‘The Agathas’ Author Liz Lawson Debuts Her First Adult Novel and Dissects the Move From YA to Adult (Exclusive)

If you’re a fan of cozy murder mysteries then It Happened One Murder by Liz Lawson needs to be on your list.

You’ll recognize Lawson’s name if you read young adult murder mysteries, with the likes of The Lucky Ones and Murder Between Friends, but now she’s making her adult novel debut!

It Happened One Murder is one of those stories that will resonate with almost everyone. Those who have been through their 20s will know what it’s like to think that you’re an adult now. You should know what you’re doing with your life.

That’s not the case, though, and it’s something Lawson touched on when we discussed the initial inspiration for the plot.

It Happened One Murder follows Harriet Baker, who left Logan Island for good. At least, that’s what she thought. When she ends up being let go from her job, she has to return home, and now she’s not even sure what to do with her life. All she knows is that there’s a murder she needs to solve.

“In my early 20s, I did a volunteer program and I moved in with my boyfriend the year after. I thought I was set in life, and then we broke up, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” LAwson got candid about her own experiences, “I moved back in with my parents. I was having a severe quarter-life crisis, and it’s something people talk about now than they did then. I thought my life was over, and I’ve always wanted to explore that time in a character.”

Sure enough, more and more people are talking about it now. As Lawson went on to explain, “Your 20s are so hard. You leave the structure of school, you leave the life you knew and are basically on your own for the first time.”

Now, people are documenting all of this on social media, and it’s giving likeminded adults a safe place to be. Sure, there are people who judge, but many 20-something don’t feel like they have their lives together. They’re more like Rachel Greene in Friends, running away from their own wedding and just trying to choose what they want to do with their life.

“There’s something very unique about that age, the 22 to 28 range,” Lawson shared, “You’re exploring and figuring out who you are and how to be in the world. I thought it was really interesting.”

That wasn’t the only reason she decided to switch from young adult to adult, though. There was also the fact that she was starting to get a little burned out writing young adult. She’s written four books now, but while writing two of them, she admits that she had been “dabbling” with this one.

“It took me a while to land on exactly what I was doing,” she admitted, while also sharing that writing characters a little closer to her age gave her a little more freedom.

One of the downsides any adult writing YA understands is trying to fit activities in around school. Suddenly, you have to work out how someone can get from point A to B without having a car or the freedom that an adult would. Then there’s the fact that weekends aren’t school days, and that’s a problem Lawson ran into more than once!

On top of that, she had more freedom when it came to who she was writing for, “When you’re writing kids, you’re shaping it for that audience, and you’re keeping in mind librarians and the structure of the industry and genre. With adults, you’re just adult readers, and they’re the only people you need to keep in mind.”

Sure, it means a slightly different mindset, but it’s an enjoyable mindset to be in. So is the mystery genre, especially mashed with some romance.

“I think the mystery part came first,” Lawson told me, when I asked about the genre combination, “But I really also love the idea of mashing genres and putting a romance in almost because it’s as important to the plot as the mystery.

“I love fun, cozy mysteries like The Thursday Murder Club, where it’s a mystery but there’s almost something else to it. There’s a relationship or a friendship, and I thought it would be really fun to try out.”

I wanted to know a little more about the decision to opt for cozy mystery rather than psychological thriller. Don’t get me wrong; I love a good psychological thriller, but there’s something relaxing about a cozy mystery, and Lawson touched on that, “They’re like a hug. Instead of feeling anxious when you’re reading, you’re having fun trying to figure out who did it. That’s also fun to write.”

It’s not surprising to hear that Lawson grew up reading Agatha Christie books, especially considering she co-wrote two books in The Agathas series, but that’s not the only reason she loves this specific genre.

It’s to do with the style of writing, as she went on to share, “I’m a very voice-driven writer. The character comes to me first, and I love fun banter on the page. That’s difficult to do in a psychological thriller.”

Since she brought up The Agathas, which made it to the New York Times Bestsellers list, I had to ask about more in the series. She and Kathleen Glasgow have two books so far, and for a long time, it looked like there wouldn’t be a third. For now, that is the case, but things could change, as there is a plan for a third, “We had a mystery running through it that we had planned on exploring in the third, so it’s set up.”

The two have since become close friends, and it’s not like they didn’t have fun writing the books! It’s all about the market, at this point.

For now, Lawson is looking ahead at another adult book, which will be a “companion novel” to It Happened One Murder. Lawson explained, “Two of the characters from the first one are the main characters, and it takes place in Italy during a wedding, and then there’s a murder.”

The focus for now is on It Happened One Murder, which will be released on May 26, 2026. This is perfect for fans of cozy murder mysteries mixed with romantic comedy.