Chapter One “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean.” Anxiety pooled in the pit of my stomach, and I knew it had to be reflected in my face because my sister, Margot, grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Nigel Hearst, my newly deceased husband’s accountant, regarded me with sympathy. “I’m…
We teamed up with five cozy mystery writers to create a short story in real-time. The end result was “Sweet Voodoo Magic” which you can read in full below! A special thank you goes out to the participating authors (in order of appearance): Hannah Dennison, S.C. Perkins, Donna Andrews, Diane Kelly, and Ellie Alexander. The…
Author Acknowledgement This is my twenty-second true-crime book and perhaps the most disturbing. There are so many unanswered questions as to why Chris Watts, a seemingly perfect father, would annihilate his entire family. “He was a great father,” Shanann’s father, Frank Rzucek, told investigators. “Husbandwise the same way.” So what could have been going on…
CHAPTER ONE It was a Monday morning in early October when I first heard about you. I was getting out of the shower when my phone rang. After throwing on a robe and cinching it, I ran into my bedroom, snatching my cell off the nightstand. Unknown number. Normally, I let those go. But I’d…
REDLEAF LAKE | CRIME SCENE #2 | GREELEY, COLORADO December 2 Special Agent James Mason struck off toward the distant police cordon, his FBI windbreaker flaring on the breeze, his sunglasses shielding his blue eyes from the winter sun. His hair had grown shaggy, but getting it cut was the furthest thing from his mind.…
Chapter 4: Boomtown I was beginning to think of Rock Springs in a way I knew I would always think of it, a lowdown city full of crimes and whores and disappointments… —Richard Ford, “Rock Springs” 1987 Two men walked into a bar. Actually, it was not yet a drinking establishment. Ed Varley’s family…
CHAPTER 1 Thursday, February 23 More often than you’d think, the troublemakers sit in first class. Not the upgraders. They’re so thankful for a golden ticket to the promised land, they stay on best behavior in hopes of proving they belong in the club full-time. Most of them are business types who simply want to…
Which family members were you the most excited about being able to interview? Would you say that they were supportive of the story being told? I was lucky enough to gain the cooperation of Chris Watts’ family early on. I was in Spring Lake, North Carolina researching the book when I saw Chris’s mother Cindy…
“Cut Loose All Those Who Drag You Down” by Ross Klavan A crooked reporter who fronts for the mob and who’s been married eight times gets a visit from his oldest friend, a disgraced and defrocked shrink. The man is in deep trouble and it’s clear somebody is going to pay with his life. “Beaned”…
In Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear (Minotaur Books, March 2021) a family made infamous by a true-crime documentary is found dead, leaving their surviving son to uncover the truth about their final days. For the first time, you can check out the cover here and read on for an exclusive excerpt from this highly anticipated…
