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Jess Lourey

Goodreads Author


Born
in Tacoma, WA, The United States
Website

Genre
Mystery & Thrillers, Young Adult, Horror

Member Since
August 2016

URL


My name is Jess Lourey, and I write about secrets.

The story of my first published novel is both devastating and transformative, something I speak about in my TEDx Talk (https://youtu.be/a5vSLh3oPXI). I've come a long way since then. I'm proud to call myself a bestselling, twice Edgar-nominated, and twice Goodreads Readers Choice Awards shortlisted author who has won the ITW Thriller, Minnesota Book, and Anthony Awards. I write crime fiction, young adult, nonfiction, children's books, and book club fiction.

I've reached over a million readers since 2020. I'm also a former writing and sociology professor who still loves to teach transformative creative writing workshops built around my Rewrite Your Life method.

I live in Minneapolis with a rot ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Can I look forward to more books in the Steinbeck and Reed series? I'm loving it
Jess Lourey Thank you! "Catch Her in a Lie" is the short story that started off this series and it came out last year. THE REAPING is the follow-up to THE TAKEN O…moreThank you! "Catch Her in a Lie" is the short story that started off this series and it came out last year. THE REAPING is the follow-up to THE TAKEN ONES and comes out September 2024, and I'm right now editing the third in the series, tentatively titled THE LAUGHING DEAD.(less)
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You're a truly gifted writer and Unspeakable Things is by far the best thing I've read this year, but how did you go about getting published and making sure people could find your work in such a saturated marketplace? (You don't appear to have the huge corporate publicity team that accompanies so many thriller writers.)
Jess Lourey Thank you for your kind words about Unspeakable Things, Benjamin! My publisher, Thomas & Mercer, has an incredibly effective marketing team, and they …moreThank you for your kind words about Unspeakable Things, Benjamin! My publisher, Thomas & Mercer, has an incredibly effective marketing team, and they worked hard to get Unspeakable Things in front of readers. They also have an amazing editing team, which meant that the book was the best it could be once it got in reader's hands. Honestly, though? I think part of it is luck/timing. Unspeakable Things is my 19th book, so for sure not my first rodeo, but I think it landed at a time people were particularly interested in true crime, nostalgia, and healing childhood wounds.(less)
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See all 22 answers from Jess Lourey…

Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.94 · 394,369 ratings · 27,307 reviews · 49 distinct works • Similar authors
The Quarry Girls
4.01 avg rating — 135,913 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions
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Unspeakable Things
3.77 avg rating — 95,131 ratings — published 2020 — 19 editions
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The Taken Ones (Steinbeck a...
4.19 avg rating — 35,598 ratings — published 2023 — 12 editions
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Bloodline
3.88 avg rating — 34,349 ratings — published 2021 — 9 editions
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The Reaping (Steinbeck and ...
4.06 avg rating — 15,720 ratings — published 2024 — 9 editions
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Litani
3.95 avg rating — 10,593 ratings — published 2021 — 6 editions
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The Laughing Dead (Steinbec...
4.37 avg rating — 8,754 ratings — published 2025 — 3 editions
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May Day (Murder by Month Ro...
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3.54 avg rating — 9,135 ratings — published 2006 — 14 editions
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Catch Her in a Lie (Steinbe...
3.69 avg rating — 7,426 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions
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June Bug (Murder by Month, #2)
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3.81 avg rating — 4,273 ratings — published 2007 — 15 editions
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More books by Jess Lourey…

49 posts
Jess Lourey's Blog

THE CRYING KILLER

It was purely by accident that I started writing true-crime-inspired thrillers. The year was 2016, and the man who'd terrorized boys in my hometown in the 80s—culminating in the murder of Jacob Wetterling—had finally been caught.

I needed an outlet for the terrible memories (both at home and in the community) that that arrest resurfaced. Unspeakable Things, my first bestseller, was born.

I did som

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Published on August 02, 2026 17:00
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Series by Jess Lourey

May Day June Bug Knee High by the Fourth of ... August Moon: Humor and Hijinks September Mourn October Fest November Hunt
(13 books)
by
3.89 avg rating — 40,990 ratings

Salem's Cipher Mercy's Chase
(2 books)
by
4.02 avg rating — 5,126 ratings

The Blackthorn Women
(1 book)
by
3.94 avg rating — 2,057 ratings

The Verdant Cage
(2 books)
by
3.81 avg rating — 1,322 ratings

The Toadhouse Trilogy
(1 book)
by
3.83 avg rating — 90 ratings

More series by Jess Lourey…

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Jess is Currently Reading

Witchcraft for Wa...
Jess Lourey is currently reading
by Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
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Sep 25, 2025 03:46PM
The Guilty Dead
Jess Lourey is currently reading
by P.J. Tracy (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
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Mar 25, 2022 06:42PM
The Apprentice
Jess Lourey is currently reading
by Tess Gerritsen (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
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Mar 22, 2022 09:47AM

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Jess’s Recent Updates

Jess Lourey wrote a new blog post

THE CRYING KILLER

It was purely by accident that I started writing true-crime-inspired thrillers. The year was 2016, and the man who'd terrorized boys in my hometown in Read more of this blog post »
Aug 04, 2026 06:09AM  · 5 likes · 
Jess Lourey answered Carly's question:
I just saw a comment that said Verdant Cage was book 1 in a trilogy, not a standalone. Is this true? Im reading it regardless, I just wanted to see if that was true, cuz if so, it belongs on a different page of my spreadsheet lol
Jess Lourey
Move that baby over to a different page, Carly, because THE VERDANT CAGE *is* book one The Verdant Series. :) Book two is called THE VIOLET MAZE, and should go up for preorder any day now.
Mar 21, 2026 05:18AM  · 5 likes · 
Jess Lourey is currently reading
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
by Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author)
Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Horror
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Sep 25, 2025 03:46PM  · 12 likes ·   ·  preview book
Jess Lourey has read
The Laughing Dead by Jess Lourey
The Laughing Dead (Steinbeck and Reed, #3)
by Jess Lourey (Goodreads Author)
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Aug 04, 2025 05:56PM  · 29 likes ·   ·  preview book
Jess Lourey rated a book it was amazing
The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall
The Last One (Vallendor, #1)
by Rachel Howzell Hall (Goodreads Author)
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Dec 03, 2024 10:12AM  · 18 likes ·   ·  preview book
More of Jess's books…
Quotes by Jess Lourey  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“You’ll recognize those men, the ones inclined to their dark side, because they’ll expect you to carry their load. They’ll smother your anger with their pain, they’ll make you doubt yourself, and they’ll tell you they love you the whole time. Some do it big, like Ed, but most do it in quiet steps, like your father.”
― Jess Lourey, The Quarry Girls
13 likes
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“And once I opened up all that real estate where before I’d been holding anger and regret, I found a lot of things were simpler than I’d made them.”
― Jess Lourey, January Thaw
12 likes
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“Men in packs can do terrible things, things they wouldn’t have the hate to do alone. It’s no excuse, just something you should know.”
― Jess Lourey, The Quarry Girls
9 likes
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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Cover to Cover Ch...: August readathon: Progress and minichallenges 157 98 Aug 17, 2011 08:28AM  
The Seasonal Read...: * Summer Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS) 2614 901 Aug 31, 2011 09:18PM  
Cover to Cover Ch...: Shay's Less is More Challenge 2011 43 117 Dec 23, 2011 02:30PM  
Nothing But Readi...: Level 3 of the Serious Readers Challenge for 2011 167 291 Jan 01, 2012 08:27PM  

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Jess’s Friend Comments

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message 1: by Nora-adrienne
Aug 19, 2016 09:51AM

Nora-adrienne Feel free to troll my friends and followers list for your friends and readers.


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