Publication Date: October 14, 2025
Publisher: Privately published, New York, and globally distributed (via Ingram Book Group)
Formats: Hardcover (Octavo: 6.14″ x 9.21″), plus jacket; Paperback 6.14″ x 9.21″; eBook
Pages: 340
ISBN:
978-1-7373192-6-9 (hardcover)
978-1-968103-00-2 (paperback)
978-1-968103-01-9 (eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2025904984
BISAC:   
FIC022030 (FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Traditional)
FIC022080 (FICTION / Mystery & Detective / International Crime & Mystery)
FIC022100 (FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth)
FIC019000 (FICTION/ Literary)
Website: https://robertbraceauthor.com
Price:
Hardcover: $33.00 US/£28.99 UK/€33.99 EU/$49.99 CA/$59.99 AU
Paperback: $17.99 US/£15.99 UK/€18.99 EU/$27.99 CA/$36.99 AU
eBook: $11.99 US/£9.99 UK/€10.99 EU/$16.99 CA/$18.99 AU

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JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA – short description:

Twelve strangers are invited by a mysterious recluse to cruise the Mediterranean. One of them is lost overboard.

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JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA – long description:

The nearby star Betelgeuse is about to explode, an event whose consequences for life on Earth are uncertain. Hugo Evans, an American art historian living in London, receives an invitation from a man he has never met, reclusive artist Rothesay Ambrose Urquhart, to an “end-of-the-world” Mediterranean cruise aboard the meticulously restored prewar motor yacht Mulvane. There are twelve guests in total, all strangers to one another, and also to their host. 

Early in the voyage, one of them is lost overboard. It is not clear if this was an accident, a suicide, or a murder. Another passenger, sharp-witted lawyer Oriana Welles, recruits Evans to help her investigate.

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JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA – reviews:

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“Decadent apocalyptic cruise sails into a thrilling mystery”

–Booklife Reviews

“Brace…excellently weaves many threads—the end of the world, curiosity surrounding Urquhart, the eccentricity of the voyage he hosts, the abandon that dictates most of the tour—to form a compelling narrative. Despite juggling apocalyptic anxiety, artistic rebellion, and Mediterranean decadence, Brace never loses sight of the central plot: a murder mystery set against humanity’s final days. While the world may remember the cruise for its provocative calendar, Evans and his fellow passengers will remember it for far more sinister reasons—and therein lies the heart of this captivating novel”

–Booklife Reviews

“A beautifully restrained and cerebral mystery set against the looming backdrop of cosmic catastrophe. Brace has a controlled and confident way of writing that ensures every moment is elegant, restrained, and perfectly suited to the reflective tone of the narrative. It’s a conceptually brilliant novel from the start…[The] character work is also beautifully subtle and psychologically rich, avoiding caricature throughout and offering delightfully well-rounded, thoughtful, deep portrayals of genuine people that you can fall in love with. The narrative pacing is riveting …Dialogue interchanges sparkle with intelligence and wit, and are layered with subtext as they move the plot along naturally. With unsettling, beautiful, and quietly profound moments from start to finish, Journal of the Supernova is an engrossing story that lingers long after the final page”

–Indies Today

_{More JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA reviews coming. Here are excerpts from reviews of previous works by Robert Brace:}

“Brace…displays such eloquence and such a firm control of pacing…artful coup de grace…an intriguing and multilayered supernatural thriller.”

–Kirkus Reviews on FLOREAT LUX

“…a wild, complex novel that blurs the line between the real and the supernatural…a psychedelic trip through literature, history and art.”

–Blue Ink Reviews on FLOREAT LUX

“…a cosmological search…literary and rhetorical…a theatrical celebration of what like minds can accomplish.”

–Foreword Clarion Reviews on FLOREAT LUX

“The author’s canny prose finds sharp, inchoate conflict…atmospheric and psychologically rich tale of erotic and philosophical enigmas”

–Kirkus Reviews on ANDROMEDA GRAPHIKA

“Stylish and polished, Brace’s literary thriller abounds in evocative description, crisp and engaging dialogue…A sense of playful unease suffuses the novel, as Brace toys with expectations”

–Booklife Reviews on ANDROMEDA GRAPHIKA

“…deserve a wide readership”                                  

 –Publishers Weekly on IRON BUTTERFLY

“Beautifully written—proves that Robert Brace is a talent to watch”          

–Kyle Mills, New York Times bestselling author of Smoke Screen, on BLACK TIGER

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JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA – ARCs:

Advance Review Copies can be requested via either:
(1) NetGalley.com, using this link, or
(2) the “Contact” section here.

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JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA – author biography:

An author biography link is available on the About page.

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JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA – images for media coverage: