Tantalizing Tales — September 2025 — Part Two

Hello, dear readers! With September well underway, we have a slew of thematic titles for you to consider curling up with in cozy corners, starting with a new edition of Yokomizo Seishi’s classic Murder At The Black Cat Cafe, translated into English from the original Japanese by Bryan Karetnyk.

Scruffy detective Kindaichi Kosuke is back in another sensational stand-alone mystery. 1947 Tokyo is still recovering from the devastating bombing raids of World War II, when a patrolling policeman passing The Black Cat Café makes a gruesome discovery. The body of a woman is lying in a hastily dug hole, with a dead black cat by her side. The woman’s face has been disfigured beyond recognition, but the café’s actual black cat seems alive and well. So where did the two corpses come from, and why were they buried in the café’s garden?

As Kosuke investigates, he realizes that the enigmatic Oshima, madam of the café — which, despite its name, is actually a brothel — has a past shrouded in secrecy. What exactly is her relationship with the owner Itoshima, and with the young Buddhist monk who was originally found digging up the bodies?

This seventh installment of the Detective Kindaichi Kosuke mysteries translated into English also includes a bonus story, ‘The Well Wheel Creaks’. And while I’ve enjoyed the giallo-style covers of the previous books, the fall-forward art on this volume is by far my favorite of the series so far!

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More than one fall plays an important role in Shauna Robinson’s latest feel-good novel Lauryn Harper Falls Apart. Our title heroine Lauryn Harper has a perfectly constructed, high-achieving five-year plan. But a (totally blown out of proportion) mishap at work puts her plan to the test, especially when the aftermath sends her back to the hometown she abandoned long ago.

As punishment for her mistake, she’s been transferred to the Ryser Charity Department, a branch of her workplace that just happens to be located in the same hometown that her powerful corporation is responsible for running into the ground. Lauryn has no intention of sticking around in a place which brings back so many uncomfortable memories, so quickly comes up with a new plan: to impress her boss enough to whisk her briskly back to her life in the big city.

Unfortunately, it soon becomes clear that sticking to plans isn’t that simple, especially when her ex-best friend enters the charity department demanding that they help revitalize the town by sponsoring the famous Greenstead Fall Festival. Confronted by her past wrongs, Lauryn agrees to host the festival on Ryser’s dime. Soon enough, however, Lauryn is swept away in town hijinks, chaotic planning committees and a second chance with a childhood friend that shows her why home isn’t necessarily a place she has to run away from.

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True crime meets timeless myth in Julie Barry’s If Looks Could Kill, as history’s most notorious serial killer goes head-to-head with mythology’s most compelling monster in a gripping, atmospheric and meticulously researched thriller.

It’s autumn 1888 and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As the London police close in on him, he flees England for New York City, seeking freedom… and new victims.

But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one quarry: Jack himself.

Oblivious to this clash of titans — at least initially — young women brave the other dangers lurking in Manhattan’s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl who they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha’s an upstate city girl with a wry sense of humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested, however, as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwined with both Medusa’s and Jack’s.

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Alma Katsu is back with Fiend, a dark, family-centered psychological tale of the supernatural that sees the historical horror maven turning her eye on the modern day for the first time.

Think of wealthy and powerful family dynasties like the Sacklers, Kochs and Murdochs. Then ask yourself how they got that way — and how they stay that way. What if they had a secret on their side, a superpower more effective than even immeasurable wealth, one that ensured that they would keep their vaunted place in the world no matter what happens?

The Berisha family runs one of the largest import-export companies in the world. In addition to being smart and ruthless, they’ve also been extraordinarily lucky. Their rivals suffer strokes. Inconvenient buildings catch on fire. Earthquakes swallow up manufacturing plants, destroying harmful evidence.

Things always seem to work out for the Berishas. They’re #blessed.

At least that’s what Zef, the family patriarch, has always told his three children. And each of them knows their place in the family. Dardan, as the only male heir, must prepare to take over as keeper of the Berisha secrets. Maris’ most powerful contribution, much to her dismay, will be to marry strategically. And Nora’s job as the youngest is to just stay out of the way.

But when things stop going as planned and the family blessing starts looking more like a curse, the Berishas begin to splinter, with each hatching their own secret schemes. They didn’t get to be one of the richest families in the world without spilling a little blood, after all. Only this time, the blood they spill might be their own.

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Domestic drama of a different kind suffuses Stephanie DeCarolis’ latest twisty tale of suspense, The Wives Of Hawthorne Lane. Inspired by the author’s experiences as a lawyer working with survivors of domestic violence, this novel takes a sensitive, insightful and occasionally hilarious view into suburban life.

From the press materials: “Hawthorne Lane is the perfect place to live. Its tree-lined street and stately homes are the envy of the town. Every Halloween the residents of Hawthorne Lane come together to host their famous Fall Festival. But this year, someone won’t survive the night.

“As a murder investigation ensues, it quickly becomes clear there’s more going on behind closed doors on Hawthorne Lane than meets the eye. And four women, each with secrets worth killing for, find themselves at the center of it all.

“There’s Georgina, the perfectionist and reigning Queen Bee, who pays a high price for her elevated status. There’s Audrey, the bold and beautiful neighbor with the high-flying corporate career, but whose marriage is on the rocks. There’s Libby, the working mother who is struggling to come to terms with her recent divorce while parenting her teenage son. And finally, Hannah—the newcomer with a mysterious past that’s returning with a vengeance.

“As the clock ticks down to Halloween, their lives will cross in the most unexpected ways. And soon only one question remains: Who will pay the ultimate price for the lies they all tried so hard to bury?”

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For something a little lighter and a lot more romantic, check out Audrey Goldberg Ruoff’s spicy paranormal romance Hopelessly Teavoted. Packed with both unfettered yearning and delightfully haunting small town charm, this debut novel is a poignant exploration of grief, healing and how to make the most of second chances.

Failed screenwriter and witch Azrael Hart returns home to his eerie family manor after the death of his parents. He’s not thrilled to discover that he must join forces with his now-estranged childhood crush, bubbly Victoria Starnberger, who’s also the new owner of his family’s old tea shop. Their shared mission? To stop a rising evil that’s threatening their hometown of Hallowcross.

Complicating matters is the fact that Victoria owes a lesser devil for the deal that her parents struck to give her an unusual gift. Now, that same demon has cursed her and Azrael so that any touch between them, before her debt is paid, will lead to certain death.

As Victoria and Azrael race against the clock to find clever ways around their curse, stop the evil and come to terms with their tangled pasts, they find it increasingly more difficult to deny that they’ve been hopelessly devoted to each other all along.

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Finally, we have probably the most timely historical novel that’s recently crossed my desk, Paul Levine’s Midnight Burning. The Genius and The Tramp join forces in 1930s Hollywood to fight American fascists, in a surprisingly convincing historical mystery based on true events.

It’s 1937, and the clouds of war are gathering over Europe as the Third Reich cements its stranglehold on power. When American Nazis conspire to assassinate twenty celebrities and ignite an insurrection against the U.S. government, two of the world’s most famous men – real-life friends Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin – fight back, armed only with their ingenuity, raw courage…and the iron will of Georgia Ann Robinson, the LAPD’s first Black female officer.

A dangerous chase takes our heroes into the heart of darkness: a fascist encampment in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles where a militia armed with machine guns plans its attack. It’s brains versus brawn as this thriller careens to its explosive, unforgettable finale.

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Let me know if you’re able to get to any of these books before I do, dear readers! I’d love to hear your opinions, and see if that will help spur me to push any of them higher up the mountain range that is my To Be Read pile.

And, as always, you can check out the list of my favorite books in my Bookshop storefront linked below!