Free Fiction Monday: Scars

Rena lost everything when her husband and son died in a fiery car accident. Now she has only her daily swim at the rec center, where she hopes no one pays attention to her horrible burn scars. But someone noticed—the same someone who murders a lifeguard while Rena does her laps. Only Rena can identify the killer, but the identification might prove more difficult than […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Thorns

Shelton believes flowers save people, so Ruth-Anne Grant’s demands that he remove her name from his floral delivery list appall him. Because it turns out the roses he spent his morning crafting came from her stalker. Shelton, embarrassed and frightened for her, gives her the stalker’s name, thinking his involvement will end there. Only it doesn’t. The police show up at his flower shop two […]

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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: The Silence

Homicide Detective Spencer Gray knows he should feel grateful for the lack of work due to The Silence—two weeks without a murder in Manhattan. But he misses the action. More, something feels off. When one of his colleagues suggests a wager to see who can close the strangest case on his or her desk, he knows just the one. But solving this case might mean […]

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Free Fiction Monday: What People Leave Behind

Detective Andrea Donovan follows her hunches. But hunches without evidence don’t hold up in court. And she refuses to stop digging to prove her latest hunch. A hunch that leads her to disturbing conclusions about a disturbing crime—one that will change the survivors, and Andrea, forever. The riveting “What People Leave Behind,” chosen as one of the year’s best stories, explores the lengths people go […]

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Free Fiction Monday: Bonding

Marisa relishes her undercover work—it suits her loner nature. But when an assignment meant to bust a ring of Ce’nark poachers goes sideways, Marisa finds herself in a position she never wanted—caring for another life form. Even worse, returning the creature to its family proves more complicated than she imagined. And the truth she uncovers might have lasting ramifications throughout the system. “Bonding,” by Hugo Award-winning author Kristine […]

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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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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: Heroics

Maxwell Scobel writes about heroes for a living. He studies them, imagines them, imagines being them. But when a routine drive turns into a fight for his life—and the life of his soon-to-be-adopted three-year-old daughter—he must rise to the occasion. Or lose everything he never knew he held dear. Voted one of the top ten stories of the year by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine readers. […]

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