I warned you. There are piles of books that are released in January 2017. I’ve picked out about fifteen books for each day, today and tomorrow. And, I’ll list the other books at the end of tomorrow’s post. Happy Reading in 2017 for all of us!

Elliot Ackerman kicks off the list with Dark at the Crossing, a timely novel. It’s a love story set on the Turkish border with Syria. Haris Abadi is an Arab American, trying to get into Syria and join the fight against the regime. But, he’s robbed and taken in by a Syrian refugee and his wife. Soon, Paris is struggling to decide if he’s a radical or an idealist. (Release date is Jan. 24.)

Mystery readers can kick off the new year with Ellie Alexander’s Fudge & Jury. Torte is a small-town family bakery in Ashland, Oregon, now preparing for the Shakespeare Festival and the annual Chocolate Festival. Jules’ bakery business is expanding, and it looks like a great season is ahead. But, when a world-renowned chocolatier turns up dead after sampling Jules’ cake, she has to sift through the suspects to find a killer. (Release date is Jan. 3.)

There’s a lot of buzz in the library world for Katherine Arden’s debut novel, The Bear and the Nightingale. It’s a fairy tale for adults, set in the Russian wilderness where Vasilisa loves her nurse’s fairy tales, especially the story of Frost, the winter demon. But, when Vasilisa’s mother dies, and her father remarries, her new stepmother forbids the family to honor the household spirits. Vasilisa knows more hinges on the rituals than anyone knows, and she’s eventually forced to defy the people she loves, and call on her own dangerous gifts to save the family. (Release date is Jan. 10.)

Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader, returns to contemporary Salem in her latest novel, The Fifth Petal. When a teenage boy dies suspiciously on Halloween night, the murder has roots that reach back to the seventeenth-century witch trials. Chief of Police John Rafferty wonders if the murder also has links to a triple homicide of three young women, all descendants of accused Salem witches. (Release date is Jan. 24.)

Readers always anticipate Chris Bohjalian’s new books. In The Sleepwalker, a wife and mother vanishes from her bed late one night. And, her children fear the worst. Their mother, Annalee Ahlberg is a sleepwalker whose affliction is sometimes bizarre. A search party looks for her, and eventually the police find a clue that seems to indicate she’s dead. But, it’s her oldest daughter who still has questions. (Release date is Jan. 10.)

Followers of Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library series will welcome The Burning Page. Librarian spy Irene is stuck on probation. But, trouble has a way of finding Irene and her apprentice, Kai, a dragon prince. This time, it’s Irene’s longtime nemesis with plans to destroy the entire Library, taking Irene down with it. (Release date is Jan. 10.)














My Husband’s Wife is Jane Corry’s debut thriller. When Lily, a young lawyer, marries Ed, she’s determined to make a fresh start, to leave the secrets of the past behind. But, secrets have a way of catching up to people, and sixteen years later, Lily finds a young woman on her doorstep, a woman who was once an inquisitive nine-year-old neighbor. (Release date is Jan. 31.)

The Antiques is a comedic drama about a dysfunctional family. By Kris D’Agostino, it’s the story of three estranged siblings who learn their father is dying on the night of a massive hurricane. For the first time in years, they gather at their childhood home where the storm has destroyed so much, including their family’s antique store. (Release date is Jan. 10.)

JP Delaney brings us a psychological thriller, The Girl Before. One Folgate Street is an architectural masterpiece, but the man who designed it has rules for tenants, and he likes to retain full control of the surroundings. When Jane moves in, needing a fresh start, she is strangely drawn to the seductive creator of the space. (Release date is Jan. 24.)

The Trapped Girl is the fourth book is Robert Dugoni’s series featuring police detective Tracy Crosswhite. When a woman’s body is discovered submerged in the child waters of Puget Sound, Crosswhite and her colleagues on the Seattle PD’s Violent Crimes Section must figure out who the victim is before they can find a killer. Her autopsy reveals the victim may have gone to great lengths t conceal her identity. Who was she hiding from? (Release date is Jan. 24.)

Janet Ellis’ debut novel is The Butcher’s Hook. Set in Georgian London, this is the dark and twisted story of a nineteen-year-old girl who falls in love with a butcher’s apprentice, and is determined to thwart her parents’ wishes by taking her destiny into her own hands, no matter the cost. (Release date is Jan. 10.)

The next debut thriller is The River at Night by Erica Ferencik. Winifred Allen is ready for a vacation, but when three friends suggest a high-octane rafting excursion, she’s not so excited. And, then the trip becomes a nightmare as an accident separates them from their raft and everything they need to survive. And, the true intent of their would-be saviors makes it more important that Winifred draws on unknown strength. (Release date is Jan. 10.)

Author Amy Grant discovered unpublished manuscripts, songs, personal letters, and diaries from Margaret Wise Brown. Her research led to In the Great Green Room, the story of the life of the woman behind Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. (Release date is Jan. 10.)

Did you find anything of interest today? If not, come back tomorrow for the second half of January Treasures in My Closet.