Our list of debut authors is very short this month as December is a quiet time of year for publishing. But quality over quantity, right?
“The Last Suppers” by Mandy Mikulencak
As the daughter of a murdered warden Ginny Polk is familiar with the harsh realities of prison life in the 1950s. Still, as an adult she chooses to return to the Greenmount State Penitentiary in Louisiana, where her father worked, as the prison cook. There she struggles to make peace with her past while serving prisoners on death row their last meals—along with a little compassion and human kindness.
“The Vanishing Season” by Joanna Schaffhausen
The only surviving victim of a serial killer, Ellery Hathaway is now an officer in the quiet town of Woodbury, MA where petty theft is the only crime making the headlines. But when people begin disappearing from town around her birthday, Ellery—worried the past has come back to haunt her—contacts FBI agent Reed Markham, who saved her life years ago. Together they are pulled back into the serial case that made Markham’s career and shattered Ellery’s life.
“The Lost Prayers of Ricky Graves” by James Han Mattson
In the wake of a horrifying murder-suicide, family members and classmates struggle to come to terms with the tragedy. Ricky Graves was lonely teenager who turned to the internet in his desperation to form a meaningful connection—to be loved. The victim of cruel pranks by fellow classmates, Ricky is ultimately driven to take the life of another student and then his own.
“The House on Foster Hill” by Jaime Jo Wright
Two women, a century apart, are tied together by the house on Foster Hill.
In search of a fresh start after the death of her husband, Kaine Prescott purchases an old house in Wisconsin sight unseen. But when she arrives at her new home and finds it sinister and abandoned she regrets her impulsive decision, especially when she discovers the house was once the site of a gruesome murder.
A century earlier, Ivy Thorpe discovers the body of a recently pregnant young woman hidden on the grounds of Foster Hill. Determined to find the killer and the missing child, Ivy places herself directly in harm’s way, rushing to find the killer before she becomes the next victim.
