Of all the posts I missed writing while I was in the UK, I think this new release list was right at the top. There's something about new books that just makes my toes curl.
I'm well and truly back now because here's my list of some of the books I'm most looking forward to. They're all grouped by their May release dates, and I've included all the information you need to find them at all your favorite book spots.
Hopefully I've chosen a title or two that tickles your fancy. After all... new books make your toes curl, too... don't they?
=== May 1 ===
Title: Inspector Singh Investigates: A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree
Author: Shamini Flint
Series: #4 in the Inspector Singh series, set in Cambodia
ISBN: 9780749953478
Publisher: Piatkus Books
Paperback, 320 pages
Synopsis: "Inspector Singh is in Cambodia, wishing he wasn't. He has been sent as an observer to the international war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh in the latest effort by his superiors to ensure that he is anywhere except in Singapore. But for the first time the fat Sikh inspector finds himself on the verge of losing his appetite, when a key member of the tribunal is murdered in cold blood. The authorities are determined to write off the incident as a random act of violence, but Singh thinks otherwise. It isn't long before he finds himself caught up in one of the most terrible murder investigations he's witnessed, the roots of which lie in the dark depths of the Cambodian killing fields."
Title: Dead Image
Author: Joan Lock
Series: #1 Detective Sergeant Best set in Victorian London
ISBN: 9780752464558
Publisher: The History Press
Paperback, 192 pages
Author: Shamini Flint
Series: #4 in the Inspector Singh series, set in Cambodia
ISBN: 9780749953478
Publisher: Piatkus Books
Paperback, 320 pages
Synopsis: "Inspector Singh is in Cambodia, wishing he wasn't. He has been sent as an observer to the international war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh in the latest effort by his superiors to ensure that he is anywhere except in Singapore. But for the first time the fat Sikh inspector finds himself on the verge of losing his appetite, when a key member of the tribunal is murdered in cold blood. The authorities are determined to write off the incident as a random act of violence, but Singh thinks otherwise. It isn't long before he finds himself caught up in one of the most terrible murder investigations he's witnessed, the roots of which lie in the dark depths of the Cambodian killing fields."
Author: Joan Lock
Series: #1 Detective Sergeant Best set in Victorian London
ISBN: 9780752464558
Publisher: The History Press
Paperback, 192 pages
Synopsis: "The first book in an exciting series is a dramatic Victorian murder case set against a historic London tragedy. The
explosion was heard 20 miles away. It killed boatmen and wrecked the
exotic villa of Lawrence Alma-Tadema, the fashionable St John's Wood
artist. But what caused the 1874 Regents Park explosion? Fenian bombs?
Sabotage by rival railways or other firms? Or was it something personal?
And whose was the other body found in the canal? An artist's model? The
missing King’s Cross barmaid? Or another victim of the so-called Thames
murderer? As he struggles to find the answers, Scotland Yard's Sergeant
Ernest Best straddles the conflicting worlds of art, wealth, and
privilege and that of the poverty-stricken canal boatmen in an
intriguing mystery that will change his life forever."
Title: Deadly Inheritance
Author: Janet Laurence
Series: #1 Ursula Grandison mystery set in Edwardian England
ISBN: 9780752470016
Publisher: The History Press
Paperback, 416 pages
Synopsis: "American Ursula Grandison accompanies Belle Seldon to visit her sister,
Helen, Countess of Mountstanton, commissioned by their father,
multi-millionaire Chauncey Seldon, to discover what is wrong with
Helen's marriage and what has happened to her dowry. At decaying stately
Mountstanton House, Ursula finds that the Earl is a cold fish, the
Dowager Countess of Mounstanton the mother-in-law from hell, and Helen
has not forgiven her for stealing her great love. Ursula discovers the
drowned body of Polly, the nursemaid, thought to have deserted the
household. Neither the Earl's brother, Colonel Charles Stanhope, nor
Ursula believes Polly's death was an accident. Investigating against the
Earl's wishes, they uncover a tangle of deception reaching into the
past that threatens the reputation of the house of Mountstanton. After
another death, Ursula fights to reveal the truth, to save Belle from
dreadful scandal, and to fulfill Mr. Seldon's commission, with a final
shocking denouement."
=== May 7 ===
Title: The Night Detectives
Author: Jon Talton
Series: #7 David Mapstone mystery set in Phoenix, Arizona, and San Diego, California
ISBN: 9781464201325
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover, 250 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "The private-detective business starts out badly for former Phoenix
Deputy David Mapstone, who has teamed up with his old friend and boss,
Sheriff Mike Peralta. Their first client is gunned down just after
hiring them. The case: A suspicious death investigation involving a
young Arizona woman who fell from a condo tower in San Diego. The police
call Grace Hunter’s death a suicide, but the client doesn’t buy it.
He’s her brother. Or is he? After his murder, police find multiple
driver’s licenses and his real identity is a mystery. To complicate
things further, an Arizona state senator who was instrumental in
Peralta’s recent election defeat owns the condo.
In
San Diego, David finds the woman’s boyfriend, who is trying to care for
their baby and can’t believe Grace would kill herself. He, too, hires
the pair to solve Grace’s death. But a darker story emerges. Grace was
putting herself through college as a high-priced call girl, an escort
for rich men who valued her looks and discretion. Before the day is out,
the boyfriend is murdered and David barely escapes with his own life.
Someone is killing their clients. And may be coming for them. Solving
the case will take Mapstone and Peralta into the world of human
trafficking, corrupt politics, and the white supremacist movement.
Neither the lovely beaches of San Diego nor the enchanting desert of
Arizona can conceal the brutal danger that lies beneath. They no longer
have badges but they are still detectives. The night detectives."
Title: Killer in Crinolines
Author: Duffy Brown
Series: #2 in the Consignment Shop mysteries set in Savannah, Georgia
ISBN: 9780425252154
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "It’s August in Savannah, Georgia—hardly the season for a traditional
Southern wedding with hoopskirts and crinolines. One could die from the
heat—or from a cake knife in the back...
Reagan Summerside should be devoting all her energy to her consignment shop the Prissy Fox. But when her dear friend Chantilly Parker is arrested for murder, Reagan vows to clear her name. The victim is Simon Ambrose, who’s found lying in his own wedding cake with a knife in his back.
Chantilly has motive (Simon broke her heart to marry wealthy Waynetta Waverly) and opportunity (crashing the wedding in her UPS delivery truck). And she has cake on her face, and the stolen bridesmaid dress the killer wore is in her truck. But Chantilly would never wear crinoline to kill a man!
With the help of her flamboyant auntie, KiKi, and vexing but attractive attorney Walker Boone, Reagan is determined to save her friend—before she’s forced to turn in her brown uniform for an orange jumpsuit…"
Reagan Summerside should be devoting all her energy to her consignment shop the Prissy Fox. But when her dear friend Chantilly Parker is arrested for murder, Reagan vows to clear her name. The victim is Simon Ambrose, who’s found lying in his own wedding cake with a knife in his back.
Chantilly has motive (Simon broke her heart to marry wealthy Waynetta Waverly) and opportunity (crashing the wedding in her UPS delivery truck). And she has cake on her face, and the stolen bridesmaid dress the killer wore is in her truck. But Chantilly would never wear crinoline to kill a man!
With the help of her flamboyant auntie, KiKi, and vexing but attractive attorney Walker Boone, Reagan is determined to save her friend—before she’s forced to turn in her brown uniform for an orange jumpsuit…"
Title: Hex on the Ex
Author: Rochelle Staab
Series: #3 in the Mind for Murder series set in Los Angeles, California
ISBN: 9780425252017
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Synopsis: "When her ex-husband encounters a mysterious death omen,
psychologist Liz Cooper turns to occult professor Nick Garfield for help
in solving an all-too-real murder…
At a
Dodgers game to celebrate her father’s birthday, Liz is forced to watch
her ex—star player, Jarret—on the pitcher’s mound. To make matters
worse, her former best friend, Laycee, is in the stands as well. Having
betrayed her trust by having an affair with Jarret, Laycee is the last
person Liz wants to see.
But when the
appearance of a white pigeon—an omen of death—sets the superstitious
Jarret off balance, it’s a game changer both on and off the field.
Because the next morning, Laycee is found dead in Jarret’s home—and Liz
is on deck as the prime suspect…"
=== May 14 ===
Title: His Majesty's Hope
Author: Susan Elia MacNeal
Series: #3 in the Maggie Hope series, set in World War II England and Germany
ISBN: 9780345536730
Publisher: Bantam
Paperback, 368 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "For fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Laurie R. King, and Anne Perry,
whip-smart heroine Maggie Hope returns to embark on a clandestine
mission behind enemy lines where no one can be trusted, and even the
smallest indiscretion can be deadly.
World War II has finally come home to Britain, but it takes more than nightly air raids to rattle intrepid spy and expert code breaker Maggie Hope. After serving as a secret agent to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Maggie is now an elite member of the Special Operations Executive—a black ops organization designed to aid the British effort abroad—and her first assignment sends her straight into Nazi-controlled Berlin, the very heart of the German war machine. Relying on her quick wit and keen instincts, Maggie infiltrates the highest level of Berlin society, gathering information to pass on to London headquarters. But the secrets she unveils will expose a darker, more dangerous side of the war—and of her own past."
World War II has finally come home to Britain, but it takes more than nightly air raids to rattle intrepid spy and expert code breaker Maggie Hope. After serving as a secret agent to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Maggie is now an elite member of the Special Operations Executive—a black ops organization designed to aid the British effort abroad—and her first assignment sends her straight into Nazi-controlled Berlin, the very heart of the German war machine. Relying on her quick wit and keen instincts, Maggie infiltrates the highest level of Berlin society, gathering information to pass on to London headquarters. But the secrets she unveils will expose a darker, more dangerous side of the war—and of her own past."
Title: Inferno
Author: Dan Brown
Series: #4 Robert Langdon mystery
ISBN: 9780385537858
Publisher: Doubleday
Hardcover, 480 pages
Synopsis: "In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon,
is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most
enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.
Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered."
Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered."
=== May 21 ===
Title: A Dark Anatomy
Author: Robin Blake
Series: #1 Cragg and Fidelis mystery set in 18th-century Lancashire, England
ISBN: 9781250006721
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 368 pages
Synopsis: "The year is 1740. George II is on the throne, but England’s remoter
provinces remain largely a law unto themselves. In Lancashire a grim
discovery has been made: a squire’s wife, Dolores Brockletower, lies in
the woods above her home at Garlick Hall, her throat brutally slashed.
Now Apelu stands accused of murder, and his only shot at proving his innocence is to go AWOL from his job and his wife until he can unearth the truth. Hunted by the police, his only ally is a young American widow whom he quickly discovers is anything but what she seems. Apelu knows he’s playing with fire—but can he unmask a killer before he gets burned?"
Title: Drop Dead Beauty
Author: Wendy Roberts
Series: #5 in the Ghost Dusters series set in Seattle, Washington
ASIN: B007P7HTVE
Publisher: InterMix
eBook
Synopsis: "Crime scene cleaner and amateur medium Sadie Novak’s ability to talk to the dead is a sure-fire way to solve crimes, but sometimes Sadie thinks she’d prefer a channel into the minds of the living instead…
While attempting to renew her relationship with on-again-off-again boyfriend Zack, Sadie discovers something that throws her romantic plans for a loop. With her love life in shambles, Sadie needs a distraction from all the drama. But sometimes, getting what you wish for isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
For the first time, the noble detective who’s repeatedly saved Sadie’s backside finds himself on the wrong end of a homicide investigation. Sadie is determined to prove that Dean Petrovich was framed for his ex-wife’s murder. But when her investigative trip to the crime scene—a luxurious day spa—puts the killer hot on her trail, Sadie will have to put all of her problems aside to keep from dropping dead…"
Title: The Black Country
Author: Alex Grecian
Series: #2 in the Murder Squad series, set in Victorian England
ISBN: 9780399159336
Publisher: Putnam
Hardcover, 400 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "The British Midlands. It’s called the 'Black Country' for a reason. Bad things happen there.
When members of a prominent family disappear from a coal-mining village—and a human eyeball is discovered in a bird’s nest—the local constable sends for help from Scotland Yard’s new Murder Squad. Fresh off the grisly 1889 murders of The Yard, Inspector Walter Day and Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith respond, but they have no idea what they’re about to get into. The villagers have intense, intertwined histories. Everybody bears a secret. Superstitions abound. And the village itself is slowly sinking into the mines beneath it.
Not even the arrival of forensics pioneer Dr. Bernard Kingsley seems to help. In fact, the more the three of them investigate, the more they realize they may never be allowed to leave. . . ."
Synopsis: "After his grandfather dies, avid scholar and budding
forensic investigator Cí Song begrudgingly gives up his studies to help
his family. But when another tragedy strikes, he’s forced to run and
also deemed a fugitive. Dishonored, he has no choice but to accept work
as a lowly gravedigger, a position that allows him to sharpen his
corpse-reading skills. Soon, he can deduce whether a person killed
himself—or was murdered.
Called
to the scene, Coroner Titus Cragg finds the Brockletower household
awash with rumor and suspicion. He enlists the help of his astute young
friend, doctor Luke Fidelis, to throw light on the case.
But
this is a world in which forensic science is in its infancy, and
policing hardly exists. Embarking on their first gripping investigation,
Cragg and Fidelis are faced with the superstition of witnesses,
obstruction by local officials, and denunciations from the squire
himself. A Dark Anatomy marks the arrival of a remarkable new voice in mystery and a pair of detectives both cunning and complex."
Title: Sacred Games
Author: Gary Corby
Series: #3 in the series featuring Nicolaos, an investigator in classical Athens (461 BCE)
ISBN: 9781616952273
Publisher: Soho Crime
Hardcover, 350 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "It is the Olympics of 460 BC. Nico's best friend, Timodemus, is a
competitor in the pankration, the deadly martial art of ancient Greece.
Timo is hot favorite to win. His only serious rival is Arakos from
Sparta. When Arakos is found beaten to death, it is obvious Timodemus
must be the killer. Who else could have killed the second-best fighter
in all Hellas but the very best? The Judges of the Games sentence
Timodemus to be executed in four days' time, as soon as the Sacred Games
have finished.
Complicating everything is the fact that Athens and Sparta are already at each other's throats, in the opening stages of a power struggle for control of Hellas. If an Athenian is found to have cheated at the Games by murdering a Spartan, it will be everything the hawks in Sparta need to declare open war the moment the Sacred Truce is over. And that's a war Athens cannot hope to win.
Nico and his partner in sleuthing, the annoyingly clever priestess Diotima, have four days to save their friend and avert a war that would tear their world apart."
Complicating everything is the fact that Athens and Sparta are already at each other's throats, in the opening stages of a power struggle for control of Hellas. If an Athenian is found to have cheated at the Games by murdering a Spartan, it will be everything the hawks in Sparta need to declare open war the moment the Sacred Truce is over. And that's a war Athens cannot hope to win.
Nico and his partner in sleuthing, the annoyingly clever priestess Diotima, have four days to save their friend and avert a war that would tear their world apart."
Title: Fire Knife Dancing
Author: John Enright
Series: #2 in the Jungle Beat series set in American Samoa
ISBN: 9781612185019
Publisher: Thomas and Mercer
Paperback, 254 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "Samoan detective Apelu Soifua lives on the knife edge
of two disparate cultures, navigating a perilous dance between native
and new that, over the years, has landed him in his fair share of
trouble. So when a routine patrol on a remote jungle estate uncovers an
inter-island smuggling ring, it doesn’t take long for Apelu to realize
there’s more than just cigarettes and bootleg CDs at stake. Someone in
Apelu’s corner of paradise is trafficking humans—and they won’t think
twice about setting up a cop to take the fall.
Now Apelu stands accused of murder, and his only shot at proving his innocence is to go AWOL from his job and his wife until he can unearth the truth. Hunted by the police, his only ally is a young American widow whom he quickly discovers is anything but what she seems. Apelu knows he’s playing with fire—but can he unmask a killer before he gets burned?"
Author: Wendy Roberts
Series: #5 in the Ghost Dusters series set in Seattle, Washington
ASIN: B007P7HTVE
Publisher: InterMix
eBook
Synopsis: "Crime scene cleaner and amateur medium Sadie Novak’s ability to talk to the dead is a sure-fire way to solve crimes, but sometimes Sadie thinks she’d prefer a channel into the minds of the living instead…
While attempting to renew her relationship with on-again-off-again boyfriend Zack, Sadie discovers something that throws her romantic plans for a loop. With her love life in shambles, Sadie needs a distraction from all the drama. But sometimes, getting what you wish for isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
For the first time, the noble detective who’s repeatedly saved Sadie’s backside finds himself on the wrong end of a homicide investigation. Sadie is determined to prove that Dean Petrovich was framed for his ex-wife’s murder. But when her investigative trip to the crime scene—a luxurious day spa—puts the killer hot on her trail, Sadie will have to put all of her problems aside to keep from dropping dead…"
Author: Alex Grecian
Series: #2 in the Murder Squad series, set in Victorian England
ISBN: 9780399159336
Publisher: Putnam
Hardcover, 400 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
Synopsis: "The British Midlands. It’s called the 'Black Country' for a reason. Bad things happen there.
When members of a prominent family disappear from a coal-mining village—and a human eyeball is discovered in a bird’s nest—the local constable sends for help from Scotland Yard’s new Murder Squad. Fresh off the grisly 1889 murders of The Yard, Inspector Walter Day and Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith respond, but they have no idea what they’re about to get into. The villagers have intense, intertwined histories. Everybody bears a secret. Superstitions abound. And the village itself is slowly sinking into the mines beneath it.
Not even the arrival of forensics pioneer Dr. Bernard Kingsley seems to help. In fact, the more the three of them investigate, the more they realize they may never be allowed to leave. . . ."
=== May 28 ===
Title: The Corpse Reader
Author: Antonio Garrido
Standalone, set in 13th-century China
ISBN: 9781612184364
Publisher: AmazonCrossing
Paperback, 494 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books
His prowess earns him notoriety, and Cí
receives orders to unearth the perpetrator of a horrific series of
mutilations and deaths at the Imperial Court. Cí’s gruesome
investigation quickly grows complicated thanks to old loyalties and the
presence of an alluring, enigmatic woman. But he remains driven by his
passion for truth—especially once the killings threaten to take down the
Emperor himself.
Inspired by Song Cí, considered to be the founding father of CSI-style forensic science, this harrowing novel set during the thirteenth-century Tsong Dynasty draws readers into a multi-layered, ingenious plot as disturbing as it is fascinating."
There's a lot of excellent reading coming up during the month of May. Did any of the titles I listed catch your eye? Which ones? Inquiring minds want to know!
Inspired by Song Cí, considered to be the founding father of CSI-style forensic science, this harrowing novel set during the thirteenth-century Tsong Dynasty draws readers into a multi-layered, ingenious plot as disturbing as it is fascinating."
There's a lot of excellent reading coming up during the month of May. Did any of the titles I listed catch your eye? Which ones? Inquiring minds want to know!
