MAY TEXAS BOOKS PREVIEW
Preview of Texas-connected books publishing in May, 2026
LSLL HONORS TEXAS WRITERS MONTH
Join Lone Star Literary Life as we honor Texas Writers Month by highlighting these Texas-connected new releases. May’s TBP is bursting with books from a bounty of genres. We have chilling horror, courageous nonfiction, cuddly children’s books, compassionate romance, and more. Honor our incredible Texas authors by perusing the list and picking up a fresh new read today.
Sunday, July 18, 1965, started out like any other hot summer day in Texas.
Shirley Ann Stark and Susan Rigsby, Chi Omega sorority sisters at the University of Texas at Austin, left their Dallas homes early and drove together in Shirley’s Corvair to Austin. Little did they know the fate that awaited them later that afternoon as they visited the apartment of a friend and fellow UT student.
The following day, the women were reported missing. A twelve-day nationwide search ensued, ending with the discovery of their bodies in a north Austin field.
Alan Burton, co-author of “Fatal Exam: Solving Lubbock’s Greatest Murder Mystery,’’ revisits the double homicide that shook the Lone Star State – a crime that has been largely forgotten after the 1966 University of Texas tower shooting.
On his weekly visit to see his friend, the Gardener, the Garden Friend discovers not only the beauty of the garden but also the meaning of friendship, which blooms with time and attention.
Enter a world where insects become treasures and where a floral canvas of colors invites readers to explore the bounty of the garden.
This second adventure in the Garden Friend series by Mary Frances Baker explores themes of patience, curiosity, sharing, and friendship.
Mirage is a gritty crime thriller set in South Texas. The story plunges readers into the seedy and violent underworld of human smuggling, cartel influence, and corrupt government officials, where the desert sun burns the truth into the earth and the shadows hide what official reports never dare to tell.
The novel exposes the hidden systems that allow exploitation to thrive across the U.S.–Mexico border. Burnett’s world is populated by people who aren’t heroes—they’re survivors. Damaged. Driven. Dangerous.
The heart of the story beats within two unforgettable characters whose unlikely partnership creates a narrative as explosive as it is emotionally deep.
Nuremberg, Mississippi by Melvin E. Edwards is a provocative legal drama exploring the “machinery” of systemic injustice in the Jim Crow South.
Drawing chilling parallels between Nazi Germany’s legalism and American segregation, the novel follows attorney Silas Thorn and craftsman Henry Logan as they navigate a society where oppression is maintained through routine professional conduct and “orderly” bureaucracy.
Focusing on a “sundown” ordinance in a fictional Mississippi town, Edwards interrogates the moral complicity of those who simply “follow the law.” It is a haunting reflection on how disciplined systems can facilitate profound human evil under the guise of tradition, even without physical violence.
A stake-out at a trafficker way-station ends with Special Agent Jennifer Nash placed on forced leave. Until a government insider offers her a chance at redemption.
All she has to do is accompany an elite Louisiana SWAT team on a takedown mission. But as she’s shuttled by boat into the Atchafalaya Basin, she believes some of the unit might be compromised.
The raid ends in disaster. And the police find themselves outnumbered in the middle of a criminal operation, with a connected Cajun community and ruthless cartel members determined to put them down at all costs.
Suzanne Groves’s stunning debut novel digs into the polished veneer of small-town Southern life and exposes the “not-so-quiet” power struggles underneath.
In prose and theme, Groves’s book carries shades of “The Help” in the way social hierarchy among women drives the tension, although this story leans more into simmering secrets and personal reckoning than broader cultural commentary.
The pacing is measured, but the unraveling of Miriam’s past—and the town’s—keeps the pages turning. A thoughtful, character-driven read that will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider trying to crack a closed circle. And for those who believe in the power of forgiveness? This novel is for YOU!
A broken heart. A second chance. A coastal town where love might be worth the risk. Widower Carson Andrews is raising a four-year-old daughter, hoping his new job in Driftwood Bay will help put the past behind him.
Meeting fellow coach Mila Perry gives him hope for a new beginning. They navigate the complexities of past loves and losses, wanting to ensure that Lily feels embraced as their love grows for one another.
Trouble arises when one influential community member questions their involvement, and their professional reputations may be endangered.
Will Carson and Mila grapple with the weight of community expectations and navigate their way toward healing and creating a family of their own?
A compassionate, first-person look at end of life and memory care with engagement, hope, reassurance, and truth. Live it for yourself.
UP FROM HELL is the story of a small-town Texas cop, Neil Dixon, who experiences corruption in his department.
When he was young, he lived in the seedy section of Las Vegas with his addicted mother. He was saved by a policeman who sent him to his aunt in the small central Texas town of Jarrell. Years later, his mother died. At the funeral, he met his father, a mafia criminal, who tried to corrupt Neil with bringing drugs across the Mexican border. The grifter comes up against Neil’s righteousness.
UP FROM HELL weaves themes of corruption, identity, and the complexities of family bonds, as Neil navigates the murky world where loyalty may be a betrayal in disguise.
Freshman year was supposed to be simple. New classes. New rules. New pressures.
For best friends Willow and Kat, high school at Ingles Hollow High started testing everything they thought they knew about themselves, about friendship, and about where they belong.
As expectations mount and secrets surface, Willow and Kat must decide who they are becoming and whether their bond is strong enough to survive both the weight of high school and the shadows of a town that never truly forgets.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
There are so many Texas-connected books publishing this month that we couldn’t feature all of them. The following books also publish in May:
CHILDREN'S, MIDDLE GRADE, & YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
The Big Book of Tall Tales of Texas Critters by Joseph Robert McSparin
The Book of Prophecy by K.S. Carr
The Chismosas Only Book Club by Laekan Zea Kemp
Cowboy Jim by Allie Davis
Ewww—There’s some Geology in my Fiction! By Russ Colson
The First Unicorn, Miracle on Wonder Island by Kathleen J. Shields
The Hero Twins in the Realm of Fright by David Bowles
Jubilee Jumps for Joy by Brentom Jackson
Let it Go Let it Fly & Testify: A Faith story about trusting God by Dr. Angelina Rideaux
My Big Book of Texas by C.S. Jennings
My Brother Oliver by R.L. Toalson
Otis Knows by Liz Garton Scanlon & Martha Brockenbrough
Roar by Varsha Baja
Rothbart’s Midnight Dance: Swan Lake and The Twelve Dancing Princesses Retold by Kendra E. Ardnek
Stray by Angélique Jamail
The Traveling Tuxedo, Adventures in San Marcos, TX by Melissa Coyle
FANTASY / SCI-FI
The Backstage of Existence by Russell C. Connor
Black Swan 4 by Bobby Akart
Coreflex Quadrant by Jaxon Reed
Covenant by M.R. Parsons
Echoes of Tomorrow by Glenna Riddle
Godzilla Vs. America: Texas (Various authors)
The House of Midnight by Ben Hale & Kel Kade
The Librarian After the Apocalypse and The Wizard of Ruin by Brian Yansky
Platform Decay by Martha Wells
Sorcery on the Sunset Express by Ronald D. Ferguson
MYSTERY / HORROR
Achilles by Ronie Kendig
All the Bones Beneath Bayview Bridge by Adam Taylor Barker
Anchoring You by Robin Patchen
Beneath the Bluebonnets: Tales of Terror by Texas Women (Anthology)
Cadaver Dog by Doug Goodman
Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister
Darkness Awaits You by Nicole Byrd
Death and the Unsinkable Misty Dawn by Bessie Barr
The Emperor’s Palace by LynDee Walker & Bruce Robert Coffin
Filth Eaters by Ito Romo
Hopeful in Texas by Diana Xarissa
The House on Hollow Hill by Cheryl Bradshaw
If I Spy Young by Brittany E. Brinegar
Last Stop by Gloria Oliver
Lawless Layover by Carly Winter
Murder Spelled in Thread by Sarah Noffke
My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere
Owl is Calm by Leanne Leeds
Proposals, Protocols and Psychos by Nonny Mackay
Riptide by Chad Robichaux
The River Runs Silent by Kathryn Beck
Roped in Danger by Jenna Brandt
The Silence of Innocence by Reily Garrett
Soil and Serial by Jo Grafford
Spies, Lies, and Alibis by Natalie Walters
This Town Won’t Tell by Rhodi Hawk
Three Good Lies by Luana Ehrlich
A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon
NONFICTION
The Hand that Guided Me by John Gast
Henry Eustace McCulloch: Texas Ranger, Legislator, Civil War General by David Paul Smith
Migrant Heart by Reyna Grande
Motor West: A Route 66 Ramble Across America by Barbara Brannon and Kay Ellington
New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling by Evan LeRoy & Paula Forbes
Nolan by Tim Brown
Scars of the Badge by Tom Lee
A Small Tree in Texas Hurricane by Robert Henry Benson
The Temple Road by Fazlur Rahman
Wired Like This by Dennis Bairos
OTHER FICTION
Dan Burton: Texas Ranger: The Blood Thicket by Clem Mariotte
Dead Man Walking by Ash Lingam
My Dads Stars by Margaret T
Paint Me Happy by Carolyn Brown
The Psalm of Katie Hall by Eric D. Bolton
The Right Hook by Larry Gaytan
Roll Back the Sun by Michael Baldwin
The Texas 7: Inside The Connally unit Escape by Gerald Cain
Texas Truths by Mark Greathouse
They Called Him The Yantis Kid by Greg Bower
Writing the Mother Road: Texas High Plains Writers Celebrates Route 66 (Anthology)
You Can’t Hurry Second Chances by Michelle Stimpson
POETRY
The Only Important Thing: Poetry and An Essay On Aspects of Love by Michael Baldwin
Nightmareica: Poetry of American Politics and Social Issues by Michael Baldwin
Mantras From the Moon: Zen Poems & Images From Vintage Japanese Art by Michael Baldwin
Watering My Flowers: Sunflower by Brittany Manning
ROMANCE
Embracing Jenna by Leyna Cohen
First Time Friends by Jenna Avery
Forbidden to the Texas Soldier by Julie Benson
Ginger Mountain by Mary Connealy
Give In by Kat Baxter
Hale No by Jade Dollston
Hard to Fall by Carolina Jax
His Texas Haven by Avery Snow
Hot & Cold by Tegan Phillips
Jess’s Reckoning by Linda Broday
Keeping Penny by Susan Stoker
Lone Wolf by Maggie Shayne
Love at the Fiesta by Maida Malby
Love that Lasts by Valerie M. Bodden
Love: Take Two by Katherine E. Webb
May’s Cowboy Roman by Eve London
Memory of the Blood Moon by Rebecca Byron
Mogul by Kris Jayne
Moon Bite by Clio Evans
A Most Faithful Companion by Kasey Stockton
My Big Fat Texas Wedding by Annee Jones
No Good Deed by B.E. Baker
One More Summer by J. Collette Smith
Our Secret Summer by R.S. Grey
Out of the Rough by Mack Landry
Promise Me a Sweet Texas Kiss by Katie Lane
Pure Seduction by Stephanie Morris
Raven’s Mark by Delta James & Irene Lawless
The Rebel and the Final Blood War by K.A. Linde
Rory Rides Her Fake Fiancé by Liz Alden
The Shippers by Katherine Center
Spicy as Puck by Debbie Charles
Spring Fling by Carrie Ann Ryan
Stalked in West Texas by Karen Whiddon
Surgeon’s Surprise Baby by Eve Gaddy
Sweet Child of Mine by Ginny Sterling
Sweet Devotion by Chris Keniston
Tempted by the Ex-Military Mountain Man by Macy West
The Texan’s Bodyguard by Leslie Marshman
Texas Cowboy Protector by Connie Queen
The Texas Soldier’s Twins by Cathy Gillen Thacker
The Trouble with Love and Exposure by Harriet Ashford
The Troubling Rogue by Betty Woods
Undercover Sabotage by Kacy Cross
The Undergrads by Julie Murphy
A Very Grumpy Veterinarian by Shaw Hart
Wedded to a Fortune by Heatherly Bell
Where Hearts Heal by Kathleen Ball
The Widowed Rancher by Honey Dallas
Wilde Flame by Kelly Elliott
The Woman Behind the Badget by Delores Fossen