This July, we have ten new releases for you(!), starting with our own Lauren Nossett’s Nashville-soaked mystery, Indie Darling, featuring a Dolly Parton-loving P.I. and a missing musician. But the thrills are just getting started! What follows are haunting disappearances in a tropical paradise, suspicious deaths investigated by chai-loving sleuths, a scary movie night that turns deadly, a private chef caught in the middle of warring spouses, chemistry curdling at a funeral, copycat murders tied to a rising pop star, a tribal enforcer-for-hire investigating past injustices at a Native boarding school, a weekend getaway for the adult children of serial killers, and a mysterious death resurfacing past secrets at an elite lakefront community.
Danielle, Tessa, & Greg recommend: Indie Darling by Lauren Nossett (out July 28!)
Danielle: Set against the backdrop of Nashville’s vibrant music scene, Indie Darling explores the intoxicating pull of fame, fandom, and the dangers that arise when people make assumptions based on a public persona. When obsession collides with ambition, the line between the human artist and the performer begins to blur, revealing the complicated power dynamics that exist behind the spotlight.
Nossett has crafted a rich, compelling thriller that understands both the joy and the danger of belonging to a fandom. Packed with music-industry detail and keen observations about celebrity culture, not to mention an album’s worth of beautifully-written, original lyrics, Indie Darling examines the allure of parasocial relationships, the narratives imposed on women in the public eye, and the lengths people will go to protect the identities they’ve created. Both suspenseful and insightful, Indie Darling invites readers to consider the difference between truly knowing someone and simply believing that we do.
Tessa: A whip-smart sleuth who adores Dolly Parton…a superstar indie singer who vanishes from a bloody stage…a colorful cast of band mates, fans, and potential suspects…I loved every component of this utterly modern whodunit. While Indie Darling is set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene, it will take you to some very unexpected places as P.I. Kelly Williams deciphers clues left in the victim’s lyrics (a brilliant literary device). With this novel, Nossett throws back the curtain on obsession and the dangers of living in the public eye. Indie Darling is destined to remain one of my favorite reads of the year.
Greg: Say hello to your new favorite sleuth! When Dolly Parton-loving, Nashville-based P.I. Kelly Williams takes her latest case, she’s tasked with finding the stalker targeting the enigmatic and polarizing lead singer of an all-female indie band, an investigation that draws Kelly into dangerous circles while invoking her own complicated past. Nossett keeps the tension and intrigue cranked while also crafting a nuanced and touching meditation on love, secrets, family, self-preservation, and the perils and triumphs of living one’s uncompromised truth.
Danielle recommends: The Dahlia Suite by Carinn Jade (out July 21!)
Jade crafts an immersive, atmospheric mystery that blends the glamour of old Hollywood, the seductive allure of a luxury island escape, and the simmering tension of a decades-old unsolved mystery. The story’s three protagonists: Paige, Lindsay, and Gabby are distinct, compelling protagonists thrown together by a series of mysterious disappearances, hidden connections, and whispers of the supernatural. As their personal struggles become inseparable from the secrets they're determined to uncover, the women discover that paradise can be every bit as dangerous as it is beautiful. The Dahlia Suite is equal parts ode to the power of female friendship, an exploration of both the grief we experience when life doesn’t lead us where we hoped to go and the dangers of ambition in a man’s world–all while delivering the high suspense of a perfect beach read.
Tessa recommends: The Masala Chai Mystery Club by MJ Soni (out July 21!)
If you love the charm and cheerful sleuthing of The Thursday Murder Club, let me introduce you to your next favorite mystery. When unpopular condo community president Rohit is found dead at the foot of his stairs, Neeti Shah—a neighbor and long-time friend—knows something is amiss. The widow and retired librarian gathers a group of chai-loving friends to help investigate, but the crime grows increasingly complex as new suspects crop up and a second neighbor is found dead. Soni aces the tricky task of juggling a large cast of characters, including the victim’s beloved dog, while planting clues and red herrings, and although cookies are consumed by its amateur detectives, this is no cookie-cutter whodunit. With wit, finesse, and a nod to classic mystery novels, The Masala Chai Mystery Club is a treat.
Tessa also recommends: Scary Movie Night by Miranda Smith (out July 14!)
On the heels of the excellent Smile for the Cameras, Miranda Smith delivers another high-concept, horror-themed knockout, this time inspired by Alfred Hitchcock and with a locked-room mystery twist. Tippi (yes, like the actress in Hitchcock’s “The Birds”) is still recovering from her broken engagement when her friends announce they’re throwing her a birthday party. The theme: scary movies. The locale: Tippi’s beloved grandmother’s sprawling—and very remote—country estate. It’s all popcorn and jump scares until the friend group’s darkest secrets begin to spill out, the evening’s festivities mirror the violence onscreen, and help is nowhere to be found. This book is packed with bombshells and hidden agendas, and references to the Hitchcock Universe add drama and depth. Settle in and pull a blanket up to your chin, because Scary Movie Night is tailor made for late-night summer reading.
Greg recommends: The Guest House by Jennifer Pashley (out now!)
Passionate, talented young chef Brett Novak is licking her wounds after a breakup from her married girlfriend when she’s offered a lucrative position cooking for a bestselling author and his wife at their oceanfront Cape Cod mansion. But what at first seems like a dream position quickly devolves into psychosexual warfare as Brett is drawn deeper into the dysfunctional marriage and sinister power dynamics of the affluent couple. She’ll be forced to rely on her wits and grit if she’s to turn the situation to her advantage. Pashley can craft a riveting nail-biter with the best of them, but where she really shines is in the nimble, moving exploration of emotional trauma and its aftereffects, and the granular line-level writing that delivers the story in evocative, compellingly rich and brutally honest detail.
Kimberly recommends: Helpless by Jessica Knoll (out now!)
Twelve years ago, Faye broke Henry’s heart. Now a funeral brings them back together, and old chemistry curdles fast into something far more dangerous. Underneath it all, a decades-old mystery has finally come due. Helpless is Jessica Knoll doing what she does best: handing us another ambitious, controlled heroine, then methodically dismantling that control by locking her in a cabin with no way out. The ending rips the rug out from under you, and your book club will need at least two meetings to argue your way back to solid ground. Bring wine. You’ll need it.
Lauren recommends: Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead (out July 14!)
This is the Ashley Winstead thriller you’ve been waiting for—dark, atmospheric, timely, and tense. When a woman is found executed in her L.A. home with a Scout Sage lyric written in blood on the wall, homicide detective Grey Xie is thrust into a chilling investigation of copycat murders seemingly tied to the rising pop star. Wild theories abound: Is there a secret cabal of female celebrities taking down Hollywood’s worst? Are devoted fans turning vigilante? Or is the truth something far more twisted? As speculation spirals and alliances shift, two women bound by loss must navigate the dangers of fame, sisterhood, and long-buried vengeance. An ode to the families we’re born into—and the ones we build from the ashes, Hot Girl Murder Club is a pulse-pounding investigation into stardom, sisterhood, and the wildfire of female rage.
Vanessa recommends: Wisdom Corner by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (out now!)
I’m so glad to be returning to the Rosebud Indian Reservation to follow tribal enforcer-for-hire Virgil Wounded Horse in the sequel to the award-winning, Winter Counts. Another unflinching and open-hearted look at the complexities of reservation life, tackling serious issues with complex characters and no easy answers. I also appreciated David delving into the atrocities of Native boarding schools, something he’s shared is directly connected to his family history. Wisdom Corner is “truth in fiction” at its finest!
Vanessa also recommends: The Death Row Club by V.A. Vazquez (out July 14!)
Talk about a perfect premise: a weekend getaway for the adult children of serial killers—what could go wrong?! Everything in this fantastic debut, The Death Row Club, where author V.A. Vazquez expertly weaves two incredible POVs into one thrilling story that’s not only a page-turner, but delves into the complex lives of those impacted by their parents’ terrifying choices.”
Carter recommends: Perfect Life by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores (out now!)
I just finished Perfect Life by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores and absolutely tore through it. On the surface, it’s a glossy world of wealth, country clubs, beautiful houses, perfect marriages, and carefully curated lives, but underneath it’s a story about loneliness, reinvention, and the exhausting work of trying to become someone new. And, of course, murder. The emotional core of the book is pitch perfect: the central relationship feels so real, which gives all the suspense and social fallout genuine weight. Also, the Florida setting is fantastic. Humid, wealthy, performative, and toxic in the best thriller way. This is one of those books that feels tailor-made to disappear into for a weekend.
Tell us: What are you reading this month?
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