Traditional Mystery / Amateur Sleuth / Small Town Fiction / Minnesota Mystery
Publisher: The Wright Press
Publication Date: January 19, 2026
Page count: 285 pages
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!
SYNOPSIS:
The past collides with the present for Camryn Brooks on one cold winter
evening. A man’s body is found in the passenger seat of a car, parked in
her driveway. Camryn is chilled to the bone when she learns his identity: her
old nemesis, the one whose actions ruined her career and tarnished her stellar
reputation in Washington D.C.
Early Reviews
“Camryn Brooks soon discovers, like snowflakes, no two suspects are
alike . . . a captivating cozy read.”
~Mary Seifert
“A cozy snow day read with wonderful characters and intriguing clues to
a twisty mystery.”
~Alicia Kozak
“It pulls you right in. An ideal cozy mystery with just enough police
procedural to keep you hooked.”
~Timya Owens
"So many twists and turns, it leaves you thinking, ‘There's snow place
like home!'"
~Michelle Hess
“Mystery readers will appreciate the subtle clues sprinkled throughout
and an unexpected twist at the end. A great read from a great author.”
~Natalie Fowler
“Set against a frigid Minnesota winter, Snow Place Like Home shows that
friendship and forgiveness can go a long way in chasing the chill of murder
away.”
I yawned on my way to the living room, stretched out on the couch,
pulled a comforter over my body, and opened a book I’d been reading. I
was involved in the novel’s complex plot when my cell phone buzzed. I
reached over and plucked it from the coffee table. My best friend Alice
“Pinky” Nelson’s name appeared on the screen.
I smiled and pushed the accept button. “Hey, Pink—”
She cut me off. “Ahhhh. Cami, you need to come out here. Now.” She
spoke with a hushed intensity. Was she hurt, in trouble?
My heart sank as I dropped the book, threw back the comforter, and jumped off
the couch. “Come out where? Where are you, Pinky?”
“Kitchen . . . window. . . yours. . . look . . . out.” It took me
a second to process her words, comprehend what she meant. She was in my
backyard? Had she tripped and fallen?
I crossed the ten feet in a flash, slid my feet into boots by the back entry,
cast all apprehension aside, and pushed open the door. The early evening sky
was cloaked in darkness, and with the help of an alley’s street lamp, I
spotted a vehicle I didn’t recognize parked by my garage. What in the
world?
Pinky’s car sat next to it. I flipped on the outside house light and saw
Pinky sitting in her car. When I went down the steps and moved toward her, she
jumped out from her driver’s seat and pointed at the other vehicle.
“I think he might be dead.”
My heart sank even lower as I glanced at a bulky form in the other
vehicle’s passenger seat. I was unable to move, frozen to my spot on the
snow-covered lawn. Pinky closed the gap between us and threw her arms around
me. We turned our heads in sync toward the vehicle occupied by an
unknown—dead or alive–person.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christine Husom is a bestselling author from Buffalo. She writes the Winnebago County Mysteries and the Snow Globe Shop Mysteries. Christine has stories in six anthologies, wrote a collaborative novel with eight other authors, and co-edited A Festival of Crime for Nodin Press. She trained with the St. Paul Police Department and served with the Wright County Sheriff's Office. She's a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, active with the Twin Cities chapter. She loves meeting readers at events.
Growing up in Las Vegas, Neil Dixon's future looked bleak. The son of a drug-addicted mother, he didn't have a lot of options until a police officer, Sergeant Finch, pulled him from danger and sent him to a new life in Texas.
Now, years later, Neil has become the police officer he always wanted to be—steady, principled, and unafraid to stand alone. But Jarrell, Texas, is not the clean slate he hoped for. Corruption in the department is rampant, and traffickers operate across the border.
When Neil’s mother dies, he returns to Las Vegas and meets the father he’s never known. He gets pulled into a deadly game with his father that stretches from Vegas to the police department in Jarrell, to cartel-scarred border towns. To survive, he must decide what kind of man he truly is - and how far he’s willing to go to stop the people who profit from chaos.
The first book in Joan Moran's series of crime thrillers, UP FROM HELL, is a gripping, character-driven novel about the weight of the past and the cost of justice.
Joan holds two master’s degrees: in Theater and in Education. Her desire to teach in the theater department at UNLV led to her position there, where she taught acting and theater history. Five years later, Joan founded and was the artistic director of the Meadows Playhouse, Las Vegas’s first year-round theater. Her interest in film led to her admission to the American Film Institute in Los Angeles as a producing fellow. Joan wrote her first screenplay and continued to write for film in Hollywood for the next 15 years. She produced several films.
Joan also pursued a career as a motivational speaker and blogger. As a keynote speaker, Joan commanded the stage with her delightful humor, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. She spread her knowledge and energy as she combined 15 years of theater experience, as well as over 13 years of experience as a yoga and meditation instructor at UCLA.
Joan began her writing journey with her memoir, 60, Sex & Tango: Confessions of a Beatnik Boomer. Other books followed: I’m the Boss of Me: Stay Sexy, Smart & Strong at Any Age, a compilation of her most popular blogs, and An Accidental Cuban, a thriller that takes place in modern-day Havana. The novel was developed into a streaming series. Her recently published book, Once A Homecoming Queen, is a darkly humorous take on senior alcoholism. Joan also adapted Once A Homecoming Queen into an award-winning screenplay. Her latest book is a historical memoir of her mother: Suddenly, I Was Jewish: The Life and Times of My Jewish Mother. Up From Hell is her seventh novel. She is developing Up From Hell into a trilogy: ECHOES OF THE PAST: CRIMES IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
A young boy comes of age in not-so-sleepy Central Texas.
Up From Hell is the first book in author Joan Moran’s
gritty crime fiction series, Echoes of the Past: Crimes in Central Texas,
featuring a young boy who was dealt a rough start in life but who has a plan to
turn it all around and make the most of his dream to become a good police
officer. When Neil Dixon’s mother goes into the hospital to treat her drug addiction,
the eight-year-old is befriended by Las Vegas Police Sergeant Jordan Finch, who
gets him to a safe, stable place before arranging for a more permanent solution
with the boy’s aunt and her family in distant Jarrell, Texas. Finch’s example
and kindness become Neil’s ideal for his own future, and as he grows, he plots a
course to become a police officer in his new hometown. But law enforcement in small
towns in dusty Central Texas was a whole different beast at that time.
Corruption was rife through the little communities, and the bad guys went
unpunished while the cops took money to look the other way. Still, Neil pursued
his dream, with the ultimate goal of changing the way justice was served, from
the inside out.
Told from Neil’s point of view, his experiences and impressions
from his early life are hard to read, even as Neil keeps himself together and
strives for more. After leaving his life in Las Vegas behind, things improve
marginally for him, but his aunt is also fighting her own battles with an
alcoholic live-in boyfriend. Still just kids, Neil and his cousin, Jack, take
the necessary steps toward getting her the help she needs.
One of the hallmarks of small-town living is that neighbors
help neighbors, and Neil is the beneficiary of some good people who want to
give the honest, hard-working kid a break, which is how he comes by his first
job and first modes of transportation. Another small-town element is the
undeniable familiarity; everyone knows everyone else, their families, and their
business. This truth both helps and hinders Neil as he progresses toward his
goal.
Because of his unbuffered childhood, Neil had to grow up quickly,
but along with the hard knocks, he gained a keen sense of survival and a strong
intuition that served him well. I liked how Neil could see through most people’s
smokescreens of lies, half-truths, and other obfuscations to get to the heart
of what was going on.
The story moves at an even pace as Neil grows to maturity,
punctuated with exciting encounters with criminals, potential danger, and obstacles
laid by those who should have been on his side. The young man experiences even
more tragedy in his life yet keeps rebounding even stronger than before. I
look forward to more of his crime-stopping adventures.
I recommend UP FROM HELL to readers of character-driven crime
fiction.
Echoes of the Past: Crimes in Central Texas Book 1
By Joan Moran
Crime Thriller
Publisher: Next Chapter
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
SYNOPSIS
Growing up in Las Vegas, Neil Dixon's future looked bleak. The son of a drug-addicted mother, he didn't have a lot of options until a police officer, Sergeant Finch, pulled him from danger and sent him to a new life in Texas.
Now, years later, Neil has become the police officer he always wanted to be—steady, principled, and unafraid to stand alone. But Jarrell, Texas, is not the clean slate he hoped for. Corruption in the department is rampant, and traffickers operate across the border.
When Neil’s mother dies, he returns to Las Vegas and meets the father he’s never known. He gets pulled into a deadly game with his father that stretches from Vegas to the police department in Jarrell, to cartel-scarred border towns. To survive, he must decide what kind of man he truly is - and how far he’s willing to go to stop the people who profit from chaos.
The first book in Joan Moran's series of crime thrillers, UP FROM HELL, is a gripping, character-driven novel about the weight of the past and the cost of justice.
Joan holds two master’s degrees: in Theater and in Education. Her desire to teach in the theater department at UNLV led to her position there, where she taught acting and theater history. Five years later, Joan founded and was the artistic director of the Meadows Playhouse, Las Vegas’s first year-round theater. Her interest in film led to her admission to the American Film Institute in Los Angeles as a producing fellow. Joan wrote her first screenplay and continued to write for film in Hollywood for the next 15 years. She produced several films.
Joan also pursued a career as a motivational speaker and blogger. As a keynote speaker, Joan commanded the stage with her delightful humor, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. She spread her knowledge and energy as she combined 15 years of theater experience, as well as over 13 years of experience as a yoga and meditation instructor at UCLA.
Joan began her writing journey with her memoir, 60, Sex & Tango: Confessions of a Beatnik Boomer. Other books followed: I’m the Boss of Me: Stay Sexy, Smart & Strong at Any Age, a compilation of her most popular blogs, and An Accidental Cuban, a thriller that takes place in modern-day Havana. The novel was developed into a streaming series. Her recently published book, Once A Homecoming Queen, is a darkly humorous take on senior alcoholism. Joan also adapted Once A Homecoming Queen into an award-winning screenplay. Her latest book is a historical memoir of her mother: Suddenly, I Was Jewish: The Life and Times of My Jewish Mother. Up From Hell is her seventh novel. She is developing Up From Hell into a trilogy: ECHOES OF THE PAST: CRIMES IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
Unique introduction to the series' characters as children.
When money from the register at Patty's Plant Place suddenly goes missing, how will Grandpa Will discover who the thief is among those present in the store? This is the tricky question Will Flores faces when the stack of twenties disappears, and there are plenty of suspects, both employees and customers, to consider and rule out.
The Terra Cotta Theft is a prequel to author Iris March's fun and satisfying Succulent Sleuth Cozy Mystery series, featuring Will's granddaughters, Molly, May, and Shannon (the twins' cousin), and their families and friends. This story introduces the main characters as children, other characters who will become recurring faces in later books, and the business that will eventually become theirs.
A short story, the plot sets up the series' background and establishes close family relationships and long-held ties with their customers and neighboring business owners. There is a cozy, comfortable hometown-family feel right away, and I was easily drawn into the story. The characters are regular people, engaging and familiar, with no one over the top. My interest was immediately piqued by the prospect of reading about their further adventures as adults.
I recommend TERRA COTTA THEFT to readers of cozy mysteries, especially fans of the SUCCULENT SLEUTH series. Readers can obtain their own copy of the story by signing up for the author's newsletter on her website at https://irismarchbooks.com/newsletter-sign-up/.
The Diva Hosts a Murderer (A Domestic Diva Mystery) Cozy Mystery 19th in Series Setting - Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia Publisher: Kensington Cozies Publication date: May 26, 2026 Print length: 336 pages Hardcover ISBN-10: 1496743482 /
ISBN-13: 978-1496743480 Digital ISBN-13: 978-1496743503 /
ASIN: B0FP7LXJ8C Audiobook ASIN: B0FVW9XKRW
Old Town Virginia’s entertaining guru and occasional sleuth Sophie Winston – a young Martha Stewart in the making – juggles Fourth of July fireworks, a houseful of guests, and homicide in the latest Domestic Diva culinary mystery from New York Times bestselling author Krista Davis.
With a big crowd descending on her Northern Virginia home, it’s a good thing event planner Sophie Winston is an expert at entertaining. Whipping up patriotic pastries is as easy as pie for her, though meeting the man her widowed Aunt Melly just impulsively married in Las Vegas is a little more awkward. Especially when Melly’s longtime, now-heartbroken secret admirer is there too, which could lead to some fireworks.
But the house party really gets explosive when Sophie’s favorite tour guide falls victim to a killer—and evidence points to Sophie’s own father. Will DNA really incriminate her dad? And what’s the real story with her new uncle-by-marriage and the mysterious pal he’s brought along with him? Some of the secrets Sophie’s discovering are raising flags—and while the police department casts suspicion on her father, she has to declare her independence as a detective to find the real culprit, and serve justice along with her red, white, and blue cupcakes . . .
Includes delicious recipes, fabulous decorating tips, and easy entertaining hacks!
New York Times bestselling author Krista Davis writes the Domestic Diva Mystery series. Krista lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with two cats and a brood of dogs. Her friends and family complain about being guinea pigs for her recipes, but she notices they keep coming back.
