Writers Read: Julie McElwain

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Julie McElwain

Julie McElwain is a national award-winning journalist. Her first novel, A Murder in Time, was one of the top 10 picks by the National Librarian Association for its April 2016 book list, and was selected as the mystery to read in 2016 by OverDrive Inc., a digital distributor serving more than 34,000 libraries around the world. The novel was also a finalist for the 2016 Goodreads' readers choice awards in the Sci-fi category, and made Bustle's list of 9 Most Addictive Mystery

series for 2017. Town & Country magazine recently selected A Murder in Time as one of 35 best time travel books.

A Murder in Time has been optioned for television/movie development.

A Twist in Time and Caught in Time — the second and third installments of the In Time series — were released in April 2017 and July 2018, respectively. Both novels were selected by The National Librarian Association for their Must-Read lists. Betrayal in Time earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

McElwain lives in North Dakota.

The new novel in the In Time series is Ripples in Time.

Recently I asked McElwain about what she was reading. Her reply:

I recently had the pleasure of reading The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. The story is a beautifully written whodunit told from multiple viewpoints, and alternates between three days in the past and the present (when the body is discovered). Foley gathers a group of friends (most having met at university) in a remote lodge in the Highlands, and allows the characters to propel the story forward by slowly revealing their petty disagreements, jealousies, and hatreds, which have been festering for years. For a majority of the book, you are not only trying to guess who the murderer is, but also who was murdered. As someone who has always loved Agatha Christie, I am putting Foley on my go-to list when I want to cuddle up with a good book in front of the fireplace and a cup of strong English tea.