Series-ously Good New Mysteries: April Edition

This month, I'm starting a new feature to highlight some of the new series mysteries that are coming out that month that catch my fancy. Here are some of cozy mystery titles being released in the month of April.

First up is one of my favorite authors, Nancy Atherton. Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well is the nineteenth title in the Aunt Dimity series following Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince. It finds Lori helping young Australian Jack MacBride. He has come to the local village of Finch to wrap up the affairs of his late uncle. When Lori helps Jack clean out his uncle's overgrown garden, they discover an old well. On a whim, Lori throws a coin into the well and makes a wish. It seems to come true! Word spreads and soon the villagers of Finch are turning up to make wishes of their own, which leads to chaos. Lori and her own otherworldly help, Aunt Dimity, are left to discover "is the well really magical" or is someone pulling the wool over their eyes.


A Killing Notion by Melissa Bourbon is the fifth installment of the Magical Dressmaking series following A Custom-fit Crime. Harlow Jane Cassidy runs a dressmaking business, Buttons & Bows, in her home town, Bliss, Texas. She also has a secret charm. Harlow has the ability to sew a bit of magic into the garments she makes, giving the wearer a little supernatural help. This time out Harlow Jane is creating homecoming dresses with a local charity, including her shop assistant, Gracie. When Grace's date for the dance is accused of murder, Harlow knows she has to help Gracie clear the football player's name.


The Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan caught my interest. It is the beginning of a new series called the Second Chance Cat mysteries. Sarah Grayson is the owner of a shop called Second Chance in the oceanfront town of North Harbour, Maine. Her shop sells used items that Sarah has restored and refurbished. Sarah has adopted a stray cat she has named Elvis. He's a big black cat with a scar across his nose who showed up at a local bar and jumped into her truck. He becomes her constant companion. When an elderly friend, Maddie is found with a dead man in her garden, Sarah and Elvis jump in to clear her name.



Inherit the Word by Daryl Wood Gerber is the second book in the Cookbook Nook mystery series following Final Sentence. Jenna Hart moved back to Crystal Cove, California to help her aunt Vera run the local culinary bookstore and cafe. In this book, the Cookbook Nook is set to host the town's upcoming Grill Fest. A local contest that pits amateur chefs against one another to come up with the most tasty dish. This year's challenge is: grilled cheese. But it seems the contestants are more focused on mouthing off than savoring, as competing chefs from previous years are holding grudges. When the eight-time champ is found murdered in the alley behind the Cookbook Nook, Jenna jumps in to investigate. The local cafe owner accused of the murder is so close to Jenna that she considers her a second mother; Jenna know she couldn't be guilty.

Soup Lover's mystery Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer is the third title in the series following Broth of Betrayal. Lucky Jamieson runs a soup shop called By the Spoonful in Snowflake, Vermont. In this title it is October and groups of itinerant travelers are in town to work the Harvest Festival. One newcomer seems to be stalking Lucky's young waitress, Janie. After an unidentified man is found murdered in a van by the side of the road, suspicions fall on the travelers. But when Janie is put in harm’s way, Lucky must join forces with the travelers to figure out the real killer's identity.



Stay tuned next month to see what is coming out for May.