After two long years, the secret is finally out! I WROTE A MURDER MYSTERY!

This was a brand-new genre for me (and my first novel for adults since 2009!). It started out as just an experiment. To see if I could write a mystery novel. What resulted was probably the most enjoyable two years of my writing career. I had SO much fun writing and revising this novel and now I’m absolutely beyond thrilled to announce that it’s found a home at my dream imprint and publisher: Bantam Dell/Random House!

The book is set to be published in Fall 2026! If you want to learn more, below is the short pitch my agent used to submit the book to publishers.

The Pitch:

If you want to write a murder, you have to set it in the right location—like an old, converted monastery with an ominous past, hidden deep in the mountains. Then, you have to invite the right people—like a group of mystery writers attending a prestigious mystery-writing conference. Of course, someone should not be invited but show up anyway—like the disgraced literary agent accused of stealing from his top client. Everyone in the story must be hiding something so they can all become suspects when someone ends up dead. That’s when they’ll turn on each other, digging into the past to uncover dark truths—like an obsessive fan with a deadly secret, a book canceled on the eve of publication, and two million dollars in missing royalties. But don’t forget to trap everyone there—a landslide should do the trick—so they can’t escape when more people turn up dead…

Welcome to the perfect murder. Nothing will go wrong. Because if anyone can get away with murder, it’s a writer.

HOW TO WRITE A MURDER is Jessica Brody’s debut mystery and first adult novel since the success of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. This humorous, metafictional twist on the classic murder mystery blurs the line between author, character, and reader, resulting in a gripping read that both exposes and celebrates the power of storytelling. Combining the intrigue and atmosphere of The Guest List with the wit and charm of The Thursday Murder Club, this twisty, locked-room puzzle culminates in an ending you won’t see coming.

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I can’t wait to share this novel with the world. It really has been my passion project for the past two years and I can’t believe it will soon be in the hands of readers!

 

 

The post Announcing HOW TO WRITE A MURDER (a novel) – Coming Fall 2026! appeared first on Jessica Brody.