Minotaur Books

Author interview: Jennifer K. Breedlove

by

Jennifer Breedlove’s first novel, Murder Will Out, is already a favorite read of 2026 for me.  The main character is a church organist who returns to her childhood summer place for a funeral and finds all kinds of intrigue and even ghosts.  The writing, plotting and characters are all lovely.  It deservedly won the Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award. Jennifer graciously agreed to answer some questions.

Q: This is your first published book – but is it your first book? Are there novels stuck in a desk drawer somewhere, and this is the one that made it through? I ask because your voice seems both very assured and natural. read more

Jennifer K. Breedlove: Murder Will Out

by

Debut

I flat out loved this book, the very worthy winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel award.  Set in coastal Maine on Little North Island, the story opens with organist and grad student Willow Stone returning to Little North for the funeral of her godmother, Sue.  Due to a family quarrel, they hadn’t seen each other in many years, though Willow always loved Sue and could never understand why her family stopped seeing her.  She finally receives a letter inviting her back to the island for Sue’s wedding, but unfortunately, by the time Willow receives it she finds herself attending her funeral instead. read more

Jennifer J. Chow: Tell-Tale Treats

by

Magical Fortune Cookie #3

In Jennifer J. Chow’s third installment in the Magical Fortune Cookie series, readers meet Felicity Jin, who works in her family bakery, the Jin Bakery, that serves up a little more than Chinese specialty treats. Their baking is quite literally magical, and the Jin family is able to infuse their goods with magic. Her mother, for example, can infuse her products so that the consumer feels happier. Felicity has a gift of prophecy, and she uses it in specialized fortune cookie messages for customers and friends. Her boyfriend, Kelvin Love, runs the flower shop in town, and the two of them have started to bloom not only in their relationship but also in their investigative teamwork. I would be remiss to not to mention Felicity’s most adorable sidekick, Whiskers, the mystical white rabbit from the stars. read more

Vivien Chien: Crime Rangoon

by

Noodle Shop #12

The heroine of the fun, bouncy series is Lana Lee, the owner (along with her family) of a restaurant in the Asia Village neighborhood of Cleveland. Lana is browsing in her favorite local bookstore one day when the owner mentions that her employee has quit without warning, leaving her shorthanded for an important upcoming event with a popular writer.  Lana, a big fan, happily offers to help, and the owner assigns her to act as her assistant (mainly monitoring the signing line and opening the books to the right page to be signed). read more

Julia Spencer-Fleming: At Midnight Comes the Cry

by

Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alsytne #10

Julia Spencer-Fleming has been following the beloved duo of Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne throughout their entire relationship, and At Midnight Comes the Cry finds them at a period of great change. The couple have just had a baby, and are re-shaping their lives around their son. In addition, Russ has resigned as police chief earlier than intended and he isn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Going from the military to the police force kept his life regimented and task driven, and being a stay-at-home dad isn’t quite the same. read more

Celeste Connally: Revenge, Served Royal

by

Lady Petra Inquires #3

Revenge, Served Royal is the delightful third entry in Celeste Connally’s series Lady Petra Investigates, featuring aristocratic sleuth Lady Petra Forsyth, the daughter of an earl, in Regency England.  Petra is an unconventional woman of her time.  She is fiercely independent and has sworn never to marry, after the death, in suspicious circumstances, of her fiancé.  That doesn’t keep her from having a sexual relationship with handsome intelligence officer Duncan Shawcross, and making no effort to hide the nature of their relationship.  She is also an excellent horsewoman and wears a special riding habit for riding astride.  Although she often defies the conventions, Petra is very much at home in high society, and has connections to the royal family. read more

Olivia Blacke: Death at the Door

by

Ruby & Cordelia #2

In the first book in this series, A New Lease on Death, Ruby Young had moved to Boston to try and challenge herself and prove that she can make it on her own as a young adult. But things were off to a rocky start, with places to live unaffordable, and jobs all requiring more credentials and experience than she had. Oddly enough, everything suddenly falls into place for her when she found an apartment for rent relatively cheap and fully furnished. The only catch is that the previous tenant, Cordelia Graves, had been found dead and now haunts her former abode. Luckily, Ruby is open to the idea of living with a ghost, after some convincing on Cordelia’s part. They even solve one murder together. These two are complete opposites, but in a way that compliments each other. This allows them to tackle any problem from a variety of angles and come up with a variety of theories. read more

Louise Penny: The Black Wolf

by

Three Pines #20

Louise Penny’s The Black Wolf is a very direct sequel to The Grey Wolf, the previous instalment in Penny’s Inspector Gamache series. Much like its predecessor, The Black Wolf is firmly in the political thriller genre, not usual for most of the series, and dives deep into themes of environmentalism, Canadian and American politics, and the current state of our corner of the world. It is, in other words, incredibly topical and sees Gamache and Penny’s familiar cast embroiled in large scale conflict once again. read more

Tasha Alexander: The Sisterhood

by

Lady Emily #19

Like a great box of chocolates, all of Tasha Alexander’s books are deliciously enjoyable, some more than others, but all of them pure pleasure to consume.  The 19th novel in this series is no exception, and this installment finds Lady Emily in 1907 London, being asked (along with her dashing husband) to look into the mysterious death of the most fabulous debutante of the season, Victoria Goldsborough, who collapsed in her fiancée’s arms while waltzing.  And that’s just the prologue. read more

Michelle Chouinard: A Tour to Die For

by

Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco #2

Michelle Chouinard’s main character, Capricorn Sanzio – who goes by Capri – runs a serial killer tour business in San Francisco. She has a passion for San Francisco history as well as true crime. This started from a young age, thanks to her paternal grandfather having been known as Overkill Bill for the majority of her life. That mantel made life exceedingly difficult for her father’s childhood, and put her right in the suspect light for the murder of her ex mother-in-law. However, through determination, motivated by two most powerful instincts: self-preservation and protective mother mode, she not only proved her innocence but also managed to uncover and reveal the truth behind Overkill Bill. Capri is constantly evolving and adapting her life to best suit what she needs, and is happy that she can turn her fasciation and love of San Francisco and its killers into a career. She has even started an investigative podcast, and a book about her grandfather. read more