Happy Summer—and Happy Summer Reading!
Our weather in the Northeast has been less than ideal this summer—heat domes, lots of rainy days, swarms of locusts (just kidding about the last one!)—but I haven’t let it deter me from curling up with a book on my porch in Pennsylvania in the late afternoons. What bliss! Do you find summer reading especially pleasurable, too?
This summer has also been a great time for me to catch up over lunch with other authors who live in New York City (where I spend part of every week), and that list includes the amazing Barbara Butcher, author of What the Dead Know and star of Peacock’s Death Investigator with Barbara Butcher. Barbara, whom a New York City detective once suggested I speak with as a resource, has helped me with all twenty of my mysteries and thrillers, providing invaluable forensic information, and today I’m lucky enough to call her a friend.
Barbara once told me that one of the most valuable things she learned while investigating death scenes during her days with the NYC Medical Examiner’s Office was to put her hand over her mouth—figuratively, not literally. In other words, she trained herself to talk less and listen more, and she picked up so many clues by giving herself plenty of time to absorb the situation before saying anything. That’s a great lesson for life in general.
18,000+ AMAZON REVIEWS—THANK YOU!!
Thank you to everyone who took the time not only to read my 2026 psychological thriller, I CAME BACK FOR YOU, but also to leave a review. The book has been an Amazon Kindle Top Ten bestseller, and I’m deeply touched by the wonderful response. And thank you, as well, to those who took the book on vacation and sent me photos!
If you haven’t yet read I Came Back for You, just tap one of the links below.
Amazon ~ Barnes&Noble ~ Books-A-Million ~ Target ~ Bookshop
ASK ME ANYTHING
All of your novels involve at least one murder. Have you ever been close to a murder investigation in real life?
—Sue P., Delray Beach, FL
Thankfully, no, because that might mean someone I knew was a victim. But I did have one eerie experience that felt as though it had come straight out of the pages of one of my novels.
I was the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan at the time, and my husband and I had been invited by a luxurious new resort in the Bahamas to experience the property as guests. We were given a jaw-droppingly gorgeous suite, and since even our meals were included, too, we decided to treat ourselves to in-room massages.
When I came out of the bathroom in my robe, I noticed the therapist glancing at an advance reader copy of my upcoming book—I’d brought it with me to review. Once I was on the table she asked me quietly, “I realize that’s your book. Do you know anything about murder—and how to deal with it?”
My heart leapt.
“Why do you ask?” I said.
Her response chilled me. “My best friend has been missing for a few days, and I think her boyfriend killed her.”
Sadly, there was really no way I could be of help, and it would have been risky for me to involve myself. I told her to go to the police as soon as possible and report what she knew. For weeks afterwards I wondered what had happened.
Please send any questions to Kate@katewhite.com
WHAT I’M READING
The Au Pair TEDDY WAYNE
If the hot summer weather has put you in the mood for a thriller that’s sexy, dark, dangerous, and full of twists, then you have to try The Au Pair. I wasn’t familiar with the author, but I discovered him after stopping in for his talk at my favorite independent bookstore, The Corner Bookstore on Madison Avenue and 92nd Street in NYC. I absolutely tore through the book when I should have been doing other things. Ha—like working on my own next book!
Blackshore ACORN
Have you seen this limited series set in Ireland? I just stumbled across it, and so far it’s holding my attention: a cop with a troubled past, a mysterious drowning, and lots of suspects. But why do tortured-by-their-past female detectives on shows like this never get their hair roots done?
WHAT I’M COOKING
A simple but surprisingly fabulous dessert
This dessert has only three ingredients, which don’t seem like they’d go together, but the result is a delicious surprise. I learned about it years ago when I was the (lucky) houseguest of a friend whose parents were fabulously well-to-do and loved to entertain. I was reminded of the recipe the other day when I bought some blueberries for breakfast.
Simply top a bowl of blueberries (or a mix of blueberries and strawberries) with a big dollop of sour cream (yes, sour cream!) and then sprinkle the cream generously with brown sugar. The combination sounds a little crazy, but the sweet/sour combo is irresistibly good.
And as I was making it I realized I’d featured this dessert years ago in one of my Bailey Weggins mysteries, Over Her Dead Body. When I write, I’m mostly using my imagination, but sometimes I can’t resist sneaking in little details from real life.
All the best and until next time,
