Jess Lourey

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Jess Lourey

Goodreads Author


Born
in Tacoma, WA, The United States
Website

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Member Since
August 2016

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My name is Jess Lourey, and I write about secrets.

The story of my first published novel is both devastating and transformative, something I speak about in my TEDx Talk (https://youtu.be/a5vSLh3oPXI). I've come a long way since then. I'm proud to call myself a bestselling, twice Edgar-nominated, and twice Goodreads Readers Choice Awards shortlisted author who has won the ITW Thriller, Minnesota Book, and Anthony Awards. I write crime fiction, young adult, nonfiction, children's books, and book club fiction.

I've reached over a million readers since 2020. I'm also a former writing and sociology professor who still loves to teach transformative creative writing workshops built around my Rewrite Your Life method.

I live in Minneapolis with a rot
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Popular Answered Questions

Jess Lourey Thank you! "Catch Her in a Lie" is the short story that started off this series and it came out last year. THE REAPING is the follow-up to THE TAKEN O…moreThank you! "Catch Her in a Lie" is the short story that started off this series and it came out last year. THE REAPING is the follow-up to THE TAKEN ONES and comes out September 2024, and I'm right now editing the third in the series, tentatively titled THE LAUGHING DEAD.(less)
Jess Lourey Thank you for your kind words about Unspeakable Things, Benjamin! My publisher, Thomas & Mercer, has an incredibly effective marketing team, and they …moreThank you for your kind words about Unspeakable Things, Benjamin! My publisher, Thomas & Mercer, has an incredibly effective marketing team, and they worked hard to get Unspeakable Things in front of readers. They also have an amazing editing team, which meant that the book was the best it could be once it got in reader's hands. Honestly, though? I think part of it is luck/timing. Unspeakable Things is my 19th book, so for sure not my first rodeo, but I think it landed at a time people were particularly interested in true crime, nostalgia, and healing childhood wounds.(less)
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More books by Jess Lourey…

The Story Behind THE BLACKTHORN WOMEN

Those of you who've been with me for a while are familiar with The Catalain Book of Secrets, which I self-published over ten years ago after every traditional publisher turned it down. In fact, some of you may have contributed to the Kickstarter that allowed me to indie publish in style (I'll be forever grateful to you).

What you may not know is that it's my most personal book after Unspeakable Th

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Published on May 25, 2026 17:00
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3.89 avg rating — 40,338 ratings

Salem's Cipher Mercy's Chase
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4.03 avg rating — 4,902 ratings

The Blackthorn Women
(1 book)
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3.97 avg rating — 1,398 ratings

The Verdant Cage
(1 book)
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3.87 avg rating — 984 ratings

The Verdant Cage
(2 books)
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3.87 avg rating — 984 ratings

More series by Jess Lourey…

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Jess’s Recent Updates

Jess Lourey wrote a new blog post

The Story Behind THE BLACKTHORN WOMEN

Those of you who've been with me for a while are familiar with The Catalain Book of Secrets, which I self-published over ten years ago after every tra Read more of this blog post »
Jess Lourey answered Carly's question: Jess Lourey
Move that baby over to a different page, Carly, because THE VERDANT CAGE *is* book one The Verdant Series. :) Book two is called THE VIOLET MAZE, and should go up for preorder any day now.
Jess Lourey is currently reading
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
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The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall
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More of Jess's books…
Quotes by Jess Lourey  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“You’ll recognize those men, the ones inclined to their dark side, because they’ll expect you to carry their load. They’ll smother your anger with their pain, they’ll make you doubt yourself, and they’ll tell you they love you the whole time. Some do it big, like Ed, but most do it in quiet steps, like your father.”
Jess Lourey, The Quarry Girls

“And once I opened up all that real estate where before I’d been holding anger and regret, I found a lot of things were simpler than I’d made them.”
Jess Lourey, January Thaw

“Men in packs can do terrible things, things they wouldn’t have the hate to do alone. It’s no excuse, just something you should know.”
Jess Lourey, The Quarry Girls

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Nora-adrienne Feel free to troll my friends and followers list for your friends and readers.


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