Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce
An inexperienced child psychologist travels to an isolated village to assess a girl whose family and community believe is possessed by a witch. The first thing she notices upon her arrival are odd stones hanging from every building. Hagstones, she's told. That's her first sign that she's stepped into a place that's far different from the world she's accustomed to. This folk horror is a slow, slow burn and at first it felt similar to other books I've read with similar premises. But this one finally gets going and when it does, it's something else entirely. I don't want to risk spoilers, but if you enjoyed Midsommar or The Lottery, this is in that vein.
Killing Me Soufflé by Ellie Alexander
I'm not sure if I've read any of the other twenty Bakeshop mysteries by Ellie Alexander, but after reading this one I can't wait to track them down. It was a fun read with a fantastic setting and interesting mystery. Jules and her family travel to the Oregon coast where two employees from her Ashland bakery have been hired to run the restaurant at a an aging resort. Opening night is a wild success, but then the resort's manager is found dead at the foot of a rocky cliff. I love the coast and this book does an amazing job of capturing the atmosphere. There's lots of focus on the delicious sounding food, which never slows the plot because they're preparing it while talking over elements of the murder mystery.
Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies.
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