Although I only have seven titles for the February Treasures in My Closet this month, there are some excellent books and titles on the list. And, I’m always looking forward to seeing what you want to add to the list! Please jump in.

The Next Deadly Chapter is the tenth book in V.M. Burns’ Mystery Bookshop series. Author and bookstore owner Samantha Washington really wants to make a good impression on her future mother-in-law. In fact, when Sam and her grandmother’s friends are given rooms at the Four Feathers Casino and Resort, Sam switches rooms with Dr. Camilia Patterson. But, now she’ll have to play sleuth when her fiance’s mother-in-law finds a dead man in her room. As before, there are parallel storylines that link Sam’s current historical mystery with the mystery she’s investigating. (Release date is Feb. 25.)

I’ll try most of Simon R. Green’s books, but the second Holy Terrors mystery, Stone Certainty, didn’t work for me. There’s a line in the book that usually describes Green’s books, “Hip-deep in sudden death, with supernatural elements.” The deaths came late in the story, and the supernatural elements were missing. Bishop Alistair Kincaid teams up with actress Diana Hunt again as part of a TV team investigating a stone circle in Great Britain as the final stones are returned to their original places. The missing creepiness and supernatural elements spoil this one for me. (Release date is Feb. 4.)

I haven’t read all the February releases on this list, but Laura McCluskey’s The Wolf Tree was the best one I read. With its isolation and brooding atmosphere, loneliness and anger, Laura McCluskey’s debut, The Wolf Tree, is reminiscent of the first Shetland Island mystery by Ann Cleeves, Raven Black. But, McCluskey has created her own island community. And, there’s a conclusion that I never saw coming. I’d recommend this one to any of Cleeves’ fans. Eilean Eadar is a barren, windswept rock inhabited by just 206 people and some sheep. It’s claim to fame happened in 1916 when three lighthouse keepers vanished from the island. That mystery remains unsolved. But, now, there’s another unexplained death, and Detective Inspectors Georgina “Georgie” Lennox and Richie Stewart have been sent from Glasgow to the island off the west coast of Scotland. If you’re looking for a police procedural that’s a little different, take a chance on this one. (Release date is Feb. 11.)

C.L. Miller’s The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea is the second Antique Hunter’s mystery. My only complaint was the large number of characters. You might want to keep score as you’re reading it. Other than that, it’s a fast-paced mystery set in the world of black market antiques. It’s obvious Miller knows antiques when you venture onto the cruise with Freya Lockwood and her Aunt Carole. A stolen painting kicks off the latest adventure as Freya is invited to appear as an antiques expert on a cruise. With a ship full of people who trade or steal items on the black market, Freya and Carole are way over their heads as Freya hopes to jumpstart her business by returning stolen goods to the original owners. (Release date is Feb. 18.)

I used to read Tova Mirvas’ books regularly, but somehow I lost the connection, and haven’t read any lately. So, I’m looking forward to We Would Never. No one appears more surprised than Hailey Gelman when she comes under suspicion for the murder of her soon-to-be ex-husband Jonah. Hailey—nicknamed Sunshine by her mother for her bright outlook and ever-present smile—has always tried to do what is expected of her and is regarded as the family peacemaker. But is anyone, including Hailey, who she has always seemed to be? The months leading up to Jonah’s death have been fraught, including a bitter separation and a messy custody battle over their young daughter, Maya. When Hailey files a motion to relocate to Florida so she can be near her family, Jonah retaliates and the divorce begins to spiral dangerously out of control. Sherry, Hailey’s mother, will stop at almost nothing to keep Jonah from getting what he wants. Nate, Hailey’s impetuous and protective older brother, has tried to keep his distance, but he can’t stand to see his little sister suffer. And then there’s Solomon, the patriarch, who is keeping a secret that threatens the stability and security Sherry has worked so hard to maintain. Soon, they are forced to reckon with who they are as individuals and as a family, and just how far they will go for each other. (Release date is Feb. 11.)

The writing in Sherry Rankin’s debut mystery, The Killing Plains, shows why she won the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Debut Dagger Award. Set in Crescent Bluff, West Texas, it’s a gritty, atmospheric story. Colly Newland retired from the Houston police department after her husband and daughter were killed. For the last couple years, she’s been raising her grandson, Satchel, a troubled young boy still struggling with the trauma of finding the family bodies. Colly’s reluctant to return to Crescent Bluff, her late husband’s family home, but his brother, Russ, the chief of police, asks for her help. Twenty years ago, a young boy’s body was found by a pond. Willis Newland was arrested and went to prison for the crime. Now, another boy is dead, and the town suspects Willis. But, Willis died before the Texas Rangers could prove their case. Now, Willis’ mother, Colly’s mother-in-law, pulls strings to have the case reopened. And, Russ wants Colly to investigate. (Release date is Feb. 1.)

I haven’t yet read J.D. Robb’s Bonded in Death, but I’m looking forward to book 60 in the series since the premise is a little different for this one. His passport read Giovanni Rossi. But decades ago, during the Urban Wars, he was part of a small, secret organization called The Twelve. Responding to an urgent summons from an old compatriot, he landed in New York and eased into the waiting car. And died within minutes… Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the Rossi case frustrating. She’s got an elderly victim who’d just arrived from Rome; a widow who knows nothing about why he’d left; an as-yet unidentifiable weapon; and zero results on facial recognition. But when she finds a connection to the Urban Wars of the 2020s, she thinks Summerset―fiercely loyal, if somewhat grouchy, major-domo and the man who’d rescued her husband from the Dublin streets―may know something from his stint as a medic in Europe back then. (Release date is Feb. 4.)

It’s not a big list, but as I said, there are some good authors and titles on this one. I’m sure you also have some February releases to add to the list.