Plus: The books, shows, podcasts & real-life mysteries I'm obsessing over 

What's Done in Darkness e-book on sale for $6.99 - 3 days only, 9/7-9/9!

If you've been waiting for a sale to pick up the new book—or if you know someone who might like to read it—the e-book is marked down to $6.99 today through Thursday on Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Apple Books & Google. Here's a link if you'd like to share: https://www.bookbub.com/books/what-s-done-in-darkness-by-laura-mchugh

What's Done in Darkness came out June 22nd, and the most exciting thing to happen during the launch (and maybe in my entire career), was when mega-bestselling author Harlan Coben appeared on the Today Show and declared it the best thriller to read this summer. (Someone please laminate this photo and attach it to my gravestone when the time comes. Thanks in advance.) Want to know more about this dark thriller before deciding to part with seven bucks? You can read more here. 

In conversation with author Paula Hawkins 9/8

Tickets: https://skylarkbookshop.indiecommerce.com/product/paula-hawkins-presents-slow-fire-burning

Writing, Reading, Watching, Listening & Obsessing (or, What I Do When I'm Not Driving My Kids Around)

WRITING: Now that the kids are back in school, I'm working to finish my draft of Book #5, another dark, creepy thriller set in a dead-end Missouri town that is home to a meatpacking plant. Author pal Amy Engel (The Familiar Dark) & I have been doing writing sprints together to keep the momentum going. 

OBSESSING: I follow numerous true crimes and cold cases in the news, but the case that currently has me searching for updates night and day—the tragic, mysterious demise of an entire family—might not be a crime at all.  The bodies of California couple Jonathan Gerrish and Ellen Chung, their baby daughter, and their dog were found in the Sierra National Forest with no obvious cause of death after the family failed to return home from a hike. Autopsies revealed no clues and toxicology is pending, but it does not appear to be homicide or suicide. What could have killed so quickly that they didn't try to call for help? Read more: Unexplained death of California family 

Killer Reads: Fall Book Preview

There are sooo many great mysteries & thrillers coming out this fall! Luckily, your TBR has the same magical properties as the kitchen trashcan: Just pretend it's not full and keep shoving things in there. Here's a link to the full list on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/lists/fall-2021-newsletter-new-mystery-thriller-books

September

• The Missing Hours by Julia Dahl - A searing tale of sexual assault in the digital age. Dahl writes brilliantly about the intricacies of crime and justice. An Oxygen book club pick.
• These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall - A dead woman’s cherished trinkets become pieces to a terrifying puzzle. An Amazon Best Book of the Month.
• Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian - You should never trust a psychopath. But what if you had no choice? An Amazon editors' pick.
• Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan - Beloved television reporter Lily has it all. To keep it, all she has to do is protect one life-changing secret. A thrilling standalone from this USA Today bestselling author.  
• Nice Girls by Catherine Dang - Which is more dangerous for a woman—showing the world what it wants to see, or who she really is? An Amazon editors' pick.
• My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa - Paloma thought her perfect life would begin once she was adopted and made it to America, but she’s about to find out that no matter how far you run, your past always catches up to you. An Amazon editors' pick.
• The Ninja Betrayed by Tori Eldridge - Things get personal for Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja Lily Wong in Hong Kong when she dives into the dangerous world of triads, romance, and corporate disaster. One of The Los Angeles Times' "Five Fall Mysteries You Shouldn't Miss"
• A Violent Gospel by Mark Westmoreland - If there’s a bad idea in Tugalo County, chances are that Mack and Marshall Dooley are behind it. When the brothers heist a snake-handling church’s money-laundering operation, things go south in a hurry.
• The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air by Philip Mottaz - A psychic barber mystery. Cut hair - read minds - solve a murder. 

October

• Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day - During World War II, nurses come to Agatha Christie’s holiday estate to care for evacuated children, but when a body is discovered nearby, the idyllic setting becomes host to a deadly mystery.
• Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021 edited by Steph Cha and Alafair Burke - Fresh voices breathe new life into the popular anthology with editors Cha and Burke.
• Every Hidden Thing by Ted Flanagan - Big city politics, nasty secrets, a dirty cop, and a deranged sociopath set the stage for a riveting journey deep into the urban jungle.
• I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad - One secret. Eight cryptic words. Lifetimes of ruin.
• Litani by Jess Lourey - Bestseller Lourey explores the darkness at the heart of the rural Midwest in a novel inspired by a chilling true crime.
• Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger - Secrets, obsession and vengeance converge in this riveting thriller about an online dating match turned deadly cat-and-mouse game.
• Nanny Needed by Georgina Cross - A young woman takes a job as a nanny for an impossibly wealthy family, thinking she’s found her entrée into a better life—only to discover instead she’s walked into a world of deception and dark secrets.
• The Mother Next Door by Tara Laskowski - Good mothers…Never show their feelings. Never spill their secrets. Never admit to murder.

November

• Her Name is Knight by Yasmin Angoe - An elite assassin heroine on a mission to topple a human trafficking ring and avenge her family.
• All Her Little Secrets by Wanda Morris - A twisty mystery about a black lawyer who gets caught in a dangerous conspiracy after the sudden death of her boss.
• Midnight Hour edited by Abby Vandiver - A chilling anthology of crime fiction from 20 authors of color.
• Nowhere to Hide LynDee Walker - A series of brutal pig slaughters brings Faith McClellan to a small town where a ruthless serial killer prepares to butcher their first human victim.
• Parting the Veil by Paulette Kennedy - Some houses hold secrets that are meant to be kept forever. An immersive mix of Gothic romance, ghosts, and mystery.
• A Blizzard of Polar Bears by Alice Henderson - Wildlife biologist Alex Carter is back, fighting for endangered species in the Canadian Arctic and battling for her life.
• The Collective by Alison Gaylin - The USA Today bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author plumbs the dark side of justice and the depths of diabolical revenge.
• Twentymile by C. Matthew Smith - A story of long-held grievances, new hopes, and the contentious history of the land at its heart. 
• Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey - A female police transcriber goes beyond the limits to solve a harrowing case.

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