A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 16, 2026

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Dan Fesperman

Featured Title: Pariah

Dan Fesperman began writing about dangerous and unseemly people and places as a foreign correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. Now traveling on his own dime, his 14 critically acclaimed novels of intrigue and suspense draw upon that experience. His books… Continue Reading

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay

Alex Finlay

Featured Title: The Anniversary

Alex Finlay is the best-selling author of several acclaimed novels, including the 2024 national best-seller, “If Something Happens to Me.” His work regularly appears on best-of-the-year lists and has been translated into 25 languages and sold around the world. Nearly… Continue Reading

Sujata Massey

Featured Title: The Star from Calcutta

Sujata Massey was born in England to parents from India and Germany, grew up in St. Paul, Minn., and lives in Baltimore, Md. She was a features reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun before becoming a full-time novelist. The first… Continue Reading

Nick Petrie

Featured Title: The Dark Time

Nick Petrie is the author of nine novels in the Peter Ash series, most recently “The Price You Pay.” His debut, “The Drifter,” won both the ITW Thriller award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel, and was a… Continue Reading

Lori Rader-Day

Featured Title: Wreck Your Heart

Lori Rader-Day is the Edgar Award-nominated and Agatha, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author of “Wreck Your Heart,” “The Death of Us,” “Death at Greenway,” “The Lucky One,” “Under a Dark Sky,” and others. Lori earned a Master of… Continue Reading

Jennifer van der Kleut

Featured Title: The Better Mother

Jennifer van der Kleut (née McBride) is an award-winning former journalist of both print and online publications including WJLA, the Washington, D.C. affiliate of ABC7 News. A graduate of San Jose State University, she spent most of her life in… Continue Reading

Karen Winn

Featured Title: The Society

Karen Winn is the author of “The Society” (Dutton, 2026) and “Our Little World” (Dutton, 2022). Her short stories and essays have appeared in Ploughshares, Hippocampus, Lit Hub, Writer’s Digest, and elsewhere. She earned her M.F.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University.… Continue Reading