I’m sure the current “Treasures in My Closet” posts are disappointments to all of you. There are not too many publishers who have followed through in sending me books now that I’ve moved. I have heard that books are still being delivered to my old address, but I’m not driving ten hours round trip to get them. In the meantime, thanks to Macmillan, who changed my address immediately. The other issue is that there are not a lot of December book releases. But, I know there are more than the six that I have. And, I’ve read five of them. So, let me know what else you’re anticipating for December.
Here are the few December books that I have.
Sniffing Out Murder is the first Bailey the Bloodhound mystery by Kallie E. Benjamin. After deciding that life as a teacher wasn’t right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children’s book in her three-year-old bloodhound’s nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. The book’s massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series. But, as her last task as.a teacher, Pris has a meeting with a couple, including the mean girl turned school board president, who would like nothing more than to do away with Priscilla’s favorite extracurricular activity. But, before she can do that, the woman ends up dead. It’s Priscilla’s bloodhound who finds her, and now Pris is a murder suspect. (Release date is Dec. 5.)
Well, of course I have two books dealing with Ireland. The first is Andrea Carter’s Death Writes. Solicitor Benedicta “ Ben” O’ Keeffe and her boyfriend Police Sergeant Tom Molloy race to Dublin after hearing that some strangers had moved in with Ben’ s parents. When they arrive, only Ben’ s parents and their strange lodger remain, but come morning the lodger has left. Not wanting to leave them alone, Ben persuades her parents to come and stay with her in Inishowen. In Glendara, preparations are underway for Glenfest, Glendara’ s literary festival. Gavin Featherstone, the local reclusive author, agrees to take part, but as he begins his talk, he keels over on the stage. Ben discovers that she holds Featherstone’ s will at the office, drafted by her predecessor. Soon, she’ s drawn into a complicated legal wrangle over the man’ s estate involving his family and the assistant who lived with him. But, nothing can be resolved until the case in solved because Gavin Featherstone was murdered. (Release date is Dec. 5.)
First published in 1934, The Mysterious Mr. Badman by W.F. Harvey is part of the British Library Crime Classics series. Subtitled “A Yorkshire Bibliomystery”, it’s the story of an unusual adventure. On holiday in Keldstone visiting his nephew, Jim, blanket manufacturer Athelstan Digby agrees to look after the old bookshop on the ground floor of his lodgings while his hosts are away. On the first day of his tenure, a vicar, a chauffeur and an out-of-town stranger enquire after The Life and Death of Mr. Badman by John Bunyan. When a copy mysteriously arrives at the shop in a bundle of books brought in by a young scamp, and is subsequently stolen, Digby moves to investigate the significance of the book along with his nephew, and the two are soon embroiled in a case in which the stakes have risen from antiquarian book-pinching to ruthless murder. (Release date is Dec. 5.)
The Final Curtain, written by Keigo Higashino, and translated by Giles Murray, is the fourth and final Kyoichiro Kaga mystery.
A decade ago, Tokyo Police Detective Kyoichiro Kaga went to collect the ashes of his recently deceased mother. Years before, she ran away from her husband and son without explanation or any further contact, only to die alone in an apartment far away, leaving her estranged son with many unanswered questions. Now in Tokyo, Michiko Oshitani is found dead many miles from home. Strangled to death, left in the bare apartment rented under a false name by a man who has disappeared without a trace. Oshitani lived far away in Sendai, with no known connection to Tokyo – and neither her family nor friends have any idea why she would have gone there. Hers is the second strangulation death in that approximate area of Tokyo – the other was a homeless man, killed and his body burned in a tent by the river. As the police search through Oshitani’s past for any clue that might shed some light, one of the detectives reaches out to Detective Kaga for advice. As the case unfolds, an unexpected connective emerges between the murder (or murders) now and the long-ago case of Detective Kaga’s missing mother. (Release date is Dec. 5.)
I guess we’re all supposed to be ready for St. Patrick’s Day the day after Christmas. Irish Milkshake Murder, an anthology featuring three authors, will be released that day. Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland bring back favorite amateur sleuths in a collection involving poisons on that favorite Irish holiday. (Release date is Dec. 26.)
Lost Hours is Paige Shelton’s fifth Alaska Wild mystery.
A year after arriving in Benedict, Beth Rivers is feeling very at home in Alaska. She’s even found her father, Eddy Rivers—or, rather, he found her—and she’s trying to find the middle ground between anger and forgiveness. One sunny July day, Beth boards a tourist ship to see the glaciers, the main reason visitors venture to the area, and something Beth hasn’t attempted until now. But when the captain has to navigate to an island, a bloodied woman is found standing on the shore, waving for help. When she’s brought aboard, she claims she was kidnapped from her home in Juneau three days earlier, and that a bear on the island killed her captor. She, however, is unharmed.
The woman, Sadie, finds a sympathetic ear in Beth. She tells her that she’s been in Juneau under witness protection, and that the Juneau police don’t like her. When another kidnapping occursBeth and police chief Gril can’t help but think the two cases are interwoven, though the clues to solving them will be harder to unravel. (Release date is Dec. 5.)
Sorry for the formatting issues. (See, Kevin. It’s really not your fault.)
I know I’m missing some December titles. What’s coming up for you in December?
I got nothing. All the books for Christmas come out in November this year, I guess.
I think so, too, Glen.
I am looking forward to the latest Lydia Chin/Bill Smith book, The Mayors of New York by S J Rozan. It is being released on December 5th.
Well, there’s one, Jennifer.
These are the December ARCs in my pile (not a lot):
FALL by Tracy Clark (Detective Harriet Foster #2), December 5
KEEP YOUR FAMILY CLOSE by Annette Dashofy (Detective Honeywell #2), December 8
HOP SCOT by Catriona McPherson (Last Ditch #6), December 5
DEEP FRIED DEATH by Maddie Day (Country Store mystery #12), December 26
PUBLIC ANCHOVY #1 by Mindy Quigley (Deep Dish mystery #3), December 26
If you don’t have a lot, Grace, then I’m on target in saying there aren’t too many December releases.
I’m looking forward to Annette Dashofy’s new book. I have 2 others on my TBR list:
Death by Demo by Callie Carpenter Dec 5
Murder of an Amish Bridegroom by Patricia Johns Dec 5
Thank you, Sandy!
I am waiting on one from LibraryThing about a teacher’s reflections on being a teacher done in poetry.
I plan to stop requesting books when it gets closer to our move in December but if we get approved, will put in the new address. We filled out the forms and gave a letter not to renew. The management at the apartment were mad, they acted like we were committing a crime! Now they will finally have a vacancy and someone on the waiting list will have a chance. We won’t know if we can get the apartment for about three weeks! Hoping that we get it.
Geez! I’m sorry, Carol. You have a right to move. I would think nowadays that apartment managers do have a waiting list.
I know December isn’t a big month for publishing. I’m currently reading an ARC of Stephen Spotswood’s Murder Crossed Her Mind (terrific!) that comes out in December. The only other book on my TBR list is The Fairy Tale Life of Dorothy Gayle by Virginia Kantra.
This gives us a chance to catch up with reading and holidays, Margie!
Wow, I would have guessed that I’d heard of (if not read) most Golden Age titles, but you really stumped me with the W. F. Harvey title. Never heard of it,
December releases:
5 Caz Frear, Five Bad Deeds (I really liked her earlier books)
5 Victoria Thompson, City of Betrayal
5 Stephen Spotswood, Murder Crossed Her Mind (Parker & Pentecost)
5 S. J. Rozan, The Mayors of New York (Chin & Smith)
That’s pretty much it.
That is a surprise, Jeff, when a book stumps you! I always expect you to have heard of them.
No, not much there for December. I’m sure we can all find other books to read, and other things to do!
Our old apartment complex management was seriously offended that we moved out. For the first time, back in 2017, they offered to renew us with no increase. In the six years we have been out, they have had 11 tenants in our old apartment. Our old place currently has 29 vacancies and is running a special. https://liveatthehathaway.com/
THE FALL is the only December release I have via NetGalley.
Catriona McPherson’s new Last Ditch Motel book, Hop Scot on December 5th. She lovingly dedicated it to my son Kevin who was murdered last May. Also, Annette Dashofy’s second Detective Honeywell mystery, Keep Your Family Close, will be out on December 8th.