What's On My Radar

 

I haven't been sharing the books that are on my radar. Shame on me! You know that it's my aim in life to ensure your book wish lists are as fat and sassy as mine. *wink*

I'm cooling my heels waiting for some maintenance work to be done in the house, so this is the perfect time to share some of those books with you. Let's get started!

Available in March!

The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck by Tarquin Hall

This is the sixth book in one of my very favorite series. It features private investigator Vish Puri who lives in New Delhi, India. I love the humor, and I love the mysteries, but there are other things that make this a special series for me. One, it turned me on to Indian cuisine. (Yum!) Two, it gives a light-hearted yet true-to-life depiction of Indian life. Three, it was the first series to turn my attention to India itself.

Synopsis: "When Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Detective, learns he’s won the long-coveted International Detective of the Year award, it’s supposed to be a secret. But within hours, it seems all of Delhi knows – and his indomitable Mummy-ji announces she’ll be coming with him to the ceremony in London, never mind that she’s not been invited.

To add to his woes, a senior government bureaucrat gives him an undercover mission he can’t refuse. Puri is tasked with tracking down India’s most-wanted fugitive: a billionaire pharmaceutical fraudster codenamed Bombay Duck, who’s rumoured to be hiding in the British capital.

Puri’s only spending a week in London . . . and he’s already promised his wife he won’t work during their once-in-a-lifetime trip. In desperation, he enlists the help of his reluctant nephew Jags and dives headfirst into the case. But can Puri hook the Bombay Duck and bring him to justice – all the while keeping his investigations secret from his wife and meddling mother?

Packed with the sights, sounds and flavours of both New Delhi and London, author Tarquin Hall – who divides his time between India and the UK – delivers an irresistible read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith, Harini Nagendra and Jesse Sutanto."

Available in April!

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper

I've had a lifelong love of dollhouses and miniatures, so the title of this book immediately caught my attention. Then I read the synopsis and knew I had to read it.

Synopsis: "Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, is meticulously dedicated to the century’s worth of inventory housed in her beloved Beaux Art building. She loves the calm and order in the shelves of books and walls of art. But Tildy’s life takes an unexpected turn when she, first, learns the library is on the verge of bankruptcy and, second, discovers two exquisite never-before-seen dollhouses.

After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses, aiming to salvage her cherished library in the process. Her journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only inspiring, hidden history, but also a future for herself—and an astonishing familial revelation.

Spanning the course of a century, The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a warm, bright, and captivating story of secrets and love that embraces the importance of illuminating overlooked women."

Available in May!

The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb

Brendan Slocumb is another author who's rapidly become a favorite. A talented violinist, his mysteries are filled with music and the Black experience. 

Synopsis: "Curtis Wilson is a cello prodigy, growing up in the Southeast D.C. projects with a drug dealer for a father. But through determination and talent, and the loving support of his father’s girlfriend, Larissa, Curtis claws his way out of his challenging circumstances and rises to unimagined heights in the classical music world—even soloing with the New York Philharmonic.

And then, suddenly, his life disintegrates. His father, Zippy, turns state evidence, implicating his old bosses to the FBI. Now the family—Curtis included—must enter the witness protection program if they want to survive. This means Curtis must give up the very thing he loves most: sharing his extraordinary musical talents with the world. When Zippy’s bosses prove too elusive for law enforcement to convict them, Curtis, Zippy, and Larissa realize that their only chance of survival is to take on the cartel themselves. They must create new identities and draw on their unique talents, including Curtis’s musical ability, to go after the people who want them dead. But will it be enough to keep Curtis and his family alive?"

Available in June!

Bad Lands by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

This is another series that I love, combining mysteries, thrills, history, archaeology, and one of my favorite places: New Mexico.

Synopsis: "In the New Mexico badlands, the skeleton of a woman is found—and the case is assigned to FBI Agent Corrie Swanson. The victim walked into the desert, shedding clothes as she went, and died in agony of heatstroke and thirst. Two rare artifacts are found clutched in her bony hands—lightning stones used by the ancient Chaco people to summon the gods. 

Is it suicide or… sacrifice? 

Agent Swanson brings in archaeologist Nora Kelly to investigate. When a second body is found—exactly like the other—the two realize the case runs deeper than they imagined. As Corrie and Nora pursue their investigation into remote canyons, haunted ruins, and long-lost rituals, they find themselves confronting a dark power that, disturbed from its long slumber, threatens to exact an unspeakable price. "

Available in July!

An Enemy in the Village by Martin Walker

Yet another favorite series that I've loved from the very first book. Bruno and all his friends are part of my fictional family now. I've learned so much about southwestern France from Walker, and-- like Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri series-- these books are perfect foodie mysteries!

Synopsis: "When Bruno stumbles upon a motionless figure in a car parked at a scenic overpass on the ridge of the Vézère valley, he’s ready to investigate. Inside, he finds a suicide note and the dead body of Monique, a successful businesswoman who rented châteaus to wealthy expats. It seems like an open-and-shut case.

But Bruno can’t shake the feeling that something sinister lurks underneath this tidy narrative. After he delivers Monique’s final messages to those most important to her, malicious gossip about Bruno begins to spread through the village. One thing leads to another, and soon Bruno faces pressure to resign from the job. Despite this disturbing turn of events, Bruno remains Bruno, never one to turn down a fine meal with good company in the French countryside. In the course of inquiry, he meets Laura—and her dog, which happens to be the same breed as his beloved basset hound. As sparks fly and Bruno realizes just how much he has at stake, he races to find out what really happened to Monique, before he loses his badge, his new love—or something even worse."

Now... I know some of these books are already on your wish lists, but did I manage to add one or two more? Inquiring minds would love to know!

On My Radar: Marcie Rendon's Broken Fields!

 

I hadn't read very much of Marcie R. Rendon's first Cash Blackbear mystery (Murder on the Red River) before I knew I'd not only love the book but want to read more by this Native American author. Rendon brings me right into her world, and I appreciate every second of the experience. She's also created a very memorable character in young Cash Blackbear, so I was thrilled when I discovered that there will be a fourth book in this series. 

 

Let me tell you more about it!

Available March 4, 2025!

Synopsis:

"1970s: It’s spring in the Red River Valley and Cash Blackbear is doing field work for a local farmer—until she finds him dead on the kitchen floor of the property’s rented farmhouse. The tenant, a Native field laborer, and his wife are nowhere to be found, but Cash finds their young daughter, Shawnee, cowering under a bed. The girl, a possible witness to the killing, is too terrified to speak.

In the wake of the murder, Cash can’t deny her intuitive abilities: she is suspicious of the farmer’s grieving widow, who offers to take in Shawnee temporarily. While Cash is scouring White Earth Reservation for Shawnee’s missing mother—whom Cash wants to find before the girl is put in the foster system—another body turns up. Concerned by the escalating threat, Cash races against the clock to figure out the truth of what happened in the farmhouse.

Broken Fields is a compelling, atmospheric read woven with details of American Indian life in northern Minnesota, abusive farm labor practices and women’s liberation."

Broken Fields definitely sounds like a winner, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I highly recommend this series, and I would suggest you begin at the beginning with Murder on the Red River because of the growth of Cash's character.

On My Radar: Brianna Labuskes' The Boxcar Librarian!

 

I've always been a reader whose attention is grabbed more by book titles than book covers. I think it's due to the fact that I literally grew up in a village library, and my eyes were trained to look at book spines. Why am I saying all this? Because the book that is on my radar was discovered by its title, that's why!

Let me tell you more about Brianna Labuskes' new book, The Boxcar Librarian!

Available March 4, 2025!

Synopsis:

"When Works Progress Administration (WPA) editor Millie Lang finds herself on the wrong end of a potential political scandal, she’s shipped off to Montana to work on the state’s American Guide Series—travel books intended to put the nation’s destitute writers to work.

Millie arrives to an eclectic staff claiming their missed deadlines are due to sabotage, possibly from the state’s powerful Copper Kings who don’t want their long and bloody history with union organizers aired for the rest of the country to read. But Millie begins to suspect that the answer might instead lie with the town’s mysterious librarian, Alice Monroe.

More than a decade earlier, Alice Monroe created the Boxcar Library in order to deliver books to isolated mining towns where men longed for entertainment and connection. Alice thought she found the perfect librarian to staff the train car in Colette Durand, a miner’s daughter with a shotgun and too many secrets behind her eyes. 

Now, no one in Missoula will tell Millie why both Alice and Colette went out on the inaugural journey of the Boxcar Library, but only Alice returned.

The three women’s stories dramatically converge in the search to uncover what someone is so desperately trying to hide: what happened to Colette Durand.

Inspired by the fascinating, true history of Missoula’s Boxcar Library, the novel blends the story of the strong, courageous women who survived and thrived in the rough and rowdy West with that of the power of standing together to fight for workers’ lives. And through it all shines the capacity of books to provide connection and light to those who need it most."

 

 

Sounds good, doesn't it? I love stories about librarians in unusual circumstances like Missoula's Boxcar Library. I remember learning about the pack horse librarians of Kentucky and then reading all I could find about them, such as Down Cut Shin Creek. I also smiled when I read about the WPA's American Guide series because I have a reprint of the one written for Arizona.

Did I tempt any of you with this book that's on my radar? Inquiring minds would love to know!

On My Radar: Craig Johnson's Tooth and Claw!

 

My faithful readers know that I am a longtime Craig Johnson fan. From his very first Walt Longmire mystery, I was hooked. I have signed, first editions of all his books. I've met and talked with him several times when he's appeared at The Poisoned Pen. Yep. I'm a fan girl. So it's always a Red Letter Day when I learn that he's got a new book coming out.

Let me tell you more about it!

Available November 19, 2024!

 

Synopsis:

"Tooth and Claw follows Walt and Henry up to Alaska as they look for work after they both returned from serving in Vietnam. While working for an oil company in the bitter cold of winter, they soon encounter a ferocious polar bear who seems hell-bent on their destruction. But it’s not too long until they realize the danger does not lurk outside in the frozen Alaskan tundra, but with their co-workers who are after priceless treasure and will stop at nothing to get it."

I don't know about you, but I enjoyed the look we had of the young Walt and Henry in First Frost, so I'm looking forward to Tooth and Claw. And that cover? Wow! I can hear that polar bear roar, and I feel as though I just missed being swiped to ribbons by those claws!

On My Radar: Steve Cavanagh's Witness 8!

 

After reading Steve Cavanagh's legal thriller, Thirteen, and meeting the author at The Poisoned Pen two months later, I became a fan. Does this man ever have a twisted mind-- and I mean that in a very good, can't-turn-the-pages-fast-enough sort of way. So it's no surprise that my face lit up when I learned that he has a new Eddie Flynn book in the pipeline. Let me tell you more about it!

Available in the US March 11, 2025!

Synopsis:

"Something is wrong with Ruby Johnson.

A former resident of the ultra-elite Manhattan upper class, Ruby now works as a maid in the type of houses she used to live in. Unassuming, she sees everyone’s dirty secrets from the inside of their beautiful, renovated brownstones. But when Ruby witnesses a murder, she has wicked plans in mind that don’t involve telling the authorities the truth.

Eddie Flynn, streetwise ex con-artist-turned-defense attorney, is the only lawyer in New York City willing to take on hopeless cases. And none is more hopeless than John Jackson’s—the gun that killed his neighbor found, with Jackson’s DNA, in his own home. Flynn and his unconventional team will need to use every trick they know to keep an innocent man from being locked up. But to save his client’s life, Eddie must first protect his own, as the scariest organized criminals in the city are out for his head."

Cavanagh does know how to keep me guessing, so I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Eddie Flynn is such a great character that I hope you've already made his acquaintance!

On My Radar: Rosanne Limoncelli's The Four Queens of Crime!

 

I'm always on the lookout for new crime fiction to read, but that's no surprise to you, is it? Sometimes a debut mystery will get a stranglehold on my attention, and I just have to read it. That's what happened with Rosanne Limoncelli's The Four Queens of Crime.

Let me tell you more about it!

Available March 11, 2025!

Synopsis:

"In this debut mystery DCI Lilian Wyles, the first woman detective chief inspector in the CID, is determined to find a killer with the help of the four queens of crime, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths and Claudia Gray.

1938, London. The four queens of British crime fiction, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, are hosting a gala to raise money for the Women’s Voluntary Service to help Britain prepare for war. Baronet Sir Henry Heathcote has loaned Hursley House for the event and all the elites of London society are attending. The gala is a brilliant success, despite a few hiccups, but the next morning Sir Henry is found dead in the library.

Detective Chief Inspectors Lilian Wyles and Richard Davidson from Scotland Yard are quickly summoned and discover a cluster of potential suspects among the guests, including an upset fiancée, a politically ambitious son, a reserved but protective brother, an irate son-in-law, a rebellious teenage daughter, and the deputy home secretary.

Quietly recruiting the four queens of crime, DCI Wyles must sort through the messy aftermath of Sir Henry’s death to solve the mystery and identify the killer."

Does this intrigue you as much as it does me? It's becoming more and more common for authors to have real-life people in their casts of characters, and it doesn't always work. But... sometimes it does-- brilliantly. I'm looking forward to reading this one. How about you?

On My Radar: Alice Henderson's The Vanishing Kind!

 

Author Alice Henderson is a wildlife researcher, a geographic information systems specialist, and a bioacoustician. I first became aware of her writing with her first Alex Carter thriller, A Solitude of Wolverines, which has the winning combination of a strong main character, a solid mystery, fast-paced thrills, and an excellent outdoors/wildlife foundation. Since that first book, the series gone from strength to strength, so it's no wonder that I had a huge smile on my face when I found out that the fourth book in the series is in the pipeline.

Let me tell you more about it so you can add to it your own lists!

Available March 4, 2025!

Synopsis:

"When wildlife biologist Alex Carter is tasked with locating jaguars on a vast desert preserve in New Mexico, she is ecstatic. While jaguars once roamed throughout the Southwest, they are now endangered, with only a handful remaining, and Alex hopes some of the sleek and elusive creatures have found their way to the protected sanctuary.

Meanwhile, an archaeological team is excavating the gravesite of a sixteenth-century Spanish conquistador on a neighboring piece of land. Curious about the dig, Alex meets the team and, while learning about their discoveries, she encounters a dangerous group of anti-immigrant vigilantes roaming the area, threatening the archaeology team, demanding they leave. And when the militants learn of Alex’s mission, they become bent on stopping her. Because jaguars are federally endangered, the vigilantes worry that if Alex finds them, concessions will be made so that wildlife can cross the border wall. And they want no one crossing it…

And then there are the strange holes that keep appearing on the preserve—Who is digging them, and what are they looking for?

As tensions mount, Alex soon finds herself in a fight for her life against those who would prevent her from restoring jaguars to their historical habitat."

 

 

 

I have to admit that my anticipation for this one is even greater due to the subject matter. Jaguar sightings down in southern Arizona always make the news, and-- of course-- illegal immigrants are a hot topic here as well. I'm really looking forward to reading The Vanishing Kind. 

If you enjoy fast-paced stories steeped in knowledge of wildlife and with a strong main character, you should definitely give Alice Henderson's Alex Carter series a try!

On My Radar: Kate Carlisle's The Knife Before Christmas!

 

Although my enjoyment of cozy mysteries has slackened in the past couple of years, there are still a few series that are favorites. Kate Carlisle's Fixer-Upper series featuring contractor Shannon Hammer is one of them. Carlisle has created a good solid cast, and she certainly knows how to craft intriguing mysteries. In addition, I always enjoy the contracting, architectural, and design elements that she incorporates into each book. (And I just have to tell you that the pink tape measures that Carlisle handed out one year are priceless. I still have two because it seems as though Denis wants nothing to do with a pink tape measure! All the others in the house disappear regularly.)

 

So I had a big smile on my face when I learned that there would be a new Fixer-Upper mystery this year. Let me tell you more about it! 

Available October 22, 2024!

 

Synopsis:

"Christmas has come to Lighthouse Cove, but business hasn’t slowed down for Shannon Hammer. She’s been contracted to renovate a local hotel owned by the Garrisons, a family that’s so devoted to the holidays they serve a seven-course dinner every night from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Last year’s festivities featured a train that transported guests around the breathtaking Cliffside property. This year, Shannon and her crew have been commissioned to build a Victorian-style carnival midway with games and prizes galore.

Everyone in town loves the hotel’s spirit, except the Garrisons’ children and their spouses, who are hum-bugged by the money being wasted on holiday cheer while their inheritance goes up the chimney. Things turn nasty when a mischief-maker close to the family is found dead. It’s up to Shannon and Mac to catch a sinister Scrooge before all of Lighthouse Cove receives coal for Christmas."

Each book in this series has Shannon and her crew working on something different: restoring old Victorian houses, a castle, installing solar panels-- you name it. Now it's a Victorian carnival midway. I'm really looking forward to it!

How many of you are familiar with this series? Inquiring minds would love to know!

On My Radar: Jenn McKinlay's A Merry Little Murder Plot!

 

Although my cozy mystery reading has fallen off a bit in the past few years, there are favorite series that I refuse to abandon. Jenn McKinlay's Library Lovers mystery series is one of them. McKinlay not only is one of the nicest, funniest people you will ever meet but she is also a former librarian and a very talented writer. Entries in her Library Lovers series have been enshrined on my Best Reads lists (like this year's, for example).

So... when I learned that there was a Christmas-themed Library Lovers mystery being released this year, I think the next-door neighbors might've heard a resounding "Yippee!"  from this direction. Let me tell you more about it!

Available October 8, 2024!

Synopsis: 

 

"During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence, but her “bah humbug” attitude excludes her from the many holiday celebrations the town residents enjoy. To try to spread some Christmas cheer, library director Lindsey Norris invites the new writer in town to join her crafternoon club. Helen politely refuses and when an altercation happens between Helen and another patron, Lindsey begins to suspect the author has been keeping to herself for a reason.

Another newcomer, Jackie Lewis, reveals she’s visiting Briar Creek to be near Helen because she believes they are destined to meet. Having dealt with a stalker in the past, Lindsey feels compelled to tell Helen about Jackie, as she suspects that Helen is unaware her “number one” fan is in town.

When Jackie’s body is later discovered in the town park beneath the holiday-light display with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her self-proclaimed mega-fan. Helen’s frosty demeanor melts when Lindsey offers her help, and now the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before "The End" becomes Helen's final sentence." 

I wonder why Jackie Lewis automatically made me think of Annie Wilkes, the Number One Fan in Stephen King's Misery? (Yet here, she's the one whose ticket is punched...) Regardless the character she reminded me of, A Merry Little Murder Plot certainly sounds like another excellent entry in this fun series, and I look forward to reading it! Are there any other Library Lovers fans out there? (I bet there are!)

On My Radar: Sharon Short's Trouble Island!

 

Jess Montgomery's Kinship historical mystery series (The Widows, The Hollows, The Stills, The Echoes) is one of my favorites, and when I learned that she has a new book coming out under the name Sharon Short, I had a big smile on my face. This new book has all the hallmarks of being just as good as her Kinship mysteries. Let me tell you more about it!

Available December 3, 2024!

Synopsis: 

"Many miles from anywhere in the middle of Lake Erie, Trouble Island serves as a stop-off for gangsters as they run between America and Canada. The remote isle is also the permanent home to two women: Aurelia Escalante, who serves as a maid to Rosita, lady of the mansion and wife to the notorious prohibition gangster, Eddie McGee. In the freezing winter of 1932, the women anticipate the arrival of Eddie and his strange coterie: his right-hand man, a doctor, a cousin, a famous actor, and a rival gangster who Rosita believes murdered their only son.

Aurelia wants nothing more than to escape Trouble Island, but she is hiding a secret of her own. She is in fact not a maid, but a gangster’s wife in hiding, as she runs from the murder she committed five years ago. Her friend Rosita took her in under this guise, but it has become clear that Rosita wants to keep Aurelia right where she is.

Shortly after the group of criminals, celebrities, and scoundrels arrive, Rosita suddenly disappears. Aurelia plans her getaway, going to the shore to retrieve her box of hidden treasures, but instead finds Rosita’s body in the water. Someone has made sure Aurelia was the one to find her. An ice storm makes unexpected landfall, cutting Trouble Island off from both mainlands, and with more than one murderer among them.

Both a gripping locked room mystery, and a transporting, evocative portrait of a woman in crisis, Trouble Island marks the enthralling standalone suspense debut from Sharon Short, promising to be her breakout novel, inspired by a real island in Lake Erie, and true events from her own rich family history."

Wow! This certainly sounds like a good'un, doesn't it? Knowing how talented Sharon Short is as a storyteller, I can't wait to get my hands on Trouble Island. How about you?

On My Radar: Elly Griffiths' The Frozen People!

 

Faithful readers know I'm such a huge fan of Elly Griffiths that I pre-order the UK editions of her books-- I don't want to wait for the US release. In fact, I've already pre-ordered the one I'm about to tell you about now. 

 

Let's cut to the chase!

 

Available in the UK February 13, 2025!

Synopsis:

"SOME MURDERS CAN'T BE SOLVED IN JUST ONE LIFETIME.

From the No 1 bestselling author, a brand new series with a brand new heroine to fall in love with. Ali Dawson is as memorable as her fire-engine-red hair - warm, funny, forthright - and mother to a grown son, Finn. Ali works on cold cases, crimes so old, the joke goes, that they are almost frozen.

What most people don't know is that Ali and the team travel back in time to complete their researches - a process pioneered by the mysterious Italian physicist, Serafina Pelligrini.

So far the team has only ventured a few years or decades back but Ali's boss has a new assignment for her. He wants her to step back to 1850, the heart of the Victorian Age, to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the eccentric ancestor of Tory MP Isaac Templeton, her son Finn's boss.

To ready herself for the challenge ahead, Ali researches the Victorian era. She learns that Cain Templeton was part of a sinister group called The Collectors, the rumour being that you had to kill a woman to become a member. Duly prepared, she arrives in London in January 1850 - the middle of a freezing winter. She is directed to a house inhabited by artists, and is greeted by a dead woman at her feet.

Soon she finds herself in extreme danger. Even worse - she appears to be stuck, unable to make her way back to the present, to the life she loves and to her son, Finn.

The Frozen People is a lavish, cleverly plotted mystery with a cast of unforgettable new characters to get to know and love."

 

 

I know that some readers aren't going to like the time traveling aspect of this story, but I've always loved it. With Griffiths' skill in characterization and plotting, I can't wait to get my hands on this one. How about you?

On My Radar: Diane Vallere's The Glass Bottom Hoax

 

Long-time readers know that I discovered Diane Vallere's Madison Night series when I was offered an advance reading copy of The Decorator Who Knew Too Much. The book became one of my Best Reads that year, and I quickly bought all the previous books in the series. I was hooked. I still am.

Readers who look at the covers and think the series too silly to try are doing themselves a disservice. There's depth to these books. Madison grows as a character throughout the series, and she certainly experiences life-changing events over and beyond stumbling over dead bodies. 

So now that you know I'm a dedicated fan, you know that I went out and popped a wheelie or two in the driveway when I heard that the twelfth (!) book is coming. Let me tell you more about it.

Available October 29, 2024!

 

Synopsis: 

"Madison Night has a reputation for excellence in mid-century modern decorating, but when a covert opportunity to expose a crime ring on a cruise ship comes her way, she goes undercover. The job will test her acting skills as much as her investigative prowess: she’s booked as a Doris Day impersonator and police captain Tex Allen is posing as her manager husband. But roleplay and reality blur when the body of the entertainment director is found on the lido deck sometime between shuffleboard and sunset.

The purser was Madison’s lone contact on the cruise ship, which leaves her adrift. Catching crooked employees is one thing, but exposing a murderer in the middle of the ocean is another. It’s bad enough that she’s expected to sing for her supper; her convenient cover story puts her in the center of danger. With a very fake husband and a very real crisis, Madison has to dive deep for answers before the tides turn against her.

Can Madison keep her head above water, or will this case send her overboard?"

Most of the series takes place in the Dallas, Texas, area, so I'm looking forward to being on a cruise ship with Madison-- and she certainly should make an excellent Doris Day impersonator! 

If you haven't tried this series, it would be good to start at the beginning (Pillow Stalk), but it's not necessary. As I discovered in The Decorator Who Knew Too Much, there's enough backstory provided that you shouldn't feel as though you jumped into the deep end of the pool without your life preserver. To begin at the beginning or not... just begin!

On My Radar: Martin Walker's A Grave in the Woods!

 

Today, I want to talk about a book that I suspect many of you already have on your wish lists. I've been a fan of Martin Walker's Bruno, Chief of Police series since the very first book, and it's hard to believe that the seventeenth will be released in a few months. If I'm lucky, he'll appear at The Poisoned Pen again. I never will forget the time he sat down with Denis and me for a wonderful chat before his event.

Let me tell you more about the book!

Available September 24, 2024!

Synopsis:

"When Abby, an American archaeologist, arrives in St. Denis on the heels of her divorce, she hopes to make a new life for herself as a specialist guide for visiting tourists. So when a local British couple discover a grave from World War II on their property, Abby is able to put her training to good use. As it turns out, in the grave are the remains of two German women and an Italian submarine officer who had a big secret to hide. The women are suspected of having had links to the German garrison in Bordeaux during the war. It’s up to Bruno, just recovered from a gunshot wound earlier in the year, to unravel the mystery—and its contemporary relevance. His task is made more difficult by the horrible heat-dome summer, which is raising the temperature for miles around, as unprecedented amounts of rain drench the Massif Central and threaten increasingly dramatic floods
. 
As Bruno drills to the heart of the case, matters get even more complicated when both Abby’s financially distressed ex-husband and a mysterious dashing Italian naval officer arrive, with very different ideas in mind. Once again, Bruno is left to serve the guilty their just rewards, and his friends, some sumptuous Perigordian cuisine."

 

I love this series for the mysteries, the history, the setting, the food, the characters... need I go on? If you aren't already acquainted with Bruno, I highly recommend these books!

On My Radar: A New Series from Todd Borg!

 

Reading Todd Borg's Owen McKenna series has been the trifecta of Character/Story/Setting for me for a long time, and I was over the moon when I found out that he was releasing a brand-new series-- and not just one book, but FOUR!

 

Fasten your seatbelts because this I have to share! 

 

 

eBook Available July 1, 2024!

 

 Synopsis: 

"UCLA Medieval History Professor Josie Strong didn’t realize she and her daughter Samantha had witnessed something that made powerful men want them dead. Their would-be assassin didn’t realize how hard they’d be to kill…

 

When the killer followed Josie and her daughter on their canoe trip vacation into the Quetico Wilderness in Canada, he knew they were unarmed. Killing them would be a simple task. But Professor Strong’s specialty is medieval weapons. She might be in the wilderness. But even in a dark forest, she can take ordinary materials and construct lethal weapons. The out-of-shape professor can become a warrior…"

 

 

eBook Available August 1, 2024!

Synopsis: 

"It was a brutal demand from the California Bureau of Investigation to medieval weapons expert Professor Josie Strong. Your 14-year-old daughter was picked up on a smuggling charge. Never mind whether she was framed. We’re going to send her to prison unless you help us find a twisted killer who is hiding in the Yosemite wilderness.

 

With no other options, Josie is forced to team up with a former student and professional hacker to find the missing killer. Instead, she finds evidence of a conspiracy and cover-up, and she and her daughter Samantha will be lucky to escape alive..."

 

 

eBook Available September 1, 2024!

Synopsis: 

"When a Forest Service Ranger is killed near Lake Tahoe, the ranger’s wife contacts the governor of California. She wants the governor, who is a family friend, to convince UCLA Professor Josie Strong to investigate. When Professor Strong resists the request, the governor cancels the professor’s classes and blackmails her into tracking down the killer. But the murderer is an Army-trained sniper. He has weapons and the best training, while all Josie Strong has is her medieval knowledge.

 

Josie designs a classic medieval trap. If she succeeds, she may get the murderer. If she fails, the penalty will be death..."

 

 

eBook Available October 1, 2024!

Synopsis:

 

"After UCLA Professor Josie Strong catches a sniper who murdered two people, the man is killed in an explosion. The governor of California pressures Professor Strong to investigate. He believes the professor can use her medieval weapon skills to uncover a conspiracy.

Josie's investigation takes her into the wilderness of the Sierra foothills, where she finds an old religious abbey that is headquarters for a crime syndicate. Josie designs a medieval ambush. She thinks her chance of success is minimal. But if she fails, a second sniper will kill Josie and her daughter Samantha." 

 

 

 

How much am I looking forward to this series? I've already pre-ordered them all, that's how much! 

 

Josie Strong sounds like just the sort of character I'll love, especially with her  arcane knowledge of medieval weaponry. I've already said that I trust Todd Borg to deliver Character/Story/Setting, so I'm sitting here, rubbing my hands in glee, eagerly awaiting these books! If you haven't already given Todd Borg's writing a try, what a wonderful way to start! 

On My Radar: Stig Abell's Death in a Lonely Place!

 

Stig Abell's Death Under a Little Sky was so atmospheric and had such a strong sense of place that I fell under the book's spell, and was very happy when I learned that a second in the Jake Jackson series was going to be released. Let me tell you more about it!

 

 

Available July 2, 2024!

 

Synopsis: 

"Detective Jake Jackson left London for a quiet life in Caelum Parvum. The idyllic country village offers the peace he craves—tending to his chickens, swimming in his lake, and spending long, lazy evenings with his new love, Livia. It’s the perfect setting for their relationship to blossom.

Then a case from the past re-emerges, shattering the calm and plunging Jake into the shadowy world of No Taboo—a clandestine group which serves the extravagant whims of Britain’s elite. And when Livia accepts a position working for a powerful publishing magnate, suspicions arise about her new employer’s connection to the mysterious group.

As unseen forces manipulate those around him, Jake races to expose the deception that threatens his peaceful world. Amid the desolate beauty and seemingly friendly faces of this small, cozy community, Jake must decide who he can really trust . . . or learn just how far No Taboo will go to protect their secrets."

 

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this mystery works in such an isolated area, and I hope that you'll give this author's work a try! (And in case you're wondering, the covers of the books are very representative of the stories.)

On My Radar: Marcie R. Rendon's Where They Last Saw Her!

 

As many of you long-time readers know, I love reading books steeped in other cultures. Marcie R. Rendon's Cash Blackbear series featuring a young Ojibwe woman in the area around Fargo, North Dakota became a favorite of mine soon after I discovered it. When I learned that Rendon had a new book being released, I was thrilled. Let me tell you more about it!

 

 

Available September 3, 2024!

 

 

 

Synopsis: 

 

"Quill has lived on the Red Pine reservation in Minnesota her whole life. She knows what happens to women who look like her. Just a girl when Jimmy Sky jumped off the railway bridge and she ran for help, Quill realizes now that she’s never stopped running. As she trains for the Boston Marathon early one morning out in the woods, she hears a scream. When she returns to search the area, all she finds are tire tracks and a single beaded earring.

Things are different now for Quill than when she was a lonely girl. Her friends Punk and Gaylyn are two women who don’t know what it means to quit; her loving husband, Crow, and their two beautiful children challenge her to be better every day. So when she hears a second woman has been stolen, she is determined to do something about it—starting with investigating the group of men working the pipeline construction just north of their homes.

As Quill closes in on the truth about the missing women, someone else disappears. In her quest to find justice for all of the women of the reservation, she is confronted with the hard truths of their home and the people who purport to serve them. When will she stop losing neighbors, friends, family? As Quill puts everything on the line to make a difference, the novel asks searing questions about bystander culture, the reverberations of even one act of crime, and the long-lasting trauma of being considered invisible."      

 

 

I am glad that we're seeing more books about missing Indigenous women here in the United States. It is a horrific problem that was swept under the rug for much too long, and crime fiction is a genre that can really help readers understand what's been happening. 

 

Marcie Rendon is a marvelous storyteller, and I am definitely looking forward to meeting Quill. If you haven't read any of Rendon's books, I highly recommend them.                                         

On My Radar: Allison Montclair's Murder at the White Palace!

 

 

I've been enjoying Allison Montclair's Sparks & Bainbridge historical mystery series since the very first book, The Right Sort of Man. In fact, I've enjoyed them so much that two of them are on my annual Best Reads lists and none of them have been rated lower than an "A". Who knew two women running a marriage bureau in Post-World War II London could stumble into so many mysteries?

While the setting and the mysteries are first-rate, I have to admit that the two main characters are what I find absolutely compelling. It's no wonder that I got a big grin on my face when I learned that a new book in the series was being released this summer. Let me tell you more about it!

Available July 30, 2024!

Synopsis:

"In the immediate post-war days of London, two unlikely partners have undertaken an even more unlikely, if necessary, business venture―The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. The two partners are Miss Iris Sparks, a woman with a dangerous―and never discussed―past in British intelligence and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, a genteel war widow with a young son entangled in a complicated aristocratic family. Looking to throw a New Year’s Eve soiree for their clients, Sparks and Bainbridge scout an empty building―only to find a body contained in the walls. What they initially assume is a victim of the recent Blitz is uncovered instead to be a murder victim―stabbed several times.

To make matters worse, the owner of the building is Sparks’ beau, Archie Spelling, who has ties to a variety of enterprises on the right and wrong sides of the law, and the main investigator for the police is her ex-fiancée. Gwen, too, is dealing with her own complicated love life, as she tentatively steps back into the dating pool for the first time since her husband’s death. Murder is not something they want to add to their plates, but the murderer may be closer to home than is comfortable, and they must do all they can to protect their clients, their business and themselves."

Murder at the White Palace certainly sounds like another excellent addition to this series, and I can't wait to read it. If you're fans already, you know what I mean. If you have yet to try one, I suggest that you start at the beginning with The Right Sort of Man because of the evolution of the characters. You won't want to miss a thing!