Now you can read it for free on this site for one month only. This short story also comes in ebook and paperback format–both on its own, and as part of the Down in the Fifth Kira Brightwell Collection.
Tale of the Tape: A Kira Brightwell Short Novel
Jacquelyn Smith
As of November 1st, 2022 the Free Mystery Feature is on hiatus. If/when the Free Mystery Feature returns, you can find new posts here.
So I’ve had a lot of balls in the air lately (which means I’m a little late posting about this), but the first full-length novel in the Mackenzie Quinn cozy mystery series is finally here! The Author of His Demise takes place after the short novel prequels Death Clause and By Book or by Crook. While you don’t need to have read those earlier books to enjoy the new novel, you’ll probably get the most out of The Author of His Demise if you do, since there are several recurring characters.
The Author of His Demise is available in ebook format from pretty much every retailer, as well as directly from this website. (Why buy direct? Click here to find out!) You can also grab it in paperback from Amazon. Links for all purchase options are available either beside or below this post, depending on your device.
About The Author of His Demise:
A fictional murder turns deadly…
Zee writes mysteries under a secret pen name. No one knows—except her best friend, Tara. (Aside from her two cats, that is.)
But the small town of Ashwood, Ontario has become home to more than one murderer in the months since Zee’s unplanned return. And while Zee has used the colourful characters of her childhood hometown as inspiration for her writing over the years, it seems a killer has become inspired by her books in turn…
Can she track down a murderer without exposing her secret?
Well, Kira’s Canadian cousin is finally on the case. (Two cases, actually.) I’ve released two short novel adventures in the series, and I’m currently working on the first full-length novel, which takes place roughly three months after the second short. Both of these (mis)adventures were a lot of fun to write, and feature some quirky, small-town characters–plus, several cats. (And one adorable Chihuahua-Pomeranian, lol.)
The first short, Death Clause, tells the story of Zee’s unplanned return to her hometown, and is available to purchase from pretty much every ebook retailer and directly from this website. (It’s also available in paperback.) By Book or by Crook takes place a few weeks later, and is a newsletter exclusive. Continue reading →
I wrote a lot of Kira Brightwell adventures last year during the first six months of the pandemic. (All shorts, but still.) Honestly, if I hadn’t had a set schedule already in place to write all those stories during that time, I probably would have got a bit crazy. (Crazier?)
I still love Kira, and I definitely have future plans for her, but I kinda got burned out. The difficulty in writing a mystery series is that the stories are very much tied to the lead detective. I did try to mix things up with all those Kira shorts as much as possible to have some kind of variety and keep things fun (different locations, character focus, themes, etc.), but it’s pretty much always going to be the same main character in the same timeline.
Then I thought, ‘What if Kira had an older, Canadian cousin?’ Continue reading →
So I recently set up a deal on the first four Kira Brightwell novels, as well as the first four collections as a summer sale. Split Decision (Kira Brightwell Book 1) is currently available for free, Black and Blue (Book 2) is $0.99, Low Blow (Book 3) is $2.99, and Game Plan (Book 4) is $3.99. (The rest of the novels in the series are available for $4.99 each. You can find a complete listing here.) You can find links to all the various ebook retailers by clicking the link for each title, oryou can add all four of the books to your cart at once and purchase them directly from me for $7.97 USD.