Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

Because we went hard on the really scary books on this week’s episode of All the Books!, I thought it would be nice to include something cozier. So here’s the first in a new cozy mystery series! And it’s about food shows, which is my favorite setting in books this year. (So! Many! Food! Show! Books!) Cuban-American Miriam Quinones-Smith becomes the star of a food show when she and her family move from NYC to Miami. But when a socialite dies right in front of Miriam at a luncheon, followed by another suspicious death soon after, her best friend Alma is implicated in the crimes. Miriam is determined to clear Alma’s name, but snooping around trying to find the real killer may be a—wait for it—recipe for disaster. (Related: someone please hire me to write pun titles for cozy mysteries.)

Backlist bump: Death by Dumpling: A Noodle Shop Mystery by Vivien Chien

Vanessa covered the The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021 edition on the show this week, and I would be remiss not to shout out this edition here. Because the line-up of contributors is FIRE. There’s stories from C Pam Zhang, Brandon Hobson, Gabriel Bump, Kevin Wilson, Bryan Washington (related: have you seen the paperback cover of Memorial? UH-MAY-ZING), George Saunders, and more. Not to mention this year’s guest editor, the astounding Jesmyn Ward. I would put this on your gift list right now and get one for yourself, too!

Backlist bump: Everyday People: The Color of Life–a Short Story Anthology edited by Jennifer Baker

And here’s another fabulous book that will make a great gift. The description of this book calls Dumontier and Farber “two of Canada’s most influential contemporary artists.” I am sorry to admit I am not familiar with them, but I did love this book, so I will be sure to watch out for more from them! This is a collection of painted illustrations of books with hand-lettered covers featuring silly and sweet titles. Titles include “I Carved Your Name In a Tree Because I Love You, and I Hate Trees,” “I Wish I Had More Middle Fingers,” “Now Would Be a Good Time for a Joke,” and “Basic Human Confusion.” It’s a charming little art book that is sure to delight readers.

Backlist bump: Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany by Jane Mount

Are you ready to be scared? Well, sorry, you have to wait until March, my bad, I didn’t mean to tease you. But if your answer was ‘yes’ then mark this book down on your TBR now!

In the small town of Claire Lake, Oregon, Shea Collins is a receptionist at a doctor’s office and she also runs a website about cold cases. When Beth Greer, the acquitted suspect in the town’s forty-year-old unsolved Lady Killer case, crosses her path, Shea takes a chance and asks for an interview. And to her surprise, Beth says yes.

But Shea wonders, after decades of isolation in her family’s mansion, why did Beth decide to talk now? As Shea digs deep into the Lady Killer case, interviewing key players and researching old files, she learns some startling things. Readers are treated to alternating chapters set in the past, during the events of the case, where we learn about Beth and her arrest. And on top of that, we know that Shea also has a secret of her own she is hiding from everyone—she was abducted when she was nine, but managed to escape (it’s not a spoiler, it’s in the book’s description). Is her desperate need to get to the bottom of cold cases a way for her to avoid dealing with her own past? And is spending all her free time immersed in crime cases really helping her?

I loved this book! First off, it’s HELLA scary. I was not expecting that, but yep, I found myself reading it in the middle of the night with all the lights on. I thought the mysteries were fun, and I always love books that include plot lines involving technology and cold cases. This one will ring all your thriller bells!

(CW for child kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder, chemical use and abuse, car accidents, murder, police brutality, infidelity, mental illness, child endangerment, terror.)