What is the title of your latest release?
THUNDERBIRD RANCH
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A family reunion in Texas goes sideways when one of the guests turns up murdered. The detective investigating figures out that everyone has a motive, and no one is telling the truth. Think Knives Out on a Texas ranch!
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I grew up spending summers in the Texas Hill Country. It’s rugged and beautiful and I’ve always wanted to write a suspense story in this setting.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Yes! I could really relate to Lilian when she shows up to meet her boyfriend’s family for the first time. It’s so nerve-racking, and the family is not at all what she expects. Lilian starts out as a quiet observer but quickly gets pulled into the action and her grit comes through.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Smart, tenacious, and resourceful.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned all about axe throwing! It’s a sport I had been curious about for a long time.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I’m an edit-as-you-go writer. I like to go back through the last chapter before plunging into the new one.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
While I’m writing, M&Ms.
Describe your writing space/office!
I like to move around! Coffee shops, the reading nook in my house, my kitchen table when I need to spread out with edits.
Who is an author you admire?
I love Tana French, Stephen King, Lucy Foley. Karin Slaughter writes wonderful small-town thrillers where everyone has a secret.
Is there a book that changed your life?
ON WRITING by Stephen King really inspired me to go after my dream.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My agent called me, and I was so shocked and giddy. It didn’t seem real. I don’t think I really absorbed it until I held the book in my hands for the first time.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love a good thriller.
What’s your favorite movie?
So many! I’m a sucker for Toy Story.
What is your favorite season?
Fall.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I love a big family dinner.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I just finished The Beast in Me with Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, two of my favorite actors.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Tex-Mex.
What do you do when you have free time?
Jog on the lake in Austin.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m writing a wilderness thriller set in Colorado. It’s been so much fun! will keep you posted on details.
THUNDERBIRD RANCH by Laura Griffin
When a prominent Texas family’s celebration ends in murder, local law enforcement discovers they are keeping dark secrets in this tense new suspense novel from USA Today bestselling author Laura Griffin.
Cal Truitt is dead, no one knows who killed him, and everyone is a suspect.
Perhaps it’s his bride‑to‑be, ranching heiress Faye McCann, who’s facing a midlife crisis after falling into deep debt and being forced to convert her property into a posh retreat. Or maybe it’s one of her three children—who all despised Cal and were summoned to the ranch by Faye to learn some long‑buried family secrets.
Lilian Lasko is new blood, but she has some secrets of her own. She sees her boyfriend’s family, with their bitter rivalries and resentments, through the eyes of a wary outsider. Lilian is eager to please, but by the night’s end, she’s running through a creek bed, covered in blood.
Only one person knows the truth: the killer.
Detective Kate Graham is determined to unravel the family’s toxic manipulations and lies to reveal Cal Truitt’s murderer. But with a family that hates and loves one another with equal fervor, Kate’s pursuit of justice becomes more complicated and dangerous with each passing hour.
Mystery Cozy | Mystery Woman Sleuth [ Berkley, On Sale: November 10, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593819340 / eISBN: 9780593819357 ]
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About Laura Griffin
Laura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books and novellas. She is a two-time RITA Award winner, as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award. Laura got her start in journalism before venturing into the world of suspense fiction. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages.
Laura lives in Austin, Texas, where she is working on her next novel. Visit her website.
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