Waiting on Wednesday: Three New ARCs

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, highlights books you are eager to read 

Here are a few that came in the mail that I've not yet started. The book descriptions are from the publishers.

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp

by Leonie Swann

Publication: August 29, 2023; Soho Crime ARC

A quirky group of seniors attempts to solve one murder while covering up another—with the help of an enterprising tortoise—in this twisty, darkly funny mystery from the author of Three Bags Full

I Hear You're Rich: Stories by Diane Williams

Publication: August 10, 2023; Scribe UK

In Williams’ stories, life is newly alive and dangerous; whether she is writing about an affair, a request for money, an afternoon in a garden, or the simple act of carrying a cake from one room to the next, she offers us beautiful and unsettling new ways of seeing everyday life.

Second Best by David Foenkinos, Megan Jones translator

Publication: September 7, 2023; Gallic Books

A fictional boy's life is shaped forever when he loses out on the role of Harry Potter. It's 1999. Martin Hill is ten years old.... he makes it to the final two in the casting for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. When the other boy is picked, a devastated Martin tries to move on with his life. But how can he escape his failure, especially when it's the most famous film series in the world?  

A playful, poignant story about fate, loss and how the lives we wish we’d led might not be all they’re cracked up to be . 

What books are you eagerly anticipating? 

Waiting on Wednesday: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases or soon to be released books are you eagerly waiting for. 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng will be published September 12, 2017, the author's second book since the acclaimed Everything I Never Told You.

Book description: In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides.  Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs. 

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster. (publisher)

Love Her Madly by M. Elizabeth Lee: Waiting on Wednesday

A new thriller for summer reading:

Love Her Madly by M. Elizabeth Lee, to be published August 16, 2016 by Atria Books
A debut novel about an intense best friendship between two college girls which leads to the abrupt disappearance—and presumed death—of one and the survival of the other, who reveals the twists and turns of their relationship seven years later. (publisher)

Setting: New York City, Costa Rica, secluded island
Characters: Glo, Cyn, Raj in a romance triangle 

What book release are you waiting on?
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

New Cozy Mystery Series And an Old Favorite

If you are a regular cozy mystery reader, you probably are interested in new series as they come out. Here are two new ones this spring.

Eclair and Present Danger by Laura Bradford, to be released June 6, 2016, Berkley
The first book in the delicious new Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery series from national bestselling author Laura Bradford.

Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower, published April 5, 2016
From Amanda Flower—who writes the national bestselling Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries as Isabella Alan—comes the first in the new Magical Bookshop Mystery series.

And an old favorite has a new book in the series by Hazel Holt:

Mrs. Malory and Death is a Word by Hazel Holt, published May 3, 2016
This is the 23rd in the series set in the English countryside. 

I'm reading a Dream Club Mystery by Mary Kennedy right now, titled A Premonition of Murder, where dream club members share their dreams and solve murders. Cute idea!
I often have to be in the mood for cozies, as I often like reading other genres too. They are light fillers in between my regular reading.  How about you? 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases are you eagerly waiting for?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Art of Murder by Elaine Viets

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases are you eagerly waiting for. Link your post to Breaking the Spine.

The Art of Murder: A Dead-End Job Mystery #15 by Elaine Viets, to be released May 3, 2016 by NAL
From the national bestselling author of Checked Out , Helen Hawthorne must pose as a painter at Fort Lauderdale’s famous Bonnet House Museum to catch an artful killer . . .

I have visited Fort Lauderdale beach many times but never knew about the Bonnet House Museum featured in the book. It's definitely worth a visit next time...

What new release are you waiting for?

Waiting on Wednesday: An Unhappy Medium by Dawn Eastman

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases are you eagerly waiting for. Link your post to Breaking the Spine.

An Unhappy Medium: A Family Fortune Mystery by Dawn Eastman
Release date: April 5, 2016 by Berkley

Publisher description:
"Former cop, novice psychic Clyde Fortune is in a race for justice when a Zombie Fun Run turns deadly...

Crystal Haven, Michigan, is psyching up for a Zombie Fun Run, but Clyde is fretful about the undead festivities. For one thing, her sister, Grace, has unexpectedly returned to town after fifteen years. When one of the zombie runners is found murdered and then Grace disappears, Clyde must find a ghoulish murderer before someone points the finger at Grace. And when a web of family secrets combines with a mysterious case of stolen diamonds..."

I don't normally read zombie, supernatural, or paranormal cozies, but I got caught by how this one began!

Opening sentence:
My chest burned, my legs ached, and I felt a cramp in the vicinity of my liver.

Laughing out loud, I wanted to read on...

Waiting on Wednesday: March Cozy Mysteries

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases are you eagerly waiting for. Link your post to Breaking the Spine.

Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize, a cozy mystery by Emily Brightwell, will be released March 1, 2016 by Berkley. It's the 34th in the series, so I expect it will be good! When Hiram Filmore, an orchid hunter and supplier, is found dead in Mrs. Helena Rayburn’s conservatory, Inspector Witherspoon is called in to weed out a murderer. Detecting sleuth, Mrs. Jefferies, also comes to the rescue!

Kernel of Truth, a new series in a Popcorn Shop Mystery by Kristi Abbott, to be published March 1, 2016 by Berkley. This one has a dog for a sleuthing companion! Featuring gourmet popcorn entrepreneur Rebecca Anderson and her poodle Sprocket. Rebecca finds that her potential business partner Coco has been killed and set out to solve the mystery. 

What new books are you eyeing for March?

Waiting on Wednesday: Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases are you eagerly waiting for. Link your post to Breaking the Spine.

I have really enjoyed many of the Teashop Mysteries by Laura Childs, and this is the 17th in the series, which shows how popular the story line is. Devonshire Scream is to be released in hardcover on March 1, 2016. Part of the popularity is due to the recipes that are included in the books!

Book description from the publisher: 
Catering a trunk show at Heart's Desire Jewelry is a shining achievement for Theodosia and the Indigo Tea Shop. After all, a slew of jewelers, museums, and private collectors will be there to showcase their wares and sip some of Theo's best blends. But the party is crashed by masked muggers who rob the precious gems and jewels on display, leaving shattered glass, scattered gemstones, and a dead body in their wake. 

Theo can't help but intercede when her dear friend Brooke, aunt of the victim and owner of Heart's Desire, begs for help. Though the FBI believes this "smash and grab" is the work of an international gang of jewel thieves, Theo is convinced that the felon is someone much closer to home...

What new book are you waiting for to be published?

Sharon A. Katz will be reviewing the book and giving away two autographed copies on Feb. 29. Visit her at https://sharonreadsblog.wordpress.com/

Review: The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases are you eagerly waiting for. Link your post to Breaking the Spine

The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson, to be released February 15, 2016 by William Morrow
Genre: contemporary fiction
Objective rating: 5/5

My comments: 

Foster homes for girls, single mothers, career success, siblings, family relationships.

There is quite a mixture of themes in this novel, but it works well, and the main character Paula is worth following as she moves from survival in a home for juveniles to becoming a wealthy and successful divorce lawyer, all the while dealing with memories of her gypsy-like mother, Kia, and Kia's legacy.

This is a book to wait for....

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this book 

Waiting on Wednesday:Two Mystery Novels

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases are you eagerly waiting for. Link your post to Breaking the Spine.
These books are to be released in a week, December 1, 1015. They do look good!

Pouncing on Murder by Laurie Cass, the fourth in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery.
Springtime in Chilson, Michigan, means it's librarian Minnie Hamilton's favorite time of year: maple syrup season! But her excitement fades when her favorite syrup provider, Henry Gill, dies in a sugaring accident. 

On the bookmobile rounds with her trusty rescue cat Eddie, Minnie meets Adam, the old man's friend, who was with him when he died. Adam is convinced Henry’s death wasn’t an accident, and fears that his own life is in danger. (publisher)

What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan, William Morrow Paperback.
Gilly Macmillan explores a mother’s search for her missing son, weaving a taut psychological thriller. Rachel Jenner is walking in a Bristol park with her eight-year-old son, Ben, when he asks if he can run ahead. It’s an ordinary request on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Rachel has no reason to worry—until Ben vanishes.  (publisher)
What books are you waiting for to be published?

The Stitching Hour by Amanda Lee: Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

The Stitching Hour: An Embroidery Mystery by Amanda Lee, to be released November 3, 2015 by NAL

I am not an embroiderer but when a book begins with a dog, I get interested right away. 

Opening sentence:

I reached down and patted the head of my Irish wolfhound, Angus. As only two years old, he still had a lot of puppy in him, but he was mannerly and well behaved. The patrons of my embroidery shop, the Seven-Year Stitch, loved him. 

Book description: Marcy Singer's embroidery shop, the Seven-Year Stitch, is one year old this October so it’s time to party in little Tallulah Falls, Oregon. Unfortunately, an eccentric couple has opened a haunted house next door, and all that screaming will certainly scare off customers. But there’s even more to be frightened of after a local waitress is found dead on the sidewalk with mysterious markings on her neck—and one of Marcy’s key rings beneath her. Marcy must act fast  to restore the peace to Tallulah Falls…(publisher)

What book are you waiting for to be published this fall? 

Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell :Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Depraved Heart (Kay Scarpetta #23) by Patricia Cornwell
Publication date: October 27, 2015 by William Morrow
Genre: thriller

Chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta is working a suspicious death scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts when a video link lands in her text messages and seems to be from her computer genius niece Lucy. But how can it be? It’s clearly a surveillance film of Lucy taken almost twenty years ago...
The diabolical presence behind what unfolds seems obvious - but strangely, not to the FBI. Certainly that’s the message they send when they raid Lucy’s estate and begin building a case that could send her to prison for the rest of her life. (publisher)

What new book are you waiting for to be published? 

Waiting on Wednesday: Night of the White Buffalo by Margaret Coel

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Night of the White Buffalo by Margaret Coel, expected publication September 1, 2015; Berkley
Genre: mystery

"At Wind River Reservation, Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O’Malley investigate a mystery overshadowed by a mythological miracle…

A mysterious penitent confesses to murder, and then flees the confessional. Two months later, rancher Dennis Carey is shot dead along Blue Sky Highway. With the tragic news comes an astonishing secret: the most sacred creature in Native American mythology, a white buffalo calf, was recently born on Carey’s ranch.

The miraculous animal draws pilgrims to the reservation, frustrating Vicky and Father John as they try to unravel Carey’s murder and the disappearances of three cowboys from his ranch.

It could be coincidence, but Vicky doesn’t believe in coincidences. And at the back of Father John’s mind is the voice from the man in the confessional. "(goodreads)

What novel are you waiting for to be published? 

A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd: Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

A Pattern of Lies: A Bess Crawford Mystery #7 by Charles Todd, to be released August 18, 2015; William Morrow
Genre: historical mystery

An explosion and fire at the Ashton Gunpowder Mill in Kent has killed over a hundred men. It’s called an appalling tragedy—until suspicion and rumor raise the specter of murder. While visiting the Ashton family, Bess Crawford finds herself caught up in a venomous show of hostility that doesn’t stop with Philip Ashton’s arrest. Indeed, someone is out for blood, and the household is all but under siege. 
The only known witness to the tragedy is now at the Front in France. Bess is asked to find him.(goodreads)

I have read several of the Bess Crawford mysteries and am looking forward to this one.

What new release are you waiting for?

Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen: Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Malice at the Palace: Her Royal Spyness #9 by Rhys Bowen, to be released August 4, 2015 by Berkley
Genre: British historical mystery
Lady Georgiana Rannoch won’t deny that being thirty-fifth in line for the British throne has its advantages. Unfortunately, money isn’t one of them. And sometimes making ends meet requires her to investigate a little royal wrongdoing.

While my beau Darcy is off on a mysterious mission, I am once again caught between my high birth and empty purse. I am therefore relieved to receive a new assignment from the Queen—especially one that includes lodging. The King’s youngest son, George, is to wed Princess Marina of Greece, and I shall be her companion at the supposedly haunted Kensington Palace.

George is known for his many affairs with women as well as men—including the great songwriter Noel Coward. But when I search the Palace for a supposed ghost, I only encounter an actual dead person: a society beauty said to have been one of Prince George’s mistresses.

As the investigation unfolds—and Darcy, as always, turns up in the most unlikely of places—the investigation brings us precariously close to the prince himself. (book description)

I have just finished reading Queen of Hearts, the eighth in the series, for a publisher book tour on August 4, and I must say it was full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading this one as well. 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret by Leann Sweeney

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipatin

The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret: Cats in Trouble Mystery #7 by Leann Sweeney, to be published August 4, 2015 by NAL

For cat and mystery lovers....
 A feline with a penchant for pilfering ends up unearthing a deadly mystery.…

Jillian Hart and Tom are finally tying the knot, but first they need to make sure Tom’s stepson, Finn, is as comfortable as possible in the lake house they will all call home. So when it becomes clear that Finn has fallen for a pretty cat from the Mercy Animal Sanctuary, Jillian and Tom readily agree to make room for one more—even though the tortoiseshell kitty is a notorious kleptomaniac.

So far, the cat has sneaked out of the adoption center time after time, bringing back trinkets, shoelaces, and socks. But when she brings back an antique locket, Finn enlists Tom’s and Jillian’s sleuthing skills. They hope to return the treasured item to its owner, but their search for answers is sidetracked when a body is found. Still, their sneaky cat’s find may just lead them to a killer.… (publisher)

What book are you waiting for to be published? 

A Little Night Murder by Nancy Martin: Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

A Little Night Murder: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery #10 by Nancy Martin, to be published August 4, 2015 by NAL

This is the first time I've seen this series which now has ten books! I love the cover - those stairs, the elegant gown, and the title!

Book description: Nora Blackbird turns the spotlight on a killer in the latest in the series.

While a pregnant Nora relaxes in her best friend’s Bucks County pool, a Broadway show is in rehearsal next door at the home of the legendary late composer “Toodles” Tuttle. His diva widow, Boom Boom, has racked up a chorus line of enemies, so the old broad’s death is a hotly anticipated event. But it’s her beloved daughter, Jenny, who drops dead just as the lights are set to go on for the lucrative new Toodles musical.

Nora must first deal with her sisters’ love lives and a visit from her mobster boyfriend’s mother. Only then can she bring the curtain down on a daring killer....(publisher)

What new release are you waiting for? 

Waiting on Wednesday: French Concession by Xiao Bai

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

French Concession: A Novel by Xiao Bai, published July 7, 2015 by Harper. 
Genre: historical fiction

Book opening:

Prelude: May 10, Year 20 of the Republic.2:24 A.M.  

The walls of the cabin were trembling. A steam whistle piped two shot blasts. Hsueh opened his eyes. He still had the covers pulled over his head, and the ebb and flow of waves sounded like thunder in a distant world. 

Publisher description:
"A literary noir, a tale of espionage and international intrigue, set in Shanghai in 1931—a decadent world of love, violence, and betrayal filled with femme fatales, criminals, revolutionaries, and spies

A boat from Hong Kong arrives in Shanghai harbor, carrying an important official in the Nationalist Party and his striking wife, Leng. Amid the raucous sound of firecrackers, gunshots ring out; an assassin has shot the official and then himself. Leng disappears in the ensuing chaos.

Hseuh, a Franco-Chinese photographer discovers that his lover Therese is secretly an arms dealer, supplying Shanghai’s gangs with weapons. His investigation of Therese eventually leads him back to Leng, a loyal revolutionary with ties to a menacing new gang, led by a charismatic Communist whose acts of violence and terrorism threaten the entire country.

His aptitude for espionage draws Hseuh into a dark underworld of mobsters, smugglers, anarchists, and assassins. Torn between Therese and Leng, he vows to protect them both. As the web of intrigue tightens around him, Hsueh plays a dangerous game, hoping to stay alive."

I find this period of time in China's history fascinating and am looking forward to reading it.

I received a proof of this book for review. 

THE TIDE WATCHERS by Lisa Chaplin

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin, to be released June 30, 2015; William Morrow.

"... the story of a young woman who must risk her life as a spy to help stop Napoleon's invasion of Great Britain in the winter of 1803. The daughter of an English baronet, Lisbeth has eloped to France with her new husband. But when he abandons her, her only hope is to be reunited with her young son who is being raised by her mother-in law.

A seasoned spy known as Tidewatcher, Duncan apprenticed under Lisbeth's father and pledged to watch over his mentor's only daughter while he searches the Channel region for evidence that Bonaparte has built a fleet to invade Britain. 

American inventor Robert Fulton is working on David Bushnell's "turtle"--the first fully submersible ship--when he creates brand-new torpedo technology, which he plans to sell to the French Navy. But when his relationship with Bonaparte sours, he accepts Tidewatcher's help to relocate to the French side of the Channel, but he refuses to share his invention. Tidewatcher must get that submersible, along with someone who knows how to use it, to uncover Bonaparte's great secret.

Lisbeth is asked to pose as a housekeeper and charm Fulton so she can learn to use the submersible before the invasion fleet sails--but is she willing to sacrifice her heart when she's already lost it to another...?

A fast-paced, deeply-researched, and richly imagined novel, The Tide Watchers explores a long-hidden, chapter of Bonaparte's history "(publisher)

Waiting on Wednesday: The Summer of Good Intentions by Wendy Francis

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Summer of Good Intentions by Wendy Francis, to be published July 7, 2015; Simon and Schuster
Genre: contemporary women's fiction

The Herington girls - Maggie, Jess, and Virgie -  are together again, with their husbands and kids, for another summer in the family’s old Cape Cod house.

When their mother, Gloria, announces she’s coming for an unscheduled visit—with her new boyfriend—no one is more surprised than their father, Arthur, who has not quite gotten over his divorce. 

Still, everyone manages to navigate the challenges of living grown-up lives in close quarters, until an accident reveals a new secret that brings everyone together in heartbreak… and then healing. (publisher)

Is this a book you would wait for? It will be released in about a month.