And here we go: Stolen in Death is on shelves/ereaders today! Yes, it’s been a wait, but I think this story is worth it.
Plus, there’s a huge surprise (IMO).
Here’s the official description:
A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead—while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry, and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband, Roarke—who misspent his youth in Ireland as a scrappy thief—recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing.
Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father—and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house, and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.
By all accounts, Nathan Barrister was a good man, a generous employer, a devoted husband and father. As for his father—he clearly had secrets. Now it’s up to Eve and her team to find out if those secrets got Nathan killed—and if it was a crime of passion or revenge.
This is the space to discuss all things Stolen in Death. (How did you react to the surprise?)
Please share in the comments — and beware that spoilers are allowed here.
So it’s been a while—apologies! Fall and early winter have been crammed with work, holidays and other personal stuff. Coming up for air now, and all’s well.
First, BW is so much improved, which is huge relief all around. Logan, so willing and able, did so much to help when we needed it. And still shows up whenever we call. I don’t know how we’d have managed without him.
BW continues PT, and is making big strides, literally. That area of life is getting much closer to normal.
Our holidays were fabulous. I carved out a couple of days for our annual holiday girl trip. So much fun, and a whirl of shopping with our friends at Saks. They always make our day there so special for all. A short and lovely break from the madness of holiday prep, plus that precious gift of girl time.
Gorgeous table for a holiday lunch. Photo by Laura
Then we made wreaths! Photo by Laura
A zillion cookies were baked, with loads of help from Kayla, JR, Colt, Logan and Logan’s gorgeous girlfriend, Loren. Much deliciousness enjoyed, with Kat doing heroic work on the clean up!
Mid-December view from Nora’s kitchen.
Then, boom, it’s Christmas, so all those presents bagged or wrapped (while I watched Hallmark Christmas movies) are torn open in a glorious kind of chaos. I love the noise, the happy faces, and the crowded mess of it.
One of my fave gifts is a sweatshirt that says:
Be Kind . . . Of a bitch.
My grandkids know their nana!
We had the whole gang having fun, then sitting down to the three casseroles of lasagna I made, slices of garlic bread from the Italian bread I baked. And no room after for the planned ice cream bar.
The whole gang.
I loved every minute.
During all this, I’m working on next year’s standalone and signing ten million books as orders for The Seven Rings flooded in, along with orders for the In Death cookbook. The TTP staff worked like maniacs through all this. And hey, me, too!
A quiet New Year’s—I made chicken en cocotte—with Jason, Kat and Griffin. Griffin lasted until about ten minutes before the ball drop, then announced Bedtime! But he enjoyed the screening of the first part of Wicked.
We saw this on Broadway years ago, with the original cast. It left such an impression on me. The movie didn’t disappoint.
The very next day I started my full house purge. An exhausting but satisfying annual task. It’s restricted to weekends because I write all week, but I got ‘er done.
My house is organized, clean and shiny. As I purge a room, I clean the room which includes feeding all the wood. We have about 24 wood doors in this house, not to mention shelves, trim, windows, beadboard, wainscoting, furniture. After all, I married a carpenter.
Still working on the first draft of the standalone, and that work will go with me when we take a much deserved week break to Nemocolin with Jason and family and our friends Bill and Nicole. Another annual tradition I very much prize. I’ll work some, hang out some, get a longed-for massage, have time to read—haven’t had much of that—and recharge from the crowded, busy, chaotic, stressful few months.
In the new thing for a new year category, Nora made buttermilk biscuits for the first time.
Hope your holidays were as full of fun, family and friends as mine were, and that the new year brings health and happiness.
As of this writing we have fewer than 70 sleeps until Stolen in Death is in your hands. So, I thought it was time to share an excerpt. *
First, the official description:
A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead—while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry, and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband, Roarke—who misspent his youth in Ireland as a scrappy thief—recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing.
Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father—and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house, and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.
By all accounts, Nathan Barrister was a good man, a generous employer, a devoted husband and father. As for his father—he clearly had secrets. Now it’s up to Eve and her team to find out if those secrets got Nathan killed—and if it was a crime of passion or revenge.
*As always, if you subscribe to Nora’s News you received the excerpt last week. To get in on the early info, go to either http://www.noraroberts.com or http://www.jdrobb.com, scroll to the bottom and sign up.
You can officially talk about The Seven Rings (and the entire trilogy) today!
Sonya, Trey, Cleo and Owen have a huge job ahead of them when The Seven Rings opens. What did you think of the plan and how it played out? What did you think of Clover’s musical accompaniment? What did you think of the end?
This is the safe space to talk about all things related to The Lost Brides Trilogy so if you haven’t read it, be very aware that spoilers are ahead.
Laura
A quick PS: Shared this in the newsletter and on socials. Sorry I forgot to post here:
When creative women are in a haunted space, they create. Last July, we were inspired by the ghosts at The Greenbrier. Nora and I along with Kat (cinematographer) and Sarah (action figure) spent a fun couple hours filming video for The Seven Rings. Nora and I ran up and down the hallway to open and shut doors. Sarah moved as directed. Kat kept the camera steady. And we came up with this.
It pains me a great deal to have to share this, and I cannot apologize enough: less than half of The Seven Ring preorders from Turn the Page will arrive by tomorrow. I know so many people have waited months for The Seven Rings to finish the trilogy. Some have waited years to start the trilogy.
It’s absolutely gutting to disappoint readers like this.
For 30 years, TTP and I have taken great pride in shipping out signed new releases to arrive on publication date. The process takes time, coordination and many evenings signing books after a full work day.
What happened this year? The sheer number of orders for Framed in Death, The In Death Cookbook and The Seven Rings, along with BW undergoing spinal surgery, (he’s recovering nicely) overwhelmed the tightest of plans and put us way behind the curve.
Normally, I sign four tubs of books three times a week, and that works. But it hasn’t been close to enough this fall. Please know, the staff at TTP is doing their very best, and working so hard to fulfill orders. I’ve signed my hand off, but it just hasn’t been enough this time. And I understand this time is so important for the readers who’ve waited so long for the conclusion to The Lost Bride Trilogy.
Until the backlog is cleared, I’ll sign six tubs of books nightly, and TTP will ship them out daily. That has to exclude this Thursday when I’ll sign books at TTP for Girls Night out, and next Thursday when I host 11 for Thanksgiving.
Again, I’m so very sorry that The Seven Rings won’t be in your mailbox tomorrow. It doesn’t lessen the disappointment in any way, but we’ll do everything possible to ship the rest of the books out as quickly as possible.
First, it’s gorgeous. Beautifully put together, quality all the way. The photographs of the food are stunning, and the ones of New York just wonderful. The recipes are smart, creative, and written so well I expect even non-cooks will enjoy trying them. And the snippet from the books Theresa includes with each recipe? Clever and fun.
Those of you who’ve ordered the cookbook from Turn The Page, requesting my signature on the forward, and received it, know exactly what I mean.
Those of you who’ve ordered and haven’t yet received it, let me explain.
TTP received 1,000 pre-orders of the cookbook. That’s a bunch of a lot of books!! Once they received the books, there’s a process. It goes like this.
I sign four tubs of books three times a week. This is the best I can do considering I work all day, get my workout in, deal with dinner. And have a life. So TTP’s hard-working staff processes the orders, loads up the tubs. And my heroic grandson Logan hauls them home to me. The cookbook tubs weigh over 30 pounds. Those books have weight! Plus I have books I’ve written to sign, too.
For the cookbook, because the high-quality paper is also slick, I can’t just sign and tub. I sign, put a sheet of paper in so the ink doesn’t smear, set the book aside to dry, do the next. Repeat. Fifteen cookbooks a tub as they’re weighty.
Then I take the paper out, tub, repeat, repeat. Haul up that 30-plus pounds, haul up another. Good thing I work out!!
Then Logan takes them back when the staff prepares them for shipping. And Logan hauls back another load to me.
This is a time-consuming process. We are more than halfway done, but shortly, I’ll need to start signing orders for The Seven Rings, and that must be my priority. We’re all going to do our best to get those cookbook orders out, and to get The Seven Rings orders processed signed and shipped. But there are also 1,000 orders of The Seven Rings.
We’re all so grateful to the readers, to the customers who patronize Turn The Page. I have to ask for patience and understanding on these two books. I’m human, and have one signing hand. None of us want to disappoint anyone, and we’ll do everything we can to get the books shipped in a timely fashion.
If yours is late, I’m sincerely sorry. Believe me, it’s not for lack of effort.
Turn The Page will get more of the cookbooks in stock after the first of the year, when we’ve all had a little breathing room.* Meanwhile, if you’re anticipating The In Death Cookbook and/or The Seven Rings, I promise you’re we’re working hard on it.
Nora
* Note from Laura — AND after Nora’s signed all the pre-orders for Stolen in Death.
It may be nearing the end of October, but spots in my garden still bloom like July. I’m so grateful for these bright, lush spots of color. Those I’ve had to cut back—the Susies, the purple coneflowers, cardinal flowers and so on did their job beautifully. I look forward to seeing them again next year.
I spent a week in NY with family and friends, and before I left harvested my herbs. Don’t want to leave it too late. The little bit of basil I left for if/when I wanted fresh has grown. I snipped and chopped some last night for a potato dish. Mmm, fresh basil.
The view. Photo by Nora.
Had a great time in the city with gorgeous weather, and much Christmas shopping checked off. We had our annual visit to the Central Park Zoo where the sea lions put on a delightful show. I think Griffin, Jason and I ranked the sea lions and penguins at the top. So much fun. For the first time, no stroller, so the boy walked from the hotel to the zoo. That’s a serious walk, and so’s the walk back.
In the Aviary. Photo by j a-b
Griffin didn’t care much for the Aviary where I had a peacock fly so close, I felt it brush the side of my head. I found that cool, the boy, not so much.
Griffin/Grizzly comparison… Photo by j a-b.
Hit all my sweet spots, ice cream at Seredipity uptown, pizza at Lombardi’s downtown, a show on Broadway. I’d never seen Chicago in the theater, and it sure didn’t disappoint.
Back home again, back to work, and a lot of sorting through purchases to start organizing gifts. As usual this time of year, my One More Room looks like a department store stock room. I’m fine with that.
I also brought home a vicious cold, but finally, that’s over!
After a bit of a dip, the temperature rallied, so I’ve had some working walks in the garden.
A couple weeks ago, when searching for the poop shovel needed when one or both of the dogs decides the pavers will do, I discovered impatiens from last year had decided to somehow grow, thrive in the window well. I don’t know how as there’s no soil in there, but they’re delightful. It must be the year for it, as more have decided to grow at the base of a garden wall.
I find these little surprise treasures.
It won’t be much longer before the first frost comes, but until then I’m going to enjoy.
It’s just over 6 weeks until The Seven Rings is on shelves (release is November 18) so I thought it was time to share the excerpt.
Here’s the official description of the final book in The Lost Brides Trilogy:
Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in that house―a manor that has been cursed for generations.
After Sonya, her boyfriend, Trey, and their friends are forced to hear, see―and feel―the suffering of the house’s many ghosts as their torment is reenacted by the evil presence, their bond only strengthens and their anger is renewed. Refusing to let her spirit be broken, Sonya searches each room for clues to her ancestors’ hidden story, putting the picture together, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. She’s determined to bring light to this haunted place―to fill it with people, with life and hope, once again.
But the enemy in the black dress continues to hover, to come at her in frightening forms. They may be illusions―but illusions can be powerful enough to wound and kill. She feeds on fear, and lies are her weapon. This dark-hearted witch wants to be mistress of Poole Manor, at any cost. And Sonya will need to fight a battle across two realms to finally take possession of the house on the clifftop―and of her own future…
I’m pleased to share the cover reveal video for Nora’s 2026 summer standalone — The Final Target.
What’s it about? Here’s the official description:
A young author becomes the object of a fan’s desire—and rage—in the gripping new thriller by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Nature.
He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.
Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…
An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.
Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden’s purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?
I had a chance to read The Final Target last week. I think you’re going to love it!
US/Canada pre-order links are up now. The international pre-order links will follow in early 2026.
