June 2017 New Mystery Releases!

Publishers have definitely geared up for the summer because I had a difficult time narrowing my June picks down to the usual baker's dozen. Better too many choices than not enough, eh?

This month's choices are a good blend of the new and promising, and of the familiar and favored. Something tells me that I should get right down to business, so I will.

My picks for June are grouped together by their release dates, and I've included all the information you'll need to find them at your favorite book spots. Book synopses are courtesy of Amazon.

Let's get started!

=== June 5 ===

Title: A Grave Calling

Author: Wendy Roberts

Series: #1 in the Bodies of Evidence series paranormal mystery series.

Publisher: Carina Press

199 pages

Synopsis: "Twenty-five-year-old Julie Hall has a unique ability: when she takes up a dowsing rod, she finds not water but bodies. To Julie, it's a curse, not a gift, and one she rarely uses—she prefers her quiet life in a trailer, with her grandfather and her dog for company. But when FBI agent Garrett Pierce shows up at her door seeking help with a case, she has no choice but to assist with their search. 

Three girls are still missing. The killer is still out there. As bodies are discovered and more girls disappear, the case becomes almost more than Julie can bear. And when the killer turns his sights toward her, even her growing relationship with the protective Agent Garrett may not be enough to save her."

=== June 6 ===

Title: Death on Nantucket

Author: Francine Mathews

Series: #5 in the Merry Folger police procedural series set on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.

Publisher: Soho Crime

288 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Spencer Murphy is a national treasure. A famous Vietnam War correspondent who escaped captivity in Southeast Asia, he made a fortune off of his books and television appearances. But Spence is growing forgetful with age; he’s started to wander and even fails to come home one night. When a body is discovered at Step Above, the sprawling Murphy house near Steps Beach, Nantucket police detective Meredith Folger is called in to investigate.

The timing couldn’t be worse: It’s the Fourth of July, and tourists are arriving in droves to celebrate on Nantucket’s beaches, so the police force is spread thin. On top of that Merry is planning her wedding to cranberry farmer Peter Mason, and her new boss, an ex-Chicago police chief with an aggressive management strategy, seems to be trying to force her to quit. Merry can’t conclude the Murphy investigation quickly enough for him. As she grapples with a family of unreliable storytellers—some incapable of recalling the past, and others determined that it never be known—she suspects that the truth may be forever out of reach, trapped in the failing brain of a man whose whole life may be a lie."

Title: Murder in Saint-Germain

Author: Cara Black

Series: #17 in the Aimée Leduc private investigator series set in Paris, France.

Publisher: Soho Crime

336 pages

Synopsis: "Paris, July 1999: Private investigator Aimée Leduc is walking through Saint-Germain when she is accosted by Suzanne Lesage, a Brigade Criminelle agent on an elite counterterrorism squad. Suzanne has just returned from the former Yugoslavia, where she was hunting down dangerous war criminals for the Hague. Back in Paris, Suzanne is convinced she’s being stalked by a ghost—a Serbian warlord her team took down. She’s suffering from PTSD and her boss thinks she’s imagining things. She begs Aimée to investigate—is it possible Mirko Vladić could be alive and in Paris with a blood vendetta?

Aimée is already working on a huge case; plus, she’s got an eight-month-old baby to take care of. But she can’t say no to Suzanne, whom she owes a big favor. Aimée chases the few leads she has, and all evidence confirms Mirko Vladić is dead. It seems that Suzanne is in fact paranoid, perhaps losing her mind—until Suzanne’s team begins to die in a series of strange, tragic accidents. Are these just coincidences? Or are things not what they seem?"

Title: Magpie Murders

Author: Anthony Horowitz

Standalone mystery set in England

Publisher: Harper

496 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.

Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder.

Masterful, clever, and relentlessly suspenseful, Magpie Murders is a deviously dark take on vintage English crime fiction in which the reader becomes the detective."

=== June 8 ===

Title: Death Around the Bend

Author: T.E. Kinsey

Series: #3 in the Lady Hardcastle historical cozy series set in England.

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

316 pages

Synopsis: "September 1909, and Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence, have been invited to Lord Riddlethorpe’s country estate for a week of motor racing and parties. They both agree that it sounds like a perfectly charming holiday. But when one of the drivers dies in a crash during the very first race, they discover that what seemed like an uncharacteristic error in judgment may have a more sinister explanation…

Closer investigation reveals that the driver’s car was sabotaged—and the driver murdered. The local constabulary are quick to dismiss the case, but Flo and Lady Hardcastle are determined to find out just who has committed this dastardly act, and why.

As the pair begin to make enquiries of Lord Riddlethorpe’s servants and guests, it seems that, below stairs and above, there is more to this case than meets the eye. And, even in the quiet of the countryside, death is always just around the bend."

=== June 13 ===

Title: Bad Housekeeping

Author: Maia Chance

Series: #1 in the Agnes & Effie cozy series set in the Finger Lakes area of New York state. 

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

304 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "When 28-year-old Agnes Blythe, the contented bifocals-wearing half of an academic power couple, is jilted by her professor boyfriend for the town Pilates instructor, her future is suddenly less than certain. So when her glamorous, eccentric Great Aunt Effie arrives in town and offers a job helping to salvage the condemned Stagecoach Inn, what does Agnes have to lose? But work at the inn has barely begun when the unlikely duo find the body of manipulative Kathleen Todd, with whom Agnes and Effie both have recently had words. Words strong enough to land them at the top of the suspect list.

The pair has clearly been framed, but no one else seems interested in finding the real murderer and Agnes and Effie's sleuthing expertise is not exactly slick. Nevertheless, they're soon investigating a suspect list with laundry dirtier than a middle school soccer team's and navigating threats, car chases, shotgun blasts, and awkward strolls down memory lane.

In Bad Housekeeping, the first novel in the Agnes & Effie cozy mystery series by Maia Chance, danger mounts, deadlines loom, ancient knob-and-tube wiring is explored, and the ladies learn a thing or two about the awful, wonderful mistake that is going back home."

Title: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

Author: Matthew Sullivan

Debut mystery set in a bookstore.

Publisher: Scribner

336 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "When a bookshop patron commits suicide, his favorite store clerk must unravel the puzzle he left behind in this fiendishly clever debut novel from an award-winning short story writer.

Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas bookstore, she keeps a meticulously crafted existence among her beloved books, eccentric colleagues, and the BookFrogs—the lost and lonely regulars who spend every day marauding the store’s overwhelmed shelves.

But when Joey Molina, a young, beguiling BookFrog, kills himself in the bookstore’s upper room, Lydia’s life comes unglued. Always Joey’s favorite bookseller, Lydia has been bequeathed his meager worldly possessions. Trinkets and books; the detritus of a lonely, uncared for man. But when Lydia flips through his books she finds them defaced in ways both disturbing and inexplicable. They reveal the psyche of a young man on the verge of an emotional reckoning. And they seem to contain a hidden message. What did Joey know? And what does it have to do with Lydia?

As Lydia untangles the mystery of Joey’s suicide, she unearths a long-buried memory from her own violent childhood. Details from that one bloody night begin to circle back. Her distant father returns to the fold, along with an obsessive local cop, and the Hammerman, a murderer who came into Lydia’s life long ago and, as she soon discovers, never completely left. Bedazzling, addictive, and wildly clever, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is a heart-pounding mystery that perfectly captures the intellect and eccentricity of the bookstore milieu and will keep you guessing until the very last page." 

Title: Knife Creek

Author: Paul Doiron

Series: #8 in the Mike Bowditch game warden series set in Maine.

Publisher: Minotaur Books

352 pages

Synopsis: "When Maine game warden Mike Bowditch is tasked with shooting invasive feral hogs that are tearing up the forest in his district, he makes a horrific discovery ― a dead baby buried in a shallow grave.

Even more disturbing: evidence suggests the infant was the child of a young woman who was presumed to have died four years earlier after she disappeared from a group rafting trip.

As Bowditch assists the reopened investigation, he begins to suspect that some of his neighbors aren’t who they seem to be. When violence strikes close to home, he realizes that his unknown enemies will stop at nothing to keep their terrible secrets.

Mike Bowditch has bucked the odds his whole career, but this time the intrepid warden may have finally followed his hunches one step too far." 

Title: The Templars' Last Secret

Author: Martin Walker

Series: #10 in the Bruno Chief of Police series set in southwestern France

Publisher: Knopf

336 pages

Synopsis: "When a woman's body is found at the foot of a cliff near St. Denis, Bruno suspects a connection to the great ruin that stands on the cliff above: the Château de Commarque, a long-ago Knights Templar stronghold which, along with the labyrinth of prehistoric caves beneath it, continues to draw the interest of scholars. With the help of Amélie, a young newcomer to the Dordogne, Bruno learns that the dead woman was an archaeologist searching for a religious artifact of incredible importance, the discovery of which could have dramatic repercussions throughout the Middle East--not to mention in St. Denis. And the woman's ties to Islamic terrorists can only heighten the pressure on Bruno to unravel the centuries-old mystery. Meanwhile, an old flame of Bruno's is assigned to work with him on the case, and the two find time, naturellement, to enjoy the supreme pleasures of the wine, food, and beauty of the Dordogne."

=== June 27 ===

Title: The Right Side

Author: Spencer Quinn

Standalone thriller set in Washington state

Publisher: Atria Books

336 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "In this riveting new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series, a deeply damaged female soldier home from the war in Afghanistan becomes obsessed with finding a missing girl, gains an unlikely ally in a stray dog, and encounters new perils beyond the combat zone.

LeAnne Hogan went to Afghanistan as a rising star in the military, and came back a much lesser person, mentally and physically. Now missing an eye and with half her face badly scarred, she can barely remember the disastrous desert operation that almost killed her. She is confused, angry, and suspects the fault is hers, even though nobody will come out and say it.

Shattered by one last blow—the sudden death of her hospital roommate, Marci—LeAnne finds herself on a fateful drive across the country, reflecting on her past and seeing no future. Her native land is now unfamiliar, recast in shadow by her one good eye, her damaged psyche, and her weakened body. Arriving in the rain-soaked small town in Washington state that Marci had called home, she makes a troubling discovery: Marci’s eight-year-old daughter has vanished. When a stray dog—a powerful, dark, unreadable creature, no one’s idea of a pet—seems to adopt LeAnne, a surprising connection is formed and something shifts inside her. As she becomes obsessed with finding Marci’s daughter, LeAnne and her inscrutable canine companion are drawn into danger as dark and menacing as her last Afghan mission. This time she has a strange but loyal fellow traveler protecting her blind side."

Title: The Child

Author: Fiona Barton

Series: #2 in the Kate Waters investigative reporter series set in England

Publisher: Berkley

384 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers a tiny skeleton, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it’s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who is the Building Site Baby?

As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A newborn baby was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss.

But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn—house by house—into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women—and torn between what she can and cannot tell…"

Title: A Ghostly Light

Author: Juliet Blackwell

Series: #7 in the Haunted Home Renovation cozy series set in California.

Publisher: Berkley

336 pages

Synopsis: "When her friend Alicia hires Turner Construction to renovate a historic lighthouse in the San Francisco Bay, Mel Turner can’t wait to get her hands dirty. Alicia plans to transform the island property into a welcoming inn, and while Mel has never attempted a project so ambitious—or so tall—before, she’s definitely up for the challenge.

But trouble soon arises when Alicia’s abusive ex-husband shows up to threaten both her and Mel, and later turns up dead at the base of the lighthouse stairs. With no other suspects in sight, things start looking choppy for Alicia. Now, if Mel wants to clear her friend’s name, she’ll need the help of the lighthouse’s resident ghosts to shine a light on the real culprit..."

Title: Booked 4 Murder

Author: J.C. Eaton

Series: #1 in the Sophie Kimball cozy series set in Arizona

Publisher: Kensington Books

320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Sophie 'Phee' Kimball is not a cop. She’s a divorced, middle-aged mom who works as an account clerk for the police department in a small city in Minnesota. But her retired mother, Harriet Plunkett, is convinced Phee is the only one who can solve the mystery of a cursed book. According to Harriet, four members of her book club have already succumbed to the deadly curse. Harriet insists Phee catch the next plane to her retirement community in Sun City West, Arizona, to investigate.

Is her mother just bored and lonely? She does have a new pet—a long-haired chiweenie (half Chihuahua, half Dachshund)—for company and a host of pals (although that number is admittedly dwindling). Phee is certain that their book club selection isn’t cursed, but is somebody really knocking off the ladies? As Phee starts to uncover dark secrets hidden in plain sight under the blazing Arizona sun, she’ll need to read between the lines before it’s someone else’s final chapter...."

Good lineup for June, isn't it? 

Which titles caught your eye and were included on your wish lists? Inquiring minds need to know!

Grounds to Kill by Wendy Roberts

First Line: There's a superstition that says if the palm of your hand is itchy you'll soon be receiving money.

In Seattle barista Jen Hamby's case, she wishes that were true, but truth is stranger than fiction. When her hand itches, it gets a mind of its own and insists on writing messages from beyond. Definitely not something you'd want everyone to know. Another thing that Jen would prefer remain quiet is the fact that the scruffy homeless man that she's been going out and feeding on her breaks is her father, who refuses to stay on his medications.

But she's going to have to let more people in on at least one of her secrets. When her itchy hand tells her that her boyfriend is cheating, Jen dumps him, understandably upset to learn that he's been unfaithful with her own half sister. When her half sister is murdered, what evidence there is points to Jen's father. She knows that she's going to have to take matters into her own hands because who's going to believe that that crazy old man is innocent... or that her itchy hand will lead her to the truth?

Wendy Roberts knows how to write a book that's difficult to define. Grounds to Kill isn't the typical cozy even though there's a little romance, not much violence, and a dog. There's not enough of the paranormal in it to make readers' woo woo meters go off the scale. The book isn't noir because Roberts' sense of humor often comes shining through. I suppose I'll call this an edgy cozy and be done with it.

As usual Roberts has created a likable main character who's so much like the rest of us with her intelligence, sassy mouth, and compassionate heart. I think what really sets this book apart from others that I've read is how Roberts shows what the presence of mental illness can do to a family. Despite everything they have done, Jen's father will not stay on his medications, and he has chosen to live on the streets. It's a heartbreaking situation for all parties concerned, which the author makes very clear.

Jen's paranormal "gift" is also an interesting twist that leads to frustration and humor. Of course the hand never does anything as easy as spelling out JOE SCHMOE IS THE KILLER, and Jen is led on a merry chase in her efforts to decipher the messages and keep her loved ones safe-- even though I felt the killer's identity was a bit obvious.

If you like cozy mysteries but are in the mood for something a little different, something with a bit of a bite to it, I have a suggestion for you: Wendy Roberts' Grounds to Kill. (And since Jen works in a coffee shop, you can even indulge in a caffeine high.)

Grounds to Kill by Wendy Roberts

eISBN: 9781426894893

Carina Press © 2013

eBook, 181 pages

Cozy/Paranormal Mystery, #1 Jen Hanby mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased as an eBook from Amazon.

Drop Dead Beauty by Wendy Roberts

First Line: Sadie bolted upright in bed and squinted into the dark.

With business finally picking up, Sadie needs to build a nest egg while she can. Not only will she be saving for the future, the work will take her mind off her relationship (or lack thereof) with Zack. That entire segment of her life has blown up in her face, and Sadie knows what she must do; she just wishes she didn't have to.

While she's busy lining up clients, Detective Petrovich needs her help. Usually he's the one who saves Sadie's backside, but this time the detective has found himself on the wrong side of a homicide investigation. Someone is framing Petrovich for the murder of his ex-wife, and Sadie's going to check out the luxurious day spa where the crime occurred. In doing so, she makes herself the target of a killer.

You never know quite what to expect from this series, and that's something I've loved about it from book one, The Remains of the Dead. Sadie Novak is one of my favorite characters in crime fiction. Her empathy for the loved ones left behind after a death and her dedication to helping spirits pass on make her the type of person I'd love to have as a friend. She's also hard-working, smart, sassy, and honest in her dealings with clients and friends alike. That honesty is something else I admire about her, and when she finds herself in a sticky romantic situation with two men in her life, she never thinks of lying.

Actually, make that three men in her life because Detective Petrovich is hiding out at her place while giving her advice on how to find out who's trying to pin his ex-wife's murder on him. With all the demanding men in her life and crime scenes to clean up, it's a wonder that Sadie doesn't snap and run screaming out into the night.

One of the things I think is good in a series-- unpredictability-- shows up more than once in Wendy Roberts' Ghost Duster books, and it happens in Drop Dead Beauty. Bad things happen to good people, including the death of characters some readers have grown to love. What some see as an act of betrayal, I see as realistic, and as a chance for the series to evolve. If you're the type of reader who likes learning about how to clean up after the CSI folks are through with a crime scene, and if you like stories with a touch of unpredictability, a ghost or two, a wonderful main character, humor, and a dash of realism, come join me. You're going to love Sadie Novak. (But I suggest you start at the beginning of the series.)

Drop Dead Beauty by Wendy Roberts

Intermix © 2013

eBook, 220 pages

Cozy/Paranormal Mystery, #5 Ghost Dusters mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Scene of the Crime with Author Wendy Roberts!

This week's featured author writes a series that I've enjoyed from the very first book. The series-- called Ghost Dusters-- is a bit CSI Meets Ghost Busters, and its star is Sadie Novak, a former teacher-turned-crime-scene-cleaner. Sadie has a gift that very few people possess: she can see and talk to the dead. Naturally in the process of helping spirits move on, she gets involved in solving murders. Sadie is a character full of sass, smarts, humor, and compassion, and I love her to bits-- even when she gets herself into hot water, as she does in the latest Ghost Duster mystery, Drop Dead Beauty. Come back tomorrow for my review!

Now it's time to learn more about this week's talented writer, Wendy Roberts, who was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. With four teenagers, a guinea pig, and a dog, she often feels the need to steal away and write about crime.

Wendy Roberts

Hopefully you'll be intrigued enough by Wendy's photo to click on it. If you do, it will open in a new window for you to see the detail. Quite fitting for a mystery writer! I've also found a few links so that you can connect with her and learn more about her:

Wendy's website

Wendy's blog

Wendy on Facebook

Wendy on Twitter

Wendy on Goodreads

Now let's get to the interview!

What was the very first book you remember reading and loving? What makes that book so special?

When I was eight I began reading the Anne of Green Gables books by L.M. Montgomery. The series covers the capers of a young girl and I found her adventures hilarious and relatable. I still have those books!













Outside of your writing and all associated commitments, what do you like to do in your free time?

Chauffeur Mom....

I have four teenagers so “free time” is often my time to play chauffeur! When I’m not running around I have my face in a book or I’m planning my next travel adventure. Having four teens is also great inspiration for writing about murder and mayhem!







If I were to visit your hometown, where would you recommend that I go? (I like seeing and doing things that aren't in all the guide books.)

White Rock Beach

I’d probably take you down to White Rock Beach for fabulous fish and chips and follow that up with a visit to an eccentric palm reader that holds court in a tiny nearby alcove.







You have total control over casting a movie based on your life. Which actor would you cast as you?

Sandra Bullock

Most likely Sandra Bullock because her bumbling antics and snorting laughter most resemble my own.


Who is your favorite recurring character in crime fiction?

I follow so many series and have many favorites, but Stephanie Plum’s comedic romps in Janet Evanovich’s series are a definite “must buy”.








If you could have in your possession one signed first edition of any book in the world, which book would that be? Why that particular book?

I would love any first edition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I’ve even visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London!


How did you celebrate when you first heard you were to be published? What did you do the first time you saw one of your books on a shelf in a bookstore?

My kids were little when I first sold, and we celebrated by going for ice cream. I’m a long-time customer at my local bookstore and when Dating Can Be Deadly came out I hurried to the store to be disappointed at not finding the book on shelves. I was about to leave the store feeling dejected when the manager showed me an elaborate display they’d done for my book near the front entrance. I’d walked right by it!


Name one thing on your Bucket List.

Ready to go!

I have a burning desire to see the world and I try to visit a new place every year (in a few weeks I’ll be in Russia). My Bucket List involves setting foot on every continent and, while there, writing new books.










You've just received a $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. Which bookstore are you making a bee-line for?

Seattle Mystery Bookshop

My favorite store is the Seattle Mystery Bookshop. The staff is fun, knowledgeable, and the place is haunted so that makes it a hundred shades of awesome rolled into one stop!

Available Now!

Thank you, Wendy, for spending this time with us. It was a pleasure to be able to get to know you a little better.

May your book sales do nothing but increase!


(And, Dear Readers, don't forget to stop by tomorrow for my review of Drop Dead Beauty!)

Dead Suite by Wendy Roberts

First Lines: For most people, checking into a five-star hotel meant luxury and pillow mints. For Sadie Novak, luxurious accommodation meant blood spatter, maggots, and the occasional ghost. But it paid the bills.

When school teacher Sadie Novak's brother committed suicide, there was no one to clean up the mess. Sadie, in her overwhelming grief and pain, had to do that herself. Vowing that no one else should have to do that after the death of a loved one, Sadie did her research, took all the necessary courses, and began life anew as an unattended death/crime scene cleaner.

When she began her new career she didn't realize that she has a gift that is both blessing and curse: she can see and communicate with ghosts. In many cases she's able to send the spirit on its way, but this new career has also involved her in a few murders. In this fourth installment of the Ghost Dusters series, Sadie's on-again-off-again relationship with former policeman Zack is off. Again. Business is slow, and her mortgage payment is staring her in the face. However, when women start getting killed in expensive hotels, Sadie's back to work. Hopefully she can find the Seattle Slasher before the Seattle Slasher finds her.

I stumbled across this series shortly after the first book, The Remains of the Dead, was published. I fell in love with the premise, the character of Sadie, and the fact that she's not a cat-loving amateur sleuth. Nope, Sadie's pet is a rabbit named Hairy. I can hear you groaning, but as a former rabbit raiser, don't knock 'em unless you've had one as a pet. Besides, who says that Cozy Mystery Rule #17 states that the heroine must own a cat or dog?  Hmmm? I still remember reading that first book because the ending blindsided me. What a shocker! After that I was hooked, and when I couldn't find others, I was sorely disappointed.

Lo and behold, once again I stumbled across Wendy Roberts while looking up book info on Amazon. Evidently her publisher decided future books in the series were to be in eBook format only. I snapped up both new books that are available and dove right into Dead Suite. I was back with a favored character, and I was happy.

Some of the crime scene clean-up details might be a touch too graphic for some, but if you've watched CSI or Bones and not run gagging for the bathroom, Sadie's work shouldn't bother you. To be honest, I find it interesting to learn what all is involved in that sort of work.

The paranormal element in these books is well done. The scenes with ghosts are not overdone and even surprisingly believable. The pacing and story flow smoothly, and Sadie's intelligence, irreverence, and humor are refreshing.

Although it's sad that Roberts' publisher prevents old and new fans who don't have access to eReaders from reading her newest books, I am thrilled that this series has continued. I've missed Sadie, her biohazard suits... and even Hairy.

Dead Suite by Wendy Roberts

ASIN: B007P7HT9G

InterMix © 2013

Kindle eBook, 248 pages

Cozy/Paranormal mystery, #4 Ghost Dusters mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

May 2013 New Mystery Releases!

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

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…" 

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." 

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."

=== 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.

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."

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?"

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. . . ."

=== 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

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. 

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!