What is the title of your latest release?
THE UNDERCOVER BOOKSHOP
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
During the winter of 1950 in the small Cotswold village of Great Rollright, amateur sleuth Gemma Brown starts to suspect that her friend and the town’s best baker, Ursula Beurton, is a Soviet spy — tumbling Gemma headlong into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that ends with a decision that not only leads her to The Undercover Bookshop but changes her life forever.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The village was set because it’s where the real-life spy who the novel is based on lived (Ursula Kuczynski Beurton, aka Agent Sonya). It was so freeing in many ways to have those real touchpoints and the timeline of the historical events as a framework for the story.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
I would. Oftentimes, authors comment that we would hang out with our characters after the story is finished, as characters undergo such wonderful changes. But there is an eagerness for life and an innocence that makes Gemma appealing from the first page.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Loyal, observant, hopeful.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
So much! To be honest, I think I learned to trust my instincts the most during the writing process. Originally the book was a split-time story and three months before I handed it in, I finally pulled out the contemporary storyline and trusted my gut that it was truly Gemma and Ursula’s story — exclusively.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Such a good question… A little of both. I never edit on my first pass through a chapter, but after several chapters (or maybe even one or two) I’ll go back and edit so that the foundation they provide will be stronger as I build out the story’s next section.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Dark chocolate. I’ve developed a bit of an addiction to Hu’s Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut bars. One square after lunch and I’m ready to get back to work — okay, maybe two squares!
Describe your writing space/office!
My office is about 10’ x 10’ – it’s not a large space. Wood paneled. Bookshelves. A long desk. An antique architecture desk to my right to hold books. And a wonderful little armchair to my left. I love everything about this cozy room.
Who is an author you admire?
How to choose — and so many I admire for different things. I admire Ariel Lawson’s prose and story construction. I admire Kate Quinn’s pacing — and she’s incredibly kind. I admire … This list really could get very long.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Again, how can one choose? It sounds so pedestrian to say, but PRIDE AND PREJUDICE comes to mind. I read it for the first time in seventh grade and have never lost my fascination with it. Not merely the story, but the wit, the construction, the arc, the scope (all the world playing out in a drawing room)… While it may have inspired me to become a writer, it certainly inspired me to become a better reader.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published).
I was at home after just having pitched my book to several houses at a conference with my agent. It was beyond exciting and I’m still shocked that it happened at all. The poor man had to keep repeating that it was real — and that I needed to get started on the next book.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I jump around a lot. In researching this book, I spent a full year in classic British mysteries. That was so much fun. Now I’m catching up on all the NYT bestsellers I missed during that time — that’s a lot of fun too.
What’s your favorite movie?
Such a tough question. I often return to Hundred Foot Journey, The Holiday, National Treasure, Leap Year… None of those are masterpieces per-say, but I always enjoy them and am delighted when I stumble upon them.
What is your favorite season?
I adore Fall. I love the changing colors, smells, the wool sweaters, and the beginning chill.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I’m fairly low-key about my birthday. If someone can dig up a gluten-free and dairy-free cake, that’s the pinnacle.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
If you’ve got BritBox, I highly recommend Blue Lights. It’s a police procedural that takes place in present-day Belfast and it’s amazing. I’m anxiously awaiting the next season.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I love Moroccan — all those spices, flavors, slow cooking. Yum!!!
What do you do when you have free time?
Living in Montana, I tend to go fly fishing or hiking when I’ve got a good stretch of free time. I also have four dogs (I know, that’s a lot) and they always want to go for a good long walk.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on a new story right now. It’s got an element of magical realism to it, which is new for me, and I am incredibly excited about it. I’ll have more to share on it soon — once I get a handle on where it’s truly going.
THE UNDERCOVER BOOKSHOP by Katherine Reay
During the winter of 1950 in the small Cotswold village of Great Rollright, amateur sleuth Gemma Brown starts to suspect that the town’s best baker, Ursula Beurton, is a Soviet spy, tumbling her headlong into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that ends with a decision that will lead her to the Undercover Bookshop and change her life forever.
Recently moved to the English Cotswolds, Gemma Brown desperately wants to create the kind of idyllic life she’s read about in her favorite mystery novels, with herself as the leading lady. But fitting in proves difficult as Gemma is more adept at solving mysteries and setting up the village’s first bookstore than she is at baking cakes or grasping social niceties. Nevertheless, she finds a friend in Peggy, a young woman recently moved to town herself, and Ursula Beurton, who is not only the village’s best baker but an enigmatic figure who sparks controversy in the small-town gossip network.
As Gemma spends more time with Ursula, she begins to suspect all those novels are affecting her thinking. The oddities she starts to notice must be her imagination because, if not, they point to something far more dangerous than winning the local baking contest or being placed on the church committee. Could her neighbor be a real spy?
Following her instincts and a few skills learned through fiction, Gemma soon becomes embroiled in an international intrigue involving the village’s mysterious benefactor, Lady Marchmont, MI5, and the KGB. In an unexpected twist, however, Ursula asks Gemma for a favor which may endanger all their lives as their next chapter unfolds in Gemma’s new venture, the Undercover Bookshop.
Women’s Fiction Historical | Fiction Literary [ Harper Muse, On Sale: October 6, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781400352579 / eISBN: 9781400352586 ]
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About Katherine Reay
Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author who has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books. She publishes both fiction and nonfiction, holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois, with her husband and three children.
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