SBC Reads: THE PARISIAN HEIST - July 2026

Summer is my favorite time to escape into propulsive, page-turning vacation reads that transport you to a completely different time and place and make you forget about things like calendar reminders and weekly checkins and daily standups. For a few hours, I can forget that I need a day job to pay for rent and healthcare, and I can imagine instead that I am a struggling young artist in Paris or a foundering chef looking for her roots in Sicily.

Jo Piazza is an author that understands this escapist fantasy better than anyone. For years, she worked as a travel journalist before becoming a full-time novelist. She has an uncanny ability to capture the essence of place on the page, whether it’s the scrubby scent of sage on a cliffside in THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE, or the musty, damp tang of peeling paint in a cellar in THE PARISIAN HEIST.

We were thrilled to partner with Jo to fill the welcome bags on our recent Italian Reading Retreat with copies of THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE. It made the perfect travel companion for train rides and boat trips along the Riviera, and our readers were thrilled to be able to take a piece of Italy home with them.

Now I am delighted to share THE PARISIAN HEIST as our SBC Reads pick for July. This dual-timeline, feminist recasting of Van Gogh’s legacy hits all the right notes. Art-world intrigue. Family secrets. Wealthy people problems. Betrayal and mystery. It’s got it all—and I’m not just saying that as a recovering art history major with a serious travel bug. If you’re looking for your next vacation read, this is it.

THE PARISIAN HEIST will release on July 14 (Bastille Day, bien sûr) so preorder your copy today to get it queued up!