In THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline reunites readers with fan favorite Julia Pritzker, whose journey of clairvoyance, corruption and crime was first detailed in THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA. Having successfully solved a murder, renovated her Tuscan manor and started a family, Julia now must deal with the biggest change of all: accepting her powers.

When last we saw Julia, she had uprooted her life to live in her inherited Tuscan estate, where she eventually met and married Gianluca Moretti, a dashing librarian. Since then, they have welcomed a bright, precocious daughter named Leni into their family and begun living out their Italian villa dreams, all with Gianluca’s parents helping to immerse Julia into the culture and raise their daughter. After all the upheaval of her tragic childhood, the murder of her first husband, and the discovery of her biological family, life finally seems to have settled into something good and stable. And best of all, she has not had a vision in five years. 

One day, Julia gets the urge to talk to her best friend, Courtney Horan, who is still living in the United States. As the FaceTime call between the two connects, Julia is surprised to see Courtney behind the wheel instead of her executive desk. Courtney is on her way to visit her grandmother, Kay Patterson. But just as Courtney dashes up the front stairs, Julia feels something she hasn’t experienced since the night of her first husband’s murder: an inexplicable sense of dread and the overwhelmingly powerful sensation that Courtney must not step inside. 

"Paired with Scottoline’s taut, cleverly constructed pacing, Julia’s emotional reckoning both propels and supports the suspense plot.... THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING --- much like its title suggests --- will change everything about your summer reading list. This one is hard to top."

Unfortunately, Julia’s words arrive too late, and Courtney walks into the unimaginable. Kay has been shot dead and is bleeding out on the carpet. A slam from the back of the house prompts Courtney to chase down the killer, but dense grass and a stumble prevent her from acquiring anything more than a general description of a man.

Naturally, Julia is on the first flight to Pennsylvania to comfort her best friend. It is clear that Gianluca has reservations about her trip. Not only is he concerned about the return of her visions and their destabilizing effect, as an Italian family man, he cannot wrap his head around his wife leaving him and their young daughter for a friend. Still, the foundation of their love is strong, and Julia arrives in the US filled with a sense of purpose. Who else could understand Courtney’s shock and grief better than her? Who else understands the pulsing sense of danger that lurks under every interaction when you know that a murderer is on the loose?

When the women are able to meet with police, they are given a cut-and-dried story of a robbery gone wrong, but Julia is quick to point out that that interpretation doesn’t make sense. All that was taken was $100, and Kay’s jewelry was left untouched. When a ghost gun is found on the property, it seems that they’re one step closer to finding Kay’s killer. However, the local police force is surprisingly slow to move on evidence, infuriatingly mum on details, and clearly tired of Courtney’s demand for answers. 

Soon after, when the women receive a tip about a recent volunteer cleanup project in which Kay was involved and where she discovered something unusual that she was desperate to show Courtney, one thing becomes clear: the police have little to no interest in solving Kay’s murder. Stranger still, they are completely against exploring the idea that her death could be connected to another one nearby 30 years ago --- the only two murders in the town’s history. 

Frustrated, bereaved and at her wits’ end, Courtney asks that Julia put her gift to good use, but that will require more than Julia feels ready to give. Her past dealings with clairvoyance left her strung out, unmoored and nearly deranged. At the same time, she would do anything to help her best friend.

Courtney is arrested for Kay’s murder, a rash judgment by the police with shaky grounding in evidence or fact. They are able to cobble together a story that sells: a woman whose best friend recently inherited millions and a villa; the “keeping up with the Joneses” nature of female friendship; and, of course, the fact that she had Julia to advise her on the perfect crime. But Julia has begun investigating and making her own discoveries. Kay’s collection of cleanup finds is missing, and a local curmudgeon may have been stalking her. Most fascinating of all is the town’s history of corruption, white supremacy, and…a fire that has been left burning for decades?

Fast-paced, with a ripped-from-the-headlines premise and an unforgettable heroine, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING is a stellar follow-up to THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA. Although Lisa Scottoline is known mainly for her suspense fiction, longtime fans also will be aware that she brings something entirely unique to her thrilling plots: an emotional acuity and resonance that reads like women’s fiction but with a gritty edge. Building on Julia’s friendship with Courtney, she targets the perfect entry point into Julia’s journey of acceptance, pushing her to do what she fears most in order to save someone whom she considers blood. 

Paired with Scottoline’s taut, cleverly constructed pacing, Julia’s emotional reckoning both propels and supports the suspense plot. Each storyline pushes the other forward, taking off at breakneck speed and gripping readers from the very first page. I can honestly say that this book is even richer, more psychologically taut and more emotionally powerful than its predecessor, a feat that is difficult for many authors writing sequels. At the same time, newcomers will be thrilled to learn that it can be read as a stand-alone as Scottoline quickly catches us up to speed without taking away from the main exposition or plot. 

Both a supernatural mystery and a crime thriller, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING --- much like its title suggests --- will change everything about your summer reading list. This one is hard to top.