Freida McFadden
A self-publishing phenom and practicing physician, McFadden found a publishing home at Poisoned Pen Press that matched her pace and vision. Known for her signature blend of twisty suspense and relatable protagonists, McFadden writes psychological thrillers that keep readers guessing—and coming back for more.
Before joining Poisoned Pen Press, McFadden had already built an enormous following through self-publishing, with millions of readers and multiple viral titles. What made her partnership with Sourcebooks unique was its flexibility. Assistant Editorial Director Jenna Jankowski, McFadden's editor at Poisoned Pen Press, brought forward the vision to take on her backlist and publish her frontlist at a fast pace, while allowing her to continue doing the things the way it's worked for her. "Clearly [McFadden] was doing something right because she already had millions of readers at that point," Michels says.
Her latest, The Tenant (May 2025), centers on a marketing VP whose life begins to unravel after he rents a room in his brownstone to a mysterious woman. As paranoia, dread, and buried secrets rise to the surface, the novel plays with themes of trust and isolation—hallmarks of McFadden's style.
McFadden's books dominate bestseller lists and prove that genre thrillers can be wildly commercial while offering sticky, unputdownable reading experiences—compelling, suspenseful stories that burrow into readers' minds and refuse to let go.
Joshua Moehling
Moehling's writing has drawn comparisons to Louise Penny and William Kent Krueger. His nuanced portrayal of community, personal trauma, and quiet heroism within his Ben Packard series, set in a small Minnesota town and featuring a gay police detective, resonates with a wide audience of readers. Marketing Manager for the Retail Marketing Department Tiffany Schultz notes that Moehling's storytelling, while grounded in the Midwest, has national appeal thanks to relatable characters and emotional depth.
Moehling wasn't sure how his debut would be received. "I had no faith that anyone would be interested in a book about a gay cop from Minnesota when I started writing And There He Kept Her," he says. "Many authors have centered queer main characters in the mystery/crime genre, but I hadn't seen a lot that featured a gay man working in law enforcement in a rural setting. It was an idea that intrigued me. I found an agent and we met with the biggest publishers who told me they loved the book but didn't know what to do with it. Poisoned Pen Press knew exactly what to do with it, which was to treat it like any other thriller and help it find an audience. And it has! Every goal I had for my writing career has already been surpassed thanks to the amazing team at Poisoned Pen Press. I couldn't ask for a better publisher."
From And There He Kept Her (2022) to A Long Time Gone (2025), Moehling has steadily built a loyal fanbase and garnered acclaim as a USA Today bestseller and a two-time Lammy Award nominee.
Sulari Gentill
An established Poisoned Pen Press author from Australia, Gentill rose to the top of her career with The Woman in the Library (2022), a critically acclaimed metafictional mystery that captivated readers and critics alike. Her strength lies in intricate, layered storytelling that plays with different narrative forms. With her upcoming Five Found Dead (August 2025), Gentill brings her signature brilliance to the Orient Express, weaving a suspenseful homage to Agatha Christie with sharp modern insight. The winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award at the 2025 Edgar® Awards, Gentill stands as a literary force redefining crime fiction.
Todd Stocke, SVP and Editorial Director at Sourcebooks, notes, "Sulari joined us with our acquisition of Poisoned Pen Press, and we have a whopping 17 books with her, including these remarkable recent pivots into bookish mysteries. We are lucky to have found ourselves such an amazing author partner."