Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the work of Maggie Smith, author of "compelling and savvy" page-turners that feature ordinary women facing extraordinary challenges.
"Impressively original, inherently engaging, fully entertaining, and truly memorable." ~Midwest Book Review on Truth and Other Lies
Blindspot
New release: May 21, 2024Genres: Suspense Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Legal Thriller
4.7 stars, 94 ratings on Goodreads
Paperback: From $17.62
Ebook: $4.99
An ambitious district attorney. An enemy she can’t see. A daughter at risk.
Rachel Matthews is used to stress—from the cutthroat world of the district attorney’s office to her escalating clashes with her teenage daughter. So when a stranger sends a lavish bouquet with a macabre message and leaves a disturbing video on her doorstep, she’s quick to act. Teaming up with an old classmate turned private investigator, Rachel wades through old case files, searching for someone harboring a grudge against her.
But before she has time to pinpoint a suspect, her stalker issues a demand—he wants money, lots of it, or he’ll hurt her daughter. In a dangerous gamble, Rachel agrees to meet her stalker on an isolated beach, only to find herself fleeing from a shocking crime scene. Can she solve the puzzle of who wants to destroy her before she loses her family, her career, and her freedom?
Fans of Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent will enjoy this taut tale of an ambitious prosecutor trying to save herself and her family from the revenge of a sadistic stalker, right up to novel's surprising climax.
Praise for Blindspot
"A smart, twisty cat-and-mouse revenge tale." ~Robert Dugoni, author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series
"A clever, authentic crime novel." ~Libby Fischer Hellmann, author of The Ellie Foreman Mystery Series
"An often-crafty whodunit laced with traditional elements of mystery and suspense." ~Kirkus Reviews
Truth and Other Lies
Genres: Women's Literary Fiction, Contemporary Literary FictionWinner: National Indie Excellence Juror's Grand Prize Award
Paperback: From $17.66
Ebook: $4.99 (Free via Kindle Unlimited)
Three women. Two secrets. One lie.
Megan Barnes' life is in free fall. After losing her boyfriend and her job as a reporter in the same day, she retreats to Chicago and moves in with Helen, her over-protective mother. Before long, the two are clashing over everything from pro-choice to #MeToo, not to mention Helen's run for U.S. Congress, which puts Megan's career on hold until after the election.
Desperate to reboot her life, Megan gets her chance when an altercation at a campus rally brings her face-to-face with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jocelyn Jones, who offers her a job on her PR team where Megan is pulled into the heady world of fame and glamour her charismatic new mentor represents.
Then an anonymous tweet brings it all crashing down. To salvage Jocelyn's reputation, Megan must locate the online troll and expose the lies. But when the trail leads to blackmail and circles back to her own mother, Megan realizes if she pulls any harder on this thread, what should have been the scoop of her career could unravel into a tabloid nightmare.
Readers who love Jodi Picoult's topical plot twists and Liane Moriarty's character-driven novels will devour this fast-paced tale of three women whose lives converge as one fights a devastating accusation, another campaigns for a contested seat in Congress, and a young reporter with ties to both navigates the tricky line between secrets and lies.
Praise for Truth and Other Lies
Winner, 2022 National Indie Excellence Juror's Grand Prize
Winner, 2022 American Writing Awards Best Debut Fiction
1st Place, 2022 Pencraft Awards for Literary Excellence
"Twisty, timely, and rivetingly thought-provoking." ~Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of Her Perfect Life
"A sharp exploration of the complex relationships between women...mothers and daughters, mentors and protégés, best friends and frenemies." ~Karen Karbo, author of In Praise of Difficult Women
"An engaging and topical tale of politics and journalistic ethics with a feminist slant." ~Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Maggie Smith was a psychologist and CEO of a national art consulting company before turning her attention to writing. She is host of the podcast "Hear Us Roar" for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, which is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, IHeartRadio, and Amazon Music; a regular blogger for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers; and a board member of the Chicago Writer’s Association, where she also serves as Managing Editor of the Write City Magazine online literary publication. Maggie makes her home in Milwaukee with her husband, Scott, and her aging but adorable dog, Colt. Learn more at maggiesmithwriter.com, sign up for her newsletter (and get a free short story as a "thank you"), and be sure to follow her online:
