New Releases by Donna Andrews

Looking for a new cozy series? In the next edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of ten charming cozy mysteries publishing in Fall 2024 for free for easy sampling. The twenty-second edition of Cozy Case Files features cozies from the following authors: Ellie Alexander, Donna Andrews, M. C. Beaton with R.W. Green, Celeste Connally, Cate Conte, Carolyn Haines, Korina Moss, Elizabeth Penney, Mindy Quigley, and Paige Shelton. Prepare for the Barfield Extravaganza while solving a murder in Killing Time. Uncover a threat to the monarchy in All''s Fair in Love and Treachery. Attend a Shakespeare Festival where a leading actor meets his final call in Sticks and Scones. Get your fix at the Dairy Days festival as you investigate what happened beneath all that cheese in Fondue or Die. Go undercover at a madrigal performance to solve an attempted murder in Madrigals and Mayhem. Retreat to a small town where nothing is as it seems when a woman vanishes in Perfect Storm. Don''t forget to spread the Holiday cheer! Search for Elvis''s jewel-encrusted belt or else you''ll have a Blue Christmas in Blue Christmas Bones. Try to tamper down the holiday family drama when a dead body is found in the backyard in Rockin'' Around the Chickadee. Bring a murderer out of the dark when it comes to light that an accidental Christmas light electrocution isn''t so accidental in Shock and Paw. And warm up your detective skills when a frozen corpse is found in the midst of a National Snow Sculpting Championship in Sleep In Heavenly Pizza.

Readers will flock to New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews''s next installment in the award-winning Meg Langslow series. Meg''s neighbors, the Smetkamps'', have won a makeover for their old home from Marvelous Mansions, a flashy, yet dubious company, focused on making historic homes more "modern." The company already several days into its makeover of the Smetkamps'' house, and tensions are running high--not only between the officious, demanding Mrs. Smetkamp and her neighbors, but also between her and the renovation crew. Meg, who is trying to keep the peace and prevent the makeover crew from trampling on every clause of the county''s building code, arrives at the Smetkamps to find that Caerphilly''s resident flock of feral turkeys has moved into their yard--or been relocated there by someone who wanted to cause them trouble. The turkeys are huge, territorial, cranky and aggressive - and impossible to move! Meg does what she can to calm down the irate neighbors and help the makeover crew make progress in spite of the turkeys. She comes up with a plan to gather a group of turkey wranglers to snatch them early in the morning. But when they arrive, they find the body of Mrs. Smetkamp in her backyard. Someone stabbed her, and then tried to make it look as if she was attacked by one of the turkeys, but Meg, the Chief, and the Sheriff are not fooled. Together, they must figure out what really happened to Mrs. Smetkamp...and what to do with all these turkeys!

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of seven charming cozy mysteries publishing in Spring 2024 for free for easy sampling. The twenty-first edition of Cozy Case Files features cozies from the following authors: Kat Ailes, Donna Andrews, Vivien Chien, Carolyn Haines, Diane Kelly, and Katharine Schellman. Packed with baby drama, food-filled intrigue, and animal mayhem, this sampler has it all! Solve a mystery on a movie set in Lights, Camera, Bones. Trap some troubling turkeys in Between a Flock and a Hard Place. Uncover a murderer in 1920s New York in The Last Note of Warning. Join a group of crime-fighting new moms in Dead Tired. Sound the sirens for a suspicious case in Four-Alarm Homicide. And witness an extravagant celebration that may just end in death in Peking Duck and Cover.

This issue we have quite an all-star lineup. From modern masters of mystery like Donna Andrews and Andrew Welsh-Huggins to the greatest names in science fiction like Frank Herbert and Robert Silverberg, this is an amazing issue no matter how you look at it. As for our featured novels, we have a Fantômas tale by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain and Metropolis by Thea von Harbou. This might possibly be our best issue ever! Take a look at our contents and see for yourself— Cover: Ron Miller Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “A Beauty All Its Own,” by Andrew Welsh-Huggins [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Death Takes the Stage,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire,” by Donna Andrews [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The Murderer,” by Murray Leinster [short story] The Long Arm of Fantômas, by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain [novel, Fantômas series] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Chowhound” by Mack Reynolds [short novel] “A Kiss for the Conqueror,” by Henry Slesar [short story] “The Mystery of Deneb IV,” by Robert Silverberg [short story] “Try to Remember!” by Frank Herbert [short novel] Metropolis, by Thea von Harbou [novel]

''Tis the season for sleuthing in Donna Andrews'' cheery new addition to the New York Times bestselling Meg Langslow series. Meg has been roped into participating in a weaponsmithing competition, a Forged in Fire wannabe organized by a blacksmith friend. Meg originally turned down an invitation to participate, but the night before the filming starts, someone attacks Faulk, her blacksmithing mentor, breaking his arm and eliminating him from the contest before it begins. Meg agrees to step in as his replacement to keep the project from failing. She''s not thrilled that the filming will take place during December – Christmas is already a crazy time for her. Since the competition is taking place on Ragnarshjem, the picturesque estate that her friend Ragnar, the retired heavy metal drummer, is turning into a Goth castle, Meg won’t have to spend Christmas alone and gets to bring Michael and her twin sons with her. So Meg joins the cast, to the dismay of several old-school blacksmiths who think women have no place in the profession anyway. And if the show''s producers were hoping for drama, they''re in luck. The blacksmithing world is a small one, and some of the contestants arrived already laden with grudges and feuds. It''s a high-stakes, cutthroat competition between people who wield large hammers and make swords and have forges full of fire at their disposal. What could possibly go wrong?

Finally, it’s October! Home to our favorite holiday—Halloween. The origins of Halloween trace back to ancient Celtic harvest festivals, linking it to themes of change and transition that often elements of the fantastic. Darkness falls, boundaries dissolve, and our imaginations open to infinite possibilities. For authors of fantasy and horror, the imagery and symbolism of Halloween fuels imagination and storytelling around our deepest fears and fascinations. The holiday has cemented itself as a staple in the literary tradition of the fantastic. Here be ghosts, monsters, witches, and everything dark and diabolical. It provides the perfect setting for classic stories. What would the season be without Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Rats in the Walls,” Ray Bradbury’s “The October Game,” and and so many others? Not to mention Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and practically everything Stephen King has ever written. You’ll find more than a few seasonally appropraite tricks and treats in this month’s pages. Here’s the lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Behind Blue Eyes,” by Robby Robinson [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Case of the Fit Felon,” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “A Rat’s Tale,” by Donna Andrews [short story] “On His Majesty’s Service,” by Hal Meredith [short story, Sexton Blake series] The Clue of the New Pin, by Edgar Wallace [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Mad Evren’s Dreams,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short story] “No Other God But Me,” by Adrian Cole [short story] “In the Very Stones,” by Joseph Payne Brennan [short story] “You Can’t Scare Me!” by Charles F. Myers [short story, Pillsworth & Toffee series] “To Make a Hero,” by Randall Garrett [novella]

Dashing Through the Snowbirds is the next merry installment of Donna Andrews''s New York Times bestselling Meg Langslow mystery series. Christmas in Caerphilly is wonderful! Unless you’re a Canadian whose inconsiderate boss is forcing you to spend the holiday there, far from family and friends, with only a slim chance of a white Christmas. Meg already has her hands full, trying to make the season festive for the dozen programmers who are staying with her and Michael while working on a rush project with her brother’s software company. At least it’s an interesting project, since the Canadian company is doing forensic genealogy and DNA analysis. When the inconsiderate boss is found murdered, there are too many suspects. Even before their Christmas in exile, his own employees had plenty of motives, and the growing number of people suing the company for faulty DNA analysis and invasion of their genetic privacy include at least one notorious murderer. Can Meg crack the case in time to keep the Yuletide bright?

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eight charming cozy mysteries publishing in Fall 2023 for free for easy sampling. The nineteenth edition of Cozy Case Files features cozies from the following authors: Ellie Alexander, Donna Andrews, M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green, Cate Conte, Celeste Connally, Diane Kelly, Korina Moss, and Elizabeth Penney. Check out the historical series debut Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, it’s Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie. Find out what in the bleu blazes is happening in Case of the Bleus. Or discover if an arrow really did go astray in Dead on Target. Who doesn’t love a good holiday? Don’t be a scaredy cat around Halloween and read Nine Lives and Alibis. Or double, double, toil and truffle in Catch Me if You Candy. Celebrate Guy Fawkes Night across the pond in The Fatal Folio. A fire and a hot beverage make the perfect pairing for these Christmas mysteries: Snow Place for Murder and Let it Crow! Let it Crow! Let it Crow!

Meg is relaxing in the hammock, taste-testing Michael’s latest batch of Arnold Palmers and watching the hummingbirds at their feeders when her hopes for a relaxing early summer morning are dashed. First her father recruits her to help him install a new batch of bees in the hive in her backyard. Then Mayor Shiffley recruits her to placate the NIMBYs (Not in my backyard), as she calls them – a group of newcomers to Caerphilly who have built McMansions next door to working farms and then do their best to make life miserable for the farmers. And finally Meg’s grandmother, shows up, trailed by a nosy reporter who is writing a feature on her for a genteel Southern ladies’ magazine. Cordelia drafts Meg to accompany her and Deacon Washington of the New Life Baptist Church – and the reporter, alas – in their search for a long-lost African-American cemetery. Unfortunately what they discover is not an ancient cemetery but a fresh corpse. Can Meg protect her grandmother – and Caerphilly – from the reporter who seems to see the worst in everything . . . and help crack the case before the killer finds another victim?

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eleven charming cozy mysteries publishing in Spring/Summer 2023 for free for easy sampling. The eighteenth edition of Cozy Case Files features cozies from the following authors: Meri Allen, Donna Andrews, Olivia Blacke, Vivien Chien, Leonard Goldberg, Carolyn Haines, Olivia Matthews, Allison Montclair, Korina Moss, Mindy Quigley, and Katharine Schellman. Bring your appetite as you catch up on what''s happening in your favorite eateries in Fatal Fudge Swirl, Curds of Prey, Misfortune Cookie, Hard Dough Homicide, and Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust. Take up birding in Birder, She Wrote. Travel west in A Fatal Groove and Tell-Tale Bones. Want to escape the present? Head to the past in The Wayward Prince, The Lady from Burma, and The Last Drop of Hemlock.

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of seven charming cozy mysteries publishing in Fall 2022 for free for easy sampling. The sixteenth edition of Cozy Case Files features cozies by the following authors: Diane Kelly, Mindy Quigley, Korina Moss, Elizabeth Penney, M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green, Carolyn Haines, and Donna Andrews. Ready for your cozy-themed Fall vacation? Hit the road and head to the Blue Ridge Mountains in A Trip with Trouble, where life in the fast lane could end in a crash. Forgot your snacks? Check out Six Feet Deep Dish and the perfect recipe for a delicious first entry to a series: Fresh mozzarella, tangy tomato sauce, and murder. Double down on the cheese in Gone for Gouda, where things are going from gouda to bad to ugly for the local cheesemonger. Fancy a trip across the pond? In A Treacherous Tale, visit an English bookshop with a habit of bookmarking trouble. Or tag along in Devil’s Delight, where there’s a dead body... if Agatha Raisin can find it before she’s the next one to disappear. Love Christmas? In Bones of Holly, a library decorating contest leads to a deep dive into the history of Bay St. Louis and Al Capone. Finish the season in Dashing Through the Snowbirds. Can Meg Langslow crack the case in time to keep the Yuletide bright?

New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews first introduced us to Meg Langslow as a crime-solving bridesmaid. In her 31st mystery, Round Up the Usual Peacocks, Meg returns to her roots, juggling cold cases and wedding guests. Kevin, Meg''s cyber-savvy nephew who lives in the basement, comes to her with a problem. He''s become involved as the techie for a true-crime podcast, one that focuses on Virginia cold cases and unsolved crimes. And he thinks their podcast has hit a nerve with someone . . . one of the podcast team has had a brush with death that Kevin thinks was an attempted murder, not an accident. Kevin rather sheepishly asks for Meg''s help in checking out the people involved in a couple of the cases. "Given your ability to find out stuff online, why do you need MY help?" she asks. "Um . . . because I''ve already done everything I can online. This''ll take going around and TALKING to people," he exclaims, with visible horror. "In person!" Not his thing. And no, it can''t wait until after the wedding, because he''s afraid whoever''s after them might take advantage of the chaos of the wedding at Trinity or the reception at Meg and Michael''s house to strike again. So on top of everything she''s doing to round up vendors and supplies and take care of demanding out-of-town guests, Meg must hunt down the surviving suspects from three relatively local cold cases so she can figure out if they have it in for the podcasters. Could there be a connection to a musician on the brink of stardom who disappeared two decades ago and hasn''t been seen since?

Looking for a new cozy series? In this edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eight charming cozy mysteries publishing in Spring/Summer 2022 for free for easy sampling. The fifteenth edition of Cozy Case Files features the latest cozies by the following authors: Ellie Alexander, Meri Allen, Donna Andrews, Cate Conte, Jess Dylan, Leonard Goldberg, Carolyn Haines, and Ashley Weaver. Something old, something new, something borrowed, someone murdered? It’s wedding season in Fatal Flowers, Round Up the Usual Peacocks, and Donut Disturb. An ice cream social gone wrong in Mint Chocolate Murder. A Halloween season of beguiling cult leaders, witchcraft, and potentially human sacrifice in Lady of Bones. A small community’s secrets need to be uncovered in Gone but Not Furgotten. For historicals, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes is back in The Blue Diamond. And A Key to Deceit is a delightful World War II mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and wit.

The cast of Donna Andrews’ New York Times bestselling Meg Langslow mystery series is back for an unforgettable holiday story in The Twelve Jays of Christmas. Meg and Michael’s annual holiday celebration is well underway, with a throng of out-of-town relatives staying at their house. Hosting these festivities is a little harder than usual—they have to relocate all the events normally held in their library, currently occupied by Roderick Castlemayne, the irascible wildlife artist who’s creating twelve paintings of birds to illustrate Meg’s grandfather’s latest nature book. Still, the celebrations continue—and the entire family rejoices to learn that Meg’s brother Rob and his longtime fiancée Delaney have finally decided to tie the knot. Unfortunately, they decide to do this in the middle of Meg and Michael’s annual New Year’s bash, dashing their mothers’ hopes of planning the wedding to end all weddings. Delaney’s mother sneaks into town so she and Meg’s mother can secretly plot a way to talk the happy couple into having a big bash. Hiding her only adds to Meg’s holiday stress—it’s almost a full-time job fending all the visitors who want to confront Castlemayne—reporters, bill collectors, process servers, and several ex-wives in search of unpaid alimony. Then someone murders Castlemayne in the middle of a blizzard and sets loose the birds he was painting. Can Meg help the police crack the case before the killer strikes again? Can she keep Christmas merry in spite of the body in the library? Can she negotiate a compromise between Rob and Delaney and their disappointed mothers? And can she recapture the twelve escaped jays before they begin nesting in the Christmas tree? This intrigue-filled Christmas mystery takes readers home to Caerphilly to join in Meg''s family''s holiday celebration—including, of course, another baffling mystery.

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of seven charming cozy mysteries publishing in Fall 2021 for free for easy sampling. The thirteenth edition of Cozy Case Files features the latest cozies by the following authors: Ellie Alexander, Donna Andrews, M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green, Jane K. Cleland, Jess Dylan, Elizabeth Penney, and Diane Kelly. Dip into two series debuts! In Chapter and Curse, follow Molly Kimball as she heads to Cambridge, England to help run the family bookshop. In Getaway with Murder, Misty Murphy celebrates her fiftieth birthday by ending her marriage, emptying both her nest and her bank account, and purchasing a dilapidated mountain lodge at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Spring has arrived in Leavenworth, Washington in The Cure for What Ales You, and despite the festive spirit Slone Krause is brewing over her past. And speaking of things in bloom, Petals and Poison returns readers to a flower shop with a knack for attracting trouble as well as customers. Beloved heroine Agatha Raisin is back in Down the Hatch, where a newfound hobby, power-walking, leads Agatha to a dead body and right into her newest case. In Jane Austen’s Lost Letters, Josie Prescott comes across two undiscovered letters, under mysterious circumstances, written by the beloved novelist. Finish by getting in the holiday spirit in The Twelve Jays of Christmas, where a snowstorm brings to light not only a murder, but an elopement within the Langslow family.

Looking for a new cozy series? In the free edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of fourteen charming cozy mysteries for easy sampling. The twelfth edition of Cozy Case Files features the latest cozies by the following authors: Ellie Alexander, Meri Allen, Donna Andrews, Eve Calder, Sheila Connolly, Cate Conte, Hannah Dennison, Jess Dylan, Leonard Goldberg, Carolyn Haines, Kylie Logan, Allison Montclair, S. C. Perkins, and Ashley Weaver. Have a sweet tooth? Get your fix in A Tale of Two Cookies, The Rocky Road to Ruin, and Mocha, She Wrote. Pick up some flowers and read Death in Bloom, then travel to your favorite cat café in Claws for Alarm. You can join in for preparations for a production of Macbeth in Murder Most Fowl, and stay the night at a hotel in Danger at the Cove. And in the morning, train cadaver dogs in A Trail of Lies, then help clear a professor’s name in Independent Bones. Perhaps you prefer to travel in time. A Sherlockian mystery awaits you in The Abduction of Pretty Penny. Visit England in WWII with a safe cracker in A Peculiar Combination. In post-WWII England, play matchmaker in A Rogue’s Company. Or you can stay in the present, with crimes tied to the past, in Fatal Family Ties and The Secret Staircase.

New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews returns with another Meg Langslow mystery written "firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie''s Christmas books" (Toronto Globe and Mail). The 28th book and the seventh Christmas mystery in the Meg Langslow series, The Gift of the Magpie is yet another wonderfully merry and funny book from New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews. Meg’s running Caerphilly’s Helping Hands for the Holidays project, in which neighbors help each other with things they can’t do and can’t afford to have done. Her hopes for a relatively peaceful (if busy) Christmas vanish when someone murders Harvey the Hoarder, whose house the Helping Hands were decluttering. Was there any truth to the rumor that he had something valuable hidden beneath all his junk? Was one of his friends, neighbors, or relatives greedy enough to murder him for the rumored treasure? And what about the magpie that has been bringing her family bits of tinsel and costume jewelry—does the bird’s latest gift hold a clue to solving the crime? Full of intrigue, this Christmas mystery will take readers home to Caerphilly, where the suspense falls as thick as the snow.

The seventh volume in the Chesapeake Crimes series presents an impressive set of tales by new and wellestablished authors. Included this time are: INTRODUCTION, by Dana Cameron THE DAME AND THADDEUS BIRDWHISTLE, by Karen Cantwell SECRETS TO THE GRAVE, by K.M. Rockwood THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT THE ESCAPE ROOM, by Leone Ciporin THE DOGOODER, by Adam Meyer THE PROBLEM WITH OPENENDED INVITATIONS, by Cathy Wiley MUGGINS, by Josh Pachter THE KILLING WINDS, by Mary Stojak MAKE NEW FRIENDS, BUT KEEP THE OLD, by Jane Limprecht GOOD MORNING, GREEN LEAF CLASS, by Sarah Cotter THE GREAT BEDBUG INCIDENT AND THE INVITATION OF DOOM, by Eleanor Cawood Jones GUNS AND YOGA, by Maureen Klovers RFP/RIP, by Britt Alan AUMAKUA, by Maddi Davidson THE COLOR OF ENVY, by Joanna Campbell Slan TRUE COLORS, by Robin Templeton ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES, by Art Taylor SUNNYSIDE, by Stacy Woodson

A new side-splitting Meg Langslow mystery from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Terns of Endearment. When Meg''s grandmother Cordelia hosts a Renaissance Faire at her craft center, the whole family is put to work: Meg handles the blacksmithing, Michael and the boys will be performing, and no one misses the opportunity to dress up in full regalia. More exciting to Grandfather is the pair of rare falcons he discovers breeding at the fairgrounds. Concerned for their well-being amid all the activity, he appoints himself their protector. When one of the actors performing at the fair is found dead—an actor suspected of mistreating one of the falcons, among other sins—Grandfather is a prime suspect. Donna Andrews’s long-running Meg Langslow series continues to be beloved by its fans, who loyally read every new installment. The Falcon Always Wings Twice is a perfect new addition, full of laughter, adventure, and Andrews''s wonderful cast of wacky characters.

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eleven charming cozy mysteries publishing in Fall 2020 for free for easy sampling. The tenth edition of Cozy Case Files features the latest cozies by the following authors: Ashley Weaver, Jane K. Cleland, Ellen Hart, Carolyn Haines, Donna Andrews, Ellie Alexander, Cate Conte, Diane Kelly, Elizabeth Penney, Vivien Chien, and Susan Cox. In 1930s England, Amory Ames must sort through secret identities and whirlwind romances to uncover the killer in the crowd in A Deception at Thornecrest. Or in Hidden Treasure and In a Midnight Wood, things from the past shake things up in the present. Christmas is threatened to be canceled in A Garland of Bones, The Gift of the Magpie, and A Whisker of a Doubt. Then after the holidays are over, a murder in the midst of preparation for the town’s annual IceFest means brewer Sloan Krause must serve a pint of hoppy justice in Without a Brew. In Bending the Paw, murder without a body is like a dog without a bone. Need an excuse to order takeout? Thread & Dead and Killer Kung Pao have you covered with a lobster festival or the popular Ho-Lee Noodle House. And finally, San Francisco is calling your name in The Man in the Microwave Oven.

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eleven charming cozy mysteries publishing in Spring/Summer 2020 for free for easy sampling. The latest edition of Cozy Case Files has something for everyone with the latest cozies by the following authors: Carolyn Haines, Hannah Dennison, Eve Calder, Donna Andrews, Ellie Alexander, Kylie Logan, Susanna Calkins, Leonard Goldberg, and Allison Montclair. The bonds of friendship are put to the test in The Devil’s Bones and Sugar and Vice. Two sisters inherit an old hotel in the remote Scilly Islands in series debut Death at High Tide. A new Meg Langslow mystery, The Falcon Always Wings Twice, finds the family at a Renaissance Faire. Past crimes are unburied in Nothing Bundt Trouble and The Secret of Bones. Go back in time with these next historical cozies. Sherlock Holmes’s daughter is back in The Art of Deception. In A Royal Affair, Princess Elizabeth has developed feelings for a Greek prince, and The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau is engaged to dig into the suitor’s past. Or visit a 1920’s Chicago speakeasy in The Fate of the Flapper.

New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews returns with another Meg Langslow mystery written "firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie''s Christmas books" (Toronto Globe and Mail). The 26th book and the sixth Christmas mystery in the Meg Lansglow series, Owl Be Home for Christmas is yet another wonderfully merry and funny book from New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews. It''s a few days before Christmas, and Meg''s grandfather is hosting a scientific conference on owls at the Caerphilly Inn. Most of the family are there, helping out in one capacity or another, including Meg''s grandmother, Cordelia--invited by Grandfather in rare gesture of peace-making, to share her expertise on rehabilitating large birds, including owls. An unexpectedly severe snow storm traps the conference-goers in the hotel, and one of the visiting ornithologists is murdered. Even if Caerphilly is able to clear the roads in time, Chief Burke doesn''t want the various suspects to scatter to half a dozen continents before he identifies the killer, so there''s a very real possibility that none of them will make it home for Christmas . . . at least not unless Meg comes to the rescue. Full of intrigue and snow, this Christmas mystery will take readers home to Caerphilly for Christmas.

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of seven charming cozy mysteries coming in Fall 2019 for free for easy sampling. Jump into the latest cozies by the following authors: Ellie Alexander (x2), Donna Andrews, Vivien Chien, Ellen Crosby, Diane Kelly, and Ashley Weaver. In Paw of the Jungle, police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner try to solve a case involving stolen exotic animals. In A Dangerous Engagement, get drawn into the glamourous, dangerous world of nightclubs and bootleggers in 1930’s New York. Or go home with Meg Langslow for the holidays in Owl Be Home for Christmas. For cozies that will ignite your taste buds, return to Ho-Lee Noodle House in Wonton Terror. For dessert, stop in to Oregon’s favorite bakeshop, Torte, in A Cup of Holiday Fear. Then pour yourself a pint for brewer Sloan Krause in Beyond a Reasonable Stout, or grab a glass of wine and dig into The Angels'' Share for the latest corking mystery featuring vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery.

A new side-splitting Meg Langslow mystery from the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Toucan Keep a Secret. Meg Langslow''s grandfather has been booked by a cruise line to give lectures on birds and other environmental topics as part of their ship’s education/entertainment itinerary, and Grandfather has arranged for a passel of family members to join him. The passengers’ vacation quickly becomes a nightmare when they wake up to find themselves broken down and in need of repairs in the Bermuda Triangle. To keep the stranded passengers calm, Meg’s family and friends band together to keep things organized and provide entertainment. Some even take up the cause of nursing an injured tern back to health. But things get even worse when a crew member announces to all that a woman has jumped overboard, leaving behind her shoes, shawl, and a note. The note reveals she''s the mortal enemy of group of writers who came on board for a retreat, and the group is split on whether suicide is in-character for her. Meanwhile, grandfather’s assistant Trevor seems to have gone missing too! The captain decides not to investigate, saying he''ll notify American authorities when they reach their destination. But Meg''s father thinks they should find out whether there was foul play while the prime suspects are all stuck on board. Who wanted the writer dead? Why doesn’t the captain seem concerned? What happened to Trevor? It''ll be a race against the clock to solve these mysteries before they make the necessary repairs and return to shore. Terns of Endearment is the twenty-fifth book in New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews'' hilarious Mag Langslow mystery series.

Looking for a new cozy series? In this new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eight charming cozy mysteries coming in Spring 2019 for free for easy sampling. Jump into the latest cozies by the following authors: Donna Andrews, Shelia Connolly, Cate Conte, Leonard Goldberg, Carolyn Haines, Ellen Hart, Kylie Logan, and Allison Montclair. With the charm of a southern belle and none of the rules, private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney is back in Games of Bones. In Terns of Endearment, Meg Langslow races to solve a mystery while aboard a broken down cruise ship. Or follow PI Jane Lawless in Twisted at the Root as she works to attain justice for a widower wrongfully convicted of his husband’s murder. If you’re an animal lover, return to cat café JJ’s House of Purrs in The Tell Tail Heart or check out The Scent of Murder, starring cadaver dog trainer Jazz Ramsey. For history fans, there''s The Right Sort of Man, and the proprietresses of the Right Sort of Marriage Bureau, in 1946 London, who find their livelihood in danger when a client is arrested for the murder of another. In The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes confronts a threat to the crown. Or revisit the modern-day town that’s about to be turned into a working Victorian village in Killer in the Carriage House.

New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews returns with another Meg Langslow mystery written "firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie''s Christmas books" (Toronto Globe and Mail). It’s Christmastime in Caerphilly and Meg, full of holiday spirit, is helping out with the town''s festivities. While directing a nativity pageant and herding the children participating in it, she finds a surprise in the manger: a live baby. A note from the mother, attached to the baby girl’s clothes, says that it’s time for her father to take care of her—and implicates Meg’s brother, Rob, as the father. And while a DNA test can reveal whether there''s any truth to the accusation, Rob''s afraid the mere suspicion could derail his plan to propose to the woman he loves. Meg quickly realizes it''s up to her to find the baby''s real identity. She soon discovers that the baby—named Lark according to the fateful note—may be connected to something much bigger. Something that eventually puts a growing number of Meg’s friends and family in danger. And before long, Meg realizes she can’t fix things single-handedly. Meanwhile, a war is brewing between Caerphilly and its arch-rival Clay County—and it''s not a snowball fight. Can Meg bring everyone together in time for the holidays? As in her previous Christmas mysteries, Andrews continues to write “firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie’s Christmas books” (Toronto Globe and Mail) with a book that will put cozy lovers everywhere in a holly jolly mood.

Toucan keep a secret, if one of them is dead. Meg Langslow is at Trinity Episcopal Church locking up after an event and checking on the toucan her friend Rev. Robyn Smith is fostering in her office. When she investigates the sound of hammering in the columbarium (the underground crypt where cremated remains are buried), Meg finds the murdered body of an elderly parishioner. Several niches have been chiseled open; several urns knocked out; and amid the spilled ashes is a gold ring with a huge red stone. The curmudgeonly victim had become disgruntled with the church and ranted all over town about taking back his wife''s ashes. Did someone who had it in for him follow him to the columbarium? Or was the motive grave robbery? Or did he see someone breaking in and investigate? Why was the ruby left behind? While Chief Burke investigates the murder, Robyn recruits Meg to contact the families of the people whose ashes were disturbed. While doing so, Meg learns many secrets about Caerphilly''s history—and finds that the toucan may play a role in unmasking the killer. Clues and events indicate that a thief broke into the church to steal the toucan the night of the murder, so Meg decides to set a trap for the would-be toucan thief—who might also be the killer. Toucan Keep a Secret is the twenty-third book in New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews'' hilarious Mag Langslow mystery series.

Looking for a new cozy mystery author to love? Dive in to this collection of excerpts from the Minotaur Books/St. Martin''s Press SPRING 2018 season (May-July). The Cozy Case Files collection includes: Dressed for Death in Burgundy by Susan Shea Down the Aisle with Murder by Auraleee Wallace A Howl of Wolves by Judith Flanders Toucan Keep a Secret by Donna Andrews Charmed Bones by Carolyn Haines Murder at the Mansion by Sheila Connolly Till Death Do Us Tart by Ellie Alexander The Corpse at the Crystal Palace by Carola Dunn