Sunday, February 15, 2026

Cover Reveal News Round-Up, Including Books By RJ Barker, Ian Green, Jeff Kinney, Veronica Roth, James J. Butcher, TJ Klune, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, And Agatha Christie

February is upon us and it brought along a nice set in this new edition of Cover Reveal News Round-Up. We have some series openers by RJ Barker, Ian Green, and Veronica Roth; some sequels by Jeff Kinney, James J. Butcher, and Toshikazu Kawaguchi; a stand-alone novel by TJ Klune; and an ever-welcome redesigned classic by Agatha Christie.

Mortedant's Peril by RJ Barker

Mortedant's Peril by RJ Barker

Synopsis

Mortedant's Peril is an epic historical fantasy of murder, mystery and unlikely alliances from RJ Barker, award-winning author of The Bone Ships. Perfect for fans of Six of Crows and City of Last Chances.

Irody can speak to the dead.
But the living want him silenced.

Mortedants can speak to the dead, and Irody Hasp is the greatest of them. Not that they’ll admit it. Or that anyone actually likes the Mortedants, in particular Irody. Nonetheless, Elbay is a city of tradition and it calls for Mortedants to attend a death. But when Irody reads a clerk’s corpse, he uncovers a vast conspiracy which sees him framed for the murder of those closest to him.

Soon, his execution is only days away. With the eyes of Elbay’s nobles, guilds, and villains all turned his way, Irody must work with unwanted allies: a street urchin and a hulking, inhuman mercenary. With danger lurking and trust a luxury, Irody must save himself, his friends and Elbay – the terrifying, complicated city he loves. Or the darkness that has fallen on him will come for them all.


Mortedant's Peril by RJ Barker will be released on May 21, 2026.

The Deep and the Drowned by Ian Green

The Deep and the Drowned by Ian Green

About the Author

Ian Green is a writer from Northern Scotland with a PhD in epigenetics. His fiction has been widely broadcast and performed, including winning the BBC Radio 4 Opening Lines competition, winning the Futurebook Future Fiction Prize, and being shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the British Fantasy Awards. His debut fantasy trilogy, The Rotstorm (2021-2023) was published by Head of Zeus, beginning with the Sunday Times top 15 bestseller The Gauntlet and the Fist Beneath. His short fiction has been published by Londnr, Almond Press, OpenPen, Meanjin, Transportation Press, The Pigeonhole, No Alibi Press, Minor Lits, and more.

The Deep and the Drowned by Ian Green will be released on August 6, 2026.

The Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight by Jeff Kinney

The Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight by Jeff Kinney

Synopsis

When the going gets tough, what’s a wimpy kid to do?

In Fight or Flight, Greg Heffley faces his biggest challenge yet as he becomes a target for the school bully. Luckily for Greg, his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, takes karate, so at least Greg’s got someone in his corner. But an unexpected twist makes Greg realize he’s facing an uphill battle.

Will Greg step into the ring or throw in the towel? One thing’s for sure―Fight or Flight is a knockout!


The Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight by Jeff Kinney will be released on October 20, 2026.

Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth

Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth

Synopsis

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.

She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts.

But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy–her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with.

In just one day, Elegy’s old life–her job, her purpose, and her future–is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.

Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.


Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth will be released on May 12, 2026.

Grim Folk Tale by James J. Butcher

Grim Folk Tale by James J. Butcher

Synopsis

Grimsby, a junior Auditor in the government-sanctioned, magical Department of Unorthodox Affairs, must do all he can to fight for the innocent in this riveting urban fantasy.

When a magical illness begins to afflict children in Boston, the Department of Unorthodox Affairs tasks junior Auditor Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby with uncovering the source and—together with his partner, the grizzled veteran Huntsman Mayflower—putting a stop to it by any means necessary.

But their efforts to determine the origin of the spreading malady are soon complicated by the emergence of ancient and strange beings that Grimsby and Mayflower have never encountered before. To uncover the truth, they will have to turn to old acquaintances and allies and delve deep below Boston, into the city of monsters that lies beneath, and travel to the unfathomable reality of the Elsewhere.

Burdened by his own troubles, both past and present, it will take all Grimsby’s skill, iron, and no shortage of magic to stop this apparent plague and save those who have been afflicted.

Assuming it’s not already too late.


Grim Folk Tale by James J. Butcher will be released on October 20, 2026.

The Stars Look Like Home by TJ Klune

The Stars Look Like Home by TJ Klune

Synopsis

From beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune comes a heartwarming story about a good boy in search of a great life. The Stars Look Like Home is a funny and moving adventure about finding one’s place in the universe from the perspective of a dog.

A promise: The dog does not die in this.

The hardcover edition will feature a beautiful case stamp.


The Stars Look Like Home by TJ Klune will be released on January 12, 2027.

Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Synopsis

The sixth book in the multi-million-copy bestselling series about a cozy Japanese cafe that offers its visitors the chance to travel back in time.

In a special seat in a fabled Tokyo cafe, you're offered something irresistible – not just a warm, comforting coffee, but the chance to go back in time to revisit the ones you love...

In Before I Knew I Loved You, Toshikazu Kawaguchi takes us back to the warm heart of the mysterious Funiculi Funicula Cafe, with another four guests whose luminous stories of love, lost and won again, will reaffirm your belief in its eternal potential. In this book, we meet:

  • The girl who couldn’t call her mother, and yearns to reconnect with her
  • The man who waited for a reply from his girlfriend, and never heard from her
  • The woman anxious to travel ahead to know what her future holds
  • The student who travels back to meet his father again, who passed away many years before.

Yet the same rules always apply – you must return before the coffee gets cold. And while it does, memories are revisited, people are changed for ever, and the enduring power of love transcends the boundaries of time.

Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi will be released on May 26, 2026.

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

Synopsis

A young woman found murdered
A scandal in the making

When Mrs Bantry wakes to find a body in her library, there’s only one woman to call: her good friend Jane Marple.

But she hasn’t called her old friend for comfort.

The body in her library has been murdered and Miss Marple is so very good at solving murders.

Her investigations uncover a scandal far darker than either of them could have imagined, and this time she may be out of her depth.

Never underestimate Miss Marple

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie will be released on May 7, 2026.

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Cover Reveal News Round-Up, Including Books By Maureen Johnson, Jeff Kinney, Evelyn Clarke, Amie Kaufman, And Michiko Aoyama

Happy New Year! Let's start this new edition of Cover Reveal News Round-Up with smiles on our faces. Next up we have sequels by Maureen Johnson, and Jeff Kinney; standalone work or possibly series openers by Evelyn Clarke (pseudonym of two autors in one), and Amie Kaufman; and international editions of two books by Michiko Aoyama.

The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson

The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson

Synopsis

Return to the world of Truly Devious as Stevie Bell and her friends travel to New York to solve a murder in the next standalone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.

Stevie might be the greatest teenage detective Ellingham Academy and the world has ever seen, but even she can’t figure out what happened with her boyfriend, David. What she needs is a distraction: a good old-fashioned murder. Stevie is much happier dealing with dead people. They’re a lot less confusing—they don’t send cryptic texts and make out with other girls in British pubs.

But then Stevie gets exactly what she wanted when a dead body turns up in the middle of a Manhattan apartment complex, and this one is . . . complicated. Caught in a web of messy alive-people feelings, Stevie finds herself questioning all human connection. Is magnetism only manipulation? Can you trust anyone? Does anyone realize that they’re joining a cult—before it’s too late? And are things with David really over?


The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson will be released on April 28, 2026.

Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 by Jeff Kinney

Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 by Jeff Kinney

Synopsis

Rowley Jefferson is back with another book in his Awesome Friendly series―Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2―which is even more hilariously terrifying than the first!

Fans of Greg Heffley and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney get a chance to dive into the twisted, unexpectedly hilarious world of Rowley’s imagination, where you’ll meet monsters, ghouls, and oversized insects. Plus even more spooky surprises are in store for you in these comically terrifying tales. Don’t blame us if you can’t sleep after crawling into bed with this creepy collection―you’ve been warned!


Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 by Jeff Kinney will be released on August 11, 2026.

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

Synopsis

A propulsive debut mystery from Evelyn Clarke, the billiant and diabolical creation of Cat Clarke and V.E. Schwab!

Six authors.
One private island.
Seventy-two hours to write the ending that will change their lives.

Arthur Fletch, one of the world’s bestselling novelists, is a reclusive genius known for his iconic protagonists and fiendish twists. When six struggling authors are invited to spend a weekend on his private Scottish island, they arrive to discover a shocking secret: Arthur Fletch is dead . . . and his last book is unfinished.

Desperate to publish the novel, Fletch’s agent and editor have summoned these writers in the hope that one of them will imagine a worthy ending for this final book. To sweeten the deal, they are offering an irresistible prize: in addition to ghost-writing the last chapter––for a mind-boggling sum––they will also help the lucky writer successfully re-launch their own career, guaranteeing future bestsellers. The catch: the writers have just seventy-two hours to finish Fletch’s magnum opus.

It’s the perfect plot. All it needs is a killer ending.


The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke will be released on April 7, 2026.

Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman

Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman

Synopsis

8 hours to stop an explosion...8 hours to fall in love.

From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and Aurora Rising comes a high-stakes, high-chemistry, sci-fi romp about a stowaway girl and the richest boy in the galaxy, racing the clock to outwit a gang of mercenaries.

It’s 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from a lifeless rock into a chaotic patch of settlements--equal parts national pride, and corporate power grab.

Enter Hunter Graves: handsome, ambitious, and with spectacularly bad timing. He shows up at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation sends everyone scurrying for safety. Except he's left behind. Uh oh.

Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tonged stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy might just help you survive, so here we are.

Turns out the evacuation was just a cover for the mercenaries who came next, and the plan to blow up the base--and every trace of their crime--in eight hours.

Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they're falling for each other.

The clock is ticking.


Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman will be released on February 10, 2026.

Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama

Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama

Synopsis

Across a bridge in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, a seasonal cherry blossom sits on the river. Nearby is the Marble Cafe, where a woman writes in a notebook and a young waiter prepares her favorite hot drink. Both wonder about each other and about the other lives of the clientele who frequent this charming little cafe behind the trees...

Without even realizing it, we may touch and change someone else's life.

Taking a walk along the river, cooking the best tamagoyaki, ordering hot chocolate, forgetting to remove our nail polish... The small, everyday acts that we do can lead to unexpected encounters, reverberate far beyond our own circle, and ultimately make a difference in the world around us.

Hot Chocolate on Thursday is a tapestry of slice-of-life moments that each open and close with a woman ordering her regular hot chocolate at the mysterious Marble Cafe. What happens in between will touch and swell your heart, as we connect with a community of untold unfolding lives.


Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama will be released on February 17, 2026.

Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama

Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama

Synopsis

From the three-times nominated author for the Japan Booksellers award: Volume Two of the Marble Cafe series, in which customers, staff, artists and manager connect over 12 powerful episodes to create vivid experiences of unexpected happy encounters and anonymous kindness.

Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama will be released on July 7, 2026.