Deschutes Public Library system announced the choices for the 2025 iteration of A Novel Idea … Read Together, the library’s longstanding annual community-wide read.

Each year, a committee selects an adult book and a related youth offering as well, with a month of book-related programming, discussions and author visits taking place. This time it’s Ritu Mukerji’s debut mystery novel, “Murder by Degrees,” for the adult selection. Set in 1875 Philadelphia, it tells the story of Dr. Lydia Weston, a professor and anatomist who is called upon to help investigate the mysterious death of a young chambermaid after her corpse is found in a river.

The youth edition novel is Sarvenaz Tash’s “The Queen of Ocean Parkway,” about an 11-year-old aspiring reporter and podcaster who investigates the disappearance of one of her favorite tenants in her Brooklyn apartment building.

“The wait is finally over and now readers must crack a case of a mistaken identity alongside an intrepid heroine and an investigator with a heart of gold,” said Liz Goodrich, Deschutes Public Library’s events supervisor.

Library staff made the announcement Saturday evening in a public event at the Downtown Bend Public Library.

A Novel Idea began in 2002 with a single book, David James Duncan’s “The River Why.”

“Murder by Degrees” marks a new achievement for A Novel Idea, Goodrich said: “In the past 22 years, this is the first mystery novel we’ve shared together as a community, and I’m looking forward to conversations sparked by themes in both of these books.”

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A Novel Idea will kick off in April, culminating with visits by the authors. Mukerji will appear Saturday, May 3 at Summit High School, and youth edition author Tash on Saturday, April 26 at the Downtown Bend library.

Copies of Murder by Degrees (Simon and Schuster) and The Queen of Ocean Parkway (Penguin Random House) are available for checkout at Deschutes library branches or purchased at local bookstores.

Contact: deschuteslibrary.org.