William Kent Krueger: God’s Country

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Cork O’Connor #22

There are many different kinds of mysteries, and the really good writers know how to write a few of them – why, even Dame Agatha cranked out a series of spy thrillers doing her bit for the war effort. When William Kent Kruger uncorked (so to speak) his fantastic first novel Iron Lake, a modern whodunit, he achieved instant acclaim, and he impressively followed it up with Boundary Waters, which was much more of an adventure tale. Twenty-seven years later, God’s Country returns to that territory, literally and figuratively, with series hero Cork O’Connor once again setting out into the wilderness to confront the monsters who haunt the shadows, while also forced to deal with the darkness within that he summons to defeat them. read more

Lucy Connelly: Death at a Scottish Halloween

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Scottish Isle Mysteries #5

All Hallow’s Eve celebrations are underway in tiny Sea Isle, Scotland. American Dr. Emilia McRoy, a new resident who is the town’s only doctor and coroner, is busy working at the local haunted house. It’s good, safe fun until she and her assistant, Abigail, realize that one of the fake bodies in the haunted house is an actual dead body – and a murder victim.

Dr. Em’s boyfriend, Constable Ewan Campbell, is investigating the murder and tries to keep her out of it, but Em’s compassion for the victim’s family compels her to assist in the case. And it’s a complicated case involving multiple victims, mistaken identities, and possible theft. The killer seems to be looking for something, but what? Is there a connection between the two victims or just a mistaken identity, and is there a connection to a mysterious puzzle box from a local estate sale? read more

Anastasia Hastings: Of Devotion and Death

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Dear Miss Hermoine #3

Of Devotion and Death, the third in Anatasia Hasting’s Dear Miss Hermione series set in 1880s London, finds main character Violet on the precipice of a big decision. She has been invited by her almost beau, Eli, for a scandalous Christmas in Venice. Violet is normally very levelheaded but Eli sends her into an emotional tailspin every time she sees him – and rarely do they get along when they are in the same room. Still, there is something irresistible enough about him to Violet that she hasn’t told her beloved sister, Sephora, or loyal retainer, Bunty, about the real reason she’s going to Venice. They all assume it’s about solving a mystery. read more

Donna Andrews: Probable Caws

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Meg Lanslow #39

After 27 years, 40 books, and unprecedented number of punny bird titles, the Meg Langslow series remains fresh and entertaining as ever. #40 (Jay to the World) will be released in time for Christmas and #39 (Probable Caws) is available now. In Probable Caws Meg and her family are helping retired heavy metal drummer Ragnar Ragnarsen cope with temporarily housing fifty horses from Hoof and Hearth rescue on his estate.

Why move the horses? Able Abernathy, who owns the farm where Hoof and Hearth is based, has just lost his father who apparently died intestate. That means Able does not technically own the farm and his co-inheritor brother George’s only interest in the farm is selling it for a profit. Did George to try harm the horses so his brother would move them off the farm, making it easier to sell? Is there a missing will that might prevent the sale of the farm? And when there’s a murder at Ragnar’s farm, is it related to the horses, the dispute over the farm, or something else? read more

Jennifer Ashley: Murder in Blackfriars

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Below Stairs #9

There are quite a few historical mysteries set in Victorian London, but what makes this series so memorable is that the main character, Kat Holloway, is not of the nobility, connected to nobility or even someone who aspires to nobility, but simply a humble cook. For a mystery reader, encountering the working-class side of the city makes the series more relatable and the stakes the characters deal with a bit more resonant. The other reason I loved this one is simply that Jennifer Ashley, with over 60 novels to her credit, is a truly polished storyteller with an unerring instinct for what makes a narrative move and connect with the reader. read more

Kathleen Marple Kalb: A Fatal Flourish

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Ella Shane #6

A Fatal Flourish is the sixth book in Kathleen Marple Kalb’s wonderful series about Ella Shane, a star of the Metropolitan Opera in Gilded Age New York.  Ella is a mezzo-soprano who is known for playing male roles, and she is an expert swordswoman, a skill which has proven useful while chasing criminals.  She grew up in a tenement on the Lower East Side, as the orphaned daughter of a Jewish mother and an Irish Catholic father.  A famous singer discovered what a great voice Ella had and mentored her.  Ella has since become a star and married Gil, a British duke, but she has never forgotten her past and is always generous to those less fortunate than she is. read more

Rhys Bowen: The Castle in the Glen

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Rhys Bowen knocks it out of the park again with this year’s standalone novel The Castle in the Glen. Set in 1960s London and early-1900s Isle of Skye, the parallel plot follows the adventure of young Australian author Emma Callander. Having published her first book, she is undecided about her future. Should she stay in rainy London to write her next book or give in to homesickness and return to sunny Australia? Her publisher solves her dilemma by introducing her to well-known mystery writer Iris Blackburn. Blackburn, dealing with age-related memory issues, wants to write one last book in her popular series but needs help finishing it and decides Emma should be her co-author/ghostwriter. read more

Jon St. Denis: Killer Art

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This is a fun excursion into the world of AI art theft (quite relevant at the moment) as well as a cozyish look into the world of academia, complete, of course, with a few murders.  This is a book I’d call “cozy adjacent” but it has many, many cozy elements: the main characters, Vika and Sam, are refugees from a fast paced life in New York City and are taking up new jobs as professors at a small California college.  Their new jobs are a world away from Vika’s as a curator at MOMA, and Sam’s as a crime reporter for The New York Times. Vika will be a professor of art, Sam a prof of journalism, giving both (they hope) time to work on, respectively, her painting and his writing. read more

Cate Conte: Purranormal Activity

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Cat Cafe #10

Maddie James has added a new service to JJ’s House of Purrs cat café on Daybreak Island, MA: a mobile cat café for parties. When client Olivia McAllister sets up a meeting to plan a dual birthday party for her daughter and granddaughter, Maddie soon learns that Olivia was her mother’s best friend when they were teenagers – and that Olivia mysteriously disappeared decades ago.

When Maddie and her mom arrive at Olivia’s house to discuss party plans, they find the door ajar and no sign of Olivia. Fearing the worst, they enter the house and find a cat who leads them to Olivia’s dead body. Who could want the grandmother dead? Is her death related to her mysterious disappearance as a teen? What about the rumors that the city wants her historical home for a museum? Could her family disagree with her secret plans to turn their ancestral home into a B&B? Is the cat the ghost cat of Daybreak Island and does it really herald life-changing events? read more

Carolyn Marie Wilkins: Let the Murderer Say Amen

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Psychics & Soul Food #2

This lively and compelling mystery is set in a small town in Illinois in the 20’s.  While author Wilkins names her fictional town Agate, if you’d like to orient yourself it’s fairly close to Joliet, outside of Chicago. The central character is the charming Nola Ann Jackson, who is working for a caterer and lives with her Aunt Sarah.  Both women are psychics though Aunt Sarah has far more experience, and is known as a conjure woman.  Both can see auras.  I loved this aspect of their characters – it made them both more specific and more interesting. read more