IG Live | a Conversation with Elle Marr

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In case you missed it, the replay of my chat with author Elle Marr 🎉

Today is pub day for She Dies in the End, and we had so much fun talking about it. If you haven’t heard about this one yet, Penny Lin is a body broker in Portland, and one day the body that comes through is her murdered ex, with a note warning her not to tell anyone. Then more bodies start showing up.

We talked about how Elle got into the world of body brokers (yes, it’s a real job), why she picked a title that makes you wonder who “she” is, and what her typical writing day looks like. 

Thank you, Elle, for spending your pub day with me! 

She Dies in the End is out now. 📚

Grab a copy at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you’re at it.

About the Author

Elle Marr is the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of eight thrillers. Originally from Sacramento, Elle graduated from UC San Diego before moving to France, where she earned a master's degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris. She now lives and writes in Oregon with her family. Follow Elle on Instagram and visit her website for more news and information about her books.

The Three Graces of Pearl Street

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Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook! 

The Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins

✅ three generations of women

✅ debut novel

✅ layered and emotionally rich

✅ phenomenal audiobook

✅ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can grab a copy at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

About the Author

Elizabeth Wellington Rollins is a writer and award-winning copywriter. She grew up outside New York City and graduated from Davidson College. Her work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, The Week, Travel + Leisure, and Vogue. She lives in Vermont with her family. Follow Elizabeth on Instagram and visit her webiste for more news and information. 

She Dies in the End

 

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Thank you to Kathleen Carter Communications and Amazon Publishing for the gifted ARC, and to Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted early listen.

In She Dies in the End by Elle Marr, Penny Lin matches donated bodies with the labs that need them, and she treats the dead with respect. When her ex turns a body into a party spectacle, her furious rant goes viral. Then he turns up dead in her morgue, and Penny is suspect number one. A truly original premise, steady tension, and lots of twists. Mirai's audio narration is fantastic. I started out reading the ARC and switched to the audiobook for the majority of the book.

If you love mysteries with a premise you've never seen before, add this one to your list.

Out October 20. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grab a copy at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

About the Author

Elle Marr is the author of seven thrillers centering AAPI characters. Her debut THE MISSING SISTER was published in April 2020, and her latest release, THE LIE SHE WEARS was published on November 18, 2025. Her work has been featured in PopSugar, Woman’s World Magazine, Goodreads, Audible, and TV affiliates for CBS, ABC, FOX, and NBC. Follow Elle on Instagram and visit her website for more news about her books.

IG Live | a Conversation with Joanne Harris

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In case you missed it, here's the replay of my Live with Joanne Harris!

Joanne joined me from the UK to talk about her new novel, Sleepers in the Snow. It’s a winter ghost story about a man who buys an isolated house on the moors after his divorce, only to find the previous owners’ diaries and a pylon that sings in the wind. It’s also a moving book about memory and dementia, and Joanne was so generous talking about how those two things came together.

We also got into coffin routes on the moors, folklore, the idea of how objects hold on to people, and what it was like narrating the audiobook herself (the studio where she recorded the narration is an old jail!), and what she’s working on next.

Thank you, Joanne, for staying up late on a weeknight to chat with a retired librarian in the U.S.!

Sleepers in the Snow is out now.  Grab a copy at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

About the Author

Joanne Harris is an Anglo-French author, whose books include twenty novels, three cookbooks, and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology, and fantasy. In 2000, her 1999 novel Chocolat was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is an honorary Fellow of St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, and in 2022 was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II. Follow Joanne on Instagram and visit her website for more news and information about her books.

The French Illusion

 

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Many thanks for the free book, Penguin Random House Audio! John Grisham wrote a spy thriller, and I'm here for it. 

The French Illusion is a high stakes game of cat and mouse that plays out on an international stage.

American honeymooners Chelsea and Paul are kidnapped in Paris, the ransom is paid, but only the wife comes home. And this is not the first time it's happened. 

A young CIA analyst comes up with a daring plan to find Paul and apprehended the kidnappers. She recruits a young lawyer from the Justice Department to pose as bait for the kidnappers. It's a daring plan that could have deadly consequences. 

This is a fast, tense, revenge story with a counterterrorism twist underneath. The ending a felt a little rushed to me and wrapped up a little too tidy. But ultimately was satisfying. 

Michael Beck's narration is fantastic. He's a perfect fit for mix of political intrigue and action. He also does a great job juggling accents and numerous characters. 

This is a great choice for a reader looking for the tension filled espionage mixed with adrenaline filled action. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grab a copy at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you liked this review, you might be interested in my review of Gisham's The Widow.

About the Author

John Grisham is the author of more than fifty consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include Framed, Camino Ghosts and The Exchange: After the Firm.

Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.

When he’s not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.

Follow John on Instagram and visit his website for more news and information about his books.

Look What the Cat Dragged In

 

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Pub Day Review 🐈‍⬛

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen!

Some pet owners joke they have the cat from hell. Penny's new houseguest actually is one. 😈🐈‍⬛

Penny is heartbroken when her cat Popcorn runs away. Popcorn wasn't just a pet. She was the inspiration for Penny's book series. So when her boyfriend asks her to cat-sit for one of his very wealthy clients, she reluctantly says yes. Godfrey takes to Penny right away, but strange things start happening, and Penny realizes this is no ordinary cat. Godfrey is a demon. Literally.

Look What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak looks like a cozy, but there's plenty of blood and gore for horror fans. It's a perfect spooky season read. The audiobook is a romp, and Stephanie Németh-Parker's narration is a big part of why. She voices every character beautifully and really brings out Penny's emotions.

Pick this one up if you want campy horror and don't mind some blood with your cat hair. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grab a copy at Bookshop,org and hekp an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in my review of Dive Bar at the End of the Road.

About the Author

Jason Rekulak lives in Philadelphia with his wife and family. His novels include Hidden Pictures (winner of a Goodreads Choice Award), The Last One at the Wedding (winner of the ITW Award for Best Standalone Thriller), and The Impossible Fortress (an Edgar Award finalist). Follow Jason on Instagram and visit his website for more news and information about his books.

Books with the Vibe of Popular Shows

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Bingeing any of these popular shows? Here's what to read.

East of Eden → Ordinary Grace


Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story → See What I Have Done or Alias Grace


Lanterns → Recursion


Slow Horses → Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or Solitary Agents

You can shop my affiliate store at for any of these titles an my affiliate store on Bookshop,org and help an indie bookstore while you’re at it.