Kristin Harmel's New Book and More!
Plus Upcoming Events
Dear friends,
I just returned from a wild and wonderful book festival in Nantucket, and I’ll write more about that later because I have so much to say about the insights and wonder of the alchemy of the just right gathering. There’s a little below but more coming.
FOR TODAY! I want you to know about this release!
Today’s the day my dear friend (and Friends & Fiction co-host) Kristin Harmel’s new book hits stores across the United States and Canada, and I’m excited to tell you all about it.
THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU is the story of two jewel thieves, a priceless bracelet, and a quest for answers in a decades-old murder.
Fiona Davis calls it, “joyous and ultimately triumphant,” and Hazel Gaynor calls it “a dazzling diamond of a novel.” Madeline Martin says that it’s “a fabulous tale of heartbreak and bravery and just how hard one will fight for those they love…. Kristin Harmel has done it again.”
The novel–a LibraryReads top ten pick for June–tells the story of Colette Marceau, who has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother: take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. But on the terrible night in 1942 that Colette’s mother is arrested in Paris for stealing a priceless pair of diamond bracelets from a high-ranking German officer, Colette’s little sister is taken, along with one half of the bracelet pair. Her body is later found floating in the Seine River, but the bracelet has disappeared without a trace…
…Until seven decades later when Colette—who’s still stealing jewels to anonymously fund worthy organizations—spots it in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time, and who owns it now, she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn’t the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she’s forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice—but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.
I hope you’ll pick up THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU. And I hope that if you’re close to where Kristin will be on tour, you’ll go see her. Her full event schedule can be found here. In the next two weeks, she’ll be in New Jersey (tonight, with the whole Friends & Fiction gang!), Delaware, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Massachusetts, South Carolina and southern California, and she’d love to see you at one of her events!
You can find the book at your favorite local independent bookstore, or at Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, Hudson airport bookstores, or wherever you buy your books! Canadian readers can find it here, and UK readers can find it here. (The UK title of the book is ALL THE DIAMONDS IN PARIS!)
Happy reading, and don’t forget to join us each Wednesday at 7pm ET on Friends & Fiction as we welcome your favorite authors to talk about some of the season’s buzziest books.
Events
I’m just back from a whirlwind trip to Nantucket where I had the great honor of speaking about The Story She Left Behind at the Nantucket Book Festival. The lineup was stellar and the setting magical.
And now I’m on to the Jersey Shore where I have a string of events over the next several days. Join me and my Friends & Fiction sisters TONIGHT (Tuesday, June 17th) in Manasquan, NJ where Booktowne will host all of us at the Algonquin Theatre to celebrate Kristin’s novel The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau. Get tickets HERE.
Then Wednesday June 18th I’ll be in conversation about The Story She Left Behind with Mary Kay Andrews over a luncheon at the Rumson Country Club hosted by River Road Books. Get tickets HERE.
Then I have a signing at Thunder Road Books in Spring Lake the evening of Friday, June 20th.
And on Sunday, June 22nd, I’ll be in conversation with Dana Perino over brunch hosted by Little Point Bookshop in Point Pleasant. Get tickets HERE.
On Thursday, June 26th I will be in Atlanta’s Peachtree Corners neighborhood for a conversation about “The Literary Love Life of C.S. Lewis & Joy Davidman” with Andrew Lazo sponsored by the C. S. Lewis Institute held in Austin Chapel at Wesleyan School where we will discuss my book Becoming Mrs. Lewis. You can register for that event HERE.
Back in my local area, I will be appearing at Thank You Books in Birmingham, AL on Thursday, July 24th nto chat about The Story She Left Behind. You can RSVP for that event HERE.
Take a Virtual Tour of the Lake District
Have you seen Kaelyn Grace Apple’s VLOG set in England’s Lake District?! Kaelyn is a social media influencer and bookstagrammer who my publisher Atria sent on a whirlwind trip to visit the places and spaces in my new novel, The Story She Left Behind. See if you can spot some of your favorite spots from the book and let us know what you find.
Join Kaelyn on Instagram, Tik Tok, and You Tube for all of her amazing The Story She Left Behind content from the Lake District — and all of her other bookish fun!
About My Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Indie Next April 2025 Pick • LibraryReads March 2025 Pick
“Brilliant, riveting, so beautifully written, impossible to put down.” —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.
In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more insatiable: her beautiful mother.
By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.
Told in Patti Callahan Henry’s lyrical, enchanting prose, The Story She Left Behind is a captivating novel of mystery and family legacy that captures the profound longing for a mother and the evergreen allure of secrets.
Reviews
“Brilliant, riveting, so beautifully written, impossible to put down. I wanted to know, needed to know, about the strange manuscript left to a daughter, and the odyssey it sent her on.”—Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels
“Patti Callahan Henry’s engaging, compassionate new novel honors the magical way words and stories create meaning in our often messy lives. Rooted in vivid landscapes, endearing characters, and an intriguing mystery inspired by actual historical events, The Story She Left Behind offers something for every reader. Book clubs will delight in this celebration of family, hope, forgiveness, and the tender generosity of abiding love.” —Shelley Read, International bestselling author of Go As A River
“The Story She Left Behind is an intriguing novel that reminds us that the power of love and the power of words are one and the same. Patti Callahan Henry introduces us to a missing mother, her grieving daughter and their entwined, unforgettable journeys. Inspired by an unsolved literary mystery, and layered with magical storytelling it is both real and imaginative—in the way of all great fiction. Not to be missed!”
—Ariel Lawhon, New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and The Frozen River
“The spectacular Patti Callahan Henry is at the height of her literary powers with The Story She Left Behind. Bronwyn's story, steeped in secrets and an unsolved family mystery, is emotional and atmospheric. The author paints the dual settings, languid South Carolina in America and the haunting Lake District of England with color and veracity. This mother-daughter story is one for the ages.”
—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone
“Once again, Patti Callahan Henry proves that she is a magician with words. In her newest novel, she conjures a story that is a lovely mix of so many elements sure to please her universe of readers, a magical mosaic of adventure, suspense, romance, mystery, and even a sprinkle of make-believe. Graceful in its telling and so very wise in its insights, The Story She Left Behind is a book that will capture your heart, lift your spirits, and delight your soul.”
—William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of The River We Remember
With Love,
Patti
ABOUT PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY
New York Times Bestselling Author and Podcast Host
Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling author of seventeen novels and a podcast host. Patti is the co-host and co-creator of the popular weekly web show, podcast, and online community, Friends & Fiction.
She lives in Mountain Brook, Alabama with her husband. Her newest novel, THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND will be released on March 18th, 2025.
Be sure to follow Patti on social media and visit her website for the latest updates and announcements!
Loving it already!