What is the title of your latest release?
SUCH A CLEVER GIRL
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Fifteen years ago, a family went missing. Now, the daughter is back and not talking. She has a plan that has everyone in town panicked, including the three women who know more about what happened that day years ago than they’ve ever admitted.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I wanted a beautiful town in upstate New York with a bit of a creepy vibe. Sleepy Hollow was an obvious choice.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Definitely. There’s something compelling and relatable about a flawed woman who doesn’t always make the best choices. My first question to her would be: what were you thinking???
What are three words that describe your hero?
This is a thriller and, honestly, the men aren’t that heroic, so I’d say cunning, mysterious, and oddly interesting.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
The book is filled with women who have made questionable choices that fit the moment but might not be best for them. And they don’t trust each other. It was fun to bring their lives together and have them work toward a common goal. It was a good reminder that we don’t always make the best decisions and think the same way but if the stakes are high enough we can overcome all those differences and reach a goal.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I go along. I can’t let go of a scene until I revise it enough to “see” it and it makes sense in my head.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
French fries. The perfect food.
Describe your writing space/office!
I always write at my desk, sitting by the window. I type on a laptop but mirror the screen to a large, curved monitor, which I love. I also have bookshelves with some favorite reads and a whiteboard that I use to map out characters and plot. There’s a couch but I try to ignore it because it’s one of those couches that sucks you in and makes a nap inevitable.
Who is an author you admire?
There are so many! Sophie Kinsella just passed away, so she’s been on my mind. She forged this incredible career path and wrote books that meant so much to so many people and to the industry. Reading posts by her friends and people who knew her highlights that under all those accolades and bestseller tags was a fun, loving, talented, and incredible woman. What a legacy!
Is there a book that changed your life?
It’s actually THE BRIDE by Julie Garwood. It literally changed the course of my life. I was an attorney and avid reader, but Julie’s book was my first romance. I read it, fell in love with the genre, started writing as a hobby, which turned into a passion, and eventually I sold my first book. Without The Bride I might not be an author, so I owe her and that book so much.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I entered a contest hosted by Lori Foster. She ran it off her website back in the early 2000s. You submitted three pages and she picked her favorites. Those finalists were sent to her then editor, Kate Duffy, at Kensington Publishing. Lori picked mine and Kate called me about the pages. She told me in that first call, “I’ll be your editor one day just not today.” Then she told me to write something new and what parts of my writing I should work on.
We went back and forth for 18 months. Then, in May 2006, she called while I was at work, in the middle of the rush to become partner in the law firm I worked at, and said, “Today is that day. This is the call.”
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I’ve always loved mysteries, thrillers, and suspense. When an author can combine those aspects with a bit of romance and deliver a romantic suspense or romantic mystery, I am a very happy reader.
What’s your favorite movie?
This changes year to year but two of my all-time favorites are Galaxy Quest and Sneakers.
What is your favorite season?
Fall. Now that I live in California fall is hot and that makes me grumpy.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
A quiet dinner with my husband. Nothing fancy. Just food I love and good company.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The television show Slow Horses. There isn’t a bad season. Start at the beginning and watch it all.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Do french fries qualify as a cuisine? If not, Chinese food.
What do you do when you have free time?
I love to read and to swim (not at the same time, of course).
What can readers expect from you next?
AFTER SUCH A CLEVER GIRL likely will be a thriller novella in fall 2026. I wrote one last year called, THE WIFE DESERVED IT and thoroughly enjoyed the quick, nasty, fast-paced feel of it. So, I’m going to write another one.
My next full-length thriller is finished and with my editor. It’s about a very toxic family. Think the family in Succession but with more murder. No title yet but it will be out in early 2027.
Narrator: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Emily Woo Zeller, Rebekkah Ross, Megan Tusing
A Tense Domestic Thriller of Hidden Secrets, Unraveled Family Mysteries, and a Race Against Time in a Town Haunted by Its Past
Darby Kane, author of the #1 international bestseller Pretty Little Wife, returns with a gripping domestic thriller in which a family goes missing and a long—buried family mystery resurfaces.
Fifteen years ago, the Tanner family vanished without a trace, leaving behind a chilling scene: half—eaten meals, a bloodstain by the door, and a smoldering fire consuming their business across town.
The once—vibrant home stands untouched, a haunting relic of the past. As rumors fade into local folklore, the mystery of their disappearance seems destined to remain unsolved—until Aubrey Tanner returns.
Now a hardened thirty—year—old, Aubrey arrives in town with secrets etched in her silence. Why did she come back? Was she a victim of the night that changed everything, or does she hold the truth of what happened to her family? The town is rife with theories, but three women share a dangerous bond: they know more than they’ve ever confessed.
As the past resurfaces, old alliances fray. A teacher, a café owner, and a psychologist are drawn together by memories they’d rather forget. Each holds a piece of the puzzle—and a dark secret of their own. When a new disappearance sends shock waves through the town, blackmail begins, and the stakes climb higher.
In a race against time, these women must confront the truth or risk becoming the next victims of a past they cannot escape. With tension rising and danger lurking, one thing is clear: someone is destined to kill again.
Thriller Domestic | Thriller Psychological [ William Morrow Paperbacks, On Sale: January 20, 2026, Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780063352018 / eISBN: 9780063352025 ]
Darby Kane is the pseudonym of HelenKay Dimon a former trial attorney and current award-winning romantic suspense author. A native of Pennsylvania, Darby now lives in California and runs from the cold. When she’s not writing she can be found watching suspense, thrillers, and mysteries.
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