If Books Could Kill - Sneak Preview!

I'm thrilled to reveal--to my close personal friends in the Lair only!--my new cover for book two of the Bibliophile Mystery series, IF BOOKS COULD KILL!

Isn’t it fun? There’s a cat, of course. And there are books and various bookbinder's tools and instruments of destruction. There's a book fair going on outside the window. And there's blood on the bookbinder's hammer.

And yeah, that's a really BIG cat. Uhh ... don't look now, but I think it got bigger when I wasn't looking.

Hmm. Anyway, here's the back cover blurb ………..

A haunted city, a forbidden masterpiece, and a deadly threat are all in a day’s work in the life of this brilliant bookbinder….

Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is happy to be attending the world-renowned Edinburgh Book Fair. But then her ex, Kyle McVee, shows up with a bombshell. He has an original copy of a scandalous text that could change history—and humiliate the beloved British monarchy.

Trying to get Kyle’s story out of her mind, Brooklyn takes a nighttime ghost tour of the city. Unfortunately, the first landmark contains a real dead body…Kyle’s. The police are convinced Brooklyn’s the culprit, but with an entire convention of suspects, Brooklyn begins conducting her own investigation. Before she can crack the case, she’ll have to find out if the motive for murder was a 200-year-old secret—or something much more personal…

Cool, huh? IF BOOKS COULD KILL won't be out until February, 2010, but I couldn't resist sharing it with y'all now. Let me know what you think!

So if it wasn't obvious to everyone, I love mysteries! My favorites are the traditional series featuring an amateur sleuth and a hunky hero type who tangles with her as she tries to solve the crime. After all, who doesn't like a little romance with their mystery? Here are two of my newest favorites ...

SECONDHAND SPIRITS, a witchcraft mystery, by Juliet Blackwell. I love Juliet Blackwell! (She also writes as Hailey Lind and her Art Lover's mysteries are not to be missed.) This series features a witch who's recently moved to San Francisco and must deal with murder and child kidnapping as well as a gorgeous and powerful male witch named Aiden and a hunky "myth buster" named Max. The blend of mystery, romance and a touch of paranormal is awesome and her witchy details are fantastic.

Judi McCoy, a name that should be familiar to romance readers, has a new mystery series featuring a New York City dog walker who can actually hear what her canine clientele are saying. The first book in the series is HOUNDING THE PAYMENT and protagonist Ellie and her doggy clients must solve the crime before another dog is stolen and Ellie becomes the victim of a ruthless killer. Oh, and never fear, there's a very hot detective watching Ellie's every move. Yum!

There are so many other great series out there, I wish I had enough room to talk about all of them. But I can highly recommend Kate Collins's Flower Shop mysteries, Victoria Laurie's Psychic Eye mysteries, Lorna Barrett's Booktown mysteries, and Rosemary Harris's Gardening mysteries. And I'm really looking forward to Wendy Lyn Watson's first book in her new Mystery a la Mode series (something tells me she'll be stopping by the Lair sometime soon!).

Have you read any good mysteries lately? Do you like them with a touch of romance? Yup, me, too! I have a special mystery basket to give away to one lucky commenter today that includes goodies and books from all the above authors!