From the Booking Desk:

As lovely as all the author and friend interactions at Bouchercon are – and believe me, there is nothing lovelier – we can’t forget that we are all at the convention because of our love of the written word. There are so many books to be had at Bouchercon that one could easily gather a whole year’s worth of reading on that weekend alone.

This year I came away with 40 new books. Some of them were purchased, some were giveaways, some were in my conference bookbag, and even a few were hand delivered to me by authors or publicists.

I am not going to list them all here, but rest assured most of them will likely turn up on BOLO Books at other times. For now, I just want to share the 12 books I am most excited to be able to add to my personal library. Links below will take you to the author and publisher webpages where you can find out more and order the books for yourself.

First the books that are currently available:

The Killing Kind by Chris Holm

Of all the books that I knew I needed to obtain at Bouchercon 2015, a first edition of The Killing Kind was at the top of the list. My first stop was the bookroom, as I knew this novel would be flying off the shelf. I may sound like a broken record, but with The Killing Kind, Chris Holm has written my favorite book of the year (to date).

Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich

Bull Mountain has so much support behind it – from fans, critics, fellow authors – that I have been aching to read it. I made myself wait until I could get a first edition at Bouchercon, but this one will be devoured shortly. It doesn’t hurt that Brian is the nicest country boy you could hope for.

Benefit of the Doubt by Neil Griffin

This debut has attracted attention and judging by the line at the Hospitality Suite giveaway, I think that readers are aware of it. What’s better than discovering a new author just as they start their publishing journey?

Stillwater by Melissa Lenhardt

This one was purely an impulse buy from the Bouchercon Bookroom. Melissa’s pitch at the author speed-dating was very strong and then I ran into her when we were both talking with Catriona McPherson. Melissa was most gracious that Catriona blurbed the book and my ears perked up. If Catriona liked it, I had to try this novel.

Art of Blood by Bonnie MacBird

I was delighted that this book was part of the HarperCollins Opening Ceremony signing/giveaway. We’ve seen a resurgence in Sherlock Holmes tales of late, but this one has such strong cover art, it’s hard to resist.

A Line of Blood by Ben McPherson

This book was also part of the HarperCollins signing and has been on my radar for a while now. The plot sounds like exactly my cup of tea, so expect a review of this one here soon.

Now the books that are coming soon:

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

Jane Eyre as serial killer. Need I really say more? Plus Lyndsay is one of the strongest historical novelists working today. Bet on this one being hot commodity in Spring 2016.

The Second Girl by David Swinson

This one has lots of pre-release buzz. I told David that I wouldn’t miss his give-away and indeed, I did not. I had to reschedule a few things, but I was not leaving Bouchercon without having this book in my hand.

The Ex by Alafair Burke

This was the book I had most hoped would be available during Bouchercon. HarperCollins did not let me down. Alafair was signing as part of the Opening Ceremonies reception as well. Several of my very good friends have told me this book is amazing – and let’s face it, when is Alafair Burke not – so I am really looking forward to this new stand-alone.

The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore

I was invited to an impromptu lunch on Saturday and one of the guests was Jonathan Moore. When he told me about his book, I was immediately interested. Lucky for me, Jonathan just happened to have a copy with him.

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

This seems like a new direction for Lisa Lutz, so when I heard that Clair Lamb had a few advanced reader copies of the novel with her, I asked for one. I would have begged, but fortunately Clair didn’t require that. The cover art on this one is very moody and evocative.

The Travelers by Chris Pavone

Chris Pavone continues to write very strong novels that defy categorization. They are a blend of mystery, thriller, international intrigue, and quest tale. Who can resist that?

From the Booking Desk:

That wraps up my coverage of Bouchercon 2015 in Raleigh.  In case you missed them, here are links to Part One and Part Two of this recap series. See you all in NOLA.