ADULT NOVELS

THE IVORY CITY

The St. Louis World’s Fair, 1904: A miniature city of palaces and pavilions that becomes a backdrop for romance, betrayal—and murder.

Cousins Grace and Lillie have been best friends since birth, despite Grace’s vastly inferior social status ever since her mother married for love instead of wealth. When Lillie invites Grace to the biggest event of the century—the legendary World’s Fair, also known as “The Ivory City”—Grace hopes her fortunes might be about to change.

But when a member of their party is brutally killed at the fair, and suspicion falls on Lillie’s brother Oliver, Grace must prove Oliver’s innocence before her beloved cousins’ family is ruined forever. Along the way, she'll discover that the city’s wealthy elite—including Oliver’s handsome but irritable friend Theodore—aren’t quite who they appear to be. And amidst the glitz, glamor, and magic of the Ivory City lurks a danger that just may claim her life.

Coming November 4, 2025 from Union Square + Co./Hachette.

ENCHANTED HILL

The year is 1930 and Cora McCavanagh is posing as a maid at Hollywood magnate Truman Byrd’s legendary estate. She’s closing in on the damning evidence she needs for a high-profile client. 
 
An aspiring PI, Cora was trained by her father, a former prison guard at the notorious Pelican Island, where Cora grew up surrounded by hardened criminals.
 
Which is why she recognizes Jack Yates as soon as he walks through the door. The last time she saw him was on an ill-fated night that changed the course of her life and still haunts her more than a decade later. Cora never expected to see Jack again—and now a single misstep could cause both their secret identities to come crashing down.
 
They strike a tentative truce to help each other during a week of parties overflowing with champagne and caviar. But there are puzzles hidden in every corner of Truman Byrd’s labyrinthine estate, and if Cora is to finally learn the truth about Jack Yates, she must unravel a sinister history that the rich and powerful will do anything to keep concealed.
 
Filled with intrigue and Old Hollywood glamour, Enchanted Hill is an unforgettable historical romance set in a world you won’t want to leave, and is perfect for fans of historical fiction books like the Molly Murphy Mysteries, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Kate Morton.

Praise for ENCHANTED HILL

"A piercing and poetic look at the grit beneath the glitter of America’s rich and powerful in 1930, Enchanted Hill offers beautifully sculpted passages and unexpected twists. Glamour, tricks, and betrayals keep the pace galloping and the story enthralling. Captivating, from start to finish."

—Shana Abé, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Mrs. Astor

"Set amid the opulence and corruption of a thinly disguised Hearst’s San Simeon during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this compelling story takes the reader on a breathtaking ride of redemption and revenge."

—Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook

“Evocative and compelling from the first sentence, Murphy’s Enchanted Hill artfully transports the reader to the storied mansion of a 1930s Hollywood magnate where the silver screen sparkle blinds guests to the seedy underbelly housed in its halls—which is just as well for Cora, who is hiding secrets of her own after growing up on an isolated prison island. Mysterious, romantic, rich with historical detail, and impeccably written, Enchanted Hill is impossible to put down, the kind of novel that made me fall in love with historical fiction!"

—Joy Callaway, international bestselling author of All the Pretty Places