This sounds a little crazy. Even though there are fifteen books on this post, this isn’t near all of the books I have that are coming out in March. Because I haven’t yet moved back home after last week’s storm, I don’t have access to the physical books that are piled up there. These are only the eBooks that I have that have March releases. So, I’m dividing the Treasures post in half. Once I get home, I’ll post Part II, with the physical books. I know we have time since these are March releases. In the meantime, don’t forget to check back at the February Treasures post for the books coming out this month. https://tinyurl.com/vexefetx

The Governess’s Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses is the second in Amy Rose Bennett’s Parasol Academy series. Mary Poppins meets My Fair Lady in a feel-good blend of cozy fantasy magic, historical romance, humor, and Victorian era charm, as a recent graduate of the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses finds herself at sea on a ship commanded by a captivating Irishman. I loved the first in the series, The Nanny’s Handbook for Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes. The best friend from the first book is the main character in the new one, so I’m looking forward to it. (Release date is March 31.)

I once hosted Elizabeth Berg for the Lee County Reading Festival, so I’m looking forward to her latest novel, Life: A Love Story. A warm, intimate novel that reminds us of the richness that can be found all throughout our lives. As ninety-two-year-old Florence “Flo” Greene nears the end of her life, she writes a letter to Ruthie, the woman who grew up next door to her, describing the items Flo is leaving Ruthie in her will. But as it goes on, telling surprising stories about those “little” things Flo will leave behind (What could possibly be the worth of a rubber band kept in a matchbox tied up in red ribbon?), an unforgettable portrait of the life she has lived emerges. (Release date is March 17.)

Jeffrey B. Burton’s The Boy in the Wall is a Chicago K-9 thriller. The discovery of a missing boy’s body uncovers cruel schemes in this twisty, fast-paced K-9 thriller series set in the Windy City of Chicago. What if the past won’t let you go? It was supposed to be a fun dog demo day for the students at Henry Horner Elementary School in Chicago—but when Cory Pratt’s cadaver dogs sniff out the body of a missing teenage boy wedged into the wall of the cafeteria, his family’s life is shattered.It seems like tragedy follows the Shortridges. With the eldest son having taken his life a few years earlier, Patrick being found mutilated and murdered devastates the whole clan further. Now everyone is fearing for seven-year-old sister Charlotte. When a kidnapping attempt on the young girl fails, Cory and his detective sister Crystal are sure someone is targeting the Shortridges. But who is behind these savage attacks and why would someone want to kill off such a seemingly unassuming family? (Release date is March 3.)

Buried in a Book is the second in T.C. LoTempio’s Cozy Bookshop Mystery series. Bookshop owner Charley James is plunged into a mystery involving a rare book worth killing for. No treats but lots of tricks and murder! Retired thriller author and current bookshop owner Charley James is preparing for Halloween in her small hometown of Austin, Pennsylvania—what she isn’t prepared for is discovering the body of a woman at the local inn. Charley recognizes the stranger as a suspicious customer who popped in just to hide a rather peculiar book at her store—did she already know she was about to lose her life for it? (Release date is March 3.)

In Lindsay Lovise’s Never Spar with a Viscount, the rules are simple: fake a relationship and solve a mystery. That should be easy … right?  Ivy Bennett has escaped the marriage mart once already—by becoming a governess to the new Lord Brackley’s unruly little sisters. Spending her days in the schoolroom and her nights running a secret self-defense class for women, she has absolutely no interest in a husband. So when Ivy is handed a secret assignment by the spymaster known as the Dove, she sees an opportunity: fake a courtship with the enigmatic Owen Brackley to avoid her conniving father’s attempts to marry her off, complete the mission, and finally secure her freedom. Simple. Until it’s not. Women across London are succumbing to a strange madness, and they all share a connection to Brackley—the same man who looks at Ivy like he sees right through her and is none too bothered by her lack of ladylike charm. As Ivy gathers gossip like breadcrumbs and dodges increasingly dangerous attempts on Brackley’s life, she realizes two things: someone wants the viscount gone, and the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to tell what’s real and what’s just part of the game. (Release date is March 10.)

Lenore Nash’s She Fell Away features a State Department diplomat who must confront the ghosts of her past as she searches for a missing American woman in New Zealand. Lake Harlowe may not appear to be your typical State Department diplomat. With the number of skeletons in her closet exceeding the tattoos on her skin, she moves to a new country every few years to keep one step ahead of her personal demons. After two grueling years working in Cambodia, Lake’s desperate for a break and a new posting to sleepy Wellington, New Zealand, seems like a dream come true. That is, until eighteen-year-old singer-songwriter Bowie Bishop mysteriously vanishes shortly after American NFL player Bruce Walter is found dead in his hotel room. An exchange student from Las Vegas, Bowie was a world away from her possessive, washed-up stage mom who won’t stop calling until Lake finds her superstar daughter. All at once, Lake finds herself ensnared in a network of deception involving Bowie’s high-profile host family, a shadowy music producer, a casino magnate, and the US ambassador—her boss. Obsessed with finding the truth, Lake soon realizes that to find the missing girl, she must confront her own dark past in this unputdownable thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page. (Release date is March 10.)

Although it’s historical fiction, Shelley Noble’s The Sisters of Book Row seems timely. From bestselling author Shelley Noble comes a gripping and timely historical novel of books, banning, and the women who helped save New York’s famed Book Row. 1915: Manhattan’s Book Row, an eclectic jumble of forty bookshops along Fourth Avenue, is the mecca for rare book buyers from around the world, and the haunt of locals looking for a bargain. It is also the target of the most vicious censor in American history—Anthony Comstock. And home to three sisters who vow to stop him. For the three Applebaum sisters, the narrow, four-storied Arcadia Rare Bookshop is the only home they’ve ever known. Olivia, the oldest, is an expert in restoring rare manuscripts. Daphne, the outgoing middle sister, oversees the retail shop and is a favorite with their customers. Celia, the youngest, is left to dust and catalogue, but often sneaks out to do heaven knows what. Little do her sisters know, Celia has joined a group of young people who secretly print and distribute articles on women’s health by hiding them within the pages of ordinary cookbooks, household hints, and sewing patterns, despite the personal risk. (Release date is March 3.)

Here’s this month’s nonfiction title, Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer. The highly anticipated biography of one of the world’s most treasured literary voices, showcasing a life as triumphant and inspiring as the stories she crafted. To know the name Judy Blume is to know and love literature. Her influential novels turned classics—including Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing; Deenie; and Summer Sisters—touched the lives of tens of millions of readers. For more than fifty-five years her work has done something revolutionary: it rewired the world’s expectations of what literature for young people can be—frank, candid, earthy, and unafraid to show the messier sides of humanity. But little is known about the real woman behind the iconic persona, and the unlikely journey of her literary ascension, until now. In Judy Blume, journalist, historian, and longtime Blume aficionado Mark Oppenheimer pens a beautiful, multidimensional portrait of the acclaimed author through extensive interviews with Blume herself, invaluable access to her papers and correspondence, and thoughtful analysis of Blume’s beloved novels, including early, unpublished works that shed light on the pathbreaking writer she would become. (Release date is March 10.)

In A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson, a witty fantasy romance, a widow attempts to resurrect her dead husband by blackmailing her rakish necromancer neighbor—only to find herself falling for him instead. Lady Hildegarde Croft is accustomed to changes in position. After all, she rose from maidservant to lady of the manor when she married Lord Thorgoode Croft. But when he dies unexpectedly, the plans that would have protected her and the people of Croftholde die along with him. What’s a widow to do? Potential salvation arrives in the form of Lord Elmwood, who is fleeing the consequences of using his forbidden Charm to raise the dead. Now he’s injured, destitute, and hiding out at the neighboring estate. For Hilde, blackmailing Lord Elmwood to resurrect Thorgoode seems like the perfect solution. For Elmwood, beautiful Lady Croft seems like the ideal distraction from his troubles. The problem is, all she wants from him is the horrifying power he knows he can never use again. (Release date is March 31.)

I always like to check out the winners of the Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Mystery Novel competitions. Rob Phillips’ Stakeouts and Strollers is the winner of the 2024 competition. Amateur private investigator and new dad Charlie Shaw gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to track down a young girl’s missing father. Charlie Shaw is low on sleep. And cash. Otherwise, life is going pretty well for the ex-crime reporter: he’s happily married to his college sweetheart, he’s a first-time dad to the most adorable baby girl in existence, and he’s making ends meet as a rookie PI. But when Charlie meets Friday Finley, a frightened sixteen-year-old runaway on a stakeout-gone-wrong, his world gets a little more complicated. Friday is looking for her estranged father Shawn, an unreliable alcoholic who left when she was young—and who also happens to be her only shot at avoiding the foster care system since her mother’s death a few weeks earlier. At first, Charlie believes the man is simply hiding out somewhere, avoiding his responsibilities as usual, but the more he investigates, the more unsettling—and dangerous—Shawn’s disappearance becomes. When his own family is threatened, Charlie realizes he’s in over his head, but can he back out now that he’s begun to care for Friday as his own? (Release date is March 17.)

The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris is Mark Pryor’s latest mystery, a spin-off of his Hugo Marston books. Hugo Marston, former head of security at the U.S. embassy in Paris, has retired and is ready to realize his lifelong dream of owning a mystery and antiquarian bookshop. But when a blackmail scheme targeting a chocolatier leads to murder, Hugo is again called to investigate in the first Paris Bookshop Mystery. Hugo has led an exciting life as an FBI profiler and the US embassy’s head of security, but now he’s ready to embrace a quieter existence as a bookseller in the Marais district of Paris. His former employer, however, has other plans for him. A prominent American citizen is the COO of a boutique chocolate emporium in Paris, where they’ve received a mysterious and threatening note. A blackmailer who goes by the name The Shadow wants half a million euros or else their “darkest secret will be revealed.” (Release date is March 31.)

I always eagerly anticipate another Veronica Speedwell mystery. The new one is A Ghastly Catastrophe. Veronica and Stoker are practically dying for a new adventure, but when their wish is granted, they find themselves up against a secret society and a darkly seductive duo in this landmark historical mystery from beloved New York Times bestselling and Edgar® Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn. When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica’s interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide—and Veronica and her intrepid beau Stoker know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere. Thirsty for more clues, Veronica and Stoker hear that a young Romany boy may know more about their first victim, and the only way to the boy is through an old acquaintance of Stoker’s, Lady Julia Brisbane. Lady Julia and her dashing husband, Nicholas, occasionally track down murderers and are only too happy to help. But as it becomes clear that the secret society is a dangerous sect looking to entice immortality seekers, Veronica and Stoker find themselves ensnared by a decidedly more sinister couple. (Release date is March 3.)

If Books Could Kill is the third book in Karen Rose Smith’s Tomes & Tea mystery series. Daisy Swanson’s daughter Jazzi has moved away to the lakeside town of Belltower Landing, but the apple doesn’t fall from the tree. Much like Daisy, she’s running a tea bar and bookshop––and has a knack for getting into hot water…Town librarian Mathilda has a troublesome new employee, and after Jazzi spots the two of them arguing at the ice-sculpture festival, Mathilda asks Jazzi if she’d mind discussing her workplace woes over a cup of tea. During the visit, Jazzi also finds out about Mathilda’s top-secret stash of valuable first editions. Soon afterward, those rare books have vanished—and Mathilda is dead. As the police check out suspects and a lawyer searches for the next of kin, Jazzi learns that the librarian’s life was as mysterious as any crime thriller. She’d left home and changed her name as a teenager, and always seemed a little lonely. Oddly, it’s her new employee who seems the most distraught. (Release date is March 31.)

Charles Todd returns with an Inspector Ian Rutledge novel, A Day of Judgment. Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard travels to England’s windswept coastline to investigate a murder in a place where, several years after the end of WWI, the memory of the war still runs strong . . .July, 1921: England is suffering a heatwave and the coast of Northumberland, just across the border from Scotland, is filled with holiday-makers bird watching and enjoying the beaches. Pilgrims also come to visit the home of Saints Cuthbert and Aiden—the founders of Christianity in England—located on the “Holy Island” of Lindisfarne, accessible by a causeway at low tide. When the murdered body of a local man washes ashore just south of Lindisfarne, the government and the Church of England are concerned about protecting both the reputation of the Church and the sacred sites that are a destination for hundreds of pilgrims at this time of year. With his ability to move in the highest social and political circles, Rutledge is sent by Scotland Yard to solve this crime and dispel any association with the Church. (Release date is March 10.)

Andrew Welsh-Huggins’ second Mercury Carter thriller is The Delivery. Freelance courier Mercury Carter races against time and across New England to rescue a trafficking victim. Merc Carter is not your typical deliveryman. A former postal inspector, he specializes in moving sensitive or dangerous packages—of all sorts—from point A to B. And sometimes he needs his gun to do so. Carter’s current mission leads him to Providence, Rhode Island, but his delivery is interrupted when he comes across a woman badly injured in a car wreck in the pouring rain. Then a man with a gun appears warning Carter away from the scene and Carter leaps into action, disarming the attacker and rescuing the crash victim. Just as Carter thinks the danger has passed, he discovers a deeper mystery stemming from the crash, a deadly puzzle involving a memorable pair of grifters, a crooked ex-cop, stolen identities, human trafficking, and murder. And it appears that Carter’s next assignment will put him right in this conspiracy’s perilous center . . .(Release date is March 24.)

As I said, this is just the first half of the March treasures. I don’t even remember what’s on the pile at home. Is there anything on this list that jumps out at you? What March books are you looking forward to reading?