With support of the publisher, Shelf Awareness celebrates Sourcebooks' expansion of Poisoned Pen Press into a leading publisher of mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, horror, and more.

In late 2018, Sourcebooks acquired Poisoned Pen Press, a respected name in traditional mystery publishing founded in 1997 by Robert Rosenwald and Barbara Peters. Under Rosenwald and Peters' care, Poisoned Pen Press books won, or were nominated for every major award in the mystery genre, and Peters and Rosenwald have been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bouchercon crime and mystery conference (2008); the Poirot Award, bestowed by the Malice Domestic board of directors upon writers who have made outstanding contributions to the genre; and the Ellery Queen Award at the 2010 Mystery Writers of America's annual dinner, honoring writing teams and outstanding achievement in the mystery publishing industry. For all of these reasons and more, Poisoned Pen Press intrigued Sourcebooks Publisher and CEO Dominique Raccah and the idea of acquisition was first sparked by a meeting between Rosenwald and Raccah at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Raccah told Rosenwald that if he ever wanted to sell the business, she was interested. Sourcebooks had dipped their toe into mystery publishing but hadn't yet created an imprint devoted to the genre.

Anna Michels

Rosenwald took Raccah's offer seriously, and the deal took less than two months to complete. Senior Editorial Director Anna Michels praised Rosenwald and Peters for being "so gracious and ready to pass along what they had built and created" and added that from the outset, the vision was clear: preserve the heart of Poisoned Pen Press while expanding its reach, impact, and genre diversity. As Raccah stated at the time, "I look forward to doing what Sourcebooks does best, building big success for Poisoned Pen Press authors with broader sales distribution and innovative marketing [and] expanding their amazing impact in the world of mysteries, suspense, thriller and horror."

The Next Chapter: The Expansion of Poisoned Pen Press Under Sourcebooks
Like a good thriller, the seven years since the acquisition have been satisfyingly suspenseful. To begin, the integration of more than 600 Poisoned Pen Press backlist titles into the existing Sourcebooks catalog proved both exciting and complex. "It was a very logistics-heavy process with intense repackaging, repositioning, remarketing and reselling," says Michels. 

While the team initially focused on growing long-running series with creative new packaging and strategic marketing, over time they evolved their mission into exploring standalone projects and forging print distribution deals with self-published authors. "We aren't just bringing in powerhouse authors that everyone knows already. A lot of times, they're debut authors whose careers we are looking to build," says Associate Director of Marketing and Publicity Mandy Chahal.

Within this new framework Sourcebooks also changed the Press's approach to formats, going from publishing all titles in hardcover, paperback, and large print to focusing on trade paperback originals, leveraging a longtime Sourcebooks strength in the market.

With the addition of new authors and formats, the imprint began expanding its horizons into other genres. "We started shifting our editorial focus from mainly traditional mysteries to more commercial crime fiction," says Michels. That expansion welcomed psychological thrillers and domestic suspense to the list and by 2022, the transformation began to bear fruit with titles like And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling, The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill, and The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk.  

And the expansion continues today. "We are now branching out into fantasy and horror," Michels adds, noting that heralded horror authors like Darcy Coates and Johanna van Veen and fantasy fan favorite J. Penner are now on the Poisoned Pen Press list. "We've built a space for people to discover really fantastic writing, and that's really exciting," says Chahal of their ever-expanding list.

A Mystery Solved: The Imprint's Identity Today
Today, Poisoned Pen Press stands as a powerhouse of genre storytelling. From British Library Crime Classics and cozy fantasies to gothic horror, Poisoned Pen Press offers something for every reader.

For Michels, the formula for success is simple: "If you always focus on what readers want, you can get through almost any challenge in our business."

And what readers want, Poisoned Pen Press delivers: books that thrill, entertain, and endure.

Freida McFadden
A self-publishing phenom and practicing physician, McFadden found a publishing home at Poisoned Pen Press that matched her pace and vision. Known for her signature blend of twisty suspense and relatable protagonists, McFadden writes psychological thrillers that keep readers guessing—and coming back for more.

Before joining Poisoned Pen Press, McFadden had already built an enormous following through self-publishing, with millions of readers and multiple viral titles. What made her partnership with Sourcebooks unique was its flexibility. Assistant Editorial Director Jenna Jankowski, McFadden's editor at Poisoned Pen Press, brought forward the vision to take on her backlist and publish her frontlist at a fast pace, while allowing her to continue doing the things the way it's worked for her. "Clearly [McFadden] was doing something right because she already had millions of readers at that point," Michels says.

Her latest, The Tenant (May 2025), centers on a marketing VP whose life begins to unravel after he rents a room in his brownstone to a mysterious woman. As paranoia, dread, and buried secrets rise to the surface, the novel plays with themes of trust and isolation—hallmarks of McFadden's style.

McFadden's books dominate bestseller lists and prove that genre thrillers can be wildly commercial while offering sticky, unputdownable reading experiences—compelling, suspenseful stories that burrow into readers' minds and refuse to let go.

Joshua Moehling
Moehling's writing has drawn comparisons to Louise Penny and William Kent Krueger. His nuanced portrayal of community, personal trauma, and quiet heroism within his Ben Packard series, set in a small Minnesota town and featuring a gay police detective, resonates with a wide audience of readers. Marketing Manager for the Retail Marketing Department Tiffany Schultz notes that Moehling's storytelling, while grounded in the Midwest, has national appeal thanks to relatable characters and emotional depth.

Moehling wasn't sure how his debut would be received. "I had no faith that anyone would be interested in a book about a gay cop from Minnesota when I started writing And There He Kept Her," he says. "Many authors have centered queer main characters in the mystery/crime genre, but I hadn't seen a lot that featured a gay man working in law enforcement in a rural setting. It was an idea that intrigued me. I found an agent and we met with the biggest publishers who told me they loved the book but didn't know what to do with it. Poisoned Pen Press knew exactly what to do with it, which was to treat it like any other thriller and help it find an audience. And it has! Every goal I had for my writing career has already been surpassed thanks to the amazing team at Poisoned Pen Press. I couldn't ask for a better publisher."

From And There He Kept Her (2022) to A Long Time Gone (2025), Moehling has steadily built a loyal fanbase and garnered acclaim as a USA Today bestseller and a two-time Lammy Award nominee.

Sulari Gentill
An established Poisoned Pen Press author from Australia, Gentill rose to the top of her career with The Woman in the Library (2022), a critically acclaimed metafictional mystery that captivated readers and critics alike. Her strength lies in intricate, layered storytelling that plays with different narrative forms. With her upcoming Five Found Dead (August 2025), Gentill brings her signature brilliance to the Orient Express, weaving a suspenseful homage to Agatha Christie with sharp modern insight. The winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award at the 2025 Edgar® Awards, Gentill stands as a literary force redefining crime fiction.

Todd Stocke, SVP and Editorial Director at Sourcebooks, notes, "Sulari joined us with our acquisition of Poisoned Pen Press, and we have a whopping 17 books with her, including these remarkable recent pivots into bookish mysteries. We are lucky to have found ourselves such an amazing author partner."

Carter Wilson
Veteran thriller author Carter Wilson has long delivered high-stakes psychological drama, but his 2025 suspense thriller Tell Me What You Did took his career to new heights. Michels has worked with Wilson for nearly a decade and notes that Tell Me What You Did is his sixth book with Sourcebooks, saying, "He's finally getting the recognition he deserves."

A Barnes & Noble Our Monthly Mystery & Thriller Pick, Tell Me What You Did follows a true crime podcaster pulled into a chilling personal mystery and has garnered renewed attention to Wilson's deep backlist with Poisoned Pen Press.

Robert Thorogood
Best known for creating the BBC series Death in Paradise, Thorogood brings television savvy and humor to his Marlow Murder Club novels. Michels notes that Poisoned Pen Press approached Thorogood after Sourcebooks Publisher and CEO Dominique Raccah read about The Marlow Murder Club and mentioned it to Michels. This is an example of how the editorial team at Sourcebooks often looks outside of the traditional agent-to-editor pipeline. "We're going out looking for books, listening to retailers, listening to readers, finding out what people are excited about," Michels says.

The series continues this September with book four, Murder on the Marlow Belle, and follows a group of amateur sleuths in a picturesque English village and has found resonance with readers looking for smart, cozy crime fiction. In 2024, PBS and UKTV released a television adaptation of The Marlow Murder Club, bringing the series to a wider audience.

Darcy Coates
An early example of Poisoned Pen Press's print-only partnerships, Australian horror writer Darcy Coates has captivated fans with atmospheric, character-driven horror stories. Her upcoming thriller, How Bad Things Can Get (August 2025), plunges readers into a deadly influencer retreat on a remote tropical island where dark secrets are exposed, and games turn deadly. With a growing U.S. fanbase and an eye for eerie, emotionally rich horror, Coates continues to expand the boundaries of Poisoned Pen Press's genre reach. Her self-publishing background and loyal digital audience made her a perfect match for Sourcebooks' innovative approach.

J. Penner
The author behind the Adenashire cozy fantasy series, Penner exemplifies the rise of genre fusion. Originally self-published, her books blend whimsy of fantasy with the warmth and familiarity of cozy mysteries. A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic follows a warm-hearted baker navigating magical mishaps and community expectations, and its follow-up, A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons (June 2025), adds a librarian, a mischievous dragon, and the secrets of an enchanted town library.

Poisoned Pen Press's collaboration with Penner signals a strategic move into cozy fantasy, capturing the attention of readers drawn to comfort-driven speculative fiction with emotional resonance.

Johanna van Veen
Van Veen's highly anticipated second novel, Blood on Her Tongue, continues her signature blend of gothic horror and psychological unease. Set in 1887 Netherlands, it follows Lucy as she grapples with the terrifying transformation of her twin sister, Sarah, who becomes fixated on an ancient corpse unearthed on her husband's estate. As Sarah's behavior grows erratic—and ravenous—Lucy must uncover whether madness or something far darker is at play. With another starred review from Publishers Weekly and inclusion on several spring 2025 "Best" lists, van Veen cements her place among the genre's most exciting new voices.

Van Veen says, "I love horror. I always have. Perhaps it's because I was a scared child, terrified of the dark and what might be lurking there. Rationally, I knew vampires, ghosts, and werewolves did not exist, but there was always this little voice asking me but what if they do? In a way, my novels are just me wondering about this 'what if' question on paper. I am beyond grateful to Poisoned Pen Press for bringing those novels to a wider audience."

Katarina Bivald
Todd Stocke, SVP and Editorial Director at Sourcebooks, is quick to point out that author and Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award winner at this year's Edgar® Awards, Katarina Bivald hasn't always written mysteries. "We first published Katarina in 2016, and with a book that was general fiction, not a mystery." Bivald, now considered a house author, has published three novels with Sourcebooks and has two more on the way.

Following Bivald's muse into mystery is her latest, Just Another Dead Author. Set against the scenic backdrop of a writer's conference in the French countryside, the novel follows mystery author Berit Gardner as her relaxing retreat turns into a real-life case when a controversial keynote speaker dies under suspicious circumstances.

By embracing inventive publishing models, nurturing debut voices, and exploring fresh subgenres, Sourcebooks has grown Poisoned Pen Press into one of the most dynamic and forward-thinking imprints in the industry.

Looking ahead, the mission continues: to discover and elevate brilliant new authors, to embrace genre innovation, and to deliver stories that speak to the broad and ever-evolving tastes of readers everywhere. The future of Poisoned Pen Press is as thrilling as its stories—packed with possibility, powered by passion, and dedicated to keeping readers on the edge of their seats.