April Showers
A book tour, award nomination, and an anniversary.
Happy Spring!
Buckle up, because there is a lot to share, so I’ll get right to it.
Served Him Right
Wow, thanks, guys! You really knocked it out of the park. What an amazing outing, and still going strong. If you haven’t picked up your copy of SERVED HIM RIGHT, grab one from your favorite bookseller today.
Here are just a few of the exciting highlights since the release last month…
USA Today Instant Bestseller
People Best Book of March
Amazon Editors’ Pick: Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense of March 2026
Woman’s World Best New Mystery Books
Kirkus Earphones Award Winner
GoodReads Spring’s Most Unputdownable Mysteries & Horror Novels
Bookbub Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2026
Readworthy Best Thriller Books of 2026
Hoopla Most Anticipated Read
“Edgy and complex.”
—People, Best New Books
“This highly original, cleverly plotted mystery will keep listeners glued to their earbuds.”
—Kirkus, Earphones Award Winner
“Lisa Unger understands perfectly how to craft an irresistible thriller...she masterfully builds a multigenerational tale of herb lore, suspense, and female rage. Served Him Right had us completely under its spell.”
—Apple Books
“Revenge is said to be best served cold, but in Unger’s engrossing supernatural-esque thriller Served Him Right, payback is ladled out red-hot, no holds barred, with no mercy.”
—Sun Sentinel
“Irresistible thriller... And that wild but satisfying ending? Chef’s kiss”
—Tampa Bay Times, Colette Bancroft
“Nobody writes psychological thrillers better than Lisa Unger and the reasons why are all on display in her latest deviously dark tale Served Him Right, which finds Unger at her twisty-turny best.”
—BookTrib, Jon Land
“Lisa Unger has done it again. This is another thrilling thriller that only she can write. This is one you will not want to put down.”
—Red Carpet Crash
Buy Now
Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Bookshop
Post Your Review
After you’ve read SERVED HIM RIGHT, please post your review and let your friends know if you love it. There’s nothing nicer you can do for an author than to spread the word. Thank you!
Ana’s Angry Breakup Playlist
If you’re heart-broken, filled with rage over your disappointing ex and his bad behavior, here’s a music playlist to see you through. I loved putting this together for LargeHeartedBoy. Read more and listen
New York Times Article
Thriller writers love chaos. (Or maybe that’s just me.) And nothing offers more fearsome unpredictability than a raging storm. It’s a classic theme in literature: man (person!) vs nature. In the real world when the skies open, the best we can hope for is survival. In fiction, extreme weather asks our characters to rely on their wits, their inner reserves of strength, and their creativity to make it through the night.
For this New York Times article, I explored some of my favorite dark and stormy stories by some of my favorite writers. Read it now
Book Tour
The book tour for SERVED HIM RIGHT was an absolutely dream outing, characterized by packed events, reader pals lining up, amazingly kind booksellers and librarians, fabulous author pals, tattoos, and a puppy. I’ll have to hand it to my friend Debbie Kelley for the best ever book group gathering featuring an actual police officer showing up at the door (IFKYK), handmade protection effigies, a gathering of brilliant readers and so many flowers. I was blown away. All authors know that book tour has its crazy ups and downs. But this one was all joy.
Hamptons WhoDunit
Omg! I am so excited for this. What a thrilling weekend with author pals and readers in stunning East Hampton. I’m thrilled to be featured along with other guest of honors Jack Carr and Attica Locke, as well founder Alafair Burke, pals Gregg Hurwitz and Kate White, and other amazing writers. Big thanks to the wonderful Abby Dunn (nee Endler) for inviting me and for arranging everything. I can’t wait to attend next week.
The Kill Clause - Edgar Awards & The Best American Mystery Stories of the Year!
My Christmas short story The Kill Clause is nominated for a 2026 Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Short Story. AND it will be anthologized in THE BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR, edited by the legendary Tess Gerritsen and Otto Penzler. We write alone. And we’re never quite sure how the work will be received. I am honored and humbled by these acknowledgements.
Beautiful Lies 20th Anniversary
On April 18th, Beautiful Lies will turn twenty! Holy cow. How is this even possible? When it first published my daughter Ocean was four months old. We embarked as a family on a two-week book tour — yes, that’s right I went on the road with a nursing infant. (Read about book travels with my daughter here.) This book, after four published under my maiden name, was my first New York Times and international bestseller. (This after being rejected by my publisher at the time, forcing me to find a new one for this release.) It was 2006, before social media, before smart phones, when ebooks were still a fractional part of overall sales. Goodreads did not exist. Amazon was pretty new to the business. Simply put, it was a different time. And this book still remains one of the top sellers of my career.
Buy Now
Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Bookshop
What I’m working on:
Oooh, I have lots to share here in spite of being on the road for the last couple of weeks. But Substack is already telling me that this newsletter is too long. The nerve! So, stay tuned for next time when I’ll have lots of news about what I’m writing, and some exciting projects coming up this year, including an exciting collection of my short fiction and a new story.
What I’m reading and watching:
Just a quickie here, too. SOMETHING VERY BAD IS GOING HAPPEN, on Netflix, was completely bonkers. Also, in the darkly funny and weird category COLD STORAGE, and GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, AND DON’T DIE (both wherever you rent for a stupidly high price because you convince yourself it’s cheaper than going to the movies). If you enjoy sitting on your couch, thinking: What did I just watch? — these are for you. In books, STAY BURIED by Jennifer McMahon (coming in August) was riveting folk horror. ANTIHERO by Gregg Hurwitz was a stellar installment to one of my favorite series. And Mary Kubica’s IT’S NOT HER was dark and twisty.
Thanks, my wonderful readers, for making the release of my 23rd novel an absolute blast. I’m so grateful that you continue to let my stories into your hearts and minds. The truth is that I couldn’t do this without you. Happy reading!
I am so happy for you. You are so deserving. Thank you.
LISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just finished Served Him Right and LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So good!!!!!!!!!!!! Any story that mentions The Hallows is gonna be a favorite of mine. I missed you in St. Charles, MO unfortunately but did get my signed copy of the book which is so amazing to have. Thank you for that!!!!!!!!!! It's crazy to think Beautiful Lies is 20 years old. WOW!!!!!! It just doesn't seem like that long ago I discovered you at the library. Crazy how time just flies by.
So a question I had that I was gonna try to ask at the book event I had to miss is are we ever going to get another book that takes place in The Hollows?
You rock and thanks for all the wonderful books you have given us over the years!!!!!!!!!!!