I set out to write a blog post about this week’s sponsor in the midst of a crazy week. The good kind of crazy, mind you — travel, a vibrant library conference, time spent with friends old and new — but still a crazy week. So, I thought I’d take a tiny peek at what our sponsors were promoting, peck out a quick post, and treat myself to an early bedtime. I clicked on the Spring 2016 Mystery Excerpt Sampler from our friends at Penguin Random House and issued myself a challenge: Just read the first line or two of each excerpt and then move on.

Wow. I cannot even begin to tell you how utterly and completely I failed that challenge. Pulled into these stories over and over again, the minutes slipped by. I have no regrets. (Early bedtimes are probably overrated anyway.) These excerpts are exceptional. To accompany the sampler, the team at Penguin Random House has also put together some great programming ideas and has produced a gorgeous If Books Could Kill poster that you can download (or request a printed copy, while supplies last). Please click through and take a closer look at these shocking, mysterious, new titles!