The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2023, Week 49’s New Books
My choices for this week include Police Procedural Mystery, Historical Mysteries, Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery, Cozy Mysteries, Action and Adventure Romance, Cozy Animal Mystery, Thriller, MG Fantasy, YA Fairytale and Folklore Adaptations, Women’s Fiction, and Cozy Culinary Mystery.
Can you believe it’s December already? Here at my house, we have decorated for Christmas and are listening to Christmas music. Well, when we aren’t having our noses stuck in our books. Do you have your Christmas decorations up and listening to Christmas music?
We have some exciting books on this list. Jen and I have already read a few of them or are currently reading. Did I miss anything that you think should have been on this list for this week?
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 49 of 2023!
Not Dead Enough by Phillip Thompson
Colt Harper #3
Publication Date: December 4, 2023
Genre: Police Procedural Mystery
Sheriff Colt Harper believes that combat veterans share a lifetime bond of loyalty with their fellow Marines. But when his service buddy Robert “Flip” Wilson, who slid into an oblivion of drugs and crime after returning from the Gulf War, shows up in his county and kills a man, Harper’s loyalty to his friend smashes into his duty to the law. The two men find themselves on opposite sides now, fighting a different kind of war, where the battlefields are their hearts and souls…and losing will cost them everything.
Suicide in Suffolk by D. Ayres
Publication Date: December 4, 2023
Genre: Thriller
“Suicide in Suffolk” is a gripping debut novel that delves into the depths of mystery and suspense. Set against the backdrop of the idyllic town of Lowestoft, Suffolk, this cozy mystery follows Cecil Whitford, a compassionate funeral director who becomes embroiled in a dark and twisted tale of intrigue.
When Cecil stumbles upon a death that is initially deemed a suicide, he can’t shake the nagging feeling that there is more to the story. Driven by a relentless pursuit of truth and justice, he becomes convinced that the tragedy may, in fact, be a carefully disguised murder.
Despite facing skepticism and indifference from the authorities and the community, Cecil refuses to abandon his quest. Seeking an ally in his search for answers, he forms an unlikely partnership with Keeley Cooper, a young and determined police constable who shares his suspicions.
Together, Cecil and Keeley delve into the shadows of Suffolk, navigating a web of secrets, cover-ups, and hidden motives. As they uncover a sinister plot lurking beneath the surface, they find themselves caught in a dangerous game where the lines between ally and adversary blur.
“Suicide in Suffolk” is a captivating cozy mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. With its evocative setting and well-drawn characters, this debut novel offers a thrilling exploration of deception and the relentless pursuit of truth. Prepare to be immersed in a world where darkness conceals secrets, and unravelling the truth may come at a grave cost.
Death at the Dower House by Jenna Bennett
Pippa Darling Mysteries #2
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Historical Mystery
England, early May, 1926
After the funerals of the late Duke of Sutherland and his daughter-in-law, Charlotte, (and of course Grimsby, the blackmailing valet), the younger members of the family—Philippa Darling, her cousins Christopher and Francis, and Crispin, Viscount St George—are invited to a weekend party at the Dower House in Dorset by Dowager Lady Peckham’s children, Constance and Gilbert.
Once in Dorset, things go sideways very quickly. Lady Peckham’s ward, the lovely Dutch emigree Johanna de Vos, has been making a dead set at Crispin, and has had him all to herself for the past few days. Constance’s time has been monopolized by Francis, while Pippa wouldn’t throw Crispin a rope if he were going down for the third time. However, the house party also includes the beautiful Lady Laetitia Marsden, a former dalliance of Crispin’s, and she doesn’t take the competition for his affections—or his title and fortune—lying down.
As a result, when the lovely Johanna is found murdered, the suspects are plentiful. Did Lady Laetitia decide to remove her rival? Did Lord Geoffrey, her brother, the handsy one, lose control and strangle the woman he was trying to seduce? Or perhaps Crispin was tired of the relentless pursuit, and took matters into his own hands?
When Lady Peckham also dies, miles away in Wiltshire, the case develops yet one more wrinkle. Now Pippa, with some help from Christopher, must figure out who wanted the two women dead, hopefully before the murderer can consign her to the same fate.
Death by Demo by Callie Carpenter
Home Renovation Mystery #1
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery
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Perfect for fans of Kate Carlisle and Diane Kelly, after her ex-husband tears down their marriage, the last thing Jaime wants is to renovate a worn-down historic home. But when a body is discovered behind a wall, she realizes she’ll have to catch the killer before she builds herself up again.
Jaime and Henry were the perfect couple with the perfect life; together, they ran one of the most successful construction and interior design companies in all of Charlotte, North Carolina. But when Jaime catches her charismatic husband in an affair, she realizes her husband is not the man she thought she married. The divorce is equally gutting—due to an ironclad prenuptial agreement, Jaime receives only one thing: a historical house in disrepair. Knowing that any renovation she attempts will be tedious and costly, Jaime starts to believe that things can’t get much worse—until she finds a dead body in the house.
The body is found behind a recently renovated wall—and this leaves Jaime with more questions than answers. Who killed this person and why? Could it have been the previous owners, someone who snuck in while nobody was looking, or Henry? Furious that the house is now a crime scene, which further delays all renovations, Jaime decides to investigate the murder herself, DIY-style. Together with the new resident cat she calls Demo and the handsome and friendly hardware store owner who happens to be her neighbor, Jaime is ready to use all the tools in her toolbox to catch the killer.
Jaime needs to renovate this house if she wants to move forward with her life, but will this murder investigation leave her in ruins—or worse?
Murder of an Amish Bridegroom by Patricia Johns
Amish Seamstress Mystery #1
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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The quiet Amish lifestyle isn’t all that it seems in this debut cozy mystery series, for fans of Amanda Flower and Wanda E. Brunstetter.
Petunia Yoder is Blueberry, Pennsylvania’s youngest old maid, at twenty-two years of age, and completely unmarriageable. But she’s determined to celebrate her friends’ weddings with joy and a full heart. Unfortunately, Petunia’s best friend, Eden Beiler, is playing a dangerous game with a man who is ruining her reputation.
Ike Smoker is the community’s iceman—the one who cuts, stores, and sells the ice—and when Petunia discovers him dead with an ice pick in his chest, Eden is found on the scene with blood on her hands. Homicide detective Asher Nate is new to the area, and he has a challenge on his hands. The Amish community sticks close together, and he doesn’t understand the subtleties and nuances of the clues he uncovers. He needs an Amish interpreter, and he asks Petunia if she’ll help. In a bid to keep her best friend out of prison, she agrees.
The community is filled with people who had good reason to hate Ike Smoker, especially as Petunia and Asher begin to uncover his secrets. Was someone trying to protect their family’s reputation? Or to exact revenge for a sin buried deep in the past?
There’s a litany of damning clues that litters the ground—and if Petunia and Asher can’t come up with the truth, they could end up as the next ones on the killer’s list.
Murderous Means by Lida Sideris
Southern California Mysteries #6
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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When resting in peace isn’t an option…
Corrie Locke may not be the best rookie lawyer in town, but when it comes to catching a killer, she’s got the skills to bring a band of shifty-eyed suspects to their knees.
When the wealthy matriarch of the dysfunctional Means family dies in her sleep, the family is convinced her death was anything but peaceful. They hire Corrie to prove it, but the only evidence they have to go on is a psychic’s half-baked vision that it was murder. To put the matter to rest, Corrie sets her sights on proving the psychic is a fraud. After all, everyone knows psychics are crack-pots, don’t they?
But what should be a simple investigation morphs into something deadly. The deeper Corrie digs, the more bizarre clues are revealed, and a possible witness is found dead. As tempers rise, it is up to Corrie to catch a killer…who’s about to strike again.
Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Romantic Comedy
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An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick!
Rival archaeologists must team up on a secret Aztec expedition, or it could leave their careers—and hearts—in ruins.
Archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has a bone to pick. Literally.
It’s been Corrie’s life goal to lead an expedition deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire. But when she is invited to join an all-expenses-paid dig to do just that, Corrie is sure it’s too good to be true…and she’s right.
As the world-renowned expert on Chimalli, by rights Corrie should be leading the expedition, not sharing the glory with her disgustingly handsome nemesis. But Dr. Ford Matthews has been finding new ways to best her since they were in grad school. Ford certainly isn’t thrilled either—with his life in shambles, the last thing he needs is a reminder of their rocky past.
But as the dig begins, it becomes clear they’ll need to work together when they realize a thief is lurking around their campsite, forcing the pair to keep their discoveries—and lingering attraction—under wraps. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and the lies between them closing in, there’s only one way this all ends—explosively.
Sniffing Out Murder by Kallie E. Benjamin
Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery #1
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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When a murder unleashes a widespread investigation through Crosbyville, children’s book author Pris and her trusty bloodhound, Bailey, must sniff out the truth before the whole town goes to the dogs.
After deciding that life as a teacher wasn’t right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children’s book in her three-year-old bloodhound’s nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. After the book’s massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series, she’s surprised by how things have changed in the town, but even more so how they haven’t.
Pris is frustrated to discover that newly elected school board trustee Whitney Kelley—a former high school mean girl—is intent on making Crosbyville more competitive by eliminating “frivolous spending” on the arts and social programs, including Pris and Bailey’s beloved pet-assisted reading program. A minor altercation between them isn’t anything unusual, but after Bailey sniffs out Whitney’s body in a bed of begonias, locals start hounding Pris and Bailey as suspects for the crime.
With Bailey’s sharp senses and Pris’s hometown know-how, can they prove to the community that they’re all barking up the wrong tree?
The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Historical Mystery
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An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.
After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.
A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses―or Pellars―but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.
To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.
The Missing Sword by Melissa de la Cruz
Chronicles of Never After #4
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
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Return to the land of Never After, where real life and fairy tales collide, in book four of New York Times-bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz’s hit middle grade series.
To save her mother from Olga’s evil clutches, Filomena and her friends will set off for new lands and new adventures. Without a moment to lose, Filomena must travel to the legendary land of Camelot to find the sword of Excalibur – the only thing that can save Fil’s mother from Olga’s mysterious illness that has poisoned her body.
But Camelot is not all that it seems. Fil and the crew quickly realize that there is another fairy tale that has taken hold in the land of Arthurian Legend. . . that of the Wizard of Oz! With the help (and hindrance) of the Wicked Witches of the East and West, lions and tigers and bears will surely be the least of Fil and the gang’s troubles.
As the League of Seven follows the yellow brick road to retrieve the sword and complete their most important quest yet, they find nothing will thwart the ogres and their mission to destroy Never After. In a land where nothing is truly as it seems, will Fil and the League of the Seven survive the witch’s tests? Or will Olga’s perilous plans rip Fil’s mother away from her forever?
To Rival a Reflection by Selina De Luca
Shattered Tales #10
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Young Adult Fairytale and Folklore Adaptation
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What if Snow White wanted to be the fairest of them all?
As the daughter of the king’s ambassador to Appledale and the prettiest girl in Jardonia, Snow White has always believed herself worthy of a prestigious destiny. When an Enchantress appears to Snow White through a mirror and offers her enchanted gifts and the promise of queendom, she is eager to accept the honor of being the Fairest One of All. There is just one catch: should someone fairer come along, she must forfeit her position as Fairest One—and lose the chance to marry a prince and become queen.
When her reflection begins to fade until it disappears altogether and shows up at her door as the new Fairest One, Snow White begins to see the curse beneath the Enchantress’s empty promises. With her own reflection vying for a place on the throne, Snow White must fight to protect Jardonia from this wicked rival and to keep the love of the prince who has captured her heart.
Will Snow White be able to overcome the curse of the magic mirror? Or will she forever suffer from the bitter poison of her own conceit?
To Rival a Reflection is a retelling of Snow White with inspiration from The Shadow. It is one of twelve novellas in The Shattered Tales, a collection of twelve fractured retellings of your favorite fairy tales. They can be enjoyed in any order, so fall in love with the swoony sweet romance, magical adventures, and tale-shattering twists one happily-ever-after at a time!
When All is Said and Done by Christy Hayes
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Women’s Fiction
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A heartbreaking novel about the sacrifices we make for love.
After an unstable childhood, marriage isn’t just a promise to Dustin Carver, it’s his lifeline. He and Tegan grew up together, fell in love, and planned their perfect life. When the future they imagined gets derailed by her demanding law career, their marriage slowly slides off the rails.
Tegan can’t believe her husband took her threat of a separation seriously and walked away without a backward glance. Heartbroken and embarrassed, she covers for his absence with lies. Lies she tells herself about her career. Lies she tells her family about her marriage. And lies she’s yet to confess to her husband about a secret she kept while he was away. When Dustin finally returns, she’s running on fumes and her lies are about to be exposed.
Seven weeks in Key West licking his wounds and watching his best friend fall in love is enough to convince Dustin to come home and fight for his marriage. Saving their relationship means returning to therapy and facing a bitter truth neither wants to address. What if their childhood romance doesn’t have a happy-ever-after ending?
This emotional read told with brutal honesty begs the ultimate question for marriages far and wide. At the end of the day-at the end of our lives-what is worth fighting for, and when, if ever, should we walk away?
Spindled Slumber by Kayla Eshbaugh
Cursed Kingdom Chronicles #4
Publication Date: December 7, 2023
Genre: Young Adult Fairytale and Folklore Adaptation
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Welcome to the ancient land of Terra, where curses run rampant throughout all the kingdoms and where the royalty desperately attempt to break their curses and claim their own happily ever afters.
Princess Briar of Thorn has a death curse, but she’s not worried about it. She’d rather spend her time tending to her rose vines in the hot desert gardens of her kingdom, snooping about the castle, and spending as much time as she can with her ill mother. When her father announces they are traveling to meet the two cold Haleston princes, she is sure she wants nothing to do with the traitor prince look-alike. That is until the golden-haired prince and his reclusive ways find her more curious than ever. She can’t simply leave him alone even when he is less than receptive to her attentions. As she searches for a way to help her mother, she is drawn in more and more by Prince Gideon of Haleston and wants to see him smile—even if only once.
Prince Gideon of Haleston seems to have been cursed twice. Not only does he look like the spitting image of the traitor King Falcon himself, may he rot in the mountain. His true curse will kill whomever he falls in love with. Keeping from maidens is the only way he can protect them. Spending his days reading in the library fills him with contentment, that is until a princess with opinions, confidence, and unwavering curiosity catches his attention. Gideon knows he must keep his distance from the captivating yet irritating princess of Thorn, even if it goes against his desires. No matter how hard he tries, nothing stops his feelings that keep growing for Briar. With each passing day, he knows he will kill her if he can not control his heart. Can he break his curse? Or is it as unbreakable as he’d always been told—sealing Briars fate forever?
Will one prick from the spindle of a spinning wheel save them both? Or will it keep them apart forever?
Spindled Slumber is the fourth book in The Cursed Kingdom Chronicles, a series of clean stand-alone but connected, fairytale retellings. If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, and witty banter, The Cursed Kingdom Chronicles is for you!
The Holidays can be Murder by Addison Moore
Brambleberry Bay Murder Club #4
Publication Date: December 7, 2023
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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It’s Christmas in Brambleberry Bay and the members of the esteemed country club have been invited to a holiday party at secretive Willoughby Hall. But when the festivities take a dark turn, the season is quickly overshadowed by murder. And for one guest it will be their final sleigh ride.
The killer might be hoping for a silent night, but I’m about to ring in some holiday justice—with a sprinkle of tinsel on top.
A mind reader. Talking pets. An arrogant homicide detective. A murder club. And a corpse.
Welcome to the club. Getting in was easy. Getting out can be murder.
Living in Brambleberry Bay can be a real killer.
It’s criminally cozy.
A Cozy Mystery by New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestseller Addison Moore —Humor with a side of homicide.
RECIPE INCLUDED!
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 49 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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What a fabulous group! Thanks so much for including my latest, MURDEROUS MEANS!