Reveal time!
Please judge this book by its cover
In lieu of a column this month, I’m excited to share the cover for my forthcoming novel, Murder Like Magic! It’s due out on August 25, 2026, from Crooked Lane Books, with a cover design by the talented Michel Vrana.
What’s it about, you ask? Mostly murder. And a little bit of magic. And a lot of sarcasm, of course. To be more specific:
Mill City has seen its share of homicides. This one, though, has even the most seasoned detectives scratching their heads. At first glance, the crime seems simple enough: The victim was found with an injury to the back of the head, lying face-down in a pool of blood. The hitch? It’s someone else’s blood.
Enter Tess Tulley. The cops call her a “psychic,” and she doesn’t argue—why debate semantics when the truth is even weirder? As Tess starts to dig beneath the city’s seedy surface, she finds no shortage of suspects with motive, means, and mettle. From the ComicCon nerd with a handcrafted murder weapon to the philandering lesbian wife, the angry music student, and the foul-mouthed young mom, everyone seems to have something to hide.
Luckily, Tess has a few witchy tricks up her sleeve to help her sort through the confusion. Not so luckily, she also has a dwindling bank account, a town full of enemies, and the sudden, unexpected arrival of a helpless kitten to contend with. No matter. If Tess wants to crack this case and get Mill City Investigations, LLC, off the ground, she’s going to have to depend on herself. Because no one else—not even her own kind—wants her to succeed.
And now, without further ado… Drumroll, please… and just click play:
Preorders are available now, if you’re so inclined! Believe it or not, preorders help authors tremendously because they signal to bookstores that the book might be popular, which encourages them to make copies available in-store.
As it turns out, Barnes & Noble is having a special 25% off preorder sale through Thursday, March 26! Just follow this link and use the code PREORDER25. The deal is only available for B&N Rewards and Premium Members, but sign-up is free.
Murder Like Magic at Barnes & Noble
In other news, I have some exciting events coming up and would love to see you there! On Wednesday, April 15, I’ll be with Marcy McCreary and Newtonville Books at “Noir at the Bar” at Baramor in Newton for a great event to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Marcy is an author whose husband, Lew, is also an author and lives with Alzheimer’s disease. The event will include readings, book signings, raffle prizes, and lots of Alzheimer’s info and support materials. I’ll be reading an excerpt from Murder Like Magic, if stage fright doesn’t get the best of me!
Here’s the link for the tickets (free, with donation suggested):
Noir at the Bar Event Free Tickets
If you can’t make the event but you’d still like to help, here’s the link:
Noir at the Bar Fundraising Page
And on April 4, I’ll be on a panel at the inaugural Emerging Writers Summit at Northeastern University. If you know any writers who might benefit from networking, workshops, keynote, and Q&A discussions, here’s the link to sign up:
Emerging Writers Summit at Northeastern
Thanks for spreading the word about the book and the events. As always, I feel immensely grateful to have you all in my life!!
Trisha Blanchet is the author of the forthcoming Murder Like Magic (Crooked Lane, August 2026) and The Neath Trilogy: Herrick’s End, Herrick’s Lie, and Herrick’s Key. She’s also the host of A Mighty Blaze Podcast and the founder of Operation Delta Dog: Service Dogs for Veterans.