Rough Cut
by Wendy Church

Chef and FBI secret informant Sag Pfister is propelled into the glamorous life of the rich but soon finds herself in a disturbing and toxic web of deceit in this intricately plotted thriller!

Chef and reluctant FBI informant Sagarine Pfister has a new assignment: Infiltrate one of Chicago’s wealthiest families and uncover what billionaire diamond kingpin Richard Nottingham is planning behind closed doors.

The FBI knows Nottingham is a long-dormant Russian sleeper agent who’s just been activated, and now it seems he’s planning something lethal—but for whom, and on what scale?

Despite a series of bloody clues left around the city by someone who may be on their side, the FBI is clueless. Sag needs to blend in and expose Nottingham’s plan before it goes into motion, and before she gets caught. Because if he even suspects who she really is, he has the power to erase her—without a trace.

For fans of Janet Evanovich and “audiences who wish the TV series The Bear could make room for Russian mobsters” (Kirkus Reviews). A witty, tense rollercoaster of a ride!

Genre: Thriller: terrorism

Reviews

“A gripping read with an unusual plot, a quirky heroine, and plenty of bizarre twists”

Booklist on Tunnel Vision

“The second in Church’s Shadows of Chicago series is violent, dark, and steadily absorbing”

Kirkus Reviews on Tunnel Vision

“Dizzying . . . Audiences who wished the TV series The Bear had made room for Russian mobsters are in for a treat”

Kirkus Reviews Starred Review of Knife Skills

“A riveting, entertaining read that will appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich”

Booklist on Knife Skills

“With brisk pacing and dynamic characters, Church keeps readers enthralled”

Publishers Weekly on Knife Skills

“Fans of Janet Evanovich will enjoy meeting the freewheeling Jesse, and this debut gives an enticing hint of more adventures to come”

Booklist Starred Review of Murder on the Spanish Seas

“Clever, transportive, and laugh-out-loud funny . . . the perfect book to read poolside — just not on the deck of a luxury ocean liner. I can't wait to read more from this wickedly entertaining new voice”

Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here, on Murder on the Spanish Seas

“Church has penned a whip-smart, sarcastic, amateur sleuth and a tightly plotted story that’s perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Catriona McPherson, and Darynda Jones. Readers will want to see Jesse again”

Library Journal on Murder on the Spanish Seas

“An action-packed debut that’s as funny as the heroine is unstoppable. I loved it!”

Nora McFarland, author of the Lilly Hawkins Mysteries on Murder on the Spanish Seas

Wendy Church

Wendy Church, PhD, is the author of the Jesse O’Hara Mysteries, the first of which, Murder on the Spanish Seas, was named a Booklist Top 10 Debut Mystery & Thriller of 2023. She is also the author of the Shadows of Chicago Mysteries. Knife Skills, the first in the series, received a Starred Review from Kirkus Reviews. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her partner and several animals.

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Editions

Rough Cut by Wendy Church is available in the following formats

Hardback97814483156353rd February 2026144 X 222mm272$29.99
Hardback97814483156353rd February 2026144 X 222mm272£21.99
Ebook97814483156423rd February 2026N/A272£12.99
Ebook97814483156423rd February 2026N/A272£12.99
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