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

Feb. 2, 2021

Jane Harper - THE SURVIVORS

Jane and I discuss her latest book The Survivors, how setting and plot drive her stories, creating a strong sense of place, her thoughts on the motion picture adaptation of The Dry and Eric Bana as Aaron Falk, how her …

Episode page
Jan. 22, 2021

Lisa Gardner - BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED

Lisa and I discuss her new mystery Before She Disappeared, the complexity of plotting a person’s disappearance in 2021, walking the streets of Mattapan for research and the delicious food item that she discovered there, and the real-life inspiration for …

Episode page
Jan. 13, 2021

Nick Petrie - THE BREAKER

Nick discusses his latest mystery The Breaker, incorporating cutting edge technology into some of his stories, the long-range implications and societal changes resulting from new technology such as cell phones and social media, and writing about PTSD.

Episode page
Nov. 20, 2020

Julie Clark - THE LAST FLIGHT

Julie discusses her instant New York Times bestseller The Last Flight, writing her first thriller, her advice for aspiring authors, the importance of the right book cover and how the cover sets up expectations for readers, and more.

Episode page
Nov. 17, 2020

Halley Sutton - THE LADY UPSTAIRS

Halley discusses her debut novel The Lady Upstairs, her love of murder bus tours, writing feminist noir, participating as a mentee and mentor in Pitch Wars, the importance of building a community in the book world, and more.

Episode page
Oct. 30, 2020

Alice Henderson - A SOLITUDE OF WOLVERINES

Alice discusses her new mystery A Solitude of Wolverines, combining her passion for wildlife and writing, how she settled on wolverines for the first book in this new series, the research she conducted for the book, and her current wildlife …

Episode page
Oct. 21, 2020

L.C. Shaw - THE SILENT CONSPIRACY

Lynne discusses her latest thriller The Silent Conspiracy, the various ways information is used to influence people today, the importance of vetting the news, writing thrillers with her sister, and much more.The Silent Conspiracy can be purchased at Mur...

Episode page
Oct. 19, 2020

Christopher Swann - NEVER TURN BACK

Chris discusses his latest mystery Never Turn Back, the personal family story that served as his inspiration, the challenges of writing a thriller, the incredible author community, the importance of independent book stores, and much more.

Episode page
Sept. 11, 2020

Wendy Walker - DON'T LOOK FOR ME

Wendy discusses her new novel Don’t Look For Me, her personal inspiration for this story, the psychology of grief, creating a strong sense of place in this novel, the fight or flight impulse in humans, her recommended reads, and much …

Episode page
Aug. 28, 2020

David Heska Wanbli Weiden - WINTER COUNTS

David discusses his debut mystery Winter Counts, the inspiration for his story, Lakota traditions, maintaining racial identity and culture, life on the Rosebud Reservation, the Indigenous food revolution, and much more.Winter Counts can be purchased at ...

Episode page
Aug. 25, 2020

S. C. Perkins - LINEAGE MOST LETHAL

Stephanie discusses her new novel Lineage Most Lethal, her lifelong interest in genealogy, writing about World War 2 and spy craft, her favorite places to conduct research, and much more.Lineage Most Lethal can be purchased at Murder by the Book. …

Episode page
Aug. 18, 2020

S. F. Kosa - THE QUIET GIRL

Sarah discusses her new novel The Quiet Girl, writing under the name S.F. Kosa, her background as a psychologist, switching genres, constructing a thriller plot, trying to understand the human psyche, and much more.The Quiet Girl can be purchased at …

Episode page
Aug. 14, 2020

Megan Collins - BEHIND THE RED DOOR

Megan talks about her new novel Behind the Red Door, her fascination with memory repression, the importance of normalizing anxiety, creating terrible parents in her novels, and much more.Behind the Red Door can be purchased at Murder by the Book. …

Episode page
July 31, 2020

Deborah Royce - FINDING MRS. FORD

Deborah talks about her book Finding Mrs. Ford, her role as Silver Kane (Erica’s half-sister) on All My Children, where she gets her inspiration, and much more.Finding Mrs. Ford can be purchased at Murder by the Book. Deborah’s 3 recommended …

Episode page
July 28, 2020

Emily Liebert - PERFECTLY FAMOUS

Emily and I talk about her latest novel Perfectly Famous, her partnership with WACOAL for this novel and modeling their products on her front porch, marketing in today’s digital world, her preference for shorter titles, and much more.Perfectly Famous ca...

Episode page