For Book Clubs
Read Animals of the French Species — and I’ll join your discussion.
Choose it as your next book club pick, and I’ll meet with your group one-on-one over Zoom, wherever you’re reading from. No travel required — just a good conversation about Paris, how the book came to be, and whatever you’d like to talk about…
Animals of the French Species
FBI agent Lina Connerly — last seen solving the case that shook a Silicon Valley suburb in The Wonder Test — resurfaces in Paris, in a standalone spy novel inspired by Michelle Richmond’s own years there as a “trailing spouse” with the U.S. Embassy. It’s a classic espionage story, but it’s also about rebuilding one’s life after loss.
Michelle will Zoom into your book club discussion of Animals of the French Species for a relaxed, one-on-one conversation about the book, the research, and the city that shaped it.
Publishing January 2027 from Grove Atlantic. Ask your local independent bookstore to reserve or pre-order a copy — most are happy to set aside book club sets.
The Wonder Test
Before Paris, there was Greenfield, California. Recently widowed FBI agent Lina Connerly returns to her father’s sleepy hometown — now a Silicon Valley suburb obsessed with a single high-stakes exam — only to find that the town’s shiny surface hides something much darker.
If your club is reading the series in order, start here. The Wonder Test has a reading group guide and playlist to set the mood for discussion.
Can’t wait until January? Read The Wonder Test, and I’ll visit your book club to talk about motherhood and other mysteries and the dark side of suburbia.
How a book club visit works
Ask me anything!
Pick your date
Choose Animals of the French Species as your club’s read, then request a date at least three weeks out so it can be confirmed.
Get a Zoom link
Michelle joins your regular meeting by Zoom, wherever your club meets.
Talk it through
Expect 30–45 minutes of conversation: the writing process, Paris life, or whatever you’d like to discuss.
Order from your local independent bookstore
Indie bookstores love book clubs. Ask yours to order copies for your group, or shop online through Bookshop.org, which supports independent stores.
Reserve your book club’s visit
Tell Michelle your club is reading Animals of the French Species and she’ll follow up to schedule your Zoom conversation.