It's downright impossible for me to believe that it's almost time for the holidays! It won't be much longer before I'll be posting about the new Christmas-themed mysteries that will be available. (Well, some of them already are, but
I'm not ready for them yet!) And if I'm doing that, then I'll be getting all my decorations out of storage, too.
I'm not ready, I tell you!
One thing that I am ready to do is to show you my picks for the new mysteries being released during the month of November. I've grouped them by release date, and of course I've included all the information you need to find them at all your favorite book spots. Synopses are courtesy of Amazon.
Enjoy the fall, enjoy your family, but most of all-- Enjoy a good book!
=== November 1 ===
Title: Deadly Pleasures
Standalone anthology of short stories
ISBN: 9780727883179
Publisher: Severn House
Hardcover, 256 pages
Synopsis: "The Crime Writers' Association marks its Diamond Jubilee year with an
anthology that's a smorgasbord of delicacies including a few pungent
unfamiliar items just begging to be tasted. Among the 18 contributors
are such well-known authors as Ann Cleeves, whose The Pirate offers a
surprise twist; Peter Robinson, whose Enchantress mixes legend with
mystery; and Lindsey Davis, whose whimsical Zounds! features a ghostly
cast. Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May in the Field shows the
Peculiar Crimes Unit in its best light, with its trademark blend of
logic and whimsy. The spare scenery of Iceland in Michael Ridpath's The
Polar Bear Killing is matched by his sharp clear prose. The late
Margaret Yorke's Threescore and Ten, the volume's only reprint, tugs at
the heartstrings before justice arrives in an unusual way."
=== November 4 ===
Title: Purgatory
Author: Ken Bruen
Series: #10 in the Jack Taylor series set in Galway, Ireland
ISBN: 9780802126078
Publisher: Mysterious Press
Hardcover, 272 pages
Synopsis: "Recovering from the severe mental and physical wounds inflicted from his
recent past, former cop Jack Taylor has finally found a modicum of
peace. He has managed to kick the myriad substances that have had a
stranglehold over his painful life, however tenuously. Yet this fragile
existence is threatened when a vigilante killer begins targeting the
scum of Galway, signing mysterious notes with the moniker 'C 33'. The
killer addresses these cryptic letters to Jack, trying to goad him into
joining the murderous spree.
While Jack tries to unravel the
mystery and motives of this demented killer, he is also brought into the
fold of an enigmatic tech billionaire who has been buying up massive
amounts of property in Galway, seemingly in the hopes of offering this
downtrodden city a better future. Yet if Jack has learned one thing
living in Ireland, it's that people who outwardly claim to be on the
side of righteousness are likely harboring far more nefarious motives
beneath the surface.
With the help of his friends, former drug
dealer-turned-zen master Stewart and dogged police sergeant Ridge, Jack
is determined to track down C 33, even if it jeopardizes his livelihood,
his friends, and the remaining shreds of his sanity. C 33 is Bruen at
his best: lyrical, brutal, and ceaselessly suspenseful."
=== November 5 ===
Title: The Dinosaur Feather
Author: S.J. Gazan
Standalone set in Denmark
ISBN: 9781623650667
Publisher: Quercus
Hardcover, 448 pages
Synopsis: "Winner of the Danish Crime Novel of the Decade and a national bestseller, S.J. Gazan's debut novel The Dinosaur Feather
is a classic of Scandinavian noir. With keenly observed and deeply
flawed characters, this scintillating thriller uniquely employs one of
the most controversial and fascinating areas of contemporary dinosaur
and avian research in its diabolical twists. The Dinosaur Feather has been published in more than a dozen countries. The Financial Times called it “a top-flight thriller—smart and outrageously entertaining.
Biology graduate Anna Bella Nor is just two weeks away from defending
her thesis at Copenhagen University on the origin of birds when her
supervisor Lars Helland is found dead in his office, his severed tongue
lying on his bloodied shirtfront, a copy of her thesis lying in his lap.
Helland has been deliberately infected with a rare parasite that only
an expert in the field would have access to
Police
Superintendent Søren Marhauge is assigned to unravel what appears to be a
series of related intrigues in the Biology Department. When Anna
Bella’s fellow graduate and close friend is also killed, the murders
seem to be linked not only to the university but also to Anna herself.
As Marhauge investigates he must enter the imbroglio of the
university—the bitter competition and scores to be settled among
colleagues vying for the same scarce grants and promotions—and learn the
dark secrets of this seemingly tame corner of academia."
Title: Read It and Weep
Series: #4 in the Library Lovers cozy series set in Connecticut
ISBN: 9780425260722
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Synopsis: "Answering Shakespeare trivia comes with the job description for library
director Lindsey Norris. But when the Briar Creek Community Theater
mounts their newest production of the Bard, she has no intention of
leaving the stacks for the stage. Unfortunately a villain is waiting in
the wings…
Former Broadway actress Violet La Rue is holding auditions for A Midsummer Night’s Dream—and
everyone from the sour spinster librarian Ms. Cole to Lindsey’s
youthful library pages are trying out for parts. Brought in to play the
mischievous Puck is the flirtatious professional actor Robbie Vine, who
seems to have eyes for Lindsey. Before her blush has faded, the Bard’s
dream turns into a nightmare—when one of the cast is poisoned. Now
Lindsey and her crafternooners must take center stage to unmask the
culprit before the final curtain call…."
Title: Freezer I'll Shoot
Series: #3 in the Vintage Kitchen cozy series set in Michigan
ISBN: 9780425252376
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Synopsis: "Trying to escape her overbearing mother, vintage kitchenware enthusiast
and soon-to-be columnist Jaymie Leighton retreats to her family’s
cottage on Heartbreak Island. While there she hopes to write an article
about the Ice House restaurant, owned by good friends and
neighbors, siblings Ruby and Garnet Redmond. Once an actual icehouse,
the restaurant is charmingly decorated with antique tools of the trade,
including a collection of ice picks.
One night, while working
on her article, Jaymie overhears an argument and, ever the sleuth, sets
out to explore. But when she stumbles upon a dead body her blood runs
cold. It’s Urban Dobrinskie, whose feud with the Redmonds is no secret,
and he’s got an ice pick through his heart. Now Jaymie’s got to sharpen
her sleuthing skills to chip away at the mystery and prove her
neighbors’ innocence—before someone else gets picked off…."
Title: Death of a Nightingale
Authors: Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis
Series: #3 in the Nina Borg series set in Denmark
ISBN: 9781616953041
Publisher: Soho Crime
Hardcover, 368 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "Nina. Natasha. Olga. Three women united by one terrifying secret. But only one of them has killed to keep it.
Natasha
Doroshenko, a Ukrainian woman who has been convicted of the attempted
murder of her Danish fiancé, escapes police custody on her way to an
interrogation in Copenhagen's police headquarters. That night, the
frozen, tortured body of Michael, the ex-fiancé, is found in a car, and
the manhunt for Natasha escalates. It isn't the first time the young
Ukrainian woman has lost a partner to violent ends: her first husband
was also murdered, three years earlier in Kiev, and in the same manner:
tortured to death in a car.
Danish Red Cross nurse Nina Borg
has been following Natasha's case for several years now, since Natasha
first took refuge at a crisis center where Nina works. Nina, who had
tried to help Natasha leave her abusive fiancé more than once, just
can't see the young Ukrainian mother as a vicious killer. But in her
effort to protect Natasha's daughter and discover the truth, Nina
realizes there is much she didn't know about this woman and her past.
The mystery has long and bloody roots, going back to a terrible famine
that devastated Stalinist Ukraine in 1934, when a ten-year-old girl with
the voice of a nightingale sang her family into shallow graves."
Title: Rituals
Series: #8 in the Faye Longchamp series based on North Florida's Gulf Coast
ISBN: 9781464201691
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Paperback, 250 pages
Synopsis: "Faye Longchamp doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she’s an
archaeologist—dead people are her life. Yet while working in Rosebower, a
rural New York town founded by Spiritualists, Faye is surrounded by
people who talk to the dead on a regular basis. When influential
Spiritualist Tilda Armistead invites Faye and her daughter to commune
with the dead, Faye can’t say no. She’s just too curious.
Then an
hour after her crystal ball shows Faye things no rational mind can
explain, Tilda is dead. The evidence says that someone trapped Tilda in a
small room, nailing its one door shut before setting her house afire.
There is no possible way for her to have escaped the blaze, let alone
drive for miles before finding Faye and dying in her arms. Yet Tilda
did. How? And why?
It seems Rosebower is full of people who had
reason to kill Tilda. Tilda’s estranged daughter is the heir to the
Armistead fortune. That daughter’s husband is a stage magician with a
long history of making things vanish. Against Tilda’s wishes, a rich
developer would like to turn Rosebower into a Disneyland with real
ghosts. And then there is the famed root doctor whose mysterious herbal
potions are anywhere else, these people would be dismissed as crazy. In
Rosebower, “normal“ is relative. As Faye watches the psychics and
charlatans jockey for power, Tilda’s sister, Myrna, is slowly dying.
Will Rosebower reveal its secrets before more goes up in flames?"
Title: Hidden Heritage
Series: #3 in the Lottie Albright series set in western Kansas
ISBN: 9781464200762
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Paperback, 250 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "After a gruesome killing at the Carlton County, Kansas, livestock
feedyard, Sheriff Sam Abbot, Undersheriff Lottie Albright, and her
ranching husband deputy know their resources are over-stretched. Still,
none of their team or neighboring law enforcement in Western Kansas
welcomes the idea of a regional crime center.
Kansas Bureau of
Investigation Agent Dimon suggests the murder may not be a simple local
affair. Unconvinced, Lottie— still director of the historical
society—calls for stories from families whose ancestors were part of
groups colonizing Kansas. Doña Francisca Díaz is the ancient head of one
such clan.
It turns out, Francisca’s great grandson Victor was the
murder victim. Francisca, a fabled curandera with terribly damaged
hands, insists she knows why Victor was killed. The key, she claims, is
in ancient documents.
At Doña Francisca’s invitation, Lottie visits
the Díaz’ property. In a drought-ridden area, the land is lush.
Francisca wants Lottie to train as her heir. Reluctant yet fascinated,
Lottie agrees.
Will Lottie be lost in this maze of magic? Does this family and its secret hold the key to murder and other terrible crimes?"
Title: Through the Evil Days
Series: #8 in the Fergusson and Van Alstyne series set in Millers Kill, New York
ISBN: 9780312606848
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 368 pages
Synopsis: "
In Through the Evil Days, New York Times
bestselling author Julia Spencer-Fleming raises the stakes for Russ and
Clare, putting their new marriage, their unborn child, a missing teen,
and their very own lives on the line.
On a frigid January night,
Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne and Reverend Clare Fergusson are called
to the scene of a raging fire. The extent of the tragedy isn't known
until the next day, when the charred remains of a man and woman are
recovered—along with evidence showing they were shot execution style.
The
last thing Russ needs are two potential homicides. He's struggling with
the prospect of impending fatherhood, and his new wife is not at all
happy with his proposal for their long-delayed honeymoon: a week
ice-fishing at a remote Adirondack lake.
St. Alban's Church is
still in turmoil over the Reverend Clare Fergusson's news that she's
five and a half months pregnant—but only two and a half months married.
Worried her post-deployment drinking and drug use may have damaged the
baby, she awaits the outcome of the bishop's investigation into her
"unpriestly" behavior: a scolding, censure, or permanent suspension.
Officer
Hadley Knox is having a miserable January as well. Her on-again,
off-again lover, Kevin Flynn, has seven days to weigh an offer from the
Syracuse Police Department that might take him half a state away. And
her ex-husband's in town—threatening to take custody of their kids
unless Hadley pays him off with money she doesn't have.
When
Hadley discovers that the dead couple fostered an eight-year-old girl
who was a recent liver donee, the search for the killer takes on a new
and terrible urgency. With no access to immunosuppressant drugs,
transplant rejection will kill the girl in a matter of days.
As
a deadly ice storm downs power lines and immobilizes roads, Russ and
Clare search desperately for the truth about the missing child, but the
hunters will become the hunted when they are trapped in the cabin beside
the frozen lake and stalked through the snowbound woods by a killer."
=== November 7 ===
Title: The Magus of Hay
Series: #12 in the Merrily Watkins series set near the Welsh border in Herefordshire, England
ISBN: 9780857898654
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Hardcover, 462 pages
Synopsis: "A man's body is found below a waterfall. It looks like suicide or an
accidental drowning—until DI Frannie Bliss enters the dead man's home.
What he finds there sends him to Merrily Watkins, the Diocese of
Hereford's official advisor on the paranormal. It's been nearly 40 years
since Hay was declared an independent state by its self-styled king—a
development seen at the time as a joke, a publicity scam. But behind
this pastiche a dark design was taking shape, creating a hidden history
of murder and ritual-magic, the relics of which are only now becoming
horribly visible. It's a situation that will take Merrily Watkins—alone
for the first time in years—to the edge of madness."
=== November 21 ===
Title: Touching Distance
Series: #2 in the Detective Sergeant Jimmy Suttle series set in Dartmoor, England
ISBN: 9781409131557
Publisher: Orion
Hardcover, 352 pages
Synopsis: "Three unrelated, random killings. Or something much, much worse? Graham
Hurley's new crime thriller unleashes a serial killer; combining
Hurley's talent for ultra-realistic, character driven police procedurals
with a plot powered by an explosive ticking clock and kicking his books
into a new realm of tension and fear. Jimmy Suttle has barely got his
feet under the desk at his new job. Having flown in the face of his
superiors on his first big case he now finds himself trying to track
down a random, hugely skilled killer before another innocent dies and
before the media tear the force apart. Full of a sense of place,
sensitive to the deep rooted agonies of a policeman alone and facing
disaster, and close to, and with a chilling understanding of the
motivations of the killer this is a bravura piece of crime fiction that
will secure Hurley's reputation and win new readers."
A little something for everyone this month, isn't there? Some of the books I chose remind me that I'm woefully behind in reading the authors' books. Two of the books I've listed I'll be buying at The Poisoned Pen and having them signed by their authors. Which ones am I looking forward to the most? Ouch-- quit twisting my arm! Okay... okay... I have to admit that I'm looking forward to The Magus of Hay and Through the Evil Days a smidge or two more than the others.
How about you? Which books tickle your fancy???
