And the winning bid — submitted at 9:52 p.m. last night, right before the deadline — is $515.

The high bidder is a MinnPost supporter determined to give this to a long-time friend who shares her love of reading and love of thrillers. 

Her bidding strategy: “I have to admit that when I made my bid the other day, I didn’t believe that I had a chance in hell to win. I assumed that I’d be outbid. Then last night, sitting at the theater, I thought that maybe some clever person was waiting until the last minute to up the bid by some small amount. Thinking that it would be dumb to miss this opportunity by a hair, I rushed home from the theater and made a last bid.”

Julie’s next thriller, SILENCING SAM, will be published in June. Her first two books were well-received by critics and readers.

Thanks to everyone involved for supporting MinnPost.