Meet the LITERARY LOOKBOOK, a comprehensive but not exhaustive collection of 182 upcoming 2024 releases curated by Kelly Hooker and me. The Lookbook includes titles from January-May 2024 from a variety of genres and features cover designs organized by publication date. Buy it here: Literary Lookbook

Mystery/Thriller Episodes

Jan. 26, 2024

Benjamin Stevenson - EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT

In this interview, I chat with Benjamin Stevenson about Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect, subverting the unreliable narrator trope, setting this book on the Ghan and his trips on the train, creating homages to Golden Age mysteries, weaving …

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Jan. 9, 2024

Amy Pease - NORTHWOODS

In this interview, I chat with Amy Pease about Northwoods, writing about addiction and how her health care background helped her depict it authentically on the page, why she decided to write a mystery, getting the cover right for the …

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Jan. 2, 2024

Ashley Elston - FIRST LIE WINS

In this interview, I chat with Ashley Elston about First Lie Wins, how she came up with the idea for this one, switching to adult fiction from YA, focusing on identity, the screen adaptation of the book, incorporating technology into …

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Oct. 31, 2023

Tess Gerritsen - THE SPY COAST

In this interview, I chat with Tess Gerritsen about The Spy Coast, how she came up with the idea for this one, making it into a series, writing as a pantser, her title and cover, including the foreign locales that …

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Oct. 3, 2023

Interview with Daniel Sweren-Becker - KILL SHOW

In this interview, Daniel Sweren-Becker and I discuss Kill Show, examining the true crime industry and what goes into making that type of show, how real life tragedies are turned into entertainment, using a transcript format to tell this story, …

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Sept. 26, 2023

Interview with S.J. Bennett - MURDER MOST ROYAL

In this interview, S.J. Bennett and I discuss Murder Most Royal, setting a book in Norfolk, her fabulous website, writing about the queen even though Sophia is not a royalist, how varied her book covers are in different countries, what …

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Sept. 19, 2023

Interview with Cara Hunter - MURDER IN THE FAMILY

In this interview, Cara Hunter and I discuss Murder in the Family, writing in a multi-media format, the various issues true crime raises and how her book explores those issues, her writing process, how her book went viral on BookTok, …

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Sept. 1, 2023

Interview with Peter Heller - THE LAST RANGER

In this interview, Peter and I discuss The Last Ranger, setting the story in Yellowstone National Park, how he became interested in the wolves in the park, his writing process and how his background influences that, the questions he gets …

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July 21, 2023

Interview with Nicole Baart - THE LONG WAY BACK

In this interview, Nicole and I discuss The Long Way Back, social media and how it is impacting our lives today, using a multimedia format to write the story, how the title and cover came about, crafting a mother-daughter relationship, …

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July 18, 2023

Interview with Bruce Borgos - THE BITTER PAST

In this interview, Bruce and I discuss The Bitter Past, his research, what surprised him the most when writing this book, creating a strong sense of place, the title and cover, how this is the start to a series, and …

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June 29, 2023

Interview with Riley Sager - THE ONLY ONE LEFT

In this interview, Riley and I discuss The Only One Left, writing a gothic novel, his writing process, what surprised him the most while writing this one, creating all of the twists and turns, the emotional depth in this story, …

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June 21, 2023

Interview with Wendy Walker - WHAT REMAINS

In this interview, Wendy and I discuss What Remains, cold cases, her Patreon episode with Megan Miranda, how she writes and edits her books, selecting character names and running Google searches on those names, and much more.

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June 20, 2023

Interview with Matthew Quirk - INSIDE THREAT

In this interview, Matthew and I discuss Inside Threat, Raven Rock Mountain Complex, what surprised him the most while writing this one, The Night Agent's limited series on Netflix, the challenges of writing a locked room mystery, how he started …

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June 16, 2023

Interview with Danielle Trussoni - THE PUZZLE MASTER

In this interview, Danielle and I discuss The Puzzle Master, how she came up with the ideas for this one, working with a puzzle constructor for this book, her research, Sudden Acquired Savant Syndrome, how she writes her first drafts …

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May 25, 2023

Interview with Jaclyn Goldis - THE CHATEAU

In this interview, Jaclyn and I discuss The Chateau, when the setting is a character, the inspiration for the chateau in the novel, setting the story in Provence, writing from multiple points of view, what surprised her the most when …

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