Forthcoming Books from Atlantic Books

 January 2025

The Killing Sense is by Sam Blake. Danger is closer than you think... Single Mum Kate Wilde has escaped an abusive marriage and hasn't had a holiday in years, so when she wins a five-day trip to Paris to learn about perfume - in a competition she can't remember entering - it's a dream come true. Or is it? Almost as soon as she arrives, Kate's ex texts with evidence that he's in Paris too. Kate can feel she's being watched, and she's sure someone has been in her apartment. Then she discovers that there's a killer in the city focusing on red headed women like her. And his kill count is rising. Who should she fear the most? All Kate's senses are on alert. But can her instincts keep her safe?

Professional medium turned detective Claire, her best friend Sophie (a 17-year-old ghost) and their pals are enjoying a much-needed cheap holiday in an unfinished hotel on Spike Island off the coast of Ireland. Claire is flattered to be asked by the local ghost of a pirate captain to investigate the theft of treasure from the shipwreck that stranded him there several hundred years ago. But just when she thinks she is closing in on the culprit, a murder takes place, and Claire and her friends quickly become the chief suspects. Can they recover the treasure, solve the murder and clear their names before all is lost? Displeasure Island is by Alice Bell.

February 2025

The Glass House is by Rachel Donohue. The window to the past can never be closed... 1963: At the stark and isolated modernist mansion of controversial political philosopher Richard Acklehurst, the glittering annual New Year's Eve party has not gone quite as planned. Considered a genius by some, and something far darker by others, by the end of the evening Acklehurst will be dead in mysterious circumstances, casting a long shadow over the lives of his teenage daughters, Aisling and Stella. 1999: Richard Acklehurst's remains are defiled in the country graveyard where they have lain undisturbed for over thirty years, forcing his daughters to return to their childhood home where they must finally confront the complex and dark dynamic at the heart of their family. Moving from the West of Ireland to Dublin, London, Florence and back, The Glass House is a captivating and compelling tale of two sisters and their secrets, of love, regret and vengeance.

April 2025

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne is by Ron Currie. Sometimes your ancestors breathe through you. Sometimes, they call for vengeance... Babs Dionne, doting grandmother and vicious crime matriarch, rules her small town with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into its borders with the help of her loyal lieutenants, girlfriends since they were teenagers, and her eldest daughter, Lori, a former soldier struggling with addiction. When a drug cartel discovers that its numbers are down in the area, they send a malevolent force, known only as The Man, to investigate. At the same time, Babs's youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn't seem at all like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours, Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs's wrath...

May 2025

1950. A file lands on Chief Inspector Troy’s desk, indicating that his boss has been conducting an affair with the known mistress of infamous London racketeer Otto Ohnherz. Troy is immediately intrigued by the mysterious origins of Ohnherz’s second-in- command, Jay Feldman, who claims to have survived the concentration camps yet lacks identification beyond his word. So begins a novel of swapped identities in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust, each chapter adding a new layer of intrigue. Curse God and Die is by John Lawton.

Forthcoming Books from HarperCollins

 January 2025

Murder, jealousy, and deceit underscore three interlocking mysteries as Holmes and Watson take on a high profile case at Windsor Castle, a boy drowned in the Serpentine, and a crusading women’s rights activist who suspects a traitor in her organization. The cases send them into danger into locales as varied as the Palace itself, a dockland cannery, an arts and crafts atelier, and a Gypsy encampment. But is there peril underfoot as well – right at 221B Baker Street? The twisting, breathlessly plotted conjoined mysteries that Bonnie MacBird is known for provide a thrill ride that will delight Sherlockians worldwide. The Serpent Under is by Bonnie Macbird.

February 2025

Don't miss this award winning debut crime thriller set in Sheffield introducing DI Diana Walker: A grizzly murder has Diana questioning everything she knows, and secrets come to light that threaten to tear her world apart. Silence protects the victims… And the killer. When the dismembered body of a headmaster is found on the derelict site of a former school in Sheffield, DI Diana Walker finds herself chasing shadows. Faced with missing teachers, unreported crimes and silent witnesses, Diana is running out of leads. Her colleagues insist this is just another instance of gang violence, but Diana knows there’s something more. Something everyone’s too scared to talk about. With her reputation on the line, Diana is determined to find the truth. Her search for answers leads to Sheffield’s neglected underbelly, where she finds distrust, horrifying secrets and a whole new understanding of justice. The Day of The Roaring is by Nina Bhadreshwar.

Making a Killing is by Cara Hunter. In 2016, eight-year-old Daisy Mason vanished from her Oxford home. Her disappearance made the national press and the final culprit shocked everyone. DCI Adam Fawley remembers the case well, he arrested Daisy’s mother for murder himself. But her body was never found. Now, forensic evidence at a current murder scene calls the whole case into question. DCI Adam Fawley and the team are brought back in to investigate. And they all have one question on their minds. What really happened to Daisy Mason?

On an Island full of secrets. The truth lies in the dark. A gripping and atmospheric debut crime thriller set on an isolated Scottish island… A mysterious death On a small island off the coast of Scotland, an isolated community is grieving. Eighteen-year-old Alan Ferguson was found at the foot of the lighthouse – an apparent suicide. Two detectives trapped on an island. DIs Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart are sent to investigate. But a raging storm keeps them trapped on the island for four days. And the locals don’t take kindly to mainlanders. A village full of suspects. As George and Ritchie question the island’s inhabitants, they discover a village filled with superstition and shrouded in secrets. But someone wants those secrets to stay buried. At any cost. The Wolf Tree is by Laura McCluskey.

March 2025

It’s the story everyone wants to hear.That spring night in South London, when Isabel and Edward’s lives were torn apart. The night Isabel learned that the worst things wait, just outside the door. The night Edward learned that he was powerless to stop them. The night they never talk about.When their attacker is caught, it's finally time to tell the story of that night. Not to the world. Or to the man who did it. But to each other. This is a story of murder. This is a story of survival. But most of all, this is a story of love. The Death of Us is by Abigail Dean. 

The bigger the star, the harder they fall. Johnny Klein, fallen ‘80s pop icon, thinks life is finally on the up. He’s basking in the luxury of the French Riviera – hoping his worst days are behind him. But when a man falls from a window to his death in London, Jonny is forced to confront the darkest corners of his fame. Thrust into a dangerous game of lies and betrayal, Jonny must uncover a deadly secret, before somebody else dies… The Fall is by Martin Kemp. 

April 2025

The Maid's Secret is by Nita Prose. Molly the maid is no stranger to secrets… She sees everything behind closed doors at the Regency Grand hotel: wiping away the dust and grime of guests passing through. But one secret lies much closer to home. An old trinket – a faux Fabergé egg – is revealed to be a precious antique during an appraisal at the hotel, making Molly a rags-to-riches sensation. But no sooner has the egg shown its value than it’s stolen: vanishing without a trace. Determined to crack the case of the missing Fabergé, Molly begins dusting for clues – uncovering a mystery that stretches deep into the past. For in the pages of a long-forgotten diary, written by her late gran, lie the secrets that could unlock all others – and only Molly holds the key…

The Burial is by Stig Abell. A beautiful landscape… It began as the project of a lifetime – a group of archaeologists, uncovering the remains of a Roman settlement on a beautiful hill in the glorious English countryside. A looming threat… But, the idyll is shattered when they begin receiving threatening letters. Former city detective Jake Jackson, now enjoying a quieter life in the local village, is pulled in to investigate. A killer closing in… Soon, threatening letters are the least of their problems, when a murderer strikes. And now the race is on for Jake to find them, before they kill again…

They raised me. Nurtured me. And lied about everything. Sadie’s childhood has always been shrouded in mystery. But there are three things she knows. She was raised by two aunts. She never knew her parents. She is convinced she was stolen. Cristy Ward, podcast host, is gripped by Sadie’s story. It’s perfect for her next true-crime investigation. Yet Sadie's aunt claims it’s all a fantasy.As the evidence begins to stack up, and the lies fall apart, they all could be in a lot more danger than they thought… Don't Believe A Word is by Susan Lewis. 

The Penthouse is by Catherine Cooper. Beneath the glamour dark secrets lurk. World famous singer Enola had it all – fame, fortune, and a breathtaking penthouse view. Then she vanished without a trace, leaving the band’s careers in ruins. Fifteen years on, the remaining members are reuniting for a series of concerts in Las Vegas. But when mysterious accidents plague them, some start to wonder if Enola is back for revenge. What happened all those years ago – and who really knows the truth?

There's a killer on the airwaves … and they're calling for you. Darkness looms over sunny Sidmouth, when an unsolved murder comes to the attention of late-night radio talk show host Edward Temmis. Recently sacked from his beloved job after a devastating tragedy, Edward is cast adrift – until he meets Stevie, whose grandmother, a devoted listener, died in a suspicious fire last year. Well, nobody hurts his listeners and helping Stevie might just give him the purpose he needs. Joined by his old fling, Kim, they discover Stevie's grandmother wasn't the only one of his listeners targeted – this is just the tip of the iceberg. But who is pursuing his ageing audience and why? And can Edward, Stevie and Kim get to the bottom of this mystery before it’s too late? Murder on Line One is by Jeremy Vine.

The Secret Room is by Jane Casey. A closed door. An impossible murder. 2:32 p.m. Wealthy, privileged Ilaria Cavendish checks into a luxury London hotel and orders a bottle of champagne. Within the hour, her lover discovers her submerged in a bath of scalding water, dead. At first glance it looks like an accident. No one went in with her. No one came out. But all the signs point to murder. For DS Maeve Kerrigan, the case is a welcome distraction. But when shock news hits close to home, affecting her partner, DI Josh Derwent, she faces the toughest challenge of her career. And if she fails her world will never be the same again…

'Hello Niklas Sockenberg. We hope you have been satisfied with our services during this time, which has now reached its end. You have 14 days, 1 hour and 12 minutes left to live' It is December in Stockholm and Sweden's Minister of Justice is under threat. An anonymous note has told him he has four days left to live. At the same time, a human skeleton is found in the Stockholm subway, belonging to a high-ranking financier. Police inspector Mina Dabiri's team, still recovering from the traumatic incident last summer that ended in the death of a colleague, calls in mentalist Vincent Walder to help with the case. For Vincent, it feels as if the world is increasingly closing in on him. When another pile of bones is found underground, the group is once again put to the test – what is going on in the tunnels deep under Stockholm? And who taunting the minister? Mirage is by Camilla Läckberg and Henrik Fexeus.

May 2025

South of Nowhere is by Jeffery Deaver. A small town in Northern California is at risk of being destroyed by a failing levee, and Colter Shaw has been hired to locate a family swept away by the raging water, with just mere hours to survive.But is the levee at risk of failing from natural causes or is someone sabotaging it? With the help of his sister, Dorion, the duo must save the citizens before the old town washes out at the hands of a secret conspirer.

England, 1598. Queen Elizabeth’s successor remains unnamed. The country teeters on a knife edge. When a young heiress is found murdered at the theatre, the Queen’s spymaster Robert Cecil calls upon former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate. A cryptic note found on the dead girl’s body connects to Sophia’s previous life as a spy, and her quest soon takes her into dangerous waters. Powerful enemies emerge, among them the Earl of Essex: the Queen’s favourite courtier and a man of ruthless ambition. This is a murder that reaches directly into the heart of the court. And Sophia is concealing a deep-buried secret of her own. She must uncover the truth before her past threatens to destroy her. Traitor's Legacy is by S J Parris

June 2025

A brutal murder. When a headless corpse washes up on the bank of the Thames, DCI Tannahill Khan knows this wasn’t accidental – the killer wanted the body found. This is just the beginning. A deadly warning The post mortem reveals a shocking discovery. Written on the dead man’s arm is Forensic Criminologist Dr Laughton Rees’ home address. A fatal game With her life in danger and more bodies washing up along the river, Laughton and Tannahill are in a race against time to stop the killer before Laughton’s own name reaches the top of his list. Dead Water is by Simon Toyne.

A Schooling in Murder is by Andrew Taylor. The isolated Monkshill Park boarding school seems a world away from the violence that has engulfed Europe. Yet its eerie ground have witnessed a murder. Annabel Warnock, a teacher with a checkered past, disappeared during the holidays. The teachers and girls assume she has left the school, but the truth is quite different. Her body is lying at the bottom of the Maiden’s Leap, along the dangerous and overgrown Gothic Walk. Annabel’s ghost is trapped at Monkshill, unable to move on whilst the mystery of hear death remains unsolved. Haunting the grounds and school, she discovers a hidden world – both students and staff are riven with deadly rivalries and dangerous tensions. Among them is her killer.

A Murder in Paris is by Matthew Blake. Then. On a dark night in 1945, the Hotel Lutetia in Paris was witness to a murder. Two women walked into the hotel, but only one left alive. The crime was forgotten to time; locked away in Room 11. Now. A confession reawakens a mystery with long, dangerous shadows. What really happened in the corridors of the Hotel Lutetia? It all comes back to Room 11 – and the people who would kill to keep its secrets…

Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think. Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites. For Officer Emmy Clifton, it’s personal. She turned away when her best friend's daughter needed help—and now she must bring her home. But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did. Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding? We are all Guilty Here is by Karin Slaughter.

The Countdown Killer is by Sam Holland. He's tracking people down one by oneAnd you're next on the list…A man murdered live on camera.When a DVD is delivered in the dead of night, DCI Cara Elliott hits play on a horrifying showreel of violence… This is death, on demand. A killer counter down. Avid viewers are paying for the killings, with twisted specifications. A request, an abduction, a murder. And always in a forty-eight-hour pattern. A missing detective. But when the killer finds out they’re being investigated, they reveal their next target. In forty-eight hours, a police officer will be the one in front of the camera. The hunters have become the hunted, and the clock is ticking…

Carnivore is by K. Anis. Ahmed. In New York’s high-end restaurant scene one chef will do anything, and cook anything, to come out on top. Kash owes a lot of money. His restaurant, specialising in exotic meats and catering to New York’s elite, was doing well. Then business dried up, and now Boris the loan shark wants his investment back. But Kash has a plan. There’s a rumour of a dinner club, hosted in turns by billionaires. Lots of ego, and lots of money. If Kash can get the gig, it would pay off Boris and then some. He will need to offer something new, something that five of the richest men on the planet will have never tasted before. Something entirely unprecedented … But Boris is done waiting. He kidnaps Kash, takes him to a warehouse and cuts off his finger. And this gives Kash an idea.

Forthcoming Books from Bookouture

Morgan kneels beside the fluttering crime scene tape. Their hands clasped, the couple’s embrace looks loving and warm, but an icy chill grips the air. Their lips are blue, and blood is dripping on the floor. They have been silenced forever… When sweet-natured teaching assistant Rosie Waite, and her boyfriend Matt, are found dead in their quaint family home in the Lake District, Detective Morgan Brookes is horrified. Sleeping just two doors down, she heard no screams for help, no slamming doors, or alarms in the night. A twisted killer nailed the couple’s lips shut, and Morgan vows to keep watch over every innocent family in Rydal Falls until this monster is brought to justice. Climbing the narrow attic staircase as she searches every inch of the property, Morgan finds a mattress on the floor, empty food wrappers, and a letter that reads: if you’ve found this, you’re next to die. Fear washes over Morgan’s team; the killer was watching his victims, and now her life is at risk. Ignoring pleas that she take a step back, Morgan throws herself harder at the case discovering that the nails used to bind the victims’ lips were pierced with expert equipment. And Matt had been asking questions at a local tattoo parlour. Everyone thought he and Rosie were a quiet, kind-hearted couple, but was Matt hiding a dangerous secret? Did he betray the woman he loved? It’s the break Morgan desperately needs, until one of her closest friends is attacked. His lifeless body abandoned, crimson with blood, and Morgan believes the chilling crime scene is linked to Matt and Rosie. The killer has been watching from the shadows again. Morgan’s used to putting her life on the line to protect the innocent, but what must she sacrifice to save the people she loves most? And how many precious lives will be lost before she can stop this killer? Their Dying Embrace is by Helen Phifer.

I  thought my first husband was dead. But when I get a letter with his name on it just days before my wedding, it will tear my perfect new life apart…  As we drive up to the gorgeous house by the lake with its red and yellow roses round the door, I breathe in the pure air and count my blessings. In two days’ time I’m getting married to Matt, my soulmate and the father of my beautiful boy. After all the pain of my past, my life now is perfect. But later that night I hear a knocking outside. I find the back door swinging open and a card lying on the floor, addressed to me in familiar handwriting… I can’t wait to see you. I’ve missed you so much. All my love, Callum. Callum was my first husband. Eight years ago, when we were staying at this exact same place for my birthday, he disappeared.
All the people who were with me that terrible night are here for the wedding. My brother. His wife. My new partner Matt: Callum’s best friend. We all had reasons to hate Callum then. We all have reasons to lie now. The police are sure Callum is dead. But as I look around at my loved ones, I wonder... Does someone know what really happened that night? Does someone know what I did? And if Callum is back, is he the dangerous one… or is it one of us? The First Husband is by Elisabeth Carpenter.

While My Baby Sleeps is by Natali Simmonds. I have to stay awake… I need to keep him safe. I haven’t slept properly since Riley was born. I love my baby so much – every noise he makes, and every sleepy blink has me rushing to his side to make sure he’s safe. Yet the lack of sleep is getting to me. There are terrifying blanks in my memory, and my temper is blindingly short. I can’t rely on my partner – I don’t even know where he is half the time. But at least I have Maggie next door. She tells me this is just what new motherhood is like, so I have no choice but to ignore the blackout rages and blurred vision, for Riley’s sake… But after another night of no sleep, the last thing I expect is a police officer at my door. My neighbour has been found dead. The man I’ve been furious at for weeks for keeping me and the baby awake with his late-night parties. Though really, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised… Because this morning, I woke up on my doorstep. And I have no memory of what happened – or where the blood on my hands came from. As I hear Riley start to cry, I swallow against the rising panic in my throat. It can’t have been me. I’m no killer, I’m just a sleep-deprived, loving mother… aren’t I?

When my husband went missing, I was desperate to get him home. Now I know his secrets, I wish he’d never come back… I hate when Wyatt is away for work—the cold bed. Dinner alone. And comforting our little boy, telling him Daddy will be back to tuck him into bed again soon. But when Wyatt misses his flight and his cell is disconnected, panic takes over. After seven sleepless nights, tossing and turning as I imagine the absolute worst, he walks back into our home. I breathe a sigh of relief. Until I realize that everything has changed. I want to believe Wyatt’s explanations. The work trip. The “stolen” phone. But I see the strange, jagged scar across his side even though he tries to keep it hidden. And when I start digging, I uncover more than signs of an affair. It’s so, so much worse… His secrets have become my nightmares, threatening my son and our unborn child in ways I couldn’t imagine. I can’t confront him. Not without exposing the lies I’ve buried for years. About whom I really am and what I’ve done. And it seems the past has caught up with us. Because one moment, I’m holding my son’s tiny hand as we walk around the mall. The next he is nowhere to be seen. If my husband had never come back, would my son still be safe? And how are we meant to get him back when our deadliest secrets are yet to be uncovered? Never Come Back is by Cara Reinard.

Find My Daughter is by Jennifer Chase. She hears footsteps approaching, the creak of the uneven planks, then the clunk of a heavy lock. Her body is numb and she’s shivering in her pale silk gown, but she stands, ready to fight as the doorway cracks open. A blinding light overpowers her, and she falls backward. Her world goes black once again… When Detective Katie Scott is approached by a smartly dressed woman with desperation in her eyes, Katie’s senses go into high alert. Moments later, questions still buzzing through her mind, Katie finds the woman dead in the carpark, blood pooling around her, and just enough life left to utter the words: find my daughter. Katie doesn’t waste a second gathering her team and pulling the casefile for Anna Braxton, a teen with sparkling blue-eyes and an even brighter future, who left to meet her best friend in the mall, then disappeared. Staring at the blank investigation board, Katie won’t rest until she fulfils Anna’s mother’s dying wish. Scouring the Braxton’s impeccable family home, Katie finds Anna’s journal, filled with teenage secrets and confessions. But it’s the one-off mention of an approach from a talent agency that catches Katie’s expert eye. She gets to work tracking the business down, but it’s a dead end. And now Anna’s best friend is also missing. The case takes another terrifying turn just hours later: a girl’s body is found in the embers of a housefire, her yellow satin dress devastatingly beautiful amongst the ashes. Is it Anna, her best friend, or another girl entirely? One thing is certain: a monster has the close-knit community of Pine Valley in a chokehold, and Katie must get one step ahead before any more precious lives are taken—but at what cost...

When we move to the exclusive Cutters Island, my life changes overnight. Dressed like the perfect wife, pushing my baby down the street in her pink stroller, I look up and smile at the security cameras. Because I know they are watching. And for now, I need to play my part. I wake up in my beautiful bedroom and instinctively feel for my husband. But the silk sheets are cold—he hasn’t come home. Reaching for the baby monitor on my nightstand, I scan the screen for the familiar shape of my sleeping daughter. But she’s not there. Moving through the house in the darkness, I tell myself the footage is just grainy. I pass the large window over the stairs and see a light on in my mother-in-law’s house across the street, as if she is watching. The thought sends a chill down my spine, and I start to run. And as I open my daughter’s bedroom door, my worst fear comes true: my baby is gone. As I collapse onto the carpet, I smell smoke. And when I turn to see flames licking at the banister, I know this is my fault. I am paying for what happened that night all those years ago… Because I am not a perfect wife. I am not a good mother. But I am the perfect liar. No one knows what I have been through to get this life. And they shouldn’t underestimate how far I’ll go to get my baby back… Good Bad Mother is by Anya Mora.

 The Baby Swap is by Daniel Hurst. Someone stole my little boy. I’ll do whatever it takes to get him back… ME: Staring down at the sweet baby in my arms, I feel panic instead of love. Because this isn’t the child, I gave birth to. My husband whispers to the midwife. They all think I’m going crazy. But the tiny boy in my arms is crying again. I’m certain: he knows I’m not his mummy. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get my son back. HER: I did it. I swapped my baby with another new born in the hospital. As I hold the child in my arms, I hear my own little boy start to cry on the other side of the curtain. My heart is shattering into a million pieces. I know I had no choice. I didn’t want to do this. But no one can ever find out the reason why I swapped my baby. Because if anyone knew the truth, my life and my child’s life would be in danger…

Murder on the Cornish Coast is by Helena Dixon. A bright blue sky, a glamorous boating party, an English manor house on the Cornish cliffs… and surely not another murder! Get Kitty Underhay on the case! Cornwall, 1937. Kitty Underhay has been called to investigate some fishy goings-on in the beautiful coastal village of St Mawes. The body of Lady Cordelia Hedges’ beloved father was found floating in the sea, and shortly afterwards Cordelia herself was almost killed… Determined to piece together the puzzle, Kitty spends her first evening in the Cornish Bay at one of Cordelia’s lavish parties. But she’s not just soaking up the idyllic surroundings with her husband Matt, she’s at the party to get to know those closest to their host. The sleuthing duo quickly realise they’re in unchartered waters and this could be their toughest case yet. Later that evening, a scream wakes Kitty in the middle of the night: Lady Cordelia is sitting bolt upright in bed, swearing someone has been in her room. As Bertie the dog retrieves a knife from behind the curtain, Kitty’s list of suspects grows: could the murderer be Cordelia’s suspicious stepsister, her spoiled future mother-in-law, or someone even closer to home…? Then a house guest eats a poisoned chocolate from a box addressed to Cordelia and dies. This latest tragedy helps Kitty to make progress in her investigations at last. But is Kitty floundering? Will she be able to solve this case before someone else gets hurt, or will Kitty end up in a watery grave?

As the wall is peeled back, everyone falls silent. Then they see her. The near-perfect remains of a young female, two jelly bangles and a neon necklace being the only clues to how long she had been hidden there. But who was she? And who could have possibly wanted to take such an innocent life? When the body of a girl is discovered in the walls of a Woodbridge church, Detective Amanda Steele is immediately called to the scene. On arrival she meets FBI Special Agent Sandra Vos who explains that while negotiating a hostage incident moments before, a gun was fired. The bullet missed its target, but exposed human remains. The victim has been perfectly preserved, her jewellery and summer dress taking Amanda back to her own teenage years. DNA quickly confirms that the victim was taken over thirty years ago. Thinking about her own daughter, Amanda cannot imagine the devastation for the young girl’s family and vows to find the killer. Amanda and her partner Trent determine the suspect behind the attempted shooting, Cameron Cofell, had a very clear reason for exacting revenge on the church’s priest. As they question the wider community, a neighbour reveals her long-held suspicions too. But when she is found murdered, Amanda knows this killer is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep their dark secret from ever coming to light. Soon the investigation takes Amanda and Trent to an abandoned farmhouse—a place that haunts Cameron’s nightmares—where they find a faded photograph that holds the mystery of another chilling cold case. But just how far back does this evil go, and how much will Amanda and Trent need to sacrifice to find the killer? Hidden Angels is by Carolyn Arnold. 

The Nanny Share is by Emily Shiner. I love being a nanny. But now, the two little girls I nanny for are missing. Soon the police will be at my door—and I can’t let that happen again. I’ll tell them I’m innocent, but will anyone believe me? Sweet little Emma and Nealie, both just four years old, live on the same block in the exclusive, gated Blackwood neighbourhood—miles from my cramped studio apartment. I go between each family’s home to care for the girls. And I know all their secrets… Their mothers were best friends until three months ago, when everything fell apart. There’s a door that’s always locked at Nealie’s house. And Emma’s house is filled with whispered arguments. I’m sure her father is having an affair. But I tried to overlook the slow splintering of these marriages: because I Ioved the girls. Braiding their hair and then walking them to kindergarten was my favourite part of the day. But now they’re gone. Snatched from their beds. In Blackwood, little girls don’t just vanish. The police will suspect the nanny, the person who loved them, the person with a key to both houses. I’ll swear that I’m being framed. And I will do anything to stop them finding out who I really am, or why I was so desperate to work here. Because these families are about to pay for their secrets. But who is really in danger? Two missing little girls? Their desperate parents? Or me?

Gone in the Storm is by B R Spangler. Getting in his car was a mistake. But as the frigid air whipped through her thin coat, she felt too cold to say no. Now, snowflakes settle on her long dark lashes. Ice-cold and forever fifteen years old, she’ll never see her mother’s smile again… As the biggest snowstorm the Outer Banks has seen in decades ravages the coastline, Detective Casey White is called to an abandoned junk yard miles beyond the marshes. Teenager Jill Carter’s body is posed on her back, a look of terror frozen on her beautiful face. Casey’s heart breaks for Jill’s family. She vows she’ll do whatever it takes to find this merciless killer who left this girl out in the cold all alone. But the unforgiving blanket of snow will soon claim the crime scene, and the team are up against the clock to catalogue any vital evidence… then Casey notices strange objects arranged in patterns around the girl’s body. Among them is a selection of perfectly preserved autumn leaves that have no place in the salvage yard in the dead of winter. When the new District Attorney goes above Casey’s head to charge Jill’s high school sweetheart with the crime, Casey is certain she’s making a mistake. The poor boy is terrified and heartbroken, but he isn’t a murderer. Casey must rush to make sense of the sparse, ritualistic evidence they have, before another life is ruined. As the snow continues to fall, another young girl is found frozen forever, the same strange items displayed around her body in a deliberate ritual. And Casey knows now this is only the beginning… Can Casey hunt down a killer determined to add another teenage girl to his collection, before it is too late?

 ‘Is that you, darling?’ A second of silence before her son replies. ‘It wasn’t me’. Her heart breaks at the pain in his voice – he sounds like a little boy again. Thirty minutes later, the police knock at the door. ‘Your son’s girlfriend is dead.’ And Dan has disappeared. It’s almost midnight when Jennifer sees her son’s name flash up on her phone. Away at university, she’s normally so happy when he calls. But something is terribly wrong… Jennifer is devastated for poor Ella’s family – losing their precious girl, so young. She knows her sweet son, just twenty years old, would never, ever harm anyone. But the police are looking for him. And if Dan is innocent, why has he run? When Jennifer hears how Ella died, her blood runs cold. Because Jennifer’s best friend was murdered twenty years ago the same way. In the same place. Jennifer hasn’t been back since… but now, she has no choice. She would do anything for her son. Any mother would. But how far will she have to go – what secrets in her own past will she have to confront – to prove Dan is innocent? And what if the truth is worse than she ever imagined? My Son’s Girlfriend is by Kerry Wilkinson.

Everyone is Lying is by Holly Down. They say I’m lucky to be alive. But the only thing I can remember are the faces of my husband and baby. The husband and baby they insist don’t exist… I can hear a door slamming, and the low hum of distant traffic. I struggle to open my eyes, and the panic sets in. I have no memory of who I am, why I’m here, where all this pain is coming from… Then the door cracks open, a face lighting up in surprise. ‘You’re awake!’ She looks pleased to see me, but all I can think is: I don’t know you. She tells me I’m her sister – that there was an accident and I’ve been in a coma. But as she skilfully evades my questions, I know something is wrong. Because when I ask her about my husband and baby, she gently tells me they never existed. I know she’s lying. As she leaves the room and the lock clicks behind her, my heart starts to pound. And as the days pass stuck in this room, I start to discover unsettling details I hadn’t noticed before. Photographs that don’t seem to fit their frames. The anonymous note buried deep in a bunch of flowers I feel sure I was never meant to find – with just two words on it: I’m sorry… What really happened to me? Is this woman really my sister? And if she’s not: who is she, what does she want from me – and what has she done to my family…?

 

Agatha Award Nominations

 

Malice Domestic have announced the nominations for the 2025 Agatha Awards.

Best Contemporary Novel

A Collection Of Lies by Connie Berry

A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian

A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron

Fondue Or Die by Korina Moss

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves

​Best Historical Novel

Hall Of Mirrors by John Copenhaver

The Last Hope by Susan Elia Macneal

The Paris Mistress by Mally Becker

The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks

To Slip The Bonds Of Earth by Amanda Flower

Best First Novel

A Deadly Endeavor by Jenny Adams

Ghosts Of Waikīkī by Jennifer K. Morita

Hounds Of The Hollywood Baskervilles by Elizabeth Crowens

Threads Of Deception by Elle Jauffret

You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen

Best Short Story

"A Matter Of Trust" By Barb Goffman, Three Strikes--You're Dead

"Reynisfjara" By Kristopher Zgorski, Mystery Most International

"Satan's Spit" By Gabriel Valjan, Tales Of Music, Murder And Mayhem: Bouchercon 2024

"Sins Of The Father" By Kerry Hammond, Mystery Most International

"The Postman Always Flirts Twice" By Barb Goffman, Agatha And Derringer Get Cozy

Best Non-Fiction

Abingdon's Boardinghouse Murder by Greg Lilly

Agatha Christie, Marple: Expert On Wickedness by Mark Aldridge

Some Of My Best Friends Are Murderers: Critiquing The Columbo Killers by Chris Chan

The Bookshop: A History Of The American Bookstore by Evan Friss

Writing The Cozy Mystery: Authors' Perspectives On Their Craft Edited by Phyllis M. Betz

Best Children’s/YA Mystery

First Week Free At The Roomy Toilet: A June Knight Mystery by Josh Pachter

Sasquatch of Harriman Lake by K.B. Jackson

Sid Johnson & The Well-Intended Conspiracy by Frances Schoonmaker

The Big Grey Man of Ben Nacdhui by K.B. Jackson

The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

Congratulations to all the nominated authors.

Inaugural Derringer Award For Best Anthology Finalists

 

The Short Mystery Fiction Society has announced the Finalists for the Inaugural Derringer Award for Best Anthology.

Devil's Snare: Best New England Crime Stories 2024, edited by Susan Oleksiw, Ang Pompano, and Leslie Wheeler — with Leslie Wheeler and 3 others. 

Friend of the Devil: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Grateful Dead, edited by Josh Pachter 

Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk 

Murder, Neat: A Sleuth Sayers Anthology, edited by Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman 

New York State of Crime: Murder New York Style 6, edited by D.M. Barr and Joseph R.G. De Marco 

The 13th Letter, edited by Donna Carrick

Was Shakespeare a Spy? By Howard Linskey

The man at the heart of my Elizabethan murder mystery was a writer and an actor but was he also a spy?

William Shakespeare was a playwright, the world’s most famous in fact, and he was also an actor who appeared in his own plays and others. That is a matter of record. We also know that he was a businessman, a shareholder in a theatrical company and the Globe theatre and had investments in all manner of things, including land. He may even have been a money lender. But was he also a spy? 

The premise of my new novel, ‘A Serpent In The Garden’, is that Will Shakespeare is called upon to investigate the mystery of a woman’s suspicious death, in exchange for patronage. He is still a young man at this point and has only written one play, Henry the 6th. That was a small success, but now Will is struggling to write that difficult second play, and the Earl of Southampton is dangling the promise of financial support in exchange for more than just poetry. His cousin is the first reported victim of an outbreak of plague that hit London in 1592, claiming thousands of lives, but the Earl does not believe it, and asks Will to find out what really happened to Lady Celia. 

When the Queen’s spymaster, Robert Cecil, learns of this, he orders Will to spy on his new patron and report back to him. Will soon realises how dangerous it is to have two masters in Elizabethan England, especially when they are the most powerful men in the realm. 

The plot of my book does draw upon the truth, though I am not claiming Shakespeare was a Tudor James Bond. Back then, he might very well have been called upon to report on people to powerful men at court, since many others were given similar tasks, whether they liked it or not. Shakespeare’s most famous patron was the young, handsome and very rich, Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton. Will dedicated sonnets to him, including ‘Venus and Adonis’ and ‘The Rape of Lucrece’, using such flowery prose some have suggested they must have been lovers, though flattering dedications to a patron were fully expected, no matter how chaste the relationship. 

The Earl of Southampton had a very powerful enemy at Elizabeth’s court. Sir Robert Cecil took over the role of her principal advisor from his father, William and became spymaster for both Elizabeth and her successor, King James the 1st. He even uncovered the Gunpowder Plot. Back in Shakespeare’s time, he would have known that the Earl of Southampton, a lover of plays and poetry, was looking favourably on Will and might be about to give him patronage. Crucially, the Earl was also a Catholic in a Protestant land and suspected of conspiring against the Queen. Later, in 1601, he would join the Essex Rebellion against her, and be sentenced to life imprisonment, though he was eventually released by King James. Perhaps more importantly, the two men hated one another. Wriothesley was ward to Cecil’s father as a child, and they grew up together. Cecil was very short and had a curved back caused by scoliosis. He envied Southampton’s good looks, his vast fortune and, most galling of all, his ability to charm the Queen into becoming her favourite. Southampton also broke off his engagement to Cecil’s niece, humiliating her and, by extension, his family. 

This was a time when plots against Elizabeth the 1st abounded. As a protestant Queen in a religiously divided nation, she was always a target. Catholics still saw her as the illegitimate child of an illegal second marriage, between Henry the 8th and Anne Boleyn. If they needed any further encouragement, the Pope himself declared, in an official Papal Bull to his faithful, that removing and even killing the Queen of England was no crime, since he had already excommunicated her. He was granting Elizabeth’s English Catholic subjects official permission to commit a regicide, blessed by God himself. 

Cecil already had a network of spies everywhere, and he needed them to protect the Queen. Most notably, Christopher Marlowe is believed to have spied for him in the Lowlands, and he was a far more famous and successful playwright than Will Shakespeare at this point. It is usually accepted that Marlowe died in a ‘tavern brawl’ in 1593, but the building was not a tavern and the only other men there were his friends; Skeres, Frizer and Poley, all of whom had links to the criminal world and had worked for Robert Cecil. Poley even played a significant part in the downfall of Mary Queen of Scots, when he acted as a double agent during the Babington Plot of 1586. Significantly, Marlowe was about to be brought before the Privy Council, to be questioned about dangerous heretical writings that would have severely embarrassed Cecil, his former employer. How convenient that he was instead stabbed in the eye, by a supposed friend, just before he had the opportunity to discredit the Queen’s spymaster by association. 

There is another interesting historical slant to this story. When Will Shakespeare left Stratford as a young man, he had little or no money. By 1592, he was an actor who had just been paid the sum of two pounds for his first play. Within a little over a year, he had somehow acquired the enormous sum of fifty pounds. Enough to become a shareholder in a new theatrical company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. No one knows how he did this. Many believe the money came from his patron, the Earl, but that is a lot to pay to have sonnets dedicated to you, hence the suspicion that Will might have been Southampton’s lover. In my book, Will hopes to get the money by risking his life to uncover the enormous secret linked to the suspicious death of Lady Celia. 

Revealing anything more would be a spoiler and, like spies everywhere, I reserve the right to keep some secrets. But, if you would like to know what really happened to Celia, and how Will manages to narrowly avoid a gruesome death, at the hands of two of the most powerful men in the realm, you can find the answers between the pages of ‘A Serpent In The Garden’.

A Serpent in the Garden by Howard Linsey. (Canelo) Out Now

London, 1592. 28-year-old William Shakespeare is the rising man of English theatre. But plague has hit the capital, and the playhouses are to be shut. Livelihoods, and lives, are at stake. Lady Celia Vernon is one of the first to perish but did she really die of plague? Her cousin, the Earl of Southampton, orders Will to discover the truth in a London filled with conspirators, cutthroats and traitors. The Queen's spymaster, Robert Cecil, suspects the Earl of treason and orders Will to spy on him in return. Caught between two of the most powerful men in the kingdom, Will cannot possibly serve both masters, and could easily become the next victim of the killer he is trying to catch. With his future, safety and life on the line, Will uncovers a devastating secret, and changes the course of his, and the world’s destiny forever.