Cover reveal!

By Caitlin Rother

HOOKED is the first of my new "Katrina & Goode" thriller series and will be released by Thomas & Mercer on Jan. 13, 2026. The sequel will come out later in the year.

I'm thrilled to announce that this novel, which took me 17 years to get published, is finally coming out after many rewrites. Thankfully, the sequels are coming much faster. So, now that I'm releasing my 16th book, I think I've finally got the hang of writing fiction.

My first novel, NAKED ADDICTION, which, coincidentally, also took 17 years to get published, is the prequel to HOOKED. So, if you'd like to get a jump on the backstory of my surfing homicide detective, Ken Goode, you can read that one while you're waiting.

What's HOOKED about, you may ask. Here's the marketing copy:

"In this suspenseful thriller by Caitlin Rother, a journalist and cop fight a sexual attraction as they join forces to expose a layered scheme of dark and dangerous secrets. When investigative reporter Katrina Chopin and surfing detective Ken Goode lock eyes, there's an immediate attraction. Sparks fly as they bond over cocktails, sharing their common experiences of being orphans and losing loved ones to suicide. But the next time they meet, it's from opposing sides of a high-profile case. Two biotech execs, whose company is developing a groundbreaking sexual enhancement drug, turn up dead in the wealthy seaside enclave of La Jolla Farms, where Goode can readily see that the forensic evidence doesn't add up. As they work their own angles, sometimes together and sometimes at odds, their growing attraction threatens to cost them their jobs--and their lives. As Katrina and Goode pursue answers behind these mysterious events, a secret stalker taunts Katrina with details of her tragic past, which takes her to the brink of death. But once the duo rips the mask away from this beautiful paradise, the corrupt underbelly behind all that glitters is revealed."

Here's the link to pre-order HOOKED.

For an inside look at the publishing process, here's how it works: I just finished reviewing copy edits for this book, so I will review those changes once more, then proof the typeset galleys. Then, boom, like magic, it will be released into the world. Meanwhile, in a couple of weeks, my developmental editor will start reading and suggesting changes to the sequel, book #2. I've already finished writing #3, and I'm currently self-editing and rewriting book #4, while I mull a good twisty plot for #5 and beyond. Once #2 has been accepted by my editor, I will submit #3 and a synopsis for #4, with the hope of getting another two-book deal so this series can continue.

It's never easy to change genres when you're already known for one, but because they're both crime-related, I'm hoping that my true crime readers will give my thrillers a chance. I'm very grateful to have a second chance at my dream of writing novels. It's fun. It's also less stressful than it is to research and write true crime, though I'm still very much in that world as I'm releasing two true crime books this year, the updated edition of BODY PARTS and my newest title, DOWN TO THE BONE, about the McStay family murders, which comes out on June 24. Click the title to pre-order!