New Title – Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage

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Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran, Murder Backstage, Murder She Wrote

MURDER, SHE WROTE: MURDER BACKSTAGE by Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran

Berkley Prime Crime Trade Paperback Original; now on sale.

Jessica Fletcher gives readers a peek inside the world of show business in this latest installment in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series. Jessica’s British cousin is traveling to  Canada to perform in an old-fashioned musical review with the internationally famous star of stage, screen, and TV, Derek Braverman. She invites Jessica along and since she’s just finished her latest book, Jessica is ready for a vacation and is delighted to agree. Upon arrival in Edmonton, Alberta, Jessica is quickly outed as mystery writer J.B. Fletcher, and despite numerous protests, a hotel staffer arranges a book signing for her. This and the touristy adventures arranged for the group make for a much busier trip than Jessica was expecting. When a hotel bartender, who also happens to be a stagehand for Emma’s play, turns up dead backstage at the theater, Jessica’s fun and relaxing vacation quickly becomes anything but.

Book Review – Looking for Love in all the Haunted Places

Title: Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places

Author: Claire Kann

Publisher: Berkley

Genres: Romance, Paranormal

Format: paperback

I was given the e-book for a fair review

Will Be Published: May 21, 2024

Lucky Hart, a woman in need of a job and a place to live, seizes an opportunity when she discovers that “No Qualms Productions” is seeking a caretaker for a haunted web series. Armed with her unique ability to read people, she crafts a compelling audition tape and impresses the interviewers. What they don’t know is that Lucky’s resilience and courage are her greatest assets, even in the face of potential terror in the beautiful home.

Under the cloak of an NDA, Lucky is briefed about the daily interviews and the daytime filming. The Victorian house, a character in its own right, has seen three previous caretakers flee in fear after a few nights. When Lucky musters the courage to inquire about the house’s haunting, she’s handed five rules to abide by. Her curiosity, a trait that endears her to readers, only makes these rules more difficult to follow.

Upon entering, Lucky introduces herself to the house and senses its natural elements. No sooner does she comfortably settle in the bathtub than she notices the bedroom door slowly open wider. The house has also given her a purple flower in a mason jar. Lucky speaks to Maverick, who is part of the show crew, and she senses that he cares about her being safe. His daughter, Rebel, also has an interest in the paranormal. Because of this, they become closer.

When “The Caretaker’s” crew begins shooting, Lucky realizes that the show will be her official debut into the field of the supernatural. Lucky has researched the paranormal and backed away from friends to devote her life to her career. She intuitively follows where the house leads and speaks to ghost-like images of people as a way of communicating with the house and learning what it’s really after. She also participates in the filming of Rebel’s show.

LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE HAUNTED PLACES delivers “a creepy vibe” that stays until the end of the book. It’s difficult to explain what the house wants from the occupants without spoiling the end for you. I’ll say this, it enjoys socializing because it’s lonely. The problem is it doesn’t have any emotions. Lucky’s goal was to earn the house’s trust. I admire her courage and strength. I would think twice about reading this book at night.

Five out of five houses that would never sell

Denise Fleischer

gottawritenetwork.wordpress.com

April 20, 2024

New Title: Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman

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Abbi Waxman, Berkley, Christa Comes Out of Her Shell

After the chaos of her adolescence, Christa Liddle is content to stay isolated, both figuratively and literally. She has the job of her dreams, studying sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a profession that keeps her far away from people and her past. But with one fateful phone call, her tranquil existence is thrown into chaos. Her once-famous father—long thought dead after a plane crash—is alive, and he wants to make amends. Christa is forced to abandon her snails (for now) and head home.

The unexpected reunion not only puts Christa’s life into a frenzy, but it catches the attention of the world, putting her and her entire family under the spotlight. As if that weren’t enough, Christa meets up with an old childhood friend, and sparks fly. Maybe they can be together… after all the buzz surrounding her father dies down. But when her father’s story starts to form cracks, things start to feel much too complicated for a woman who’s been trying for years to avoid losing control.

As the world around her crumbles, Christa is gripped by fear. She is terrified of losing herself, her potential relationship, and above all, her beloved sea snails. The chaos that has engulfed her life threatens to strip away everything she holds dear, leaving her feeling vulnerable and powerless.

(Paperback Original: April 16, 2024)

New Title: The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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Berkley, Jesse Q. Sutanto, The Good The Bad and the Aunties

The Final Installment of the Zany, Hilarious, and Heartfelt Aunties series: The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties (March 26, 2024)

What should have been a family celebration of Chinese New Year descends into chaos when longtime foes crash the party in this hilariously entertaining novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.

After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. Chinese New Year, already the biggest celebration of the Lunar calendar, gets even more festive when a former beau of Second Aunt’s shows up at the Chan residence bearing extravagant gifts. He’s determined to rekindle his romance with Second Aunt, and the gifts are his way of announcing his courtship.

His grand gesture goes awry however, when it’s discovered that not all the gifts were meant for Second Aunt and the Chans—one particular gift was intended for a business rival to cement their alliance and included by accident. Of course, the Aunties agree that it’s only right to return the gift—after all, anyone would forgive an honest mistake, right? But what should have been a simple retrieval turns disastrous, and suddenly, Meddy and the Aunties are helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta’s most powerful business factions. The fighting turns personal, however, when Nathan and the Aunties are endangered and it’s up to Meddy to come up with a plan to save them all. Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission—but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible…

Jesse Q. Sutanto is the award-winning, bestselling author of adult, young adult, and children’s middle-grade books. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Oxford University, though she hasn’t found a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious. Her adult books include Dial A for Aunties, Four Aunties and a Wedding, and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Her young adult books include Well, That Was Unexpected; The Obsession; and The New Girl. Her middle-grade book includes Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit.

New Title: Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley

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Berkley, Jennifer Ashley, Speculations in Sin

To save an innocent man’s life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in Victorian-era London, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Bow Lane.

Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel’s wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.

When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she’s treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.

Jennifer Ashley is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Below Stairs Mysteries, the Shifters Unbound paranormal romances, and the Mackenzies historical romances. She also writes as USA Today bestselling mystery author Ashley Gardner.

New Title: Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs

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Berkley, Laura Childs, Murder in the Tea Leaves

It’s Lights, Action, Murder as tea maven Theodosia Browning scrambles for clues in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

When Theodosia Browning reads the tea leaves on the set of the movie, Dark Fortunes, things go from spooky to worse. Lights are dimmed, the camera rolls, and red hot sparks fly as the film’s director is murdered in a tricky electrical accident.

Or was it an accident? Though the cast and crew are stunned beyond belief, nobody admits to seeing a thing. And when Theodosia’s friend, Delaine, becomes the prime suspect, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation. But who among this Hollywood cast and crew had murder on their mind? The screenwriter is a self-centered pothead, the leading actress is trying to wiggle out of her contract, the brand-new director seems indifferent, and nobody trusts the slippery-when-dry Hollywood agent.

Between hosting a Breakfast at Tiffany’s Tea, a Poetry Tea, and trying to launch her own chocolate line, Theodosia doggedly hunts down clues and explores the seemingly haunted Brittlebank Manor where the murder took place. And just when she’s ready to pounce, a Charleston Film Board member is also murdered, throwing everything into total disarray. But this clever killer will go to any lengths to hide his misdeeds, as Theodosia soon finds out when she and her tea sommelier, Drayton, get caught up in a dangerous stakeout.

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, New Orleans Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life, she was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show.

The Magic of Theatre By Mary Winters

I love the theatre, so it’s not surprising that Murder in Masquerade features Royal Theatre, Drury Lane in London. I still recall my audible gasp when I saw the phantom dangling from the chandelier in Phantom of the Opera at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. How did he get up there, and how had I missed his climb? I’d been completely immersed in the story.

My sleuth, Lady Amelia Amesbury, is immersed in Rigoletto, the play she and Lord Simon Bainbridge attend in Murder in Masquerade, which makes keeping an eye on his sister, Lady Marielle, difficult. Lady Marielle is attending the play with a group of friends, and one man, George Davies, is a little too friendly for Simon’s taste. Simon believes Mr. Davies is using his sister to climb the social ladder and vows to keep her safe from his advances.

By the end of the play, however, Mr. Davies is missing, and it’s easy to understand how he disappeared without detection. Amid the lights, sounds, and stunts in a theatre, audience members are bound to get caught up in the action. For a few precious hours, they are transported to another place or time, and even when clues are placed before them, they can be missed by the most observant attendee.

So, too, was the case when my family and I attended a performance of Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap at St. Martin’s Theatre in London. Mousetrap opened in London in 1952 and ran continuously until 2020 when the Covid pandemic hit. Thankfully, the play reopened again in 2021 and still enjoys its designation as the longest-running play in the world. This is one time I was glad I hadn’t read a work before seeing a performance. Despite the clues, the reveal came as a surprise to me and my family.  After the performance, the actors swore audience members to secrecy so that the brilliance that is Mousetrap would continue for many generations to come. My daughters, eleven and fourteen at the time, loved the play as much as I did, and I was grateful to share the experience with them.

The theatre, once again, had performed a sort of magic. It brought together people from different ages and backgrounds and transported us to another time and place. Like Simon and Amelia, we did not see the sleight of hand by the murderer. But the surprising reveal—and enjoyable time—was worth the deception.

About Mary Winters:

Mary Winters is the Edgar-nominated author of the Lady of Letters historical mystery series. Mary is also the author of two cozy mystery series and writes short fiction. Three of her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. When she’s not writing, she’s teaching, reading, or spending time with her family. She lives with her husband, daughters, and spoiled pets in the Midwest. Find out more about Mary at MaryWintersAuthor.com.

ABOUT MURDER IN MASQUERADE

Extra, extra, read all about it! Countess turned advice columnist Amelia Amesbury finds herself playing the role of sleuth when a night at the theatre turns deadly.

Victorian Countess Amelia Amesbury’s secret hobby, writing an advice column for a London penny paper, has gotten her into hot water before. After all, Amelia will do whatever it takes to help a reader in need. But now, handsome Marquis Simon Bainbridge desperately requires her assistance. His beloved younger sister, Marielle, has written Amelia’s Lady Agony column seeking advice on her plans to elope with a man her family does not approve of. Determined to save his sister from a scoundrel and the family from scandal, Simon asks Amelia to dissuade Marielle from the ill-advised gambit.

But when the scoundrel makes an untimely exit after a performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto, Amelia realizes there’s much more at stake than saving a young woman’s reputation from ruin. It’s going to take more than her letter-writing skills to help the dashing marquis, mend the familial bond, and find the murderer. Luckily, solving problems is her specialty!

Jenn McKinlay’s New Library Lover’s Mystery Is On Sale!!!

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Berkley, Fatal First Edition, Jenn McKinlay

 

FATAL FIRST EDITION by Jenn McKinlay

Berkley Prime Crime Hardcover Original

On sale, February 13, 2024

 

USA Today and New York Times bestselling author McKinlay brings a Highsmith-esque mystery to her latest Library Lover’s Mystery. Kirkus Reviews praises, “Plenty of hair-raising adventures combine with more cerebral pursuits in this enjoyable tale.”

When attending a popular library conference to hear a book restoration specialist give a keynote address, Lindsey discovers a first edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, inscribed to Alfred Hitchcock, beneath her seat. The restoration specialist determines the novel is one of a kind and quite valuable, prompting Lindsey and Sully to return the book to the conference director. All is well as they embark on a train journey home, that is until whispers that the Highsmith novel has gone missing spreads amongst the passengers. When the conference director is found murdered in his private compartment, it’s up to Lindsey and Sully to uncover the murderer before they find themselves booked for a crime they didn’t commit.

Romance Author Julia Quinn Featured In Zoom Conversation With Sarah MacLean

If you live in Illinois, see if your local library will allow you to register for the Zoom conversation with romance author Julia Quinn. She will speak with Sarah MacLean on Tuesday, Feb. 20. (Photo by Roberto Filho)

Award-winning Romance author Julia Quinn will be featured in a Zoom conversation with Sarah MacLean from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20. If you live in Illinois, register through the Des Plaines Public Library, Park Ridge Public Library, or Indian Trails Library District to receive the Zoom link.

Quinn has written nearly 40 novels, including her popular series about the Bridgerton family, which was adapted into an Emmy-nominated series on Netflix. Quinn will speak with MacLean, a historical romance author, romance columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post, and co-host of the weekly romance novel podcast “Fated Mates.”

Her newest novel, “Queen Charlotte”, is co-written with television pioneer Shonda Rhimes. It’s a powerful and romantic novel of Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte and King George III’s great love story and how it sparked a societal shift.

Quinn has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame and was recently named the national ambassador for EveryLibrary, an organization that helps libraries fight censorship. Quinn’s novels have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times bestseller list 19 times.

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events.

Happy New Year from Sofie Ryan

In the first week of February, we not only celebrated my newest book, Fur Love Or Money, but we also celebrated the Lunar New Year. My daughter was born in southern China, and we’ve celebrated the Chinese New Year every year since she was a baby.

In the Chinese Zodiac, each year is represented by an animal. This year, 2024, is the Year of the Dragon. Dragons are intelligent, courageous, and confident.

I’ve heard several different stories about the origin of the Chinese Zodiac, but my favorite comes from a guide we met in southern China. As the story goes, the Jade Emperor decreed that the years on the calendar would be named for the animals that had taken part in the Great Race, each one’s place determined by the order in which they reached the emperor. The trek included crossing a river. The cat and the rat hitched a ride on the back of the ox, who, it turned out, was very good-natured. (As someone who met several oxen in China, that’s not how I would describe them!) Just before they reached the other side, the rat pushed the cat into the water, where it drowned. That’s why cats loathe both rats and water to this day. And why there is no cat in the Chinese Zodiac.

The rat took first place, the ox second. The tiger, hare, and dragon were next. The dragon would likely have been in first place, but it had stopped to bring rain to a drought-stricken village. The snake and horse were in sixth and seventh place, followed by the goat, the monkey, the rooster, and the dog. The pig came in last. It had fallen asleep.

In China, the New Year festivities last for fifteen days. We generally celebrate for just a day, although I do use the tradition that the house should be cleaned before the new year to get everyone to tidy up. Traditional wisdom holds that cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the previous year.

Food plays a big part in Chinese New Year celebrations, including ours. We give tangerines to our friends to wish them a sweet life. We eat noodles, which symbolize our hope for a long life. (It’s bad luck to cut them, by the way.) A whole chicken is a popular dish for celebrating the new year. It represents togetherness and family. I confess I don’t cook it the traditional way, with the head and the feet still attached. And while we eat tofu at other times, it’s not part of our New Year’s meal. White food—and clothing—is thought to be bad luck.

I’m not a superstitious person, but I enjoy the traditions that are part of Chinese New Year. As an Asian friend explained, all we’re really doing is giving fate a gentle push in the direction we’d like it to go. And maybe we are.

                          Gong Xi Fa Cai!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sofie Ryan is a writer and mixed-media artist who loves to repurpose things in her life and in her art. She is the author of Scaredy Cat, Totally Pawstruck, and Undercover Kitty in the New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat Mysteries. She also writes the New York Times bestselling Magical Cats Mysteries under the name Sofie Kelly.

ABOUT FUR LOVE OR MONEY:

Secondhand shop owner Sarah Grayson and her rescue cat, Elvis, sniff out the suspect in this new, delightful Second Chance Cat Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Sofie Ryan.

Sarah Grayson is taking a break from her bustling secondhand shop in small-town Maine to spend time with a friend and her dog. But their purr-fect visit comes to an end when the dog leads them to a storm cellar on a nearby property, where they discover a dead body.

The deceased turns out to be a sticky-fingered financial adviser who swindled millions from investors and who has been presumed dead for almost three years. Unfortunately, suspicion falls on the owner of the property where the body was found—and that owner is a good friend of Charlotte’s Angels’, the senior citizen sleuths who work out of Sarah’s shop. It’s all paws on deck, as the Angels are determined to clear his good name. But with a tight-lipped widow, a possibly shifty sister, and a slew of unhappy investors in the mix, the list of murder suspects seems endless. Sarah, Elvis, and the Angels have a lot of webs to untangle before they can catch the culprit.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Mass Market Paperback | $9.99
Published by Berkley
Feb 06, 2024 | 288 Pages | 4-1/8 x 6-3/4| ISBN 9780593550243