GODDESS OF LOVE The Nightingale Trilogy · Book Three Coming March 2, 2027!
Queer, suspenseful, and deeply seductive, this is a murder mystery where love is both the most powerful weapon—and the deadliest risk.
Goddess of Love is the third and final novel in my Nightingale trilogy, which began with The Savage Kind (2021) and continued with Hall of Mirrors (2024). I’m so excited to share the last chapter in Judy and Philippa’s bloody, twisty romance with you!
Washington, D.C., September 1964. Judy Nightingale and Philippa Dolittle, née Watson, haven't spoken in years—until Judy's estranged birth mother dies and leaves her everything: a house, a fortune, a staff that watches too closely. Then letters begin arriving, each signed "Mother," each enclosing pages from Judy's long-lost radio play. Warnings of revenge from beyond the grave. The warnings turn real. A dinner party ends with a guest dead and Judy's Mercedes found in a ravine, its brake line cut. Judy is the intended target.
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By the time I wrote this book, I knew Judy and Philippa the way you know people you've lived alongside for years. It's 1964 now. They're grown women, and the distance between who they were and who they've become is part of what the novel is about. But sometimes time doesn't resolve things—it just buries them.
Judy is still circling the trauma of her childhood, unable to understand it fully, which means it controls her in ways she can't fully see. And now someone is using that against her: a killer patient enough to wait, diabolical enough to make sure Judy knows exactly who's behind it, a ghost of sorts, even as the rest of the world sees only accidents.
Philippa is the more quietly devastating story. She has a husband, a child, and a life that looks like a mature decision. But the novel keeps asking: was her break from Judy—from everything they were to each other—an act of self-preservation, or self-betrayal? Is Judy a dangerous seducer or an eager truth-teller, or both? In the end, what we want tells us more about who we are than we like to admit, and Philippa has spent years not looking at that too closely.
Writing the final pages was hard in ways I didn't anticipate. These are the most fully realized characters I've put on the page, and closing their story meant answering the questions readers have been carrying since The Savage Kind: what really happened to Judy when she was a girl, and are she and Philippa fated to be together or apart? Is Judy as guilty as Philippa believes? As you, dear reader, believe? Answering those questions meant accepting that I was done with them. Or almost done. I left one small door open, and it surprised me when I did. You'll have to read the book to find it.
Hall of Mirrors is a 2024 New York Times Crime Novel of the Year!
About Hall of Mirrors …
An exploration of misogyny, race, and homophobia, Hall of Mirrors is a twisty, atmospheric noir about DC in the 1950s, the age of Joseph McCarthy and the Lavender Scare, a decade when politicians used fear and bigotry to harness power—a time we thought we’d left behind.
Whether you're a fan of The Savage Kind, Judy and Philippa’s dark coming-of-age story, or you’re new to the trilogy, this novel is accessible. You don't need to read the first book to get this one—although they would make an attractive pair on your bookshelf!
Nothing like seeing it in print! (And yes, that’s Monkey Shines and Patricia Highsmith peeking over my shoulder … some creepy company, I know.)
Hall of Mirrors audiobook now available!
Cover by Derek Thornton of Notch Design.
I’m beyond thrilled to announce that Hall of Mirrors is now available as an audiobook! Bringing this story to life in audio format has been an incredible experience, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Deyan Audio did an outstanding job producing it, and the performances by Sion Dayson as Judy, Ray Ford as Lionel, and Shea Taylor as Roger are nothing short of phenomenal. Hearing my words come alive through their voices has been surreal, and I can’t wait for you to experience it, too.
Whether you’re a longtime audiobook fan or new to the format, this one will pull you in and immerse you completely in the story. It’s available now wherever you listen to audiobooks, so give it a listen and let me know what you think—I’d love to hear your thoughts!