Free Fiction Monday: DNF

Runners do not finish races for a lot of reasons. But when a runner does not finish at the first Night Frights Run in Las Vegas, Warren worries that the Halloween-themed race might prove far more pulse-pounding than anyone intends. With just the right mix of the mysterious and the terrifying, “DNF” demonstrates Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s mastery of the crime short story. “DNF,” by New York […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Little Miracles

As a homicide detective, Frank deals with violent death every day. And his reaction to those deaths kills him by inches. Until his most recent case forces him to take a long, hard look at his emotional state. The murder scene’s only survivor might hold the clues Frank needs to solve the case. It might even hold the key to Frank’s very salvation. “Little Miracles,” […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Overworked

When Detective Mick Hanrahan finds himself subpoenaed back to Seavy County, Oregon, for a homicide case involving his former job, he dreads every minute of it. But Mick quickly discovers the case, which he thought a slam-dunk, involves angles he never expected. In a small county with understaffed legal and law enforcement departments, Mick might hold the key to preventing any further injustice. “Overworked,” by New […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Unknown Baby Girl

A former LAPD homicide detective, Carolyn moved to Oregon to escape crime. Yet when she takes a job making houses energy efficient, she discovers a baby’s skeleton in a crawl space. She can’t ignore the forgotten bones; they speak to her. So, she uses her old skills to track down shocking family secrets, still reverberating from long, long ago. Gritty and powerful, “Unknown Baby Girl” […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Helmie

When Helmie—a pampered Persian cat worth millions—goes missing, the estate hires not one but two investigators to find him. Kelsie uses magic to track down lost animals. But in this case, even she wonders if she can find Helmie. Travis normally uses his investigation skills to track down people, not lost pets. And he works alone. But when the pair find themselves on the same […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Pudgygate

Imagine a dinner party in an English country manor with an American cook named Bubba making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, waiters from Cal Tech, British royalty among the guests, a cat named Pudgy, and a thief. Honestly, what could go wrong? This delightful holiday mystery by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers a veritable buffet of intriguing characters. “Pudgygate,” by New York Times bestselling […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Saving Face

When a beautiful but scared woman tries to hire Winston Karpathian, he wonders why. Winston possesses only small magic, nothing spectacular, and certainly nothing helpful for a woman like that. But when she turns up dead, Winston must work with a detective who doesn’t believe in magic to find the woman’s killer. Because Winston believes that the woman’s request for a spell might have more […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Unity Con

When Paladin calls Secret Master of Fandom and private detective Spade and asks him to come to a new con he swore he’d never attend, he agrees. Because he can’t say no to Paladin. But what Spade finds when he arrives at the con makes him immediately regret the decision. A dead writer. Missing money. Organizers at each other’s throats. Spade wonders if saving the […]

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Free Fiction Monday: The Demise of Snot Rocket

All serious runners know about snot rockets. At least in pre-pandemic times, they did. But one particularly talented runner relishes snot rockets more than others. When he turns up dead, the list of potential murderers runs longer than the list of medals he collected over the years. But when an investigative journalist sees the true crime potential of the case, what she uncovers surprises even […]

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Free Fiction Monday: The Destruction of a Goddess

Vi thought trying to teach complicated choreography to inexperienced middle-aged men made for a bad day. But when a Portland homicide detective shows up at Vi’s dance rehearsal, she quickly realizes that bad dance moves pale in comparison to the scrutiny of an experienced investigator seeking suspects in a murder. Suddenly, Vi must lay her memories bare to discover a terrible truth and help solve […]

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