A Southern Gothic thriller set in Savannah, praised as “Gone Girl meets True Detective”

Savannah physician, award-winning columnist, and acclaimed author Dr. Mark Murphy has released his highly anticipated new novel, Rose Dhu, available nationwide beginning January 20, 2026. The book marks Murphy’s first novel in more than a decade and delivers a gripping Southern Gothic mystery set in the heart of Savannah’s Lowcountry.

A Savannah native and graduate of Calvary Day School, the University of Georgia, and the Medical College of Georgia, Murphy returned home in 1994 after training at UNC-Chapel Hill to co-found The Center for Digestive and Liver Health (CDLH). Today, CDLH is the largest gastroenterology practice in South Georgia, employing more than 120 medical professionals. Dr. Murphy has been repeatedly named Savannah’s top gastroenterologist and was honored as the 2021 Physician of the Year by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Georgia. He is also a former President of the Georgia Medical Society.

Beyond medicine, Murphy is widely recognized across Georgia as an accomplished writer and journalist. He is a longtime columnist for the Savannah Morning News and the Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia, winner of the Georgia Press Association’s 2021 Otis Brumby Award for Outstanding Opinion/Editorial Columnist, and the author of the novels The Shadow Man (2012) and The Curse of the Thrax (2014).

Now, with Rose Dhu, Murphy returns to fiction with a powerful, suspense-driven story rooted deeply in Savannah’s history, culture, and social complexity.

“The adage ‘write what you know’ has always helped frame my writing,” Murphy says. “I live in the Rose Dhu subdivision on Savannah’s southside — an out-of-the-way place on the Vernon River filled with coastal wildlife and a collection of wonderful, somewhat eccentric people. When I conceived this story, I realized there was no better setting for the novel than the place I call home.”

This truly is a Savannah Mystery with National Appeal: Rose Dhu follows the sudden disappearance of prominent Savannah surgeon Janie O’Connor. Suspicion immediately falls on her former fiancé, billionaire businessman Phillip Carruthers, who insists he is beingframed. When Detective Frank Winger uncovers a shallow marsh-side grave near Janie’s home, the case spirals into a web of deception, privilege, and power. Evidence vanishes. Witnesses lie. And the truth becomes increasingly elusive.

Described as “Gone Girl meets True Detective in Savannah,” the novel blends modern psychological suspense with classic Southern Gothic atmosphere, exploring the hidden tensions between wealth, influence, and justice.

Renowned novelist Ron Rash calls the book “a masterful portrait of Savannah itself,” noting: “Savannah becomes a character in the novel — its grandeur, corruption, and class consciousness woven seamlessly into a gripping mystery.”

Savannah native and New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler adds: “Rose Dhu is the kind of novel that pulls you in with suspense and leaves you thinking long after the final page.”

Bestselling thriller author Catherine Coulter praises the book as: “A rich tapestry of good versus evil. Not to miss.”

Kirkus Reviews calls it: “A searing mystery that examines the connections between power and privilege as they play out in a missing-person case.”

Dr. Mark Murphy is a homegrown author worth celebrating. With its unmistakable Savannah setting and nationally praised storytelling, Rose Dhu is poised to become a must-read for both local and national audiences. Media outlets are encouraged to interview Dr. Murphy about the novel, his creative process, and the real-life Savannah inspirations behind the story.

Savannah readers are invited to support a hometown author whose work shines a literary spotlight on the city’s beauty, complexity, and enduring mystique.

Rose Dhu is available in paperback and eBook formats wherever books are sold, including: Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Home - Mark Murphy.