• Blog
  • Quick Reviews
    • Introduction
    • Background
    • Book Recommendations
    • By Country
    • Interviews
    • Reviews
    • Features
  • #ReadWithCBTB
  • Features
  • Reading Lists
  • Events
  • Go-to Book Recs
  • As Seen In
  • About
  • Connect
Menu

Crime by the Book

A girl investigates crime fiction from around the world, by the book.
  • Blog
  • Quick Reviews
  • Nordic Noir
    • Introduction
    • Background
    • Book Recommendations
    • By Country
    • Interviews
    • Reviews
    • Features
  • #ReadWithCBTB
  • Features
  • Reading Lists
  • Events
  • Go-to Book Recs
  • As Seen In
  • About
  • Connect

the cbtb blog

One girl's ongoing investigation of the crime fiction genre.

Lisa Unger.JPG

Bouchercon Author Interview: Lisa Unger

September 28, 2018

Bouchercon Author Interview: Lisa Unger

Author of Under My Skin

Are there any authors on your TBR that you just can’t believe you haven’t read yet? That’s how I feel about Lisa Unger. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet Lisa at a number of crime fiction conferences now; I’ve heard her speak on panels, I’ve read glowing reviews of her books, and I’ve listened to some of my best bookish friends rave about her work, too. So when I discovered that Lisa would also be at this year’s Bouchercon conference, I knew it was the perfect time to learn a bit more about her work—and to finally put one of her books on my fall reading list, too! I had an absolute blast chatting with Lisa about all things crime writing at Bouchercon, and I’m so excited to share our conversation with CBTB readers today. If you haven’t yet read Lisa Unger, consider this your “Lisa Unger 101” - and if you’re already one of Lisa’s myriad fans, consider this your chance to get a little behind-the-scenes glimpse into the writing life of one of America’s foremost female crime writers.

Bonus: Lisa has a new psychological thriller releasing in just a few days! UNDER MY SKIN releases October 2nd, and promises a twisty, addictive story of lost memories, paranoia, and a woman on the hunt for her husband’s killer. You can learn more about UNDER MY SKIN in this interview - and scroll to the very bottom of this post for additional details on the newest book by Lisa Unger!

Many thanks to Lisa for taking the time to speak with me at Bouchercon, and to her publisher for facilitating this interview!


Bouchercon 2018 Preview.jpg

Bouchercon Author Interview: Lisa Unger

Crime by the Book: For CBTB readers who are not already familiar with your work, could you give us a big-picture overview of it?

Lisa Unger: I have 16 novels of psychological suspense. My first four books featured a true crime writer by the name of Lydia Strong, and that was a series that I started when I was 19 years old! After those first four novels, I started writing about Ridley Jones - so that was BEAUTIFUL LIES, which published in 2006. And that book was inspired by a piece of junk mail that I got - one of those flyers with an ad on one side, and on the other side was an age-graduated photo of a missing child. And I looked at that and thought, “what if I got this in the mail and looked at it, and I recognized myself?” That was the germ for BEAUTIFUL LIES. Then I wrote a couple standalones, and then I wrote a book called FRAGILE. And in FRAGILE, I stumbled into the town of The Hollows, which became my fictional town. It has sort of chain-linked a lot of the books that follow, with the exception of the last two - THE RED HUNTER and UNDER MY SKIN. The Hollows always has a little cameo in all my books, so people who have been reading from the beginning always get a little taste of that world back! It’s not a series exactly, but everything is kind of connected. I also have a novella called WHISPERING HOLLOWS, and those three short stories actually fit in between the books. It’s completely nuts! But that’s the way the story told itself. But I always tell everyone you can drop in anywhere - everything is self-contained. But if you really wanted to read in the order I want you to read it, there’s a guide on my website about The Hollows!

CBTB: That’s so cool! That’s really unique to me. I don’t read science fiction or fantasy, but when I think of those genres I associate them with the concept of world-building - but that’s not typically something I associate with crime fiction. But it sounds like you’re doing that too!

LU: Yeah! When I fell into The Hollows in FRAGILE, I didn’t think that much of it. It felt to me like any town - like the place where nothing bad ever happens. But of course, that’s no place, because bad things happen everywhere. And then over the series of books, it started to assert itself as a character and take on a personality. It had an agenda, it had secrets, it encouraged paths to cross. It’s not necessarily a malicious agenda, but it’s questionable. We’re not sure what The Hollows actually wants.

CBTB: Is there a supernatural element to The Hollows?

LU: There is a slight supernatural element to it, in that at the end of FRAGILE, another character that I met in the writing of that book was a psychic. So when she turned up I was like “oh, a psychic, that’s interesting!” Even if she turns out to be a fraud, it’s still interesting. So then when I ended that book, I was disappointed - I thought she would have a big role to play, but she didn’t. I became more concerned with another character. So the next book naturally evolved from that place.

“What’s always driven me is that I have this insatiable curiosity about the human psyche. If ever there were a mystery, that’s it: what makes us who we are?” - Lisa Unger

CBTB: The way you’re talking about your characters, it sounds like they are people with their own agendas. Do you find that they surprise you?

LU: Absolutely. I never expect any of them to do anything that they do! I write without an outline, I don’t know who’s going to show up day by day. I don’t know what they’re going to do. I usually have a voice, or a couple of voices, that I follow through the manuscript. But I write for the same reasons I read - because I want to know what happens.

CBTB: If you started writing at nineteen years old, was this something that you knew even from childhood? To have a career as a writer?

LU: Yes. I was always a writer, and my mom is a librarian. My dad is an engineer, so he was basically like “get a job!”, so I went into publishing. I was in publishing for 10 years! I was a book publicist. I was always a closet writer, but I didn’t really talk about it. It was always my passion - I always knew I was a writer. But then my job kept getting bigger and bigger, and the time I spent writing got smaller and smaller, until I wasn’t really writing at all. I had started that book when I was 19, but it petered out. Then I had this epiphany where I realized wait, everything in my life is wrong. I was devoting my time and energy to the wrong thing, and I realized I had to get serious and start writing every day, otherwise I would look back and regret that I had never tried. That’s when I got serious about writing as a career. A lot of people have these creative goals early on, but then you always have that voice in your head telling you to be practical and realistic - and it is really hard to build a creative career, but sometimes we abandon it rather than even trying. And you don’t have to pursue your creative passion as a career necessarily, but it remains important even if it’s not your career - even if it’s just something you do for yourself. Keeping that thing you love is critical for your life.

CBTB: As you mentioned before, you’ve written sixteen novels. How do you keep things fresh and exciting? How do you keep finding new material to keep exploring?

LU: What’s always driven me is that I have this insatiable curiosity about the human psyche. If ever there were a mystery, that’s it: what makes us who we are? So I tend to think to myself, for example, every single person in this room has a story. And every story is completely different from every other story. So how could there ever be any dearth of things to write about? And most of my novels usually spring from a particular question I have, something I’m curious about. I’ll have this kind of “shazam” moment where I have an idea or question. And then I spend a bunch of time doing research. And if that research connects to the question I’m grappling with, I start hearing voice from there. And then I follow that voice. For every book book I’ve written, I can point to the particular moment that inspired it, and to the research that backed up that inspiration and led to the book. I remember the exact questions or issues I was grappling with in my personal life that inspired each book.

Fragile Lisa Unger.jpg
Beautiful Lies.jpg
The Red Hunter Lisa Unger.jpg
Under My Skin Lisa Unger.jpg

CBTB: It sounds like your books are so personal. You’re not outlining, the ideas come to you organically - do you find a lot of your own life reflected in your stories too?

LU: I do. And, you know, the process is weirdly subconscious. Sometimes I’ll go back and read things and I don’t remember writing them. It’s like it comes from a different part of my brain. So the person that sits down at the computer to write is not the person who gets up and goes to pick my daughter up from school.

CBTB: You really were made to be a writer! So what kind of research, in particular, goes into your novels?

LU: There are a lot of different layers to research for me. A lot of times, the books spring from my experiences - so it’s almost like the research inspires the book in a certain way. For example, I went to Prague once, and I was supposed to not be writing. But I was so inspired by Prague that I started writing a book set partially in Prague! I may or may not run into the stone wall of my own ignorance while I’m writing, and that will lead me to a swath of research. I’m also just an information junkie. I read a lot of nonfiction, a lot of psychology books (I’m obsessed with Carl Jung!), and then there are a couple different layers to research as well. Sometimes you need to know something simple, and you might just Google search it. But sometimes you need a deeper understanding of something, and then you look for other sources - you might even need to find an expert on the topic and talk with them. That could be anything from FBI agents to clinical psychiatrists to ghost hunters.

“I write for the same reasons I read - because I want to know what happens.” - Lisa Unger

CBTB: Wait a second - did you do research with ghost hunters? What was that like?

LU: I did! And it wasn’t even real research. I just heard about this woman - and I tend to do this, when I hear about someone doing something unique - I wrote to her and asked her to coffee just to chat about her job. She was a full-on ghost hunter! It was incredibly interesting. Another example - the artist who did the Agatha Awards, I just went and hung out at her studios. I don’t have a character right now who’s going to be a sculptor, but who knows where that inspiration moment might come from. That’s why, when people wonder how I keep coming up with new ideas, I just think “how can you not?!”. Look around!

CBTB: You have a new book coming out in October - UNDER MY SKIN. I can’t wait to read it! Can you give us the quick pitch for it?

LU: Yes! It features a young woman by the name of Poppy Lang. She’s a widow. She’s a year past the unsolved murder of her husband, and, after a nervous breakdown, she has also lost a few days of her life surrounding his death. So she is in a bad place. She’s self-medicating, she’s grieving still, she’s kind of white-knuckling her way back to normal. But she’s been suffering from terrible nightmares, and then, possibly due to the fact that she’s been self-medicating, these nightmares start to ratchet up. And she is experiencing these sort of dark and startling “day-mares.” So as the story progresses, she starts to lose her very fragile grip on reality, and starts to have trouble differentiating what’s happening in her dreams and what’s happening in the real world. And meanwhile, there’s a dark figure in the shadows of her life, and she’s not sure whether he is real or not, if he had something to do with the murder of her husband, and if he’s now coming after her.

“Every single person in this room has a story. And every story is completely different from every other story. So how could there ever be any dearth of things to write about?” - Lisa Unger

CBTB: It sounds so good! I cannot wait to read it. I love stories that deal with lost time or these sorts of blurring of the lines…

LU: Me too! The initial germ for this story was a Carl Jung quote. He said “between the dreams of day and night, there is not so great a difference.” So there’s my ongoing obsession with Carl Jung! I started thinking about this quote, and began researching sleep and the brain. I discovered in my research that we spend 1/3 of our lives asleep. That’s more time than we spend doing anything else. And yet, we’re totally convinced that the waking world is the “real world,” and the sleeping world is the “dream world.” But what if it’s not? We have these big brains, and there is 97% of our brains that we don’t understand. It’s as vast and as unexplored as space. How can you not ask yourself questions about your reality and your perception? This has always fascinated me. I have another friend who is a former Navy Seal, and he works with veterans with PTSD. I had a talk with him, and he explained to me the progression of PTSD. It can start by altering your perception of reality, and then often sleep disturbances and nightmares, and usually some type of self-medication involved. And then because you become unstable, your support system can begin to unravel, and that alters your perception of reality. So it’s not just one thing - it’s a series of things. And this made me think how fragile our grip on reality really is, and how quickly it starts to break down when you are exposed to extreme trauma.

CBTB: Last but not least - since we are at Bouchercon right now, what are you most excited about at this year’s conference?

LU: I’ve been coming to Bouchercon for… forever. So it always feels like coming to a wedding! All my pals are here. I’ve been very blessed in my career to have these great relationships with people. This is a business of relationships - the people you work with and attend conferences with, they become your true friends. It’s hard because I’m an introvert - but once you’re here, it’s just great.

A huge thank you to Lisa Unger for taking the time to speak with me at Bouchercon 2018! You can learn more about Lisa’s forthcoming release UNDER MY SKIN below - and stay tuned for my thoughts on it this fall, too!


UNDER MY SKIN by Lisa Unger

Park Row | October 2, 2018

Under My Skin Lisa Unger.jpg

What if the nightmares are actually memories?

It’s been a year since Poppy’s husband, Jack, was brutally murdered during his morning run through Manhattan’s Riverside Park. In the immediate aftermath, Poppy spiraled into an oblivion of grief, disappearing for several days only to turn up ragged and confused wearing a tight red dress she didn’t recognize. What happened to Poppy during those lost days? And more importantly, what happened to Jack?

The case was never solved, and Poppy has finally begun to move on. But those lost days have never stopped haunting her. Poppy starts having nightmares and blackouts—there are periods of time she can’t remember, and she’s unable to tell the difference between what is real and what she’s imagining. When she begins to sense that someone is following her, Poppy is plunged into a game of cat and mouse, determined to unravel the mystery around her husband’s death. But can she handle the truth about what really happened?


Book Details:

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Park Row; Original edition (October 2, 2018)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780778308409

ISBN-13: 978-0778308409

Crime by the Book is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the above book.

Featured
The September House Carissa Orlando.jpg
Sep 6, 2023
Book Review: THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando
Sep 6, 2023

Home ownership feel like a distant dream? Zillow listings have you convinced you’ll be renting for the rest of your life? The woman at the heart of Carissa Orlando’s debut The September House feels your pain—and she’s prepared to put up with a lot if it means she and her husband can finally have a place to call their own. In this case, that might just mean living in a house that’s haunted. Playful and irreverent, spine-tingling and spooky, The September House puts a fresh spin on the classic haunted house story, delivering an immersive tale about the secrets lurking within one building’s walls, and within the lives of its inhabitants.

Sep 6, 2023
Announcing Crime by the Box!
Aug 12, 2023
Announcing Crime by the Box!
Aug 12, 2023

I am so thrilled to announce a new partnership between Crime by the Book and the amazing Murder by the Book, a crime fiction-focused independent bookstore here in Houston, TX. Starting this October, I am going to be teaming up with the bookstore to curate a book subscription service! Crime by the Box will deliver a hand-selected, newly-released hardcover mystery, thriller, or suspense novel right to your door on a monthly basis. Read on for all the details!

Aug 12, 2023
Vanessa Lillie Blood Sisters cover reveal.png
Apr 3, 2023
Cover Reveal + Sneak Peek: BLOOD SISTERS by Vanessa Lillie
Apr 3, 2023

I’m so honored to be able to reveal the cover for Vanessa Lillie’s buzz-worthy new mystery here on CBTB today! BLOOD SISTERS is a gripping mystery about a Cherokee archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is summoned to rural Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women…one of them her sister. The book has already been praised as “riveting” (Megan Miranda) and “bingeworthy” (Caroline Kepnes), and it’s sure to be one of fall’s must-read crime novels. BLOOD SISTERS will be published in September, but thanks to Vanessa and her publisher, we’re able to get an exclusive early glimpse into the book right here in today’s blog post! Read on to check out the book’s gorgeous cover, read a behind-the-scenes mini Q&A with Vanessa, and dip into the book’s first few pages! And make sure to preorder your copy of BLOOD SISTERS at your favorite bookstore while you’re at it. Huge thanks to Vanessa and her publisher for giving us this early sneak peek—I can’t wait to read BLOOD SISTERS this fall!

Apr 3, 2023
Stacy Willingham All The Dangerous Things.jpg
Jan 10, 2023
Book Review: ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS by Stacy Willingham
Jan 10, 2023

Stacy Willingham returns today with her sophomore thriller ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS, a lyrical, immersive mystery that delves into one mother’s waking nightmare—and the dangerous secrets she will uncover as she seeks the truth about the two tragedies that have defined her life. I devoured ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS over my holiday break this year, and found this to be one of those rare books that genuinely is impossible to put down. Moving between past and present, ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS delves into the darkest corners of the life of one mother as she investigates the disappearance of her son one year prior—and, in the process, confronts long-buried secrets from her own childhood. Stacy Willingham’s masterful use of dual timelines adds intrigue and atmosphere to this compelling mystery, while her immersive writing draws readers into our protagonist’s increasingly unstable state of mind. Slow-burning yet simmering with tension and suspense, ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS is hypnotic, immersive, and emotionally-impactful—the kind of mystery you’ll sink into, not coming up for air until you’ve turned the final page. Highly recommended for fans of Lisa Jewell’s THEN SHE WAS GONE and Jennifer Hillier’s LITTLE SECRETS, this is a 2023 mystery not to be missed.

Jan 10, 2023
CBTB's Top 10 Crime Books of 2022
Dec 31, 2022
CBTB's Top 10 Crime Books of 2022
Dec 31, 2022

I can hardly believe we’ve come to the end of 2022—and what a year it’s been! I’m pretty sure I say this every year, but 2022 has truly been another outstanding year for crime fiction readers. As I reflected on my year in books while writing this blog post, it felt nearly impossible to narrow down my picks. I genuinely think we might be in the golden age of crime writing; the books crime writers had in store for us this year were nothing short of superb. From the return of fan-favorite authors to thrilling new voices being published for the first time, the crime fiction genre was in top form in 2022—making it all the more challenging to pick just 10 books from the year to highlight here! But tough choices had to be made, and made they were. Without further ado, I’m so excited to share with you my personal picks for the Top 10 Crime Books of 2022 in today’s blog post! More than any other criteria, the key thing these books have in common is simple: they are all books I’ve continued to think about since I finished reading them. These are stories that entertained me, challenged me, thrilled me, and kept me on the edge of my seat; in this list you’ll find Gothic horror, Nordic Noir, psychological suspense, and much more; a wide array of crime fiction subgenres, but all excellent books that stood out from the pack for me in 2022.

Dec 31, 2022
the widowmaker hannah morrissey.jpg
Dec 11, 2022
5 Recommended Christmas Mysteries
Dec 11, 2022

Christmas is around the corner, and if you’re a reader who likes to theme your reads to the season, today’s blog post is for you! I honestly never used to read crime novels specifically themed to particular holidays, but last year (for I think the first time in my reading life?!) I intentionally read a couple of Christmas mysteries during the Christmas season… and I absolutely loved it. Today I wanted to round up 5 mysteries I personally love that all involve Christmas—but this blog post has a little twist! Today’s recommendations are organized by how much Christmas actually factors into the book’s plot. Ranked from Christmas level 1 - 5 (with Level 1 being Christmas in the background of the story, and Level 5 being a full-on, 100% Christmas-y plot!), this list will help you find your perfect Christmas season mystery read!

Dec 11, 2022
0fa8fdab-15eb-4c83-85d2-441e7eb45d98.jpg
Nov 29, 2022
Iceland Noir 2022 Festival Journal
Nov 29, 2022

I can’t believe that this year’s Iceland Noir has already come and gone. If you’ve been around Crime by the Book for a little bit, you already know how much I absolutely love Iceland Noir: a crime fiction festival that takes place in Reykjavik, Iceland in November. Iceland Noir brings together crime fiction readers and writers from Scandinavia and around the world for a long weekend of crime fiction programming, including everything from author panels to spotlight interviews to special events and more. It is an incredible festival, and truly the perfect environment for us crime fiction readers: basically imagine a bunch of likeminded bookworms gathering to celebrate crime fiction in one of the most special cities in the world. Sound amazing? It really is. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to visit Iceland, or if you’re curious about attending a crime fiction festival in the future, I highly recommend adding Iceland Noir to your bucket list. I can’t say enough good things about it! In today’s blog post, I’m recapping my experience at Iceland Noir 2022, including a day-by-day recap of the festival, lots of photos, a rundown of the books I took home from the festival, and more!

Nov 29, 2022
The Family Game Catherine Steadman.jpg
Nov 7, 2022
Book Review: THE FAMILY GAME by Catherine Steadman
Nov 7, 2022

Sometimes you just need to read a really fun psychological thriller—and that’s the boat I found myself in last week. After devoting my entire October to-read list to supernatural thrillers for spooky season, I was ready to get back to my psychological suspense roots this month—and ideally, I wanted something that was a little bit more lighthearted and “popcorn-y” for a change of pace. Luckily for me, I had the perfect book for the job waiting on my to-read pile: Catherine Steadman’s brand-new release, THE FAMILY GAME. THE FAMILY GAME is a page-turning suspense story about a writer, her fiancé, and her fiancé's dark family secrets. It was my first time reading a Catherine Steadman novel, and (spoiler alert!) it won’ t be my last. If you loved the movie Ready or Not or Jessica Knoll’s psychological thriller Luckiest Girl Alive, you’ll love Catherine Steadman’s THE FAMILY GAME. Page-turning, fresh, and just the right amount of weird, THE FAMILY GAME is a perfect choice for your winter to-read list. (Bonus: if you celebrate Christmas, this book takes place in the lead-up to the holiday! Plan accordingly.)

Nov 7, 2022
CBTB's Most-Anticipated November 2022 Crime Fiction
Nov 2, 2022
CBTB's Most-Anticipated November 2022 Crime Fiction
Nov 2, 2022

I honestly can’t believe it’s already November—but I’m not complaining! I (obviously) believe that thrillers and mystery novels can (and should!) be read year-round, but there’s something undeniably perfect about cozying up with a great crime novel as the weather gets colder. This month has an amazing lineup of new crime novels in store for us, and today I’m rounding up my picks for most-anticipated new crime, mystery, and suspense novels publishing in November 2022! This month sees the return of a couple of my longtime favorite authors, plus new installments in Nordic crime series I’m loving, a chilling isolated location thriller, and more. Whether you’re hoping to keep the spooky season Halloween vibes going a little bit longer or are ready to dive into a wintry, chilling crime story, this month’s selection of new releases has you covered. A few of the books on this list I’ve already been lucky enough to read, and the rest of them are all on my personal to-read pile for the weeks ahead—but I’m excited about all of them. Read on for my picks for November most-anticipated crime fiction!

Nov 2, 2022
Curse of the Reaper Brian McAuley.jpg
Oct 15, 2022
Book Review: CURSE OF THE REAPER by Brian McAuley
Oct 15, 2022

There’s no better time to watch a slasher movie—or read a slasher book—than October, and if your idea of perfect Halloween entertainment involves villains like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger, the book I’m recommending today is the Halloween read for you. Brian McAuley’s CURSE OF THE REAPER is a thriller tailor-made for, as his dedication so aptly puts it, the “Halloween people.” Bloody, meta, occasionally self-deprecating, and always wickedly entertaining, CURSE OF THE REAPER draws inspiration from the world of slasher films to tell a delightfully devious tale of an actor, the silver screen villain to which he devoted his entire career, and the grip that villain might just have on him in the real world. This book is all kinds of bloody fun, a perfect Halloween reading choice for anyone who has ever contemplated which Ghostface killer(s) they would be most likely to survive, attended a genre convention, or, yes, set a timer to buy tickets for Halloween Ends the moment they went on sale (guilty on all counts).

Oct 15, 2022
In Interview, Crime Book Festival Tags Lisa Unger, Under My Skin, The Hollows, Psychological Thriller
← 7 Chilling Crime Books to Read This OctoberBook Review: THE LINGERING by S.J.I. Holliday →

Subscribe

The CBTB Newsletter

Thank you for subscribing to CBTB Reviews. Happy reading!

CBTb's Current Read:

The Family Game: A Novel
By Steadman, Catherine
Buy on Amazon

Latest & Greatest

Featured
The September House Carissa Orlando.jpg
Sep 6, 2023
Book Review: THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando
Sep 6, 2023
Sep 6, 2023
Announcing Crime by the Box!
Aug 12, 2023
Announcing Crime by the Box!
Aug 12, 2023
Aug 12, 2023
Vanessa Lillie Blood Sisters cover reveal.png
Apr 3, 2023
Cover Reveal + Sneak Peek: BLOOD SISTERS by Vanessa Lillie
Apr 3, 2023
Apr 3, 2023
Follow

instagram

View fullsize My personal crime fiction collection 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 aka my favorite corner of my apartment. 📚🙌🏻 If anyone feels so inclined, I’d love to see what YOUR bookshelves look like! Snap a pic, share in your stories, & tag me - I’d love to
View fullsize I can never say no to a creepy read with a gorgeous black & white cover. 🕵🏻‍♀️🤍🖤 next on my TBR: THE SHADOWS by Alex North, available on my birthday, 7/7!!😉🔎 (huge thank you to @celadonbooks for this review copy!🤓) •
Thank you guy
View fullsize Being stuck at home isn’t so bad when you’ve got a massive stack of books to read. 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 What’s on your social-distancing TBR?! 📖
•
I went WAY overboard with books I brought home to CT for my self-isolation TBR list. ?
View fullsize Early afternoon light & a large latte ☕️ & a gripping crime read 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 aka the perfect combination 🙌🏻
•
This right here is my usual Sunday tradition 👆🏻 BUT I’ll be spending this Sunday (and this coming week, and probabl
View fullsize My last day in the city for a while calls for a lunch break coffee stop ☕️🖤 with my totally gripping current read 🕵🏻‍♀️
•
Today is my last day in Manhattan for a while 😔 we’re all transitioning to working from home to try and preve
View fullsize In the midst of a crazy week, my brain needs a quick, binge-worthy read, and I think this beauty right here is just the ticket. 👌🏻🖤 NO BAD DEED by Heather Chavez is on sale now, and I can’t wait to dive in! 🕵🏻‍♀️
•
Friends, I can&
View fullsize Happy Monday, friends! 🖤 Back in NYC and back to work after an amazing (if much too short) visit to Oslo 🇳🇴 annnd currently drinking a cold brew ☕️ at my desk & hoping it keeps me awake this afternoon 😂 jet lag + not enough sleep last night =
View fullsize Last looks at beautiful Oslo 🇳🇴 for this trip. ❤️ So very sad to leave, but I’m bringing wonderful memories & a suitcase stuffed with books 📚 back to NYC with me. 😉 See you soon, Oslo... you know I can’t stay away for long. 🥰❤️
&
View fullsize Spent today doing all my favorite things in Oslo, so obviously a coffee stop was included. ☕️🖤 How are you spending your Saturday?! •
Okay I used to always think the phrase “living your best life” was SO cheesy but if I’m bein
View fullsize *Years* of admiring this Norwegian edition of my favorite book (THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesbø) have finally resulted in this. 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 Best. Purchase. Ever. 🙌🏻
•
Does anyone else collect books by a favorite author?! 📚 I don’t have

Twitter

  • Crime by the Book
    Loved speaking with @danspapers about the first panel I’ll be moderating at @HamptonsWhodun this year, featuring… https://t.co/hwrdV45fSz
    Apr 4, 2023, 11:48 AM
  • Crime by the Book
    RT @vanessalillie: I’ve had box of Blood Sister arcs unopened for two weeks waiting on tomorrow - cover reveal by @crimebythebook & IG… https://t.co/fnQ35GO1Nd
    Apr 2, 2023, 10:03 AM
  • Crime by the Book
    RT @TheMysterious: We’re making plans to head out to @HamptonsWhodun next month, Long Island’s exciting new crime fiction festival. Se… https://t.co/ra7RPgf7Fv
    Mar 30, 2023, 6:13 PM
  • Crime by the Book
    RT @TheMysterious: Love mystery fiction? We’re hiring a part-time bookseller, beginning immediately. Email info@mysteriousbookshop.com… https://t.co/AJrBLH0Q1t
    Mar 29, 2023, 7:44 PM
  • Crime by the Book
    RT @TheMysterious: BREAKING: We’re thrilled that our friend Michael Connelly is (finally) being recognized as a mystery fiction Grand… https://t.co/3QgWojXVVw
    Mar 28, 2023, 3:05 PM

Powered by Squarespace