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Tara Laskowski

@taralwrites

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Author @santafewritersproject @graydonhousebooks. Mom. Cat-lover. Award-winning author of THE WEEKEND RETREAT, ONE NIGHT GONE & THE MOTHER NEXT DOOR.

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Come hear me read my latest spooky story on Halloween!

Prepare to get your spine chilled by these amazing writers, if you dare: @taralwrites @ostergaard1of4 @bydianarojas @lkruger611

The fall @foxcitylit live reading takes place from 2-4pm at @mackenziesffx. Be there or be haunted by FOMO! 👻

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book 🎧️ + 📖 review ⁠
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the cold read - tara laskowski
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my review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁠
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🔪🎬 a slasher movie cast reunion, a decade-old tragedy, & secrets that REFUSE to stay buried?! oh, i'm seated. 🍿⁠
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a HUGE thank you to @harlequinbooks for this free ARC + ALC! this baby is out november 10th, which i kind of LOVE because it won't get lost in the shuffle of all the spooky season releases. & trust me, this is a thriller you can enjoy 365 days a year!⁠
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your girl LOVES a slasher, so when i saw that the cast of a successful horror movie was reuniting at the original filming location TEN YEARS later to announce a sequel?! SOLD. 🔪⁠
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now, i've read books with similar premises before & have been left disappointed, so i was a little nervous. BUT NOT THIS TIME! 👏⁠
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i was hooked almost immediately! i loved watching the past & present secrets unravel, the tension between the cast members, & that constant feeling that everyone knows a little more than they're letting on. this was such an entertaining read & i'm so happy it delivered!!⁠
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🍿 here's the scoop:⁠
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🎬 a hit slasher movie that launched its young cast into hollywood fame⁠
🔪 a tragic death on set that still haunts everyone a decade later⁠
🏔️ a reunion at the remote ski resort where it all began⁠
🎥 a long-awaited sequel announcement that takes a VERY dark turn⁠
🤫 buried secrets + a cast with EVERYTHING to lose⁠
💀 someone who might be looking for revenge instead of a comeback⁠
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if you love slashers, messy hollywood secrets, & a good old-fashioned reunion gone WRONG, put this one on your radar!!⁠
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💬 : are you a fan of thrillers where a group of people reunites years after something terrible happened?! because i will eat that premise UP every single time. 😂⁠
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#thecoldread #thrillerbooks #slasherbooks #bookstagram #thrillerrecommendations

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Before the porch lights come on and the trick-or-treaters take over the sidewalks, spend your Halloween afternoon with five writers from the DMV. Fox City Lit is bringing Tara Laskowski, Candice Wiswell, Erika Ostergaard, Len Kruger, and Diana Rojas to Mackenzie’s Tunes and Tonics for two hours of live readings.

You’ll thrill! You’ll chill! You’ll order a second round! SEE five living, breathing authors read their own work before your very eyes! HEAR sentences so sharp they draw gasps from the back table! FEEL the irresistible urge to stay up reading long past your bedtime! Presented live and in person, in spine-tingling SPEAKEASY-VISION, join us for the Fox City Lit Halloween Reading. Not recommended for anyone opposed to literary prowess and a good time!

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Before the porch lights come on and the trick-or-treaters take over the sidewalks, spend your Halloween afternoon with five writers from the DMV. Fox City Lit is bringing Tara Laskowski, Candice Wiswell, Erika Ostergaard, Len Kruger, and Diana Rojas to Mackenzie’s Tunes and Tonics for two hours of live readings.

You’ll thrill! You’ll chill! You’ll order a second round! SEE five living, breathing authors read their own work before your very eyes! HEAR sentences so sharp they draw gasps from the back table! FEEL the irresistible urge to stay up reading long past your bedtime! Presented live and in person, in spine-tingling SPEAKEASY-VISION, join us for the Fox City Lit Halloween Reading. Not recommended for anyone opposed to literary prowess and a good time!

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THRILLER THURSDAY X SPOOKY SEASON

Couldn’t think of a better day to post a few thrillers that have recently come out and one that is due to release next month (The Cold Read). Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the audiobooks and @graydonhousebooks for the eARC.

Are you reading any thrillers or books that may go bump in the night this spooky season?

I love me some thrillers and I love when they are unique and get my heart pumping.

Dive Bar At The End Of The Road by Kelley Armstrong came out last week and may be my favorite of the bunch. An interesting cast of characters, a dark setting and something wicked in the forest. The audio was fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat all throughout.

The Cold Read by Tara Laskowski comes out November 10th and is for you thriller movie lovers. The cast from a movie return to the site of their last film to announce the sequel, but the past and the lodge may have other plans. It was all about the setting for me with this one.

Nightjars by Michael Wehunt came out the end of September and is described as a mix between Memento and Dracula. The audio was the standout for me here and the performances were great, even scaring me at one point.

Swipe to read the descriptions of each book.

#DiveBarAtTheEndOfTheRoad #TheColdRead #Nightjars #MacAudio2026
Thriller Thursday | Spooky Season | Audiobooks

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It’s hot cocoa & book time! 💕💕

#hotcocoa #bookworm #thrillerreads

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And this is why I’m a retired TBR reader and am now a fourth-year mood reader 😂 Book mail has been an absolute killer lately. I mean, look at these books! 😍

👉🏼 Swipe to see the covers and descriptions!

This stack has psychological thrillers, murder mysteries, crime fiction, and a little horror, including several upcoming 2027 releases that weren’t even on my radar until now.

Here are some of the books that have come in recently:

📚 THE FINALIST by Faith Gladwin (out now)
📚 TEN YEARS GONE by Wendy Walker (January 12, 2027)
📚 THE RAVAGED NIGHT by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo (March 23, 2027)
📚 DON’T BLAME THE WIFE by Darby Kane (January 5, 2027)
📚 THE COLD READ by Tara Laskowski (November 10, 2026)
📚 BEAT ME TO IT by Steph Mullin & Nicole Mabry (February 16, 2027)
📚 IF THEY KNEW by A.J. Wooding (out now)
📚 LITTLE RED DEATH by Alexandra Benedict (out now)
📚 MY HUSBAND’S FAMILY by Kristina Kamen (March 30, 2027)
📚 THE GUILTY PARTY by Caro Carver (January 19, 2027)
📚 COMPLICIT by Renda Knapp (February 9, 2027)
📚 THE PARIS FILES by Eva Jurczyk (out now)
📚 TEAR THE CITY DOWN by Andre Hardy (out now)
📚 THE MIDSUMMER GIRLS by Nicola Blackwell (April 20, 2027)
📚 XAVIER BRADSHAW: GHOSTWRITER by W.M. Leesman (out now)
📚 THE NUMBERS by David Parry (January 26, 2027)

Which of these should I read first?? I’m having a hard time deciding 😩

Thank you to the tagged authors and publishers for my gifted copies!

#BookMail #ThrillerBooks #PsychologicalThriller #MysteryBooks #2027BookReleases

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We love a locked-room mystery, and we love hosting Tara! She'll be chatting at the store with LynDee Walker about all things twisty.

#VirginiaAuthor #IndieBookstore #ThingsToDoRVA #MysteryBooks

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I requested some thrillers on NetGalley and can’t wait to read them for spooky season.

Do you have a spooky tbr this time of year or a cozy fall tbr?
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#spookyreads #fallreads #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookstagrammer

The Cold Read Synopsis:

They’re there to make a sequel. But someone came for revenge.

A decade ago, the release of the horror film No One Can Hear You Scream catapulted a young no-name cast into Hollywood fame. But below the surface, they were dealing with the fallout of their friend’s tragic death on set.

Now the cast is reuniting at the remote ski resort where the movie was filmed to announce the sequel and get a first glimpse of the screenplay. Cassidy, Jake, Ben, and Ruby-they’ve all followed different paths over the years, and each has their own reason for agreeing to return to a place they had sworn to leave behind.

At first everyone works hard to ignore the shadows of the past and focus on the opportunity ahead. But the reunion takes a dark turn during the midnight announcement to fans when a disturbing incident stirs up a long-buried secret.

Each of them has something to lose. Each of them has something to hide. And if they want to survive the weekend, they’ll have to deliver the performance of a lifetime...

She Was Never Here Synopsis:

When aspiring writer Ivy Chase loses her nanny job, she finds herself broke and with no place to go. Out of options, she has no choice but to accept an unexpected offer from handsome and wealthy widower Evan White.
Soon, she’s on a private jet, heading towards the stranger’s isolated estate, Fox Glenn, to care for his two children.

Fox Glenn, lovingly restored by Evan’s late wife, Tess, is idyllic. But the children are haunted by their mother’s death. Lulu is tormented by a menacing imaginary friend named Lavender. Asher is sullen and angry.

Almost as soon as Ivy arrives, the police are at the door.
The former nanny, who Ivy has come to replace, has disappeared.

Meanwhile, Ivy’s previous employer has discovered shameful things about Ivy. She wants vengeance and is willing to do whatever it takes to get it. As Ivy tries to unravel the mysteries of the White family while managing frightening

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Summer rewind ⏪
📚: 24

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The next Harry & Emma Mystery hits the shelves tomorrow and I am so grateful to the authors (and agent) who helped me get here by providing a kind word, guidance, cheerleading, and/or help with promotion. And the full list is SO much longer...this is just a small part of one shelf from an entire library of supporters. I am grateful to you all. Thank you!

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🪴 ARC Shelves 🪴

A little look at my current ARC Shelves 👀!

And can I just add that my NetGalley ratio is now up to 93%?! 💅🏻

And Y'ALL 🤯 I am officially down to just SIX approved digital ARCs!! I am so proud of myself!

➡️ Swipe for More ARCs ➡️

🪴 NetGalley ARC Shelf 👇🏻

🌿 The Cold Read by Tara Laskowski
🌼 Releases 11/10/26
@harlequinbooks & @htp_hive

🌿 Ten Years Gone by Wendy Walker
🌼 Releases 1/12/27
@amazonpublishing

🌿 The Last Match by Jessa Maxwell
🌼 Releases 2/16/27
@atriabooks & @atriathrillers

🌿 One of Us is Guilty by Steve Cavanagh
🌼 Releases 3/23/27
@atriabooks & @atriathrillers

🎧 I am 100% caught up on ALCs atm too!

I am so excited to read all of these, I honestly can't even say which I am most excited for!! Thank you so much to @netgalley and all of the publishers/authors for making it possible 💚

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❓️Qotd❓️- What are some Fall/Winter releases that you are excited for?

Are any of these on your tbr also? Which ones?

PT Option- On my shelf, I put a _______.....

🪴 ARC Shelves, Page Two 🪴

I am giddy with excitement over all of these!!

🪴 PR / Author Direct ARC Shelf 👇🏻

🌿 Such a Good Man by AJ Campbell
🌼 Releases 9/28/26
Author Direct & Book Tour
@ajcampbellauthor

🌿 Fatal Obsessions by S.D. Paine
🌼 Releases 12/17/26
Author Direct & Street Team
@everafterauthor

I also have two ARC requests currently pending that I have NOT YET BEEN APPROVED FOR but am crossing my fingers that I do 🤞🏻👇🏻

🌿 Rucked by the Minotaurs by Sloan Ambrose
🌼 Releases 9/30/26
@bookbuzzpr
ARC Requested, pending

🌿 Mistletoe All the Way by Lauren Blakely
🌼 Releases 10/6/26
@hambright_pr
ARC & ALC Requested, pending

💚💚💚

One of my next BIG goals is to tackle my physical ARC pile (yes, I said PILE 😅🫣)

Signed,
Your neighborhood ARC reader 💋

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