by Matt Lubbers-Moore
Welcome to Pride 2024!! Be safe! Be vigilant! Celebrate who you are!!
On a book-related topic, I am a part of a lot of book Facebook groups and one question that consistently comes up is what to do about bad smelling books. Most of the time it’s a book that belonged to their nine-pack-of-cigarettes-a-day grandmother and they just can’t bear to part with it. However, some of the time, it is a cheap Agatha Christie paperback that can be purchased at any used bookstore for a few dollars. Honestly, it would be easier to just pick up a replacement paperback and tuck a picture of granny in there so that you’ll remember her when you see the book. If you really do want to keep the book because of sentimental or financial reasons there are some things that you could try.
First, this is the low-key way that typically works for me. Buy non-scented dryer sheets. Tuck a sheet between every few pages but mostly the front cover, the back cover, and one in the middle. Do not force the book closed or you’ll do damage to the binding. Put the book with all of the dryer sheets into a Ziploc bag. Some recommend putting it into the freezer and some don’t. If you choose to not put it in the freezer keep the book and dryer sheets in the Ziploc bag for at least a week. Hopefully, by that time the dryer sheets will have absorbed the bad odor. If the book still smells you could trade out the dryer sheets for new dryer sheets and put it in a new Ziploc bag and place it in the freezer. Keep it in there for a few days. Hopefully that’ll get the smells out. If not, you could try baking soda, clay kitty litter, or charcoal (activated carbon). But do not put these items directly on the book. Rather within a closed container where they can absorb the smell.
In a related story to smelly items I recently had an issue with a book at the library where I work. A patron came in to inform us that a book she borrowed had been peed on by her cat. Rather than bringing the item in, she threw it away and paid the fine. We thanked her for not bringing it in with her. A few days later the patron’s mother, a woman of around 60, came in and apologized for her grown daughter’s carelessness with our book as she found it in the trash. I quickly confirmed that this was indeed the peed-on book and took it outside and threw it away. Less than ten minutes later a staff member brought the book back in as she had found it in the trash. By this time I was slightly annoyed and informed the staff member to sniff it to determine why it was in the trash. We put the item in two plastic bags in the off chance someone else might confuse it for a misplaced book and replaced it in the trash. Fortunately, after that the item went in the trash and we never saw it again.
On with the books!
From Sweetgrass Bridge by Anthony Bidulka
Out June 1, 2024, Stonehouse Pub
A nation holds its breath. On a perfect prairie summer evening, Saskatchewan Roughrider Dustin Thomson goes missing. As the Green & White’s first primary quarterback born in the province and first Indigenous quarterback, Thomson is beloved and celebrated. Mistrusting the police investigation, the family hires Merry Bell P.I. to find the football star. From the dark waters below Sweetgrass Bridge to the lands of Little Turtle Lake First Nation, Merry seeks answers while dealing with her continuing transition, swelling loneliness, a floundering career, well-meaning crossdressing assistant and having to decide whether the people in her life are friend or foe.
Last Dance at the Discotheque for Deviants by Paul David Gould
Out June 4, 2024, Unbound
Moscow, 1993. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union have brought unimaginable change to Russia. With this change come new freedoms: freedom to travel abroad and to befriend Westerners, freedom to make money, and even the freedom for an underground gay scene to take root. Encouraged by the new climate of openness, 21-year-old Kostya ventures out of the closet and resolves to pursue his dreams: to work in the theatre and to find love as his idol Tchaikovsky never could. Those dreams, however, lead to tragedy – not only for Kostya, but for his mother and for the two young men he loves, as all three face up to the ways they have betrayed him.
A Plague of Grackles by Dharma Kelleher
Out June 4, 2024
A swatting attack on a fellow transgender woman ignites a fire within Avery Byrne. A goth tattoo artist by day and a fierce vigilante by night, Avery sees a sinister pattern linking this tragedy to escalating assaults on the trans community—a pattern the police refuse to acknowledge. Fueled by a relentless need to protect her people, Avery, with the help of her girlfriend Roz, vows to unravel the conspiracy that targets her community. But their pursuit of truth turns perilous, spiraling into a maelstrom of violence that strikes Avery at her core. Surviving an attack meant to silence her, Avery emerges scarred but undaunted, diving deeper into the abyss to confront a nemesis entwined with her own dark past. With every revelation, the stakes skyrocket, pushing Avery to a precipice where a single misstep could devastate the trans community she fights to protect.
Hall of Mirrors by John Copenhaver
Out June 4, 2024, Pegasus Crime
In May 1954, Lionel Kane witnesses his apartment engulfed in flames with his lover and writing partner, Roger Raymond, inside. Police declare it a suicide due to gas ignition, but Lionel refuses to believe Roger was suicidal. A month earlier, Judy Nightingale and Philippa Watson attend a lecture by Roger and, being eager fans, befriend him. He has just been fired from his day job at the State Department, another victim of the Lavender Scare, an anti-gay crusade led by figures like Senator Joseph McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover, claiming homosexuals are security risks. Little do Judy and Philippa know, but their obsessive manhunt of the past several years has fueled the flames of his dismissal.
Same Difference by E. J. Copperman
Out June 4, 2024, Severn House
Taking a break from their usual business of helping adoptees find their birth parents, New York private investigators – and super-sized, ever-so-slightly-paranormal siblings – Fran and Ken Stein accept a job to find a missing young woman. Nineteen-year-old college student Eliza Hennessey is trans – and she has a rocky relationship with her father, their new client. Brian’s convinced his daughter’s vanished, rather than run away, but Fran and Ken aren’t so sure she wants to be found.
Lockjaw by Matteo L. Cerilli
Out June 4, 2024, Tundra Books
Chuck Warren died tragically at the old abandoned mill, but Paz Espino knows it was no accident — there’s a monster under the town, and she’s determined to kill it before anyone else gets hurt. She’ll need the help of her crew — inseparable friends, bound by a childhood pact stronger than diamonds, distance or death — to hunt it down. But she’s up against a greater force of evil than she ever could have imagined. This trans YA horror book by an incredible debut author will grab you and never let you go.
Now, Conjurers by Freddie Kolsch
Out June 4, 2024, Union Square & Co.
Nesbit Nuñez discovers the partially devoured body of Bastion Attia: star quarterback, secret witch, and Nesbit’s even-more-secret boyfriend. No one knew why brilliant, gentle Bastion lived his life by a seemingly arcane set of rules, including a strange manner of speech and an inability to say his own name. Now the remaining members of North Coven—Nesbit, Dove, Drea, and Brandy—vow to get answers. Nothing can prepare them for what they uncover: Bastion had been locked in a terrifying battle of wits and wills with something living deep beneath an ancient mausoleum in the local cemetery.
Husbands: Love and Lies in La-La Land by Mo Fanning
Out June 6, 2024, Spring Street Books
Wannabe actor Kyle Macdonald is down on his luck. Working as a supply teacher in an inner-city Birmingham school, he’s single again at 28, and sleeping in his childhood bedroom beneath a ‘Hard Candy’ Madonna poster. He gets a call claiming he drunkenly married top Hollywood director Aaron Biedermeier in Vegas six years ago. Rather than panic, he sees a golden ticket to fame and the life he’s always fantasized about. But the glamorous veneer of Los Angeles – non-stop sunshine, celebrity actors and exclusive hotel suites – starts to crack, revealing a darker, corrupt underbelly to La-La Land. Kyle digs deeper into his so-called husband’s past, unearthing disturbing allegations of abuse and underage sex parties.
The Land of Death and Devil’s Club by Bailey Bridgewater
Out June 11, 2024, Bold Strokes Books
Special Liaison to the FBI Louisa Linebach may have defied all odds by identifying the bodies of three missing men in the Kenai Peninsula, but she won’t be satisfied until the man she’s sure is responsible for their murders is behind bars. Mr. Drew is secretive, smart, rich, and well-connected, and it’s going to take more than regular police procedure to catch him. Louisa has a plan—a stakeout with Kenai Fjords National Park as home base. As Louisa watches Mr. Drew’s crew coming and going, she begins to put together how the operation works with the help of Seward Police Chief Mikey Harper; Louisa’s love-interest, medical examiner Anna Fenway; and National Parks Service ranger Dolly Agapov, who has a very personal reason for wanting the mysteries surrounding Mr. Drew solved.
The Happy Month by Marshall Thornton
Out June 28, 2024, Kenmore Books
In the third book of the Dom Reilly series, Dom is happy. He and his boyfriend, Ronnie, are working on the co-op they recently bought, he has good friends, and things at The Freedom Agenda are working out well. Having decided to take the Larry Wilkes case, he and attorney Lydia Gonsalez need to find a way to get their client out of prison. Meanwhile, attorney Edwin Karpinski asks Dom to look into a 50-year-old murder. While juggling the two cases, he also deals with a nagging injury, a surprise visit from old friends, and some unexpected danger.
Other releases!
Love Hack: The Next Generation by Annette Mori, out June 1, 2024
Darkness by Eden Winters, out June 1, 2024
Fool Me Twice by AM Rose, out June 10, 2024
The Science of Ghosts by Lilah Sturgis, out June 18, 2024
Sunrise in a Storm by Crystal Budy, out June 21, 2024
Six of Sorrow by Amanda Linsmeier, out June 25, 2024
Chasing Howe by JF Miev, out June 27, 2024
Dearly and Threatening Thane by LA Kaye, out June 28, 2024
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. A new episode went up last week.
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