KPL Podcast

This week we spoke with Karen Winn about her latest novel The Society .  This story revolves around a secret society known as The Knox.  Two women's lives intertwine as they get involved with the Knox.  Vivian is searching for answers to her heritage and disappears as she digs deeper in her family's involvement with the Knox.  Another woman, Taylor, is pulled into the Knox's orbit w...

On this week’s episode of the KPL Podcast, we spoke with authors Pamela Samuels Young and Dwayne Alexander Smith about their latest novel, Sounds Like Trouble . We had a great time talking about their collaborative writing process and how they first began working together. Sounds Like Trouble reunites readers with Mackenzie and Jackson, who have just opened a PI agency and are still figuring out t...

This week on the KPL Podcast, we’re joined by Tamara Berry to talk about her latest novel, Murder Runs in the Family . When a granddaughter comes to stay with her grandmother in a retirement community, she quickly finds herself helping Grandma dodge a very real murder charge. Packed with laugh-out-loud moments, quirky residents, and an unforgettable pet turtle, this cozy mystery is as charming as...

 This week on the KPL Podcast, we welcome back returning author Eva Jurczyk to talk about her latest novel, 6:40 to Montreal . A clever homage to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express , the book is a tightly crafted locked-room mystery set aboard a train traveling from Toronto to Montreal. Packed with intrigue and classic whodunit twists, it’s a page-turner that will keep readers guessing...

This week on the KPL Podcast, we talk with Jinwoo Park about his latest novel, T he Oxford Soju Club . Part spy novel and part exploration of identity, the immigrant experience, and the parent–child relationship, the book is richly layered and deeply engaging, with plenty to keep readers hooked. Red Sword by Bora Chung A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-Ran

 This week on the KPL Podcast, we spoke with author Annalee Newitz about Automatic Noodle , their inventive new novel. Set in a future California where robots have won their freedom, the story follows a group of food-service bots in a deserted ghost kitchen who seize control of their old delivery app account. Rebranding themselves as a neighborhood lunch spot, they whip up some of the best hand-pu...

 This week on the KPL Podcast, we speak with bestselling author Kristi DeMeester about her new novel Dark Sisters . In this fierce and haunting Southern Gothic, DeMeester unravels an intergenerational curse that binds — and torments — the women of Hawthorne Springs, an affluent town ruled by a powerful church known as The Path. Spanning centuries, the story follows three unforgettable protagonists...

 This week on the KPL Podcast, we speak with bestselling author Laura Griffin about her latest novel, Innocence Road . Set in the small town of Marfa, Texas, this suspenseful murder mystery opens with Deputy Leanne being called to a fresh crime scene at the edge of the desert, where a nameless woman has been found with no clues to her identity. As Leanne investigates, she must also confront the re...

 This week on the KPL Podcast, we’re joined by author Peggy Townsend to discuss The Botanist’s Assistant . If you’re looking for a cozy mystery with a STEM twist, this one’s for you. The story follows a research scientist whose life is upended when her boss is murdered—and no one seems interested in finding out why. Filled with quirky characters and light-hearted intrigue, this fun mystery will ke...

 Lucas Schaefer recently won the prestigious Kirkus Prize for Fiction for The Slip , his debut novel centered on the lives orbiting an Austin, Texas boxing gym and the disappearance of a 16-year-old boy. We talk with Lucas about what it was like to receive such an acclaimed honor, the story behind the book, and parenthood.

This week we speak with journalist Chris Sweeney about his debut book, The Feather Detective Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne. The fascinating and remarkable true story of the world’s first forensic ornithologist, Roxie Laybourne.   She broke down barriers for women, solved murders, and investigated deadly airplane crashes with nothing more than a microscope and a few f...

This week on the KPL Podcast, we welcome back author Vanessa Lillie to discuss her latest novel , The Bone Thief .  This gripping mystery blends history, fiction, and cultural reckoning. In the pre-dawn hours at a local summer camp, Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist Syd Walker receives a disturbing call: newly discovered skeletal remains have been stolen. A Native teen girl vanished near the...

This week on the KPL Podcast, we’re joined by debut author Zoe Rankin to discuss her gripping novel The Vanishing Place . Set in the rugged New Zealand bush, this nature-infused thriller begins when an eight-year-old girl emerges from the wilderness—alone, injured, and starving. But there’s something even more unsettling: she’s the exact likeness of a child who vanished without a trace twenty year...

 This week on the KPL Podcast, we welcome back author Julie Leong to discuss her enchanting new novel, The Keeper of Magical Things . Set in the same whimsical world as her debut, The Teller of Small Fortunes , this story follows a novice mage with limited powers who’s been given a deceptively simple assignment—transport and catalog magical artifacts alongside a brilliant (and unfairly attractive)...

This week on the KPL Podcast, we welcome author Kristen Loesch to discuss her latest novel, The Hong Kong Widow . Set in 1950s Hong Kong, the story follows Mei, a young refugee fleeing the shadows of her past in Shanghai. When Mei is invited to compete in a chilling contest among six spirit mediums inside one of the city’s most haunted houses, she must confront both restless ghosts and her own bur...

 In this episode, we dive into Heartland Masala , a vibrant new cookbook that pairs 99 recipes from Indian cooking instructor Jyoti Mukharji with cultural and historical essays by her son, Auyon Mukharji. This joyful collaboration celebrates Indian cuisine, family traditions, and the immigrant experience in the American Midwest. Packed with dazzling recipes, rich storytelling, and stunning visuals...

 This week on the KPL Podcast, we welcome author Amanda Chapman to discuss her new novel, Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library . In this spirited mystery, book conservator Tory Van Dyne teams up with a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie—on holiday from the Great Beyond—to catch a killer.  The Grand Tour by Agatha Christie Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie The Thursday Murder Cl...

If you love horror, The Whistler   is a chilling read that lingers long after the last page. Drawing on the Native superstition that warns against whistling at night for fear of summoning spirits, the novel builds its terror from cultural lore and personal tragedy. Henry Hotard, once a rising star in the world of ghost-hunting videos, sees his future collapse after an accident leaves him a quadrip...

 This week on the KPL Podcast, we sat down with debut author Ken Miller to discuss his novel High Finance . Miller delivers an eye-opening look at the financial world in the years leading up to the 2008 market crash. The story follows Jed Czincosca, a high-powered dealmaker who rises to the top of Wall Street by orchestrating multibillion-dollar transactions, indulging in drugs and alcohol, and tr...

This week on the KPL Podcast, we welcome author Daphne Fama to discuss her spellbinding debut novel, The House of Monstrous Women . Set in the Philippines in 1986, this gothic horror tale follows a young woman who becomes entangled in a perilous game after accepting an invitation to the labyrinthine home of her childhood friend—rumored to be a witch. Fama’s lush prose and chilling imagination weav...

 We’re excited to welcome back author Anne Shaw Heinrich to the KPL Podcast! This week, we’ll be diving into her newest release, Violet is Blue , the second book in her Women of Paradise County series. Listeners will get a chance to meet fresh faces in Paradise County while also catching up with some familiar characters from her debut novel, God Bless the Child . If you love heartfelt stories abou...

 This week we’re joined by KT Hoffman to talk about his highly anticipated debut romcom, The Prospects . Recently named one of the Best Romance Books of 2024, this sweet and heartfelt queer love story follows two minor league baseball players as they discover that the biggest wins can happen off the field. Hoffman shares how his own love of baseball shaped the story and what it means to write joyf...

This week on the podcast, we speak with Elyse Graham about her fascinating new book, Book and Dagger . Did you know that modern spycraft was shaped by librarians and professors? Graham uncovers the surprising story of how the OSS—later known as the CIA—took root when the United States entered World War II, blending scholarship with espionage in ways you’ve never imagined. Author reads 1. The Art S...

 This week on the KPL Podcast, we explore A History of the World in Six Plagues with historian Edna Bonhomme. Through riveting storytelling and rigorous research, Bonhomme traces the devastating impact of pandemics across centuries and continents—from Port-au-Prince to plantation-era America—revealing how disease and systemic inequality have long gone hand in hand. Don’t miss this powerful look at...

This week on the KPL Podcast, we’re joined by special guest Andrew Kuhlman to talk about Austen’s Pride —the dazzling new musical now playing at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. In this imaginative reworking of Pride and Prejudice , Jane Austen herself takes center stage, embarking on a journey of self-discovery. As the iconic romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy unfolds in a fresh l...