Member News
Lefty Nomination for Cynthia Kuhn
The Study of Secrets, the fifth installment in Cynthia Kuhn’s Lila Maclean Academic Mystery series, has been nominated for a 2021 Lefty Award in the Best Humorous Mystery category.
For a full list of this year’s Lefty nominees, see the Left Coast Crime website.
DEADLY OPTIONS by Terry Odell
The newest installment of Terry Odell’s Mapleton Mystery series, Deadly Options. arrives February 24th.
All Mapleton Police Chief Gordon Hepler wants is to enjoy a rare quiet moment and have a peaceful lunch. Before he can finish his sandwich, Angie, his wife, calls to say her business partner is going to be arrested at a wedding reception they’re catering. Seems her partner stumbled upon the body of one of the guests—the mother of the groom. Was it a natural death? Suicide? Homicide? A death at an event could mean the end of Angie’s catering business. What will happen to their plans to move out of Angie’s cramped apartment and into a house they can call their own?
Gordon and his officers deal with questioning guests, including a self-centered bride and her new husband who doesn’t seem upset that his mother has died unexpectedly. Or was it unexpected? They’re eager to get off on their honeymoon.
So much for quiet. On top of a homicide investigation, the mayor’s making demands again. The crime lull is over. Angie and Gordon’s house-hunting brings an unpleasant surprise. Then there’s the matter of an unexpected letter from the mayor of Pine Hills, Oregon.
Is it time for Gordon to rethink his career?
Lise McClendon’s Birds of a Feather series
Lise McClendon is in the midst of her second trilogy spinoff of the Bennett Sisters Mysteries. Following last year’s Dead Flat series featuring wine fraud detective Pascal d’Onscon, this year sees the release of a new series Birds of a Feather.
The first installment, Swan & Peacock, is set in Wales at a country house owned by the new boyfriend of the youngest Bennett, Elise. When things get a little weird with some of the relatives Elise calls in her sisters for support.
The second novel, Crazy as a Loon, releases February 8 and explores a new arrival on the scene, a loony French cousin who arrives uninvited to prepare the elaborate New Year’s Eve dinner, the réveillon. The final part of the series will release in March.
THE TATTOO ARTIST by Lori Lacefield
The Tattoo Artist, the 3rd book in Lori Lacefield’s Women of Redemption suspense series, has been released.
Nine years after her mother’s still unsolved murder, former homeless teen Zoë Cruse has found stability with a husband, child, and a career as a tattoo artist. But when a biker comes in and asks for new ink, Zoë can’t help but draw comparisons between one of the images on his back and her mother’s death. Worse, his other ink appears to represent a deadly pattern, one that may indicate he’s a serial offender.
Dual Award Nominations for David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s WINTER COUNTS
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden has been nominated for the 2021 Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery Novel, and the 2021 Edgar award for Best First Novel!
A PAIRING TO DIE FOR by Kate Lansing
It’s fall in Boulder, Colorado, and the leaves aren’t the only things changing. Parker Valentine, owner of Vino Valentine, is finally settling in to her winery and her new relationship with Reid Wallace, a local chef. But their delicate pairing is endangered when Reid’s estranged family comes into town to celebrate the opening of his new restaurant.
Reid and his family are immediately at loggerheads, given their often acidic temperaments, but Parker still wants to make a good first impression. However, her efforts might be in vain when Reid’s sous chef is found dead in the alley behind the restaurant, and Reid is implicated in the murder. In order to save Reid, Parker will have to find the real killer, even if the truth is difficult to swallow.
Leslie Budewitz’s “Coming Clean” in Alfred Hitchcock’s
Leslie Budewitz’s third “Stagecoach Mary” Fields story, “Coming Clean,” appears in the January-February 2021 issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.
In 1885, at St. Peter’s Mission in Montana Territory, Mary Fields untangles a web of secrets that surface when a young nun find her vows in conflict with her new life.
Leslie’s first “Stagecoach Mary” story won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story and the second was nominated for a Derringer.
ANGELS IN THE WIND by Manuel Ramos
Manuel Ramos’ eleventh novel Angels in the Wind, the fourth in the Gus Corral series, is scheduled for publication in April 2021 by Arte Público Press (University of Houston) This time around, Gus, the Chicano private eye, is on the hunt for his cousin’s missing teenaged son across the windswept plains and isolated small towns of eastern Colorado.
OUR SONG, MEMENTO MORI by PG Lengsfelder
PG Lengsfelder’s psychological suspense novel Our Song, Memento Mori is available from (Woodsmoke Publishing.
Faith and absolution have escaped him. Will this priest’s probe into a dark mystery bring redemption… or death?
Father Jamie “Blu” Bluterre struggles with addiction, and his career hangs by a thread. Ordered to conduct an inquiry into a heroic firefighter’s attempted suicide, he believes it’s his final chance to find salvation. And though he’s initially convinced this is a mere exercise in dogma, he’s stunned when his investigation reveals that dark forces want the comatose fireman dead.
Facing hostility from the hero’s coworkers and family, the troubled priest finds that persuading doctors not to pull the plug is only half the battle. Because as he slowly unearths evidence of shocking crimes, his metaphysical instincts may be his last hope for keeping them both alive.
Will Father Blu’s quest for forgiveness come at a fatal price?
In addition to the new novel, Lengsfelder’s short story “Amidst the Effervescing Hemlock” was published in November’s issue of Frontier Tales. In a hastily built 1879 Montana mining town, selected townsfolk are meeting grizzly deaths, and Abraham, the village cobbler, might be next. As the murderous patterns start to become clear to him—and with little power except his craftsmanship—will Abraham be able to take down the burgeoning hate group infecting the town?
Colleen Collins “Look Your Last” anthologized
Colleen Collins’s noir short story “Look Your Last” is in the anthology “Coast to Coast: Noir from Sea to Shining Sea” published by Down & Out Books.
PUZZLING INK by Becky Clark
Quinn Carr wishes her life could be more like a crossword puzzle: neat, orderly, and perfectly arranged. At least her passion for puzzles, flair for words—and mild case of OCD—have landed her a gig creating crosswords for the local paper. But if she ever hopes to move out of her parents’ house, she can’t give up her day job as a waitress. She needs the tips. But when a customer ends up dead at her table—face down in biscuits and gravy—Quinn needs to get a clue to find whodunit . . . PUZZLING INK, the first in Becky Clark’s new Crossword Puzzle Mysteries, is now available.
LOST IN LAVENDER by Lise McClendon
Lise McClendon’s Lost in Lavender, the 13th installment of the Bennett Sisters Mysteries, is now available. In this installment the adventures of the youngest sister, Elise, take center stage. At a career and personal crossroads she decamps for France— as one does— to a lavender farm for a farm stay vacation. Unfortunately there is more work than fun to be had and Elise runs off *again.* Will she ever face her problems and get on with her life? Will Merle and Pascal have to save her again?
THE SOLACE OF BAY LEAVES by Leslie Budewitz
The Solace of Bay Leaves, the fifth Spice Shop mystery by Leslie Budewitz (Seventh St. Books), is available in paperback, ebook and audio.
Pepper Reece never expected to find her life’s passion in running the Seattle Spice Shop. But when evidence links a friend’s shooting to an unsolved murder, her own regrets surface. Can she uncover the truth and protect those she loves, before the deadly danger boils over?
AUTOMAT by Stephanie Kane
Stephanie Kane’s Automat, is the sequel to A Perfect Eye and the second crime novel starring Lily Sparks.
Who is the enigmatic woman in Edward Hopper’s famous painting, Automat?
Cover Reveal: A PAIRING TO DIE FOR
Kate Lansing shared the cover for Book 2 of her Colorado Wine Mystery series, A Pairing To Die For, coming January 26, 2021 from Berkley. It’s available for pre-order and to add on Goodreads. More information on her website: http://katelansing.com/.
Margaret Mizushima’s HANGING FALLS
Margaret Mizushima is pleased to announce the September 8th release of Hanging Falls, the sixth Timber Creek K-9 Mystery. In this episode, Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo investigate the death of a man they found floating in a mountain lake, while Mattie seeks answers from long lost family about the secrets of her past. Hanging Falls can be found or ordered wherever books are sold.
99 TRUTHS from Lori Lacefield
99 Truths, the first book in Lori Lacefield’s new FBI Local Profiler series, is available now.
After a recent mistake, FBI special agent Frankie Johnson is desperate to prove she has what it takes to become a lead profiler with the Bureau’s Charlotte, NC field office. So when the district attorney’s daughter is discovered bound, raped, and murdered, she volunteers to assist the local detective on the case to help find her killer. The evidence leads to two suspects—the victim’s husband and her lover—but after a series of intense interrogations, the detective finds himself no closer to uncovering the truth. It’s clear both suspects are lying, but about who, what, and when?
Fleur Bradley’s MIDNIGHT AT THE BARCLAY HOTEL
Fleur Bradley’s mystery for kids, Midnight At The Barclay Hotel, is out now from Viking Books for Young Readers. Kirkus called the book “a quirky, kid-friendly introduction to the murder mystery.”
The Beethoven Sequence
From the pen of Gerald Elias, author of the critically-acclaimed Daniel Jacobus mystery series, comes his first thriller. The Beethoven Sequence, the story of a mentally imbalanced political outsider who makes an unlikely ascent to the presidency of the United States, is scheduled for a September 8 by Level Best Books.
A rural Colorado machine shop mechanic, Layton Stolz is obsessed with the music of Beethoven and its message of freedom for mankind. Building a cult-like empire of acolytes, by the time he is elected president his message has metastasized into a cancerous ideology, and his political machine is bent upon eliminating his opponents. One of them is Ballard Whitmore, a graduate of Brigham Young University who was imprisoned on trumped-up sexual misconduct charges. Whitmore and female reporter Sandy Duckworthy, the only person who believes his story, risk their lives in their quest for his exoneration and the downfall of President Layton Stolz.
The Fire Thief by Debra Bokur
The Fire Thief, the first in the Dark Paradise Mystery series by Debra Bokur, launched on May 26, to strong reviews both Publisher’s Weekly and Criminal Elements.
Set in Hawaii, the series features Detective Kali Māhoe, who uses her knowledge of Hawaiian spiritual traditions and legends to solve crimes that often have links to the lore of the islands.
WINTER COUNTS by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s debut novel, Winter Counts, has been released by Ecco/HarperCollins. The book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was noted as one of the best books of the summer by USA Today, Buzzfeed, and CrimeReads.
Gone to Darkness by Barbara Nickless
In Gone to Darkness, the fourth Sydney Rose Parnell book from Barbara Nickless, newly minted homicide detective Sydney Parnell faces a savage killer whose endgame is to capture her. And keep her.
Iraqi war vet and former railway cop Sydney Parnell is now the youngest homicide detective in Denver’s Major Crimes Unit. In the past, gut instinct has served her and her K9 partner well. But it’s not a trait Len Bandoni, her old nemesis turned reluctant mentor, admires. Not until Sydney’s instincts lead to their first case: a man tortured and beaten to death, then left in a refrigerated train car with cryptic messages carved into his body.
As Sydney, her K9 partner Clyde, and Bandoni investigate the grisly murder, the three develop a bond that carries them through a shocking series of crimes and a horrifying conspiracy that threatens the detectives’ lives and promises to bring their beloved city to its knees.
The Study of Secrets
The Study of Secrets, Cynthia Kuhn’s fifth Lila Maclean Academic Mystery, has been released by Henery Press.
There could be nowhere more fitting for English professor Lila Maclean to spend her sabbatical than in a proper Victorian mansion. The whimsical Callahan House seems to have materialized from the pages of the mystery novels she is researching, with its enchanting towers, cozy nooks, and charming library. Unfortunately, it also features a body in the study.
Residents of Larkston have long believed that the Callahan family is cursed—the murder on the estate sets the town buzzing. Wild rumors are fueled by a gossipy blogger who delights in speculation, and further crimes only intensify the whispers and suspicions. A newly discovered manuscript, however, appears to expose startling facts beneath the fictions. When Lila steps in to sort the truth from the lies, it may cost her everything, as someone wants to make dead certain that their secrets stay hidden.
“In The Study of Secrets, award-winning author Cynthia Kuhn once again offers mystery lovers what they crave most: a smart, thoughtful, and fiercely-determined heroine; an intriguing puzzle; an idyllic setting, and a cast of suspects worthy of Agatha Christie–with a charming side of humor.” — Lisa Q. Mathews, author of The Ladies Smythe & Westin Mysteries
For more information on the Lila Maclean Academic Mysteries, please visit cynthiakuhn.net.
New Installment of Scott Graham’s National Park Mystery Series
Mesa Verde Victim, the sixth installment in Scott Graham’s National Park Mystery Series has been released by Torrey House Press. Kirkus Reviews calls Mesa Verde Victim, “An expert look at the great outdoors seamlessly incorporated with a focus on the hero’s family,” while Publishers Weekly says, “Agreeable characters are enhanced by beautiful landscape descriptions and intriguing local lore.” More information at http://www.scottfranklingraham.com/.
Eight Weeks to a Complete Novel
Becky Clark’s Eight Weeks to a Complete Novel: Write Faster, Write Better, Be More Organized debuted in March as a #1 Release in the Fiction Writing Reference category on Amazon. If you’ve ever wanted to speed up your writing and devise your own reliable system to get you from the premise to THE END, this may be the book for you.
The Burn Patient by Sue Hinkin
The Burn Patient by Sue Hinkin, the 3rd book in the Middleton and Vega thriller series, debuted on April 1st. Now available wherever books are sold online. See more at www.suehinkin.com.
Catherine O’Connell’s First Tracks
Ski patroller Greta Westerlind wakes up in the hospital after surviving and avalanche that took her friend’s life. With no memory of the incident, she sets out to learn why they were skiing such dangerous terrain in the first place and finds a darker side of Aspen come into play.
Catch Me In Lisbon by Douglas Grant Johnson
In the golden age of the movies, Ben and Lina are two talented people who stand ready to achieve their life’s dreams. But there’s a bully whose own ambition stands in the way. And he’ll try to stop them . . . one way or another.
5th installment in Pauline Baird Jones’ Big Uneasy Series
The fifth installment in the Big Uneasy Series, Fais Do Do Die, was released January 21, 2020.
He kicks down doors, and she serves hors d’oeuvres. And the Big Uneasy delivers them both a huge helping of high stakes danger—plus a chance at romance.
9th book in Terry Odell’s Mapleton Mystery series
Deadly Fun pits Gordon Hepler against a cat-and-mouse killer.
Someone is playing a game with Mapleton’s Chief of Police … and it’s deadly.
For Mapleton Police Chief Gordon Hepler, life has become predictably boring—despite being a newlywed. Being a husband is great. Dealing with nothing but parking violations, speeders, and the occasional disorderly complaint is monotonous. Gordon wonders if he’s been so busy dealing with “Chief Stuff” that he’s lost his edge as a street cop. Especially when his biggest challenges are handling the penny-pinching mayor and deciding what goes into the station’s vending machines. A few anonymous prank letters are about the only ‘non-normal’ things to hit his desk, and even those pose no apparent threat.
When a tragic car accident kills a friend, Gordon soon learns it was no accident. Determined this is the case meant to pull him out of his workplace rut, Gordon delves into the investigation. He and his colleagues uncover a string of similar murders all across the country over the last 20-odd years. Then, going through a victim’s personal effects, Gordon discovers the same type of anonymous letters that he’s been receiving. Now it’s a race against the clock to find the killer before another victim is chosen.
Or is Gordon the next casualty on the killer’s list?
Kate Lansing’s Latest Releases in May
COVER REVEAL : Coming May 26, 2020 from Berkley
A young winery owner won’t let one sour grape ruin the bunch in the first installment of this exciting cozy mystery series.
Parker Valentine has always dreamed of opening her own winery in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado. But she gets more than she bargained for when a food and wine critic unexpectedly shows up at Vino Valentine on opening day. A negative review could be fatal for her business, and not only does he seem to hate her chardonnay, he also collapses and dies shortly after drinking it.
Although Parker hoped that the attendees would put a cork in it, soon her winery is at the center of a social media firestorm. With #killerchardonnay trending online, Parker’s business is in danger of closing, and she has no choice but to investigate the murder herself.
To restore her reputation, catch a killer, and keep her struggling business open, Parker needs only one thing: some good proof.
Pat Wood’s Latest Releases in December
Murder at the Petroglyphs (set in Albuquerque, NM) will be released sometime in December. At that time it will be available on Amazon and through order from bookstores. The book is published by Aakenbaaken & Kent. The Ancient Ones walk among the sacred rocks at Petroglyphs National Monument. But are they responsible for the body discovered there one night during the full moon?
Multiple jurisdictions of law enforcement are at a loss to find the identity of the dead man. The FBI, National Park Service, and Albuquerque Police wait for answers from the Office of the Medical Examiner (OMI), but they’re stupid too. The CIA, lurking in the background, seems no better at finding solutions.
Enter Harrie McKinsey, a dreamer of prophetic reams, wife of FBI agent DJ Scott, co-owner of Southwest Editing Services, and the consistent fly-in-the-ointment for all the above. But Harrie’s dreams always lead to answers, so what’s a law enforcement agency to do?
Join the guessing game to solve Murder at the Petroglyphs. Will Harrie come through again, or will this be her last hurrah?
Amanda Bradley’s First Release
Writing as Eliza Casey, the first novel in her new Edwardian mystery series, Lady Takes the Case, releases November 26, 2019.When a dinner party turns deadly, the feisty Lady Cecilia Bates and intuitive cat Jack are on the case, in this first entry to an exciting new historical-mystery series. Released November 26 by Berkley
England 1912. Danby Hall is the only home Lady Cecilia Bates has ever known. Despite the rigid rules of etiquette and her mother the Countess of Avebury’s fervent desire to see her married off, Lady Cecilia can’t imagine life anywhere else. But now, with an agricultural depression sweeping the countryside, the Bates family’s possession of the hall is suddenly in peril.
A possible solution arrives in the form of the imperious American heiress Annabel Clarke. The Earl and Countess of Avebury are determined that Cecilia’s brother, Patrick, will win Annabel’s hand in marriage—and her fortune along with it. To help the lackluster Patrick in this pursuit, the Bates and their staff arrange a grand house party upon the heiress’s arrival.
When a guest dies after sipping from a glass meant for Annabel, it’s clear the Bates have a more poisonous problem on their hands than a lack of chemistry. As the scandal seizes Danby, Cecilia sets out to find the culprit, with help from Annabel’s maid, Jane, and Jane’s curiously intelligent cat, Jack.
After the poison that someone had stashed away inside the manor is discovered, Cecilia is left with two possibilities: Either a resident of Danby snapped and tried to kill the arrogant heiress, or the threat is coming from one of their guests, who would love to see the Bates family’s decline become permanent.
New Release: Lethal Fetish
Lethal Fetish, the third in Jeff Lockwood’s mystery series is now available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Pen-L Books. In this twisted tale, Riley the exterminator is thrust in the kinky corners of 1980s San Francisco. This ex-cop’s
journey begins at a bizarre death scene with flea-collared, naked corpses. Following a twisted track through sex shops and six-legged playmates, Riley is soon over his head in terms of the human mind. He joins forces with a brilliant, beautiful psychologist to track a chain of blackmail and extortion into the depths of the human psyche. Riley must infiltrate a secret cell devoted to a bizarre fetish involving insects which has been driven underground by a holier-than-thou district attorney. The group’s charismatic leader is building toward grisly murder to consummate their deviant desires. A gruesome climax is coming, unless Riley and his trusted gang of misfits from Goat Hill Extermination can achieve homicide interruptus.
New Release: Burning Candles
Burning Candles, by Sue Star and Bill Beatty
An American woman hides from her past by running to Brazil, only to find that the Brazilian cop she’s married has secrets far darker than hers. She struggles with her new identity and a culture of cults and illegal abortions, while a series of murders link her new husband’s secrets to hers. Will she become the next victim?
New Release: Black Pearl
Donnell Bell is pleased to announce that Black Pearl, is available for preorder and will be released on November 8, 2019. Black Pearl takes place in all of her favorite places, Denver, Colorado Springs and Montrose, and is the first in a series.
A cold case heats up when a 9-1-1 call puts police at a Denver murder scene pointing investigators to the abduction of a Colorado teenager fourteen years before. The connection? A calling card—a single black pearl—is found on the newest victim. Is the murder a copycat? Or has a twisted serial killer, thought dead or in prison, returned to kill again?
The hunt for a multi-state killer is on and brings together an unexpected team: a Denver Major Crimes police lieutenant; an FBI special agent who investigated the previous murders, a rookie FBI agent with a specialty in psychology; and the only living victim of the Black Pearl Killer is now a cop.
For Special Agent Brian DiPietro, the case is an opportunity to find answers. For Officer Allison Shannon, the case will force her to face down the town that blamed her for surviving when another did not. And for both DiPietro and Shannon, it’s a chance to find closure to questions that have tormented them both for years. www.donnellannbell.com
New Release: Tracking Game
Margaret Mizushima is thrilled to announce the November 12th release of Tracking Game, her fifth Timber Creek K-9 mystery. Library Reads named Tracking Game a Top Pick for November 2019, and Booklist said this about it: “Whether one likes stories about conflict or relationships, there’s something for everybody in Mizushima’s fine novel.” Tracking Game can be found wherever books are sold.New Release: The Blue Pearl
The Blue Pearl by L.J. Martin will be released on 10/23/19.New Release: Crossing the Chicken
The fifth and latest mystery in the Jake Diamond series by J.L. Abramo, Crossing the Chicken, has hit the shelves.
Robert D. Hughes’ New Release Dirty Money
Robert D. Hughes’ latest novel, Dirty Money, was released August 8th. This is the second in the Brian and Darcy McKay series of thrillers. College student Darcy and her uncle, ex-FBI agent Brian, risk their lives as they investigate the murder of Darcy’s boyfriend in the office of a corrupt Chicago mega-company. A string of killings by a greedy and twisted cabal of corporate gangsters at Belcoe, Inc ensues. The McKays follow the evidence to Belcoe’s spectacular Montana ranch, where they face off against a squad of goons, a homicidal cop, a malevolent corporate bigwig and a runaway arson fire.
Lise McClendon’s New Release A Bolt from the Blue
Lise McClendon announced the launch of the ninth installment in her Bennett Sisters Mystery series, A Bolt from the Blue, on August 1. The book takes the sisters back to Paris and southwest France when one sister, Francie, tags along with her boyfriend to help him with a difficult client. Axelle Fourcier left France after the student protests of 1968, vowing never to return. She made a life for herself as a professor in the US. But now a beloved aunt has died and she must return to deal with the inheritance shared with a cousin she never knew. A Belle Époque apartment full of priceless artworks is just the start of the intrigue. Available in e-book or paperback (audiobook coming soon.) Read more at lisemcclendon.com
Lise will be talking about mysteries and more at this year’s Montana Book Festival in Missoula, on Sunday, September 15. Check the schedule.
Michael McBride’s New Release The Extinction Agenda
Writing under the pen name Michael Laurence, Michael McBride’s debut novel, The Extinction Agenda (St. Martin’s Press), hits shelves on September 3. The Tattered Cover LoDo will be hosting a launch party/signing that evening at 7 p.m.
Terry Odell’s New Release Remaking Morgan
Terry Odell is releasing Remaking Morgan, Book 6 in her Pine Hills Police series.
There’s no escaping your past, no matter how deep you try to bury it.
Morgan has spent years trying to bury her past. When she inherits a house in Oregon, she packs up to start a new life.
Cole became a cop after losing his childhood sweetheart to violence. When Morgan reveals a threatening message, Cole is eager to help. When she’s in danger, can he be the cop he set out to be?
The digital format is available for pre-order now, and drops on Sept. 24th. Terry is sharing a portion of the royalties with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
New Release from Cynthia Kuhn
Cynthia Kuhn’s The Subject of Malice (Lila Maclean Academic Mystery #4, Henery Press) releases July 23, 2019. The organizers have rustled up plenty of surprises for a literary conference at Tattered Star Ranch. But the murder of an influential scholar wasn’t on the program—someone has clearly taken the theme of Malice in the Mountains to heart. This shocking crime is only the beginning: other dangers and deceptions are soon revealed. English professor Lila Maclean has a full agenda: she must convince a press to publish her book (possibly), ace her panel presentations (hopefully), and deal with her nemesis (regrettably). However, when Detective Lex Archer requests Lila’s academic expertise, she agrees to consult on the case. While her contributions earn high marks from her partner, it could be too late; the killer is already taking aim at the next subject. As Lila races to keep her colleagues alive, publish or perish takes on new meaning.
New Release from Leslie Budewitz
Leslie Budewitz’s latest novel, CHAI ANOTHER DAY, the fourth Spice Shop Mystery (Seventh St. Books) was released on June 11. When Seattle Spice Shop owner Pepper Reece overhears an argument in an antique shop, she finds herself drawn into a murder that could implicate an old enemy, or ensnare a new friend.
Catherine Dilts New Release
Catherine Dilts is pleased to announce the February 28 release of her novel Survive Or Die, from Encircle Publications. “You think you’re gonna Survive, but you’re gonna Die. Die. Die.” The owner of a dysfunctional company arranges a mandatory team-building exercise at the Survive or Die survivalist camp, once the setting for a defunct reality TV show. When he receives a death threat, what surprises employees is not that someone wants their lecherous, hard-drinking boss dead. The surprise is that he’s not the first casualty. This humorous amateur sleuth mystery is available online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and directly from the publisher at http://encirclepub.com/, from Encircle Publications.
Terry Odell New Releases
Terry Odell released The Mapleton Mystery Novellas, including the IDA Award–winning Deadly Engagement. She’s also revealing the cover of her ninth Blackthorne, Inc. novel, Personal Assessment, due out in April.
Francine Mathews New Release
Francine Mathews’s latest book, That Churchill Woman, pubs January 29 under her Stephanie Barron author name. It’s historical fiction (not suspense) about Winston Churchill’s American mother, Jennie Jerome, from Ballantine.
New Release from Ausma Zehanat Khan
A Deadly Divide, Ausma Zehanat Khan’s fifth Esa Khattak/Rachel Getty mystery, will be published on February 12. Detectives Khattak and Getty travel to Quebec to investigate a mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec.
New Release: THE SPIRIT IN QUESTION by Cynthia Kuhn
English professor Lila Maclean knew drama would be involved when she agreed to consult on Stonedale University’s production of Puzzled: The Musical. But she didn’t expect to find herself cast into such chaos: the incomprehensible play is a disaster, the crumbling theater appears to be haunted, and, before long, murder takes center stage.
The show must go on—yet as they speed toward opening night, it becomes clear that other members of the company may be targeted as well. Lila searches for answers while contending with a tenacious historical society, an eccentric playwright, an unsettling psychic, an enigmatic apparition, and a paranormal search squad. With all of this in play, will she be able to identify who killed her colleague…or will it soon be curtains for Lila too?
New Release: Burning Ridge by Margaret Mizushima
Margaret Mizushima is pleased to announce the Sept. 11 release of Burning Ridge, the fourth episode in her Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series. Colorado’s Redstone Ridge is a place of extraordinary beauty, but this rugged mountain wilderness harbors a horrifying secret. When a charred body is discovered in a shallow grave, officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are called in to spearhead the investigation. But this is no ordinary crime—and they soon become the targets of a ruthless killer.
Burning Ridge is available at bookstores and on most online booksellers.
New Release: American History by J.L. Abramo
American History, a novel by Shamus Award-winning author J.L. Abramo, will be released by Down & Out Books on Sept. 3, 2018. Join Joe at the Mercury Café, 2199 California Street, Denver, on Sept. 19 for a launch reception beginning at 6 PM, followed by readings from the new book at 7 PM, and book signing. Food and drink available for sale at the venue.
Launch Event: Manuel Ramos and Mark Stevens
Manuel Ramos and Mark Stevens are teaming up to launch their new books on Monday, Oct. 22 at The Tattered Cover (Colfax store). The event begins at 7 p.m. Ramos’ new book is The Golden Havana 
Night—A Sherlock Homie Mystery.
Stevens’ novel, the fifth in The Allison Coil Mystery Series, is The Melancholy Howl. Ramos’s protagonist Gus Corral travels to Cuba and samples the local rum as he digs into a case and Allison Coil
has always been known to savor tequila around her Flat Tops Wilderness campfires. Thus, “Rum & Tequila.” Kirkus Reviews raved about both titles. In The Golden Havana Night: “The Cuba sequences
are gripping and it’s hard to resist (this) hero.” Of The Melancholy Howl: “The brisk narrative is bolstered by stellar dialogue … A smart and indelible crime tale with skillfully interwoven storylines.”
Murder on the Fly: A Riley the Exterminator Mystery by Jeffrey Alan Lockwood
“If you read only one entomological mystery this year . . . I’m not kidding. CV Riley is one part Sam Spade and one part Orkin Man and in Poisoned Justice, he makes things interesting for his adversaries—be they eight, six, or two-legged.” -Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries
The body of a gay cop who committed suicide, a radical commune in the hills above Berkeley, and a pest outbreak that will cost California $10 billion if not controlled would be sufficient problems by themselves. But the maggots don’t match the policeman’s time of death, the hippies aren’t as peaceful as they claim, and the Medfly is spreading faster than it can move on its own.
Knowing that police detective-turned-exterminator Riley has what is needed—knowledge of both two- and six-legged vermin—an old flame draws him into a perilous search for the mastermind behind the most devastating insect outbreak in the nation’s history. Riley must determine whether the Medfly infestation is the work of a government insider or a radical environmentalist.
As crops are reduced to worm-infested mush, Riley and his loyal crew at Goat Hill Extermination zero in on the perpetrators of gruesome murder, brutal kidnapping, and economic devastation.
But it’s revenge, not money, that has bullets drawing blood and wasps delivering venom in a battle to determine who lives and who dies. Between romance reigniting and terrorism smoldering, Riley knows he’s likely to get burned.
THE ART OF VANISHING (Lila Maclean Academic Mystery #2)
“A terrific plot—with a surprise around every corner.” — Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author of Say No More
When Professor Lila Maclean is sent to interview celebrated author and notorious cad Damon Von Tussel, he disappears before her very eyes. The English department is thrown into chaos by the news, as Damon is supposed to headline Stonedale University’s upcoming Arts Week.
The chancellor makes it clear that he expects Lila to locate the writer and set events back on track immediately. But someone appears to have a different plan: strange warnings are received, valuable items go missing, and a series of dangerous incidents threaten the lives of Stonedale’s guests. After her beloved mother, who happens to be Damon’s ex, rushes onto campus and into harm’s way, Lila has even more reason to bring the culprit to light before anything—or anyone—else vanishes.
WILD LIVES
WILD LIVES by Laurie Robinson and Janie Chodosh
“A children’s-zoo veterinarian who became an advocate for the world’s dwindling cheetah population. An intrepid Indian scientist who confronted the dangerous scourge of elephant poaching. A pioneering female biologist who became the world’s leading expert on giraffes…With the world facing an unprecedented spate of species extinction, the survival of iconic wildlife, such as the polar bear and such lesser-known creatures as Israel’s long-billed hoopoe, is often up to courageous individuals who commit to their passion and sacrifice their comfort so that the planet maintains a healthy biodiversity. Thanks to the environmentally committed interviewers Robinson and Chodosh, 20 conservationists succinctly tell their stories in this illuminating volume that may well inspire readers to take up the cause.”
-BOOKLIST
(Skyhorse Press)
“ …Wild Lives is so desperately important. The people in this book are united by their belief that it is not too late to turn things around. You will be inspired by their stories. You will realize that there is hope for the future if we join the fight, if each of us does our bit.” – Dr. Jane Goodall
WILD LIVES is available on Amazon, IndieBound, Barnes & Noble and at many local bookstores.
RED SKY
Coming June 13: RED SKY by Chris Goff
RED SKY, the second in Chris Goff’s thriller series, hits the stands with a launch signing at Tattered Cover-Colfax, Thursday, June 15 at 7 pm, followed by a signing at Hearthfire Books in Evergreen, Thursday June 22 at 5:30 p.m. In RED SKY, U.S. Diplomatic Security Service Agent Raisa Jordan is sent to investigate when People’s Republic Flight 91 crashes in northeastern Ukraine with a U.S. diplomatic agent on board. It quickly becomes apparent that the plane was intentionally downed, but why? As international relations crumble and more lives hang in the balance, Jordan races to stop a new Cold War. “Breathtaking suspense, do not miss Red Sky,” says Catherine Coulter, NYT bestselling author of The Devil’s Triangle, while Booklist recommends you “give this to readers who like Matthew Palmer’s blend of diplomacy and thrills.” RED SKY is now available to Pre-Order at Tattered Cover, Hearthfire Books or on Amazon.
RED SKY, Book #2 in the Raisa Jordan Thriller Series COMING June 13, 2017 from Crooked Lane Books
The Art of Vanishing
February 2017
Cynthia Kuhn
Code Red
February 2017
Janie Chodosh
Revelation
December 2016
Carter Wilson
USA Today best-selling author Carter Wilson’s fourth thriller, Revelation, will be releasing in hardcover and e-book on December 13 (Oceanview). Revelation received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who called it an “enthralling thriller,” adding “Wilson infuses his terrifying plot with intricate twists and turns, all totally credible.” Earlier this year, Carter’s third title, The Comfort of Black, won the Colorado Book Award. A short description of Revelation:
When Harden Campbell wakes cold and beaten in a dirt-floor cell, he finds only three other things in the room with him: the mutilated body of his good friend, an ancient typewriter, and a stack of blank paper, the top sheet of which has a single, typed sentence.
Tell me a story.
He knows the message is from Coyote, his brilliant, megalomaniacal roommate whose lust for power and reverence has recently revealed him for the true sociopath he is. Now, as the founder of a new religion with disturbing roots―Revelation―Coyote’s most evil side has emerged. From the moment Harden sees that stack of paper, he knows his one chance of escape is through his own words, and only his ability to successfully recount the dark story of what happened over the past year at Wyland University will determine whether he lives to see the woman he loves once again―or is silenced forever.
This will be the most difficult story Harden has ever written, and each word must be chosen with the utmost care. Because Coyote will be reading each and every one of them.
Stone Cold Blooded
When rock shop owner Morgan Iverson’s reclusive neighbor is blown to bits, she doesn’t believe his violent demise was accidental. Her hunt for clues collides with an invasion of alien hunters, and the heated campaign for a small town city council seat. Adding to the stress, Adelaide the aging donkey has still not given birth to her foal. In this return to the small Colorado mountain town of Golden Springs, a Triceratops brow horn may hold the key to solving a prospector’s Stone Cold Blooded death.
Stone Cold Blooded, book three in the Rock Shop Mystery series by Catherine Dilts, is the debut novel for new publisher Encircle Publications.
Blood on the Tracks
October 2016
Barbara Nickless
A young woman is found brutally murdered, and the main suspect is the victim’s fiancé, a hideously scarred Iraq War vet known as the Burned Man. But railroad police Special Agent Sydney Rose Parnell, brought in by the Denver Major Crimes unit to help investigate, can’t shake the feeling that larger forces are behind this apparent crime of passion.
In the depths of an icy winter, Parnell and her K9 partner, Clyde―both haunted by their time in Iraq―descend into the underground world of a savage gang of rail riders. There, they uncover a wide-reaching conspiracy and a series of shocking crimes. Crimes that threaten everything Parnell holds dear.
As the search for the truth puts her directly in the path of the killer, Parnell must struggle with a deadly question: Can she fight monsters without becoming one herself?
The Homeplace
September 2016
Kevin Wolf
The newest winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize (for best debut mystery set in the Southwest) is a gripping crime story set in the wide open spaces of Colorado. THE HOMEPLACE by Kevin Wolf introduces readers to Chase Ford, a man returning, under an ominous cloud, to the town where he was born. Ford left Comanche County in Colorado when the NBA offered him a contract and a shot at sports stardom. But a host of problems including a bad knee put an end to that dream. Now Ford has come home. His friends are right there waiting for him. And so are his enemies.
Around the same time that Ford returns, the police discover a field in which four bison have been shot—along with Jimmy Riley, the town’s greatest high school basketball star since Chase’s heyday. And when another death is discovered—one that also shares unsettling connections to him—attention turns towards Chase, causing him to wonder just what he came home to.
Stalking Ground
September 2016
Margaret Mizushima
Stalking Ground: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery is scheduled for release via Crooked Lane Books on September 13, 2016. This second book in the series features Deputy Mattie Cobb, her dog Robo, and Cole Walker, DVM, as they investigate what happened to Deputy Ken Brody’s missing sweetheart; but the hunters become the hunted when they find themselves caught in a killer’s stalking ground. “Mizushima’s sophomore outing proves that her acclaimed series debut, Killing Trail, was no fluke…dog lovers will want to read this thriller.” – Library Journal
FAKE
May 2016
Twist Phelan
Twist Phelan’s new series just launched: Finn Teller Corporate Spy mysteries. FAKE was released in May, EXIT in June, and DOUBT in July, with two more titles coming in August and September.
Have you ever thought about buying a counterfeit product? Maybe a watch or a handbag for fun? After you read FAKE, the first book featuring Finn Teller, corporate spy, you’ll think again.
An assignment with a Milan fashion house leads Finn to an undercover investigation of a train wreck in Croatia—scene of her most tragic professional mistake and home to terrorists still out for revenge. The hunter becomes the hunted and the stakes skyrocket as Finn must win a race against the clock to stop the spread of a deadly African pandemic and escape with her life. FAKE is a page-turning mystery that will keep you guessing up to the end.
A Parliament of Owls
May 2016
Christine Goff
In A Parliament of Owls, US Fish & Wildlife Agent Angela Dimato discovers a murdered soccer mom sprawled among the prairie dog mounds on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal national wildlife refuge. With trademarked instinct, Angela digs toward the truth. But when the investigation takes a sinister twist, putting more lives at stake, Angela finds she must turn to the case’s only eyewitness—a burrowing owl—for answers. Available for Pre-Order at Tattered Cover Book Store, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and IndieBound
“You don’t need to be a bird lover to fall in love with Christine Goff’s charming Birdwatcher’s Mysteries.” — Tony Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author of the Navajo mysteries series.
Perfect Liars
May 2016
Kimberly Reid
Andrea Faraday is junior class valedictorian at the exclusive Woodruff School, where she was voted Most Likely to Do Everything Right. But looks can be deceiving. When her parents disappear, her life—and her Perfect Girl charade—begins to crumble, and her scheme to put things right just takes the situation from bad to so much worse.
“Reid presents an introspective, morally complex protagonist in Drea as well as an effortlessly diverse supporting cast. Gripping, suspenseful, and refreshingly diverse.” Kirkus starred review
The Semester of Our Discontent
April 2016
Cynthia Kuhn
English professor Lila Maclean is thrilled about her new job at prestigious Stonedale University until she finds one of her colleagues dead. She soon learns that everyone, from the chancellor to the detective working the case, believes Lila—or someone she is protecting—may be responsible for the horrific event, so she assigns herself the task of identifying the killer. More attacks on professors follow, the only connection a curious symbol found at each of the crime scenes. Putting her scholarly skills to the test, Lila gathers evidence, but her search is complicated by an unexpected nemesis, a suspicious investigator, and an ominous secret society. Rather than earning an “A” for effort, she receives a threat featuring the mysterious emblem and must act quickly to avoid failing her assignment…and becoming the next victim.
In Hot Water
Forensic Plant Science
Jane H. Bock and David O. Norris
Forensic Plant Science by Jane H. Bock and David O. Norris (Academic Press (Elsevier) in San Diego) was released in January. It covers the materials suggested by the title with particular emphasis on the uses of plant anatomy, plant taxonomy, and plant ecology in homicide investigations through experience in depositions, and courtroom testimony by both Bock and Norris. Bock and Norris are both retired professors from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and have participated in homicide investigations for over three decades. Both are Fellows of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. www.Jhbock.com
Brooklyn Justice
Released February 29
J.L. Abramo
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Brooklyn Justice, the new work by J.L. Abramo, was be released in trade paperback and eBook from Down&Out Books on February 29. http://amzn.to/1Or8GpP
Murder by Kindness: The Gift Quilt
Released February 2016
By Barbara Graham
The seventh book in Barbara Graham’s “Quilted Mystery” series from Five Star/Cengage has a new release date of February 17. Murder by Kindness: The Gift Quilt features Tennessee Sheriff Tony Abernathy and his wife, Theo, a quiltmaker.
Daisies for Innocence
Released January 5, 2016
By Bailey Cattrell
The first Enchanted Garden Mystery, Daisies For Innocence by Bailey Cattrell (aka Bailey Cates) will release on January 5, 2016. It features Elliana Allbright, whose life has blossomed in Poppyville, California, since she opened Scents & Nonsense, a perfume and aromatherapy shop. Her skills with aromas and botanical essences — some from her own garden behind the store — seem almost supernatural. Her perfumes can evoke emotions, bring about change, or simply make people happy. But she smells trouble when she learns her assistant, Josie, is dating her ex. Before she can tell the young woman to beware of his charms, she finds Josie dead. Now the prime suspect in Josie’s murder, Ellie must search for the real culprit in Josie’s past — because it’ll take a miracle to nip this problem in the bud… The book will be available in paperback, all ebook formats, and audio.
After Love
Released January 2016
By Kathy Clark
Killing Trail: A Timber Creek K9 Mystery
Released December 2015
By Margaret Mizushima
When a young girl is found dead in the mountains outside Timber Creek, lifelong resident Officer Mattie Cobb and her partner, K9 police dog Robo, are assigned to the case that has rocked the small Colorado town. With the help of Cole Walker, local veterinarian and single father, Mattie and Robo must track down the truth before another victim dies.
Mistletoe and Murder in Las Vegas
Released December 2016
By Colleen Collins
Mistletoe and Murder in Las Vegas
, a romantic mystery by Colleen Collins, is available in ebook and print. Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018TOPMZQ
Tom & Lucky (and George & Cokey Flo)
Releases November 2015
by C. Joseph Greaves
A gripping novelization of gangster Lucky Luciano’s controversial 1936 vice trial. (Bloomsbury, Nov 2015)
The year is 1936. Charles “Lucky” Luciano is the most powerful gangster in America. Thomas E. Dewey is an ambitious young prosecutor hired to bring him down, and Cokey Flo Brown — grifter, heroin addict, and sometimes prostitute — is the witness who claims she can do it. Only a wily defense attorney named George Morton Levy stands between Lucky and a life behind bars, between Dewey and the New York governor’s mansion. read more…
Dark Waters
Releases September 2015
by Chris Goff
First in a new international thriller series. Raisa “Rae” Jordan, an agent for the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, isn’t in Israel for more than a day before her predecessor is gunned down in a Tel Aviv square by a sniper. Assigned to investigate the assassination of one of her own, she must also protect Judge Ben Taylor and his teenage daughter. They may be the sniper’s next target and are most certainly being threatened by a desperate cadre of terrorists with their sights set on the Secretary of State’s upcoming visit. But is an attack on the Secretary of State all that they have planned or is that just the beginning? read more…
Lake of Fire
Releases September 2015
By Mark Stevens
The fourth in the Allison Coil Mystery series. A giant wildfire is roaring through Colorado’s Flat Tops Wilderness. The massive blaze is wiping out Allison Coil’s precious hunting grounds, and the flames have set their sights on the beautiful ranch owned by her boyfriend’s family.
Allison and longtime friend Trudy are shocked to learn that a body has been found in the fire ravaged forest read more…
Doug Johnson: Catch Me in Rio and The Moriarty Card
Doug Johnson’s novel CATCH ME IN RIO and pastiche novella THE MORIARTY CARD are just out, only at Amazon for now.
Brief descriptions: Ben Maxx, a young man with a dream in the Golden Age of Hollywood, travels to Rio to make a travelogue about this tropical paradise. Before he can do that, he must solve the murder of his cameraman, and the disappearance of a new Brazilian friend. Not to mention what to do about the mysterious English girl he met on the way. Or how to sort out a few spirits from another world. read more…
Circling the Runway
Releases April 2015
by J. L. Abramo
Private Investigator Jacob Diamond and San Francisco Detective Sergeant Roxton Johnson are famous for not getting along. Cats and dogs. Oil and water. Liston and Ali. Jake and Rocky.
When an assistant district attorney is murdered in his high-rise apartment building, and Johnson suspects his lieutenant may have something to do with it, he can think of no one else to turn to for help—no one he can trust—except Jake Diamond. read more…
The Skull of Pancho Villa and Other Stories
Releases April 2015
By Manuel Ramos
Legend has it that Pancho Villa’s grave was robbed and his head stolen in 1926. A gringo is credited with the theft, but Gus Corral s great-grandfather was there too. As often happens to Chicanos, his role was given short shrift. But the Corral family has taken care of the skull for as long as Gus can remember. It s a jolt when Panchito is stolen from his sister s house. It s the only connection to the old-timers of the family, so Gus knows he will have to get to the bottom of the disappearance, even if it means tangling with thieves and thugs.
A variety of characters writers, attorneys, Vietnam vets, cops, soldiers populate these stories in which situations frequently aren t what they seem. An old man knows more about the disappearance of a neighbor than he lets on. A barber is involved in something that brings a ski-mask wearing, gun-toting hoodlum into his shop. And a cop accused of using excessive force hasn t told his family the whole truth. read more…
The Children Didn’t See Anything
Releases March 2015
by Ellen Byerrum
Debut of Ellen’s middle-grade mystery. Meet inquisitive Evangeline, one-half of the precocious twelve-year-old Bresette twins. It’s just another summer for them, swimming, squabbling, and coping with their lawyer parents —until a woman dies at their grandparents’ country club. And Evangeline notices the corpse is missing a pair of diamond earrings.
She launches her own investigation into the alleged earring theft. Her twin brother, Raphael, would prefer to simply go swimming and leave the worrying (and asking nosy questions) to the grown-ups. Meanwhile, the adults (who assume the children didn’t see anything) haven’t got a clue. Evangeline must rely on her wits and her Barbie Doll Crime Scene Reconstruction Team to try to puzzle out the mystery of the missing earrings — and a death no one else believes is suspicious. Her search for justice proves far more dangerous than she expected.
Murder on Sagebrush Lane
Releases March 2015
By Patricia Smith Wood
In this second Harrie McKinsey Mystery, Harrie goes out to retrieve her morning newspaper and she discovers a small child sitting next to her flower beds. The little girl’s pajamas and teddy bear are smeared with blood, and Harrie’s journey to find the child’s parents involves her in a grisly murder investigation. Before the week is over, there’s another murder, an attempted kidnapping, a race to uncover a plot to steal top-secret data, and an encounter with a desperate killer who intends to make Harrie his final victim.
Tattered Legacy
Releases March 2015
By Shannon Baker
The third in the Nora Abbott series. Nora Abbott risks her career at Loving Earth Trust on a film project to convince Congress to expand the Canyonlands National Park. But someone is desperate to keep the secrets of the land hidden. When her best friend and director of the film is found dead, Nora is convinced it wasn’t an accident. Nora’s Hopi kachina messenger has vanished and now it looks as though Cole Huntsman, the man she’s finally allowed herself to love, has left her, too.
Nora Abbott risks her career at Loving Earth Trust on a film project to convince Congress to expand the Canyonlands National Park. But someone is desperate to keep the secrets of the land hidden. When her best friend and director of the film is found dead, Nora is convinced it wasn’t an accident. Nora’s Hopi kachina messenger has vanished and now it looks as though Cole Huntsman, the man she’s finally allowed herself to love, has left her, too.
As Nora uncovers an unlikely intersection of ancient Hopi legends, a secret polygamist sect, and one of the world’s richest men, she is drawn deeper into danger. Her mother’s surprising past holds the key to the clash of cultures, but will Nora put all the pieces together in time to prevent disaster? Set in the iconic red rocks of Moab, Utah, Nora races to discover what really lies beyond the stars.