The Squid Slayer is out!

2026-01-03 / Subscribe

Happy New Year, everybody! 🎉

I have a conundrum. Every year, on April Fool's Day, I announce that I've written a new book, something so silly that it couldn't possibly be real. (Last year it was Kill Your Sister-In-Law's Acupuncturist. Before that it was a three-volume non-fiction analysis of Sk8er Boi. Before that it was a violent, action-packed sequel to Jane Austen's Emma, entitled Emma 2: Her Emmanence. And so on.) I announce the book, giggling gleefully. Then people believe me, and I feel guilty, so I publicly apologise. That's the tradition, and I love it.

But this year I actually do have a book coming out on April 1st. It's a YA murder mystery called I Know What You're Hiding, and I'm very proud of it. I don't want the release to be overshadowed by one of my stupid pranks. But those stupid pranks are also the highlight of my year. What should I do?

(On top of that, April 1st will also mark the 20-year anniversary of the publication of my debut novel, The Lab, and I should probably do something to mark the occasion. But again, I don't want to distract from I Know What You're Hiding.)

Please write back if you have any advice! And if you'd like to preorder I Know What You're Hiding, you can do that from your favourite bookstore, or from Big Cartel:

Big Cartel

The Squid Slayer is out! 🦑

Sarah is sure that Axe Falls is haunted. But no-one believes her stories about the mysterious lights and noises beneath her houseboat. Searching for proof, she dives into the ocean, only to discover something much more dangerous than a ghost...

A horror novel for age 9+, perfect for fans of Goosebumps. Find it at your favourite bookshop or online!

What I'm reading 📖

I was going to review this book, but I love it so much that I found myself writing poetry about it instead:

Claire North's Touch is 'bout a ghost

Who has a special skill to boast.

She can jump from host to host

And she does so, coast to coast.

When with poison she is dosed

She is captured--well, almost

By hunters who, first and formost,

Wish to see her diagnosed.

As she does things she's not s'posed,

I was wonderf'ly engrossed

So to this book I'll raise a toast

How much fun is Touch? THE MOST.

This is only the second Claire North book I've read (the other, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is one of my all time favourites) but I'm already willing to declare her the queen of the supernatural spy thriller.

Reading her work is painful, because I'd love to someday be as good as she is, but I'm not convinced I'll ever get there. The consolation is that I get to enjoy this amazing story. You should try it, too.