GMA | August 20, 2024
Bestselling author Karin Slaughter talks about the 12th book in the Will Trent series.
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Fox5 Atlanta | August 13, 2024
In the latest novel in Karin Slaughter's Will Trent series, the GBI special agent is on a honeymoon getaway that quickly turns into a murder mystery. The bestselling author joined Joanne Feldman to talk about the highly-anticipated ''This Is Why We Lied.''
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First for Women | August 2, 2024
Known for her complex, chilling crime thrillers, bestselling author Karin Slaughter has sold more than 40 million books worldwide and many of her novels have been adapted into hit TV shows, from Netflix’s ‘Pieces of Her’ starring Toni Collette to ABC’s ‘Will Trent.’ Slaughter’s forthcoming novel, This is Why We Lied, out August 20th, is the 12th installment of her fan-favorite Will Trent book series, which follows Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent. Throughout Slaughter’s long-running series Trent is usually solving cases in Atlanta, but her upcoming book transports readers to an entirely new setting: McAlpine Lodge. This remote backdrop is partly inspired by Slaughter’s own real-life experience living in a secluded cabin in the North Georgia Mountains where she says she does all of her writing.
Yesterday, FIRST’s editor-in-chief, Liz Vaccariello, learned all this and more when she sat down with Slaughter ahead of her book’s release later this month. They discussed her beloved Will Trent character, her first favorite mystery book and how she prepares when writing a new novel.
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Parade | August 2, 2024
Will Trent is back! No, we’re not talking about the red-hot TV series. We’re talking about the ongoing thriller series by the acclaimed, best-selling writer Karin Slaughter. If you only know the TV series, be aware: you will enjoy the books, but they are quite different in the details. So either start from the beginning (they’re all really great) or just dive right in. In This Is Why We Lied, Will Trent is on his honeymoon with medical examiner Sara Linton at a pricey mountain retreat. A storm isolates the guests, someone is murdered and the idyllic honeymoon becomes a crime scene. As with all of Slaughter’s work, the violence is real and has a genuine impact. But here she’s also paying tribute to the “closed circle” mysteries made famous by Agatha Christie, where the suspects are limited to a handful of people and they all have a reason to kill the deceased. It’s funny, shocking, moving and filled with the sort of believable, grounded but still surprising twists that make Slaughter a master of the genre. Cozy? Hardly. Great fun, with great depth.
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New York Times, Datebook | July 27, 2024
Off the Books by Soma Mei Sheng Frazier has racked up two terrific book reviews. Here are a couple quotes:
“Frazier captures the relatable toggle between the private and the collective, between sinking into the anxieties of your life and grieving for the cruelties of the world.”—New York Times
“Frazier’s economical debut is many things at once: a tale of high stakes on the open road, a bighearted portrait of a frayed family, a slightly off-color comedy and an indictment of repressive political regimes.” —Datebook
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People | July 23, 2024
Alexander Smalls is cooking up a sweet new book.
The James Beard Award-winning chef is set to publish his debut children’s book, When Alexander Graced the Table, early next year. Co-written with bestselling author Denene Millner, and set to be published by her book imprint, Denene Millner Books, the project will hit shelves in January.
Featuring illustrations from Frank Morrison, the book is a celebration of family and tradition, per its description. Young Alexander always looks forward to weekly Sunday dinners, where his whole family gathers after church to share a meal together. When he’s tasked with preparing his own dish for the first time, he must figure out how to make a meal that will satisfy his family.
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American Book Fest | July 15, 2024
The Garden of Broken Things by Francesca Momplaisir is the Winner of the 2024 American Fiction Award for Multicultural Fiction. Congratulations Francesca!
This was the 7th Annual Awards Sponsored by American Book Fest. There were six other finalists in the Multicultural Fiction category.
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Georgia Author of the Year | June 25, 2024
One Blood by Denene Millner has been nominated for a 2024 Georgia Author of the Year Award in the Literary Fiction and Short Story Collections. Congratulations, Denene!
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The Nerd Daily | June 24, 2024
As we approach the halfway mark of 2024, it’s time to start looking ahead to the phenomenal new books that will be hitting shelves over the rest of the year!
The Hollywood Assistant by May Cobb
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Offered a dream job in Hollywood with a famous director and his actress wife, an insecure woman becomes their personal assistant where their secrets and lies place her in the crosshairs of a murder investigation.
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Purewow | June 19, 2024
Summertiiiime and the living reading is easy fabulous.
The Hollywood Assistant by May Cobb
A dream job turns sour (and murderous) in the latest thriller from May Cobb (The Hunting Wives). Cassidy is heartbroken and feeling stuck when she gets the opportunity to move to L.A. and work with famous Hollywood couple, Marisol and Nate Sterling. The director-actress couple is welcoming and by outward appearances picture perfect. At first, Cassidy just has to be available a few hours a week for errands, but soon, Nate takes interest in her, asking her to read scripts he’s written. As their business relationship grows, so does their attraction. Soon enough, though, Cassidy learns she was hired for a different purpose. The Sterlings aren’t the perfect couple, and when one of them is found dead, Cassidy becomes the perfect suspect.
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Publishers Weekly | June 14, 2024
This season, 50 Cent tries his hand at fiction, big names including Walter Mosley and Karin Slaughter return with fresh cases to crack, and a new class of crime writers comes into its own with a diverse slate of sophomore novels.
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Authors Equity | June 13, 2024
One hundred days ago, Authors Equity opened its doors for business. The most frequently asked question since then: Who are we going to publish?
Many of the questions we ask in evaluating books are pretty standard: Is it not just good but great? Can the author connect with readers? Will the combination of book and author break through the noise?
Kweli Journal’s 15th Anniversary Short Story Collection (spring 2025). Edited by founder Laura Pegram, with a foreword by Edwidge Danticat. Hailed as The Paris Review of BIPOC literature, Kweli has been one of the first homes to many of today’s most critically acclaimed writers. Exploring themes of displacement, loss, and resilience, this collection reflects the rich history and future potential of BIPOC communities, aligning with Kweli's mission to nurture and empower emerging writers of color. All proceeds will support Kweli Journal's vital work. Authors include Brit Bennett, Naima Coster, DéLana Dameron, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Daphne Palasi Andreades, Susan Muaddi Darraj, and Princess Perry. Editor: Robin Desser.
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Bustle | June 3, 2024
At long last, it’s that time again: As spring gives way to summer, readers can transition from huddling under blankets to sprawling out in parks, novels in hand. Here’s to lazy, sun-drenched afternoons spent lost in stories, and to lapping up novellas in one sitting.
Off the Books by Soma Mei Sheng Frazier
Out July 30. I was immediately taken with protagonist Mei Brown, a Chinese American who, following the death of her father, makes the eyebrow-raising decision to drop out of Dartmouth and return to her Oakland hometown to work as a limo driver. She just seems so real — awkward with hints of fake-it-til-you-make-it vibes that had me picturing myself in the same driver’s seat — and her grandfather, a weed-smoking weirdo, feels like an utterly new type of character. It’s her grandfather who links Mei with clients on the fringe, first sex workers but then the charming and mysterious Henry who, Mei soon discovers, is part of a network helping transport Uyghur Muslim refugees from China to safety — and who, on this particular trip across the country, is smuggling an 11-year-old girl whose family was disappeared. It’s an illuminating update of the classic American road trip story, equal parts uplifting and heartbreaking, and always mindful of the journey’s underlying danger. — A.R.
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HWA | June 1, 2024
Terence Taylor’s short story, “Your Happy Place,” appears in the anthology Out There Screaming (Random House) by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams. The anthology won a 2023 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology from the Horror Writers Association. Winners were announced at the annual Bram Stoker Awards banquet at StokerCon 2024 in San Diego.
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Booklist | June 1, 2024
Booklist has posted a new review of Off the Books by Soma Mei Sheng Frazier. Here is a great quote:
“Beneath a budding romance and roadside banter, the story of the humanitarian crisis of the Uyghurs in China is masterfully presented, interweaving an international story with a more domestic one of what it means to be Chinese in the U.S. Frazier's debut proves to be an enthralling ride, perfect for those who love an American road trip with a twist."
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Publishers Weekly | May 31, 2024
The crime writer Karin Slaughter has been plugging away at a new novel from her secluded cabin in Blue Ridge, Ga., and recently, the distant revving of a chain saw has disturbed her peace. “I have no idea where it’s coming from,” Slaughter says via Zoom from the cabin’s book-filled den. “I hope it’s a serial killer.”
She looks over her shoulder toward the noise. When she turns back, white hair piled high, she looks completely unfazed.
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Kirkus | May 31, 2024
Publisher:Henry Holt
Pages: 224
Price ( Hardcover ): $27.99
Publication Date: July 30, 2024
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 9781250872715
Section: Fiction
Mĕi Brown is a recent Dartmouth dropout working as private chauffeur with a dodgy roster of clients—one of whom hires her to drive all the way across the country.
When Mĕi picks up 20-something Henry Lee, she can’t help noticing that he guards his enormous suitcase religiously. Although the two gradually grow closer on the long journey from San Francisco to Syracuse, trading barbs through the limo’s partition, Henry’s easy charm and good looks can’t fully alleviate Mĕi’s suspicions. She repeatedly calls her grandfather, her Lǎoyé—who’s responsible for finding her passengers looking to pay off the books—to see what he thinks about Henry. Since the death of his wife, Lǎoyé’s camped out in the family garage, smoking marijuana and watching old films, shrinking his existence to fit one room. Mĕi recalls the ways his encyclopedic knowledge of history and “ability to educate painlessly” bolstered her high school education and how his acerbic wit offered a lifeline through her teenage years; now she frets over his reluctance to leave home. Lǎoyé’s unquestioning support of her decision to drop out of Dartmouth after her father’s untimely death—buying her a car and introducing her to clients in need of a discreet chauffeur—further strengthens their bond, and she finds herself missing him terribly. With Lǎoyé’s encouragement, she continues the journey, and the lengthy stretches of driving allow Mĕi to reflect on life in the wake of her father’s passing—especially her estrangement from her mother, whose tacit acceptance of his death Mĕi can’t understand. Finally, Henry’s insistence on unusually frequent breaks leads Mĕi to confront him about his precious luggage, and once his secret is revealed she begins to see the world in a very different light. Frazier expertly weaves historic and contemporary injustices faced by Chinese Americans and Uyghurs through this fast-paced, propulsive book, which is at its most powerful when depicting the way Mĕi’s family navigates life after catastrophe. She has a knack for writing funny dialogue—scathing sarcasm underpinned by a great deal of love—and there are plenty of hilarious exchanges to lighten the dark political context of the novel.
A vital, enthralling debut in which devastating social commentary is delivered with a wink.
SF Chronicle | May 24, 2024
Whether you’re headed out on your own summer travels or just looking to escape in the pages of a book, the Bay Area’s titles this season have something for you.
Off the Books By Soma Mei Sheng Frazier (Henry Holt and Co., July 30)
Former San Francisco Library Laureate Soma Mei Sheng Frazier makes her debut with this road-trip novel that spans Tahoe to Syracuse, N.Y., before turning back west again. Her protagonist is Mei, an Oakland native who drops out of her Ivy League college to become an off-the-books private limo driver, “subverting the ride-hailing industry,” as the character puts it. San Francisco author Lori Ostlund says Frazier “draws on humor and compassion to show us the world we live in, then asks us not to look away.”
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