Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in Nashville is an aspiring country music star. Campbell Hall, for one, just wants to get her travel agency off the ground and move on from a break-up. But when she gets the opportunity to visit the mansion of mysterious country icon Jake Miller, she jumps at the chance. After all, who knows what clues are lurking around the long-dead star’s last home? But as Campbell pokes around, she discovers more than a few sequined suits and priceless memorabilia. She finds Hazel Miller, Jake’s widow, quietly resting in a bedroom on the main floor. But Hazel might just be dead quiet. And Campbell might just be the last person to have seen her alive. Juggling the twisty plots of high-profile country stars with her blossoming business—not to mention the tattered remains of her love life—Campbell thinks she’s got everything figured out. But when the danger becomes personal, she must uncover a killer who will stop at nothing to get what they want—or face the music. With Your Killin’ Heart, award-winning author Peggy O’Neal Peden has given us a witty debut full of Nashville charm and generous heart.

With Your Killin’ Heart, award-winning author Peggy O’Neal Peden has given us a witty debut full of Nashville charm and generous heart. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in Nashville is an aspiring country music star. Campbell Hall, for one, just wants to get her travel agency off the ground and move on from a break-up. But when she gets the opportunity to visit the mansion of mysterious country icon Jake Miller, she jumps at the chance. After all, who knows what clues are lurking around the long-dead star’s last home? But as Campbell pokes around, she discovers more than a few sequined suits and priceless memorabilia. She finds Hazel Miller, Jake’s widow, quietly resting in a bedroom on the main floor. But Hazel might just be dead quiet. And Campbell might just be the last person to have seen her alive. Juggling the twisty plots of high-profile country stars with her blossoming business—not to mention the tattered remains of her love life—Campbell thinks she’s got everything figured out. But when the danger becomes personal, she must uncover a killer who will stop at nothing to get what they want—or face the music. Winner of the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition

Looking for a new cozy mystery author to love? Dive in to this collection of excerpts from the Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press Spring/Summer 2017 season (books published from late April to August). The Cozy Case Files collection includes: Trumpet of Death by Cynthia Riggs Sticks and Bones by Carolyn Haines Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison Love & Death in Burgundy by Susan C. Shea Your Killin' Heart by Peggy O'Neal Peden Gone Gull by Donna Andrews Dog Dish of Doom by E.J. Copperman Enforcing the Paw by Diane Kelly Cat About Town by Cate Conte A Crime of Passion Fruit by Ellie Alexander

The former CEO of Clif Bar, Co-founder of Plum, and serial entrepreneur offers insights about launching and growing a business while maintaining a fulfilled life in this practical guide filled with hard-won advice culled from the author’s own sometimes dark, raw experiences. With a foreword by Steve Blank. Aspiring entrepreneurs are told that to launch a business, you must go all in, devoting every resource and moment to making it work. But following this advice comes at an enormous personal cost: divorce, addiction, even suicide. It means sacrificing the intangibles that make life worth living. Sheryl O’Loughlin knows there is a better way. In Killing It, she shares the wisdom she’s gained from her successful experiences launching a company from the ground up (Plum), running two fast-growing companies (Clif Bar and REBBL), and mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs (Stanford University). She tells it like it is: If you don’t invest in your wellbeing, your business will not succeed, nor will you. Sheryl knows firsthand the difficulty of balancing the needs of her growing family with her physical and mental health, while managing other work and life challenges. In this warm, honest, and wise handbook, she gives you the essentials for killing it in business—without killing the rest of your life. Filled with real-life examples and anecdotes, Killing It addresses common questions including: How do you prepare your significant other for your business venture? How do you time launching and growing your business with the ebb and flow of family life? How do you find joy in the day-to-day? How do you maintain meaningful, supportive friendships? How do you walk away and start again? The ultimate life and business course, Killing It gives entrepreneurs the tools they need to start their enterprise and thrive—both in the office and at home.

You’ll find exclusive excerpts of seven notable books due for publication during the month of May in this sampler—but first check out our extensive preview of well over 100 new books of interest coming to market in the month ahead. Then turn to new fiction from major bestselling authors Dennis Lehane (Since We Fell) and The Rosie Project author Graeme Simsion (The Best of Adam Sharp). Fresh debuts include Hala Alyan’s Salt Houses, about a Palestinian family caught between present and past, between displacement and home, as well as Sarah Shoemaker’s literary retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre—through the eyes of the dashing, mysterious Mr. Rochester himself. In nonfiction, novelist Richard Ford remembers his parents in a memoir; and Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich combines a memoir of being a law student with a true crime exposé in The Fact Of A Body. Young Adult is represented by #1 New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh, who follows The Wrath and the Dawn and The Rose and the Dagger, with Flame in the Mist. Buzz Books Monthlies are your first and best place to turn for a real insider's taste of what to read next, and what the book world will be talking about next month. We hope you enjoy the monthly Buzz Books—and keep an eye out for June Buzz Books available in early May. Meanwhile, passionate readers have relied on our twice-a-year Buzz Books to sample and discover new books from big authors and breakout talents through exclusive and substantial pre-publication excerpts. Right now, you can read almost 60 excerpts from the hottest books appearing this spring and summer. The next Buzz Books 2017: Fall/Winter launches May 16. Look for it!

Nosy, warm-hearted travel agent Campbell Hall gets mixed up in a missing persons case when beloved Nashville socialite Bitsy Carter vanishes during her Mexican vacation. "Fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Donna Andrews will enjoy this new series" - Booklist Travel agent Campbell Hale isn't surprised when she hears her good friend, socialite and talented artist Bitsy Carter, has booked a luxury Mexican spa vacation through her agency. Bitsy often takes solo trips abroad, and who'd want to spend February in grey Nashville when they could avoid it? She is, however, extremely surprised - and extremely worried - when Bitsy doesn't come back. What could compel warm, friendly Bitsy to run away without telling anyone her plans? And most puzzling of all: what could make her leave her small children behind? The answers lie in Zihuatanejo, and Campbell barely needs to twist new boyfriend Detective Sam Davis' arm to get him to agree to accompany her there. Campbell's determined to uncover the truth, but will this be a vacation to remember . . . or one to die for? "Fans of Tonya Kappes's books and readers who enjoy humorous whodunits with a strong sense of place will find this one delightful" - Library Journal (starred review) of the first Nashville mystery, Your Killin' Heart

Travel agent Campbell Hale's first boyfriend is back in Nashville for their high-school reunion - but murder, rather than love, is in the air . . . "Fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Donna Andrews will enjoy this new series" - Booklist Travel agent Campbell Hale might be flying solo at her twentieth-year school reunion, but that doesn't mean she's looking for love. Her almost boyfriend, homicide detective Sam Davis, has stood her up, with the terrible excuse that he has a murder to investigate. So when she runs into her high-school sweetheart, Franklin "Fly" Young, who makes a point of telling her his marriage is in trouble, she's not interested - but she can't help but feel nostalgic. And more to the point, Fly is now a tech millionaire, and he has good news: he'd like her to take on his company's travel account. But then Campbell discovers the identity of Detective Davis' murder victim: Fly's company accountant. Was his death connected to the company, or is it a terrible coincidence? Soon Campbell is caught up in a nightmare - with her whole life on the line . . . As well as being a twisty, tightly plotted mystery, with a warm-hearted, witty and loveable protagonist, FLYIN' SOLO is a wonderful read for anyone who's ever felt nostalgic for their first love.