USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Kaira Rouda has written more than twenty novels beloved by readers and acclaimed by critics, who’ve called her books “chilling, satisfying suspense” (Good Housekeeping) and “delightfully wicked fun” (Kirkus Reviews) that are “destined to fly off the shelves” (Library Journal). She’s distinguished herself in the popular genre of psychological suspense by constructing seemingly perfect lives and then tearing down facades to reveal the inner, often grim truths of her characters. At the same time, Kaira’s razor-sharp wit and wicked sense of humor shine through to counterbalance the darkness. Simply put, Kaira Rouda has great fun skewering the badly behaved in her fiction.

Rouda’s latest thriller, Jill Is Not Happy, which Scarlet/Penzler Publishers will publish in hardcover and paperback on June 10, 2025, promises to shock, surprise and satisfy with its unflinching depiction of a longtime married couple at war and just how far they’ll go to outwit and outplay each other. From the outside, Jill Tingley has it all. She’s married to her college sweetheart Jack and they’re living the dream in Southern California. Wealthy, popular and genetically blessed, theirs seems to be an enviable life, though they’ve grown distant in recent years. Newly empty nesting with their daughter Maggie away at college, Jill suggests a road trip to reconnect. But the ugly truth is that Jack would rather do anything else than drive to Utah with his wife. He’s only stayed in this marriage because of a terrible secret from their past that has bound them together all these years. Finally, Jack is finished with the charade of his marriage and plans to file for divorce as soon as they return, no matter the consequences. As it turns out, their shared dark history is only the tip of the iceberg Jill has been hiding. And so begins a cat-and-mouse game as a cunning wife—think Ripley in yoga pants—and a reluctant husband match wits and send each other to the edge—literally. All along, Jill tells herself that everything will be fine. She still loves Jack and knows they’re meant to be. She’ll do anything to keep him, just as she always has. The author herself has been happily married to her husband for more than 30 years, but a recent road trip from Southern California to Utah with him caused her to wonder, “What would it be like to take this same drive with your partner, when you’re feeling more than a little unhinged and desperately at odds with him? And what if all the secrets you’ve worked so hard to keep buried became exposed?”

Kaira Rouda is an award–winning USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author of contemporary fiction that explores what goes on beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Her novels of domestic suspense include The Widow, Somebody’s Home, The Next Wife, The Favorite Daughter, Best Day Ever, All the Difference, Beneath the Surface (optioned for a feature film), Under the Palms, The Next Mrs. Strom, and Only the Nanny (November 2024). To date, Kaira’s work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Three of her novels have been named Amazon Editor’s Picks for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. The Next Wife was one of Suspense magazine’s Best Books of 2021 and won a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense Novel. It was also a 2022 Silver Falchion first runner-up for Best Book of the Year. Kaira is a leader and active proponent in the mystery and thriller writing community as a co-founder and co-host of the Killer Author Club, a live online show supporting authors. She’s also a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Author Association, and the International Thriller Writers Association. She served as a committee chair for the Edgar Awards 2024 and frequently appears on panels at conferences across the country. Active in the areas of homelessness, food security, and empowering women and girls, in her twenties, as a volunteer, she created the first walk-in emergency shelter for homeless families in Central Ohio. Kaira has received numerous awards for her community service, including the national Kiwanis Service to Mankind Award, the Ohio Sertoma Service to Mankind Award, and Kick Ass Woman of Orange County by Orange Coast Magazine. Kaira was honored to be appointed by Governor Gavin Newsome to the California Volunteers commission. Kaira Rouda lives in Southern California with her family.

Author Heather Gudenkauf will join the author in conversation.  She is the Edgar Award nominated, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of ten novels. Her debut novel, The Weight of Silence, was an instant NYT bestseller and remained on the list for 22 weeks. Gudenkauf’s critically acclaimed novels have been published in over 20 countries and have been included in many Best Of lists including Seven Thrillers to Read This Summer by the New York Times, The 10 Best Thrillers and Mysteries of 2017 by The Washington Post, Amazon Best Book of 2022, GoodReads Most Anticipated Mysteries of 2022. Her tenth novel, Everyone is Watching, was released on March 26, 2024.