Sometimes, dark secrets don’t fade with the years.
Instead, they grow darker.
A MEGHAN AURIC CRIME NOVEL
by Michael Craft
Meghan Auric lives in self-imposed confinement atop a luxurious tower, the tallest building overlooking a small city on the Great Plains. Dark secrets and a long-ago betrayal put her there, while debilitating fears and guilt have kept her there. The upside: her much older husband’s recent death has made her one of the wealthiest women in the state, and she intends to put those riches to a more noble use than he did.
Now, though, political developments in a special election begin to unravel what really happened some twenty-five years ago, offering her the chance to escape her gilded cage and to reap justice—as well as revenge. The downside: pursuing this truth would likely cause her to lose everything.
With a wry sense of humor that never fails her, Meghan searches for the courage to begin her journey from self-doubt and isolation. Getting there won’t be easy, though, with obstacles along the way that threaten not only her lavish lifestyle—but possibly life itself.
“A surprising and stylish novel of a heartland society widow, a tower, and a secret. Craft wrings insight, pathos, and beauty from Meghan’s rarefied milieu. He seizes the symbolic potential of her tower residence to heighten the suspense, evoke emotional resonance, and offer breathtaking views in crisp, lyrical prose.”
— BookLife Reviews(Editor’s Pick)
from the indie review service of Publishers Weekly
“A middle-aged woman loses her wealthy, elderly husband and finds herself embroiled in a political crime caper. A slow-burning but ultimately uplifting novel of second chances, the tale deftly explores compelling themes of self-discovery, loss, and rebuilding self-respect.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“I loved Not Our Crowd, Darling. Meghan Auric is a refreshing hero for our trying times, a moral intellectual trapped in a ‘trophy wife’ role who dares to confront past fears and speak the truth to power.”
— M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie
“Wry humor, psychological revelations, and simmering mystery result in a novel that is embracing and engaging, spiced with just enough suspense to keep its outcome satisfyingly unpredictable.”
— Diane Donovan, Senior Critic, Midwest Book Review
“Michael Craft’s latest novel is a cracking good story, kept emotionally on point through Meghan Auric’s voice as narrator, with a cast of appealing characters whose diversity reflects her view of the world. But it is Meghan who holds center stage, and in the end it is her fate that keeps us on the edge of our seats.”
— Ulysses Grant Dietz, Backlot Book Forum
“As political tensions rise and personal history resurfaces, Not Out Crowd, Darling examines the intersection of power, secrecy, and consequence, exploring the price of ambition and the struggle to reconcile with one’s past.”
— CrimeReads
“Craft dazzles with the wit, suspense, and human venality found in the characters surrounding his new heroine. Sly, scared, and more savvy than her enemies realize, Meghan Auric plays a deep game.”
— E.B. Boatner, Lavender Magazine, Minneapolis
“From schemes of political pushback, to navigating territory far from her youthful mistakes, Meghan Auric is guided by a gritty first-person voice that forces her to take the first, hardest steps into a new life.”
— James A. Cox,California Bookwatch
“I found Meghan Auric fascinating. She is a principled woman of integrity with a strong sense of right and wrong — qualities that elevate her from a spoiled rich person into a character you care about. High-stakes situations propel her journey to growth and greater self-awareness in this very enjoyable tale.”
This novel is something of a departure for me. Most of my earlier books have been murder mysteries, and most of those have featured gay male protagonists. But Not Our Crowd, Darling is not a whodunit, and its main character is a straight woman, newly widowed, who serves as the story’s first-person narrator. So this one is different.
Although the plot involves a murder—with the possibility of more to come—these crimes are not, ultimately, what the story is “about.” Rather, the arc of the narrative is far more “interior,” dealing with struggles of the central character, Meghan Auric, as she tries to overcome the emotional consequences of a very bad decision made many years earlier.
Readers often ask me where I get the ideas for my books. The sources of inspiration vary: items in the news, or snatches of overheard conversation, or motives that intrigue me, or technological advances that seem fertile for abuse, or an idea for a character’s name, or anything else that might pop up and surprise me with an “aha” moment.
In the case of this book, inspiration struck at a New Year’s Day brunch when someone asked our host about someone else, who wasn’t there. With a knowing scowl, he replied under his breath, “Not our class, dear,” a phrase that had apparently been bantered about in more than one BBC streaming series. Everyone laughed.
The phrase caught my ear and stuck with me—its condescension, its ennui, its clubbiness. How delicious, I thought. When I altered it a bit to make it sound less British and more American, I knew that I’d found the title of my next novel, Not Our Crowd, Darling. Then? All I had to do was write a story that fit the title.
— Michael Craft, 2025
Cheers to Meghan Auric, a refreshing new hero for stressful times.
Book launch and reception
Sunday, November 16, 2025
What a night! Some 50 friends, readers, and crime-fiction fans gathered on a Sunday evening at the Artists Center in Palm Desert, California, to help launch my latest novel, Not Our Crowd, Darling, which introduces a refreshing new hero for stressful times, Meghan Auric. Festivities included wine, gold-themed “auric” dessert items, a reading, and a discussion with local radio host Bonnie Gilgallon.
Photos from the event (below) were contributed by Barbara Kerr, Andy Nystrom, Leon Pascucci, and others attending.
Above: Michael Craft reads from the opening chapter of “Not Our Crowd, Darling” at the Artists Center in Palm Desert, California, on November 16, 2025.
Above: Annie Reutinger manages the sale of books at the event.
Above: Radio host Bonnie Gilgallon shares a moment with Michael after their discussion of his new book.
At left: Jim Stout, Leon Pascucci, and Paul Jacobs join Michael as he signs copies of his latest crime novel.
Above: Carole Hatcher presents her fabulous “auric” cupcakes.
