Connolly, Rebecca. The Crime Brûlée Bake Off. (A Claire Walker Mystery, bk. 1). Shadow Mountain. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781639933044. pbk. 320p. $16.99. MYSTERY

Claire Walker is a contestant on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers, a baking competition show that’s shooting at Blackfrith Park, home of the Viscount of Colburn, Jonathan Ainsley. When a contestant is found dead, in a manner all too similar to the death of one of Jonathan’s ancestors 200 years earlier, Claire and Jonathan join forces to solve the crime and also stumble into romance.

Knox, Ruthie & Annie Mare. Big Name Fan. Kensington. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781496751331. 320p. $28. MYSTERY

Knox and Mare (coauthors of Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous, under the pen name Mae Marvel) create a sapphic mystery starring a costars-to-lovers pair. Sam and Bex were the leads in a cult-favorite crime show that was cancelled. When they start hosting a rewatch podcast, their chemistry takes off again, but so do more mysteries. Filled with fan culture, Hollywood glitz, and lots of chemistry.

McCluskey, Laura. The Wolf Tree. Putnam. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593852545. 336p. $30. MYSTERY

McCluskey debuts with a modern gothic crime novel mired in Scottish legend. Two detective inspectors from Glasgow are sent to investigate when a body is found on a remote Scottish island where three lighthouse-keepers went missing back in 1919 and were never heard from again.

McDonough, Patrice. A Slash of Emerald. (A Dr. Julia Lewis Mystery, bk. 2). Kensington. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781496746399. 336p. $27. MYSTERY

Following her LJ-starred debut, Murder by Lamplight, McDonough offers the second in the historical mystery series starring Dr. Julia Lewis and Inspector Richard Tennant. They join forces yet again on a case in which women painters in Victorian London are being hunted.

Miller, C. L. The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea. (Antique Hunter’s Series, bk. 2). Atria. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781668032039. 320p. $28.99. MYSTERY

The second in Miller’s “Antique Hunter’s Series,” after The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder, sees Freya Lockwood and Aunt Carole on the case again, this time aboard a cruise ship in Jordan, as the two go on the hunt for a missing painting and a killer.

Nesbø, Jo. Blood Ties. tr. from Norwegian by Robert Ferguson. Knopf. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593803615. 384p. $30. MYSTERY

Bestselling Nesbø pens a novel about brothers, crime, and loyalty. Carl and Roy Opgard have killed their way to the top of their small town, but their plan to start an amusement park is derailed by a new highway route, inspiring them to return to dirty work. Meanwhile, the town sheriff has finally gotten technology to help solve cold cases, including the murder of his own father.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Armstrong, Kelley. Cold as Hell. (Haven’s Rock, bk. 3). Minotaur. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781250351791. 352p. $28. MYSTERY

Bannalec, Jean-Luc. An Island of Suspects. (A Brittany Mystery, bk. 10). Minotaur. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781250893116. 336p. $28. MYSTERY

Beaton, M. C. Death of a Smuggler. (Hamish Macbeth, bk. 37). Grand Central. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781538743331. 256p. $28. MYSTERY

Davis, Krista. The Wagtail Murder Club. (Paws & Claws, bk. 10). Berkley. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593817520. 320p. $30. MYSTERY

Estleman, Loren D. Smoke on the Water. (Amos Walker, bk. 32). Forge. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781250892553. 240p. $28.99. MYSTERY

Farnsworth, Christopher. Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets. (Jesse Stone, bk. 22). Putnam. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593544761. 336p. $30. MYSTERY

Kellerman, Jonathan. Open Season. (Alex Delaware, bk. 40). Ballantine. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593497692. 288p. $30. MYSTERY

Maxwell, Alyssa. Two Weddings and a Murder. (A Lady and Lady’s Maid Mystery, bk. 9). Kensington. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781496734921. 304p. $27. MYSTERY

O’Connor, Carlene. Murder in an Irish Garden. (An Irish Village Mystery, bk. 11). Kensington Cozies. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781496744456. 304p. $27. MYSTERY

Robb, J. D. Bonded in Death. (In Death, bk. 60). St. Martin’s. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781250370792. 368p. $30. MYSTERY

Spotswood, Stephen. Dead in the Frame. (Pentecost and Parker, bk. 5). Doubleday. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780385550468. 384p. $28. MYSTERY