NEW YORK - s4story -- Sutra House, an independent literary press dedicated to uncompromising editorial standards, today announces the publication of Return of the Mary Celeste, a propulsive action thriller by author and illustrator Stephen Hayes. The novel publishes April 14, 2026, and is available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook wherever books are sold.

In 1872, the merchant brigantine Mary Celeste was discovered adrift in the Atlantic — crew vanished, cargo intact, personal belongings untouched. The mystery was never solved. Hayes's novel begins where that history ends.

Anderson Owens has built his life on doubt. A brilliant, lonely radio host who trades in conspiracy theories and unexplained phenomena, he has never believed any of it — until a woman appears on a dark Florida road who shouldn't exist. Her name is Sophia. Her connection to the Mary Celeste defies every rational explanation, and something about her is changing him in ways he can't control. To protect her, Owens must confront a ruthless pharmaceutical empire and a cover-up that reaches the Oval Office — while grappling with a question he can no longer avoid: is he falling in love with a fraud, a ghost, or something he has denied his entire life?

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"A lively, fast-paced thriller — the mystery ship Mary Celeste heaves into view once more, and this time it's in Florida. Prepare for submersible adventures, exploding ships, wicked pharmaceutical overlords, an ageless heroine, and a mystical attachment."

— Valerie Martin, author of The Ghost of the Mary Celeste and Orange Prize-winning Property

"Miracles do happen, but only for those smart enough to believe in them."

— Stephen Hayes, Return of the Mary Celeste

https://www.sutrahouse.com/books/cmjw736bj0001ld04ym0j8by6

Stephen Hayes is a UCLA graduate, award-winning illustrator, and former professor of art and history at Pacific Northwest College of Art. His writing has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, American Legion Magazine, Not Your Mother's Books, the Cat Crimes anthology series, and publications across four continents. A recipient of the International Association of Business Communicators Award of Excellence, he is also the creator of The Chubby Chatterbox, a long-running blog of autobiographical stories. He lives with his wife, Sue, in Ridgefield, Washington. Return of the Mary Celeste is his first novel.

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