflowers on a hillside in the Drakensberg Mountains,
halfway between her father’s compound and the enormous white-owned farm
where she worked. Detective Sergeant Cooper and Detective Constable
Samuel Shabalala are sent to the desolate landscape to investigate. They
soon discover that Amahle’s life was woven into both the black and
white communities in ways they could never have imagined. Cooper and
Shabalala must enter the guarded worlds of a traditional Zulu clan and a
divided white farming community to gather up the secrets she left
behind and bring her murderer to justice.
In a country deeply
divided by apartheid, where the law is bent as often as it is broken,
Emmanuel Cooper fights against all odds to deliver justice and bring
together two seemingly disparate and irreconcilable worlds despite the
danger that is arising."
Wow, what a choice list, eh? Did you add any of these to your wish list? Which ones? Inquiring minds want to know!
