I've read that publishers will hold off publishing new books in an election year. Evidently they think no one has the time to read. (Ha! You know as well as I do that dedicated readers like us will always find time to read.) While I have noticed fewer offerings in previous months, let me tell you, October is a veritable feast!
I've grouped my picks for the best new mysteries and thrillers by their release dates. Synopses and book covers are courtesy of Amazon. Let me see if I can tempt you to add any of my choices to your own reading lists!
=== October 1 ===
Title: The Mistletoe Mystery
Author: Nita Prose
Series: #2.5 in the Molly the Maid amateur sleuth series set in a fictional large city. Short Story.
128 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child,
her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full
of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were
hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive
spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s mofinst
joyful yet.
But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?
A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mystery reminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all."
But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?
A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mystery reminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all."
Title: Santo Domingo Stakeout
Author: John Keyse-Walker
Series: #2 in the Cuban Noir historical series.
224 pages
Synopsis: "Thirty-five-year-old American expat Henry Gore used to be a
private investigator, scratching a living in balmy, rum-soaked Havana.
He might not have been someone, but he was something.
Now, exiled from Cuba and with a target on his back, he's nothing but a washed-up drifter, spending his days drinking with gringos he despises and his nights with women he doesn't love.
But one day he chooses the wrong bar to drink in - or maybe the wrong friends. Henry wakes up in hospital to find that someone blew up the building, and he's seemingly the sole survivor.
Who set the bomb, and why? Henry's certain that whatever the answer, he's better off not knowing. But with the police on his tail, Henry - aided by a beautiful dame from the US embassy he's not sure he can trust - reluctantly investigates, soon finding himself up to his neck in corruption, revolution . . . and deadly conspiracy."
Now, exiled from Cuba and with a target on his back, he's nothing but a washed-up drifter, spending his days drinking with gringos he despises and his nights with women he doesn't love.
But one day he chooses the wrong bar to drink in - or maybe the wrong friends. Henry wakes up in hospital to find that someone blew up the building, and he's seemingly the sole survivor.
Who set the bomb, and why? Henry's certain that whatever the answer, he's better off not knowing. But with the police on his tail, Henry - aided by a beautiful dame from the US embassy he's not sure he can trust - reluctantly investigates, soon finding himself up to his neck in corruption, revolution . . . and deadly conspiracy."
Author: Terry Shames
Series: #11 in the Samuel Craddock police procedural series set in central Texas
256 pages
Synopsis: "Everyone knows everyone in a small town like Jarrett Creek. So
Chief of Police Samuel Craddock is perplexed when he receives a call
from a woman asking the police to rescue her sister. Who is Maddy
Benson?
Maddy said she had to get away, but she didn't get far. When Craddock finds her just off the highway, she's already dead, shot in the head. And as he learns more about the mysterious Maddy and the real reason behind her recent move to Jarrett Creek, his career is plunged into jeopardy. Can he unravel a terrible knot of lies, threats, dangerous politics and shocking secrets to reveal the truth behind the troubling death of Maddy Benson?"
Maddy said she had to get away, but she didn't get far. When Craddock finds her just off the highway, she's already dead, shot in the head. And as he learns more about the mysterious Maddy and the real reason behind her recent move to Jarrett Creek, his career is plunged into jeopardy. Can he unravel a terrible knot of lies, threats, dangerous politics and shocking secrets to reveal the truth behind the troubling death of Maddy Benson?"
=== October 8 ===
Title: Gathering Mist
Author: Margaret Mizushima
Series: #9 in the Timber Creek K-9 series set in Washington
256 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Deputy Mattie Wray, formerly Mattie Cobb, is summoned to
Washington’s Olympic peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission
to find a celebrity’s missing child. With only a week left before her
wedding, Mattie is hesitant to leave Timber Creek, but her K-9 partner
Robo’s tracking skills are needed.
Dense forest, chilling rain, and unfriendly locals hamper their efforts, and soon Mattie suspects something more sinister than a lost child is at play. When one of the SAR dogs becomes ill, her fiancé, Cole Walker, suspects poison. Fearing for Mattie’s and Robo’s safety, Cole joins the search and rescue team as veterinary support.
Secrets that have lain hidden within the rugged terrain come to light, and when it is uncovered that the missing child was kidnapped, the search becomes a full-blown crime scene investigation, forcing Mattie, Robo, and Cole into a desperate search to find the missing child before it's too late."
Dense forest, chilling rain, and unfriendly locals hamper their efforts, and soon Mattie suspects something more sinister than a lost child is at play. When one of the SAR dogs becomes ill, her fiancé, Cole Walker, suspects poison. Fearing for Mattie’s and Robo’s safety, Cole joins the search and rescue team as veterinary support.
Secrets that have lain hidden within the rugged terrain come to light, and when it is uncovered that the missing child was kidnapped, the search becomes a full-blown crime scene investigation, forcing Mattie, Robo, and Cole into a desperate search to find the missing child before it's too late."
Title: The Night Woods
Author: Paula Munier
Series: #6 in the Mercy Carr law enforcement series set in Vermont.
320 pages
Synopsis: "Record snow and sleet and rain are pummeling Vermont and a wild
boar has escaped from an exclusive hunting club nearby―but that won’t
stop a very pregnant and very bored Mercy Carr from hiking her beloved
woods with her loyal dog Elvis. She’s supposed to be decorating the
nursery and helping her mother plan the baby shower, but she’d much
rather be playing Scrabble with Homer Grant, a word-loving,
shotgun-toting hermit living deep in the forest. But when she and Elvis
drop by Homer’s cabin for their weekly game, they arrive to find an
unknown dead man―and no sign of Homer.
As they search the woods, Mercy discovers a patch of devastation that could only be left behind by wild boar. She’s relieved when Elvis tracks Homer, injured but alive. But Homer’s troubles are far from over, as he’s still the number one suspect and he remembers nothing of the attack. When another corpse with a link to Homer is found, Mercy is determined to help her friend, an effort complicated by the unexpected arrival of her young cousin Tandie, sent by Mercy’s mother to keep an eye on her until the baby is born.
As the floods worsen, Troy and Susie Bear are called out with all the other first responders, and Mercy finds herself alone at Grackle Tree Farm with a concussed Homer, Tandie, and Elvis. As waters rise and the wild boar rampages, Mercy realizes that the murderer is out there ready to strike again, this time much closer to home."
As they search the woods, Mercy discovers a patch of devastation that could only be left behind by wild boar. She’s relieved when Elvis tracks Homer, injured but alive. But Homer’s troubles are far from over, as he’s still the number one suspect and he remembers nothing of the attack. When another corpse with a link to Homer is found, Mercy is determined to help her friend, an effort complicated by the unexpected arrival of her young cousin Tandie, sent by Mercy’s mother to keep an eye on her until the baby is born.
As the floods worsen, Troy and Susie Bear are called out with all the other first responders, and Mercy finds herself alone at Grackle Tree Farm with a concussed Homer, Tandie, and Elvis. As waters rise and the wild boar rampages, Mercy realizes that the murderer is out there ready to strike again, this time much closer to home."
Title: A Merry Little Murder Plot
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Series: #15 in the Library Lovers cozy series set in Connecticut
320 pages
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."
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."
=== October 15 ===
Title: The Waiting
Author: Michael Connelly
Series: #6 in the Renée Ballard & Harry Bosch police procedural series set in Los Angeles
416 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Renée Ballard and the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit get a hot shot DNA
connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and
murderer who went quiet twenty years ago. The arrested man is only
twenty-four, so the genetic link must be familial: His father was the
Pillowcase Rapist, responsible for a five-year reign of terror in the
city of angels. But when Ballard and her team move in on their suspect,
they encounter a baffling web of secrets and legal hurdles.
Meanwhile, Ballard’s badge, gun, and ID are stolen—a theft she can’t report without giving her enemies in the department ammunition to end her career as a detective. She works the burglary alone, but her mission draws her into unexpected danger. With no choice but to go outside the department for help, she knocks on the door of Harry Bosch.
At the same time, Ballard takes on a new volunteer to the cold case unit: Bosch’s daughter Maddie, now a patrol officer. But Maddie has an ulterior motive for getting access to the city’s library of lost souls—a case that may be the most iconic in the city’s history. Complex, satisfying, and full of dexterous twists, The Waiting demonstrates once more that “you can’t do better than Michael Connelly” (Forbes)."
Title: The More the Terrier
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: #30 in the Andy Carpenter legal series set in New Jersey
304 pages
Synopsis: "Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is relieved to be headed back to
Paterson, New Jersey, after a week-long family vacation in the
Adirondacks. He's ready to put the holly jolly season way behind him and
settle in at home with his three dogs. But when they finally arrive,
there is an extra dog eagerly awaiting them, as well as one anxious dog
sitter.
When the dog showed up on the doorstep a few days ago, the sitter knew Andy would know what to do. Indeed, Andy recognizes Murphy, who the Carpenters fostered before the dog went home with BJ Bremer and his mother. BJ wanted to learn all he could about caring for Murphy, which made Andy like him immediately.
When Andy goes to take Murphy back to the Bremers, though, instead of the happy reunion he expects, he finds BJ's mother in tears. It turns out Murphy ran off…after BJ was arrested for murder. Andy had hoped for a quiet Christmas vacation, but he likes Murphy’s family and his golden retriever, Tara, likes Murphy, so he can't resist getting involved. The case isn’t as simple as Andy thought it would be, though, with BJ suspected of murdering one of his professors. With nothing to go on but Andy's own conviction in BJ's dog-loving character, proving his innocence would be a Christmas miracle.
With equal doses of doggy humor and courtroom drama, as well as Andy Carpenter's traditional humbug Christmas spirit, David Rosenfelt delivers another winner."
When the dog showed up on the doorstep a few days ago, the sitter knew Andy would know what to do. Indeed, Andy recognizes Murphy, who the Carpenters fostered before the dog went home with BJ Bremer and his mother. BJ wanted to learn all he could about caring for Murphy, which made Andy like him immediately.
When Andy goes to take Murphy back to the Bremers, though, instead of the happy reunion he expects, he finds BJ's mother in tears. It turns out Murphy ran off…after BJ was arrested for murder. Andy had hoped for a quiet Christmas vacation, but he likes Murphy’s family and his golden retriever, Tara, likes Murphy, so he can't resist getting involved. The case isn’t as simple as Andy thought it would be, though, with BJ suspected of murdering one of his professors. With nothing to go on but Andy's own conviction in BJ's dog-loving character, proving his innocence would be a Christmas miracle.
With equal doses of doggy humor and courtroom drama, as well as Andy Carpenter's traditional humbug Christmas spirit, David Rosenfelt delivers another winner."
Author: Elly Griffiths
Short story anthology featuring many of her series characters and set primarily in England
320 pages
My review of the UK edition.
Synopsis: "Elly Griffiths has always written short stories to experiment
with different voices and genres as well as to explore what some of her
fictional creations such as Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur, and Max
Mephisto might have done outside of the novels. The Man in Black gathers these bite-sized tales all together in one splendid volume. 
Title: The Treasure Hunters Club 
Title: The Knife Before Christmas
Title: The Grey Wolf
There are ghost stories, cozy mysteries, tales of psychological suspense, and poignant vignettes of love and loss.
In the title story, Ruth Galloway crosses paths with a mysterious man in a bookstore, setting in motion a rescue mission that hinges on the legends and lore of Norfolk.
Looking into the past, a young magician in 1920s Leeds wonders just what happened to his missing landlady in “Max Mephisto and the Disappearing Act.”
In “Justice Jones and the Etherphone,” a witty girl detective investigates the dire prediction of a fortune teller in dreary postwar London.
A flashback in time reveals Harbinder Kaur as a Detective Sergeant surviving her first day on the job at Shoreham DCI.
To celebrate the holidays, Ruth gets her very first Christmas tree, and her beloved cat narrates his own seasonal story in “Flint’s Fireside Tale.”
And readers can armchair travel with stories set on the Amalfi Coast, in Capri, and in Egypt as Ruth and DCI Nelson experience their very own version of Death on the Nile.
The Man in Black
illustrates the breadth and variety of Elly Griffiths’s talent for
blood-chilling, page-turning stories all with her trademark humor and
heart."
Author: Tom Ryan
Standalone thriller set in Canada
384 pages
Synopsis: "For nearly a century, people have ventured to the idyllic
seaside town of Maple Bay in search of a legendary lost pirate treasure,
but locals know there’s more than just gold buried in the sand. As the
paths of three strangers converge in Maple Bay, the truth is about to be
blown wide open. But not before the bodies start to pile up.
Title: The Secret War of Julia Child
Peter Barnett is rapidly approaching 40 with little to show for it when a mysterious letter invites him to Maple Bay and the mansion his estranged family has called home for generations.
Seventeen-year-old Dandy Feltzen is isolated and adrift following the death of her beloved grandfather, until his final request and a tantalizing clue sets her on a mission to solve the mystery he spent his entire life chasing.
Cass Jones has given up on her dream of being a successful author when an unexpected opportunity lands in her lap: a housesitting gig in remote Maple Bay, where she stumbles on the perfect subject matter for her breakout book—and the handsome sailor who might be just the person to help her research it.
Peter, Dandy and Cass have
never met, but they’re on a collision course with each other and the
mystery that has defined Maple Bay for two centuries, and none of them
are prepared for the shocking truths that may or may not still be buried
there."
=== October 22 ===
Author: Diana R. Chambers
Standalone historical thriller set in World War II Asia
400 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Single, 6 foot 2, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams took a
job working for America's first espionage agency, years before cooking
or Paris entered the picture. The Secret War of Julia Child
traces Julia's transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to
Washington, DC file clerk, to head of General "Wild Bill" Donovan's
secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services.
Title: Beyond Reasonable Doubt
The wartime
journey takes her to South Asia's remote front lines of then-Ceylon,
India, and China, where she finds purpose, adventure, self-knowledge –
and love with mapmaker Paul Child. The spotlight has rarely shone on
this fascinating period of time in the life of ("I'm not a spy") Julia
Child, and this lyrical story allows us to explore the unlikely world of
a woman in a World War II spy station who has no idea of the impact
she'll eventually impart."
Author: Robert Dugoni
Series: #2 in the Keera Duggan legal thriller series set in Washington
384 pages
Synopsis: "When Jenna Bernstein, disgraced wunderkind CEO of a
controversial biotech company, is accused of murdering her former
partner and lover, she turns to Seattle attorney Keera Duggan to defend
her. Keera is more than a master chess player who brings her intuitive
moves into court―she’s Jenna’s childhood friend. But considering their
history, Keera knows that where Jenna goes, trouble follows.
Title: Murder Takes the Stage
Five years earlier, Keera’s father successfully defended Jenna when she was tried for the killing of her company’s chief scientist who threatened to go public with allegations of corporate fraud. Keera knows Jenna too well. When she was a kid, Keera saw Jenna for what she was: a manipulative and frighteningly controlling sociopath. Now, with only circumstantial evidence against Jenna, Keera is willing to bury any trepidation she might have to defend a woman she believes, this time, to be innocent.
As the investigation gets underway and
disturbing questions arise, Keera puts her trust in a client who swears
that this time she's telling nothing but the truth. If this is all just
another devious game, Keera might be working to set a murderer free."
Author: Colleen Cambridge
Series: #4 in the Phyllida Bright historical series set in England
288 pages
Synopsis: "Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is quite in her element at Mallowan
Hall, the charming English manor that she keeps in tip-top shape. By
contrast, the bustling metropolis of London, where her famed employer
Agatha Christie has temporarily relocated, leaves Phyllida a bit out of
her depth. Not only must she grapple with a limited staff, but Phyllida
also has to rein in a temperamental French cook who has the looks of
Hercule Poirot, but none of the charm.
When a man named Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair onstage at the Adelphi Theater, first impressions are that he died of natural causes. But the very next day, the unlucky actor playing Benvolio at the Belmont Theater is found with his head bashed in. And when a third victim turns up, this time with double-C initials, the fatal pattern is impossible to ignore.
With panic erupting among theater folk—a superstitious bunch at the best of times—Phyllida steps up to help with the investigation. The murderer’s MO may be easy to read, but can Phyllida uncover the killer’s identity before the final curtain falls on another victim?"
When a man named Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair onstage at the Adelphi Theater, first impressions are that he died of natural causes. But the very next day, the unlucky actor playing Benvolio at the Belmont Theater is found with his head bashed in. And when a third victim turns up, this time with double-C initials, the fatal pattern is impossible to ignore.
With panic erupting among theater folk—a superstitious bunch at the best of times—Phyllida steps up to help with the investigation. The murderer’s MO may be easy to read, but can Phyllida uncover the killer’s identity before the final curtain falls on another victim?"
Author: Kate Carlisle
Series: #11 in the Fixer-Upper cozy series set in California
288 pages
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."
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."
=== October 29 ===
Author: Louise Penny
Series: #19 in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache police procedural series set in Canada
432 pages
Synopsis: "Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August
morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to
find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head
of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back
garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband
refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end.
When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet
Sunday morning.
That's only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin THE GREY WOLF, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times-bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading "this might interest you", a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list―and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.
Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they’re chasing becomes clear. If they fail the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages.
Including Three Pines."
That's only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin THE GREY WOLF, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times-bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading "this might interest you", a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list―and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.
Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they’re chasing becomes clear. If they fail the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages.
Including Three Pines."
Believe it or not, I did whittle this list down, but-- WOW-- there were just so many that I couldn't leave out!
So... how did I do? Are any of these already on your reading lists? Or did I manage to tempt you to add some of them? Inquiring minds would love to know!
