Mystery
January 2026

The Queen Who Came in from the Cold
by S.J. Bennett

In 1961 England, Queen Elizabeth II and her private secretary Joan discreetly investigate after a lady-in-waiting claims she saw men disposing of a body on the royal train. Before it's all sorted, the queen travels on the royal yacht around the Mediterranean and helps a Soviet defector. This fun 5th outing for the queen and Joan works for newcomers. Try this next: Allison Montclair's A Royal Affair.
Silent Bones
by Val McDermid

In 2025 Scotland, a motorway landslide unearths the body of investigative journalist Sam Nimmo, who'd gone missing 11 years ago after his girlfriend was murdered. In her compelling 8th outing, DCI Karen Pirie of Police Scotland's Historic Cases Unit digs into the case that has ties to Scottish independence, gambling, and Edinburgh's the Scotsman Steps. Try these next: Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae mysteries; Jane Casey's Maeve Kerrigan novels.
Fever Beach
by Carl Hiaasen

Dale Figgo has been kicked out of the Proud Boys for stupidity (he mistakenly vandalized a Confederate statue), but propped up by a congressman and a couple of billionaires, he aims to make the new far-right Strokers for Liberty a success. Mix in money laundering, child labor, a disgruntled wealth director, a rich social justice warrior, fake dating, and more, and you've got "Hiaasen at his finest" (Publishers Weekly).
How to Seal Your Own Fate
by Kristen Perrin

Annie Adams moves into the English country house she inherited from her great aunt Frances, which also contains Frances' diaries notating village secrets. Fortune teller Peony Lane mysteriously visits Annie, then is found murdered inside the locked home, leading Annie to investigate. This sequel to How to Solve Your Own Murder once again uses dual timelines with parts set in the 1960s. Try this next: Brandy Schillace's The Framed Women of Ardemore House.
A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen Cambridge
A Fashionably French Murder
by Colleen Cambridge

In 1950 Paris, American expat Tabitha Knight and her friend Julia Child, who's a whiz in the kitchen, become involved in a murder case after visiting a fashion house in their evocative 3rd outing. Also investigating? Handsome Inspector Merveille. For a second helping of crime with a French food focus, try Martin Walker's Bruno Courreges mysteries.
A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales
A Terribly Nasty Business
by Julia Seales

Newly arrived in Regency London, ostensibly to enjoy society with her chaperone, Beatrice Steele pursues private detective work alongside her friend Inspector Drake. She quickly adapts to life outside her small village, and when an actor is accused of a gentleman's murder, Beatrice and Drake take the case. This fun cozy is the 2nd in the Beatrice Steele mysteries. Try this next: Alison Goodman's Ill-Mannered Ladies series. 
Blaze Me a Sun by Christoffer Carlsson
Blaze Me a Sun
by Christoffer Carlsson

1986: The Swedish prime minister is assassinated, stunning the country. On the same night, a serial killer murders his first victim, and police detective Sven Jörgensson investigates for years without success. 

2019: Moth, a successful novelist, moves to a small town and connects with Evy, Sven's former police partner and lover, and Vidar, Sven's son who grew up to be a cop. The more Moth learns from them, the more he becomes obsessed with the cold case.

Reviewers say: "The plot unfolds slowly but masterfully...a brainy page-turner from a rising star" (Kirkus Reviews).
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