Debut Novel
Coming August 19, 2025
Murder by the Book
Amie Schaumberg
In the shadow of a rural college campus, a woman is found strangled in an abandoned barn. She's been posed to look like a painting of Hamlet's Ophelia, the scene taunting the police with messages that they don't understand. Detective Ian Carter is known as a strait-laced cop, but seeing the girl's body leaves him shaken and uncertain of where to turn—until a chance meeting with a literature professor ends with her accidentally seeing, and solving, a clue left by the killer.
Emma Reilly believes that the books she studies might hold the key to unraveling the killer's crimes and is eager to offer her insights. But when a second victim is found, this time posed as the Lady of Shallot, she realizes that the safety of her insular life might be nothing more than an illusion. She must find the strength to confront a killer who is turning the stories she loves into lurid scenes of death.
"Amie Schaumberg's Murder by the Book is a smart and completely captivating page-turner that's sure to delight mystery fans and book lovers alike. If you're looking for a dark academia thriller like The Secret History or a bibliomystery puzzler like John Dunning's Booked to Die, you can find the perfect cross right here. A winning debut!"
—David Bell, New York Times bestselling author of She’s Gone and Storm Warning
“Bookish nerds, rejoice, for Amie Schaumberg has done the impossible, crafting a fast-paced, contemporary murder mystery with thriller and whodunit vibes, and a solution that hinges on the critical interpretation of various beloved classics. If you love your Karin Slaughter and your Christie, but you also love your Shakespeare and assorted Victorians, then this is the mystery for you. It certainly was for me. I couldn’t get enough of this feast of literary delights.”
—Kemper Donovan, author of The Busy Body and Loose Lips
“Amie Schaumberg’s fiction debut reminded me why I love the dark academia setting. Smart, atmospheric, and tense, Murder by the Book will keep you guessing until the last page.”
—Lauren Nossett, author of The Resemblance and The Professor
About Amie
An avid reader from a young age, Amie’s writing draws on her experiences as a literary scholar, teacher, and life-long book nerd. From the moment she discovered Jane Eyre at the age of thirteen, words have been the driving force of her passions and pursuits. She read her way from rural Montana to the libraries of the University of Notre Dame and now teaches literature and composition at a small college in Washington. She is proudly neurodivergent. Amie can usually be found with her two dogs and two cats, working her way through an infinite To-Be-Read pile.
You can follow Amie @amiewroteabook on Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram.
