Skip to main content

Editorial Content for The More the Terrier: An Andy Carpenter Mystery

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Jack Kramer

In THE MORE THE TERRIER, the 30th entry in David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter mystery series, the dog plays an important role in the unfolding of the plot.

Murphy, apparently a Yorkie mix, shows up out of nowhere at Andy's house and is soon recognized as a little guy whom Andy and his family and friends had rescued sometime before his new appearance at their doorstep. They remember the family who had adopted him, and they return him to the Bremers' home. Mrs. Bremer is thrilled to have him back, yet she is terribly sad. Her son, BJ, has been arrested for murder. Read More

Teaser

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is relieved to be headed back to Paterson, New Jersey, after a week-long family vacation in the Adirondacks. He's ready to put the holly jolly season way behind him and settle in at home with his three dogs. But when they finally arrive, there is an extra dog eagerly awaiting them, as well as one anxious dog sitter. When the dog showed up on the doorstep a few days ago, the sitter knew Andy would know what to do. Indeed, Andy recognizes Murphy, who the Carpenters fostered before the dog went home with BJ Bremer and his mother. When Andy goes to take Murphy back to the Bremers, instead of the happy reunion he expects, he finds BJ's mother in tears. It turns out Murphy ran off…after BJ was arrested for murder. The case isn’t as simple as Andy thought it would be, with BJ suspected of killing one of his professors.

Promo

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is relieved to be headed back to Paterson, New Jersey, after a week-long family vacation in the Adirondacks. He's ready to put the holly jolly season way behind him and settle in at home with his three dogs. But when they finally arrive, there is an extra dog eagerly awaiting them, as well as one anxious dog sitter. When the dog showed up on the doorstep a few days ago, the sitter knew Andy would know what to do. Indeed, Andy recognizes Murphy, who the Carpenters fostered before the dog went home with BJ Bremer and his mother. When Andy goes to take Murphy back to the Bremers, instead of the happy reunion he expects, he finds BJ's mother in tears. It turns out Murphy ran off…after BJ was arrested for murder. The case isn’t as simple as Andy thought it would be, with BJ suspected of killing one of his professors.

About the Book

The next installment in David Rosenfelt’s bestselling Andy Carpenter series brings a lone pup to his doorstep, but when it comes to dogs, THE MORE THE TERRIER.

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is relieved to be headed back to Paterson, New Jersey, after a week-long family vacation in the Adirondacks. He's ready to put the holly jolly season way behind him and settle in at home with his three dogs. But when they finally arrive, there is an extra dog eagerly awaiting them, as well as one anxious dog sitter.

When the dog showed up on the doorstep a few days ago, the sitter knew Andy would know what to do. Indeed, Andy recognizes Murphy, who the Carpenters fostered before the dog went home with BJ Bremer and his mother. BJ wanted to learn all he could about caring for Murphy, which made Andy like him immediately.

When Andy goes to take Murphy back to the Bremers, though, instead of the happy reunion he expects, he finds BJ's mother in tears. It turns out Murphy ran off...after BJ was arrested for murder. Andy had hoped for a quiet Christmas vacation, but he likes Murphy’s family and his golden retriever, Tara, likes Murphy, so he can't resist getting involved. The case isn’t as simple as Andy thought it would be, though, with BJ suspected of murdering one of his professors. With nothing to go on but Andy's own conviction in BJ's dog-loving character, proving his innocence would be a Christmas miracle.

With equal doses of doggy humor and courtroom drama, as well as Andy Carpenter's traditional humbug Christmas spirit, David Rosenfelt delivers another winner.

Audiobook available, read by Grover Gardner

Editorial Content for The Man in Black: And Other Stories

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

THE MAN IN BLACK is an outstanding collection of short stories from internationally bestselling author Elly Griffiths. It is so refreshing to see a number of her characters appear in these pieces, some of which have no mystery connotations to them. A fair amount of stand-alone tales also cross over to different genres and themes. Read More

Teaser

Elly Griffiths has always written short stories to experiment with different voices and genres, as well as to explore what some of her fictional creations such as Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur and Max Mephisto might have done outside of the novels. THE MAN IN BLACK gathers these bite-sized tales all together in one splendid volume. There are ghost stories, cozy mysteries, tales of psychological suspense, and poignant vignettes of love and loss.

Promo

Elly Griffiths has always written short stories to experiment with different voices and genres, as well as to explore what some of her fictional creations such as Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur and Max Mephisto might have done outside of the novels. THE MAN IN BLACK gathers these bite-sized tales all together in one splendid volume. There are ghost stories, cozy mysteries, tales of psychological suspense, and poignant vignettes of love and loss.

About the Book

From the internationally bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway mysteries, an eclectic, thrilling collection of short stories, featuring many characters that readers have come to know and love.

Elly Griffiths has always written short stories to experiment with different voices and genres, as well as to explore what some of her fictional creations such as Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur and Max Mephisto might have done outside of the novels. THE MAN IN BLACK gathers these bite-sized tales all together in one splendid volume.

There are ghost stories, cozy mysteries, tales of psychological suspense, and poignant vignettes of love and loss.

In the title story, Ruth Galloway crosses paths with a mysterious man in a bookstore, setting in motion a rescue mission that hinges on the legends and lore of Norfolk.

Looking into the past, a young magician in 1920s Leeds wonders just what happened to his missing landlady in “Max Mephisto and the Disappearing Act.”

In “Justice Jones and the Etherphone,” a witty girl detective investigates the dire prediction of a fortune teller in dreary postwar London.

A flashback in time reveals Harbinder Kaur as a Detective Sergeant surviving her first day on the job at Shoreham DCI.

To celebrate the holidays, Ruth gets her very first Christmas tree, and her beloved cat narrates his own seasonal story in “Flint’s Fireside Tale.”

And readers can armchair travel with stories set on the Amalfi Coast, in Capri,and in Egypt as Ruth and DCI Nelson experience their very own version of DEATH ON THE NILE.

THE MAN IN BLACK illustrates the breadth and variety of Elly Griffiths’s talent for blood-chilling, page-turning stories all with her trademark humor and heart.

Audiobook available; read by Luke Thompson, Jane McDowell, Juliette Burton, Beth Eyre, Nina Wadia and Imogen Wilde

Editorial Content for American Rapture

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Sarah Rachel Egelman

CJ Leede’s new novel, AMERICAN RAPTURE, blends horror into a traditional coming-of-age tale, gives it a healthy dose of romance, and burns American religious hypocrisy and climate crisis short-sightedness to the ground. Lest you think this sounds like too much for one book, trust Leede to manage it and do so with complex characters, an interesting landscape, and a good amount of blood and gore. Read More

Teaser

A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust. Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape of the midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she discovers there are far worse fates than dying a virgin. The end times are coming.

Promo

A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust. Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape of the midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she discovers there are far worse fates than dying a virgin. The end times are coming.

About the Book

From CJ Leede, the author of MAEVE FLY, comes a scorching new apocalyptic novel. Neil Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS meets "The Last of Us" in this epic and sweeping story about the end of the world as we know it.

A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust.

Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape of the midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she discovers there are far worse fates than dying a virgin.

The end times are coming.

Audiobook available, read by Moniqua Plante

Editorial Content for The Night Woods: A Mercy Carr Mystery

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

In THE NIGHT WOODS, the latest installment in Paula Munier’s mystery series, Mercy Carr and her husband, Troy, have settled into their new historic home, Grackle Tree Farm, and are awaiting the birth of their first child. Mercy is restless, and as her delivery date nears, she worries more and more about being a mother. Will a baby change her? Will she be unable to continue working and solving murders? Will she be a decent mother? Will her baby be a dainty feminine girl with whom she will have nothing in common? (She's hoping for a boy.) Read More

Teaser

Record snow, sleet and rain are pummeling Vermont, and a wild boar has escaped from an exclusive hunting club nearby. But that won’t stop a very pregnant Mercy Carr from hiking her beloved woods with her loyal dog, Elvis. She’s supposed to be decorating the nursery and helping her mother plan the baby shower, but she’d much rather be playing Scrabble with Homer Grant, a word-loving, shotgun-toting hermit living deep in the forest. But when she and Elvis drop by Homer’s cabin for their weekly game, they arrive to find an unknown dead man --- and no sign of Homer. As they search the woods, Mercy discovers a patch of devastation that could only be left behind by wild boar. She’s relieved when Elvis tracks Homer, injured but alive. But Homer’s troubles are far from over, as he’s still the number one suspect and he remembers nothing of the attack.

Promo

Record snow, sleet and rain are pummeling Vermont, and a wild boar has escaped from an exclusive hunting club nearby. But that won’t stop a very pregnant Mercy Carr from hiking her beloved woods with her loyal dog, Elvis. She’s supposed to be decorating the nursery and helping her mother plan the baby shower, but she’d much rather be playing Scrabble with Homer Grant, a word-loving, shotgun-toting hermit living deep in the forest. But when she and Elvis drop by Homer’s cabin for their weekly game, they arrive to find an unknown dead man --- and no sign of Homer. As they search the woods, Mercy discovers a patch of devastation that could only be left behind by wild boar. She’s relieved when Elvis tracks Homer, injured but alive. But Homer’s troubles are far from over, as he’s still the number one suspect and he remembers nothing of the attack.

About the Book

The sixth Mercy Carr mystery in which Mercy and Elvis must prove the innocence of a new friend accused of murder.

Record snow, sleet and rain are pummeling Vermont and a wild boar has escaped from an exclusive hunting club nearby. But that won’t stop a very pregnant and very bored Mercy Carr from hiking her beloved woods with her loyal dog Elvis. She’s supposed to be decorating the nursery and helping her mother plan the baby shower, but she’d much rather be playing Scrabble with Homer Grant, a word-loving, shotgun-toting hermit living deep in the forest. But when she and Elvis drop by Homer’s cabin for their weekly game, they arrive to find an unknown dead man --- and no sign of Homer.

As they search the woods, Mercy discovers a patch of devastation that could only be left behind by wild boar. She’s relieved when Elvis tracks Homer, injured but alive. But Homer’s troubles are far from over, as he’s still the number one suspect and he remembers nothing of the attack. When another corpse with a link to Homer is found, Mercy is determined to help her friend, an effort complicated by the unexpected arrival of her young cousin Tandie, sent by Mercy’s mother to keep an eye on her until the baby is born.

As the floods worsen, Troy and Susie Bear are called out with all the other first responders, and Mercy finds herself alone at Grackle Tree Farm with a concussed Homer, Tandie and Elvis. As waters rise and the wild boar rampages, Mercy realizes that the murderer is out there ready to strike again, this time much closer to home.

Audiobook available, read by Kathleen McInerney

Editorial Content for The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2024

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

Otto Penzler is the founder of The Mysterious Press and the proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop, the world’s oldest mystery fiction specialty bookshop. Each year, Penzler publishes a collection of the best short stories from the previous year, and a different author gets to select the tales and curate the finished product. For this edition, we are blessed with the man who has been responsible for more fictional killings than anyone alive: Anthony Horowitz. Read More

Teaser

From a pool of over 3,000 considered stories published last year --- anything that touched on crime, mystery and suspense --- these are the very best, selected by series editor Otto Penzler and guest editor Anthony Horowitz. The tales included cover a range of styles, highlighting the diversity of subjects and forms comprising the genre we call mystery fiction. Featuring a mixture of household names, masters of the short form and newcomers to the field, the collection offers a variety that promises something for every reader. And it’s all capped off by a vintage story from the first half of the previous century, sourced directly from the rare book room at The Mysterious Bookshop, the oldest mystery fiction specialty store in the world.

Promo

From a pool of over 3,000 considered stories published last year --- anything that touched on crime, mystery and suspense --- these are the very best, selected by series editor Otto Penzler and guest editor Anthony Horowitz. The tales included cover a range of styles, highlighting the diversity of subjects and forms comprising the genre we call mystery fiction. Featuring a mixture of household names, masters of the short form and newcomers to the field, the collection offers a variety that promises something for every reader. And it’s all capped off by a vintage story from the first half of the previous century, sourced directly from the rare book room at The Mysterious Bookshop, the oldest mystery fiction specialty store in the world.

About the Book

Anthony Horowitz selects and introduces the best mystery stories from the past year, under the auspices of the world’s oldest mystery fiction specialty bookshop.

From a pool of over 3,000 considered stories published last year --- anything that touched on crime, mystery and suspense, from venues as disparate as The Strand Magazine, Dark Yonder, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, The Bellevue Literary Review and more --- these are the very best, selected by series editor Otto Penzler and guest editor Anthony Horowitz.

The tales included cover a range of styles, highlighting the diversity of subjects and forms comprising the genre we call mystery fiction. Featuring a mixture of household names, masters of the short form and newcomers to the field, the collection offers a variety that promises something for every reader. And it’s all capped off by a vintage story from the first half of the previous century, sourced directly from the rare book room at The Mysterious Bookshop, the oldest mystery fiction specialty store in the world.

Audiobook available, read by Kim Niemi and BJ Harrison

Editorial Content for Mama: A Queer Black Woman’s Story of a Family Lost and Found

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Bamberger Scott

Nikkya Hargrove presents a bold, frank chronicle of a harsh upbringing, a willingness to love and be loved, and the ways in which her aspirations overcome what at times seemed like impossible barriers --- race and gender issues among them --- to adopt her younger brother and create a secure home with her beloved wife. Read More

Teaser

When her mother --- addicted to cocaine and just out of prison --- had a son and then died only a few months later, Nikkya Hargrove was faced with an impossible choice. Although she had just graduated from college, she decided to fight for custody of her half brother, Jonathan. Nikkya vividly recounts how she is subjected to preconceived notions that she, a Black queer young woman, cannot be given such responsibility. Her honest portrayal of the shame she feels accepting food stamps, her family’s reaction to her coming out, and the joy she experiences when she meets the woman who will become her wife reveal her sheer determination. And whether she’s clashing with Jonathan’s biological father or battling for Jonathan’s education rights after he’s diagnosed with ADHD and autism, this is a woman who won’t give up.

Promo

When her mother --- addicted to cocaine and just out of prison --- had a son and then died only a few months later, Nikkya Hargrove was faced with an impossible choice. Although she had just graduated from college, she decided to fight for custody of her half brother, Jonathan. Nikkya vividly recounts how she is subjected to preconceived notions that she, a Black queer young woman, cannot be given such responsibility. Her honest portrayal of the shame she feels accepting food stamps, her family’s reaction to her coming out, and the joy she experiences when she meets the woman who will become her wife reveal her sheer determination. And whether she’s clashing with Jonathan’s biological father or battling for Jonathan’s education rights after he’s diagnosed with ADHD and autism, this is a woman who won’t give up.

About the Book

In this searing and uplifting memoir, a young Black queer woman fresh out of college adopts her baby brother after their incarcerated mother dies, determined to create the kind of family she never had.

Nikkya Hargrove spent a good portion of her childhood in prison visiting rooms. When her mother --- addicted to cocaine and just out of prison --- had a son and then died only a few months later, Nikkya was faced with an impossible choice. Although she had just graduated from college, she decided to fight for custody of her half brother, Jonathan. And fight she did.
 
Nikkya vividly recounts how she is subjected to preconceived notions that she, a Black queer young woman, cannot be given such responsibility. Her honest portrayal of the shame she feels accepting food stamps, her family’s reaction to her coming out, and the joy she experiences when she meets the woman who will become her wife reveal her sheer determination. And whether she’s clashing with Jonathan’s biological father or battling for Jonathan’s education rights after he’s diagnosed with ADHD and autism, this is a woman who won’t give up.
 
Nikkya’s moving story picks up where Bryan Stevenson’s JUST MERCY left off, exploring generational trauma and pulling back the curtain on family court and poverty in America. MAMA is an ode to motherhood and identity, and to finding strength in family and community, for readers of memoirs by Ashley C. Ford, Natasha Tretheway and Dawn Turner.

Audiobook available, read by Grace Porter

Editorial Content for Cracks Beneath the Surface: A Jhonni Laurent Mystery

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

L. Dean Murphy

It’s April 2019 in the rural farming community of Field’s Crossing, Indiana. Following Mary Ann Miller’s series debut, BONES UNDER THE ICE, in which snow plows had piled ice covering Stephanie Gattison’s body six weeks ago, Webster’s Park sports an emerald cloak of grass. Read More

Teaser

Spring has sprung, and Easter festivities are underway in Field’s Crossing, Indiana. The annual egg hunt is a huge success, thanks in no small part to Lisa DuVal, the owner of Big Al’s Diner, who dyed all of the eggs. But when Sheriff Jhonni Laurent discovers Lisa’s body in her catering van later that day, the happy holiday quickly sours, and Laurent begins a murder investigation. All are shocked at the reading of the will when it’s revealed that the diner will be inherited by Lisa’s best friend --- not by her daughter, which raises Laurent’s suspicions. While working to find the killer, Laurent uncovers some unsightly secrets that Lisa’s family had been concealing. Could they be involved in something shady? When another body is discovered, Laurent must work quickly to determine how the two crimes connect --- and who could be behind it all.

Promo

Spring has sprung, and Easter festivities are underway in Field’s Crossing, Indiana. The annual egg hunt is a huge success, thanks in no small part to Lisa DuVal, the owner of Big Al’s Diner, who dyed all of the eggs. But when Sheriff Jhonni Laurent discovers Lisa’s body in her catering van later that day, the happy holiday quickly sours, and Laurent begins a murder investigation. All are shocked at the reading of the will when it’s revealed that the diner will be inherited by Lisa’s best friend --- not by her daughter, which raises Laurent’s suspicions. While working to find the killer, Laurent uncovers some unsightly secrets that Lisa’s family had been concealing. Could they be involved in something shady? When another body is discovered, Laurent must work quickly to determine how the two crimes connect --- and who could be behind it all.

About the Book

The ice is melting --- but what will it reveal?

Spring has sprung, and Easter festivities are underway in Field’s Crossing, Indiana. The annual egg hunt is a huge success, thanks in no small part to Lisa DuVal, the owner of Big Al’s Diner who dyed all of the eggs. But when Sheriff Jhonni Laurent discovers Lisa’s body in her catering van later that day, the happy holiday quickly sours, and Laurent begins a murder investigation.

All are shocked at the reading of the will when it’s revealed that the diner will be inherited by Lisa’s best friend --- not by her daughter, which raises Laurent’s suspicions. While working to find the killer, Laurent uncovers some unsightly secrets that Lisa’s family had been concealing. Could they be involved in something shady?

As the investigation begins to take shape, it seems that the melting ice will reveal more than the first buds of spring. And when another body is discovered, Laurent must work quickly to determine how the two crimes connect --- and who could be behind it all.

October 18, 2024

Last Sunday found me not with a book in hand, but rather with a leaf skimmer. I made my way around the pool dragging leaves out while listening to audiobooks. I also made great headway clipping the dried flowers off the hydrangea bushes. I am happy that these shrubs bloomed so beautifully this year, but I was not budgeting enough Sunday afternoon time for clipping dead blooms. I did not have a headset on as I was outside working. There were more than a few times when I thought that neighbors might be curious about the monologues going on at our house if the breeze sent the audiobook discussions their way. That said, multitasking like this made the chores go a lot faster.

Which of the following nonfiction titles releasing in October have you read or do you plan to read? Please check all that apply.

October 18, 2024, 501 voters

October 18, 2024 - November 1, 2024

Here are reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for the contest period of October 18 - November 1.