The winters in Black Harbor, Wisconsin, are unforgiving. Aspiring writer Hazel Greenlee and her husband, Tommy, have moved “down” to Black Harbor for work—which Hazel has found as a transcriber for the Black Harbor Police Department. Every night, she transcribes recorded reports from police officers. The reports cover everything from drug deals to homicides.  In…

Every Last Fear Reading Group Discussion Guide 1. Who was your favorite—and least favorite—member of the Pine family (and why)? 2. The docu-series that focused on Danny Pine’s murder conviction was a national sensation, like Netflix’s Making a Murderer or the Serial podcast. Do you see any problems with the country’s obsession with true crime?…

The third book of the Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series starts out with a scene that could have been ripped from the pages of the very book our titular group of readers is currently enjoying (the very excellent Fogged In by one of my all-time favorite cozy writers, Barbara Ross, coincidentally). Our heroine, Mac…

With the holidays fast approaching, Patricia Cornwell has decided to bestow upon her legion of readers a truly memorable gift: the return of iconic forensic sleuth, Dr. Kay Scarpetta. While the Sherlock Award-winning character hasn’t been heard from since 2016’s Chaos, Cornwell went on to write two bestselling, NASA-inspired thrillers featuring Captain Calli Chase: 2019’s…

Part I The Lock Chapter 1 Tempest Raj tested the smooth, hardwood floor once more. Following the floorboards from the beaten-up steamer trunk with three false bottoms to the window letting in moonlight, she didn’t hear a squeak anywhere. Good. In the dim light, she walked the length of the room once more in her…

Saying goodbye can really suck. Way back in ye olden days of 2017, I wrote a noir novella titled A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps. It featured three central characters: Bill, a sarcastic and luxury-loving conman who wasn’t nearly as smart as he thought he was; Fiona, a hard-driving mob assassin (and Bill’s on-again, off-again…

Chapter 1 The Western Front, near the village of Viéville-sur-Trey, northwest France Mid-July 1918 They came for Reinhardt as he was sleeping, the door crashing open on a confusion of men and voices that snapped him awake. A shadow loomed over him and he lunged for the Mauser atop the chest by his bed, only…

This holiday, enter below for a chance to win these 7 cozy mysteries! Chapter and Curse by Elizabeth Penny Getaway with Murder by Diane Kelly The Cure for What Ales You by Ellie Alexander Petals and Poison by Jess Dylan Down the Hatch by M.C. Beaton Jane Austen’s Lost Letters by Jane K. Cleland The…

I love the ways in which this series has gone deeper into the psyches and relationships of the Ferrara Family it’s named for as it progresses, culminating in this excellent examination of mothers and daughters and what siblings owe one another, all with a murder mystery woven throughout. Murder at the Mistletoe Ball is almost…

Can a parent’s worst nightmare be the result of unintended consequences? Perhaps. Two high school girls go missing one autumn evening after they audition for a play at Boston’s prestigious Performing Arts High School. June Danforth and Tali Carrington are best friends. The last sighting of the pair is on a grainy surveillance tape. Two…