As this Japanese import opens, the two companions argue over the butterfly book they’re admiring. As they tussle, a page tears, and the friend skis home. The boy worriedly repairs the book (one of his father’s treasured possessions), then skis off himself, seeking to quell his discomfort. Negotiating a steep downhill trail, the boy overlooks a gap and falls in. Within the shallow crevasse, he discovers a tiny theater and a dazzling musical, staged by snow people, about to begin. After he rescues a fallen performer, the troupe invites him to view their show. Whispering ballerinas, singing children, and a sudden transformation from a tiny to full-size production hint at the boy’s dream state. He joins the troupe onstage as they begin a “spinning top song.” A giant top appears, sparkling with snow crystals; a snow queen summons an enchanted blizzard. Arai’s charming illustrations dazzle. Intentionally naïve and expressionistic, they pair thick, impasto-like color with delicately rendered performers—singing, dancing, even snowboarding. Playing with perspective, the artist contrasts the village’s snowy expanses with the small figures of the boy and his father, who rescues him with a promise of cocoa and a suggestion to lend the butterfly book to his friend tomorrow. Human characters are tan-skinned.

Life in Shady Palms suits Lila Macapagal down to the Illinois ground. The tiny town is devoid of chain restaurants and megastores (there’s not even a Walmart), leaving plenty of room for Lila, Elena Torres, and Adeena Awan to offer residents treats like mocha chai latte and white chocolate flavored with pistachio, rose water, and cardamom at boutique shops like their Brew-ha Cafe. But the partners can’t help but notice that female-owned businesses seem to be disproportionately targets of smash-and-grab robberies. They’ve even discussed this trend at the Women of Color entrepreneur group. Still, it isn’t until burglars hit Choco Noir, owned by Blake Langrehr, that the break-ins extend to include casualties. Blake is killed, and Lila’s boyfriend Jae Park’s cousin Hana Lee, who worked there, is left in a coma. Lila vows to find out who hurt Hana—who’d come to Shady Palms to find peace and healing after her husband died—but her investigation proceeds slowly because of all the family dinners, karaoke nights, and WOC meetings that intervene, each with its own large cast of sisters and cousins and aunts. Even a visit to Hana in the intensive care unit involves half a dozen people. Readers who like their mysteries, like Brew-ha’s confections, crammed full of goodies, are likely to enjoy Manansala’s tale more than those who prefer a more trimmed-down approach to detection.

In Boston, private detective Spenser meets young Daniel Lopez, whose Guatemalan immigrant mother, Marisol, was murdered six weeks ago in Miami. “It has come to my attention, Mr. Spenser,” he says, “that a lot of my life story turned out to be a lie.” Because of a DNA test, Daniel thinks he is the unacknowledged son of Vic Hale, voice of the right-wing, anti-immigrant Boston podcast All Hale. Thought to be the next biggest podcaster after Joe Rogan, Hale hates anyone who doesn’t look like him. “King of the mouth-breathers,” says Spenser’s colleague Hawk. An “awful, awful man,” says Susan Silverman. Daniel, who is on his way to Harvard Law School, simply wants Hale to acknowledge his paternity and insists he doesn’t want money. Hale refuses. More people wind up dead, and a bigger and more complicated story develops that ends in a showdown. Spenser, of unknown first name, is the classic creation of the late Robert B. Parker. He’s tall, great-looking, and loyal to Susan, his psychologist girlfriend and always-eager sex partner. Lawyer Rita Fiore calls him “the Incredible Hunk,” but she respects that he’s spoken for. Setting the series apart is the smart dialogue that’s often good for a chuckle—though the plots are always serious, Spenser misses few opportunities to flaunt his wit. Occasionally, it grates on his enemies, and even readers may roll their eyes at his constant efforts to be funny or make arcane literary references. Reflecting on the strength he once had, he conjures Samuel Taylor Coleridge: “When I was young?—Ah, woful When!…Ah! for the change ‘twixt Now and Then…” But that’s a noir P.I. for you: tough and handsome, erudite and wiseass. Meanwhile, Hawk is not shy about poking fun at his friend and ally’s quirks. Author Lupica faithfully maintains the atmosphere and characters that Parker created.

In addition to dealing with her moody teen son, Brody, and her stubborn granddad, Paislee Shaw finds her shop, Cashmere Crush, busy with the summer influx of tourists to Nairn, in the Scottish Highlands. As a volunteer for the upcoming Highland Games, she’s lucky to have part-time help: Her newest hire, Rhona Smythe, is working to repay her parents for the speeding tickets she’s amassed. Rhona’s into Highland Dance, and her boyfriend, Artie Whittle, is involved in several events, including the caber toss, which involves throwing a tapered log of about 16 feet long. At the games, all kinds of last-minute problems arise, including rumors of steroid use. When someone gives Artie a bit of slippery oil instead of resin for his hands, his toss ends in disaster and his caber splits. Artie’s older brother was on his way to becoming a professional strongman before he died in a car accident, and their father is a rage-filled taskmaster who constantly puts Artie down. A couple of days later, Paislee takes Rhona to Artie’s house when he fails to answer repeated phone calls, and they find him unconscious on the lawn, covered in the blood of his father, who’s dead in the kitchen. Artie is naturally a suspect, but he has plenty of competition, for Joseph was not only a bad father but also a serial cheater and a seller of steroids. DI Mack Zeffer, who’s met Paislee on other murder cases, listens attentively when she says that Artie’s innocent. Although Paislee’s in love with the handsome, wealthy detective, she refuses to become involved until Brody turns 18. Unexpected revelations long before then break the case and change her life.

Angus McPherron, a beloved resident of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, who used an unexpected inheritance to benefit the town, is approaching his 100th birthday. A huge birthday party has been planned, including the whole town but especially his closest friends, Harry Garozzo, Gus McGlucken, Henry Staab, and Jake Risso, who with Angus are known as the fab five. When Angus is found dead just before his birthday, everyone seems devastated. But his party goes on until the knitters find Angus’ friend Father Lawrence Northcutt wounded and clinging to life. The attack encourages police Chief Jerry Thompson to order an autopsy on Angus to confirm that he died of natural causes, but it discloses instead that he was poisoned. Enter the Seaside Knitters: Birdie Favazza, an octogenarian whose wise counsel has helped solve many a murder; Nell Endicott, a retired nonprofit director; her niece, Izzy Perry, whose store, Sea Harbor Yarn Studio, provided the impetus for the knitting group; and Cass Brandley, who owns a lobster company. Although the Knitters have been involved in several murders, this one may prove their most difficult, since most of the suspects are old friends. The exception is Annie Smith, an attractive and talented woman who showed up in Sea Harbor and grew close to Angus. Annie, who shares a house with Izzy’s younger brother, nurse Charlie Chambers, is an enigmatic figure who made special teas for Angus. When the knitters start looking into other residents, they find cracks in what seemed like perfect friendships.