Hope everyone’s July is going well! It’s been very hot, rainy, and humid here in the Twin Cities.
The above picture is of the Reading Room in the British Museum in London. I took it back in May, when we visited family in the U.K. The museum, as always, was very crowded. Despite the sign, there’s no reading allowed in the Reading Room, but it’s a huge domed space with a grand ceiling and a calm, bookish vibe and I was happy to peek in.
Publishing Update
THAT MURDER FEELING, the series opener that I’ve been working on for a while now, has a publication date! The book is in the copyediting stage and the plan is for it to come out right after the New Year, on January 13, 2026.
Here’s the short pitch: To crack his first murder case and save his childhood friend, a small-town 1980s PI must trust his extraordinary ability to see emotions as living gardens. A whodunit with a cosmic twist.
More details next month. Stay tuned!
Backlist News
My near-future mystery/thriller All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise is on Barnes & Noble’s list of Hidden Gems: Unmissable Indie eBooks. The book is currently on sale on Nook for $2.99, so it you haven’t read it yet, it’s a good time to pick it up.
What I’m Reading
I have three books to recommend.
Stuart Turton’s The Last Murder at the End of the World. A standalone novel. This one is hard to describe. As promised in the title, there is a murder, but it’s more of a sci-fi novel than a traditionally structured mystery. A weird and unconventional whodunit—my favorite kind of read.
Cascadia’s Fault by Jerry Thompson. Non-fiction. The subtitle says it all: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami that Could Devastate North America. Thompson digs into historical and geological evidence of the fault that lies 30 miles offshore on the West Coast. I learned enough about plate tectonics and wave heights to make me uneasy the next time I happen to find myself in Seattle, but the tone of the book itself is not one of panic, but a reminder that it’s best to be informed, and who can argue with that.
My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud’homme. Memoir. I don’t even remember how I came across this one, but I’m glad I did. Julia Child arrives in 1948 Paris as a clueless 36‑year‑old who speaks no French and can’t cook. This joyful book didn’t exactly inspire me to spend more time in the kitchen, but it’s a lovely reminder that every meal should be savored—and so should the unpredictable adventure of life itself.
That’s it for now, thanks for reading!
Neve
Neve Maslakovic 