Bookwild - 2024 Books From Debut Authors We're Excited About

Episode Date: December 1, 2023

This week, we share books we are excited about in 2024 from debut authors!Follow us on Instagram:Gare @gareindeedreadsKate @thegirlwiththecookonthecouchBooks We Talked About:Society of LiesEveryone Who Can Forgive Me Is DeadSince She's Been GoneWhen She Was MeArgylleSwipedOriginal TwinDead Girls WalkingWhile We Were BurningNightwatching Get Bookwild MerchCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackCheck Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck out the Imposter Hour Podcast with Liz and GregFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrian 

And we are going to be discussing all things, chills, thrills, and kills. Kate and I are going to be talking about our favorite books, TV shows, and movies that are in the thriller or crime fiction genre, as well as some reading habits and other items related to how we met on Bookstagram that will fit in with this podcast. So thank you so much for joining us. And we hope that you have fun and get totally terrified. This might be, your current read actually might be applicable to this because I was thinking today, I keep having like weird dreams about like life and books and like random, like the most like random shit. But I want to know if there's a book that you've read that you would like to see them either have a sequel to or a spinoff or like an expansion of the universe. like what book would it be?

Ooh, that's a good question. I mean, yeah, so I'm reading the Hunger Games right now. And so that kind of actually just recently happened since she did like add to the prequel. But other interesting concept here is

I don't she has, Suzanne Collins has said like I write something when I have something new to say and if I don't, I'm not just going to like write another book. And I kind of understand it. Now that I'm actually reading them and I've seen the prequel here recently, I'm like,

it is a complete story. So like while I am tempted, I am like, there's really not like tons that would need to be expanded upon. So what would I want to see extended? Oh, what would be something? You know what? I think the paradox hotel. the the trippy time-travely sci-fi novel I've talked about because it was such an intriguing concept

and I feel like he could extend the like the gist of it is a time agent like a time FBI agent knows of a death before it happens because of weird time warp and so she's trying to figure out what's happening before that happens. So where that all takes place and the fact that she's like a time agent, I think we could continue her story and have some like really interesting other time traveling sci-fi agent stories. I like it. I like it. So that's my answer. Mine's gone girl. Ooh. I have an entire vision of like. not to get all meta on everyone, but everybody has a podcast these days. So I would love to see if like a true crime podcaster or like an internet sleuth,

like armchair detective kind of character was like, I want to look into like this weird thing that happened with Amy and Nick Dunn and all of the wild crazy from Gone Girl. So like I just picture like because Gillian Flynn such like an amazing storyteller, like her doing like America's obsession with true crime, which like she kind of touched on and gone girl, but like now that it's like really crazy, like doing something with like a podcast element with true crime and like somebody being like a little too much of a nosy Nelly. And maybe having like Nick disappear and have people be like, holy shit. Like did fucking Amy finally like kill him or like are they still together? Are they divorced? Like what how fucked up

their relationship now over 10 years later. Yeah. That would be really cool. Imagine if she announces her book tomorrow and like that's what it is. I was going to say that would be wild or like she DMs you and she was like, how did you find out about this? Who told you? And then I disappear.

And then I do have to come figure out where you are. Like I love her, but like I love her to death. But like I would be terrified to like have any. about anything with her because, like, she would, I think she would cut a bitch. I think so. And she would know her to hide my body. And she would know to be like, he met someone on Grindr and just has gone forever. Like, don't know what happened.

You're like, which guy was it? Here are all these ideas for her in case she listens to our podcast. Gillian Flynn ever listened to our podcast. I would just be like, it's a rap. Like, it's a, like, we're not going to top. Yeah, we're not going to top this. No, not at all. So, like, we're going to retire and just be like friends with Gileon Flynn.

Yes. And that's that. Yeah. You had a good idea for a topic. Mm-hmm. I feel like, I don't even know if we did this last year because I have the memory of a goldfish. but I feel like it's very common for you and I to talk about how much we love debut authors because like it's very exciting to be like is this going to be like somebody who I enjoy is this going

be like something I don't like or is this going to be like a debut author that gives me that like you're an immediate auto buy for me right so and every single year it's like 2023 was the best year in books then like you're like you're see what's coming out in 2024, so you're like, holy fun. Yeah. So I thought it'd be fun for us to discuss debut thrillers that are coming out in 2024 from debut authors. Debute everywhere. Debuts. Just the debuts of 2024. Yeah, debut everything. Yeah. I was excited because at first I was like, because you don't like for me, like I don't always know if an author's, a debut author when I like add it to my TBR.

Yeah. So I was like, I hope I have enough. And then I did. So it was kind of fun to see that there really were that many already that I'm excited for. Yeah, I'm super pumped. I'm super pumped. Yeah. All right.

Who shall go first? You can go first. Okay. Because I'm pretty sure I stole one of yours. Yeah, maybe. We'll see. I did realize there were two that we had talked about. So we'll see.

But the crazy timing of this all was that this author commented on one of my posts yesterday. And so I literally added this to my TBR yesterday. And it's from a debut author in 2024. It's called Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown and the cover. Obsessed. So obsessed. I couldn't even get to the synopsis first. Oh, my God.

But the synopsis is when a young woman is found dead on her college campus, her sister doesn't believe it was an accident. And her search for answers leads her closer to home than she ever would have imagined in this thrilling debut novel from an exciting new talent. Maya can't wait to return to Princeton for reunions. It's been a decade since she graduated, but she is looking forward to seeing old faces and reminiscing about her college days. And this year is even more special because her little sister Naomi is graduating. But what should have been a dream weekend becomes Maya's worst nightmare when she gets a call no one ever wants. Naomi is dead. The police are saying it's an accident, but Maya suspects there's more to the story than they are letting on. As Maya pieces together the months leading up to her sister's death, she starts to realize how much Naomi hid from her.

Naomi had joined Sterling Club, the most exclusive social club on campus, the same one Maya belonged to, despite Maya's warnings. and if she had to guess, she'd say Naomi was also tapped for the secret society within it. The more Maya uncovers, the more terrified she becomes that Naomi's decision to follow in her footsteps might have been what got her killed. Because Maya's time at Princeton wasn't as wonderful as she always pretended it was. After all, her sister wasn't the first young woman to turn up dead. Now every clue is leading Maya back to the past and to the secrets she's kept all these years. done, done, done. Dark academia and like amateur sleuthing. Yeah. Oh my God. Here for it. All right. I'm not going to tell any of mine. I'm just going to sit back and listen to yours. So everybody enjoy this episode. I was like so excited. I was like this has so many things we love. I love like societies or like culty stuff and dark academia. I love the cover.

cover. So cool. And I'm really curious to read this now because I don't know if you like zoomed in like a psycho like I did. But like this is the cover for everybody. But if you zoom in, there's something different going on in each window. In each room. It's so cool. Oh my God. That's gorgeous. I can't wait to hold that in my hands. I know. I know. I'm so cool. I'm like hyper fixated on this book. It comes out in August. Yeah, I don't blame you. Damn. Well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, speaking of dark academia. Yes. My first pick is one that you recommended to me. Nice. But I just can't help myself.

I feel like I very often say, I want the viewers to know, the listeners. to know that I very often say, I thought of this book, but I didn't want to steal it from you. But like, this is like my villain moment where I was like, I thought of this book and I was like, I have to talk about it. Just do it. It's called Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander. You told me about it.

I did? Yes. Because I sent you, I thought, I don't know, who knows? I thought you sent that back to me when I sent you another one. we'll have to look just so we know. Yeah. Okay. Well, oh my God.

That's crazy. But I didn't have it on. I, okay, then somebody recommended this mean. I thought it was you because I thought your pitch was that it's compared to Jessica Nolan luckiest girl alive. So I am remembering because I have that one on here. So I did send you this first one and you sent me that one back. So it's yours.

I mean, I want to read it, but it's yours. Oh, wait. So I'll say the one after this that started Yours. Yes, yours, the one that you recommended had to do with a character who had previously battled an eating disorder, correct? Yes. Yep.

Okay. Okay. Well, I don't know who put this on my radar then, but. I don't know, but when you sent it to me, I was like, this sounds amazing. Oh, my God, that's so funny. Well, the book is about. Charlie Colbert, nine years ago with the world's eyes on her, Charlie fled. The press and the police called Charlie a witness to the nightmarish events at her elite

graduate school on Christmas Eve, events known to the public as Scarlet Christmas. Though Charlie knows she was much more than that. Now Charlie has meticulously rebuilt her life. She's the editor-in-chief of a major magazine, engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry and hell been on never ever letting her guard down again. But when a buzzy film made by one of Charlie's former classmates threatened to

shatter everything she's worked for, Charlie realizes how much she's changed in nine years. Now she's not going to let anything, not even the people she once loved most, get in her way. That sounds so good. And the title is so cool. Like, what a fucking amazing title. What a title. What a cover.

And like, Scarlet Christmas. Are you kidding me? Like a massacre? and the snow at a school. Like, I just, I'm ready for it. You like sign me up. Sign me all the way up. I know. Like, you guys, like, take an organ.

I don't care. Like, I think my kidneys are kind of like on the fritz, but we can have a kidney if you want. The shelf life bottom's not great, but whatever. Oh my gosh. That is funny. Yep. I had a kidney stone last week, everybody.

though if you are like, why? Why is Kate laughing so hard about it? Why is Kate laughing so hard? And also like, why did Garrett like disappear a couple of times in the past month? It's because like I was on vacation and she was like, I'm going to do a solo. And then I was like, fuck yeah, like week of Thanksgiving is going to be so easy. Like we'll record on a different day. Like I was all prepped and ready.

And then I got my first kidney stone and it was a nightmare and a half. So naturally. if you are looking to traffic me for organ harvesting wrong boy you're not the you're not the best version i'm not at no no no no no no no well now you're safe from that yeah i'm safe from that you've announced it i also love love a marb light so if you're looking for my lungs those my kidneys of my lungs ain't great so don't come for me yeah just leave me alone not going to last very long at this rate anyway. Oh, no.

I told my doctor, I was like, I quit smoking, I wish. I quit drinking in April of 2022. And I have been to him because I had COVID. I had vertigo. And now I had a kidney stone. And I was like, should I just pick the bottle back up? Should sober gear just be like done so? And he like started laughing.

Yeah, I was like, was the tequila like? Yeah. Just warding everything off. Maybe it was. Maybe tequila's the answer. But now I'm not hungover. I don't have hangovers. Yeah.

So I can read more. There's that. Mm-hmm. Which is what we always need more of. Yeah. So Jenny Hollander. Mm-hmm. And then the one that actually got our conversation started was another one that I saw compared

to luckiest girl alive. And it's called Since She's Been Gone. by Sagitz Schwartz, losing her mother to a hit and run at age 15 through Beatrice Beans, Bennett's life into turmoil. Breft, she developed a life-threatening eating disorder and went through a challenging recovery process, which paved the way for her work as a clinical psychologist decades later. When a new patient arrives at her office and insists that Bean's mother is still alive and in danger, Beans is forced to revisit her past in order to uncover the truth.

She learns the patient is a member of a notorious family that owns a drug company, largely responsible for the national opioid epidemic, and that her mother was once tangled in their web, in a race against time and her mother's assailant. While once again, facing the disorder she thought she put behind her, Beans discovers that, like herself, her mother had a devastating secret. So many secrets. We love secrets, though.

We love secrets. They're fun. I mean, these ones don't sound fun, but... No, but... The story will be thrilling. It'll keep for a fast-paced book. Yeah. That sounds really good.

Yeah, I'm excited for that. But speaking of how much I love you... Well, nice. This book, I found myself, and I am so proud of myself for finding it because it literally sounds like something that you would recommend to me. And it also sounds like a book that you had recently talked about. by Elmar.

Yeah. The alone time. Yeah. So my next pick is called When She Was Me by Marley Bush. Is that one of yours? No. I thought this was another book. It's a very similar title.

But no, it wasn't from a debut author, so I wouldn't have included it. So I'm just going to say right now, I hope I don't offend any authors if you do hear your name on this podcast. because what I do is when I, like, find the book, I look up their Amazon page. And if there's nothing else on Amazon that I can buy from them, I assume that they're a debut author. Yeah.

Yeah. So, sorry if I am wrong, but. It's good, disclaimer. But you're still included, so. Yes, right. Just be happy. Yeah, Jesus. So when she was me says, there's only one way out of these woods.

Dot, dot, dot. Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As the sole permanent residence of Cabin 2, their refuge on an isolated Tennessee campground, they managed to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies. Just the two of them, Cassie and Lenora, against the world. The peace and quiet is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Until a teenage girl camping at the neighboring camp goes missing, and the memories come rushing back. As the crime becomes ever more recognizable, they know better than anyone that so-called happy families can be anything but.

Each sister suspects the other knows more than she's letting on. Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened and the sinister truth lurking in their own past before it's too late. That sounds so good, and it does sound like a really good comp to the election. long time. It just sounds like something that you would put on my radar and I'm just so proud of myself for finding it. I know and the cover is so cool. The cover is cool. Yeah. It's a very different vibe and I like it. Yeah. Yeah. And it's like wildernessy. So it might be like actiony and like I'm not a wilderness person. So I'm not a wilderness person. I'm a wilderness reader. I'm not a wilderness reader. Like you are like hunger games actions. I'm like I. Like you can travel.

the globe and like I prefer like campus campuses college campuses yeah like when people are like oh I was in the woods and I saw like a sparrow and like blah blah blah I'm like what the fuck am I doing in the woods yeah you're not going to catch me in the woods in person back now

me reading a wilderness thriller is like comparable to me reading sci-fi because I just can't picture myself. Yeah. I think Hunger Games is the most wildernessy though now that I think about it. Like I do read action-y stuff, but I'm not typically like, like, midnight is the darkest hour and where the Croddads sing were like the most nature forward books I've read in a while. There's one called the Marsh King's Daughter.

by Dion something I read this years and years ago when it first came out but they just turned it into a movie and I believe she's like the daughter of like a notorious serial killer

and like she lives out in the marsh by herself and that was kind of wildernessy but I really enjoyed it Ooh I saw the like poster when I went to when I went to see Salt Burn oh my gosh if anyone has seen Salt Burn please DM me because I can't talk to anyone about it.

Nobody in my life has seen it. So hit me up if you have thoughts. I've just read things on Twitter from Thirsty Gay Men. Well, there's plenty to read. But nobody said if Jacob Allorty was a little nudie booty in it. Do you want to know? I want to know if he's naked. No.

I really thought we would get like... A bot. Yeah. I mean, his butt's all over euphoria. Like, his, that's true. Like, everywhere in that show. But, yeah, I was expecting it to be a little more. It's not that it's not sexually explicit.

It's just like there's also not like, there's not a ton of nudity. There's not much nudity. It's really interesting, too, because when they first announced this movie, like, I read on Twitter, like Jacob Allorty and another actor had signed on to do this, like, Yeah. Gay thriller. That's comparable to like the talented Mr. Ripley. And they said like it was going to be very graphic.

Like it was going to be like it's graphic. But I can't explain why without you'll know. Oh, it's terrible. It's terrible. So like I just wish everything was streaming again because like I know. My closest movie theater is over an hour away. I know. Like my movie partner that I take from the movies is usually like my mom.

Like she's like my rider. like movie partner. But like I just don't think that's the one. It is a, it is graphic without tons of nudity. That's what's wild. And then there is full frontal. Oh.

For an extended time, but it's not Jacob Lurdy. So that's all I can say without giving things away. But it, there's so much to talk about. And no one has seen it. So I have all these thoughts just bubbling in my mind. Yeah, I mean, people all over, just build a Twitter, dude.

Yeah, I know. And then like, well, yeah. And I saw there's, like, sometimes there are some people on TikTok that will, like, say something. And then they'll be like, and I'm going to get into spoilers. So just scroll now. So I was like, I could if I wanted to. But I do want to do, um, we need to do an episode on books, basically. The books, if you like to Saltburn.

Oh, okay. So we'll have to do that when you see it. Okay. But actually a trailer that I saw at the movies recently transitions me into a debut author who has a book coming out in January. I just got scared that it wasn't in 2024. I was like, oh no, I totally messed up. No, it comes out in January of 2024.

But a lot of people may have heard of it for some several different reasons. it's Argyle by Ellie Conway. So there's kind of like mystery around who the author is because there are no like specific details about her and she's the debut. And some of you might have heard about this back when like people all of a sudden thought it was Taylor Swift writing a novel. So that was one thing that like brought it into the spotlight. Okay.

And there's a movie being made from this series called Argyle. that comes out in 24 as well but in interviews with like the director and the author who like we have no pictures no one knows who she is but the director said

the movie is the third book in this series so there's like all this weirdness going around where it's like how is that the third book in the series if the first one hasn't even come out

so there is all this lore around Argyle that like is so strange and interesting and fascinating, but I want to watch the movie, and I want to read this book. So what we know about the book is a luxury train speeding towards Moscow

and a date with destiny, a CIA plane downed in the jungles of the Golden Triangle, a Nazi horde entombed in the remote mountains of Southwest Poland, a missing treasure the eighth wonder of the world lost for seven decades. One Russian magnates dream of restoring a nation to greatness has set in motion a chain of events which will take the world to the brink of chaos. Only Francis Coffey, the CIA's most legendary spy master, can prevent it. But to do so, she needs someone special. Enter Argyle, a troubled agent with a tarnished past who may just have the skills to take on one of the most powerful men in the world.

If only he can save himself first. So who even knows what all is going to be happening in that book? Like so many things. The movie is this meta thing where you step out of the book that the author's writing. And you like experience it through the author. So I'm just so intrigued by so many things here. Yeah. I googled Ellie Conway.

And it looks like according to Google the two choices of, they think it's either Taylor Swift or J.K. Rowling. No. I had not seen the J.K. Rowling one. That's terrible. Well, hopefully it's not. I don't think it's Taylor Swift either. I understand why people started to think so.

There's a cat that looks just like her famous cat in the movie. And like Taylor started wearing a bunch of Argyle in the fall. And everyone was like, she wrote a novel. I don't think. I just want to wear the water. She was like, it's fall. I'm looking evermore. I just happened to be wearing bad guys or Argyle.

Oh my God. So if these are fucking nuts, do it. Swifty's totally convinced themselves that she wrote it. I was like, guys, I don't think that's what she's here. And you're like, there's like a Russian spy in Moscow.

I was like, I don't know if this sounds like Taylor Swift. I know. I know. I could see her writing like a romantic comedy or like something like Emily Henry. Like if it was like that, it would be like,

oh, that could be like Taylor Swift. But like, I just don't know how much she knows about Russian style. You might see why some people kind of could have thought so

because the movie trailer is a little goofier because it's about the author of the book. I still don't think it's her. But if you watch a movie trailer, you'll kind of understand how they got there. The book sounds very different than the movie trailer, which is also what's like, this is just an enigma for me.

It's going to be a whole experience. You know, as long as it's not like drugs or like killing people or like anything like that's really bad. Like do you and like love what you love. Like I'm all about that. But like I just know that there are a lot of Swifties out there. Oh yeah. That will be like, oh my God. Like there's the new like color car out and like Taylor Swift's one that belt up because she wore like in a orange sweater.

It's kidding to that point. go to this date. And I'm like, you guys are fucking nuts. Like, it's like insane to me. I can't remember what I talked about on our podcast a month ago, like gunned to my head. And you guys are like, Taylor Swift for Orange three years ago on this date, I bet you something things going to happen. I'm like, what the fuck? But if it is Taylor Swift, that's really fucking cool. Well, I mean, I will be shocked and I'll pull this clip and be like I was wrong. Okay. I have one. Nice. It says this one.

This sounds so cool. It's called Swiped by L.M. Chilton. Swiped. Swiped. Like you're swiping right or left. Yep. And it says it's like if Bridget Jones were to be stuck in a screen movie. Whoa.

So I'm really excited for this one. It says the mystifying world of online dating gets a terrifying, clever and darkly hilarious twist in this unput-downable thriller. Gwen Turner has made a bloody mess of her life. She recently broke up with the best man she's ever known for reasons she can't even admit to

herself and quit a lucrative job to open up her own coffee shop. To top it all off, her best friend is getting married and leaving her behind in singlehood. Along with too much cheap wine and bad reality TV, Gwen turns to a dating app to fill the void in her life. Swiping through a few

eligible bachelors left in town, she spends her evenings on one disastrous date after another. But when a string of murder suddenly occurs in her small coastal English city, she's shocked by the connection between each of the victims. They've all been on a date with her. Before she knows what's happening, Gwen finds herself the main suspect in a serial killer's murderous spree, and the only way she can clear her name is to track down her former dates and unmask a killer before it's too late.

That sounds so cool. That sounds so much fun, right? Yeah. I just love how it's like kind of a comedy in the sense of like it's not all these women are being murdered and like they all look like you. Like I love how it's like she's went on a date with like a bunch of losers. Yes. Like all these men are getting murdered and she's like, okay, like listen, like the dating pool out there for anyone is rough. Like it's rough out there.

It is very rough out there. But like for the dating pool to all of a sudden have like a knife stabbing all the fish in it, like, there's plenty of fish in the sea. No, there's not. Not when they're getting stabbed. They're all getting stabbed. This is our upbeat, positive episode.

It's just like unlocking like the dark comedy that I look for in some tears. But also kind of like my worst nightmare. Like, can you imagine being like, well, you are an introvert, but like you live with your husband. But like, can you imagine just like being a single introvert like, I want to hang out and like by myself and read books and watch TV and then have the cops show up and be like this fucking dude was murdered and like you need an alibi. And it's like I don't have an alibi because I don't like hanging out with people. I don't. I don't want to be around people. Yes.

That would be terrible. Yeah. So it sounds really fun and the cover is really cool. Yes. That cover is really cool. I love it. I have another cool cover too. And it is called Original Twin by Paula Gleason.

And this one is getting compared or perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Mary Kubica and Megan Abbott. Like what? What? Right. So this one is about twin sisters, May and June, who couldn't be more different. May is quiet, self-conscious, withdrawn. June is boisterous, beautiful, magnetic, and missing. It's been a year since June disappeared, a year of May waiting for her to turn up with an explanation of where she's been and why she left.

But with the discovery of an old newspaper article comes a secret. Their mother once vanished too on the same date when she was 19 years old, just like June. this was no coincidence. June was investigating this buried family mystery and she left May a series of clues to pick up where she left off. Now, if May wants to find June, she'll have to retrace her footsteps through their mother's past. The more answers she digs up, the more questions May has.

And the biggest one of all, when her sister's trail of breadcrumbs runs out, what will she find? What damn, that sounds good. It sounds so cool. And that housed on the cover looks so creepy. The killer is the third sister named April. The what?

The killer is the third sister named April. That's amazing. You literally like glitched out. So I missed that perfect timing of a joke. That cover is amazing. That sounds so good. I'm buying it. Yeah.

Oh my God. I love it. It looks kind of haunted. I'm honestly like you've put so many thrillers on my radar in the past like few episodes that we've done that I'm like my like spiral into male male romance has like made me feel like I'm like Amish like I have like no I'm just like in my like only like Amish world like I don't know what's going on and you're like this movie's awesome like this movie's great check out all these thrillers like normally I'd be like on my A game

when it comes to like what thrillers are coming out and like what I've heard of. But hot damn. You've got some good ones too though. Are doing the research. Cool. Yeah. I thrill. I live for the thrill of it.

I feel like I feel like I'm like cheating a little bit because I honestly a lot of the ones that are on my radar are on my radar because of like the publishers have reached out and like do you want a copy of this? Oh yeah. I mean that's a perfect. That's what's happened to me. a couple of them too though. Yeah.

I have a Y-A-1 Ooh, nice. And it sounds right up my alley. Cover's sick. Cover is sick. Dead Girls Walking by Sammy, S-A-M-I.

It is a Y-A-Hor Slasher that is comparable to Friday the 13th. Nice. So White Smoke Temple Baker knows that evil

runs in her blood. Her father is the North Point killer, an infinite serial killer known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he possessed

by a demon. Some say that they never found all of his victims. Some say even though he's behind bars now, people are still dying in the woods. Despite everything, though, Temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return to his old hunting grounds to see if she can find a body and prove it. Turns out the farm that was once her father's hunting grounds and her home has been turned

into an overnight camp for queer horror-obsessed girls. So Temple poses as a camp counselor to go dig. in the woods. While she's not used to hanging out with girls her own age and feels ambivalent at best to keep these true crime enthusiasts, she tries her best to fit in and keep her true identity hidden. When a girl turns up dead in the woods, she fears that one of her father's fans might be mimicking his crimes. As Temple tries to uncover the truth and keep the camper safe, she comes to realize that there may be something stranger and more sinister at work and that her father might not have than the only monster in these woods.

Whoa. That has like so many elements of stuff that you would love. Yeah. And the cover's very cool. Cover's cool. She looks like a bunch of like queer teenagers who love horror movies. Right. Comparisons to Friday the 13th like serial killer Papa.

Sign me up. Yeah. That one sounds very fun. You might have convinced me to read a. Another way. We should. I'll go request it. Maybe I'll get it.

Me too. Well, I don't have a segue. Did you imagine? I'm like, I was like. Yeah, there was way too much going on in that one. So if you got a segue, I'd be like, holy fuck, dude. We're really on a real tonight. I can't remember where I saw someone post about this one.

But it comes out in April. and it's called While We Were Burning by Sarah Coffey or Coffey. It's K-O-F-F-I. After her best friend's mysterious death, Elizabeth Smith's picture perfect life in the Memphis suburbs has spiraled out of control, so much so that she hires a personal assistant to keep her on track. Composed and elegant Brianna is exactly who she needs.

She slides so neatly into Elizabeth's life, it's almost like she belonged there from the start and proves herself indispensable. Soon the assistant Elizabeth hired to distract her from her obsession with her friend's death is the same person working with her to uncover the truth behind it. Because Brianna has questions too. She wants to know why the police killed her young black son, why someone in Elizabeth's neighborhood called the cops on him that day. Who took that first step that stole her child away from her?

and the only way she's ever going to be able to find out is to entwine herself deep into Elizabeth's life where the answers to her questions lie. As the two women hurtle towards an electrifying final showdown and the lines between employer and friend blur, it becomes clear that neither of them is what they first appear. Damn. It's supposed to be like dramatic and heartbreaking. So it might be kind of bleak.

It sounds really sad. It sounds like it's going to be really sad, but I'm really into it. it sounds really good. Yes. Kind of reminds me of something that, like, Celeste Ing would write. Yeah. Like, Little Fires.

Like the dynamic. Yeah, the dynamic and, you know, well, that sounds really good. I added it to my wish list. So when you edit this and you're like, why is Garrett on his phone every time I'm talking about it? Oh, that's okay. I'm not as fancy as you.

So I like just like, have to do things on my phone. But I'm like adding basically everything you've you've talked about tonight to my wish list on Amazon. Yeah. Same. Wow. That sounds incredible.

Incredible. Yeah. Speaking of moms who will do anything for their babies. I have one probably going to have to read during the day because it's like it involves one of my biggest fears. But it's called Night Watching by Tracy Sierra. And let me see here. Okay.

That cover. Amazing, right? Amazing. I think I have it. That is very cool. I think I have it here somewhere. It's a razor-sharp thriller about a mother-for. to the breaking point when her life and the lives of her children are threatened by a home

intruder, home alone with her young children during a blizzard. Mother tucks her son into bed in the middle of the night. Here's a noise and just assume that it's a noise because it's an older house. But the noise sound is disturbingly familiar. It's the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow coming up the stairs. Shrouted in the shadows, she sees the figure of a man appear down the hallway. Terrified, she quietly wakes her children and hustles them into the oldest part of the house, a tiny secret room concealed behind a wall. There they hide as the man searches for them trying to tempt the children out with the promises

and scare the mother into surrender. And the suffocating darkness of mother struggles to remain calm, to plan, to search for any opportunity to find a weapon or escape and get help. But then she catches another glimpse of him. The face, the voice, and at once she knows her situation is even more dire than she feared because she knows exactly who he is and exactly what he wants. So what is your biggest fear? Being stuck in a blizzard and like someone. Home invasion of any kind.

Home invasion. Yes. Home invasion. Like that is why like no matter how long this podcast goes on, like I will constantly remind people of the time that I was reading. Rachel Hasel Hall's book about a stalker and the drunk guy tried to get into my house. Yeah. So not threatening whatsoever. Like I could have like easily kicked his ass and I am not like a tough person whatsoever.

But just like fucking terrifying. Like just terrifying. Yeah. So a home invasion. Especially now that I have a dog. Oh yeah. But yeah. it sounds really creepy and this is the cover.

It's so cool. It's so cool. I love the way they do that. Yeah. And Shari Lipina actually blurbed it on the front. She said it's nightmarish. You won't be able to look away. Reapy.

Reeps. So yeah. It sounds really good, but I think that it's going to creep the shit out of me. I guess it is, I don't know how comforting it is, but maybe it's like because she knows. who it is and what he wants. Like my biggest fear is like not knowing why somebody's in my house. Right, right. But.

Never want someone in your house that you didn't, you know, invite. I don't want people in my house that I do know, let alone what are going to do. Same. Yeah. Oh, boy. Well, we have a year full of exciting debuts. Uh-huh.

Ahead of us. Did you go through all yours? Yeah, I have. Oh, I have an honorable mention. You had extras, yeah. I have one honorable mention because you brought this book to my radar, Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody. Yes.

And it's all I've thought about since we recorded that episode, but I like immediately started following her on Instagram. And she had shared something about her book on her story. And I responded to it and was like, I can't wait to read this. It sounds so good. And she sent me a copy. So like, I have one.

I'm ready to buddy read it with you. But it's also like just like for somebody to be like, oh my God, this sounds so good. Like most people are like, thanks. Like can't like hope you enjoy it. Can't wait to hear what you think or, you know, like whatever. But she was like, if you want a copy, like let me know and I will send you one. So I thought that was like super sweet of her and really cool. So I wanted to mention that I am very excited for.

rabbit hole by Kate Brody, but I did not want to be monotonous. So you guys to check that out. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of like how you can get sucked into Reddit and get obsessed with theories is like the quick refresher. Yeah. And it says it's like something about being like voyeuristic internet sleuthing. Yes. Yep.

Which is like super cool. I think there was a comparison to like my favorite murder and Gillian Flynn and Flea Bag I don't know what Fleabag is Oh it's a TV show It's amazing Just the driest humor ever I actually

Some dry humor Okay well I enjoy that I feel like I have dry humor I just don't watch a lot of things with dry humor Because it's more like British Than American If anybody has Max And you're looking for a new

true crime obsession. There is a, I think it was probably an investigation discovery show, but it's on Max now. It's called Caught in the Net. And it's how detectives use like technology to solve crimes. Yeah. First episode is super sad and very heavy. Like I watched it last night and I was like, they did such a good job with this. And I really want to watch more.

But like for my mental health. I had to watch two episodes of Will and Grace afterwards. That's heavy. But it was so good, and I just highly recommend it for anybody who is looking for some true crime shit to watch. We've got all the recommendations. Oh, my God, I know. I know. And you can watch that show until Saulburn is streaming since Jacob Allorys on naked.