I have some very talented author friends, and a bunch of them seem to be releasing new books at the moment! I’m bound to have missed some (sorry!), but for today for today I’ve rounded up this excellent batch of books from Angela C. Nurse, Paul Austin Ardoin, Julian Barr, Morgan Delaney, A. J. Lancaster, and L. J. Shepherd. I’m sure you’ll discover something for you!
New releases
A Killer Conversation
Author:
Angela C. Nurse
Series:
DI Ravenscroft & Professor Laing
Release date:
1 January 2025
Genre:
Mystery, Thriller
Words can’t hurt you… or can they?
DI Nancy Ravenscroft is thrust back to work with a puzzling murder case, a body discovered in the middle of the night at an unusual dump site. She quickly discovers that this victim is the first of many, and she’s not convinced they’ve been selected randomly.
Is it possible Nancy and her team are dealing with a copycat killer taking inspiration from a local true crime podcast? And are they hiding in the comments of the podcasts fan forum? Needing someone who can spot an imposter amongst the genuine comments she brings in Forensic Linguistics expert, Professor Ewan Laing.
Ewan’s insight immediately sheds new light on the evidence, but as Nancy and Ewan wade through conflicting and missing evidence are they chasing ghosts or getting close to exposing the killer. Will they get one step ahead and stop the next murder?
A Time for Murder
Author:
Paul Austin Ardoin
Series:
Time Loop Detective
Release date:
26 Jan 2025 / 2 Feb 2025
Genre:
Mystery, Science fiction
The only way out is to solve the case.
Everyone knows the first forty-eight hours are the most important after a homicide. But for Detective Luke Guillory, the first forty-eight hours are all he gets—over and over and over.
Luke is a pariah in the Sacramento P.D.: the son of a disgraced police chief, he has the lowest close rate on the force. After a freak power outage, Luke finds himself reliving the same two days after a local real estate developer is murdered. With the help of a cynical retired detective, he discovers he must catch the murderer to escape the time loop.
But his own department has turned against him, his mother’s in jail, and the web of money, lies, and deceit complicates everything about the case.
Can Luke solve the murder—and get his life back?
Get this new first-in-series from the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of The Fenway Stevenson series!
“Ardoin is the real deal” —Mark Stay, host of Mark Stay’s Creative Differences
World Breaker
Author:
Julian Barr
Series:
Kingdoms of Grimm
Release date:
11 Jan 2025
Genre:
Fantasy
Destiny is forged in flame.
Dragon fire has brought ruin to the kingdom of Nymaria. Warbands and sorcerers now grapple for supremacy in the charred landscape.
When Abel and his twin brother Rowen encounter the warband led by the legendary Lady Fox, they decide their best chance to survive the wasteland is to join her cause. But Fox is only interested in those who prove themselves. She sets Abel an impossible task: steal the magical sword World Breaker and deliver it to her.
Determined to keep his brother safe, Abel embarks on the fool’s errand. His quest will shake the foundations of the earth, awaken ancient gods and lead him to the shadowy realm of the dead.
An epic of mythic scope, packed with wild magic and brutal vengeance, World Breaker begins a new fantasy saga evoking an age when bards kept away the winter chill with songs of elves, monsters, heroes and demons.
Perfect for fans of John Gwynne, R.A. Salvatore and Andrzej Sapkowski!
Whispers Behind the Mirror
Author:
Morgan Delaney
Series:
Alumière Sisters’ Adventures
Release date:
21 Jan 2025 / 27 Jan 2025
Genre:
Fantasy, Humour
Mirrors without reflection. Sleepwalkers without shadows. And a town without a clue…
Gossip claims the black-clad Alumière sisters are witches. But Gertrude, Colette and Victoria Alumière are scientists, specialising in the odd. Which is perfect: a man dressed as a ringmaster just arrived with an unbelievable offer…
He wants to make everyone in picturesque Hawkinge-By-Hythe happy, and the locals are delighted. A mysterious new illness is turning the townsfolk into sleepwalkers and stealing their shadows. With even the intrepid Alumières stumped, his generous offer couldn’t have come at a better time….
But despite lacking a circus, the Ringmaster isn’t alone. It’s up to the identical Alumière triplets to discover what he really wants, cure the sleepwalkers, locate a lost professor, and lay a zombie to rest—funny story, bit of a mix up—before a creeping black cloud of doom swallows them all…
Certain death approaches. But people are happy. So… don’t save town this time?
New edition
The Trials of Lila Dalton (paperback)
Author:
L. J. Shepherd
Release date:
Hardback, ebook, audiobook: out now.
Paperback: 13 Feb 2025 (UK), 3 June 2025 (US).
Genre:
Thriller
I look up to find twelve strangers staring back at me… and I realize I’m the one they’re waiting for.
Lila Dalton has no memory of how she came to be in this courtroom; no memory of how she got to the courthouse at all, or why she’s facing a jury who seems to be waiting for her. The man on trial is accused of mass murder, and she’s his lawyer, but she can’t remember any details of the case. She can’t remember anything… Stranded on an island in the Atlantic Ocean where the most serious crimes are tried, Lila has to prove her client’s innocence if she wants to go home. But how can she solve this case when she’s not sure she can trust anything around her, including her own memory?
The Trials of Lila Dalton is a twisty, unexpected locked-room mystery that follows one woman’s race against time to find a killer, clear her own name, and escape the island that threatens to keep her trapped forever.
New collections
The Stariel Series (boxsets)
Author:
A. J. Lancaster
Series:
Stariel
Release date:
23 Jan 2025
Genre:
Fantasy, Romance
Welcome to the magical estate of Stariel, where the land chooses its own ruler and the problems range from aging plumbing to angry fae.
Everyone knows who Stariel will choose for its next ruler. Or do they?
Will it be the lord’s eldest son, who he despised?
His favourite nephew, with the strongest magical land-sense?
His scandalous daughter, who ran away from home years ago to study illusion?
Hetta knows it won’t be her, and she’s glad of it. Returning home for her father’s funeral, all Hetta has to do is survive the family drama and avoid entanglements with irritatingly attractive local men until the Choosing. Then she can leave.
But whoever Stariel chooses will have bigger problems than eccentric relatives to deal with. Winged, beautifully deadly problems. For the first time in centuries, the fae are returning to the Mortal Realm, and only the Lord of Stariel can keep the estate safe.
Howl’s Moving Castle meets Downton Abbey in this heartwarming gaslamp cozy fantasy romance series about fae, magical estates, and complicated families.
More info / buy The Stariel Series (boxsets):
Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, Amazon DE
G. B. Ralph 