In this spellbinding sequel to Ravenfall, two kids with supernatural powers must venture beyond the veil to protect the Tree of Life from a terrifying foe—or risk losing the magic of Ravenfall forever.
Best friends Anna and Colin defeated the King of the Dead on Halloween night, saving the magical Ravenfall Inn they call home. Now, with Hannukah approaching, the kids are looking forward to exploring their new powers—and maybe enjoying a little challah and peppermint cocoa, too.
But then a Raven—a guardian of the supernatural world—shows up at their doorstep with a warning. A demon from Jewish lore is hunting the Tree of Life, a source of untold power and immortality. If they can’t stop him, they risk losing the magic of Ravenfall forever.
As they venture into the Otherworld, Anna and Colin discover a wondrous, menacing realm full of mythological creatures… but is the true danger closer than they think?
My Thoughts
Adding to the rich catalog of middle grade fantasy and mythology books out there, Hollowthorn offers wild ride of an adventure featuring some charming and powerful kids. Second in a series, this story continues the adventures of Anna and Colin as they race to save the Tree of Life (and the world) from certain destruction by a fearsome demon.
The relationship between Anna & Colin is further refined here, developing into a strong bond that will appeal to young readers struggling to understand deep friendships. The Jewish mythological aspect of the story is fascinating and provides great insight to this rich and ancient culture.
Fantasy readers will scoop this up this fall.
Recommended.
Publication Date: October 17, 2023 Published By: Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
A pulse-pounding novel about a small-town business owner found dead and the teenage girl caught in the crosshairs, American Girl is the latest thriller from internationally bestselling author Wendy Walker.
Charlie Hudson, an autistic seventeen-year-old, is determined to leave Sawyer, PA, as soon as she graduates high school. In the meantime, she works as many hours as she can at a sandwich shop called The Triple S to save money for college. But when shop owner, Clay Cooper—a man both respected and feared in their small economically depressed town—is found dead, each member of his staff becomes a suspect in the perplexing case. Before she can go anywhere, Charlie must protect herself and her friends by uncovering the danger that is still lurking in their tightknit community.
Based on the #1 bestselling Audible Original, author Wendy Walker returns with another riveting thriller, told through the eyes of an unforgettable protagonist.
My Thoughts
I’ve seen this novel described as The Maid meets Riverdale which is an apt description. Walker has given us a protagonist who beats the odds and makes it through a terrifying and stressful event to emerge a stronger and more confident version of herself. More importantly, Walker has given us a protagonist diagnosed as autistic and writes her with such empathy and clarity that this reader came away with a deeper understanding of what the diagnosis means and what it doesn’t.
Charlie is as complex a character as I’ve run across recently, and I throughly enjoyed watching her handle the murder situation. The loyalty, strength of conviction, and love on display made for a great read.
American Girl and Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger are two mystery/thrillers I am recommending among the Fall releases. Both will keep you reading and biting your nails!
A Note From the Publisher
Wendy Walker is the author of the psychological suspense novels All Is Not Forgotten, Emma in the Night, The Night Before, Don’t Look for Me, and American Girl. Her novels have been translated into twenty-three foreign languages, topped bestseller lists both nationally and abroad, and have been optioned for television and film. Wendy holds degrees from Brown University and Georgetown Law School. She is a former family law attorney with training in child advocacy and has worked in finance and several areas of the law.
Advance Praise
“Wendy Walker’s outstanding American Girl has a little bit of everything. A fascinating, perfectly rendered teen protagonist. An intricately plotted mystery. A deadly accurate portrait of a small town grappling with big issues. This novel is smart, moving, complex, and ultimately hopeful. A highly original work from one of the best suspense writers in the business. Don’t miss it!”
David Bell, New York Times bestselling author of She’s Gone and
Publication Date: October 17, 2023 Published By: Blackstone Publishing Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
The tangled relationships between Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary’s stepsister Jane Clairmont form the backdrop for an intriguing historical mystery, set in London in 1814, that explores the complex dynamic between sisters and the birth of teenaged Mary’s creative genius.
London, 1814: Mary Godwin and her stepsister Jane Clairmont, both sixteen, possess quick minds bolstered by an unconventional upbringing, and have little regard for the rules that other young ladies follow. Mary, whose mother famously advocated for women’s rights, rejects the two paths that seem open to her—that of an assistant in her father’s bookshop, or an ordinary wife. Though quieter and more reserved than the boisterous Jane, Mary’s imagination is keen, and she longs for real-world adventures.
One evening, an opportunity arrives in the form of a dinner guest, Percy Bysshe Shelley. At twenty-one, Shelley is already a renowned poet and radical. Mary finds their visitor handsome and compelling, but it is later that evening, after the party has broken up, that events take a truly intriguing turn. When Mary comes downstairs in search of a book, she finds instead a man face down on the floor—with a knife in his back.
The dead man, it seems, was a former classmate of Shelley’s, and had lately become a personal and professional rival. What was he doing in the Godwins’ home? Mary, Jane, and Shelley are all drawn to learn the truth behind the tragedy, especially as each discovery seems to hint at a tangled web that includes many in Shelley’s closest circle. But as the attraction between Mary and the married poet intensifies, it sparks a rivalry between the sisters, even as it kindles the creative fire within.
My Thoughts
This book will appeal to so many different readers: fans of historical fiction, mystery fiction, classic literature, and “celebtrity” fiction. The author brings a young Mary Shelley to life through vivid description, well-paced dialog, and meticulous character development, all coming together in a captivating tale that I will be recommending everywhere this fall.
It’s refreshing to read an historical mystery where the women are unconventional but also realistic for their time and place. The initial meeting between Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley is electric, and their involvement in a bonafide murder mystery enhances the tension between them, foreshadowing their eventual union. The added twist of Mary’s sister Jane and her role in the entire mystery is handled with sensitivity and acknowledgement that the girls are, after all, sisters.
I look forward to more in this series from Heather Redmond.
Book Details:
Genre: Historical mystery Published by: Kensington Publication Date: September 2023 Number of Pages: 320 ISBN: 9781496737991 (ISBN10: 1496737997) Series: Mary Shelley Mystery, 1 Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Kensington
Heather Redmond is an author of commercial fiction and also writes as Heather Hiestand. First published in mystery, she took a long detour through romance before returning. Though her last British ancestor departed London in the 1920s, she is a committed anglophile, Dickens devotee, and lover of all things nineteenth century.
She has lived in Illinois, California, and Texas, and now resides in a small town in Washington State with her husband and son. The author of many novels, novellas, and short stories, she has achieved best-seller status at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers. Her 2018 Heather Redmond debut, A Tale of Two Murders, has received a coveted starred review from Kirkus Reviews.
Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to a quiet Christmastide away from the schemes and secrets she witnessed daily in London. Not only will she be visiting the family of her late husband; she will be reunited with Captain Jack Hartley, her friend and confidante, finally returned after a long voyage at sea.
But secrets aren’t only found in London. Jack’s younger sister, Amelia, is the center of neighborhood scandal and gossip. She refuses to tell anyone what really happened, even when an unexpected snowstorm strands the neighborhood families together after a Christmas ball. Stuck until the snow stops, the Adlers, Hartleys, and their neighbors settle in for the night, only to be awakened in the morning by the scream of a maid who has just discovered a dead body.
The victim was the well-to-do son of a local gentleman–the same man whose name has become so scandalously linked to Amelia’s.
With the snow still falling and no way to come or go, it’s clear that someone in the house was responsible for the young man’s death. When suspicion instantly falls on Jack’s sister, he and Lily must unmask the true culprit before Amelia is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit.
My Thoughts
This is the second book I’ve read in the series and was pleased to find the same skillful writing and attention to detail. The author continues to develop the characters, and pays special attention to Lily who once again defies the conventions of the time.
The love triangle introduced earlier in the series is resolved here in what was an unexpected but not disappointing way. Lily’s ability to get along despite the constraints of the time placed upon women, particularly widows, sets her up as a daring role model for other characters.
Schellman’s work has been compared to Deanna Raybourn and Tasha Alexander, both giants in the historical mystery genre. She more than meets the expectations here. I’ll be recommending this to fans of historical mysteries for a very long time.
Praise for Murder at Midnight:
“Delightful . . . Historical mystery fans will devour this holiday treat.” ~ Publishers Weekly
“A plummy period whodunit with a colorful collection of suspects.” ~ Kirkus Reviews
Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Ashley Weaver, when a body is found shot to death after an unexpected snowstorm, Lily Adler quickly realizes that some people will stop at nothing to bury their secrets.
Book Details:
Genre: Historical mystery Published by: Crooked Lane Books Publication Date: September 2023 Number of Pages: 320 ISBN: 9781639104321 (ISBN10: 1639104321) Series: A Lily Adler Mystery, 4 Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Penguin Random House
Katharine Schellman is a former actor and one-time political consultant. These days, she writes the Lily Adler Mysteries and the Nightingale Mysteries. Her books, which reviewers have praised as “worthy of Agatha Christie or Rex Stout” (Library Journal, starred review), have received multiple accolades, including being named a Library Journal Best Crime Fiction of 2022, a Suspense Magazine Best Book of 2020, and a New York Times editor’s pick in June 2022. Katharine lives and writes in the mountains of Virginia in the company of her husband, children, and the many houseplants she keeps accidentally murdering.
A fast-paced and hilarious debut crime novel, in which a burnt-out Millennial medium must utilize her ability to see ghosts and team-up with a band of oddball investigators to figure out which member(s) of a posh English family are guilty of murder.
“This book has bags of humor, bags of heart, and a proper murder mystery at its core.” —Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal
Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch’s 80th birthday. The pair have been friends since before Sophie went missing when they were seventeen. Everyone else is convinced Sophie simply ran away, but Claire knows the truth. Claire knows Sophie was murdered because Sophie has been haunting her ever since.
Despite this traumatic past, Claire and Sophie are still unprepared for what they encounter when they arrive at the manor: a ghost, tragic and unrecognizable, and clearly the spirit of someone killed in a rage at the previous year’s party. Given her obsession with crime shows—not to mention Sophie’s ability to walk through walls—Claire decides they’re the best people to solve the case. And with the help of the only obviously not-guilty members of their host family—sexy ex-policeman Sebastian and far-too-cool non-binary teen Alex—they launch an investigation into which of last year’s guests never escaped the manor’s grounds.
What follows is somewhat irregular detective work involving stealing a priest’s cassock, getting too drunk to remember to question your suspect, and of course, Chekhov’s sparkly purple dildo. As Claire desperately tries to keep a lid on the shameful secret that would definitely alienate her new friends, the gang must race against their own incompetence to find the murderer before the murderer finds them.
My Thoughts
This was an absolute delight to read!
A protagonist and her “familiar” ghost and who will appeal to young readers as well as seasoned mystery fans like me, plus lightly disguised caricatures of the typical upper class English family (including a daughter named Figgy, a brother named Basher, and a mother named Clemmy) blend together to create a sassy and clever mystery.
Fans of cozy British mysteries that include a bit of the supernatural will gravitate to this one. I’ll be recommending this as part of my “31 Days of Halloween” reading list.
Publication Date: September 5, 2023 Published By: Vintage Anchor Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
Instead of presents this Christmas, a true crime podcaster is opening up a cold case…
Madeline Martin has built a life for herself as the young owner of a thriving business, The Next Chapter Bookshop, despite her tragic childhood and now needing to care for her infirm father. When Harley Granger, a failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, drifts into her shop in the days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up events that Madeline would much rather forget. She’s the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, the man who was convicted of murdering her best friend Steph, and is suspected in the disappearance of two sisters, also good friends of Madeline’s, who have been missing for nearly a decade. It’s an investigation that has obsessed her father Sheriff James Martin right up until his stroke took his faculties.
Harley Granger has a gift for seeing things that others miss. He wasn’t much of a novelist, but his work as a true crime author and podcaster has earned him fame and wealth—and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Still, visiting Little Valley to be closer to his dying father has caused him to look into a case that many people think is closed—and some want reopened. And he has a lot of questions about the night Stephanie Cramer was killed, Ainsley and Sam Wallace disappeared, and Madeline Martin was left for dead, bleeding out on a riverbank.
Since Evan Handy went to jail, three other young women have gone missing, most recently a young college dropout named Lolly. Five young women missing in the same area in a decade. Are they connected? Was Evan Handy innocent after all? Or was there some else there that night? Someone who is still satisfying his dark appetites?
As Christmas approaches and a blizzard bears down, Madeline and her childhood friend Badger return to a past they both hoped was dead—to find the missing Lolly and to answer questions that have haunted them both, discovering that the truth is more terrible and much closer to home than they think.
Coupling a picturesque, cozy setting with a deeply unsettling suspenseful plot, Christmas Presents is a chilling seasonal novella that can be enjoyed all year long.
My Thoughts
I picked up this nail-biter of a novel and set it down 2 hours later, absolutely drained. This is a whopper of a story that grabs ahold from the first chapter and doesn’t let you go until the final sentence.
While the story is shorter than others, I found myself feeling a sense of urgency while reading, adding to the tension. Everything works here from the characters to the dialog to the narrative structure and description – it all comes together in this incendiary story that will have you gripping the book, white-knuckled, as you gnaw on your fingernails.
So well done.
Publication Date: October 24, 2023 Published By: Penzler Publishers; Mysterious Press Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
In her latest work, author Audrey Gale merges three genres: historical fiction, medical thriller and coming-of-age story, cast with imperfect, relatable characters.
After an agonizing climb to earn his pathology specialty from Harvard Medical, early discoveries in the microscopic realms threaten not only Dr. Randall Archer’s hard-won place in the field of medicine, but his very life.
Dr. Randall Archer has always been a misfit…
…in the brutal blue-collar home where he grew up
…as a 16-year-old escaping to college, then medical school, on a full scholarship to Harvard.
…in the highest echelons of Boston society, where the woman he marries and the blueblood research partner with whom he shares his laboratory belong.
Archer’s brilliance as a pathologist catapults him into direct and dangerous conflict with the medical establishment he fought so hard to join. As the Great Depression presses down around him, Archer teeters at the edge of a precipice. He must choose between his hard-won career and the sacred oaths he took as a doctor and scientist—before all his choices are lost forever.
My Thoughts
This is a difficult book to classify. There are elements of suspense, mystery, and intrigue but also history and a little bit of romance. For this reader, the suspense, mystery & history worked most successfully; I could have done without the romance. Even with that minor issue, I found the story engaging and well-written.
The rapid pace of scientific advancement in the early-mid 20th century always makes for a fascinating and mysterious topic. The concept of scientific advances being quashed because of profit isn’t a new one, but Gale paints a vivid and gripping picture of one scientist’s story and persecution.
Clocking in at just over 260 pages, this makes a nice rainy afternoon read.
Publication Date: September 26, 2023 Published By: Books Fluent Thanks to the publisher for the review copy
Journey to an unnamed mountainous country in central Europe at the end of the Great War. Enter Citizen Orlov, a simple fishmonger and an honest, upright citizen, who answers a phone call meant for a secret agent and stumbles into a hidden world of espionage and secrecy. Recruited by the Ministry of Security, he is sent on assignment to safeguard the king.
But Orlov soon discovers that his ministry handler, the alluring femme fatale Agent Zelle, is planning not to protect the king but to assassinate him. Caught in a web of plot and counterplot, confusing loyalties, and explosive betrayals, Orlov finds himself on trial for murder. Given the opportunity to clear his name, he finds that the lives of his friends, mother, and fellow citizens hang in the balance.
My Thoughts
I used to read a lot of espionage fiction but have gotten away from it over the years. Citizen Orlov reminded me of why I enjoyed the genre so much, while at the same time turning that genre on its ear. Instead of the suave, experienced, clever spy, here we have Citizen Orlov…an Everyman caught up in a convoluted assassination plot simply because he answered a phone call.
Orlov’s practicality and “let’s get on with it” attitude appealed to me as I followed his adventures through to the end. Although I will admit that I had a moment of “is he stupid” when he walked out of jail and immediately returned to selling fish. But he’s not stupid. He’s practical.
Payne’s writing is crisp, featuring short sentences and matter-of-fact dialog and description. He tells Citizen Orlov’s story in a straightforward and unadorned manner, further conveying the general atmosphere of fear and betrayal that permeates the narrative. I found his style a refreshing change from the cozy mysteries I’ve been reading lately.
I’ll be recommending this to fans of espionage fiction and world literature. Well done!
Book Details:
Genre: Espionage Thriller Published by: CamCat Books Publication Date: May 2023 Number of Pages: 288 ISBN: 9780744309010 (ISBN10: 0744309018) Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | CamCat Books
Jonathan Payne is a British-American writer based outside Washington, D.C. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Novel Writing from Middlesex University, London. His short fiction has been featured at the North London Story Festival and in magazines including Turnpike, Twist in Time and Fiction Kitchen Berlin. Before moving to the United States, he worked for the British government on matters of national security. When not writing or reading, he can be found in the boxing gym.
Bestselling author Carol J. Perry returns with the latest installment of her Witch City Mysteries!
Marriage isn’t the only thing new in Lee Barrett’s life when she’s tasked with a hauntingly dangerous assignment in her job as program director for Salem, Massachusetts’s local station, WICH-TV . . .
Just married, Lee and her husband, Detective Sergeant Pete Mondello, are settling into their new home when Lee is dubbed WICH-TV’s new “Historical Documentary Chief Executive.” Her first subject is the brand-newSalem International Museum, slated to be a location for traveling blockbuster exhibits, starting with “Seafaring New England.” From research to collecting artifacts of Salem’s long-ago days as a shipping capital, the project is a challenge—but when the driver of a truckload of antiquities turns up dead under a pile of fall leaves, it’s not quite the kind of challenge Lee expected . . .
Soon, Lee and Pete are dredging up clues along with a hardy crew of helpers, including Lee’s librarian aunt, Ibby, Lee’s best friend and practicing witch, River North—and of course the clairvoyant cat, O’Ryan. But when a ship model in the exhibit’s collection appears to be haunted, Lee will have to dive into her own treasure trove of psychic gifts before a killer comes to the surface to strike again . . .
My Thoughts
Carol Perry’s “Witch City” series is one of my favorites and she doesn’t disappoint in this new entry. The book opens with newlyweds Lee and Pete getting used to married life, and Lee experiencing some changes in her professional life. She’s tapped to make a documentary about a new international seafaring museum opening up in Salem, and immediately is dropped into a mystery surrounding the activity.
Of course, there’s a murder involved, paired with some high-stakes theft and intrigue which Lee handles with her usual sass and wit. Old favorites are back – the news station crew, Aunt Ibby and her investigator friends, and, of course, O’Ryan. Fans of the series will blow through this in a couple hours.
Publication Date: September 26, 2023 Published By: Kensington Books Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
The world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot—legendary star of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile—puts his little grey cells to work solving a baffling Christmas mystery.
It’s December 19, 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are looking forward to a much-needed, restful Christmas holiday, when they are called upon to investigate the murder of a man in a Norfolk hospital ward. Cynthia Catchpool, Edward’s mother, insists that Poirot stay with her in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while he solves the case.
As Poirot digs into the mystery, he discovers that the murdered man was a retired post office master, and by all accounts very well-liked. The local constabulary’s investigation failed to uncover how someone could have entered a hospital room and killed him under the noses of the staff. Cynthia’s friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital, and his wife is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to explain why.
With no obvious motive or suspect, Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else—someone utterly ruthless—also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot…
My Thoughts
I’ve been hit or miss with the Sophie Hannah Poirot/Catchpool series. I enjoy Hannah’s writing but I have found past entries in the series to be a bit muddled with convoluted plots and way too many characters. They’ve all been salvaged by Hannah’s brilliant writing, though.
While I found a bit of both in this newest, there was something about this story that kept me reading. I have come to appreciate the relationship between Poirot and Catchpool, and in this instance, Catchpool’s overbearing mother adds an interesting and maddening wrinkle.
The end result is that this twisty mystery takes some careful reading to keep everything straight, but it’s worth it. Fans of the series will enjoy it and I will be recommending it to mystery fans.
Publication Date: October 24, 2023 Published By: William Morrow Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
It's All About the Book 