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If Books Could Kill
  • Published: 15 September 2026
  • ISBN: 9780241798881
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $34.99

If Books Could Kill

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Kate Eberle's debut holds all the talkability of THE FLAT SHARE, the high concept twist of IN FIVE YEARS, the romance of Emily Henry and the cinematic gravitas of THE LOST CITY and HIT MAN!

She thought she was in a romance. Fate threw her into a thriller. Will happily-ever-after still be on the cards when fiction and reality blur for Roxie?


When Roxie makes a tongue-in-cheek wish to live out the plot of her favourite author’s next novel, she has romance in mind — namely, the sweet, safe, swoon-worthy storylines Anna Matthews is known for. It should be a dream come true when her wish is granted by a mysterious busker.

Except for one little hiccup: that dashing stranger tries to take her breath away. Literally. With a knife. The thing is, Roxie may be the new Anna Matthews protagonist — but this time, Anna is writing a crime thriller.

Thrown into a perilous genre she’s never read, Roxie is desperate for help. So, when her escape from a potential murderer takes her straight into the path of Grant Hoffman — an anxious English professor with a convenient love of crime novels — she decides a little light kidnapping is a small price to pay for survival.

Together, Roxie and Grant team up to navigate a madcap story where the lines between fiction and reality blur and find out if they have what it takes to make it to The End — or maybe even Happily Ever After.
  • Published: 15 September 2026
  • ISBN: 9780241798881
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $34.99

About the author

Kate Eberle

Kate Eberle studied journalism at Boston University before rediscovering her love of fiction. She lives and writes in Connecticut, where she spends the rest of her time being the ultimate menace to society: a grown-up Theatre Kid. If Books Could Kill is her first novel.
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Praise for If Books Could Kill

IF BOOKS COULD KILL is funny and charming. It's your favorite murder mystery combined with your favorite romance. It hits all the classic tropes of two genres and shifts them into something new and hilarious.

Tasha Coryell, author of Matchmaking for Psychopaths

If Books Could Kill had me (literally) laughing out loud as Eberle skilfully plays with thriller and romance tropes, spinning a delightfully engaging story. Full of action, humour and heart, this book is a send up to some of my favourite parts of adventure romance. Roxie and Grant have my heart. (And my axe.) I can't wait to read it again.

Lish McBride, author of Most Likely to Murder

If Books Could Kill is a true powerhouse. Crime, romance, humor, wink-wink nudge-nudge literary commentary, this debut from Kate Eberle has it all! If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be trapped inside your favorite novel, or to find love where you least expect it, or to Grand Theft Auto someone (you'll see), you will absolutely love this book. I tore through the pages!

Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers

This is absolutely the genre mashup we all need - finding love while finding a killer is truly the best type of multi-tasking. A very original romantic thriller with a fun, funny, fearsome heroine you'll be cheering on to a happy ever after

Asia Mackay, author of A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage

I am officially obsessed with Kate Eberle (in a totally chill, super professional, not at all thriller novel way). IF BOOKS COULD KILL is a delightful, laugh-out-loud romp through genre fiction that I wanted to re-read the moment I hit the last sentence. With its layers and layers of brilliance, this extraordinary debut has earned a prized place on my favorites shelf and in my heart

Sarah Adler, USA Today bestselling author of Wild Goose Chase