The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2025, Week 35’s New Books
My choices for this week include International Historical Mystery, Young Adult Fantasy Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, International Mystery, Historical Romance, Cozy Mystery, Sweet Cowboy Romances, Psychological Thrillers, Cozy Culinary Mystery, Paranormal Mystery, Historical Mystery, Cozy Culinary Holiday Mystery, Middle Grade Paranormal, Middle Grade, Cozy Paranormal Mystery, Cozy Animal Culinary Mystery, and Sweet Romance.
Can you believe that it’s almost the end of August? Next Sunday will be the final Sunday of August. Time sure has flown by. I love autumn, but I will miss summer. Luckily for me, Texas doesn’t get cold as quickly as Montana did. Reading is still mostly what I enjoy.
I found a lot of books for this list. This week, we’re covering a wide range of book genres. Jen and I have books on this list on our TBR list. Some we may have already read! Please go check out our reviews for them!
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 35 of 2025!
A Moment’s Shadow by Anna Lee Huber
Verity Kent Mysteries #8
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: International Historical Mystery
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Violence, reprisal, and intrigue abound in post-World War I Ireland as the bloody conflict between the Irish Republican Army and the British authorities continues to escalate. But former Secret Service agent Verity Kent must deal with a more immediate concern—the possession of poisonous gas by a ruthless adversary . . .
August 1920, Dublin, Ireland: A fraught task keeps Verity and her husband Sidney in the country after their initial clandestine mission has been completed: the traitor Lord Ardmore is scheming to employ the deadly phosgene gas he’s stolen for some terrifying purpose, and the couple will need both the Crown forces and the rebels’ help to thwart him.
As they pursue their quarry, they are drawn into a case involving a series of cunning and brazen jewel thefts. Many believe it is the work of the Irish rebels, seeking to fund their revolution, but when Verity and Sidney are also approached by Michael Collins and the IRA to unmask the thief, they suspect he may instead be an opportunist using the political unrest as a cover for his crimes.
As the thief continues to pull ever more risky jobs—including targeting Verity and their friends—the couple receive new intelligence that the gas they seek may be intended for a crowded event, one that the entire world will be attuned to. They must stop Lord Ardmore at all costs—or the consequences will be devastating . . .
A Spell to Wake the Dead by Nicole Lesperance
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Mystery
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Two teen girls must uncover the dark, occult secrets lurking in their Cape Cod town to solve a series of murders—and save themselves from the same fate—in this twisty, witchy thriller.
When Mazzy and her best friend Nora sneak down to the beach one moonlit night to cast a spell, they don’t expect to find a dead body. But as the tide rolls in, it carries the remains of a woman who is missing her hands and teeth.
The girls know they should leave the investigation to the police, but they can’t shake the weird, supernatural connection they feel with the dead woman. Using spellwork and divination, they set out to find answers of their own. But after they uncover a rash of local disappearances stretching back years—and both girls start having occult visions and hearing ghostly, whispering voices—Mazzy worries that she and Nora are in danger.
Then, Nora finds a second body. And the whispering voice is telling her where to find more. With everything spiraling, Mazzy needs to figure out who to trust and how to sever this supernatural connection—or she and Nora might be the next bodies to wash up on the beach.
Claws Out by Cate Conte
Cat Cafe Mystery #9
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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The ninth installment in a charming cozy mystery series set on an island off the New England coast and featuring the cat cafe owner Maddie and her cat JJ.
After a long, snowy winter on Daybreak Island, Maddie and her cat cafe crew are finally ready to embrace the spring, though life is anything but calm. With Val and Ethan’s wedding taking center stage, Maddie finds herself juggling wedding plans alongside a new and unexpected venture―a generous donation has made her the co-owner of a traveling cat cafe truck. To kick off the new chapter, she seizes the chance to take the truck on its inaugural trip to a cat literary festival in Provincetown, accompanied by her family and some of the shelter crew.The festival is organized by the renowned cat-romance author Jasmine Prescott, who also runs a beloved cat rescue foundation on Cape Cod. But when Jasmine’s longtime friend and fellow author Vivi St. Clair arrives with a boatload full of drama―everything from a dangerous ex-husband to an unwanted Netflix crew―tensions run high. At first, it seems like just another dose of celebrity chaos―until Vivi is found murdered. As new evidence ties Maddie and her cat cafe into the investigation, Maddie must dig deeper into the tangled web of secrets, rivalries, and feline-friendly drama to uncover the truth. The question is: what’s the connection between the cat cafe and Vivi’s untimely death?
Death at an Irish Village by Ellie Brannigan
Irish Castle Mysteries #3
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: International Mystery
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Entrepreneur Rayne McGrath’s wedding venue is open for business until a dead and unburied body is found at the cemetery in the third Irish Castle mystery.
With six months left to fulfill the provisions of Uncle Nevin’s will and save the fixer-upper castle she and her cousin inherited, Rayne McGrath and Ciara Smith’s bridal venue venture is finally bringing in money. To unite the reluctant villagers, some who’d vehemently protested their efforts to modernize the village, they agree with Father Patrick’s idea to create a group of volunteers to clean the old cemetery behind the beloved church. When a body is found by one of the historic tombstones, the cousins must work overtime to solve the newest case.
The plot thickens and an unsolved crime from the past is unearthed when it’s discovered that the body was on top of a fake grave that has connections to Rayne’s ancestors. With two weddings scheduled at the castle and her mother on the way, Rayne fears she won’t be able to balance it all, yet she rolls up her sleeves and dives into old family journals in hopes of puzzling out not one but two mysteries.
Perfect for fans of Carlene O’Connor and Sheila Connolly, this whimsical cozy will charm mystery readers everywhere.
Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa
Luna Sisters #3
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Historical Romance
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A scandalous arrangement between a hellion heiress and destitute duke reveals truths that neither can outrun….
As the youngest and most rebellious daughter of the overly protective Luna family, Gabriela Luna Valdés claws after her freedom in any way she can. This time, her hunger for adventure has led her aboard a windswept ship bearing for her homeland, away from a mob of fumbling British suitors. But Gabby can’t escape her father’s expectation that she settle down to find a proper husband—a compromise she’s unwilling to make.
For Sebastian Brooks, Duke of Whitfield, the trip to Mexico is his last chance. His last chance to rectify his family’s estate and refill their dwindling coffers. And his last chance to match wits with the sharp-tongued but deliciously tempting Gabriela.
When Gabby finds herself in need of a hasty escape, Sebastian agrees to assist her…but their close proximity sparks a red-hot passion that could ruin all their plans. With scandal looming, can Sebastian convince Gabby his regard is sincere or will she sail away with his heart?
Halloween Night Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Liz Ireland
Lucy Stone Mysteries #31.5, Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mysteries #17.5, Mrs. Claus #5.5
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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There’s usually a chill in the air when Halloween arrives—but in these three novellas by beloved cozy mystery authors Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Liz Ireland, the crimes are even colder than the haunted climate . . .
HALLOWEEN NIGHT MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
After a tiring but satisfying day of organizing Halloween festivities, Lucy Stone is surprised by a lone late-night trick-or-treater at her home in Tinker’s Cove, Maine. The next morning, she’s heartbroken to learn that the teenager died in a hit-and-run just minutes after she gave him the last of her candy supply. Haunted, she starts digging into his story—and discovers some dark secrets . . .DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN NIGHT STALKER by LEE HOLLIS
Bad weather has stranded restaurateur Hayley Powell and her friends in rural Maine—and the only shelter available is a spooky spot where they’re welcomed warmly by the lady of the house—but coldly by her suspicious, gun-toting son. They’re even more nervous after he scares them with his Halloween zombie costume—but the real fright is yet to come . . .MRS. CLAUS AND THE WILY WITCH by LIZ IRELAND
Disgraced elf Flake has returned from exile just in time for Halloween, but not everyone in Christmastown thinks he’s truly reformed. When Pumblechook the snowman suffers a mysterious fate, and a fellow elf is felled by Flake’s caramels, Mrs. Claus must determine whether the sticky-fingered Flake has become a hardened criminal—or if sorcery has invaded Santaland . . .
Her Colorado Cowboy by Eliza D. Collins
Tillacos Ranch #1
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Sweet Cowboy Romance
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Just a friend…
Or her cowboy soulmate?
After yet another heartbreak, veterinarian Kelli Hinton is done with broad-shouldered tough guys. From now on, she’s dating only accountants and symphony musicians! Then Cole Tyler calls her out to his Colorado ranch for an emergency calf delivery. Her sweet childhood friend has turned into a handsome, tough-as-rawhide cowboy, but their old connection is still as easy and natural as it ever was. It’s the perfect friendship for two people who are too scarred by their respective pasts to pursue anything like love. But some bonds are too strong to ignore forever…
I Become Her by Joe Hart
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Psychological Thriller
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A wife’s search for her husband’s true identity spirals into a nightmare of fear and paranoia in a twisting novel of psychological suspense by the Edgar Award–winning author of Or Else.
Only ten days into their marriage, Imogen and Lev Carmichael are on a honeymoon cruise in the Mediterranean when Imogen suspects her husband of being unfaithful. Amid the recriminations, denials, and rage, Lev falls overboard into the water. It’s a miracle he’s found alive. And with no memory of what pushed him―and Imogen―over the edge.
Back home among family and friends, Imogen and Lev are finally starting to readjust. As terrified as Imogen is of Lev’s memories returning, it’s her suspicions of infidelity that get the best of her. Then, searching for clues, she discovers a woman from Lev’s past he never told her about…a woman who has been missing for years. More alarming is that Imogen soon has reason to believe that Lev remembers more than he’s letting on. But why would he lie?
The man Imogen loved, married, and trusted is a man she’s now beginning to fear. And she must decide how far she’s willing to go to uncover the truth.
Kissing the Texas Ranger by Cari Lynn Webb
Three Springs, Texas Romance #1
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Sweet Cowboy Romance
To solve the case…
He’ll steal her heartSpecial Ranger Bodie Hopson arrives in Three Springs, Texas, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a bison herd belonging to the strong-willed farmer Sarah Rickelle. Posing as a new ranch hand, Bodie suspects she’s an insurance fraudster, but then quickly realizes she’s more of an ally than a criminal. As they join forces to track down the thief, their growing attraction makes it difficult to stay professional. But when the case takes a dangerous turn, Bodie faces a life-changing decision: follow his law enforcement career or fight for the woman who’s stolen his heart.
Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander
Bakeshop Mysteries #21
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, Oregon!
Baker Jules Capshaw, along with her husband, Carlos, and Torte’s resident barista, Andy, are packing their bags and preparing for the ultimate coffee excursion in Costa Rica. A fortuitous invitation from one of Carlos’s former colleagues, Valentina, has them venturing to the coffee capital of the world for a tasting tour and an immersive weekend at her family’s organic coffee farm.
They soak in the tropical breezes, the vibrant colors, the sounds of morning birdsong, and the sweeping views of the historic coffee farm. Valentina is the ultimate host, offering them traditional meals and thrilled to have their input as she’s preparing to open a coffee counter and bakery on the farm.
The getaway is just what Jules needed. A chance to relax and unwind, curl up with a book and iced latte by the pool, and tinker in Valentina’s kitchen, dreaming up new recipes to bring home. Except her tranquil weekend quickly turns into a nightmare when one of Valentina’s employees is found dead in the pulping machine. Now, Jules will have to put her vacation on hold to try and uncover the murderer before one of Torte’s beloved workers becomes the next body thrown into the mix.
Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman
Mrs. Christie Mysteries #1
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
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Book conservator Tory Van Dyne and a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie on holiday from the Great Beyond join forces to catch a killer in this spirited mystery from Amanda Chapman.
Tory Van Dyne is the most down-to-earth member of a decidedly eccentric old-money New York family. For one thing, as book conservator at Manhattan’s Mystery Guild Library, she actually has a job. Plus, she’s left up-town society behind for a quiet life downtown. So she’s not thrilled when she discovers a woman in the library’s Christie Room who calmly introduces herself as Agatha Christie, politely requests a cocktail, and announces she’s there to help solve a murder— that has not yet happened.
But as soon as Tory determines that this is just a fairly nutty Christie fangirl, her socialite/actress cousin Nicola gets caught up in the suspicious death of her less-than-lovable talent agent. Nic, as always, looks to Tory for help. Tory, in turn, looks to Mrs. Christie. The woman, whoever or whatever she is, clearly knows her stuff when it comes to crime.
Aided by an unlikely band of fellow sleuths —including a snarky librarian, an eleven-year-old computer whiz, and an NYPD detective with terrible taste in suits—Tory and the woman claiming to be her very much deceased literary idol begin to unravel the twists and turns of a murderer’s devious mind. Because, in the immortal words of Miss Jane Marple, “murder is never simple.”
Murder at Arleigh by Alyssa Maxwell
Gilded Newport Mysteries #13
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Historical Mystery
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A dazzling wedding at the Bellevue Mansion, Arleigh, loses its shine when reporter, sleuth, and new mother Emma Cross Andrews is called to investigate the groom, an infamous Gilded Age prankster.
April 1903: Emma and Derrick Andrews have been invited to the wedding of her cousin Reggie Vanderbilt and heiress Cathleen Neilson at the Bellevue Mansion, Arleigh. Their hosts are a popular young couple who are leasing the home for the summer—Harry and Elizabeth “Bessie” Lehr. Known for his practical jokes, Harry is the toast of parties, earning a reputation as the court jester of the Gilded Age. However, as Emma soon learns, behind closed doors he is dead serious.
Following the wedding, Bessie comes to Emma for help, insisting that her husband is cruel to her in private, telling her outright he married her only for her money and finds her repulsive. Divorce is unthinkable. Now she believes he is plotting to murder her and make it look like an accident: a broken balcony railing she might have leaned on, a loose stair runner that could have sent her tumbling down a staircase, faulty brakes in the car she uses . . .
Some would say being trapped in a loveless marriage is a fate worse than death. Not Bessie—she wants to live! Unsure if these situations are mere coincidences or add up to premeditated sabotage, Emma agrees to investigate and determine if Newport’s merry prankster is engaged in a cold-blooded game of life or death . . .
Murder at Cape Costumers by Maddie Day
Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries #7
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Cozy Culinary Holiday Mystery
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In Agatha Award-winner Maddie Day’s delightfully spooky Cozy Capers Book Group mystery, it’s Halloween, and Cape Cod bike shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida and her book club must unmask a killer…
Just in time for Halloween, a new costume shop has opened on Main Street in Westham, Massachusetts. Cape Costumers is a cut above the usual seasonal pop-up stores with their flimsy mass-produced outfits and cheap plastic masks, mostly due to co-owner Shelly, a former Broadway costume designer. But when Shelly discovers her elderly boyfriend Enzo—a Broadway star who retired to Westham—dead of unnatural causes, Halloween suddenly gets a lot scarier.
Sleuthing, Mac has found, is a lot like riding a bicycle: once you learn how, you never forget. Far from being spooked, Mac and the members of the Cozy Capers Book Group put down their weekly book selection and put their heads together to see past a bag of tricks and find a malice-making murderer who’s hiding in plain sight . . .
Not Who You Think by Arbor Sloane
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Psychological Thriller
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The copycat of a killer made famous by a true crime author kidnaps a classmate of the author’s daughter in this twisty thriller, perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins.
Amelia Child has devoted her life to researching Gerald Shapiro, the Catfish Killer, a man who pretended to be other people online to gain women’s trust before meeting and killing them. Her book on the Catfish Killer, Into the Glass, earned wild success and a legion of true crime fans. Years later, Amelia is pulled back into the case when a girl from her daughter’s high school disappears, and all signs point to a copycat killer mimicking the Catfish Killer’s every move.
As Amelia meets with the detective who helped her study Gerald Shapiro years ago and they become suspicious of Shapiro’s son, Amelia’s daughter Gabby receives a letter from the kidnapper threatening that she might be next. Desperate to find the culprit before her classmate is killed or she becomes the latest victim, Gabby conducts her own search for the missing girl.
With Amelia’s own family at risk and the entire true crime world obsessing and investigating online, the stakes have never been higher. Everyone wants to find the killer—but when his modus operandi is to pretend to be someone else, he’s not going to be easy to catch.
Phantom Academy by Christine Virnig
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal
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Lindsay Currie’s Scritch Scratch meets The School for Invisible Boys in this fun romp of a middle grade novel about a newly dead boy who faces a spooky new school hiding an unearthly mystery.
After an unlucky collision between a coconut and the top of his head, twelve-year-old Finn joins the ranks of the recently deceased…and of the students at Phantom Academy. The academy is a spectral boarding school for underage ghosts finding their footing in the afterlife, and Finn is the new kid at school.
He doesn’t understand why ghosts have to take tests and do homework. Or why making friends doesn’t get any easier even when all the students have a very big thing in common. As the new class of middle schoolers get to know each other, it becomes clear something is happening behind the scenes of their new academy.
Can Finn and his classmates figure out their afterlife and crack the mystery?
Schooled by Jamie Sumner
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Middle Grade
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A bighearted, compulsively readable novel from acclaimed author Jamie Sumner about new schools, unexpected friendships, and overcoming loss.
Eleven-year-old Lenny Syms is about to start college—sort of. As part of a brand-new experimental school, Lenny and four other students are starting sixth grade on a university campus, where they’ll be taught by the most brilliant professors and given every resource imaginable. This new school is pretty weird, though. Instead of hunkering down behind a desk to study math, science, and history, Lenny finds himself meditating, participating in discussions where you don’t even have to raise your hand, and spying on the campus population in the name of anthropology.
But Lenny just lost his mom, and his Latin professor dad is better with dead languages than actual human beings. Lenny doesn’t want to be part of some learning experiment. He just wants to be left alone. Yet if Lenny is going to make it as a middle schooler on a college campus, he’s going to need help. Is a group of misfit sixth graders and one particularly quirky professor enough to pull him out of his sadness and back into the world?
Scripts and Empty Crypts by Trixie Silvertale
Harper and Moon Investigations #7
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Lights! Camera! Murder?
Mitzy Moon let herself get too comfortable. After happily putting down roots in Pin Cherry Harbor, this psychic sleuth thought she’d be safe. If only she’d paid closer attention to the whisperings of her not-as-dearly-departed-as-everyone-thinks grandmother…
Without warning, Mitzy and her fiendish feline find themselves the stars in a television series about their life! Grams sold the rights, and the production has descended on the bookshop. The inept crew disturbs the wrong crypt, and now a vengeful spirit could be on the loose.
Can Mitzy flip the script on this murderer, or will this be her final scene?
Scripts and Empty Crypts is the seventh book in the hilarious paranormal cozy mystery series, Harper and Moon Investigations, a spinoff from the popular Mitzy Moon Mysteries. If you like snarky heroines, supernatural intrigue, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Trixie Silvertale’s spooky spectacle.
Buy Scripts and Empty Crypts to roll credits on a killer today!
Sour Crime Donuts by Ginger Bolton
Deputy Donut Mysteries #10
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Cozy Animal Culinary Mystery
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With Emily Westhill’s popular Deputy Donut Café rolling out seasonal summer treats, everyone in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin wants a taste. But when a limited batch box turns up near a dead body, Emily and her curious tabby are pitted against the worst kind of customer—a cold-blooded murderer!
Emily feels like a protective big sister around bubbly twenty-something Izzy—a new regular whose enthusiasm for peaches and cream donuts is surpassed only by her dream to start her own business. As if blown in by an August breeze, Izzy pulls Emily into her plan to buy a property at the edge of town to grow and sell fresh produce. But she’s not the only fan of Deputy Donut’s peachy delights . . . or the only patron vying to own the lush parcel of land. And the competition is fiercer than the two women imagined . . .
Petty squabbles turn deadly when a developer with a mean streak is found murdered on the vacant stretch of land. Worse, Emily’s signature donuts are spotted nearby, leading to several potential suspects who could have left their sugar-frosted fingerprints all over the crime scene—including the mayor, a handsome out-of-towner, and even sweet-to-the-core Izzy. When her detective husband discovers poisonous ingredients in the discarded desserts, a shocked Emily must reveal holes in a collection of very fuzzy facts and nab the killer before someone else takes their last bite . . .
The Rancher and the City Girl by Viv Royce
Heroes of the Rockies #4
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Sweet Cowboy Romance
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Can a runaway city bride…
Find home in the Rocky Mountains?Erin Lakewood’s Colorado wedding takes a dramatic turn when she finds her fiancé in another woman’s arms. Devastated, she escapes in her wedding dress and hitches a ride with kindhearted rancher Wayne Irvine to his hometown of Heartmont. Needing a place to regroup, Erin helps with the town’s anniversary celebration and finds herself drawn to Wayne and the beauty of his simple life. But soon she must make a choice—is her place in the city as part of her family’s successful business, or does she belong in Heartmont…with Wayne?
Their First Dance by Laurie Batzel
Crystal Hill #4
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Sweet Romance
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Could their first dance…
Last a lifetime?Fanny Cunningham is only in small-town Crystal Hill to help her aging dance teacher. She has no time for local handyman Lawson Carl, who tried—and failed—to charm her ten years ago. But when she needs a partner for an instructional dance video, he’s her only option. Teaching Law to dance is more fun than she imagined. And she may end up with bruised toes, but she feels strangely safe in his burly arms. Could the man who stumbled into her studio be her perfect partner on and off the dance floor?
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 35 of 2025
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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