Raise your hand if you loved Samantha Downing’s inventive, clever, personality-filled debut novel My Lovely Wife - I know I sure did, and I’m so honored to team up with her US publisher, Berkley, to reveal the cover for her sophomore novel: HE STARTED IT, releasing April 28, 2020. There’s nothing I love more than discovering an author with a voice and style uniquely her own, and that’s exactly how I would define Samantha Downing’s work. In My Lovely Wife, Downing centered a story of suspense around a married couple whose date nights involved serial murder; now, in HE STARTED IT, she turns her eye towards sibling relationships and a cross-country road trip fueled by secrets and revenge. I couldn’t be more excited to give CBTB readers this sneak peek into Samantha Downing’s newest release! In today’s blog post, you can check out the book’s gorgeous cover, learn more about its plot, catch a mini Q&A with the author herself, and pre-order the book, should you wish to do so!
Read More
Book Review: THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS by Lisa Jewell
Some family secrets should never see the light of day. In Lisa Jewell’s thrilling, addictive new release, a surprise inheritance sends a young woman on a journey into her own personal history—and what she discovers might be deadly. Libby Jones always dreamed of learning more about her origins. One day, not long after turning 25, Libby comes home to find an envelope waiting for her, its contents revealing the true identity of her birth parents… and the fact that she has inherited their vast mansion in a posh London neighborhood. Libby’s life suddenly seems to be changing for the better. But by claiming this inheritance, Libby is claiming a darker inheritance, too: a connection to an unsolved crime and an obscure, cult-like society, one which has been waiting, biding its time, until Libby makes herself known. THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS is a fresh, inventive take on domestic suspense; effortlessly traversing intimate family secrets and vast, far-reaching conspiracies, Lisa Jewell’s newest release is a masterclass in psychological thriller plotting. Come for this book’s gorgeous cover and twisty plot, stay for its genuinely surprising and original variations on a story of family secrets and interpersonal suspense. An excellent new release and a standout among 2019’s psychological thriller offerings.
Read More
Book Preview: How Quickly She Disappears By Raymond Fleischmann
Some books just scream “read me” from the first moment you learn about them. Raymond Fleischmann’s debut is one such book for me. A literary crime novel being billed as The Dry meets The Silence of the Lambs, and boasting a fantastic praise quote from CBTB-favorite Riley Sager (among tons of additional early praise!), HOW QUICKLY SHE DISAPPEARS looks practically tailor-made for CBTB readers. Thanks to the book’s publisher, I’m thrilled to share a sneak peek into the book with you today! It’s still a bit of a wait until the book goes on sale in January, but CBTB readers can dig into an early excerpt from HOW QUICKLY SHE DISAPPEARS right here on the blog! Huge thanks to the book’s publisher, Berkley, for providing us with this early sneak peek into what’s sure to be a very buzzy early 2020 release.
Read More
Crime Festival Preview: Bouchercon 2019
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Bouchercon time! Every fall, crime writers and readers gather for Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention. Last year’s Bouchercon took place in St. Petersburg, Florida, and this year we’ve traveled to Dallas, Texas for the festival’s 50th Anniversary convention! I went to college in Texas, so I’m particularly excited to be back down south for this year’s convention. As an added bonus, this year marks Bouchercon’s 50th Anniversary—it’s going to be a very special convention, filled with big-name author appearances, parties, awards, and a whole lot more. I’m here in Dallas, Texas, ready for the convention fun to begin, and I can’t wait to take you along for the adventure with me!
Read More
Cover Reveal & Exclusive Excerpt: HAVE YOU SEEN ME? by Kate White
I’m absolutely thrilled to give CBTB readers an exclusive sneak peek inside the newest psychological suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author Kate White! Have You Seen Me? will be available April 28, 2020, but CBTB readers can check out the book’s gorgeous cover and read an exclusive excerpt of the book’s first two chapters right here. I’ve read through these first couple chapters of Kate’s newest book a couple times now, and I can already say I’m hooked, and I can’t wait for you to check them out, too! Have You Seen Me? tells a gripping story of one woman’s quest to recover her missing memories—memories that someone would rather she never find. Kate White is perhaps best known as the author of the Bailey Weggins mystery series, but Have You Seen Me? is a standalone psychological thriller. If you haven’t yet dipped into Kate’s work, this might just be the perfect place to start.
Read More