Matchmaker, Matchmaker
Mrs. McMahon was the ultimate matchmaker in my elementary school. She had an uncanny knack for putting the perfect book in each kid’s hands. In my case, that meant Encyclopedia Brown, Harriet the Spy, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and The Egypt Game.
Her talent for matching books with young readers sparked my lifelong love of crime fiction. I don’t know what immediately attracted me to those elementary school mysteries – was it Harriet’s chutzpah? Encyclopedia Brown’s endearing nerdiness? Nancy Drew’s yellow convertible? – but it was a match that changed my life as I continue to turn to crime fiction to help me understand criminal justice, messy morality, and cultural inequities. And I keep coming back to Mrs. McMahon, my elementary school’s assistant librarian.
I’ve been watching the hit TV show Abbott Elementary, set in Philadelphia. One episode deals with the main character fighting through school district red tape to get a full-time librarian for her elementary school.
I was surprised that it was even an issue. But when I dug into the data, I discovered some shocking numbers: back in 1991, there were 176 full-time librarians in the Philadelphia public school district. But in 2025, the entire school district of 218 schools had only three full-time librarians. Three.
And Philadelphia isn’t alone. Major urban school districts from Los Angeles to New York, Houston to Chicago — where the majority of students are students of color — reflect the same tragic trend: library staffing slashed.
Some might argue that library collections have gone digital, thus reducing the need for library staffing. This is partially true. But an algorithm can’t replace a librarian’s insight. And nothing beats the human touch of an engaged librarian who wants to make that perfect match and see a kid get excited about a book. Especially with the growing number of diverse crime fiction titles. Every elementary school student deserves a Mrs. McMahon.
In this thrilling lineup of new and upcoming releases from the authors of Crime Writers of Color, you’re certain to find your perfect match!
Into the Leopard’s Den by Harini Nagendra
Release Date: July 1, 2025, Pegasus Crime
Amateur detective Kaveri Murthy returns with her most complex case yet: investigating a series of murders that take her from the bungalows of Bangalore to the mist-enshrouded mountains of Coorg.
The Girl in Cell A by Vaseem Khan
Release Date: July 8, 2025, Hachette Mobius
The Girl in Cell A is a psychological thriller set in the small American mining town of Eden Falls. Orianna Negi is convicted of murdering the son of the town’s ruling dynasty. She claims she is innocent and cannot remember what happened that day. Forensic psychologist Annie Ledet is tasked with unlocking the truth. Years after the fact, Orianna faces a return to the community that once branded her a murderer…
The Case of the Mad Doctor by P.D. Lennon
Release Date: July 10, 2025, Canelo Adventure
Barrister’s clerk, Isaiah Ollenu, an ambitious Black, married father, is sent to Jamaica against his wishes with insurance agent Ruben Ashby, a pious bachelor. Finding missing people is the goal, but confronted by prejudice, untoward characters and vengeful spirits, the task descends into a battle of wits and muskets with a madman. Inspired by the true story of Jamaica’s first serial killer.
Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts
Release Date: July 15, 2025, Minotaur Books
Keeping busy with work helps private investigator Vandy Myrick deal with the grief of losing her daughter, stitching the seams, cementing the gaps. The memories will always remain, and they come crashing back to the surface when her ex-husband, Phil Bolden, walks back into her life. Promising everything, returning home, restoring family. Until she answers her door to the news that Phil has been murdered. And Vandy decides Phil is now her client.
A Pretender’s Murder by Christopher Huang
Release Date: July 22, 2025, Inkshares
March 1925: A murdered colonel, four war widows, a returning hero, and seven-year-old treason. Eric Peterkin is embroiled in a web of intrigue no less deadly for having been born while the men were far away.
Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan
Release Date: July 22, 2025, Mulholland Books
For fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and Ramona Emerson’s Shutter: a gripping retelling of Persephone and Demeter in the Mexicali borderlands. At the edge of the Salton Sea, in the blistering borderlands, something is out hunting…
Icing on the Murder by Valerie Burns
Release Date: July 29, 2025, Kensington
When Maddie’s potential wedding planner is murdered at a bridal expo, Maddie needs to figure out whodunit if she wants her happy ever after.
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku
Release Date: July 29, 2025, Minotaur Books
When Savvy Summers first opened Essie’s soul food café, she never expected her customer favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at table two, she suddenly has more to worry about than just maintaining Essie’s reputation for the finest soul food in the Chicagoland area.
Hollow Spaces by Victor Suthammanont
Release Date: August 5, 2025, Counterpoint
The sole Asian American partner at a prestigious law firm sees his professional and personal life demolished when he is put on trial for murder. Three decades later, his children reunite to uncover the truth and try to salvage what remains of their family.
In Deadly Company by L.S. Stratton
Release Date: September 2, 2025, Union Square & Co.
This incisive workplace satire and twisty murder mystery features a young executive assistant who realizes the peril in being diligently attentive to her boss’s whims.
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Hi Liz! Nice column. FYI my new book Murder At The Wham Bam Club also releases this month!
https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496754714/murder-at-the-wham-bam-club/