Thursday Treats: June 6/4/2026

The latest reading opportunities…

 

Punk Noir has published, Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends — Issue 4.  This series of flash short stories are all free to read online at their website. You can also read the first issue for free here as well as the second here and the third here.

 

Fellow SMFS list member Brandon Barrows announced that he had gotten all right back after the previous publisher closed and Sinners Ride was back in print. Published by Full Speed Publishing, the read is available in both eBook and print formats at Amazon. Additionally, he noted that the “Paperback edition contains two bonus stories never before in print, including the Derringer Award-nominated "The Right to Hang!"’

 Fellow SMFS list member Abe Margel announced that his  mystery short story, Preferred Puff, was published online at Story Quilt. The story was published a month ago and is free to read here.  

 

Fellow SMFS list member Richard Helms announced publication of his book, GREAT WHITE: an Eamon Gold novel. He says this will be the final book of this San Francisco based private investigator mystery series. Published by  Barbadoes Hall Communications, you can pick it up at Amazon in digital or print formats.

 

Editor John Connor of Murderous Ink Press announced that his latest anthology, Crimeucopia - New Kids In Da 'Hood, will be released on June 9^th. Features 16 crime fiction short story tales including one by fellow SMFS list member Thomas F. Gorham III (Classless Reunion). It can be preordered at Amazon now.

 

On another list I am on, author Carole Shmurak announced that Buried Under Books: A Susan Lombardi Mystery had been published. This fifth book in the series is out in digital and print formats from Park Court Press. You can pick up the read at Amazon..

 

I have a lot of author alerts set up on Amazon. I have left them going, even when I am way, way, way behind in a series. That was how I found out that author Ed Lynskey’s new book, Sister: A P. I. Frank Johnson Mystery is releasing on June 20^th. Published by ‎ECL Press, this 38^th book in the long running series can be preordered here.

 

That is not all from this author either. Mr. Lynskey’s book, Berried Clues: An Appalachian Farmers' Market Cozy Mystery, was published on June 1^st. Also from ECL Press, this too can be picked up on Amazon here.

 

The latest issue of Black Cat Weekly also came out. Black Cat Weekly #248 includes a short story by fellow SMFS list member   Dave Zeltserman (Sleeping Dogs) among other works. You can pick up the latest issue of this weekly, multi genre, magazine here.

 

 

Fellow SMFS list member, Michael Bracken, announced that the anthology, Wish Upon A Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Fairy Tales, is now out. Coedited with Stacy Woodson of the SMFS, the book features short stories from Donna Andrews, Michael Bracken (editor), David Dean, John M. Floyd, Barb Goffman, Debra H. Goldstein, James A. Hearn, Adam Meyer, Tom Milani, Laura Oles, Josh Pachter, Joseph S. Walker, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, and Stacy Woodson (editor). Published by Level Short (an imprint of Level Best Books), the anthology is available in both print and digital book versions at Amazon.

 

Until next time….

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Lesa's Book Critiques: The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay

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Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder at the New York World's Fair (1938) by Phoebe Atwood Taylor (Writing as "Freeman Dana")

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Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: Stories from Murder and Other Acts of Literature

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The First Two Pages: “Jack and the Beanstalk” by Andrew Welsh-Huggins

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SleuthSayers: Fourth Wall Down

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Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – Mist and Malice by Rachel Howzell Hall

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Bruce Borgos: Disclosure Day: The REAL Truth About Area 51, UFOs, and Why Physics Is a Ruthless Party Pooper

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Jim Nesbitt's Substack Reviews: Radioactive --Scott Powers Captures Florida Sleaze With Nuclear Glow

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SleuthSayers: And They Lived Happily Never After

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Bookblog of the Bristol Library: New in June!

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In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday

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Publication Day Review: The Bookseller: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan

 

As the father of DS George Cross faces a very hard medical diagnosis, he works the case of a murder inside Squire’s Rare Books. Located in Bristol and owned by the Squire family, the bookstore has been a fixture in Berkeley Square. The squires have been involved in the business of rare books for decades, but world of bookselling has massively changed from when Torquil Squire was a mere lad running books when he was a lad. The staff that runs the place these days is having a hard time working together and adjusting the business and there is friction.

 

Did that friction play a role or cause the death of Edward Squire, son of Torquil, or not? A question that DS George Cross and the rest of the team will have to answer in coming days along with a host of other questions. A team that has a lot going on, professionally and personally, as they deal with various matters including the repercussions of recent events depicted in The Teacher.

 

Quite a lot is happening in The Bookseller: A DS George Cross Mystery. This review deliberately skims the surface of this intense police procedural. In my opinion, to reveal more would cause spoilers and I won’t do that. Suffice it to say that this is a mighty good read in a series that just keeps getting better and better.

 

As I have tried to make clear before, each book in this series is well worth your time. The Bookseller: A DS George Cross Mystery is as well.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4ctnvNP

 

 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Atlantic Crime, imprint of Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

  

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Little Big Crimes: Strangers on a Train on a Train, by Paul Ryan O'Connor

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Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Butler by Clare Mackintosh

 

The Butler by Clare Mackintosh (Podium Publishing, June 2026) is a stand-alone thriller from the author of the DC Ffion Morgan and DS Leo Brady series. CWA recently announced that Clare is shortlisted for the 2026 CWA Dagger in the Library.

Baxter is a butler who freelances for wealthy individuals in need of major domo services for a short time. He’s been hired to prepare and run a villa in the hills above Cannes for a house party of some half dozen individuals connected to the industry during the film festival and the accompanying events. Alec Prescott is the host, he and his ex-wife Sylvie Calloway are also celebrating the 21^st birthday of their only child Carter. Prescott arrives with his current much younger girl friend Kaitlynn. Baxter is alarmed to learn that Kaitlynn doesn’t know that Sylvie will be present and Sylvie doesn’t know about Kaitlynn. In addition to this worrying trio, Prescott and his girlfriend Jade and Prescott’s godparents Damian and Francesca Huxley, film producer and actress, respectively, make up the rest of the party.

Damian loses no time in trying to convince Alec to finance his next film, Alec declines and tactlessly suggests Francesca is too old to play leading roles. Alec also calls Prescott to task for not holding down a paying job, and Sylvie and Alec trade jabs over his youthful girlfriend. The atmosphere is tense and Baxter is required to supply vast quantities of alcoholic beverages to soothe tempers. The first two or three days are consumed with cinema viewings and media events, especially for Francesca who is promoting her newest film. The sniping continues whenever two or three of the party are together, and dinner with everyone is downright fractious.

Through it all, Baxter and the couple he hired to help him stay busy. They plan, shop, cook, and serve meals on time, clean all the rooms in the villa, change linen and towels, and cater to the constant demands for booze.

Early one morning Baxter finds Alec Prescott at the bottom of the swimming pool, quite dead. Too many people were upset with Prescott for Baxter to believe it was accidental. He decides to investigate on his own.

Readers familiar with Agatha Christie’s 4:50 from Paddington APA What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw will immediately see the similarity of Baxter to Lucy Eyelesbarrow, that very expensive but extremely capable housekeeper who worked for wealthy households a few weeks at a time.

An original and pleasant read. Mackintosh is a recent find whom I plan to follow more closely. I particularly enjoyed the details of the job, which gave a strong Upstairs, Downstairs feel to the narrative. This story has strong potential to become a series.

 

·         Publisher‏: ‎Podium Publishing

·         Publication date: ‎June 16, 2026

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎208 pages

·         ISBN-13: ‎979-8347009268

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4e1byiA

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.