January 2026 list by Bonnie Bradford |
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The Botanist's Assistant
by Peggy Townsend
Plenty of people consider Margaret Finch odd. It's those very same qualities, however, that also turn Margaret into a target after a surprising death shakes the university where she works. Margaret finds herself in the role of detective, unsure if she can find the killer before the killer finds her.
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A Case of Life and Limb
by Sally Smith
All is calm, all is bright...until reluctant sleuth barrister Gabriel Ward is tasked with finding the culprit of yet another grisly crime in the Inner Temple.
Trials of Gabriel Ward series.
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Death and Dinuguan
by Mia P. Manansala
Love is in the air for the citizens of Shady Palms, but Cupid's arrow isn't the only thing striking the town--not with another killer on the loose.
Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series.
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The Devil in Oxford
by Jess Armstrong
An evening exhibition turns out to be more eventful than either of them bargained for when Julius Harker’s body is discovered. Ruby and Ruan will have to uncover the dark secrets of the competitive world of antiquities.
Ruby Vaughn Mystery series.
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From Cradle to Grave
by Rhys Bowen
Lady Georgiana "Georgie" Rannoch is just like any other new mother, balancing the responsibilities of being 34th in line for the British throne and solving the shocking deaths of several young men. All in a day's work!
Royal Spyness Mystery series.
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Gull and Bones
by Sally Goldenbaum
The sugar maples are beginning to turn, and the seasonal visitors have closed up their cottages--one more summer has been thoroughly packed away. But the residents of Sea Harbor have a celebration to look forward to, until a killer calls sudden death.
Seaside Knitters Society series.
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The Hidden City
by Charles Finch
Charles Lenox is convalescing from the violent events of his last investigation. But a desperate letter from an old servant forces him to pick up the trail of a cold case: the murder of an apothecary years before. The only clue: an odd emblem carved into the doorway where the man was killed. Charles Lenox Mystery series.
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Hidden in Memories
by Viveca Sten
On Easter weekend, a guest at a luxury ski lodge in Åre is stabbed to death in her suite. As the murder spreads panic among tourists and Åre residents alike, Detective Inspectors Hanna Ahlander and Daniel Lindskog face a shady staff, a dogged press, and multiple suspects.
The Are Murders series.
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Innocence Road
by Laura Griffin
Detective Leanne Everhart swore she’d never go back to her hometown near Marfa, Texas—but she returns when her brother needs her, only to find a town in need too, still torn apart by a decades-old crime.
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The Ivory City
by Emily Bain Murphy
The St. Louis World’s Fair, 1904: A miniature city of palaces and pavilions that becomes a backdrop for romance, betrayal—and murder. The Devil in the White City meets Pride and Prejudice in this romantic historical murder mystery.
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Murder at Donwell Abbey
by Vanessa Kelly
Emma Knightley (nee Woodhouse), Highbury’s matchmaker-turned-sleuth, vows to outwit a cunning criminal before an innocent man loses his freedom—or Donwell Abbey plunges into a darker mystery...
Emma Knightley Mystery series.
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A Murder in the Making
by Victoria Laurie
Dovey Van Dalen, once the belle of 1840s Copenhagen, is now a spellbound, magic-wielding mystic in present-day Washington, D.C., charged with recovering magical property from the unbound—by any means necessary! Magical Trinket Mystery series.
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Murder Made Her Wicked
by Elizabeth Hobbs
1894, Boston. Penniless heiress and accomplished modern woman Marigold Manners sold the story of the Great Misery Island Murders to earn enough money to resume her academic life. But her carefully laid plans are thrown into disarray when she stumbles across the body of a young woman on campus. Marigold Manners Mystery series.
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Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off
by Amanda Flower
After two decades as a widow, Millie Fisher, Amish matchmaker, quilter, goat tender, and sleuth is now a 60-something newlywed! But when she adds snowbird to her list amid the chill of an Ohio winter, murder finds a way to follow. Amish Matchmaker Mystery series.
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Prowl
by Colleen Coble
When a worker at the Sanctuary is discovered dead in the tiger enclosure, authorities assume the big cat killed her. But the autopsy shows she was killed by a lethal dose of anesthetic. Blake Lawson, co-owner of the Sanctuary, wonders: Is someone trying to run them out of business to get to whatever is under the ground? Sanctuary series.
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The Queen Who Came in from the Cold
by S. J. Bennett
1961, England. The Queen is spending a night on board the royal train with her entourage. But an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from one of the carriages. The Queen and her assistant private secretary get to work on their second joint investigation. Her Majesty The Queen Investigates series.
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Revenge, Served Royal
by Celeste Connally
September, 1815. Autumn is in the air as Lady Petra Forsyth and illustrious members of the ton descend upon Windsor Castle for a week of royal celebrations. Upon arrival Petra encounters a frantic housemaid pointing to the body of one of Her Majesty’s guests. Petra will need to act like a lady...and think like one of Her Majesty’s best spies to find a murderer. Lady Petra Inquires series.
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Vengeance
by John Banville
Two men go sailing off the coast of Ireland. Only one comes back, claiming the other shot himself. But Detective Inspector Hackett and his friend Quirke aren't so sure... Quirke series.
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