Can't Wait Wednesday: Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen (A Molly Murphy Mystery Book 22)

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Vanished in the Crowd, by Rhys Bowen. I have only read the first book in this series but I enjoyed it. So I know many people are loving them and want to know about the latest book. 

Molly investigates the case of a missing female scientist in 1909 New York. Taking place during the 300th celebration of the discovery of the Hudson River, it includes some historical elements that sound interesting. I know fans of the series will be excited for it! 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! 

Historical Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries

March 10, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

New York is busier than ever as two million visitors come to the city to witness the Hudson-Fulton celebration in 1909, marking the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the Hudson River. Parades, exhibitions, carnivals, and a marvelous display of the wonders of the latest invention, electricity, across the city make for two straight weeks of celebrations, which Molly and her family, along with their friends Sid and Gus, are excited to enjoy. But Molly is secretly dealing with financial troubles. She is too proud to ask her friends for a loan, but when they want to hire her as a detective she jumps at the chance.

Sid and Gus are hosting fellow Vassar graduates to take part in one of the parades but one of the women, a brilliant scientist, never shows up. It seems nobody knows where she is, including her husband. Is she trying to run away from her life or is it something more sinister? Why have the Vassar women really come to New York City? When Daniel asks Molly to spy on her friends and find out just what they are planning she finds her loyalties horribly divided. Then the parade turns deadly and only Molly has the tools to find out the truth.

 

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Vengeance in Venice by Erica Ruth Neubauer (A Jane Wunderly Mystery Book Seven)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Vengeance in Venice, by Erica Ruth Neubauer. This is another cozy mystery series I'm wanting to catch up on and I've read the first four books. I love the locations and the character development. The covers are pretty awesome too! In this one, Jane and Redvers are finally married but of course their honeymoon has to contain drama and murder. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading y'all!

Historical Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries

March 31, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

At long last, Jane and Redvers have arrived in Venice, the famed city of love, for their honeymoon. But behind a mask at a costume ball on the Grand Canal hides the gaze of a heartless killer.

Venice, 1927: As romantic as it is mysterious, the Floating City is a dream destination for the newlyweds, but they’ll soon discover the twisting canals hide more mystery than they expected. It begins when they are invited to an elaborate party at Clara Morton’s stunning palazzo on the Grand Canal. The affair is as eccentric as the hostess, who is dressed as Medusa, and features everything from snakes to her pet cheetah to tarot card readings.

The fete also features a fresh corpse—Clara’s ex-husband, found dead in the garden with marks around his neck. The hostess accuses the tarot card reader, who happens to be an acquaintance of Jane, claiming the woman foretold the death of someone close to her. Jane and Redvers come to the young woman’s aid as they learn she was far from the only partygoer with a motive. As the couple follows a labyrinthine trail of scandalous affairs, brazen blackmail, and people who are not who they say they are, they hope that Venice will disclose her secrets before they both end up in over their heads.

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Belle of Chatham by Laura Frantz

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, The Belle of Chatham, by Laura Frantz. I have not read anything by her before and normally this isn't my genre but I liked the cover, and the storyline reminds me of a favorite childhood novel I used to love. Also, it is set in New Jersey and New York and being Southern I like reading about the North for a change in historical fiction. Hopefully it also covers a little of the history of the American Revolution.

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading y'all!

Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

January 20, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

In 1777, caught in the crossroads of the American Revolution, sisters Maebel and Coralie Bohannon's quaint New Jersey village becomes a battleground as they house American officers in their home. Rebellion ripples through their family as members take opposing sides--Patriots and Loyalists--causing a deep chasm that fractures their once-unbreakable bond.

As Mae's friendship grows with the American general Rhys Harlow, Coralie continues her liaison with her childhood sweetheart, a British officer stationed in New York. Torn between her growing love for the general and suspicion that her sister is a British spy, Mae leaves the only home she's ever known for the New York frontier. When betrayal strikes in the heart of the wilderness, she's forced to take a perilous journey that tests her very survival and those she loves, all in the name of liberty.

Proclaimed "wordsmith extraordinaire" by Library Journal, Laura Frantz delivers a stirring tale of divided loyalties, sisterhood, and love.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Nun Shall Sleep by Graham Brack (Master Mercurius Mysteries Book Nine)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Nun Shall Sleep by Graham Brack. These are similar in tone to Anne Perry's Monk series. That darker tone with the whole "back alley London" vibe. In this story Master Mercurius is drawn into the mystery of a missing relic at a local convent. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading y'all!

Historical Mystery

January 9, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Mercurius can’t believe his luck … but are things too good to be true?

1689

Master Mercurius is making plans for a holiday tour of cathedrals when a letter arrives from Abbess Mathilde asking for his help. Her convent has been left a substantial legacy which the abbess plans to use to fill the library, and she would like Mercurius to be in charge of buying the books. Mercurius has never accepted a mission so quickly. But as the summer wears on, strange things start to happen in the convent. A precious relic goes missing and an important key is lost. Mercurius is fairly certain somebody is up to something, but he doesn’t know who and he doesn’t know what. Desperate to hold on to the dream position he has been given, he finds himself drawn into the mystery. But is there something more sinister going on…?

Nun Shall Sleep is the ninth historical murder investigation in the Master Mercurius Mystery atmospheric crime thrillers set in seventeenth-century Europe.

Can't Wait Wednesday: A Curse in Nuala by Harriet Steel (The Inspector de Silva Mysteries Book 16)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, A Curse in Nuala by Harriet Steel. I love this series and need to get back to it. Inspector de Silva is a great character and the setting of 1930's Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka, makes it one of a kind.  If you love mysteries with unique settings, a bit of a dark side, and a strong male lead you can't pass these up.

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Historical Mystery

January 14, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Ceylon has gained its independence from Britain and Inspector Shanti de Silva is adjusting to his new boss, Police Commissioner Fernando, who much to Shanti’s annoyance hints that he doesn’t have enough to do. Fernando is soon proved wrong when a deposed Indian maharajah who has come to live at the former Residence is murdered, and the Star of Ceylon, a priceless sapphire from his royal collection, is stolen. The jewel is reputed to be cursed and when more suspicious deaths occur, fears that supernatural forces are at work mount. With his wife Jane’s help, can Shanti break the spell and prove his worth to Fernando?

Can't Wait Wednesday: Grave Merriment by Angela Ranson (Catrin Surovell Tudor Mysteries Book Four)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Grave Merriment by Angela Ranson. I featured the first book in the series in another post, Shades of Death. The books take place at the Elizabethan court and Lady Catrin is asked to investigate a brutal man trying to exhort money from the wealthy. It is set at Christmas time so it would be a good one to save for next year at this time.

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Historical Mystery/Renaissance Mystery

March 13, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Christmas, 1561

Queen Elizabeth’s courtiers are decorating Whitehall Palace and preparing for twelve days of festive food, masques and revelry. But Lady Catrin Surovell, Countess of Ashbourne, cannot find her celebratory spirit. The queen has asked her to stop a brute who has forced the waifs of London to work for him. The boys are being beaten or killed if they don’t help him extort money from the wealthy. And it seems the brute may be someone at Court. 

But Catrin’s attempt to find him are disturbed by a mischief-maker who is taking every opportunity to ruin the Christmas festivities, leaving the queen in great distress. At each scene of chaos Catrin finds a perfume bottle, all with their own unique scent. Is the disruption linked to the brute at court? Or is someone else hell-bent on destroying the queen’s festivities? And can Catrin solve both mysteries before someone ends up in grave danger…? 

GRAVE MERRIMENT is the fourth book in the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery Series. It is an exciting historical thriller set at the court of Elizabeth I.

Can't Wait Wednesday: At Morning's Light (Home To Green Creek Book Two)

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, At Morning's Light by Lauraine Snelling. I am familiar with her other series set in the early Dakota territories and she is a wonderful storyteller of early pioneers coming over from Scandinavian/Norwegian countries. These are clean, Christian books that aren't cheesy and really pack in a lot of great history. This book takes place in Iowa during the 1800's.

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction

December 4, 2025

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

Newlywed Maya Bredesen and her husband plan their trek as immigrants from Norway to a new life at her cousin's boardinghouse in America, but on one last fateful fishing trip, a fierce winter storm steals away her husband. With her dreams for the future crushed, Maya is left grieving on the voyage to Iowa, accompanied instead by her brother, who plans to move in with the local magistrate and finish his seminary degree.
 
Arriving at a boardinghouse spilling over with orphans and a newly-married couple, Maya seeks to find her place amid the chaos. A new friendship develops between her and Eben Miller, the reserved, kind neighboring farmer. Just as Maya begins to recover from her wounded heart, more tragedy engulfs her. As she and Eben weather trials together, can they overcome the difficulties this new land holds when it seems so far from becoming home?
 
Lauraine Snelling creates a heartwarming picture of overcoming grief and embracing love on the Midwestern frontier.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder at the Maharaja's Courts by Lee Strauss (A Ginger Gold Mystery Book 28)

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder at the Maharaja's Courts by Lee Strauss. This is a very long series but I really love the setting of India. Lady Ginger gets to go to the maharaja's palace amid a tiger hunt and political rebellion. It sounds like a fun read. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

December 18, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

Murder is a world away...

Lady Ginger Gold never imagined her journey to Rajasthan would draw her into the glittering yet perilous world of a royal court. Invited with her husband Basil to a lavish celebration at a maharaja’s palace, she is swept into a realm of jewelled elephants, opulent banquets, and the thrill of a tiger hunt in the desert.

But when a guest is gunned down during the hunt, whispers ripple through the gilded halls. Was the bullet meant for the victim—or for the maharaja himself? As Ginger unravels a web of intrigue, she uncovers dangerous British officials with secrets to hide, courtiers with shifting loyalties, and whispers of rebellion against the Crown.

Amid growing rebellion and corruption, Ginger must unmask a killer before palace intrigue turns deadly.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder at Midwinter Farm by Helena Dixon (A Kitty Underhay Mystery Book 22)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder at Midwinter Farm, by Helena Dixon. Such a gorgeous cover and it has all that winter vibe going for it. I think it will be a great addition for a December/holiday read. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

November 24, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

A frosty country lane, snow dusted Devon hills as far as the eye can see… and a local farmer vanished without trace. Can Kitty Underhay solve this chilling mystery?

Devon, 1937. Kitty Underhay is enjoying a crisp winter morning walk with her best friend, Alice, and her fiancé, Robert, who have recently bought the mysterious Midwinter Farm. The previous owner vanished one night, his dinner still on the table and the front door left wide open. But as work is carried out on the farm, a body is found on the grounds. How was the man murdered? And who is responsible?

Robert trusts the local police even less than Kitty does, so she is immediately on the case, with her husband Matt by her side. As the pair take the bull by the horns and begin to gather clues, several suspects emerge. Though he seems gentle as a lamb, is the victim’s son as innocent as he appears? Why does the local pub landlord have an axe to grind, and does his daughter seem suspicious?

The waters become muddied by a robbery, with valuable jewels stolen at neighbouring Seacliffe Hall. Is the thief also the murderer Kitty is looking for? Or are the two crimes entirely unconnected?

With the weak winter sun setting over the fields and danger mounting fast, Kitty and Matt need to find the killer, before they meet their own icy end in the dead of winter.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Queens at War: England's Medieval Queens by Alison Weir (Book Four)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Queens at War: England's Medieval Queens, by Alison Weir. I have read the first two books in this series. Weir is a superb historian and storyteller. This book features the queens from the 1400's who found themselves caught up in the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses. This includes Joan of Navarre, Katherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville, and Anne Neville. I can’t wait to read it. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

History/Medieval History

December 2, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

Triumph and tragedy, love and loss, murder and malice in the lives of five fifteenth-century queens. The fifteenth century was a turbulent the Hundred Years War between England and France, and the Wars of the Roses dominated the lives of people both inside and out of the royal courts.

Joan of Navarre, Katherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Wydeville and Anne Neville were the queens who stood by England's sovereigns, caught up in wars that changed the course of their lives, and the course of history. They were also formidable women who defied the limitations of their times, often living out the brutal consequences of their determination.

Alison Weir uncovers their stories in this final volume of her ground-breaking series on the queens of medieval England. Queens at War is a stunning culmination of research by a historian at the full extent of her powers and gripping account of five women on the throne.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder at Donwell Abbey by Vanessa Kelly (An Emma Knightley Mystery Book Two)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder at Donwell Abbey, by Vanessa Kelly. It looks adorable, featuring the character Emma from the beloved Jane Austen books. Combining a classic with a beautiful cover and cozy mystery with a Christmas/winter vibe is my cup of tea. I have yet to read book one but will have to find it first. Or maybe not! I might just read this one for a December book.

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Historical Mystery/Cozy Mystery

November 25, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

In this latest Regency era mystery, Jane Austen’s clever Emma Knightley navigates shocking changes in her family, while meeting her match in a deadly adversary.

Emma’s spirits are elevated after she and husband George Knightley host a joyful holiday celebration at the Hartfield estate. But it’s instantly a bitter January when her father makes an unexpected announcement. He and Miss Hetty Bates have decided to marry. Not only must Emma relinquish her role as mistress of the household, but she must also accept the reality that the excitable Miss Bates will become her stepmother.

More unwanted news arrives during an extravagant betrothal ball at Donwell Abbey, the grand Knightley estate where Emma and George will soon permanently reside. Nearly every villager in Highbury revels in the dazzling affair, except Emma’s hardworking lady’s maid, Prudence Parr. To Emma’s horror, Prudence is found dead, sprawled across the stones of the library terrace.

The woman’s tragic fall is quickly ruled a terrible accident and whispers circulate around personal troubles leading up to her untimely demise. But Emma’s instincts tell her that something far more sinister is at play. Now, Highbury’s matchmaker turned sleuth vows to outwit a cunning criminal before an innocent man loses his freedom, or Donwell Abbey plunges into a darker mystery.

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Holly Village Murders by Benedict Brown (A Marius Quin Mystery Book Six)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, The Holly Village Murders, by Benedict Brown. I have yet to start this series and this is the "cozy Christmas mystery" one. I really am enjoying the other series by Brown, Lord Edgington Investigates. I have no doubt this one is great too. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Historical Mystery/Cozy Mystery

November 10, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

The snow falls, carolers sing, and a killer plots his next move.

London, 1928. Marius Quin and Lady Bella Montague are ready for a quiet Christmas when they learn that Bella’s beloved Aunt Adele has met a shocking end in her picture-perfect cottage. Immediately heading for Holly Village, the enclave of retired aristocrats and eccentric pensioners where Adele lived, they discover that her death was far from natural.

The dead woman’s priceless Manet painting has vanished, and a cryptic note she left hints at scandalous goings-on among her neighbors. When another resident is murdered during the village Christmas party, it’s clear that a devious killer is preying on the sleepy community. Marius and Bella must navigate a web of village intrigue, false identities, and long-buried scandals to stop this from being a Christmas to remember for all the wrong reasons.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Radiance and Revenge by Lynn Morrison and Anne Radcliffe (A Diamond of the Ton Regency Mystery Book 3)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Radiance and Revenge, by Lynn Morrison and Anne Radcliffe. This series takes place in London in the Regency era with a Lord and Duchess who are involved in "a tangled web of espionage, revenge, and political sabotage. This book will end the series and resolve the love triangle, hopefully with a happy ending.

This author has a great newsletter you can sign up for to know what is going on with her new books, and, if possible, receive advance copies. 

 https://lynnmorrisonwriter.com/ 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Historical Mysteries/ Regency Mysteries

October 30, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

A royal threat. A dangerous love. A feud that refuses to die.

After enduring the court’s suspicion, Lord Peregrine Fitzroy has finally earned back his standing—and Charity’s heart. But the arrival of her family in London threatens to reopen old wounds and reignite a bitter feud that once made their love impossible.

Charity, Duchess Atholl, is ready to stand beside the man who was once her enemy. Yet just as they begin to build a future together, foreign royals descend on London with secrets, schemes—and ties to a powerful adversary thought to be in hiding. Determined to uncover who is harbouring their most dangerous enemy, the couple is drawn into a tangled web of espionage, revenge, and political sabotage..

As whispers swirl of a plot to upend the royal succession, Peregrine and Charity must outwit an opponent who knows exactly how to strike where it hurts most. Loyalties will be tested. One misstep could cost them their love, their lives—or the crown itself.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder Most British by Helena Dixon (The Secret Detective Agency Book 3)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder Most British, by Helena Dixon. I have featured this series before but have yet to read it. Her other series with Kitty Underhay as the heroine started off cute and I have read the first one, Murder at the Dolphin Hotel. 

Murder Most British takes place in 1941 during WW II which is typically not my favorite era to read but this series looks cute. Jane Treen investigates murders with codebreaker Arthur Cilento as they also navigate the drama of the war around them. Another fun cozy series I'd like to read. 

Hope you have found something you can't wait for! Happy reading ya'll!

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mysteries

November 6 , 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

Big Ben chiming in the distance, chilly walks along the river Thames, cocktails at the Ritz… and a government secretary dead? Only Jane Treen can solve the case!

London, 1941. Miss Jane Treen is faced with another mysterious disappearance within her Secret Detective Agency’s team. Tabitha Moore, a government typist, was on her way to meet Jane with vital information about some secret codes. But she didn’t turn up for work and has seemingly vanished without a trace. Then Jane and her colleague, handsome codebreaker Arthur Cilento, find a body has been found, and it matches Tabitha’s description.

It quickly becomes clear that Tabitha’s death was not due to ongoing air raids as the the silk scarf tied tightly around her neck suggests otherwise. The prime suspect is Tabitha’s fiancé Leo Cavendish, a dashing government official, but there are plenty of others with a motive too. Jane and Arthur scrutinize those around Tabitha at work and at home, including a charming newsreader reporting on government affairs, a jealous pianist in love with Leo, and a known womanizer and gambler fond of causing trouble.

Together, Jane, Arthur and her fluffy ginger cat Marmaduke hole up in her London townhouse, with black coffee in plentiful supply and a roaring fire in the grate. But just as they begin to piece together the puzzle, someone else is found dead. It’s clear they need to step up and catch the killer on the loose in the big smoke, before it’s their turn next.

Can't Wait Wednesday: A Christmas Witness by Charles Todd (An Inspector Ian Rutledge Novella)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, A Christmas Witness, by  Charles Todd. This is yet another series I'd like to start. Set in the 1920's its main character is Inspector Ian Rutledge and I like to read some cozy mysteries with males as the lead. So many have women so it's nice to change it up! This story also has the Christmas vibe which is great with the holidays approaching soon. 

This story is a short novella, probably because it's a holiday one and while I'm not fond of novellas and short stories, when they are part of a series I will usually read them to fill in any gaps in the story. I hope you've found something you can't wait to read this week. Happy reading ya'll!

Christmas Mystery/Novella

 October 21, 2025

Book description courtesy of GoodReads

December 1921: Being single and a new Chief, Inspector Rutledge gets the short straw and is called upon by Chief Superintendent Markum to go to the Kentish home of a lord who is recovering from an attempt on his life. In bed with a concussion, the man is convinced someone is trying to kill him after he claims he was struck by the hoof of a running horse whose rider never stopped to check on him.

When he gets there, Rutledge learns that he and the lord were both young cavalry officers and graduated from Sandhurst together. As Rutledge’s investigation gets underway, he uncovers even more similarities between his life and that of the man he’s sent to protect, all of which grows eerily poignant as the Christmas holiday approaches…