A Novel Crime

De: Deborah Levison

She wanted to write the perfect novel. Instead, she became the perfect villain.

Struggling romance writer and recent divorcée Marcy Jo Codburn feels like a failure. She’s green with author envy and longing for a book deal, a launch party with cupcakes, and the admiration of her daughter. But her dream of literary success is fading faster than her beige hair dye. When she witnesses celebrated author Francesca Barber in a compromising position, Marcy sees her chance. Transforming into Summer Branigan, her bolder, blonder pen name, she leverages Francesca’s secret to secure the ultimate coauthor.

As their collaboration spirals from Marcy’s modest Connecticut home to Francesca’s lavish Hamptons estate, both women discover that in the cutthroat world of publishing, every story has its price. With looming deadlines, a kidnapping plot gone awry, and more than one fraud to hide, their twisted partnership careens toward a surprise ending neither could have written.

In this darkly comic page-turner, critically acclaimed author Deborah Levison skewers the publishing industry with razor-sharp wit. A Novel Crime asks just how far an aspiring writer will go to see her name on a book jacket—and what happens when the stories we tell start to write themselves.

©2026 by Deborah Levison. (P)2026 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A Novel Crime is a tongue-in-cheek tale of what happens when an aspiring author of bodice rippers decides to blackmail a famous author into writing her a bestseller. Humor and intrigue fly in this one as Marcy Jo Codburn, aka Summer Branigan, sets out to deceive and cajole her way into the big time. A fun, breezy read that packs in the drama…and tabloid-worthy conniving.” —Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times #1 internationally bestselling author of the Orphan X series

“Uproariously funny, exquisitely unputdownable, and ingeniously plotted with a heroine you’ll be rooting for every step of her wildly hilarious journey, Deborah Levison’s A Novel Crime is the perfect delicious escape!” —May Cobb, bestselling author of The Hunting Wives

“Wickedly hilarious and utterly compelling, A Novel Crime is a delight. I was entranced and in stitches following the very endearing and imaginative heroine as she chases success while entangling herself in a heap of crimes. A refreshingly bold, highly addictive, and uproarious suspense that showcases Deborah Levison’s phenomenal talent and warns us all how quickly we can cross the line from fantasy into a nightmare.” —Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of Hello, Juliet