Win A ‘Crooked Lane Book Prize Pack #2’

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Killing in the Countryside by Maria Malone in stores on Tuesday, August 11th.
Sergeant Ali Wren and her police dog, Wilson, are back in this charming sequel, perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves and Margaret Mizushima. It’s just another day in the small town of Heft when Ali follows up on reports of an escaped pride of peacocks stirring up trouble in a once quiet cul-de-sac. A routine call, a case of fuss and feathers, Ali suspects. But what she discovers inside the house the birds have invaded is far from routine. The couple who live there have been receiving anonymous hate letters.

Letters that are at once threatening and suspiciously personal. As Ali and Wilson investigate, they dig up long buried secrets at the heart of the community. Every detail they uncover brings them closer to the truth, that someone in Heft will stop at nothing to keep their past hidden…

Death on the Books by Victoria Gilbert in stores on Tuesday, August 4th.
A sleuthing library director is on the case when a patron drops dead in the tenth installment of Victoria Gilbert’s critically acclaimed Blue Ridge Library mysteries. When a stranger falls over dead in the Taylorsford Public Library, clutching a crumpled piece of paper inscribed only with the words hen and sapphire, Library Director Amy Muir must once again investigate. She soon learns that the man is the personal assistant to Warren Sanderson, an art collector and dealer who just so happens to be visiting Kurt Kendrick, the godfather of Amy’s twins.

When the autopsy reveals that the library patron was poisoned, suspicion falls on those who knew him—mainly Sanderson, his granddaughter Heather, and Kurt. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Amy digs into the contentious relationships between Kurt and the Sandersons. But as it turns out, suspects abound, and when Amy’s best friend’s boyfriend is implicated, the case becomes even more complicated. Amy’s research ties the dead man’s note to a lost treasure of the Romanov empire. Then another person falls victim. With the bodies piling up, Amy knows better than anyone that killers often keep killing until they’re caught, and she’ll stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this tangled mystery.

Murder Like Magic by Trisha Blanchet in stores on Tuesday, August 25th.
Being able to read minds should make it pretty easy to solve crimes, right? Right?

A sort-of-telepathic witch-slash-PI takes on a murder case in this light urban fantasy mystery, perfect for fans of A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer.

Tess Tulley is the proud proprietor of Mill City Investigations—the premier (if you ask her) private investigation business in her small Massachusetts city. Business is slow, especially after she blew up her credibility among her fellow Spinners (do not call them witches) by turning in her own uncle for a crime spree three years ago. Loyalty among Spinners is top priority, and Tess’s decision to put the investigation over her coven has left her out in the cold.

So when the local “Officer Handsome” comes knocking with a bizarre murder investigation involving a dead Spinner, Tess is reluctant to take the case. Even more so when she learns the details: The victim was stabbed postmortem, there’s no sign of who or what actually killed her, and the body was found in a pool of someone else’s blood. Left with few other options, Tess dusts off her investigative skills, revs up her so-so telepathy, and dives headfirst back into her old community of Spinners. If she’s lucky, she’ll be able to unmask a killer and figure out whose blood had been left behind at the crime scene—and why. If she’s not lucky (and let’s face it, she rarely is), Tess might just become the next casualty on a slab in the Mill City morgue.

A Taste for Murder by Matt Baker in stores on Tuesday, August 4th.
Now a major TV series.

DCI Joe Mottram hopes a summer in Capri will bring him closer to his teenage daughter—until a fatal accident starts to look like it may be murder…For murder detective Joe Mottram, a summer visit to his in-laws’ idyllic beachside restaurant on the beautiful Italian island of Capri is meant to offer refuge. After the death of his wife Sofia in a hit-and-run in London, Joe has taken a sabbatical, hoping to heal and reconnect with his teenage daughter, Angelica.

But then a British businesswoman is found dead at the foot of a notorious cliff and his in-law’s plans to teach Joe how to cook and get him and Angelica talking again have to be abandoned. A reluctant Joe is forced to swap his recipe books for a detective’s notebook once more, as he’s drawn deeper into the case. Joe must form a partnership with a young local police Inspector, Lara Sarrancino, who is desperate to prove herself and resents his involvement. As the two detectives butt heads, the investigation flounders, until a second body turns up and they realise the killer is still at large on the tiny island. Unfortunately for Joe, the evidence trail appears to lead back uncomfortably close to home…