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Katherine Faulkner, author of The Other Mothers

When a young nanny is found dead under mysterious circumstances, new mom Tash is intrigued. She has been searching for a story to launch her career as a freelance journalist. But she also has been searching for new friends to help her navigate motherhood. She sees them at her son’s new playgroup. The other mothers. A group of sleek, sophisticated women. When the mothers welcome her into their circle, Tash discovers the kind of life she has always dreamt of and is quickly swept up into their wealthy world. But when another young woman is found dead, it’s clear there’s much more to the community than meets the eye. Are these women really her friends? Or is there another, more dangerous reason that she has been so quickly accepted into their exclusive world?

Ariel Lawhon, author of The Frozen River

Maine, 1789: The Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice. Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine the cause of death. As the local midwife and healer, Martha is good at keeping secrets. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, every murder and debacle that unfolds in the town of Hallowell. In that diary she also documented the details of an alleged rape that occurred four months earlier. Now, one of the men accused of that heinous attack has been found dead in the ice. While Martha is certain she knows what happened the night of the assault, she suspects that the two crimes are linked. Over the course of one long, hard winter, Martha’s diary lands at the center of the scandal and threatens to tear both her family and her community apart.

Patricia Cornwell, author of Unnatural Death: A Scarpetta Novel

Chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement. The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint. After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this savage, and why.

The Mystery Guest: A Maid Novel by Nita Prose

December 2023

THE MAID was such a terrific debut, and I was wondering if Nita Prose could either match it or top it with THE MYSTERY GUEST. I am very pleased to say that she did. Once again, we have Molly the maid, who I came to love in the first book. She now is the Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. When the book opens, mystery author J. D. Grimthorpe has come to the hotel to make an announcement. But at the start of the program, he takes a drink of tea, collapses and dies. From there the mystery unfolds.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

December 2023

When I heard that Fiona Davis had written a book set at Radio City Music Hall, I decided to hold off on reading it until November when the Christmas Spectacular kicked off there. Pun intended. I am glad I did. THE SPECTACULAR opens in 1956 when 19-year-old Marion Brooks seizes an opportunity and auditions for the Rockettes. And she is selected. Her father, Simon, is furious. He had plans for her --- she would marry her boyfriend, Nathaniel, and they would continue to live in Bronxville. Instead, she moves into a rooming house with other Rockettes and theater folks and embarks on a grueling yet invigorating schedule to perfect the tightly choreographed routines.

The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan

December 2023

I first read Gilly Macmillan when she wrote THE NANNY and have looked forward to each of her books since then. With THE MANOR HOUSE, she once again does not disappoint. Here we have a young couple who has won the lottery; I know many of us have dreamed of this. Nicole and Tom move into The Glass Barn, with state-of-the-art features and a design that is the envy of a lot of people. They have cool cars, and we know that their lives feel very grand.

We are kicking off this year’s Holiday Author Blog series with New York Times bestselling author Laurie Frankel, whose fifth novel, FAMILY FAMILY, releases on January 23rd. While promoting her most recent movie, a film about adoption, India Allwood does something she knows you should never, ever do --- she tells a journalist the truth. When Laurie was in high school, she worked in a mall bookstore unboxing and shelving books. Although the job lasted only a few weeks, it exposed her to a variety of books and gave her the itch to write one of her own. Fortunately for her many fans, that itch has never gone away.

Laurie Frankel

Laurie Frankel is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of novels such as THE ATLAS OF LOVE, GOODBYE FOR NOW, and the Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS. Frankel lives in Seattle with her husband, daughter and border collie. She makes good soup.

December 8, 2023

Yesterday morning, I woke up to snow flurries drifting down from the sky. That was a perfect way for me to start my annual 27th birthday celebration.

For about a year, I have been eyeing up something called an Aeroski, which is a piece of exercise equipment that simulates skiing. It even comes with VR goggles. Well, it was on some super sale over Thanksgiving, and the post-turkey coma meant that, yes, I ordered it. It’s pretty cool to work out on...and, no, I am not donning ski clothes to use it. I have 30 days to see if I like it, so let’s see how this goes.

End-of-the-Year Contest 2023

Congratulations to the winners of our 2023 End-of-the-Year Contest! One reader received all 44 of Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2023, while 11 others won four of these titles. You can see all the winners below, along with 2023's Bets On selections.

If you would like to know more about these books, be sure to check out this video and podcast where Carol talks about each of her 44 picks.