Thunderbird Ranch

by Laura Griffin

When a prominent Texas family’s celebration ends in murder, local law enforcement discovers they are keeping dark secrets in this tense new suspense novel from USA Today bestselling author Laura Griffin.

Cal Truitt is dead, no one knows who killed him, and everyone is a suspect.

Perhaps it’s his bride-to-be, ranching heiress Faye McCann, who’s facing a midlife crisis after falling into deep debt and being forced to convert her property into a posh retreat. Or maybe it’s one of her three children—who all despised Cal and were summoned to the ranch by Faye to learn some long-buried family secrets.

Lilian Lasko is new blood, but she has some secrets of her own. She sees her boyfriend's family, with their bitter rivalries and resentments, through the eyes of a wary outsider. Lilian is eager to please, but by the night’s end, she’s running through a creek bed, covered in blood.

Only one person knows the the killer.

Detective Kate Graham is determined to unravel the family’s toxic manipulations and lies to reveal Cal Truitt’s murderer. But with a family that hates and loves one another with equal fervor, Kate’s pursuit of justice becomes more complicated and dangerous with each passing hour.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 10, 2026

About the author

Laura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books and novellas. She is a two-time RITA Award winner, as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award. Laura got her start in journalism before venturing into the world of suspense fiction. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages. Laura lives in Austin, Texas, where she is working on her next novel.
Series:
* Texas Murder Files
* Tracers
* Wolfe Security
* Alpha Crew
* Moreno and Hart Mysteries
* Glass Sisters
* The Borderline

Reviews

[MarilynW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thunderbird Ranch by Laura Griffin

This is my sixth Laura Griffin book and what drew me to her work is that she sets her stories in Texas. Not only that, she sets her stories in rural Texas and I've been all over rural Texas, and as with her other stories, I loved hearing so many places I've been to in the past mentioned in this story. And sorry if I laughed about the wild pig problem, where I live now is all about the wild pig problem. Thank goodness we spent a fortune on a tall no climb horse fence so we can happily spend everyday outside on our property without worrying about the pigs (we still are always on alert for rattlesnakes).

Lilian Lasko is meeting her fiancé Will McCann's family for the first time. She's heard about his family's Thunderbird Ranch and also understands Will's desire to support on his mother on the first anniversary of his dad's death. What a shock to arrive and find that Faye McCann is planning to marry Cal Truitt, a man everyone in the area hates. Cal has been buying up property at low values and driving long time ranchers off property owned by their families for generations. Everything about Cal is shady, he's bad to the bone and it's crazy that Faye is not only marrying the guy but converting the Thunderbird Ranch from a working ranch into a posh tourist retreat. Nothing will change Faye's mind and she won't really discuss the situation. Plus, she wants Lilian gone, seems to think she's only with Will for his money.

Now Cal Truitt is dead and since everyone has a reason to hate him, everyone is a suspect. Finally Detective Kate Graham is going to be the lead on a case although she begins to think she's being set up since this case just might be impossible to solve or might get people killed in the process of solving it. This is a very tangled web and is told in a back and forth manner, before the crime/after the crime, so we learn bits and pieces that will confuse us even more. I enjoyed the story and felt at home in the terrain and would never be tromping around the place without thick blue jeans and boots and certainly would not go swimming buck nekked in the swimming hole. Fun times from afar and I'm so glad I have a very good fence!

Expected pub November 10, 2026

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC

[PamG · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Thunderbird Ranch by Laura Griffin is a crime thriller and police procedural with a bit of romantic suspense. Lillian Lasko and her boyfriend Will McCann arrive at his family’s ranch to celebrate his mom Faye’s birthday. Will’s siblings, Ridley and Gabe, are also coming. There’s a tremendous amount of family drama, rivalries, and resentments along with secrets. When a body is found on the ranch, the police arrive and Detective Kate Graham is assigned as the lead on the case. She must work through the layers of family manipulations, lies, and motivations to uncover the killer.

Faye is the family matriarch and a ranching heiress. She’s desperate, manipulative, and secretive. Will is protective and charismatic. He other severs as a mediator between Ridley and Gabe. Gabe is hot-headed and resentful. Ridley is independent, but is deemed lazy by her mother. Lillian is observant, vulnerable, and provides insight into the family dynamics for the reader. Kate is perceptive, methodical, and relentless.

The author does a great job of pulling readers into the story in the first chapter. She uses past and present time jumps to increase tension in this character-driven puzzle. Kate’s thorough police work and maneuvering through local power plays adds a high degree of realism to the suspense. In fact, it took me a long while to determine who the killer was in this story.

While this is a standalone novel, I could easily see this becoming a series featuring Kate. Especially, since there are several threads that could be followed up in subsequent books. While the book has great atmosphere, its pacing was somewhat uneven. I prefer a more linear story line versus one that jumps back and forth in time as much as this one did. Despite this, telling a large portion of the story from Lillian’s perspective is effective in ramping up the suspense.

Overall, this is a suspenseful and atmospheric novel that has great characterization.

Berkley Publishing Group – Berkley and Laura Griffin provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for November 10, 2026.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

THUNDERBIRD RANCH begins with a murder. Cal Truitt is found dead in a creek bed by Lilian Lasko who has come to Thunderbird Ranch with her fiancé to celebrate his mother's birthday and be introduced to the family. She finds all sorts of tensions.

Faye McCann is renovating the property in order to turn the ranch into a resort. She also introduces Cal Truitt to the group as her new fiancé. Truitt is much despised by all three of Faye's children. Her oldest son has had run-ins with him since he was a teen. Her daughter claims that he assaulted her when she was a teen. And Lily's fiancé Will just doesn't like him. Lil felt he came on too strong when she was introduced to him.

Deputy Sheriff Kate Graham is put in charge of the murder investigation. She hopes it means that her dedication has been recognized by the sheriff but fears she's being set up for a fall. She interviews all the McCanns and Lilith but isn't ready to name a suspect despite pressure from the sheriff and the district attorney.

As Kate tries to unravel the secrets and relationships, Lilian has her own secrets to conceal and her own questions about what is going on in Will's family.

The story is told from three viewpoints. Faye, Kate, and Lilian each have sections from their points of view. The story is also told in a nonlinear fashion. I had to keep looking at the chapter titles to figure out when each piece came in the broader narrative.

Fans of suspense with just a little romance will enjoy this one.

[Criscee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read with strong pacing and enough suspense to keep me invested. I liked the overall atmosphere and found myself wanting to keep turning the pages. Definitely one I’d recommend to readers who enjoy a story that keeps moving.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of characters that you know are all flawed. You don’t really love any of them so it keeps you guessing until the end.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thunderbird Ranch by Laura Griffin is a contemporary murder mystery/thriller. It is a story that is told in parts (before and after) until the story segways into one time line. There are multiple people who were capable of the murder and even more people who might have wanted to kill be murder victim.

Lillian Lasko was meeting her fiance’s family for the first time. Lillian was unprepared for the hostility and anger. Will McCann and his siblings were horrified to find out their widowed mother was marrying Cal Truitt. Cal Truitt was not a nice man, he was a ruthless businessman who took what he wanted. The fact that Faye McCann was marrying him AND turning the ranch into a posh place to stay was horrifying. The party that was planned did not happen. Tempers and hot headed comments and behavior were all part of the story line. Then there was the dead body.

Kate Graham, a police detective had to figure out who killed him and separate the stories from the truth and figure out who was truthful (not many people) and why Cal was killed.

I enjoy reading Laura Griffin’s books. I like how she writes stories and how information is woven into the novel. What made this novel different was I struggled to find characters to connect with. There were numerous storylines and great characters but it seemed that there was too much going on for a simple murder. What then hit me was how convoluted the story really was when the feds got involved. Despite all of that I did enjoy the novel. Thunderbird Ranch by Laura Griffin was a good read.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Joseph and Sandra Oconnor · Rating 0.25 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read. It was set in rural Texas. I love Laura Griffin and I have been reading her books for many years. I'm a definite romantic suspense reader and this one didn't actually have that element with this one. Although this book was still a great crime thriller!! She acually pulls you in the first chapter. Kate Graham was the detective on her first homicide case that she has worked alone. Cal Truitt was a wealthy business man who was found dead in a creek bed! Cal was also Faye McCanns fiance. Faye is the family matriarch and heiress of the ranch. She is manipulative and secretive and desperate to hold on to her ranch. Her three children are coming home for her birthday. It is also the one year anniversary of there fathers death. All three siblings Gabe, Ridley and Will have a lot of family drama, rivalries and resentments between them. Will also brings home his fiancee Lillian who actually finds Cal Truitts body! This book swings between past and present which actually drives me a bit crazy so you have to definitely pay attention. This was a very fast paced gripping novel. She did a great job with the portrayal of the characters and their emotions. Her descriptions of the Texas landscape is always spot on. I give this book a solid 4 stars. I want to thank Laura Griffin for this early copy of Thunderbird Ranch. The opinions in this review are totally my own.,

[Whispers From · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Graham is a deputy and is lead on her first homicide case. A wealthy businessman is murdered and found on the neighbors property. Will McCann and his fiancée Lilian are visiting his mother for her birthday. But Faye McCann has a surprise for her kids. Lilian is the one who trips over the body. Finding the killer will be difficult because he had many enemies. When one of Faye’s children is arrested for the murder, it’s time to let some truths be known.

I really didn’t know what to write without giving anything away. What makes me crazy is the going from past to present. Several different point of views. I voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley. I am giving it three and a half stars.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

Griffin tells the story by jumping between the time before the murder and the investigation afterward, doling out information in pieces. I found the constant timeline bouncing more frustrating than suspenseful, causing the story to get confusing enough to become boring in places and even led to skimming through sections. I personally would have preferred a more straightforward chronology.

To summarize: A Texas-set romantic suspense novel that pairs a hated land-grabbing villain and a tangled family drama with a fresh detective's first homicide case, delivered through a before-and-after timeline structure. I enjoyed the atmospheric setting, rising suspect list, and the twisty, satisfying ending.

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is nothing like a good crime mystery to get you addicted to a story. This book is set in Texas, where the ranches are huge, the women are strong, the land is plentiful, and so are your enemies. Who do you believe? Who do you trust?

For an outsider, it can be overwhelming to meet the family of your fiancé. Personalities clash. You are told to leave. Then you fall into a conspiracy and become a suspect in a murder!

Griffin writes this one with good cadence and timing. Written in past and present time jumps meant to tell the story but also keep the reader off balance, the suspect list grows. When the police arrest a family member with questionable evidence, you realize yelling at the book doesn’t help.

The main detective does her due diligence throughout, but there are power plays happening as well, which ramps up the suspense. Who the culprit is can be surprising and leads to a fulfilling ending.

Thunderbird Ranch brings together family drama, backstabbing, murder, and mayhem to the forefront and delivers a great ending with all of the twists we love!

~~~~~~
* I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* Full review - https://amidlifewife.com/thunderbird-...

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Graham is a deputy and lead on her first homicide case. This case is bound to gain a lot of attention because a wealthy businessman is murdered on the neighbor’s property. Will McCann and his fiancé are visiting his mother for her birthday who also just so happens to be marrying the person who was murdered. When one of Faye’s children is arrested, some truths come out that change the direction of the case. I enjoyed the plot of the story but the timeline bouncing around really drove me crazy and made me bored and skip a couple times.

Rating 3.5 stars

Received ARC for honest review from NetGalley.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery was interesting enough to keep me invested, and I wanted to see how everything would unfold. That said, I felt like the story was a little shallow overall and didn’t have quite as much depth as I was hoping for.

The characters were… odd. I had a hard time fully connecting with them, and some of their choices and dynamics just felt a little off to me. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it was, but something about the characterization never completely clicked.

Still, the mystery kept me turning the pages, and it was okay overall!

[Carrie · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I liked the setup of this book- a big Texas family with a ranch (think Yellowstone-level history), one of the jerks gets murdered on a ranch, lots of family secrets, and the millions are dwindling. I like that pretty much everyone is a possible suspect, and it didn't really become clear until the very end. And the ending came quickly, so quickly that I was like - What's happening. My other complaint is that a lot of questions were left unanswered. I kept wondering - what happened with this person or that situation?? It was a fast read.

[Joyclyn · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

This started off strong for me, but then it took a strange turn. I didn't understand the dynamic with Ridley or why she seemed so unhinged during the scenes with the ring, only for everything to return to normal a few chapters later. I also felt cheated by the big reveal of who committed the murder and why, because nothing seemed to lead up to it. I did, however, like the detective's approach to solving the case, especially the way she trusted her instincts instead of ignoring them. I wouldn't mind reading another story featuring her.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of the book and allowing me to leave my honest review.

[Stephanie Olson · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Murder mystery that kept me turning the pages to see who did it. The timeline jumps around which had me a bit confused where I was in the story at times. Overall, a good, fast paced read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC prior to its release.

[Jennifer]

3.5 🌟