Hello from Bath,

Thanks to everyone who backed The Buried and the Drowned. I've signed the gorgeous hardbacks and they are starting to arrive all over the world, and you should already have any ebooks or audiobooks. Just reply to this if you don't have what you ordered.

I was recently in London revisiting the Hunterian Museum, which inspired my crime thriller Desecration, and which I'm writing about again for my current Masters in Death, Religion, and Culture. It was fascinating to see how things have changed in anatomical displays and museum ethics over the last decade. I'm going to share more on that in a Books and Travel episode before Christmas.

Mexico's Day of the Dead with Luisa Navarro

Why is Mexico’s Day of the Dead such a beautiful way to remember our loved ones who have died? What are the elements that go into the altar? How can tourists respectfully experience the tradition?

In this fascinating conversation, Luisa Navarro, founder of Mexico in My Pocket and author of Mexico’s Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life through Stories and Photos, shares her personal journey from rejecting her Mexican heritage to celebrating it, while revealing the true beauty and meaning behind one of Mexico’s most misunderstood traditions.

Click here to listen or read

The sugar skull above is my own. It's by my desk as a memento mori reminder.

Blood, Wine, and Sacrifice: Inspiration from England's Biodynamic Vineyards with J.F. Penn

What would you sacrifice for the perfect vintage? Can ancient pagan rituals and biodynamic winemaking create something truly extraordinary—or terrifying?

In this conversation from the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast with Natalie Maclean, I talk about the inspiration for Blood Vintage, set in the vineyards of Somerset, England.

We explore the dark side of viticulture, from poisonous plants and blood sacrifices to the hard realities of small-scale winemaking and the mysterious practices of biodynamic agriculture.

Click here to listen or read the transcript

Click here to check out Blood Vintage, available now on all stores

Book recommendations

Here are some books I've enjoyed recently. Let me know what you're reading by replying to this email.

The Sentinel Trilogy - Jeremy Robinson. Undead Vikings walk the Earth again, controlled by hive-mind parasites connected by three sinister queens. With time slipping away and the body count climbing, Jane must unravel the mystery of these parasites—whose origins may lie beyond the stars—and confront an unimaginable horror that transcends death itself.

Artifact - Jeremy Robinson. In an isolated Alaskan town, the local sheriff uncovers a secret lab where generative A.I. and bio-printing have unleashed grotesque, living anomalies—and now, something monstrous is loose.

The Secret of Secrets - Dan Brown. Against a backdrop of Prague's vast castles, towering churches, graveyards buried twelve deep and labyrinthine underground passages, Robert Langdon must navigate a shadow city and unravel his greatest mystery yet.

The Hallmarked Man - Robert Galbraith. A dismembered corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop near the Masonic Lodge. Strike and Robin investigate while their relationship becomes ever more complicated.

Veil - Jonathan Janz. It begins at night. People vanish from parks and city streets. Then in broad daylight, they’re dragged screaming into the woods, into the water, into the sky. People take refuge in their homes, but still the invisible creatures come, ripping people away from their horrorstruck loved ones. Spouses. Parents. Children. Nowhere is safe and no defense can stop them. Because nothing can save you from what you can’t see ... It's time to fight back.