The Ghostly Quilts on Main by Ann Hazelwood

 

The Ghostly Quilts on Main by Ann Hazelwood.  Adult fiction. 5th in the Colebridge Community series. American Quilter's Society, 2014.

The main character in this Missouri set series is Anne Brown Dickson. The first books follow Anne as she sets up a gardening store on Main Street in the small community of Colebridge. Anne starts out living with her mom and not really looking for love, but finding it anyway.

In this fifth novel in the series, Anne and her husband, Sam Dickson, live at 333 Lincoln Hill and have redone a big historic home. Anne hopes to write a history of the house and its former owners. Fall is approaching and the Main Street shop owners hope to host an outdoor quilt show to get more people into their shops before the annual holiday season. As always, family plays a big part in the story. There's always a mysterious element to the stories, too. 

Quilted Lilies by Ann Hazelwood. Adult fiction. 6th in the Colebridge Community series. American Quilter's Society, 2014.

Business is brisk at Brown's Botanical Gardens. Anne and Sam decide to purchase a property neighboring their home and hope to build greenhouses and expand the business. Unexpected events dramatically change their plans. Anne is faced with some big decisions, but supported by family, friends, and merchants along Main Street. An inherited white quilt plays a big part in comfort and family connections in this sixth novel in the series.

A Colebridge Quilted Christmas by Ann Hazelwood. Adult fiction. 7th in the Colebridge Community series. American Quilter's Society, 2015.

Family is number one with Anne Dickson, but new connections are being made, new friends found, and the possibility of new adventures await. Christmas is coming and the Main Street shops are decorated to the max, but someone keeps cutting the lights at the Mistletoe Market. Can the little group figure out the mystery? Anne hosts the first big Christmas party at 333 Lincoln and enjoys the experience. A new pastor at the local church becomes integrated into the community. 

Edmonia by Brianne Baker

 

 Edmonia by Brianne Baker. Kensington Books, 2026. Historical fiction based on real person.

Edmonia Lewis was a real person who lived from 1844 to 1907. In New York near Niagara Falls, she sold trinkets to tourists with her Native American aunts. She was orphaned by age twelve. Her older brother realized that she was gifted and sent her to an abolitionist prep school. Edmonia's skin was Black and she was always different and struggled to fit in, even later at Oberlin College in Ohio. She ultimately was accused and tried for poisoning her two roommates and left under a dark cloud. Determined to use her artistic talents as a sculptress, she escaped to Boston where others motivated her to study in Rome.  Her talents grew and she became well known for her work. She met President Grant and Frederick Douglass. 

This debut novel tells her story based on her life. To round out her story, it is useful to search the Internet to find photos of the real Edmonia and her work. She was a success but always found it hard to accept herself and to find love. This fictional book may be a steppingstone to learning more about racism and the challenges of artists during this time period. Nonfiction books also exist on Edmonia Lewis

Killer Vintage by Eric D. Sanchez

 

 Killer Vintage: A West Texas Wine Thriller by Eric D. Sanchez. Brown Books Publishing Group, 2025. Adult mystery.

Set in 1994, this debut novel tells a story of wine making, drug dealing, young love, and shady dealings on the Mexican border and into West Texas. Young Texas Tech student Bud Garza has just taken a job at the plush Lubbock area winery South Plains Cellars. He has no idea that his decision will lead him into such danger. Can he survive and even help catch the bad guys?

Mr. Sanchez knows the territory well. So many road intersections and streets are described and mentioned that readers may feel they can use a real map and plot the action! While there are women characters, the major players are all male. From good old boys to the stereotypic villains, Sanchez realistically describes the process of making wine, the fraternity closeness of the male students, and the daring actions of the DEA agents, police, and others who risk their lives to save others. Open up a cold Dr. Pepper and enjoy a West Texas you probably never thought about!

Old Money: A Novel by Kelsey Miller

 

 Old Money: A Novel by Kelsey Miller. Hanover Square Press, 2025. Adult fiction.

When Alice returns home to Briar's Green as an adult, she has an agenda. Twenty years before, her sixteen year old cousin, Caitlin, died. Alice was there and testified as a child witness. Now she has a summer job at the very country club where it happened and she is out to prove who killed Caitlin.

In this debut novel, Miller describes the rarified air of the country club and its patrons perfectly. The clues mount, the suspect list grows, and someone is out to prevent the truth from being told. Readers will hope for more thrillers from Kelsey Miller!

The Book of Lost Names : A Novel by Kristin Harmel

 

   The Book of Lost Names: A Novel by Kristin Harmel. Gallery Books, an

The Book of Lost Names: A Novel by Kristin Harmel. allery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2020. Adult historical fiction.

When eighty plus year old Eva Abrams sees a photo in an article at the Florida library where she works, she realizes that her past is alive once more. The photo shows a book that Eva remembers well from her days during World War II as she and her family struggled to escape Paris under Nazi control. 

Alternating with some modern day information, the novel tells how Eva and her love, Remy, work in a small town to help children escape into Switzerland during the war. They are part of the resistance and Eva becomes an excellent forger of documents that give the children new identities. But, not wanting them to lose their original names, Eva devises a way to save those and link them to their new names.

Now, Eva must move quickly, fly to Berlin, and claim the book in the photo. She has spent her life hiding her past, even from her own son, and now must face it clearly. Can she do it?

The Paris Express: A Novel by Emma Donoghue

 

 The Paris Express: A Novel by Emma Donoghue.  

                                                      Summit Books, 2025. Adult historical fiction. Thriller.

When a steam train leaves the Normandy coast in autumn of 1895 and heads toward Paris, no one suspects that it will not be just another ordinary journey. From rich to poor, the travellers cover the spectrum of internationals. Readers will get to know them all in a fascinating style. As the day goes on, tension builds. Someone on the train wishes them all ill. What will happen? Who will survive?

This fictional thriller is based on real photographs of a train hanging out of the upstairs windows of the train station in Paris. An author's note tells which characters are based on real people and which ones she made up. While the novel begins slowly, it builds to the point that few readers will be able to stop reading toward the end. Like the train passengers, we are all captured in a speeding time capsule.

Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory

 

Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory. William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2025. Adult Historical Fiction.

Of course, most of us know about Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII. But, in the shadows was her sister-in-law, Jane Boleyn or Lady Rochford, who actually served five queens! Her husband, George, was executed about the time of Anne Boleyn's own death. Jane never had children or remarried. She was at court for most of her life and witness to history.

Gregory is well known for her Tudor fictionalized books and this is among the best. The court is described well. King Henry is a tyrant who will bring to mind some modern political leaders. The queens are presented sometimes in a more modern light, too. For example, Katheryn Howard may have come off far more sympathetically in the Me Too era rather than only as a flighty teenager. A great bibliography is included for those of us fascinated by the Tudors.