Now Read This!
SEPTEMBER 2026
 
Our Now Read This! newsletters offer suggestions for your next favorite read, from hidden gems to the latest hot pick. In this issue, you will find a featured book of the month, a special event worth checking out, a curated selection of newly acquired and upcoming mystery titles, and booklists for further reading. Whether you prefer classic whodunnits or spine-chilling thrillers, your friendly BPL Reader Services Librarians have recommendations for every reader.
 
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Book of the Month
The Séance Garden by Juliet Blackwell
The Séance Garden
by Juliet Blackwell

After a cheesy ghost tour in one of California's oldest towns stumbles upon an actual haunting, a skeptical historian of the occult becomes entangled in solving a murder case.
Event Spotlight
Friends of the South Boston Branch Library Book Sale
Saturday, September 19, 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM
South Boston
 
Come and support the Friends of the South Boston Branch Library's Book Sale!
 
Please note that this event will take place during the South Boston Street Fest. The street in front of the library will be closed to buses and traffic. Please call us at 617-268-0180 if you have questions about accessibility. 
 
Paperbacks, hardcovers, and more are available for purchase. 
Cash only.
Donations are accepted during this book sale.
All proceeds to benefit the South Boston Branch Library. 
 
Documentary Club: Cropsey
Saturday, October 17, 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Jamaica Plain
 
Join the Jamaica Plain Branch’s new Documentary Club to watch Cropsey (2009 | Rated R | 1 hour 24 minutes) a spine-tingling exploration of urban legends and what happens when the truth is scarier than fiction. A discussion will follow the film.
 
New and Upcoming Titles
Furious Violet by Sarai Walker
Last Night Was Killer by Mary Pauline Lowry
Mother Daughter Sister Stranger by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Furious Violet
Sarai Walker
 
"A gripping detective story following Violet, a darkly funny and opinionated heroine who knows her way around the world of true crime and can call on a quirky crew of uniquely skilled friends to help."
 
Last Night Was Killer
Mary Pauline Lowry 
 
"Single-mom Tilly gets more than she bargained for after a night out with her new pole-dancing pals. She wakes to a raging hangover, no memory of the evening before, and a dead body in the trunk of her car."
 
Mother Daughter Sister Stranger
Hank Phillippi Ryan
 
"What if your own family history turns out to be a terrifying lie? Every family has its story, and this one's deadly. Two sisters. One secret. And a race against time to find the explosive truth."
 
You Had Me at Bigfoot: Volume 1 by Nancy Campbell Allen
The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon
Poppy Montgomery Gets Even by Gordon Jack
You Had Me at Bigfoot
Nancy Campbell Allen 
 
"Journalist Daphne and photographer Clark investigate a missing maid and rumors of Bigfoot sightings—uncovering danger and buried lies in the Pacific Northwest wilderness."
 
The Cloak and Dagger Club
Jackie McMahon
 
"Inspired by Agatha Christie's real-life Detection Club, a murder among a group of golden-age mystery writers meets a second-chance romance in this debut novel."
 
Poppy Montgomery 
Gets Even
Gordon Jack
 
"When 80-year-old Poppy's friend is scammed on a dating site, she launches a vindictive little caper, scamming those that prey on the elderly online."
 
Traitors by Robert B. McCaw
Blood River Witch by T. J. Martinson
The Wedding Week by Aisha Saeed
Traitors
Robert B. McCaw
 
"As Cooper and his team race to reveal undercover agents in the US government, a Russian coup brings to power a militant extremist regime intent on sidelining the US."
 
Blood River Witch
T.J. Martinson
 
"On Kentucky's Blood River, a Sheriff's Deputy investigates the death of her ex-fiance, whose brutal occultist murder strongly resembles a similar murder decades ago."
 
The Wedding Week
Aisha Saeed
 
"Hena receives a call that her sister is getting married in 48 hours in an eight-day desi wedding with a guest list that eerily mirrors the one for her own failed nuptials."
 
Find Your Next Great Read
Lantern Reads Recommends: 8 of Our Favorite Mystery Detectives
 
In September 2025 we discussed Murder & Mayhem in Boston by Christopher Daley and our ice breaker question was: "Who is your favorite fictional detective?" Here is the list we came up with. Each of these is first in a series, so borrow one today and enjoy the whole series ahead of you!
 
 
 
   

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