Julia Bartz is a Brooklyn-based writer and practicing therapist. Her fiction writing has appeared in The South Dakota Review, InDigest Magazine, and more. The Writing Retreat is her first novel. Follow her on Twitter @JuliaBartz and Instagram at @JuliaBartz.
Marion (2026) Leah Rowan "Disturbing, fierce, and unputdownable, Marion is a brilliant, feminist twist on one of the most well-known thrillers of our time. An intense, spine-tingling tale."
This Book Will Bury Me (2025) Ashley Winstead "A twisty and tantalizing tale about the pursuit of truth, even when the consequences are devastating. This Book Will Bury Me is an exquisite meditation on grief and obsession, spotlighted in the gritty, grisly world of true crime. I couldn't put it down."
Society of Lies (2024) Lauren Ling Brown "A dark and haunting debut that explores secret societies, the bonds of sisterhood, and the intricacies of privilege at an elite college . . . I couldn't put this twisty tale down."
The Hitchcock Hotel (2024) Stephanie Wrobel "With gasp-worthy twists and razor-sharp wit, Stephanie Wrobel pays brilliant tribute to Alfred Hitchcock's legacy in The Hitchcock Hotel. When five college friends gather at one's Hitchcock-themed hotel, dangerous secrets from the past refuse to stay buried. Trapped with no way out, they must figure out the mastermind behind the increasingly disturbing incidents to stay alive. A masterful, perfectly plotted Hitchcockian tale for our times."
No Road Home (2024) John Fram "Trapped in an opulent estate during a storm, a man must solve the murder of a Jerry Fallwell-esque patriarch before his new wife's family pins it on him. No Road Home is a whip-smart, horror-tinged whodunnit in the style of early Stephen King. Fram explores important themes of religion, family, wealth, race, and class--all within the confines of a fast-paced, locked room thriller."
Keep Your Friends Close (2024) Leah Konen "A twisty, addictive thriller from the foremost domestic suspense novelist of our time. Konen masterfully explores themes of friendship, marriage and family, exposing the fear and rage that can lurk beneath the idyllic surface. I couldn't put it down."
The Stranger Upstairs (2023) Lisa M Matlin "This debut novel deftly explores our shadows - the dark parts of ourselves we don't want others to see. I couldn't stop reading."
The Chateau (2023) Jaclyn Goldis "THE CHATEAU asks us: How well do we really know our friends? A stay at the sumptuous Chateau du Platane in Provence sounds like the perfect girls' trip-until it descends into deception and violence. . . . This book is a sensuous, suspenseful mystery threaded by topics that kept me musing well past the book's close: the dark secrets we keep in relationships, the insidious influence of wealth, the lasting effects of generational trauma, and the healing nature of art. This story is an intense, intricate puzzlebox I couldn't put down."
