COVER REVEAL + MINI Q&A: IT’S ONE OF US BY J.T. ELLISON
Available February 28, 2023
If you’ve been around Crime by the Book for a little bit, you probably already know how much I love J.T. Ellison’s psychological suspense novels. Ellison’s thrillers always feature highly entertaining plots, compelling characters, and the kind of just-one-more-page pacing that will genuinely keep you up reading all night. I discovered J.T. Ellison’s work in the early days of CBTB, and I haven’t looked back since! In 2023, J.T. Ellison will return with her newest story of psychological suspense—and I am so honored to be able to reveal the cover for it right here on Crime by the Book! IT’S ONE OF US will be published in February 2023, but this beauty looks like it’s worth adding to your TBR pile right now. IT’S ONE OF US delves into the lies that we tell to keep our relationships together…lies that can also tear relationships apart. In today’s blog post, you can get a glimpse of the book’s stunning cover, plus read a mini Q&A with author J.T. Ellison that will give you a sneak peek into what’s sure to be one of 2023’s must-read suspense books. Bonus: since we do have a little bit of a wait until IT’S ONE OF US is published, I’ve also compiled a little rundown of my top recommendations for J.T. Ellison thrillers you should read while we wait for the publication of IT’S ONE OF US—you can find that list at the very bottom of this blog post! Huge thanks to J.T. Ellison and her publisher for allowing me to share this cover reveal on CBTB today—it’s an honor to be able to do so, and I can’t wait to read IT’S ONE OF US.
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COVER REVEAL: IT’S ONE OF US by J.T. ELLISON
Available February 28, 2023
ABOUT IT’S ONE OF US:
Everybody lies. Even the ones you think you know best of all . . .
Olivia Bender designs exquisite home interiors that satisfy the most demanding clients. But her own deepest desire can’t be fulfilled by marble counters or the perfect rug. She desperately wants to be a mother. Fertility treatments and IVF keep failing. And just when she feels she’s at her lowest point, the police deliver shocking news to Olivia and her husband, Park.
DNA results show that the prime suspect in a murder investigation is Park’s son. Olivia is relieved, knowing this is a mistake. Despite their desire, the Benders don’t have any children. Then comes the confession. Many years ago, Park donated sperm to a clinic. He has no idea how many times it was sold—or how many children he has sired.
As the murder investigation goes deeper, more terrible truths come to light. With every revelation, Olivia must face the unthinkable. The man she married has fathered a killer. But can she hold that against him when she keeps such dark secrets of her own?
This twisting, emotionally layered thriller explores the lies we tell to keep a marriage together--or break each other apart . . .
MINI Q&A WITH J.T. ELLISON
A Sneak Peek Into J.T.’s New Suspense Novel, IT’S ONE OF US
Crime by the Book: What inspired IT’S ONE OF US? Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked the idea for this story?
J.T. Ellison: The germs of this story have been floating around in my brain for over a decade, sparked by one of those tragic-comedic life moments: we were in the middle of some rather grueling fertility treatments, and my husband was locked alone in a room in the clinic with a magazine and Sweet Home Alabama blasting out of the speakers (not his first choice). That evening, as we laughed at the absurdity of our situation, he told me this had the makings of a novel...but I’m a thriller writer, and fertility is more of a women’s fiction story. I didn’t know how to marry the two until recently. Enter the complicated forensics of sibling DNA, the moral ambiguity of the sperm donation industry, and a killer on the loose, and poof, the story came together.
CBTB: If you had to choose 3 adjectives to describe IT’S ONE OF US, what would they be?
J.T.: Intense. Emotional. Terrifying.
CBTB: Introduce us to your protagonist, Olivia. Who is she, and how would you describe her to someone meeting her for the first time?
J.T.: Olivia was such a dream character to write. She came to me fully formed: a sad, lonely woman with sable hair in a cream cable knit sweater and rolled-up chinos, walking barefoot down a chilly beach, having just suffered a miscarriage. I had to know who she was. It turns out, she’s a dynamic architectural designer who owns her own firm, shares her gifts with the community, and is struggling with the same fertility issues my husband and I went through. She’s placed in an absolutely untenable position by the circumstances of the novel, and all I could think was: What would *I* do in this situation? How would I react? I think this book has a great philosophical core of uncertainty that I hope many, many readers will connect with. What would YOU do? How would YOU react? What would be YOUR path forward? Do you agree with how Olivia handles the situation, especially as it spins out of control? And what about the rest of the characters? The Husband. The Mother. The Daughter. The Brother. The Cops. I love books that force you to examine your own motivations and morality, while exploring the same in the characters, and this one will, for sure.
CBTB: For fans of your work (like yours truly!!), what do you think IT’S ONE OF US has in common with your recent psychological thrillers? And how is it different?
J.T.: Well, it is certainly identifiable as one of mine, from the creepy opening to the high-stakes life and death struggle, the push and pull of a police investigation against the domestic backdrop, characters you want to root for, and characters you’ll love to hate. And of course, the Nashville setting.
But I think this story has a different kind of nuance and tackles questions that are much closer to our realities than the more fantastical world of some of my other psychological thrillers. I think readers will see themselves reflected more in these characters than anything I’ve done previously. It’s not a scary, leave the lights on kind of thriller. It’s scary in a different kind of way. It’s quiet and insidious and morally complicated. And, if I’ve done my job correctly, completely addictive.
CBTB: What do you most hope readers take away from IT’S ONE OF US?
J.T.: Other than enjoying a thrilling read? This is, at its heart, a story of loss, specifically, the kind of loss that comes from infertility and miscarriage. When you’re in the throes of trying, and not succeeding, to have children, it feels like the world is caving in around your ears. I couldn’t write a book about what it’s like to have children, but I can write with some authenticity about what it’s like to lose them. And even more importantly, to survive those losses. Survive, and thrive. I am hoping to normalize the conversation around infertility and send a clear message that there is life on the other side of these tragedies. A joyful, wonderful, complete life.
BOOK DETAILS:
Publisher : MIRA; Original edition (February 28, 2023)
Language : English
Hardcover : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 0778311767
ISBN-13 : 978-0778311768
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PLUS: RECOMMENDED J.T. ELLISON THRILLERS
Books to read while we wait for IT’S ONE OF US
GOOD GIRLS LIE
My personal favorite J.T. Ellison book so far—a “popcorn read” set at an all-girls boarding school! Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars.
Publisher : MIRA; Original edition (December 30, 2019)
Language : English
Paperback : 464 pages
ISBN-10 : 077833077X
ISBN-13 : 978-0778330776
LIE TO ME
A gripping domestic suspense novel about a picture-perfect literary couple whose marriage hides dark secrets. Perfect for fans of domestic suspense, “popcorn reads,” + books about authors.
Publisher : MIRA; Original edition (September 5, 2017)
Language : English
Paperback : 416 pages
ISBN-10 : 0778330958
ISBN-13 : 978-0778330950
HER DARK LIES
A wedding-gone-wrong thriller with Gothic elements, centered around a picture-perfect wedding on an island off the Italian coast that takes a deadly turn. Perfect for fans of “popcorn reads” + page-turning thrillers with wanderlust-worthy settings!
Publisher : MIRA; Original edition (March 9, 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 416 pages
ISBN-10 : 0778388301
ISBN-13 : 978-0778388302
TEAR ME APART
A suspense novel about a family whose secrets are exposed when their daughter, a competitive skier, is in a terrible downhill crash that threatens her burgeoning career—and her life. Perfect for fans of domestic suspense, stories about mother/daughter relationships, and “popcorn reads”!
Publisher : MIRA; Original edition (August 28, 2018)
Language : English
Paperback : 496 pages
ISBN-10 : 0778330001
ISBN-13 : 978-0778330004
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.