The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2026, Week 4’s New Books
My choices for this week include Private Investigator Mystery, Contemporary Romance, and Romantic Comedy Mystery.
It is already getting toward the end of January. This month has flown by. How’s your reading going for this month?
A short list of books for this week. These books sound so good, though.
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 4 of 2026!
A Very Novel Murder by Ellie Alexander
Novel Detectives Mystery #1
Publication Date: January 20, 2026
Genre: Private Investigator Mystery
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Opening a detective agency above her beloved bookstore seems like the perfect business plan―until Annie Murray’s first case involves a suspicious death right on her doorstep.
June Munrow, an elderly resident of Annie’s home town, Redwood Grove, is convinced that young Kelly Taylor’s recent drowning wasn’t the tragic accident everyone believes it to be. Despite the police ruling, June is determined to prove there’s more to the story and hires the Novel Detectives to uncover the truth.
As Annie delves into Kelly’s life, she discovers a tangled web of secrets involving Kelly’s complicated relationships, a peculiar landlord, and her mysterious roommate. Everyone connected to Kelly seems to be hiding something, and the deeper Annie digs, the more puzzling the case becomes.
With her trademark blend of curiosity and compassion, can Annie piece together the clues and solve her first official case―before she gets into deep water herself?
Perfect for fans of Lauren Elliott, Merryn Allingham and M.C. Beaton, this charming cozy mystery is brimming with small-town secrets and bookish charm that will keep you turning pages late into the night.
Anne of a Different Island by Virginia Kantra
Publication Date: January 20, 2026
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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A woman learns to be the heroine of her own life in this heartfelt novel inspired by Anne of Green Gables by New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.
She believed life could follow a plotline—until the story she was living unraveled.
Anne Gallagher has always lived by the book. Anne of Green Gables, that is. Growing up on Mackinac Island, she saw herself as her namesake: the same impulsive charm, the same wild imagination, even the same red hair (dyed, but still). She followed in Anne Shirley’s fictional footsteps, chasing dreams of teaching and writing, and falling for her very own storybook hero.
But when a string of real-life plot twists—a failing romance, a fight with the administration, and the sudden death of her beloved father—pulls her back to the island she once couldn’t wait to leave, Anne is forced to face a truth no story ever prepared her for. Sometimes, life doesn’t follow a script.
Back in the house she grew up in, Anne must confront her past and the people she left behind, including Joe Miller, the boy who once called her “The Pest.” It’s time to figure out what she wants and rewrite her story to create her own happy ending. Not the book version. The real one.
Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies by Jenny Elder Moke
Publication Date: January 20, 2026
Genre: Romantic Comedy Mystery
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Hobnobbing with Seattle’s elite on a super-yacht, Juliette Winters is about to land the deal of the century – if she doesn’t get arrested first. She Doesn’t Have A Clue author Jenny Elder Moke returns with another riotous mystery rom-com that delights in rich people behaving badly.
Juliette Winters is used to taking care of business alone. She has no time for petty things like romance, friendships, or emotional commitments. Love is for people who believe in reality TV dating and holding hands in public. She’s too busy dominating the publishing world by single-handedly saving her company from financial ruin with the book deal of the century.
Business magnate Warren Ellingham has guaranteed Juliette exclusive rights to his explosive memoir that promises to expose the secrets of his ultra-exclusive country club, Pacific Pines. But when Warren drops dead of an apparent heart attack and the memoir is stolen, Juliette suspects that someone was willing to resort to murder to keep their secrets from being exposed.
Enlisting the help of Charlie Hawkins, a doctor with a heart of gold and abs of steel, Juliette dives into the glamorous and messy world of Pacific Pines Country Club. As the investigation heats up, so does the tension between Juliette and Charlie. But Juliette can’t afford any distractions because the bodies keep dropping, and Juliette is tee-d up to take the blame. If she doesn’t uncover Warren’s killer soon, the thing that was supposed to secure her future might just be the thing that ends it.
Jenny Elder Moke’s twisty mystery rom-com blend will delight readers with its outrageous characters, laugh-out-loud jokes, and opposites attract romance.
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 4 of 2026
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!
Baroness’ Book Trove is an Amazon affiliate, which means that if you click the link and make a purchase, this blog gets a tiny percentage back. Mainly, this helps cover the website costs and a few giveaways.
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