12 Thrilling February Releases We’re Excited For

In this next installment of A Hamish Macbeth Mystery, Scotland’s most quick-witted but unambitious policeman is back. Kate Hibbert has only been a resident of the sleepy village of Lochdubh for only a year and already alienated one too many residents with her eager, not entirely well-intentioned, helping hand. A neighbor sees her lugging a heavy suitcase to a bus stop and hopes this will be the last he sees her. But two weeks later, news arrives that Kate has gone missing. Her cousin demands the local police to step in. Hamish’s investigation leads him down a storm of lies, intrigue, and scandal. Who really was Kate? As he goes deeper into the case, he suspects she may be more sinister than expected.

In this enchanting spy thriller, it’s 1990, and Melvina Donleavy arrives in Soviet Belarus on her first undercover mission with the CIA alongside three fellow agents. No one knows she’s playing two roles. She’s merely a secretary to the KGB, but to the CIA, she’s the only one who can stop the flow of nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union to the Middle East. She’s a “super recognizer”, which means she’ll never forget a face. But no amount of training prepares her for the increasing disappearance of women. As she searches for answers, she also catches the attention of the petrifying “Black Wolf”, the head of the KGB. She’ll have to learn that the only person you could ever trust is yourself.

Related: Read an Excerpt of Kathleen Kent's Spy Thriller Black Wolf

King Ludwig II of Bavaria was an enigmatic figure, eccentric to the point of madness towards the last years of his life. In those years, history tells us that he was in search for a new kingdom, a place he could retreat into and rule as he wished. Whether or not he was successful remains a mystery. Cotton Malone’s protégé, Luke Daniels, has managed to infiltrate a renegade group intent on winning Bavarian independence from Germany and gained the trust of the prince of Bavaria, determined to eliminate his brother and restore Wittelsbach monarchy. Everything now hinges on finding Ludwig’s success, legal title to lands Germany, China, and the United States all now want. In a race across Bavaria for clues hidden in Ludwig’s three fairytale castles, Malone and Daniels battle an ever-growing list of deadly adversaries, all trying to find the last kingdom.

James Michael Barrett lands a plea deal in his high-profile trial and leads law enforcement officers to the body of his last victim. At the alleged burial site, officers swing their shovels, hitting something metallic, setting off an explosion that instantly kills Barrett and most of the officers. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of this shocking case for FBI consultant Kendra Michaels. More heinous murders in Barrett’s style continue and it becomes clear he may have had an accomplice. Kendra reluctantly accepts help from Tricia Walton, a college student who was the only survivor of Barrett’s attacks. Together, they must try to understand the killer’s terrifying plan.

Ryan Cloverhill, founder and CEO of the world’s most popular social media platform, invites his six best friends to his private island near Puget Sound. The first day, it was exactly what they expected: amazing food, lots of drinks and laughter, and a sunset cruise around the island. However, the next day takes a bewildering turn when the guests find their host missing. A touchscreen tablet awaits them, challenging them to unlock it with a passcode hidden somewhere in the group’s shared history. What starts as a silly game turns deadly when they learn what unlocking the tablet really means.