December 6, 2024
New Fiction
We Three Queens by Rhys Bowen - New mother Lady Georgiana "Georgie" Rannoch finds herself trying to separate fact from fiction when a murder occurs while a film is being made on the grounds of her estate in a new Royal Spyness Mystery from beloved bestselling author Rhys Bowen. It's late 1936, and King Edward is in turmoil, having fallen in love with the scandalously divorced and even more scandalously American Wallis Simpson. He wants to marry her but knows that doing so will jeopardize his crown. Edward confides in his dear friend Darcy, Georgie's husband, and the couple agree to hide Wallis in their home while Edward figures out what to do. But unbeknownst to Georgie and Darcy, Sir Hubert, the owner of the estate, has given a film crew permission to shoot a motion picture about Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn on the grounds. Trying to keep Mrs. Simpson hidden while raising a newborn baby seems like it couldn't be any more stressful for the Rannochs, until one of the stars of the film is found murdered on set. Georgie must solve the murder for king and country before scandal threatens to envelop them all.
The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre – You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed. You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes. Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.
Christmas in Bethel by Richard Paul Evans – Leigh Beth Stilton never liked the holidays. For most people, they’re a time for surprises, festivity, and family…but for Leigh, growing up in an unstable home, losing her unborn child and escaping an abusive marriage, Christmas cheer is reserved for luckier people. Convinced she’s not worth loving, one winter’s eve, she plans to end her life – until she accidentally comes across a book called Bethel. Leigh is unfamiliar with the author, J.D. Harper, but his words seem written just for her. She’s never felt so seen, so undressed, and this connection gives her the hope to carryon. When he comes to town for a book signing, she can’t wait to meet the writer who means so much to her. In an unlikely twist of fate, she garners Harper’s attention, and the two discover an immediate connection. Now, as the holidays grow nearer, Leigh finds herself falling deep and deeper for J.D., until she discovers that there is more to the author than she knows. Do secrets mean the end of them? Or can they find their way back to each other and love again?
The Orphan’s Secret Library by Gylnis Peters – For as long as Alice Carmichael can remember, the only things she’s been able to count on is the written word. The war may have taken everything from her, but the stories she cherishes provide solace and escape into a world that is more hopeful than 1942 England. So when Alice finds herself at the mercy and kindness of strangers, miles from everything she’s ever known, it’s little surprise that books become her purpose. Now, Alice must channel the courage of her favourite heroines to risk everything for her country. Because it’s only in writing her own story that Alice can seize the destiny her beloved books have taught her she deserves.