I know I sound like a broken record, but I also know I’m not alone:. If Jess Lourey has a new book coming out, I am first in line to read it. She is one of my all-time favorite authors, and her genre range is simply astonishing. While true crime is one of my personal favorites—and she has already provided so much incredible reading material there—her latest, The Crying Killer, is no exception. I was thrilled to secure an early copy from NetGalley for review.

The story introduces us to Tuesday Hendrickson, a private investigator who has spent eight years trying to protect herself and her daughter, Julie, from her sister Trixie’s murderer: Arsen Bauer, aka ‘The Crying Killer.’ But lately, even though she witnessed Arsen’s death, Tuesday feels like she’s catching glimpses of him. Is she slipping into the same mental health struggles as her mother, or is he actually back?

This thriller is inspired by Paul Michael Stephani, an American serial killer active in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area during the early 1980s. Dubbed the ‘Weepy-Voiced Killer,’ he famously made anonymous, sobbing phone calls to the police after his crimes, begging them to catch him. Rather than focusing on the killer himself,, Lourey beautifully chooses to focus on the communities and families affected by his actions, which feels incredibly respectful and appropriate.

Each twist and turn made me pause and wonder what was coming next. I thought I had it all figured out—and while I did have a few pieces pegged—I was completely drawn into the narrative and couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to uncover the whole story. By the end, I was sad to leave it behind and am already looking forward to whatever comes next on this author’s journey.

It is a true gift to find a writer who can pull you so deeply into a genre, and Jess Lourey has absolutely done that for me. I know I’m definitely not alone in that feeling.

You can find out more about Jess Lourey by clicking here to go directly to her website. The Crying Killer will come out in August so pre order it now.