Recently received

Mrs. Jeffries and the Mistletoe Mix-up (Mrs. Jeffries #29) by Emily Brightwell (Berkley Prime Crime hc, 1 November 2011, $23.95).
Under a bundle of mistletoe, art collector Daniel McCourt lies with his throat slit, a bloody sword next to his body. Inspector Witherspoon is determined to solve the case-preferably before the eggnog is ladled out on Christmas Eve-but of course he will require assistance from the always sharp-witted housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, who has a few of her own theories on why McCourt had to die by the sword.

Behind the Seams (Crochet Mysteries #6) by Betty Hechtman (Berkley Prime Crime hc, 1 November 2011, $24.95).
The crochet group's informal leader, actress CeeCee Collins, has a movie out, and thanks to the Oscar buzz, she's scheduled to appear on the famous Barbara Olive Overton Show. Molly and the girls tag along, but when CeeCee's niece Nell-a production assistant on the show-is accused of poisoning one of the producers, Molly and the Hookers must set aside their crochet projects to clear Nell's name. And if they don't soon, someone else will be the next Hollywood headline.

A Deadly Penance (Templar Night Mystery #6) by Maureen Ash (Berkley Prime Crime tp, 1 November 2011 $14.00).
Templar Bascot de Marins is summoned to Lincoln Castle to learn who murdered a servant engaged in an illicit affair with a married woman. Even though the jealous husband had a motive, Bascot's investigation uncovers a more shocking revelation about the victim that would give him any number of potential enemies...

Herald of Death (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery) by Kate Kingsbury (Berkley Prime Crime tp, 1 November 2011, $14.00).
The Christmas Angel is a welcome sight during the winter season-but not this year. A killer is afoot in Badger's End, cutting a lock of hair from his victims and sticking a gold angel on their foreheads. Cecily Sinclair Baxter already promised her husband that she'd take a hiatus from sleuthing. But three killings have created a blizzard of bad publicity-and guests are canceling their hotel reservations. She will have to find the angel of death before he strikes again, leaving murder under the tree...

The Gingerbread Bump-Off (Fresh-Baked Mysteries #6) by Livia J. Washburn (Obsidian tp, 1 November 2011, $14.00).
Not only will Phyllis Newsom's house be featured in the annual Christmas Jingle Bell Tour of Homes, she also has a Christmas Eve bridal shower and a New Year's Eve wedding to bake goodies for. But like her tasty treats, she rises to the occasion.
Before the tour gets under way, Phyllis makes a gruesome discovery on her porch: someone has tried to kill her friend. As Santa's naughty list gets longer, Phyllis tries to catch a half-baked killer.

Hickory Smoked Homicide (Memphis BBQ Mystery #3) by Riley Adams (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 1 November 2011, $7.99).
BBQ-joint owner Lulu Taylor knows pretty much everyone in Memphis who lives ribs. But one person she'd rather not know is Tristan Pembroke, a snooty pageant couch with a mean streak. When she finds Tristan's dead body stuffed in a closet at a party, the police are suspicious- especially since Lulu's developed a taste for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Caught in a situation stickier than molasses, Lulu must clear her name, or risk getting fried...

Dangerous Alterations (Southern Sewing Circle #5) by Elizabeth Lynn Casey (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 1 November 2011, $7.99).
When Tori Sinclair's philandering ex turns up dead, the police chief believes it was murder-and that Tori may have been involved. Now, only the girls from the sewing circle will be able to help keep her life from coming apart at the seams...

Who Do Voodoo (Mind for Murder #1) by Rochelle Staab (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 1 November 2011, $7.99).
Clinical psychologist Liz Cooper doesn't believe in the supernatural. But when her best friend finds a tarot card tacked to her front door-and is then accused of murder-Liz will have to find a way to embrace the occult if she wants to outwit the real killer...

Angel Condemned (Beaufort and Company #5) by Mary Stanton (Berkley Prime Crime mm, 1 November 2011, $7.99).
Representing her Aunt Cissy's fiancé, museum curator Prosper White, in a case of fraud, attorney and celestial advocate Brianna Winston- Beaufort hopes to settle the matter out of court. But when Prosper is murdered and Cissy's arrested for the crime, Bree will have to solve the mystery of the Cross of Justinian-an artifact of interest in both Prosper's lawsuit and Bree's celestial case-to clear her aunt's name...


.