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by MC Smitherman

Top of the mornin’ to yah laddies and welcome to yet another grand entry in our wee blog series, Books to Live In. If yer lookin’ for some craicing reads to take you for a ride so your St. Patty’s Day doesn’t go topsy turvy, then you’re in the right place now aren’tcha? Now here’s the thing, we don’t technically have any Irish-themed books published out here by CamCat which simply means there’s a niche we have yet to fill so if you, dear reader, are by chance a wee bit of a writer with some Irish tales in your back pocket then I’d say it’s about high time ye send ’em on over to us, now dontcha? In lieu of a proper Irish folktale though, we do have plenty of green covers for you to carry around in your bookbags so some wee eejit don’t come a pinchin’ you fer not wearin’ any green.

Technically this first pick isn’t quite out yet, but that ain’t truly a problem since ye can pre-order it and show the receipt to anyone trying to slag ye. We are, of course, talking about the highly anticipated sequel to one of CamCat’s earliest books, Grand Tour: The Brass Queen II by Elizabeth Chatsworth. A rip-roarin’ tale set in an imagined gaslamp past of steampunk London (home of those interminable Brits) filled with witty banter from our dear leadin’ lass and her devilishly handsome partner-in-crime. Grand Tour hits shelves in a month so get yer peepers ready!

Another upcomer, closer than the last, is The Murder of Madison Garcia by Marcy McCreary. This verdant mystery follows the Yankee (New York dwelling) Detective Susan Ford and her dad as they try to solve the perplexin’ murder of the titular Madison Garcia. This twisting and turning mystery is a gas, I tell you, and a perfect read for the merry month of March. It’s available now, but if you’re more inclined to a paperback, then fear not for this grand tale comes tumbling down our rocky road at the end of the month!

If you truly need somethin’ green and want a thrillin’ spy story then hunt the hare and turn her down ’cause we’ve got The Wayward Target by Susan Ouellette that should fit yer bill quite soundly. Adorned in the color of cash, The Wayward Target offers all ye bookheads a rippin’ and roarin’ thrill ride alongside the undauntable CIA analyst, Maggie Jenkins, as she’s hunted by a slagged out terrorist. The thrilling conclusion to a craicing trilogy pits two bleedin’ masterminds against each other, resulting in . . . well now I can’t just go and tell ye now can’t I? Yer gonna have to go read the book to find out. And just like it was with The Murder of Madison Garcia, The Wayward Target is currently available in hardcover but comes to paperback in April.

Grand Tour: The Brass Queen II

The grass was always greener in another dimension.

In a fantastical steam-powered world, eccentric aristocrat and secret arms dealer, Miss Constance Haltwhistle, has been blackmailed into stealing alien artifacts from the crown heads of Europe. Only the shady but annoyingly handsome US spy, “Liberty” Trusdale, can help her execute her perfect palace heists. As Constance creates chaos and mayhem across the Continent, monstrous creatures are plotting an interdimensional invasion of Earth. Will Constance and Trusdale stop bickering long enough to end the war of the worlds before it starts?

If you enjoy stories inspired by HG Wells’s War of the Worlds, you’ll love this gaslamp romp across an alternate 1890s Europe where our bickering heroes may just be the bad guys.

The Murder of Madison Garcia

Sometimes the truth doesn’t set you free—it gets you killed. 

Detective Susan Ford notices a missed call on her phone from a number she doesn’t recognize, and when Madison Garcia, a woman with past ties to the town of Monticello, New York, is found stabbed to death the next morning, Susan realizes that Madison was the one who had called her. But why?

Susan teams up with her father, retired Detective Will Ford, to find the killer, and their investigation soon threatens to uncover Madison's family secrets—an inheritance, accidental death, money laundering, extramarital affairs, and family rivalries, just to name a few—and they don’t appreciate the Fords digging into their business.

As the investigation twists and turns, the Fords discover that Madison was planning to confess to a long-kept secret, but someone brutally silenced her. Everyone she knew is a suspect. Anyone could be her killer.

The Wayward Target 

Evil Triumphs Only if Good Women Do Nothing

A year after hunting down the terrorist who killed her fiancé, CIA analyst Maggie Jenkins finds herself with a price on her head. In retaliation for chasing and killing an elite member of a terrorist cell, Maggie now is on the hitlist of the mastermind behind numerous terrorist attacks.

With Maggie's movements severely restricted by the presence of a round-the-clock security detail, it's up to her boss, Warner Thompson, and CIA officer Roger Patterson to find and eliminate the terrorist who stalks her. But when a shadowy Russian operative surfaces and presents Maggie with intel that might lead her to the man who orchestrated her fiancé’s death, she can no longer watch from the sidelines. Is she willing to risk her growing relationship with Roger, Warner’s career, and her own life to finally get justice and bring down a major terrorist cell?

Thanks to all of ye fine countrymen, women, and all outside and in between fer readin. If you’re looking to hear more about the latest from CamCat, subscribe to our Fiction Newsletter and be the first to experience all the excellent tales we’re weaving together.