Book After Book

Publication: 17th March 2026 – Headline

She’s never been one for toeing the line.

Life hasn’t been easy for Finlay Donovan lately, but it just got a whole lot harder. Her nanny and partner-in-crime, Vero, has been extradited from Virginia to Maryland, where she’s facing criminal charges for a theft she swears she didn’t commit.

Awaiting trial, Vero is forced to live with her overbearing mother and nosy aunt. Threatening messages keep arriving at the door, demanding Vero ‘turn over the money… or else’.

But proving her innocence might be an impossible feat. Vero was one of the only people who had access to the cash. And her alibi is an old flame who ghosted her.

With the court date approaching and a mysterious stalker on Vero’s tail, Finlay decides a trip to Maryland is in order. But to sus out the real thief and get home to Virginia fast, they might have to cross a few lines along the way…

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The Finlay Donovan series is one of my favorites and I am thrilled that there are going to be at least four more books. Finlay Donovan, mother and author of suspense romance novels, is a fantastic protagonist, never a dull moment in her busy life as she buries and unburies bodies, steals from the Russian mob, and tries to figure out if her neighbour is a killer. In the sixth book in the series, Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line, the problem hits closer to home than ever when her best friend / accountant / live-in nanny is arrested for a crime she’s been running away from for two years.

Vero has been Finlay’s partner in crime since the first book when Finlay was first mistaken for a contract killer and she needed to hide a body, but now it’s Vero the one in trouble when her past catches up with her. When she was in college, Vero and her friends had organized illegal gambling nights, but they were discovered and when the money disappeared, Vero was accused of the theft. She swears that she didn’t do it and Finlay is determined to prove her innocence. I love the close relationship between Finlay and Vero, how not only they completely trust each other, but they are always ready to do anything to protect each other. Finlay travels to Maryland to help Vero and stays at her family home where between Vero’s exuberant mother and aunt, their nosy neighbours, and a boyfriend ready to spend his life on the run to protect her, Vero and Finlay rush to discover the truth. In the meantime, back at home, the handsome and charming detective Nick is experiencing first hand what it is like to be part of Finlay’s chaotic family when he offers to take care of her two lively young children.

Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line was yet another hilarious, addictive, intriguing read and I can’t wait for more adventures!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Headline for providing me with a proof of this wonderful novel.

ELLE COSIMANO is an award-winning author. Her YA debut, Nearly Gone, was an Edgar Award finalist and winner of the International Thriller Award. Her novel Holding Smoke was a finalist for the International Thriller Award and the Bram Stoker Award. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Time. Elle lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with her husband, two sons, and her dog. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is her adult debut. 

Publication: 12th March 2026 – Raven Books

An empty house that isn’t empty. A victim who vanishes. An impossible crime?

Every Thursday at midday Audrey Brooks cleans the Petrov house. Mr Petrov is never home – in fact he seems to use the house purely as storage for his impressive collection of antiques – but that doesn’t affect the care with which Audrey mops, polishes, and carefully winds each of the dozens of beautiful clocks that decorate the tall, elegant, empty London mansion.

Until the morning she finds a corpse in the back bedroom, the pristine walls and floor covered in blood, and flees the house in panic.

Fifteen minutes later, the police arrive… and find nothing. No body. No blood. The only thing slightly out of the ordinary is the clock in that back bedroom, which is now running four minutes slow.

With no victim, the police are convinced there was no murder, but Audrey knows better. A man has been killed, and if they won’t do anything about it, she – and her annoying friend Lewis – will. Whodunnit is one thing, but this detective duo must also wrestle with when – and where on earth is the body? It’s not long since they solved the murder of their neighbour, so they’re not rookie sleuths, and at least this time the case has no connection to their home.

Does it?

A charming and witty locked-room mystery full of twists, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Tom Hindle, and Janice Hallett.

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I was happy to return to Marchfield Square and its residents, after enjoying Nicola Whyte’s debut, 10 Marchfield Square, but I didn’t expect to love Murder Like Clockwork even more than the first book and to find myself so absorbed in the story that I spent the weekend reading it.

The protagonists of this second book are still Audrey, Lewis, and Celeste who find themselves, once again, entangled in a murder investigation. Audrey, one of the residents of 10 Marchfield Square in West London, is a cleaner. She cleans the houses of wealthy people in Mayfair and she is very passionate about her job, determined to excel, no matter how strange the job or the situation is. And her strangest job must be the one in 35 Beaton Gardens, owned by a Russian oligarch as a second home. As far as she can tell no one has ever been in the home, but not only she must clean it every week, but, most importantly, she must wind each of the clocks in the house. When she finds a body in the house that then quickly and mysteriously disappears without leaving a trace, she enlists the help of her neighbour and friend Lewis to find out the truth. After their last murder investigation, crime writer Lewis is working on his next novel, although he still needs to go to the daily job he so much despises, so he is thrilled when he and Audrey are involved in yet another mystery which includes late-night stake-outs, following cars all around London, and convincing the police that a body has been dropped in the river. And watching over them, together with her loyal friend/butler/assistant Dixon, is Celeste, owner of the community at 10 Marchfield Square, who, following the events of the first book, is looking to find someone to rent one of the vacant flats, but no longer trusts her own judgement.

Murder Like Clockwork is captivating, beautifully-written, and entertaining, and features a cast of relatable and well-developed characters that you can’t help but like. I can’t wait for the next murder!

A huge thank you to Raven Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel.

Nicola Whyte studied Drama at Aberystwyth University in Wales, and spent many happy years as a bookseller before becoming a web developer. She now co-owns a digital agency in the West Country. She’s been writing since she was very young, and her work has been listed for the Comedy Women in Print Prize, the BPA First Novel Award, the Cheshire Novel Prize, and the Daily Mail First Novel Award. She lives near Stonehenge in Wiltshire with her family.

Publication: 21st February 2026 – Boldwood Books

Mesopotamia, 1930: When Agatha Christie invites fellow members of the Detection Club to witness the famous excavations at the ruins of Ur, Dorothy L. Sayers, her quick-witted assistant Eliza Baker, and Theo Sharp expect ancient wonders – not fresh corpses.

But when an archaeologist is found dead in the sand, whispers of a deadly curse sweep through the camp. Eliza suspects something far more dangerous than superstition. Amid glittering artifacts and fragile alliances, every guest harbors secrets: the Woolleys, whose marriage is shadowed by tragedy; a journalist hungry for scandal; even academic Max Mallowan, whose loyalties are not what they seem.

As theft, forgery, and coded messages surface, the line between archaeology and espionage blurs. And when Eliza and Theo find themselves in danger, they must face not only the truth about the murder – but also the truths they’ve long denied about each other. Can they uncover the killer before the desert claims another victim? Or will this dig unearth secrets too dangerous to survive?

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/CaseChristieCurse

Happy Sunday, everyone! It’s my turn on the blog tour for The Case of the Christie Curse, the fantastic new novel by Kelly Oliver.

I really do love The Detection Club series and I am always excited when a new book comes out. The series is well-written and engaging, the mysteries are intriguing and full of twists, and the cast of characters is wonderful, featuring, among the others, real-life figures (and two of my favourite authors) Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. I also love that the stories are inspired by real events in Agatha Christie’s life and from her novels.

In this third book, the gang, also known as the Detection Club, travels to Mesopotamia, invited by Agatha Christie who feels that something is not quite right in the excavation site she is working on. And she is not wrong. There are missing artifacts, a mysterious illness, ancient curses, and also a nosy and annoying reporter, and then a body is found. It’s up to Eliza and Theo to figure out what is going on, before someone else is killed.

I loved the setting of this novel. The desert, the hot sun, an archeological dig full of ancient artifacts and history, lots of intrigue and suspense. As always, all the characters are engaging and well-drawn. For Eliza and Theo everyone in the camp is a suspect, from the anxious Woolleys to the charming Max Mallowan to the ambitious journalist with his loads of trunks. Eliza and Theo immerse themselves in the case, getting themselves in danger, while also finding the time to face their feelings for each other as their relationship seems to finally reach the point I have been waiting for since the first book.

The Case of the Christie Curse is yet another fantastic and addictive story from Kelly Oliver, perfect for all fans of historical mystery: there are mysteries, tension, and humor, as well as time for a bit of romance. Highly recommended!

A huge thank you to Rachel and Boldwood Books for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a proof of the novel.

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the historical cozies The Fiona Figg Mysteries, set in WW1. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Publication: 17th February 2026 – Orbit

All strays are welcome here.

Agnes Aubert is very fond of making lists. These lists kept her afloat when she lost her husband two years ago. And now, as the founder of a cat rescue charity, her meticulous organization skills feel like the only thing standing between her beloved cats – His Majesty, Banshee and sweet elderly Thoreau, to name a few – and utter disaster.

But when Agnes is forced to move the charity, she soon discovers that her new shop is being used as a front; right under her feet is the lair of the decidedly disorganised – not to mention self-absorbed and infuriatingly handsome – Havelock Renard.

Havelock is everything Agnes doesn’t want in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue, perhaps even romance. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats…

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Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter was such an entertaining and riveting read, not that I expected any less from Heather Fawcett. There is so much to love about this novel, starting from the protagonist, Agnes Aubert. She is kind and selfless, she sees the good in everyone, including the broody and powerful magician that once almost ended the world. She is determined and super-organized, all things that are helpful when she is running a cat shelter together with her sister Elise. But, when her shelter is destroyed during a magical attack, it’s not easy to find a new one, as building-owners are not keen to have cats all over the place, until she meets a young man who offers a cheap place to rent. Here enters the landlord, Havelock Renard, the Wicked King, grumpy, a loner, allergic to cats, involved in an incessant war with his sister over magical artifacts, and wanted from the police. And just like that, the quiet life that Agnes has built for herself quickly becomes quite hectic.

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter is a wonderful cosy fantasy set in an atmospheric 1920s Montreal, featuring themes of grief, love (although, the romance is not central, but only hinted), and found family, an intriguing magic world, and, my favourite part, a wonderful and assorted cast of cats, with different personalities, that kept me quite entertained. Highly recommended!!!

A huge thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Heather Fawcett is the author of the middle grade novels Ember and the Ice Dragons and The Language of Ghosts, as well as the young adult series Even the Darkest Stars. She has a master’s degree in English literature and has worked as an archaeologist, photographer, technical writer, and backstage assistant for a Shakespearean theater festival. She lives on Vancouver Island, Canada.

Publication: 20th January 2026 – Storm Publishing

A deliciously twisty Highland mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Perfect for fans of cozy crime with a bite!

Beth Cunningham‘s clever book subscription service is the talk of Oban, complete with local treats and hand-picked reads. But when elderly customer Nora Kelly is found dead in her armchair, Beth’s book boxes are identified as the murder weapon. It seems a vengeful killer has the Wild Haggis Bookshop in their sights…

Detective Sergeant Logan Hunter insists on round-the-clock protection for Beth, which means close quarters with the infuriating – and increasingly attractive – officer. As spring approaches and the bookshop fills with bountiful blooms and excited children, Beth’s investigation uncovers secrets that someone has spent decades trying to bury. With time running out, Beth must untangle a twisted web of lies that stretches far beyond this quaint Highland town. But when the killer strikes again, even Logan’s protection may not be enough to save her…

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It’s always exciting to return to the Scottish Highlands with this fantastic cozy mystery series. Poison at the Wild Haggis Bookshop is the second book in The Highland Bookshop Murders series and its protagonist, Beth Cunningham, is, once again, involved in a murder investigation.

Bookshop owner Beth seems to have settled down quite well in the town of Oban. After the events of the first book and the trauma of her past, she is finally happy. She has found a new family and new friends, the handsome detective Logan Hunter is still in her mind, and her bookshop is going well, with an Easter egg hunt planned and a subscription box that it’s having quite the success, until she finds one of her clients dead while she is delivering a box and the cause of death turns out to be a poisoned item inside one of her boxes. Eager to clear her name and find out the truth, Beth and her friends start to investigate.

This was another engaging and immersive story. The mystery was much darker and more intriguing than I expected with many twists and surprises and also quite a few suspenseful and scary scenes. I loved also the various subplots that made the story more authentic and entertaining, from her friend Morna’s complicated family dynamics to the chaotic Easter party, from the involuntary new adoption of a cat to Beth’s slow-burning romance with the charming detective (I can’t wait to read more about that!).

Overall, Poison at the Wild Haggis Bookshop was a compelling and exciting read. It is well-written, the mystery is well-developed, the characters are charming, and most of the story is set in a bookshop. I am looking forward to reading the next adventure!

A huge thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this wonderful novel.

Jackie Baldwin grew up in a small, rural town in southwest Scotland. She went off to study law at Edinburgh which proved something of a culture shock and returned to Dumfries to practice family and criminal law. Much later, she retrained as a hypnotherapist and discovered a passion for the inner workings of the human mind. Her first novel was published in 2016 and featured former priest, Detective Inspector Frank Farrell. Murder by the Seaside is her fourth novel and the first in her Detective Grace McKenna series. It is set in Portobello, the seaside suburb of Edinburgh. Married, with two grown-up children and a little grandson, Jackie loves roaming about the East Lothian countryside with her golden retriever, Lucy, or taking her for long walks on one of the many beaches. If you come across her in the wild she will likely be a combination of windswept, muddy, or soggy with twigs in her hair. She also loves to swim in the sea, but is only brave enough to do it in the summer.

Publication: 22nd January 2026 – Penguin MichaelJoseph

It all started with a game of hide and seek.

The four Esmie children were playing together when the youngest brother, Ben, went off to hide, and was never seen again.

That was long ago. It’s been eighteen years since the siblings fled their childhood home, Fell House, the one that holds all the ghosts of the past. They’ve built separate lives, but all of them carry the psychological scars of that fateful day.

But then Violet receives a call from the house’s caretaker. He’s too scared to keep working there. He says he saw the spirit of a young boy whispering two words . . .

Come home.

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A Box Full of Darkness is yet another chilling, dark, and completely addictive story from one of my favourite authors, Simone St. James. I am not a huge reader of paranormal thriller novels. It’s actually not a genre that I read at all, but for Simone St. James I always make an exception. This was such an exciting read, especially when I discovered that it’s set in the same town as my favourite of her novels, The Sun Down Motel.

Set in the town of Fell, New York, this is the story of three siblings who, after eighteen years away, return home to discover, once and for all, what happened to their younger brother many years earlier. There is the oldest, Violet, with the gift of seeing ghosts and with a teenage daughter who she barely sees and an ex-husband who loves to blame her for everything that went wrong in their family; Vail, an UFO investigator who never stays long anywhere; and the youngest one, Dodie, a shampoo model who never goes on second dates. The three siblings have been estranged for years, but there is one person who can bring them together: their younger brother Ben, who disappeared suddenly when he was six years old and was never found. So, when someone claims to have seen a child in their family home, closed since their parents’ deaths many years before, they pack their bags without a second thought and return to Fell to discover what happened to Ben. However, Ben’s death is not the only strange thing that happened in town and returning home means also revisiting the memories, good and bad, from the past.

I loved A Box Full of Darkness, it kept me on the edge of my seat from the first to the last page. There is a haunted house (and also, let’s say, a haunted town), mysterious deaths, ghosts (one in particular who was very aggressive), but also grief and coming to terms with the past. A Box Full of Darkness is a gripping, spooky, well-written read that left me looking forward to the author’s next novel!

A huge thank you to MichaelJoseph and Netgalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel.

Simone St. James is the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases and The Sun Down Motel. She spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time.. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Maddy Clare, won two RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America and an Arthur Ellis Award from Crime Writers of Canada. Simone spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time. She lives just outside of Toronto, Canada with her husband and a spoiled rescue cat.

Publication: 29th January 2026 – Electric Monkey

KING ALARIK FELSING.

A LONE WOLF.

A FROZEN HEART …

Deep in the mountains of a snow-swept kingdom, an ancient beast is stirring. When a beautiful young wrangler arrives to try and tame it, she is not expecting to tame the beast that lives inside the king too. But sometimes, all it takes is an unexpected spark to melt even the iciest of hearts …

This standalone novel from the stunning YA romantasy world of Twin Crowns is filled with magic, tantalizing romance and explosive action.

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I am a huge fan of all Catherine Doyle’s novels and King of Beasts is no exception, I am only disappointed that there won’t be a sequel.

King of Beasts is set in the world of Twin Crowns and there are mentions to the previous books, but it can be easily read as a stand-alone (although I highly recommend reading the other novels, too, because they are amazing).

The protagonists of the novel are Alarik Felsing and Greta Iversen. One is the king of a kingdom on the brink of a war against a powerful queen and about to enter into an arranged marriage to protect his own people. The other is a talented wrangler who would do anything to support her own family, including accepting a job offer from her king. And when they meet, sparkles fly. 

I loved the chemistry between these two characters. Alarik is convinced that there is no love match in the future for him, so why not accept a loveless marriage if it will make his grieving mother happy and it will help him defend his kingdom? Except, that he can’t get the gentle and yet fierce Greta out of his mind, even when the danger is getting closer and closer.

King of Beasts is an addictive, well-written, compelling novel. There is swoony romance and friendship, loyalties and betrayals, banter and witticism, and, if that’s not enough, even a cast of magical animals. I loved everything about this book and I was sad to reach the end of the story and its wonderful cast of characters. I can’t wait for more stories by this author!

A huge thank you to Electric Monkey and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel.

Catherine Doyle is the co-author of YA fantasy rom com series Twin Crowns with Katherine Webber. She grew up in the West of Ireland by the sea and is the author of the YA trilogy Blood for Blood and the award-winning and magical middle grade Storm Keeper’s trilogy.

Publication: 29th January 2026 – One More Chapter

Nothing is deadlier than angry readers… especially when you murder one of their own.

When the manager of The Quaint Bookshop is found slumped between the shelves, the four members of the shop’s reading group decide to put into action all the skills they’ve picked up from their favourite fictional detectives.

If anyone knows how to solve a killer of a crime, it’s a team of murder-mystery superfans. The police might be investigating but the reading group are on the case…

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A cozy murder mystery set in a bookshop will attract all kinds of readers and it certainly kept my attention: a murder, a group of amateur detectives, and many secrets to uncover.

The Quaint Bookshop is a safe place for many people, especially for the retired professor Stone, the housewife Bella Bourton, the out-of-work actor Harrison Fforde, and the aspiring writer Lauren Sherwood, who hold their own bookclub every week. When the manager of the bookshop, Felicity Penman, is found murdered after one of their meetings, the group decides to investigate on their own, especially since the police are convinced that the killer is one of them.

Murder by the Book is an entertaining and intriguing read. There is a cast of likable characters, all from a different background, with different stories and personalities, but also with secrets to hide, and each chapter is told from the perspective of each character. There are mysterious letters, lots of references to classic detective fiction, an hostile detective who doesn’t appreciate the interference of a group of bookworms, and an interesting mystery to solve. The pace was a bit slow, but, overall, Murder by the Book is an engaging and compelling novel, the first of a series that will see a group of determined and promising sleuths at work.

A huge thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this novel.

Michael abandoned a successful career as a newspaper editor to write fiction. As an author, he completed Desmond Bagley’s thriller Domino Island for posthumous publication and has written two sequels, Outback and Thin Ice, both published by HarperCollins. His debut play Rasputin’s Mother won the Bristol Old Vic playwriting competition and subsequent work for the stage includes The Seagull Has Landed (Power Plays festival winner), MacHamLear (UK tour), Reality (Royal & Derngate) and the book and lyrics for Tess – The Musical (workshopped at the RSC). He has written narrative non-fiction for worldwide television, had short stories and poetry commissioned and published, and contributes regular essays for theatre programmes.

www.mrgdavies.com

Facebook: Michael Davies – Author

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Publication: 15th January 2026 – Simon & Schuster Children’s UK

For the Kingdom. For the magic. And for love . . .

Aurelia Wycherley has found someone to tether her magic to – her enigmatic former enemy, Jules Nightly. Now, they are heading off to coven college to learn advanced magic. But they are also on a secret mission: to discover the Lost Quarter of the college, create their own coven of twelve and try to discover a way to bring back the Old Magic. 

When malevolent magic interrupts their first night at college, Aurelia and Jules discover that Jonathan and his coven of untethered witches has escaped and now they are after her magic, curse and all… 

Can they save the magic and the world – or will Aurelia lose her magic for good?

Prepare for balls, late‑night study groups, hidden mysteries, a heist, the return of old foes, and a lot more kissing!

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Last year, I fell in love with The Wycherley, the first book in a YA series set in a Regency world filled with magic, and I am super excited to return to this world and its wonderful cast of characters.

Love and Other Curses starts a bit after the events of the first book. Aurelia and her brother Vaughn are back in England after a few months of Grand Tour in Europe and they are heading to college, but studying won’t be their top priority. Aurelia and Jules reunite after a few months apart and their love is stronger than ever, even if there are secrets kept hidden. They form a new coven with new and old friends as they try to find the Old Magic. Old enemies resurface, new dangers are near, and we discover more about the magic. There is also romance, adventures, and lots of balls and spells.

Like the first book in the series, Love and Other Curses was a fantastic and addictive read from start to finish. The plot is intriguing, well-developed, and with quite a few moments of suspense. The romance between Aurelia and Jules is swoony and adorable and I also enjoyed reading more about the relationship between Aurelia’s brother, Vaughan, and her feisty best friend, Constance, who may be my favourite character. Love and Other Curses ends with a shocking revelation that makes me happy that we won’t be waiting long for the third novel (out in September).

The Wycherleys is a well-written, captivating, and charming series full of magic, romance, and incredible adventures and I read Love and Other Curses in a few days, turning page after page.

A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel.

Annaliese has always loved stories. As a child, she would regularly rollerskate to her local library to stock up on new books to read. She was nearly always in trouble with the librarians for having not returned her books on time. Annaliese would go on to become a librarian herself one day and use her position as library manager to be more understanding to the young readers at her library who returned books late.

Annaliese has always felt the power of good stories but equally enjoys being lost in the wonder of books with facts/non-fiction. As a child, Annaliese read her way through all 20 volumes of THE NEW CAXTON ENCYCLOPEDIA. She also collected a magazine series called Quest, and its exploration of science helped trigger a love of physics and astronomy.

In 2013 Annaliese founded an astronomical society, DASH Astro.

One of her ambitions in life is to have her own observing dome.

Publication: 17th November 2025 (paperback), 20th January 2026 (eBook) – Storm Publishing

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?

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From what was hinted in the novel and my research online, I discovered that A Very Novel Murder is the first novel in a spin-off series of A Secret Bookcase Mystery series by the same author. The protagonist, Annie Murray, bookseller and private detective, is back in this new series to solve more mysteries in her hometown of Redwood Grove, with the help of her long-time friend and business partner Fletcher and her former mentor, Dr. Caldwell, the lead homicide detective for the Redwood Grove Police Department.

Annie and Fletcher’s investigative company, Novel Detectives, has two cases to solve. One involves the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, an investigation which I am looking forward to reading more in the next books. The other case, which takes more a central stage in the story, is that of the death of a young woman which the police still hasn’t decided if it’s murder, accident, or suicide. Her elderly and quite eccentric neighbour is convinced that the woman was murdered and she wants Annie and Fletcher to prove it.

I really enjoyed this novel and not only because there are a lot of talks about books and also about one of my favourite authors, Agatha Christie. The characters are quite interesting and well-developed: there is some romance in the background as well as close friendships and a sense of community. The mystery was also immersive: a list of suspects, to-kill-for motives, and quite a few twists and surprises. A Very Novel Murder is a well-written, intriguing, and engaging read and I am looking forward to reading more (bookish) mysteries to solve.

A huge thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this immersive novel.

Ellie Alexander is the bestselling author of more than forty cozy mystery novels. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Japanese, reaching readers worldwide. She is the founder of the annual Ashland Mystery Festival and a frequent guest at library programs and author events throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including the popular Northwest Authors series and independent bookshops across the region.In addition to her fiction, her essays and articles have appeared in publications such as Mystery Scene Magazine, The Oregonian, and Portland Family Magazine. As a writing teacher and coach, she helps aspiring authors shape their stories and navigate the path to publication with clarity and confidence.A proud Pacific Northwest native, Alexander often sets her mystery series against real backdrops from Portland’s hipster neighborhoods to the charming Shakespearean hamlet of Ashland. She now lives in Sunnyvale, California, where she’s been swept away by the stunning coastal communities and sun-drenched small towns, which of course have found their way into her new series.