Crime writer Olivia Cruz is drawn into the dark secrets of a missing friend in a terrifying novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh
“Leigh keeps the pot boiling with constant attacks, revelations, and other mayhem.” – Kirkus Reviews
With over 16 million copies of her books sold, Melinda Leigh is a suspense and mystery fan favorite. Reviewers also adore her books praising how she “masters every aspect of a thriller, and with every book sets the crime fiction bar higher” (USA Today); how she has a “genuine talent for creating believable, appealing characters and realistic dialogue” (Kirkus Reviews); how her “tight prose matches the well-drawn protagonists” (Publishers Weekly); and how she creates “characters who exemplify the best of human nature, [and] also gives us a dark look at those who do not” (Bookreporter). She is “an author with a very special narrative storytelling style” (Midwest Book Review).
In the first book of her new series featuring true crime writer, Oliva Cruz, Leigh exceeds all expectations. YOU CAN TELL ME is her latest page-turner that will be published on May 12, 2026 (Montlake), just in time for summer suspense reading.
On the three-year anniversary of true crime writer Olivia Cruz’s horrific kidnapping, she’s scheduled to walk her podcaster friend Zoe March through the crime scene, but Zoe fails to show. Olivia knows Zoe would never stand her up—not today.
Zoe’s husband, who claims she never came home the night before, has reported her missing. But marital conflicts make the police suspect she has left him. Olivia thinks otherwise. The police aren’t looking for Zoe, so Olivia begins her own investigation. Retracing her friend’s last steps, she finds Zoe’s phone and a text with one chilling word: Run.
It soon becomes apparent that Zoe has been keeping secrets, and with her true crime podcast, there’s no telling what she has unearthed. To find her, Olivia must dig into her friend’s past. Did Zoe vanish to escape a killer, and is Olivia walking into a deadly trap?
YOU CAN TELL ME is Melinda Leigh at her best, full of unforgettable characters and page-turning suspense.
To launch the release of YOU CAN TELL ME, we’re hosting this exciting virtual book tour from May 11 – June 12th. We hope you’ll follow along as these beloved influencers share reviews, spotlight features, and giveaways:
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