Trini’s Magic Kitchen (Arte Público Press)
When her mom loses her job, Trini Sánchez must live with her unconventional grandparents in a small town and go to a new middle school. Grandma teaches Trini family recipes and though reluctant at first, Trini comes to understand the magic of cooking and hopes to pass that on to her mom, who hates to cook.
TRINI’S MAGIC KITCHEN is published by Piñata Press, an imprint of Arte Público Press, which is affiliated with the University of Houston.
“Trini’s Magic Kitchen” is a story of heart, family and good food and how they can be interchangeable. It includes recipes passed on to me by my parents and grandparents.
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Misbehaving at Cactus Lanes (One More Chapter)
As Margaret Adams buries her late husband she realizes she was widowed long before Bob dropped dead on the ninth hole at his beloved golf club.
Now, with her children grown and her unhappy marriage over, Maggie goes in search of something to make her happy. Enter Las Vegas bowling alley, Cactus Lanes!
With its neon sign, legendary chili fries and community spirit, stepping through the doors does more than put a smile on Maggie’s face, it changes her life.
As she discovers the friendships she’s always craved – and a chance at a true love with gorgeous owner Frank Martinez – Maggie comes to realize that it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about choosing your lane and striking with determination in the direction that allows you to be you.
Best Amigas (Fitzroy Books)
Juana Mendez and Diane Conrad are going to save each other’s lives. Not with super heroics, but with a friendship that gets them through everything. And those girls are always up to something–eating goat burritos on July 4th, sneaking up on a garage roof to watch a couple kiss and wonder about romance, and surviving the meanest kid in school. Then another summer arrives, and ends in heartbreak and hope for the best amigas.
“A charming and poignant debut. I enjoyed hanging with Juana and Diane.” –Annette Chavez Macias, Bestselling author of Big Chicas Don’t cry.
Under the Blood Moon (Dark Ink )
Guadalupe, New Mexico is usually a pretty quiet town. That is until everything starts going to hell with a series of bizarre murders. Not to mention, a demon gives birth at a park. A boy disappears in the middle of a swimming pool. Rattlesnakes invade the town. Asked by his best friend the sheriff to assist in the investigation, Prosecutor Matthew Riley suspects a high-end resort development is at the heart of the crimes. But he also discovers a conspiracy of the living has opened the door for an ancient evil seeking revenge for old and new betrayals that threaten his own family.
Felicity Carrol and the Murderous Menace (Crooked Lane Books)
Felicity Carrol would rather be doing just about anything other than attending balls or seeking a husband. What she really wants to do is continue her work using the latest forensic methods and her photographic memory to help London police bring murderers to justice, so when her friend, Scotland Yard Inspector Jackson Davies, weak from injury, discovers a murder in a wild mining town in Montana that echoes the terrible crimes in England, Felicity decides to go herself.
In Placer, Montana, her first obstacle is handsome lawman Thomas Pike, who uses his intuition as much as his Colt in keeping law and order in this unruly town. When the murderer strikes again, Felicity begins to suspect Davies is correct: Jack the Ripper has come to America. Felicity sets out to find the killer in a town chock full of secrets, shadows, and suspects, but as the body count rises, this intrepid sleuth faces her most dangerous adversary yet–and discovers that not all killers are as they seem.
Praise for Felicity Carrol and the Murderous Menace:
“This colorful, action-filled mystery presents a novel twist.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“[An] entrancing sequel…Fans of Laurie King and Jacqueline Winspear will be thrilled by this capable, independent female protagonist.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Felicity retains her feisty spirit and wit and once again has to battle for acceptance and credibility in a male-dominated society. Readers will look forward to her next adventure.”
—Library Journal
“There is…plenty of action and suspense, the mystery is satisfying, and the identity and psychological justification for the actions of Jack the Ripper are certainly plausible.”
—Historical Novels Review
Felicity Carrol and the Perilous Pursuit: A Felicity Carrol Mystery
Amidst the heraldry of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, a string of brutal murders rocks Britain’s upper crust—and threatens the realm itself—in this spellbinding historical mystery series debut
Felicity Carrol is interested in everything—except being a proper young matron of Victorian society. Brilliant and resourceful, Felicity took refuge in science and education after her mother died and her father abandoned her to servants. Now, all he wants is for her to marry into a family of status and money.
Felicity has other ambitions—but her plans shudder to a halt when her mentor is murdered at the British Museum and his priceless manuscript of King Arthur lore is stolen. Tapping into her photographic memory and the latest in the burgeoning field of forensic detection, Felicity launches an investigation. Handsome Scotland Yard Inspector Jackson Davies is also on the case and finds Felicity as meddlesome as she is intelligent. But when more nobles are murdered and their King Arthur relics stolen, Felicity must journey on her own into the dark underworld of antiquity theft, where she uncovers a motive far more nefarious than simple profit.
As the killer sets his sights on a new victim—a charismatic duke who has captured Felicity’s imagination—the stakes rise to impossible heights. It’s a case that could shake the kingdom in Patricia Marcantonio’s series debut, Felicity Carrol and the Perilous Pursuit.
Praise for Felicity Carrol and the Perilous Pursuit:
“Readers who hunger for more portraits of independent women determined to make their ways in a stultifying society will take the heroine to heart.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“This new series is off to a good start with a strong, intelligent main character who struggles to overcome the cultural structures of her time. For fans of cozy Victorian mysteries and admirers of Robin Paige, Elizabeth Peters, and Deanna Raybourn.”
—Library Journal
“Marcantonio brings her characters to life through vivid storytelling [and] really does an excellent job of keeping her protagonist one step ahead of the reader.”
—New York Journal of Books
“[Felicity] is a combination of Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones…Recommended to those looking for a female superhero out to right wrongs and defy convention to do so.”
—Historical Novels Review
“A must read. It has it all, an intelligent heroine, a compelling plot and plenty of Victorian atmosphere to keep you entertained to the very last page.”
—Emily Brightwell, New York Times bestselling author of the Mrs. Jefferies mysteries
“A smart and likeable heroine, and a story that flies along at a cracking pace.”
—Stephen Gallagher, author of The Kingdom of Bones
Verdict in the Desert
In the summer of 1959, everyone knows his place in Arizona. Michael Shaw is an alcoholic lawyer struggling with his reputation as the son of one of Mitchell County’s wealthiest, most successful attorneys. Toni Garcia, the first in her family to obtain a college degree, has returned to Borden, Arizona, because she’s worried about her father’s health. But as a Mexican American, she can’t get a teaching job in spite of her education and intellect. Their worlds collide when Michael is assigned to represent María Sánchez Curry in the bloody murder of her husband and Toni, desperate for work, accepts a job as the defendant’s interpreter.
María and Ben Curry’s tumultuous marriage was well documented by María’s many visits to the ER. The couple was also well-known at local bars, where they often drank to excess. But the killing of a white man by a Mexican woman—even in self-defense—is not permissible in a time when justice is determined by the good-old-boys club. Also unacceptable is the growing relationship between Michael and Toni, who fight to save María against all odds.
In this evocative exploration of class and race in 1950s America, Bobby Darin is on the juke box, Doris Day is on the silver screen and pink flamingos grace front yards. Former crime reporter Patricia Santos Marcantonio crafts a stirring tale of forbidden love in a world where democracy rules but due process and fair treatment aren’t as readily available on the wrong side of the tracks.