Remember, remember, the sixth of November, because it was the day you found six exciting new books to check out on Crime Fiction Lover. Let’s get going with a debut novel about a special barrel of honey that would put even Winnie the Pooh off the golden nectar for good. We’ve got equally iffy oil drums too, two very different puzzle mysteries and you’ll also meet six other authors who are totally new to our site. Exciting times!
Baby Queen by Ty Landers
Ty Landers’ debut Baby Queen is out 17 November in the US, 14 January in the UK, and it’s a slice of southern noir with a sting in the tail. Natalie Link is buzzing when she inherits her beloved grandmother’s honey farm and has big plans for expanding the business. But those plans are scuppered with the discovered of a perfectly preserved body inside in a barrel of honey. Was granny as innocent as she appeared? Apparently not, and soon poor Natalie is plunged into a conspiracy of buried crimes and betrayal that spans generations. And to top it all ex cop Bob Sauk is following a trail that could bring the whole house of cards tumbling down.
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The Riddle Maker by Bruce Borgos
The Riddle Maker, fourth in Bruce Borgos’ series featuring Nevada sheriff Porter Beck arrives on 17 November, and this time he has a riddle to crack. Beck’s patch includes the top-secret installation called Area 51, but the lawman is brought down to earth by a puzzling note left inside a mailbox where UFO believers usually leave messages for aliens. The conundrum leads his team to a lake, and the discovery of an oil drum containing the remains of someone who vanished 50 years ago. Someone who has links to Beck… The arrival of FBI profiler Jett Lowell, who has a similar tale to tell, soon has the pair working in tandem to get to the truth.
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Mrs Mackerel and the Poisoned Pasty Puzzleby Craig Melvin
Craig Melvin is serving up a tasty slice of cosy Cornish crime with Mrs Mackerel and the Poisoned Pasty Puzzle, out on 19 November. It’s 1958, and cookbook writer and no-nonsense television personality Mary Mackerelhas to leave London in a hurry after an on-screen gaffe upsets her formerly loyal followers. To escape the furore, Mary heads to Penzance in the hope of finding peace and settling down to write a new cookbook. She also decides to take the reins of a run down tea shop but it’s there that one of her prized pasties proves fatal for a customer. Branded a poisoner, Mary must turn sleuth to find the true killer.
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The Murdered Husband Returns by Mina Sakurai
Mina Sakurai is a big name crime writer in her native Japan, and for the first time one of her books has been translated into English. The Murdered Husband Returns is out now and features Mana Suzukura, a quiet woman who is content with working at a clothing manufacturer in Tokyo. Her solitude is shattered by the unwelcome advances of Hodaka, a client who seems obsessed by Mana, much to her discomfiture. But a knight in shining armour is about to come to her rescus – and tear Mana’s simple life asunder in the process. Because the hero in question is her husband, Kazuki Suzukura. And Mana pushed him off a cliff five years ago…
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Claudia has Left the Chat by Coco Finch
Is it a mystery story? Is it a puzzle book? In truth Claudia has Left the Chat by Coco Finch, arriving on 19 November, is a bit of both. Readers are invited to bring their skills of logic and deduction to a story that has a jaw-dropping 501 potential suspects. It focuses on the Hastings family, who are in Tuscany for a reunion. Their WhatsApp has been on fire, and three generations are looking forward to a get together in the sun. Until Claudia Hastings is found dead, and YOU must find the killer in an interactive whodunnit that’ll appeal to both novice and seasoned detectives. There are a welter of clues hidden amid the case files. Can you follow the breadcrumbs, avoid the red herrings, and catch a murderer red handed?
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The Trusted by Marisa de los Santos
The Trusted, published in the US on 17 November, is the first book in a new series by Marisa de los Santos. Detective Lina Cordova and her partner Aaron Cash are based in Sheppley, Pennsylvania, a community rocked a year ago by the disappearance of society queen Tally Frost. Cordova and Cash failed to get justice for Tally, but maybe there’s a chance of redemption when another high-profile case hits their desks. The body of a controversial local is discovered in a remote hunting cabin, shot through the head – and there is no shortage of suspects. Time for the detectives to finally get results, but in a close-knit community like Shellley, that’s no simple task.
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