“With her latest, Miskowski dives into psychological horror with a desperate journalist hunting down a lead that might get her killed … if it doesn’t drive her to madness first.”
Parker Dillon can’t seem to catch a break. Just as her journalism career is taking off, her aunt sells the website where she works. To make matters worse, the new owner is looking to replace the writers with A.I.. While digging through her aunt’s files, Parker thinks her luck is turning when she finds a cold pitch buried in the leads.
Ann Mason claims to have done something terrible, boasting to have never been caught for it. And she’s fascinated with a long-forgotten television star. Desperate, Parker hunts Ann down in Arizona, and leaves Seattle to get the details for her feature. But while interviewing neighbors, coworkers, and friends, Ann grows more and more elusive, and her tale turns deadlier than Parker could have imagined.
Unable to shake the feeling that she’s now the subject of her feature—the prey, not the hunter—Parker still digs deeper for more information. The more she learns about Ann, the more it’s as though Parker’s looking in a cracked mirror, and Parker’s not sure she likes what she sees …
Why we’re excited about this book:
When it comes to writing compelling characters you just can’t get enough of, S.P. Miskowski never misses a mark. Miskowski is the author of Delphine Dodd, the Skillute Cycle, The Worst is Yet to Come, The Best of Both Worlds, and I Wish I Was Like You, with short fiction gracing the pages of such publications as Nightmare Magazine, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Black Static, and Strange Aeons among others. With her latest, Miskowski dives into psychological horror with a desperate journalist hunting down a lead that might get her killed … if it doesn’t drive her to madness first. Lisa Morton (Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances) says: “With Ann Mason, the brutal (and brutally funny) psychopath at the heart of If You Knew Me, S.P. Miskowski has created my favorite villain since Hannibal Lecter scarfed some fava beans. If You Knew Me is one insanely compelling read!”, and Kate Jonez (Ceremony of Flies) says: “While we’re never sure what is actually true or what is an all-consuming fantasy, in this story, disappointment is a powerful driver of violence. it’s a rare treat to find female characters this powerfully motivated.”
Why S.P. is excited about this book:
“What if someone confessed to a crime in a letter no one read for thirty years? Imagining such a document and the character who wrote it (Ann Mason) led me to consider how this mysterious and possibly duplicitous woman might be portrayed. While Parker Dillon, the wannabe journalist pursuing Ann’s story, is presented in (reliable) third person, I’ve intentionally limited third person glimpses of Ann. I challenged myself to present her life by way of epistolary devices—letters, emails, text messages, and audio recordings. Ann is ignored by her originally intended audience, but the reader of this novel must bear intimate witness to her self-definition and decide how much of what she says is true. I’m excited to see what readers think of Ann’s violent ‘adventures’ and how much they believe or disbelieve her story.”
Releasing from Thomas & Mercer 22 September 2025, If You Knew Me by S.P. Miskowski is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA
