The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2024, Week 32’s New Books
My choices for this week include Cozy Animal Mysteries, Cozy Culinary Mysteries, Cozy Paranormal Animal Mystery, Cozy Craft and Hobby Mystery, Young Adult Mystery, Serial Killer Thriller, Young Adult Fantasy, Middle Grade, and Sweet Romantic Comedy.
It’s August! If you have any kids, are they going back to school sometime soon? Most schools here are going back on the 15th. It seems that summer is here in Texas and it is going to be hot this month. We were unusually cooler in July than normal.
I gathered up some great reads for this upcoming week. Jen has already read one, I have read two, and I will be reading another one later this month, so keep an eye out for that review.
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 32 of 2024!
Scooping Up Scandal by Emmie Lyn
Little Dog Diner #7
Publication Date: August 5, 2024
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
Turning thirty can be murder!
When a body is discovered next to the Little Dog Diner on her milestone birthday, Dani Mackenzie finds herself scooping up a scandal instead of cutting cake.
The prime suspect is the new owner of the Blueberry Bay Grapevine, but the victim’s stepbrother and ex-girlfriend also have means, motive, and opportunity.
With this trio of suspects, it will take a good nose to uncover whodunnit. At least Dani has her best friend—her Jack Russell, Pip—at her side to help sniff out the killer! But in the meantime, her kick-off to her thirties is turning into more of an upside-down cake than a celebration as she uncovers money, a business scandal, and thwarted love at the core of this crime.
It will take the victim’s black Labrador and finding a winning lottery ticket to solve this mystery, but Dani never throws in the towel. Will she and Pip once again use their experience at solving mysteries to bring justice to Misty Harbor, Maine, or will they be caught in the crosshairs of the killer?
A Poisonous Palate by Lucy Burdette
Key West Food Critic Mysteries #14
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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The heat is turned up for Hayley Snow and her friends in the next installment of the Key West Food Critic mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette.
When food critic Hayley Snow receives an intriguing email about a mysterious, decades-old disappearance, her curiosity is piqued. Writer Catherine Davitt has returned to the Keys to research a book about Hemingway’s wives, but she’s also on the hunt for the truth about her missing friend. Hayley quickly agrees to help investigate and they hit the road to see what clues they might find.
Back in the late 1970s, Catherine and her friend Veronica were part of a group of lost souls camping in the mangroves of Big Pine Key, until Veronica vanished, and the sheriff’s office cleared out the camp. Catherine and Hayley begin interviewing Big Pine Key residents who were around at the time of Veronica’s disappearance, but uncover more questions than answers.
Catherine and Hayley stop to speak with a motel owner who frequented the fringes of the commune, but they find him stabbed to death. Then Catherine also goes missing, and signs point to a connection between the old case and the new murder. It’s up to Hayley to unravel the knot of secrets and lies before time runs out.
A Run for the Mystic by Ada Bell
Shady Grove Psychic Mysteries #8
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Animal Mystery
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Enjoy this small town paranormal cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth by award-winning author Ada Bell.
Aly’s racing to find a killer…
When Aly’s boyfriend Cal gets her spur-of-the-moment tickets to watch his cousin ride at the local track, it’s off to the races! She’s forced to rein in the excitement after one of the jockeys is murdered. Once the dust settles, the local police turn their attention to Cal’s cousin, and Aly gets saddled with the task of finding the real killer.
Cal doesn’t believe his favorite relative would hurt anyone, but Jacob entered the race under suspicious circumstances. Cal begs Aly to use her physic powers to clear Jacob’s name. Unfortunately, one obstacle after another slows her down: Heightened security at the track makes it difficult to get close enough to the evidence to induce a vision. No one will speak to the outsider. Racing is a billion dollar business, and powerful people don’t appreciate her poking into their secrets. Can she find the truth before she gets dragged over the finish line of life?
A Run for the Mystic is the eighth book in the Shady Grove Psychic Mysteries series. This small town paranormal mystery with an amateur female sleuth will appeal to fans of Annabel Chase, Amy Boyles, and Lily Webb.
Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews
Meg Langslow Mysteries #35
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Cozy Craft and Hobby Mysteries
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Readers will flock to New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews’s next installment in the award-winning Meg Langslow series.
Meg’s neighbors, the Smetkamps’, have won a makeover for their old home from Marvelous Mansions, a flashy, yet dubious company, focused on making historic homes more “modern.” The company already several days into its makeover of the Smetkamps’ house, and tensions are running high–not only between the officious, demanding Mrs. Smetkamp and her neighbors, but also between her and the renovation crew. Meg, who is trying to keep the peace and prevent the makeover crew from trampling on every clause of the county’s building code, arrives at the Smetkamps to find that Caerphilly’s resident flock of feral turkeys has moved into their yard–or been relocated there by someone who wanted to cause them trouble.
The turkeys are huge, territorial, cranky and aggressive – and impossible to move! Meg does what she can to calm down the irate neighbors and help the makeover crew make progress in spite of the turkeys. She comes up with a plan to gather a group of turkey wranglers to snatch them early in the morning. But when they arrive, they find the body of Mrs. Smetkamp in her backyard. Someone stabbed her, and then tried to make it look as if she was attacked by one of the turkeys, but Meg, the Chief, and the Sheriff are not fooled. Together, they must figure out what really happened to Mrs. Smetkamp…and what to do with all these turkeys!
Booked on Murder by Allison Brook
Haunted Library Mysteries #8
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
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Librarian Carrie Singleton must catch a killer before she can say “I do” in the 8th delightful installment in Agatha Award-nominee Allison Brook’s Haunted Library mystery series.
Carrie Singleton is ready to kiss the single life goodbye. Her wedding to Dylan Avery is just a few weeks away, and a happy ending is about to be hers. But when a body is found on the lawn of their wedding venue, happily-ever-after is looking deadlier than ever.
The victim turns out to be Billy Carpenter, a young man recently released from prison after serving time for a bank robbery. The stolen money he’d buried is gone and Carrie and the police suspect Billy’s two alleged co-conspirators, his friends Luke Rizzo and Tino Valdez. But then Luke is murdered and Tino is nowhere to be found.
With no leads and only a week to go before her big day, Carrie is on the hunt for clues. She hopes to wrap up this investigation with a neat bow before she and Dylan tie the knot. Carrie has something old, something new, and something borrowed ready for her walk down the aisle. Now she needs to find the killer without becoming the ‘something blue.’
Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
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From the bestselling author of the Truly Devious books, Maureen Johnson, comes a new stand-alone YA about a teen who uncovers a mystery while working as a tour guide on an island and must solve it before history repeats itself.
The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist.
With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition.
Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?
Maybe this job isn’t such a gift after all. Morning House has a horrific secret that’s been buried for decades, and now the person who brought her here is missing.
All it takes is one clue to set off a catastrophic chain of events. One small detail, just like a spark, could burn it all down—if someone doesn’t bury Marlowe first.
Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs
Temperance Brennan #23
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Serial Killer Thriller
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a twisty, unputdownable thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who finds herself at the center of a Washington, DC, arson investigation that spawns deepening levels of mystery and, ultimately, violence.
Always apprehensive about working fire scenes, Tempe is called to Washington, DC, to analyze the victims of a deadly blaze and sees her misgivings justified. The devastated building is in Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood with a colorful past and present, and Tempe becomes suspicious about the property’s ownership when she delves into its history.
The pieces start falling into place strangely and quickly, and, sensing a good story, Tempe teams with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Soon the duo learns that back in the thirties and forties the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. Though interesting, this fact seems irrelevant—until the son of a Foggy Bottom gang member is shot dead at his home in an affluent part of the district. Coincidence? Targeted attacks? So many questions.
As Tempe and Ivy dig deeper, an arrest is finally made. Then another Foggy Bottom Gang-linked property burns to the ground, claiming one more victim. Slowly, Tempe’s instincts begin pointing to the obvious: somehow, her moves since coming to Washington have been anticipated, and every path forward seems to bring with it a lethal threat.
No Paw to Stand On by Laurie Cass
Bookmobile Cay Mystery #12
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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There’s no rest for the whiskered as librarian Minnie Hamilton and her rescue cat, Eddie, have to investigate a poisoning—and a murder—in the newest installment of the national bestselling Bookmobile Cat Mysteries.
When a heat wave hits northern Michigan, Minnie, Eddie, and their bookmobile head to the beach to catch some rays and some customers. But library business is put on hold when Minnie’s restaurant-owning best friend, Kristen, calls. The specialty ice cream cone treat she’d been serving to patrons was sabotaged, making some customers horribly sick. Kristen needs Minnie to sniff out the culprit fast, or the restaurant’s reputation will be destroyed forever.
Minnie and Eddie are hot on the tail of the suspect when an employee from another restaurant is found dead. Could the poisoning and the murder be related? It’ll take a feline to catch a felon…
Peach Tea Smash by Laura Childs
Tea Shop Mystery #28
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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Murder at an Alice in Wonderland–themed event threatens to send Theodosia Browning through the looking glass in the latest entry in this New York Times bestselling series.
During the Mad Hatter Masquerade, a fundraiser hosted by the Friends of the Opera on the grounds of the old Pendleton Grist Mill, Harlan Sadler, husband of Cricket Sadler, the chairwoman, is killed. He’s been hit in the head with a croquet mallet, and his body hung on the chains and paddles of the grist mill. Nobody can figure out why since Harlan was much beloved by everyone. It’s only after Cricket and Delaine beg Theodosia to investigate that she realizes the killer might have mistaken Harlan for his crazy son, Duke. After all, Duke is a slum landlord and recently injured a woman in a boating accident.
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!
Reading Between the Lies by Lynn Cahoon
Survivors’ Book Club Mystery #4
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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Bookshop owner Rarity Cole is living her best life after surviving cancer—hosting book clubs, classes, and parties at her store, The Next Chapter, and giving back to her community in Sedona, Arizona. But an awkward outing to an art gallery is about to add a dark slant to the picture . . .
Rarity is grateful for many things and people in her new life, including her friend Shirley, who is helping to provide backpacks and supplies for kids going back to school. But Shirley needs a big favor. With her husband in a memory-care home, she wants to attend an art opening with a male friend but fears local gossip. She asks Rarity, her friend Sam, and their boyfriends to come along as cover. It would be fun if not for the fact that the two couples are barely speaking…
The evening proceeds without any social disasters. But the gallery owner—who struck Rarity as more of a spoiled playboy—is later found dead with an arrow in his back. Any lingering tensions must be set aside so the amateur sleuths can find an archer who may have taken the idea of pointed criticism a bit too literally . . .
The Girl with No Reflections by Keshe Chow
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
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A young woman chosen as the crown prince’s bride must travel to the royal palace to meet her new husband—but her world is shaken when she discovers the dark truth the royal family has been hiding for centuries—in this lush fantasy debut perfect for fans of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Violet Made of Thorns.
Princess Ying Yue believed in love…once upon a time.
Yet when she’s chosen to wed the crown prince, Ying’s dreams of a fairy tale marriage quickly fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won’t explain. Worse still are the rumors that swirl around the imperial palace: whispers of seven other royal brides who, after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared.
Left alone with only her own reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things. Movements in the corners of her mirror. Colorful lights upon its surface. And when, on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway, she is pulled into a mirror world.
This realm is full of sentient reflections, including the enigmatic Mirror Prince. Unlike his real-world counterpart, the Mirror Prince is kind and compassionate, and before long Ying falls in love—the kind of love she always dreamed of.
But there is darkness in this new world, too.
It turns out the two worlds have a long and blood-soaked history, and Ying has a part to play in the future of them both. And the brides who came before Ying? By the time they discovered what their role was, it was already too late.
The Monstrous Adventures of Mummy Man and Waffles by Steve Behling
Monstrous Adventure #1
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Genre: Middle Grade
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Get ready for some spooky fun in the first installment of this all-new middle grade series from author Steve Behling, featuring side-splitting illustrations throughout by Robb Mommaerts!
Wen Wyler (aka Waffles) is 11 years old and is forced to spend the summer in Maine with his grandpa, a former Hollywood make-up and special effects artist for classic horror films. Ever seen THE BEAST WITH A THOUSAND TOES, GLAARG! Or its sequel GLAARG! AGAIN!? If so, then you might be familiar with his work.
Wen, a horror movie aficionado, is persuaded to go when he finds out that part of the summer will be spent helping his Grandpa sort through and organize his basement filled with props. Grandpa’s young neighbor, Tanya, has already been corralled into helping and together they dig in until Wen accidentally brings one of the props to life.
Mummy Man is a good guy, but the other creatures AREN’T so good. It’s up to Wen, Tanya, and Mummy Man (and his pet turtle, Frank) to stop the creatures from turning the town into the nexus for an all-out monster invasion.
Brewing Trouble by Wendy Meadows
Cherry’s Cozy Capers #1
Publication Date: August 8, 2024
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
His death was no accident… and now she’s next in line to die.
When local brewer Bernie Brewster is found dead in his own vat of award-winning craft bitter, all eyes are on his mysterious new bride – and the sole beneficiary of his will – Cherry Picker. Accused of being a murderous gold-digger and hounded by Bernie’s family, Cherry quickly finds herself tangled up in a struggle to prove her innocence. But with a killer still lurking, she knows that if she doesn’t act fast, she’ll become the next victim.
Cherry is guarding a secretive past… and the only way she can clear her name is to unmask the killer herself. Faced with unravelling a complex family with jealous rivalries and dark secrets, she discovers that Bernie’s killer may be closer to home than she thought.
Everybody in Bernie’s family has a reason to want him dead – and to solve this mystery, Cherry will need more than a few tricks up her sleeve…
Can Cherry prove her innocence and save Bernie’s prize brewery from the clutches of a murderer? Or will the killer catch up to her before she can find the truth?
Step into a fun and exciting who-dun-it with tons of twists and turns that are sure to keep you guessing. Perfect for anybody who loves suspense-fueled cozy mysteries with larger-than-life characters and lovable woman sleuths, the first book in the Cherry’s Cozy Capers series is an enjoyable read that you won’t want to miss!
Callahan in Action by Susan Y. Tanner
Cat Callahan Mystery #6
Publication Date: August 8, 2024
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
Cat Callahan and Dax’s travels put them in North Carolina, where a Civil War Reenactment is setting up. Out at dinner with Dax, Callahan spots a beautiful young woman who’s had way too much to drink, and the wily Scottish Fold cat knows this evening might not end well. The sorrow in her eyes tells Callahan the alcohol she consumed had less to do with entertainment than an effort to forget. He decides to stick with her as a kindly man offers to see her back to her hotel.
By morning, Wolf Stockton, off-duty U.S. Marshal, is at the county fairgrounds. He’s surprised to learn that the woman he escorted safely to her hotel the night before, Kylah West, is a professional stuntwoman, under contract to perform some of the trickier scenes in the battle. But one of the participants has been murdered.
Callahan strolls into the mystery, discovering tension between the university sponsoring the reenactment and a Cherokee nation tired of being wrongly blamed for everything. As the lawman and the cat team up, big questions arise. Is the young victim’s death revenge, an accidental shooting, or a hint that opposing forces in the community are boiling over? Callahan needs to know who is behind the murder. And will Kylah be the next target?
A previous version of this story was published in 2019 as Trouble in Action
Her Maine Catch by Sophie-Leigh Robbins
When in Maine #1
Publication Date: August 8, 2024
Genre: Sweet Romantic Comedy
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Falling for the local hot and grumpy bait shop owner wasn’t part of my revenge plan when I decided to one-up my ex…
Aspen
My sky-high expectations for our annual family vacation in Maine evaporate faster than the spray of a jetski when I find out my cousin’s new boyfriend is the same guy who publicly broke my heart last Christmas. How am I supposed to enjoy my vacation with him staying in our lake-side cabin as if he’s a wonderful addition to our family?So much for my No Men, No Drama summer plans.
Determined to get even, I beg the local bait shop owner to let me sign up for fishing lessons, despite them being reserved exclusively for retirees. I’d rather spend my vacation with a bunch of bait-crazed seniors than lake-side with my stupid ex and his stupid remarks about my lack of fishing and boating skills.
But the better I get at reeling in fish, the more trouble I find myself in.
Because falling for the hot and grumpy bait shop owner wasn’t part of my revenge plan…
Her Maine Catch is a fun sweet romcom full of humor and heart that is meant to be read in two hours or less. It has no cliffhangers, a guaranteed HEA, and all the sizzle, but no explicit content. This book is part of When in Maine, a sweet romcom series set in a small coastal town in Maine. If you love short and sweet beach reads, then When in Maine is perfect for you!
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 32 of 2024
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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