Happiness, Love, Murder…and Kielbasa: 8 brand-new books that belong on your TBR list
by Severn House on 4 July 2023
We’re nothing if not eclectic here at Severn House! Our new book drop this month features high-concept urban fantasy (The Rowan), murder on the streets of “zero-Covid” China (Love and Murder in the Time of Covid), mystery in Ancient Crete (In the Shadow of the Bull), death by sausage-pricker (The Kielbasa Killer), the search for a secretive mother’s dark past (Gone But Not Forgotten), a brain-teasing historical mystery (The Room with Eight Windows), a stranger left for dead on Bea Abbot’s doorstep (False Name), and a “happiness guru” who…isn’t happy (The Ingredients of Happiness).
All of these are available now. Find them online, or request them from your friendly local librarian or bookseller.
Love and Murder in the Time of Covid
by Qiu Xiaolong
An Inspector Chen Mystery
“A provocative and timely take on Covid in China, with a whodunit kicker”
Kirkus Reviews
Former chief inspector Chen faces a tricky serial murderer case at the height of the Covid pandemic – and risks everything he has to expose the deadly effects of the Chinese Communist Party’s so-called “zero-Covid” policy to the world.
The Rowan
by Davis Bunn
A Rowan Novel
“Impressive . . . Bunn keeps the suspense high, delivering fascinating sci-fi concepts, flawed but determined characters, and some shocking revelations”
Publishers Weekly
A rowan tree with mysterious and unique powers is extending its grip over humanity, and investigative writer Valentina Garnier is caught up in a battle between supernatural forces and the federal government.
In The Shadow of the Bull
by Eleanor Kuhns
An Ancient Crete Mystery
“This complex, character-driven mystery is loaded with fascinating historical details”
Kirkus Reviews
1450 BC. When her sister dies at her wedding, fifteen-year-old poet Martis is certain she was murdered by her barbarian husband-to-be, Saurus.
But when she’s visited by her sister’s Shade, swearing Saurus is not her murderer, Martis vows to uncover the truth.
GOne But Not Forgotten
by C. Michele Dorsey
“Engrossing . . . This solid psychological suspense novel should appeal to Lisa Unger fans”
Publishers Weekly
Ever since Olivia and her mother fled their home, back when she was just a child, Olivia’s lived with her mother’s secrets and mantras. Don’t stand out. Don’t make friends. And most important of all: Don’t ask questions.
That is, until her mother signs a check in a different name, the day before she dies, leaving Olivia an unexpected clue to her past – a clue that will lead her down a dark and deadly path.
The Kielbasa Killer
by Geri Krotow
A Kielbasa Queen Mystery
“An amusing mystery with a pronounced Buffalo vibe”
Kirkus Reviews
Lydia Wienewski discovers that her family’s ever-popular kielbasa isn’t the only thing that’s been pricked in the night when she finds a body next to the sausage smoker in this entertaining and smartly written cozy.
THE Ingredients of Happiness
by Lucy Burdette
“A compelling and gripping novel . . . Highly recommended”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reader review
Thirty-two-year-old ‘happiness guru’ Dr Cooper Hunziker has it all – a dream job as assistant psychology professor at Yale University, a soon-to-be published self-help book, The Happiness Connection, and the perfect man. But there’s a problem. Cooper isn’t happy.
Forced to face a life-changing betrayal and her own traumatic past, can she finally navigate a path to happiness?
The Room With Eight Windows
by Jane A. Adams
A Henry Johnstone 1930s Mystery
“Puzzles aplenty for coppers young and old”
Kirkus Reviews
Henry Johnstone has retired from the police, but when he suddenly disappears his old colleague and friend, Inspector Mickey Hitchens, investigates. Can he find Johnstone and bring him home safely, or is it already too late?
False Name
by Veronica Heley
An Abbot Agency Mystery
“Puzzles aplenty for coppers young and old”
Kirkus Reviews
Bea Abbot overhears three men plotting a murder outside her garage, only to discover the intended victim has been left there to die in freezing weather.
Who is determined to kill the stranger, and why? As he begins to reveal his identity and the events that led to his being left for dead, Bea concludes that he’s the target of a conspiracy to murder. The man’s would-be killers aren’t ready to give up yet. Can Bea uncover the truth before they strike again?
