Dear writers: Please be aware of ongoing scams by agent impersonators. Use extra caution with any unsolicited offers from agents. Reputable agents will not ask for upfront fees of any kind. For more information, look at sites such as Writer Beware (https://writerbeware.blog/). Please always check email addresses/spellings. All official emails from Donald Maass Literary Agency will come from an address that ends in @maassagency.com (2 A's, 2 S's in MAASS).

Review: THE UNHAUNTING by Michaiah Johnson

Aug 202026
 

Booklist: Avery and Shantell have been friends for decades, while the two fear Tobias, Avery’s older brother, who has uncontrolled anger. Avery takes care of and protects Shantell, who struggles with agoraphobia. They move from the city to a house in Mississippi that has been in Avery’s family for some time. The plan is that over the course of the summer, Shantell, Avery, and Avery’s girlfriend Emily will stay there and work on the house with the help of Tobias, who is a contractor. Once in the house, Shantell and Avery see a figure in the hallway. It doesn’t seem to want to hurt them, but certainly freaks them out. Horror fans will love the method of storytelling employed in this book as the reader is routinely invited into the mind of the haunting, which nearly takes over the narration. It becomes a voyeuristic experience as both side of events are clear. This is a unique and fascinating way to tell a haunted house story that will appeal to fans of this trope and genre.”

DON’T CROSS MO ELLERY featured in People Magazine!

Aug 182026
 

In an exclusive essay, Birdie Horne — the pen name of author team Eden Robins and MW Garguilo — reflect on their debut co-written novel ‘Don’t Cross Mo Ellery’ in this exclusive feature in People Magazine!

“The story of how we went from being mortal enemies to writing a comedy murder mystery novel together is worthy of its own novel.”

A TRADE OF BLOOD is a New York Times Bestseller!

Aug 172026
 

Congratulations to Robert Jackson Bennett as A TRADE OF BLOOD comes in at #10 on the NYT Bestseller list!

Detective Ana Dolabra must prove a condemned man’s innocence and confront a terrifying magical technology in this fantasy-mystery from the author of The Tainted Cup, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy awards.

A TRADE OF BLOOD is a National Bestseller!

Aug 132026
 

Congratulations to Robert Jackson Bennett! A TRADE OF BLOOD debuts at #8 on the Indie bestseller list and #16 on USA Today!

Detective Ana Dolabra must prove a condemned man’s innocence and confront a terrifying magical technology in this fantasy-mystery from the author of The Tainted Cup, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy awards.

DON’T CROSS MO ELLERY by Birdie Horne

Aug 112026
 

Mo Ellery’s 29th birthday is a disaster. After one small accident—the exposure of her boyfriend’s genitals (well, maybe not that small) on a work video call—she manages to get fired, dumped, and kicked out of their overpriced Chicago apartment. Luckily, a sign appears to guide Mo to her new life: “Looking for flexible part-time work? Become a school crossing guard!” It’s everything Mo has been looking for: health insurance. How hard can it be?

A few weeks later, Mo is adjusting to her new low-paying job, her bisexual reawakening, and her new neighborhood’s wacky characters. There’s Claudia, an old woman who refuses to let Mo help her cross the street, and Marlowe, a tween cell phone prodigy whose antics terrify her. But Mo’s greatest nemesis is Poodle Dude, a guy with an SUV full of poodles who speeds through her intersection each morning. . . until the day he speeds into a sinkhole. Mo tries and fails to shield innocent eyes from his bloody corpse, but succeeds in accidentally becoming the guardian to his three poodles.

A TRADE OF BLOOD by Robert Jackson Bennett

Aug 042026
 

The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in the victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.

But if the great detective Ana Dolabra cannot save him from the noose, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, threatening to plunge the whole Empire into starvation and chaos.

As Ana investigates—her assistant Dinios Kol, as ever, acting as her eyes and ears—she fears her task is even more daunting than it seemed. For this murder is just the latest in a deeper, subtler web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.

With their customary skill, Ana and Din pursue their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses. Yet even they are not prepared to learn the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers.

THE LION’S TUSK by Robert Jackson Bennett

Jul 282026
 

An eccentric detective turns to the fantastical to solve a cold case in a short story by the Hugo Award–winning author of The Tainted Cup.

On a long carriage journey with her assistant Din, brilliant investigator Ana Dolabra ponders a solution to an impossible crime that has remained unsolved for centuries. A lavish wedding for two noble scions of the Empire descended into chaos when the newlyweds were found murdered in their marriage bed. But Ana—an expert in ancient myths, awakened beasts, and magic—knows that nothing is impossible, only unimaginable.

Review: THE UNHAUNTING by Micaiah Johnson

Jul 202026
 

Publishers Weekly: Johnson (Those Beyond the Wall) breathes new life into an old horror trope in this clever inversion of the classic haunted house story. The building at its center is a Civil War–era family home in rural Mississippi, recently inherited by Avery Abernathy. Determined to turn it into a peaceful sanctuary from hectic city life, Avery sets about renovating the place with help from his moody older brother, Tobias, and his close friend Shantell. They quickly sense that something about the dwelling is, if not wrong, then too right: local history suggests the house and its residents have escaped every misfortune that has plagued the surrounding town for over a century. Meanwhile, the central trio’s maladies, including anxiety and nicotine addiction, fade away within the house’s walls. Still, weirdness abounds: the exterior indicates an attic that’s not accessible from the inside, and mysterious figures appear in the windows. And if the house is indeed manipulating their perceptions, memories, and emotions, it must have its reasons. Johnson largely sidesteps ghostly phenomena to keep the focus on her well-developed Black protagonists, each of whom is haunted by past traumas the house exploits for its own macabre purposes. She also allows the house to speak directly to the reader, revealing designs that transcend those typically ascribed to horror’s well-known malignant dwellings. This chiller will be a hit with anyone seeking a fresh take on genre conventions. (Sept.)

THE EYE OF LEVIATHAN by M. A. Carrick

Jul 142026
 

In an alternate Spanish Golden Age, the Council of the Sea Beyond has risen to unrivaled power, exploiting the Otherworld’s most precious resources for their own gain. Estevan seeks to uncover their secrets, but he risks the exposure of his own: that he is a faerie, masquerading as a mortal.

The Hungry Girl is the human whose place he took. Lost among the fae and desperate to find some purpose for her existence, she leaps at the chance to help a group of Spanish explorers in the Sea Beyond … only to be horrified at the atrocities they commit.

A faerie pact has separated them—but only together can they bring down Spain’s worlds-spanning empire and save the homes they have both come to love.

Ursula K. Le Guin 2026 Prize for Fiction Shortlist!

Jul 102026
 

Congratulations to DMLA authors Premee Mohamed (One Message Remains) and Tashan Mehta (Mad Sisters of Esi) for making the 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction shortlist!

 Older Entries