Series-ously Good New Mysteries - August Edition

Back again for another month? There are some exciting new titles being released in some great series this month.

Rhys Bowen is releasing Queen of Hearts this month. It is the eighth title in her Royal Spyness mystery series following Heirs and Graces. Lady Georgiana Rannoch is thirty-fifth in line for the British throne but is penniless. When her mother, a glamorous and much-married actress, wants to get married again, Georgie agrees to accompany her to Reno for a quickie divorce. During the voyage her mother meets movie mogul Cy Goldman and he insists on casting her in his next picture. When everyone arrives at Cy's home in Hollywood, they hardly get a chance to work out the sleeping arrangements before Cy turns up dead. It's up to Georgie and her fiance, Darcy to save the day.

An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd is the sixth installment of the Bess Crawford mysteries, following A Question of Honor. World War I Battlefield nurse, Bess Crawford is home on leave when she is asked to accompany a wounded soldier to Buckingham Palace. He is confined to a wheelchair and is to be decorated by the King. When Bess goes to collect the soldier, Wilkins, he has vanished. Bess is held negligent by both the Army and the nursing service for losing the war hero. Then comes word from the Shropshire police that Wilkins has been spotted and he has killed a man. If Bess is to save her own reputation, she must find Wilkins and uncover the truth. But the elusive soldier has disappeared again and even the Shropshire police have lost him. Bess needs to solve this mysterious puzzle, but righting an injustice and saving her honor may just cost Bess her life.

Mary Daheim has released the twenty-ninth title in the Bed-and-Breakfast mysteries, Clam Wake. It follows Gone With the Win. This latest mystery follows Innkeeper Judith McMonigle Flynn and her cousin Renie to Whoopee Island where they agree to house-sit for Judith's aunt and uncle's retirement home. Surrounded by retirees in the off-season sounds peaceful and quiet. But, it isn't long before a dead body shows up. That isn't surprising when surrounded by older folks. What is surprising, is that it wasn't a heart attack that killed the victim, but a very sharp knife.

Shear Trouble by Elizabeth Spann Craig is the fourth title in the Southern Quilting mystery series following Quilt trip. The Village Quilters of Dappled Hills, North Carolina, are desperate to finish their quilts before an upcoming show. To help, fellow member Posy has opened the back room of her shop, the Patchwork Cottage, for everyone to use. But the ladies are less than thrilled when Phyllis Stitt and Martha Helmsley—members of their rival quilting guild, the Cut-Ups—ask to join them. Phyllis is hoping to leave the Cut-Ups and join up with the Village Quilters now that Martha’s dating her ex-fiancé, Jason Gore. She’s not pleased when he visits the shop and even more upset when her new shears disappear. After offering to search for them, Beatrice discovers Jason with the shears buried in his unfaithful heart. Now she must sharpen her sleuthing skills to find a killer.

Ninth in the Southern Sewing Circle mystery series is Taken in by Elizabeth Lynn Casey. This follows Remnants of Murder. Librarian Tori Sinclair has won an appearance on a top-rated, New York based morning show. The whole Sweet Briar Ladies Society Sewing Circle decide to go with her. Tori is looking for to experiencing Manhattan with her friends but one member, Dixie Dunn opts to use the vacation as an opportunity to rendezvous with a man she met online. Still, Tori never imagined her friend would be taken in by a con man specializing in scamming vulnerable older women—or that Dixie would be arrested for his murder. Now, Tori and the sewing circle have to go up against Gotham's police force to prove Dixie's innocence.

Book Fair and Foul by Erika Chase is the fourth installment of the Ashton Corners Book Club mystery series, following Cover Story. The members of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society are all chipping in as Molly Mathews, now owner of the bookstore the Book Nook, prepares the first annual Mystery Book Fair. While gossip circulates about the guest authors, club member Lizzie Turner is unpleasantly surprised to see a certain book publicist make an appearance. It seems Lizzie has a history with Ashley Dixon—a history she would rather not remember. When someone murders Ashley, Lizzie becomes the prime suspect. Now Lizzie and her fellow book buffs have to figure out what really happened.