Carter Wilson
Veteran thriller author Carter Wilson has long delivered high-stakes psychological drama, but his 2025 suspense thriller Tell Me What You Did took his career to new heights. Michels has worked with Wilson for nearly a decade and notes that Tell Me What You Did is his sixth book with Sourcebooks, saying, "He's finally getting the recognition he deserves."
A Barnes & Noble Our Monthly Mystery & Thriller Pick, Tell Me What You Did follows a true crime podcaster pulled into a chilling personal mystery and has garnered renewed attention to Wilson's deep backlist with Poisoned Pen Press.
Robert Thorogood
Best known for creating the BBC series Death in Paradise, Thorogood brings television savvy and humor to his Marlow Murder Club novels. Michels notes that Poisoned Pen Press approached Thorogood after Sourcebooks Publisher and CEO Dominique Raccah read about The Marlow Murder Club and mentioned it to Michels. This is an example of how the editorial team at Sourcebooks often looks outside of the traditional agent-to-editor pipeline. "We're going out looking for books, listening to retailers, listening to readers, finding out what people are excited about," Michels says.
The series continues this September with book four, Murder on the Marlow Belle, and follows a group of amateur sleuths in a picturesque English village and has found resonance with readers looking for smart, cozy crime fiction. In 2024, PBS and UKTV released a television adaptation of The Marlow Murder Club, bringing the series to a wider audience.
Darcy Coates
An early example of Poisoned Pen Press's print-only partnerships, Australian horror writer Darcy Coates has captivated fans with atmospheric, character-driven horror stories. Her upcoming thriller, How Bad Things Can Get (August 2025), plunges readers into a deadly influencer retreat on a remote tropical island where dark secrets are exposed, and games turn deadly. With a growing U.S. fanbase and an eye for eerie, emotionally rich horror, Coates continues to expand the boundaries of Poisoned Pen Press's genre reach. Her self-publishing background and loyal digital audience made her a perfect match for Sourcebooks' innovative approach.
J. Penner
The author behind the Adenashire cozy fantasy series, Penner exemplifies the rise of genre fusion. Originally self-published, her books blend whimsy of fantasy with the warmth and familiarity of cozy mysteries. A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic follows a warm-hearted baker navigating magical mishaps and community expectations, and its follow-up, A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons (June 2025), adds a librarian, a mischievous dragon, and the secrets of an enchanted town library.
Poisoned Pen Press's collaboration with Penner signals a strategic move into cozy fantasy, capturing the attention of readers drawn to comfort-driven speculative fiction with emotional resonance.
Johanna van Veen
Van Veen's highly anticipated second novel, Blood on Her Tongue, continues her signature blend of gothic horror and psychological unease. Set in 1887 Netherlands, it follows Lucy as she grapples with the terrifying transformation of her twin sister, Sarah, who becomes fixated on an ancient corpse unearthed on her husband's estate. As Sarah's behavior grows erratic—and ravenous—Lucy must uncover whether madness or something far darker is at play. With another starred review from Publishers Weekly and inclusion on several spring 2025 "Best" lists, van Veen cements her place among the genre's most exciting new voices.
Van Veen says, "I love horror. I always have. Perhaps it's because I was a scared child, terrified of the dark and what might be lurking there. Rationally, I knew vampires, ghosts, and werewolves did not exist, but there was always this little voice asking me but what if they do? In a way, my novels are just me wondering about this 'what if' question on paper. I am beyond grateful to Poisoned Pen Press for bringing those novels to a wider audience."
Katarina Bivald
Todd Stocke, SVP and Editorial Director at Sourcebooks, is quick to point out that author and Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award winner at this year's Edgar® Awards, Katarina Bivald hasn't always written mysteries. "We first published Katarina in 2016, and with a book that was general fiction, not a mystery." Bivald, now considered a house author, has published three novels with Sourcebooks and has two more on the way.
Following Bivald's muse into mystery is her latest, Just Another Dead Author. Set against the scenic backdrop of a writer's conference in the French countryside, the novel follows mystery author Berit Gardner as her relaxing retreat turns into a real-life case when a controversial keynote speaker dies under suspicious circumstances.