Vanessa Lillie

Bestselling Suspense Author

VANESSA LILLIE is the author of the USA Today bestselling suspense novel, Blood Sisters, which was a Target Book Club pick and GMA Book Club Buzz Pick as well as named one of the best mystery novel in 2023 by the Washington Post and Amazon. The sequel, The Bone Thief, was recently released, landing a spot on the USA Today Bestseller List.

Her other bestselling thrillers are Little Voices, For the Best and she’s the coauthor of the Young Rich Widows series. 

Originally from Oklahoma, Vanessa is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She has fifteen years of marketing and communications experience and enjoys organizing book events in and around Providence, RI where she lives now. She loves connecting with readers and hosts an Instagram Live show with crime fiction authors!

The Bone Thief

"The Bone Thief is not only a page-turning mystery of a missing Indigenous woman, but a gripping portrayal of the ways American history can reverberate beautifully, painfully, and even fatally into the present. Lillie will keep you guessing until the last, action-packed page." —Tracy Sierra, author of Nightwatching
"The Bone Thief is a riveting mystery with a plot that seamlessly blends history with fiction. And Syd Walker is an unforgettable protagonist." —Liz Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The God of the Woods
"Lillie goes even deeper and darker than she did in the previous installment, folding powerful questions about who gets to write history into a crackling mystery plot." —Publishers Weekly
"In this gripping new thriller, a Native teen goes missing as stolen remains vanish from an archaeological site near a privileged summer camp. As archaeologist Syd Walker investigates, she uncovers a disturbing pattern of disappearances tied to the powerful Founders Society - forcing her to confront a long history of violence that the town has tried to keep buried for generations..." —Writer's Digest

available now

AVAILABLE NOW!

BLOOD SISTERS

• Target Book Club November pick

“Blood Sisters is about Syd and Emma Lou, as well as the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women whose cases are never solved, if they’re investigated at all.” —New York Times
“Combines Cherokee history and legend with contemporary drug and land problems in a gripping story of missing Indigenous women. Readers looking for LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit characters will hope for more about Syd Walker.”
—Library Journal (starred)
“This suspenseful mystery will not only captivate you, but it may just teach you something about Cherokee history, land rights and the plague of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Including queer and Two-Spirit characters, Blood Sisters is a meaningful and compelling thriller.”
—Ms. Magazine
“Lillie paints the beautiful yet bleak landscape with a fine brush. Readers who enjoy strong voices will be pulled in by the characters, while those who are drawn to setting will feel as if they are in Picher.”
—Booklist
"Just a few pages in and this novel is roaring with mystery, danger, anguish and regret... A crime novel's journey often runs toward escapism, but the best, like Blood Sisters, lead us on a path toward knowledge and discovery.
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

For The Best

"...a layered, thought-provoking exploration of self-destructive impulses and the crushing weight of old secrets... this is one you definitely don’t want to miss!.” —Kathleen Barber, author of Follow Me

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Little Voices

“Fast paced and psychologically complex, this debut mystery has plenty of twists and turns that will appeal to fans of Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, and Megan Abbott.” —Library Journal (starred review)

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Young Rich Widows


An Audible original by Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan and Vanessa Lillie. When four partners of a prominent law firm are killed in a plane crash, their widows must uncover the truth...

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desperate deadly widows

“...a deadly race with plenty of twists and double-crossings to rival their big hair, big shoulder pads, and big attitudes. An '80s-homage noir that readers of gritty mysteries will enjoy. ” —Library Journal

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Wicked wanted widows

Inspired by real history from the Salem Witch trials to the billion dollar Gardner Museum art heist, the latest totally ‘80s, totally thrilling audio adventure blends nonstop action with the wild and wicked Widows antics listeners love.

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