by Victoria Fair
As we usher in spring and naturally warmer weather, I can’t help but get excited at the thought of visiting my local farmers market with my friends. We like to meet up and pick up fresh produce, sample gourmet treats like iced sugar cookies or fresh-made donuts, and interact with the local purveyors who take great care to bring us unique wares. Often times, these local offerings are served out of an alternative “storefront.” One of the most notable is The Petite Fleet; a little canned ham vintage trailer painted in white and accented with horizontal stripes of colors that remind me of the setting sun. They serve the most mouth-watering freshly squeezed strawberry basil lemonade. I’m salivating thinking about the flecks of real basil and strawberry pulp dancing around in my mouth. It’s a mandatory first stop for my friends and me when we meet at the farmers market.
Sadly, despite my yearnings for friendship and a refreshing beverage, the farmers market doesn’t open until May, so while I wait I’ve decided to satisfy my craving for camaraderie by working it into my reading challenge. For month four of the KRL Coming Attractions Column Reading Challenge I’ll be focusing my Featured Five on sleuthing duos and groups. Every sleuth needs a support system of friends, family, or even colleagues they can run their clues past or use to help dig up more. The sleuth may be the heavy hitter, like in the case of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, but Sherlock needed Dr. Watson nonetheless. Sleuth support comes in diverse packages this month thanks to a slew of new releases. Brilliance and Betrayal by Lynn Morrison and Anne Radcliffe features sleuthing romantic adversaries, Dead Post Society by Diane Kelly features a pair of crime-solving cousins, Death in the Dressing Room by Simon Brett features a retiree and neighbor sleuthing duo, Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage features the Golden Girls as crime-solving besties, and Sound of Death by Will Thomas features a crime-solving private inquiry agent duo. There is plenty to choose from whether you use my recommendations or choose your own from the extensive list of new releases for this month.
Featured Five
Lord Peregrine Fitzroy once toyed with his peers with the ease of a man playing chess. His mother’s treason, however, reduced him to a pawn. Surviving accusations of her crimes came at a price. When a foreign prince falls ill at Peregrine’s first appearance since returning to English soil, he can’t help but suspect the poison was henbane. The same poison his mother used to kidnap Lady Charity Cresswell—the woman now threatening to burn his life to ashes. Lady Charity’s first season was fraught with scandal, but marriage and convenient widowhood saved her reputation from certain ruin. As lady-in-waiting to the Queen, Charity is in an excellent position to reclaim her status as a diamond of the first water… and plot revenge upon the Fitzroy family. But she, too, recognizes the prince’s symptoms, and suspects Peregrine has returned to court to conduct some nefarious intrigue. Twists and secrets shroud a conspiracy to prevent the Crown’s political alliance through marriage, and it is far more dangerous than anyone expected. The intrepid duo find themselves forced into a partnership to solve the crime and discover the identity of the hidden hand at work. But can there ever be a second chance for redemption—let alone love—between the star-crossed Charity and Peregrine? Or will betrayal destroy them both? — Brilliance and Betrayal by Lynn Morrison & Anne Radcliffe, Marketing Chair Press
Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are no strangers to murder. After all, they’ve encountered corpses on their properties before. But this is the first time they’d decided to take a chance on a property where two suspicious deaths have already occurred. Most buildings on the former boarding school property will be repurposed for an upscale retirement community, but the developer has no use for the headmaster’s house given its violent history. The headmaster and his wife were killed there decades earlier, their deaths remaining unsolved to this day. Still, it seems a shame to see the beautiful Victorian give way to decay or the wrecking ball, even if many claim the unsettled souls of the victims still wander its halls, seeking retribution and justice. Can Whitney and Buck exorcise the structure’s demons, solve the cold case, and give the building new life? Or will ghosts from the past seek to silence them forever? — Dead Post Society by Diane Kelly, St. Martins
Carole Seddon, a very respectable retired woman living in the English seaside village of Fethering, doesn’t care for the theatre. But her neighbour Jude counts the job of actress among her many and varied past careers. So when Jude attends the closing night of a new play based on a classic TV sitcom, Carole is interested – but only because she suspects the leading man, Drake Purslow, is one of her scandalous friend’s ex-lovers. The night turns out to be more dramatic than either Carole or Jude could have ever predicted. After the performance, Jude makes her way to Drake’s dressing room, only to find him dead – in what, to Jude’s experienced sleuthing eye, seem very suspicious circumstances. Did one of the play’s cast – made up almost entirely of the original sitcom’s actors – have a long-held grudge against the show’s star? Or are more recent hatreds to blame? Jude is determined to find out – and Carole, who despite protestations is almost pathologically nosy, is right there to investigate alongside her. — Death in the Dressing Room by Simon Brett, Severn House
Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can’t balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again! Dorothy quickly realizes she needs a date with whom she can exchange wedding-related wisecracks. Turning to a newfangled VHS dating service, she believes she’s found the ideal conversationalist. Unfortunately, what looks good on TV can actually be a total jerk in real life. It seems she’ll just have to enjoy the company of Sophia, Blanche, and whomever Blanche has targeted for a hookup. As the Girls all pitch in, Rose is thrilled that the tea-and-fish-themed kickoff event is perfect, not a herring out of place. That is until Dorothy’s date is found dead—face-planted in an otherwise scrumptious-looking cheesecake. With every guest a suspect (especially Dorothy) and a marriage on the line, the four besties must ID the real killer, get the should-be-happy couple down the aisle, and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami. It’s up to the Golden Girls to sleuth out a way for friendship and love to win the day! — Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage, Hyperion Avenue
Private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker, along with his partner Thomas Llewelyn, has a long, accomplished history – he’s worked with all aspects of society, from the highest (including the Crown and the government) to the lowest (various forces in London’s underworld). He’s been the target of murder attempts, character assassination, bombings and attacks upon his closest associates but never has he and his agency partner Thomas Llewelyn faced such destruction and potential disaster. The sudden collapse of a railway tunnel in the East End of London kills dozens and shuts down services all over the city. Meanwhile, a mysterious beggar calling herself “Dutch” guides Barker and Llewelyn to an attempt by a powerful aristocrat to take over London’s criminal underworld. With a missing heiress and a riot at a women’s shelter acting as distractions designed to stop the duo from getting to the truth, Barker must relentlessly fight to reach the trust while Llewelyn wonders how a simple beggar woman can be the catalyst for such destruction. — Season of Death by Will Thomas, Minotaur Books
April 1
10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte
A Sin to Score (221B Bakery, Book 3) by Cat Spivey
Brilliance and Betrayal (The Diamond of the Ton Regency Mysteries, Book 1) by Lynn Morrison & Anne Radcliffe
Dead Post Society (A House-Flipper Mystery, Book 7) by Diane Kelly
Death at the Playhouses (Lowe and Le Breton Mysteries, Book 2) by Stuart Douglas
Death by Llama (Friendship Harbor Mysteries, Book 7) by Erin McCarthy
Death in the Dressing Room (A Fethering Mystery, Book 22) by Simon Brett
Den of Lions (A Church Street Kirk Mystery, Book 3) by Daniel K. Miller
Freeze Frame (A Totally ’80s Cozy Mystery, Book 2) by T. M. Agerton
Fudge and Marriage (A Candy-Coated Mystery, Book 14) by Nancy Coco
George and Frances Roll the Dice (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery, Book 9) by Dianne Freeman
K-9 Guardians (New Mexico Guard Dogs, Book 4) by Nichole Severn
Karma Killer (A Luna Thorn Witchy Mystery, Book 5) by Amanda M. Lee
Mars Detective (The Outer Earth Mysteries, Book 2) by J.W. Holmes
No Precious Truth (A Cathy Marsden Thriller, Book 1) by Chris Nickson
No Roast for the Weary (A Coffeehouse Mystery, Book 21) by Cleo Coyle
Scone Cold Dead (A Country Store Mystery, Book 13) by Maddie Day
Suzhou Secret Whispers (The Suzhou Mysteries, Book 1) by Dave Alber
The Agony & the Hex-stasy (A Supernatural Speakeasy Cozy Mystery, Book 17) by Lily Harper Hart
The Chow Maniac (A Noodle Shop Mystery, Book 11) by Vivien Chien
The Devil’s Kitchen: A Murder in Yellowstone (The Johnson and Nance Mysteries, Book 1) by Mark Thielman
The Gatsby Gambit by Claire Anderson Wheeler
The Museum Detective by Maha Khan Phillips
The Railway Conspiracy (A Dee and Lao Mystery, Book 2) by SJ Rozan & John Shen Yen Nee
The Siren’s Cursed Kiss (Everwood Falls, Book 3) by Kat Kinney
Total Eclipse of the Hex (Crescent Moon Mysteries, Book 6) by Tara Lush
Trickster in Texas (A Doctor Danger Mystery, Book 3) by Heather Silvio
Waters of Destruction (An Orchid Isle Mystery, Book 2) by Leslie Karst
Written in Stone (A Scottish Bookshop Mystery, Book 10) by Paige Shelton
April 2
Death of a Wild Swimmer (The Charity Shop Detective Agency Mysteries, Book 5) by Peter Boland
Fishing & Forgery (A Book Store Cozy Mystery, Book 11) by Lucinda Race
Game of Thorns (Village Flower Shop Mysteries, Book 5) by Nancy Warren
Old Habits Die Hard (Nun the Wiser Mysteries, Book 1) by Melissa Westemeier
The Haunted Garden (A Lin Coffin Mystery, Book 20) by J.A. Whiting
The Painted Lighthouse (Seabrook Cozy Mystery Series, Book 2) by Dianne Harman
April 3
A Whisker in the Night (Country Cottage Mysteries, Book 29) by Addison Moore & Bellamy Bloom
Donut Stop Sleuthing (Witchy Donut Mysteries, Book 3) by Maddy Savanna
Garden Sweets (Samantha Sweet Magical Cozy Mysteries, Book 19) by Connie Shelton
Murder at the Beehive Bistro (Sunny Honey B&B Cozy Mysteries, Book 3) by Sue Hollowell
April 4
A Patient Woman (Tabitha & Wolf Historical Mystery Series, Book 9) by Sarah F. Noel
Crow-Where to Hide (A Murder of Crows Mysteries, Book 1) by Harmony Hex
Death on the Rhine (Miss Ashford Investigates, Book 5) by Vivian Conroy
The Owens Assignment (Janet Markham Bennett Cozy Thrillers, Book 15) by Diana Xarissa
The Retirement Murder (Esther & Jack Enright Mystery, Book 9) by David Field
The Secrets of Treasonfield House (J. C. Briggs Gothic Mysteries, Book 3) by J. C. Briggs
April 5
The Case of the Silent Ghost (Annie Archer Paranormal Mysteries, Book 6) by Daisy Landish
April 6
A Dose of Murder (A Judith Spears Mystery, Book 3) by Sam Oman
Death in a Classroom (The Maeve Morgan Historical Cozy Mystery Series, Book 1) by C. M. Rawlins
April 7
Death of Lady MacDeath (Wyld Enchantment Woods Cozy Mystery, Book 5) by Kura Jane Carpenter
Evil All Along (The Last Picks, Book 8) by Gregory Ashe
Two Points for Murder (The Cat Caliban Mysteries, Book 2) by D.B. Borton
April 8
A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper
Black Tie Blackmail (Men Who Stitch Mysteries, Book 4) by Kate Silvers
Book Club Bait & Switch (A Shelf Indulgence Cozy, Mystery 9) by S. E. Babin
Cheddar Luck Next Time by Beth Cato
Cupcakes and Corpses (Pupcakes and Peril Book 2) by Paige Tyler
Death in an English Village (A Cressida Fawcett Mystery, Book 7) by Fliss Chester
Moxie Theatre Murder (A Rolling Dough Pizza Truck Mystery, Book 6) by R. M. Murphy
Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd
Murder by the Hook (Crochet Mystery, Book 16) by Betty Hechtman
The Arts Trail Killer (A Shell House Detectives Mystery, Book 5) by Emylia Hall
The Fatal First Edition (The Meadowfield Bookshop Mysteries, Book 3) by Agatha Frost
The Maid’s Secret (Molly the Maid, Book 3) by Nita Prose
The Margaret Code by Richard Hooton
The Music Box Mystery (The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 8) by Joanne Pence
The Scarlet Spy (Mrs. Merlin’s Academy for Extraordinary Young Ladies, Book 3) by Andrea Pickens
This Is Not a Game by Kelly Mullen
Wish You Weren’t Here (Ravenwood Inn Cozy Ghost Mysteries, Book 2) by Minnie Myers
April 9
A Caw-King Murder (A Murder of Crows Mysteries, Book 2) by Harmony Hex
April 10
A Fatal Feast at Honeychurch Hall (Honeychurch Hall, Book 11) by Hannah Dennison
Alligators and Apparitions (The Witches of the French Quarter Mysteries, Book 3) by Jen Pitts
Death at Inishmore Castle (A Mercy McCarthy, Mystery Book 3) by Lucy Connelly
Death of a Mystery Guest (An Old Forge Café Mystery, Book 4) by Alex Coombs
Ledgers and Lies (Northern Lights Cozy Mysteries, Book 1) by Cheryl Dougan
Murder on Bluebell Hill (A Violet Brewster Mystery, Book 4) by Jane Bettany
The Edinburgh Murders (Dandy Gilver, Book 17) by Catriona McPherson
Viper in the Nest (A Lizzie Hardwicke Mystery, Book 3) by Georgina Clarke
April 11
Carnival of Chaos (Basilica Diaries Medieval Mysteries, Book 4) by Richard Kurti
Frustrated in Massachusetts (The Midlife Crisis Mysteries, Book 6) by Diana Xarissa
Just a Dash of Mystery (Just A Small Town Bakery Mysteries, Book 2) by Rini Bakewell
April 12
The Case of the Vanishing Shopkeeper (Annie Archer Paranormal Mysteries, Book 7) by Daisy Landish
April 13
Stand And Deliver (Detective Inspector Declan Walsh, Book 22) by Jack Gatland
April 14
Betrayal from Beyond (The Kier and Levett Mystery Series, Book 6) by Deb Marlowe
Madame Pompette Catches the Choir (Madame Pompette’s Tea Shop, Book 2) by Libby Castle
April 15
Canine Courier (Rescue on Gooseberry Bay, Book 1) by Kathi Daley
Murder and a Missing Manuscript (A Polly Pepper Mystery, Book 7) by Richard Tyler Jordan
Murder by Cheesecake (A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery, Book 1) by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
One Deadly Safari (Agatha Royale Mystery, Book 4) by Ella Andrew
One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman
Possums, Pilfering, and Persimmons (The Tenacious Librarian, Book 5) by M. K. Scott
The Abyss Within (Sherlock Holmes – Echoes Through Time, Book VI) by Anna Charlotte Fox
The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide
The Penford Manor Murders (The Miss Clara Vale Mysteries, Book 4) by Fiona Veitch Smith
The Villain’s Fatal Plot (Gravesyde Village Mysteries, Book 1) by Patricia Rice
Under Siege (Painter’s Bay, Book 2) by C. K. Crigger
Underscore (The Vinyl Detective, Book 8) by Andrew Cartmel
Wash, Fold, and Die (The Mandy Dyer Mysteries, Book 4) by Dolores Johnson / Reissue
Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery, Book 20) by C. S. Harris
April 16
Anything Ghost (Salem Spirits Cozy Mysteries, Book 4) by Dina Marie
For Whom the Bell Pepper Tolls (The Parchment Paper Mysteries, Book 3) by Matilda Swift
Murder on Display (The Shepherd Sisters Mysteries, Book 2) by Tracy Gardner
April 17
Kittens, Crafts, and Killers (Silver Circle Cat Rescue Mysteries, Book 10) by Leanne Leeds
Murder at St Paul’s Cathedral (Cathedral Mysteries, Book 1) by Jim Eldridge
Revenge in Stickleback Hollow (The Mysteries of Stickleback Hollow, Book 26) by C. S. Woolley
Shun the Heaven by Dave Hoing & Roger Hileman
The Lyme Regis Women’s Swimming Club (A Twisty Dorset Mystery, Book 1) by Rachel McLean & Millie Ravensworth
April 18
Crochet and Corpses (A Sadie Sexton Hoochville Mystery, Book 3) by Ramey James
Spellbound Statues (Reg Rawlins Psychic Investigator Mystery, Book 23) by P. D. Workman
April 19
Dog Eat Dog (The Cambridge Murder Mysteries, Book 7) by Charlot King
The Case of the Cursed Locket (Annie Archer Paranormal Mysteries, Book 8) by Daisy Landish
The Hour of the Moth (The Camilla Randall Mysteries, Book 9) by Anne R. Allen
April 20
Family and Fae (A Spellbrooke Mystery Series, Book 5) by Renee Marski
April 21
Bad to the Scone (Scottie Ramone Cozy Mystery, Book 6) by London Lovett
Earl Grey Alibi (A Penny Hawthorne Cozy Mystery, Book 7) by Fiona Grace
April 22
A Lethal Engagement by April J. Skelly
A Splash of Arcana (The Pobyd Perfections Bakery Series, Book 2) by S. Usher Evans
Deadly Ghost (Angus Brodie and Mikaela Forsythe Murder Mystery, Book 12) by Carla Simpson
Love Loch (Paige Comber Mystery, Book 9) by Agatha Ball
Sealed with a Hiss (A Mrs. Murphy Mystery, Book 33) by Rita Mae Brown
Season of Death (A Barker & Llewelyn, Book 16) by Will Thomas
Unleashing A Killer (A Canine Crew Mystery, Book 2) by Fiona Grace
What Dreams May Come (Daughter of Montague, Book 3) by Christina Dodd
April 25
Devoted in the Midlife (Fanged After Forty, Book 13) by Lia Davis, L.A. Boruff & Life After Magic
Empty Cradle (Penrose & Pyke Mysteries, Book 8) by Rose Pascoe
The Lady and the World’s Fair (Lady Inventor Mysteries, Book 3) by Brittany E. Brinegar & J. E. Brinegar
April 26
The Case of the Bluebell Heist (Annie Archer Paranormal Mysteries, Book 9) by Daisy Landish
The Case of the Washed-Up Corpse (Grave Sisters Mysteries, Book 1) by Tam May
April 27
A Whiff of Wicked (Steeped in Mystery, Book 1) by Angela Mayble
April 28
A Deadly Craft (An Arts and Crafts Mystery, Book 2) by Sydney Abrams
April 29
K-9 Confidential (New Mexico Guard Dogs, Book 5) by Nichole Severn
A Death on Corfu (A Minnie Harper Mystery, Book 1) by Emily Sullivan
A Fashionably French Murder (An American in Paris Mystery, Book 3) by Colleen Cambridge
Booked for Revenge (A Tomes & Tea Mystery Series, Book 2) by Karen Rose Smith
Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin (A Death by Chocolate Mystery, Book 8) by Sarah Graves
What the Ghost Gave Up (A Murder, She Witches Mystery, Book 12) by Kat McGee
April 30
A History of Murder (Penelope Banks Murder Mysteries, Book 16) by Colette Clark
Deadly Sacrifice (Paradise Crime Mysteries, Book 17) by Toby Neal & Dave Schoonover
Death in the Orchestra (The Breakfast Club Detectives, Book 6) by Hilary Pugh
Murder at Five Oaks Stables (The Lady Jane and Mrs Forbes Mysteries, Book 5) by B. D. Churston
Murder at the British Museum (The Kitty Worthington Mysteries, Book 12) by Magda Alexander
Séance and Sensibility (Tea and Tarot Cozy Mysteries, Book 10) by Kirsten Weiss
Sergeant in Stickleback Hollow (The Mysteries of Stickleback Hollow, Book 27) by C. S. Woolley / Novella
The Ghost and Wednesday’s Child (Haunting Danielle, Book 36) by Bobbi Holmes & Anna J. McIntyre
The Seaside Murders (The Secret Detective Agency, Book 2) by Helena Dixon
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.
Click on this link to take you to Mysterious Galaxy’s website where you can purchase many of these books & a portion will go to help support KRL:
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