The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2023, Week 38’s New Books
My choices for this week include Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy Animal Holiday Mystery, Cozy Historical Mystery, Cozy Culinary Mysteries, YA Fantasies, and Thriller.
Another week has flown by! How are the homework, sports practice, and band going? Are you fully back into the groove? I can feel the difference in our neighborhood; it’s much quieter during the daytime.
There are some brilliant books this time and a couple that we have reviewed. Let us know what books you’re feeling this season.
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 38 of 2023!
Killer Hooks by Betty Hechtman
Crochet Mystery #15
Publication Date: September 18, 2023
Genre: Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery
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When a baby girl is dropped off on Molly Pink’s doorstep, her life is thrown into disarray as she is putting together a troublesome author event at the bookstore where she works.
The author is a demanding former Hollywood columnist whose book is filled with upbeat stories, but who wants to promote a true crime podcast she is about to launch based on the dark side of what she left out of her columns.
At the same time, Molly’s son has asked her to investigate a potential investor in his production company. The baby, who happens to be Molly’s estranged granddaughter offers her an opening into an elite mommy group, a member of which is the wife of the person Molly is to investigate.
When the columnist dies suddenly, Molly finds herself in the crosshairs of an unfamiliar detective who considers her the prime suspect. Molly recruits the help of the Tarzana Hookers to help with all.
Dead on Target by M.C. Beaton
Agatha Raisin Mystery #34
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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Beloved New York Times bestseller M. C. Beaton’s cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin―the star of her own hit T.V. series―is back on the case again in Dead on Target.
A visit to the local village fete for a spot of fun and relaxation turns into a nightmare for Agatha Raisin when she discovers the body of the local landowner in the woods―with an arrow in his chest and trousers round his ankles.
Agatha’s old adversary, Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes, declares the death a tragic accident, believing the victim has been hit by a stray arrow from an archery demonstration. Agatha is convinced of foul play, however, and is shocked when Wilkes eventually agrees…with her as his prime murder suspect.
Determined to clear her name and find the real killer, Agatha launches her own investigation, quickly becoming involved with a family at war, an unscrupulous gangster―and a killer who is determined to make her the next victim…
Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany
Year-Round Christmas Mystery #6
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Genre: Cozy Animal Holiday Mystery
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It’s beginning to look a lot like murder in the sixth installment of this charming cozy mystery series, perfect for fans of Donna Andrews and Jacqueline Frost.
It’s the beginning of December in Rudolph, New York, America’s Christmas Town, and business is brisk at Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift and décor shop owned by Merry Wilkinson. The local amateur dramatic society is intensely preparing a special musical production of A Christmas Carol. But it’s not a happy set, as rivalries between cast and crew threaten the production.
Tensions come to a head when a member of the group is found dead shortly after a shopping excursion to Mrs. Claus’s Treasures. Was someone looking to cut out the competition? Everyone in the cast and crew is a potential suspect, including Aline, Merry’s mother, and Merry’s shop assistant Jackie O’Reilly, who was desperate for a starring role.
It could be curtains for Christmas—and for Merry—unless the killer can be ferreted out of the wings.
Hollywood Angels by Alice Duncan
Mercy Allcutt Mystery #8
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Genre: Cozy Historical Mystery
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Talent Scout Found Murdered in Hollywood Angels, a Historical Cozy Mystery from Alice Duncan
Los Angeles, California, January 1927
Mercy Allcutt’s friend, Lulu LaBelle, has an unwelcomed encounter with an alleged talent scout, producer, and director in the burgeoning motion-picture business in Los Angeles.
When the philandering producer is found dead in his office, police arrest Lulu when witnesses report seeing Lulu coming and going from the office.
With her friend accused of murder, Mercy comes to Lulu’s aid and begs her employer, Ernie Templeton, PI, for help. But uncovering secrets can be a risky business.
Publisher Note: Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries in historical settings will surely appreciate the Mercy Allcutt series set in 1920s Los Angeles, California. No vulgarity or explicit sex for those who appreciate a clean and wholesome read.
Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala
Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #4
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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When murder mars the grand opening for Lila Macapagal’s aunties’ new laundromat, she will have to air out all the dirty laundry in Shady Palms to catch a killer…
Lila Macapagal’s godmothers April, Mae, and June—AKA the Calendar Crew—are celebrating the opening of their latest joint business venture, a new laundromat, to much fanfare (and controversy). However, what should’ve been a joyous occasion quickly turns into a tragedy when they discover the building has been vandalized—and the body of Ninang April’s niece, recently arrived from the Philippines, next to a chilling message painted on the floor. The question is, was the message aimed at the victim or Lila’s gossipy godmothers, who have not-so-squeaky-clean reputations?
With Ninang April falling apart from grief and little progress from the Shady Palms Police Department in this slippery case, it’s up to Lila and her network to find justice for the young woman.
The Calendar Crew have stuck their noses into everybody’s business for years, but now the tables are turned as Lila must pry into the Calendar Crew’s lives to figure out who has a vendetta against the (extremely opinionated yet loving) aunties and stop them before they strike again.
Reading, Writing, and Murder by Joyce Proell and Brenda Whiteside
Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery #2
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
At the writers’ conference, murder tops the program.
Aspiring mystery author Emma Banefield and travel writer Nicole Earp are excited to attend a writers’ conference during their latest sisters’ getaway. Nic’s birthday should be all about relaxation, writing, and a chocolate martini to toast another trip around the sun, but the climate at the gathering rumbles like a sudden desert thunderstorm.
When sparks fly between the keynote speaker and her timid assistant over a handsome mystery author, the subtitle on this anticipated tranquil weekend spells drama. If a heated love triangle, bruised egos, and betrayal aren’t enough to upset the atmosphere, the conference banquet erupts into a drunken brawl and sends the place spinning. After a body is discovered, Nic and Em do what they do best—snoop—and become embroiled in a mystery that jumps off the pages of a true-crime bestseller.
With more than enough suspects and little time, the amateur sleuths have their hands full finding the killer. But can the competitive Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime before the prickly chief detective does, or will a murderer outwit them all?
The Blizzard’s Secret by DJanee
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Genre: YA Fantasy
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An enjoyable quick read filled with plot twists and cliff-hangers.
Taliver is a peaceful community. After rigorous training and relentless hard work under the studious mentorship of Taliver’s Seer, Daia is entering a new stage in her life and preparing for her induction ceremony as Taliver’s new Commander of the Forces.
Just days before her ceremony, Daia discovers dark secrets in Taliver’s past, and the Ruler begins to make strange, questionable decisions that leave Daia suspicious and concerned for her people. Daia bravely takes matters into her own hands as the soon-to-be Commander and seeks answers for herself.
However, she suddenly finds herself caught in a web of lies and deceit that runs deeper than she could ever have imagined. Little does she know, an even greater challenge awaits her. Struggling to distinguish truth from lie, Daia is forced to face an ultimate test that no amount of training could have prepared her for.
The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie
The Forest Grimm #1
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Genre: YA Fantasy
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A spellbinding YA fantasy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathryn Purdie, where fairy tales come to life with dark, deadly twists.
“Tell me again, Grandmère, the story of how I die.“The Midnight Forest. The Fanged Creature. Two fortune-telling cards that spell an untimely death for 17-year-old Clara. Despite the ever-present warning from her fortune-teller grandmother, Clara embarks on a dangerous journey into the deadly Forest Grimm to procure a magical book―Sortes Fortunae, the Book of Fortunes―with the power to reverse the curse on her village and save her mother.
Years ago, when the villagers whispered their deepest desires to the book, its pages revealed how to obtain them. All was well until someone used the book for an evil purpose―to kill another person. Afterward, the branches of the Forest Grimm snatched the book away, the well water in Grimm’s Hollow turned rancid, and the crops died from disease. The villagers tried to make amends with the forest, but every time someone crossed its border, they never returned.
Now, left with no alternative, Clara and her close friend, Axel―who is fated never to be with her―have set their minds to defying fate and daring to accomplish what no one else has been able to before. But the forest―alive with dark, deadly twists on some of our most well-known fairy tales―has a mind of its own.
The Taken Ones by Jess Lourey
Steinbeck and Reed #1
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Genre: Thriller
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Two girls vanished. A woman buried alive. Between two crimes lie decades of secrets yet to be unearthed in a pulse-pounding novel by the Edgar Award–nominated author of Unspeakable Things.
Summer 1980: Despite the local superstition that the Bendy Man haunts the woods, three girls go into a Minnesota forest. Only one comes out, dead silent, her memory gone. The mystery of the Taken Ones captures the nation.
Summer 2022: Cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck are assigned a disturbing homicide―a woman buried alive, clutching a heart charm necklace belonging to one of the vanished girls. Van follows her gut. Harry trusts in facts. They’re both desperate to catch a killer before he kills again. They have something else in common: each has ties to the original case in ways they’re reluctant to share.
As Van and Harry connect the crimes of the past and the present, Van struggles with memories of her own nightmarish childhood―and the fear that uncovering the truth of the Taken Ones will lead her down a path from which she, too, may never return.
Foggy Rocks Murder by Wendy Meadows
Travel Writer Mysteries #6
Publication Date: September 22, 2023
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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They warned her to stay away from Foggy Rocks. Now a curse is the least of her worries…
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 38 of 2023
Drop a comment if you like one of the books above or if you have one to recommend.
Thank you for stopping by,
Happy Reading!
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