Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: A Dark Path by Linda Castillo

Book Description

For the first time in print comes a collection of five short stories in the Edgar award-winning Kate Burkholder series, PLUS one new, never-before-published story, from New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo.

When two young boys don’t return home from an innocent afternoon of fishing, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must track them down before the first winter storm of the season bears down on Painters Mill in THE PACT.

In DISAPPEARED, Kate races against the clock to find a two-year-old who has vanished during a violent thunderstorm. Was the little boy swept away in the rising creek waters? Or is his disappearance even more sinister?

In BLOOD MOON, a man is brutally attacked by a large beast in the woods. Throughout the night, reports of similar incidents escalate and Kate must confront the creature terrorizing the town before violence tips over into tragedy.

When a family dog brings home a human bone, Kate finds herself on a desperate search for answers to end the macabre rumors and ghost stories inundating Painters Mill in the Edgar award-winning short story HALLOWED GROUND.

In DARK STORM RISING, Kate must brave a dangerous blizzard to save an elderly Amish woman from a sinister foe. Will Kate reach her in time to save her life?

In A DARK PATH, a brand-new story, an Amish couple disappears while enroute to town. They’d recently been threatened by their granddaughter’s troubled boyfriend—and there’s heavy weather moving in. Kate rushes toward their remote farm, but a dog on the road causes her to crash into a ravine, where she discovers a shattered buggy. Together, she and her new canine friend must find the couple before it’s too late.

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Elise’s Thoughts

A Dark Path by Linda Castillo has her trademark writing style even though the stories are not as dark as her novels. All six stories feature her blend of twists, mystery, kind-heartedness, some humor, and sometimes violence.

There are five short stories written as novellas plus a new short story that has as its title the same name as the book compilation. In “A Dark Path,” a brand-new story, an Amish couple disappears enroute to town. They’d recently been threatened by their granddaughter’s troubled boyfriend with a storm moving in. Kate rushes toward their remote farm, but a dog causes her to crash into a ravine, where she discovers a shattered buggy. Together, she and her new canine friend, Sherlock, must find the couple before it’s too late.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why have a collection of short stories?

Linda Castillo: Charlie, my editor, asked me to write that first short story many years ago. I had never read a short story. And his advice to me was, just get to the point. And make them a little bit lighter. I would write a short story, and that short story would be released on Kindle, or, another digital device right before the release of a novel. And I started getting a lot of mail from readers who were saying, ‘I don’t use an e- reader. I like to have a book. I need a physical book. Now I can’t read your short stories.’ Because they’ve only been available on Kindle or another device, Charlie, my editor at St. Martin’s Press, said, let’s do a collection of six or seven stories. And that’s what we did. You know, the first collection was titled A Simple Murder, and since it was very well received, we did this one. Because each individual short story is too short to do a novel, so we did a collection.

EC: Is it different to write a short story than the books?

LC: I would say the biggest difference, of course, is the pacing. Things must happen very quickly. And one of the things that I also try to do, and as you well know, the novels get very dark sometimes. There’s a murder involved, and there are some dark elements in some of the Kate Burkholder novels, especially the early novels. And the short stories, even though some of them deal with darker topics, some of them are fun, some of them are cozier than the Kate novels. For me, as a writer, it was really a nice change. It was a different pace. It’s faster, and, you know, you don’t really have time to develop your characters as much. So maybe it’s a little bit more topical, but in a fun way.

EC: I usually don’t like the short stories because the plots are not detailed enough and there is not much character development. But if a reader has read the Kate books, they will enjoy these short stories. Do you agree?

LC: I have a funny story. There was one reader, and I think she gave A Dark Path a pretty good review, but she said, ‘I’ve not read any of the novels, but these are way too innocent for me.’ And I was dying to respond to her. I wanted to tell her, but the novels are not that innocent. No. I guarantee you’re going to get a murder. But some of them I wouldn’t call them lighthearted stories. But just, a little bit more lighthearted than the, than the novels.

EC: What was your favorite short story?

LC: “Blood Moon.” This is the story with the hog. Anyone who has been out camping or, having a tent in the yard or whatever, sleeping out in the barn or something like that can relate. Telling ghost stories and then hearing a noise and you’re like, what was that? And to me, that’s so much fun and that was kind of the whole idea behind that short story. It was just, really a lot of fun, and, you know, kind of one of those adventures. It was a little quirky, but I really did enjoy that story.

EC: Did the stories have a lesson to them?

LC: I think some had a theme of tolerance. “The Pact,” with the two little boys who did the whole blood brother, cutting the wrist in the beginning. You know, there really is a lesson in that. And then the other one is “Hallowed Ground,” where the Mennonite woman wants to give tours of an Amish cemetery. “Disappeared” also has a theme of tolerance where the Amish girl falls in love and gets pregnant by the English boy and her parents try to separate him from the baby and love of his life. I think one of the things that I always try to do, maybe not in the same way with every story, is that tolerance works both ways. In “The Pact” the Amish parents weren’t exactly wild about those two kids being best friends. These are probably the little moral lessons that we learn as children, and I think, you know, it’s not always a bad thing to have that reiterated as an adult.

EC: Did the setting play a role?

LC: My settings always seem to have stormy weather in them too. Me and weather. I hope readers are okay with that. I’m a huge fan of weather. The first book, Sworn Silence, took place during a long, cold Ohio winter. That was such a big part of the book. It made everything more difficult as far as the investigation and the story. If you add the weather element, you have a man against man, and then you also have man against nature. It adds a little element of moodiness or, just a little something extra that I love, I’m a huge weather fan.

EC: What about the new short story, “A Dark Path?”

LC: There’s a Labrador in the story. We had a yellow Labrador too. I found him when I was living in Dallas where we lived. It was very sad, and the day that I had one of my dogs put down, a woman carried in this emaciated animal, just skin and bones. No hair, just bloody, bloody skin. I thought it was a pit bull. And I told Dr. Williams, I will take that animal. I thought, I just put Blue down and I’m here at this moment because I need to save this other animal. We took him, and we had to feed him. He almost died because he was starved to death. We had to feed him every hour, He got his hair back and his head was no longer bigger than his body, he turned into a gorgeous, sweet tempered yellow Labrador. His name was Nutmeg, and we gave him a very, very good life. And we lost him, a few years ago now. That is who I based the Labrador in “A Dark Path.” I didn’t name him after Nutmeg, but named him Sherlock. I gave the lab in the story the look of the yellow lab Nutmeg.

EC: Will you have Sherlock as a rescue dog working for the police department?

LC: Sherlock bonded with Kate. He has the personality of a lab. He will be a supporting character in future stories. And I don’t know if you remember, but Tomesetti brought home a cat. The books deal with heavy topics of murder. I think the cat and Sherlock bring a level of comfort. And so that’s kind of what I try to do with that. Sherlock will be just a home family member. This story combines the abusive boyfriend with Sherlock saving Kate.

EC: What about the next book?

LC: It’s called The Betrayed and will be out in July 2027. I absolutely love this story. The plot has an ordinary Amish woman, with a family, a husband, and suddenly finds herself the target. Kate comes in blind, having no idea why, why would somebody be trying to murder her. She does not lead a reckless lifestyle, she’s not a risk taker, and she’s lives in Painters Mill. It has some dark moments.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Special Feature Post by Elise Cooper: Authors Remembering Their Special Dogs

I was not sure how I would handle adding to and posting this article. While sharing blog posts, books, and an on-line friendship, Elise and I have gone through the heartbreaking loss of our dogs, who were so much more, at almost the exact same time.

I lost Athena on 4/10/2026 after twelve wonderful years. She made me fall in love with all varieties in the pitbull family of terriers; their wiggly butts, zoomies, and abundance of kisses. It is still too hard for me to write much without tearing up, but I was happy Elise pulled together this article with her memories of Torii and some of our favorite authors remembering their furry family members.

Athena

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Anyone who had a dog realizes for many pet owners they were more than just a pet. To some they were a friend, partner, child, or encompassed all those qualities. It seems so unfair that they do not live long as we would like. Will Chesney, the dog handler, wrote the book, No Ordinary Dog about Cairo, the Belgian Malinois military working dog who was part of the mission to get Osama bin Laden. He put into words what others who lost a dog are feeling. Anyone who is a dog lover and who has lost a dog can relate to what Will said in the book. “The story does not end on a high note. It never does with dogs, right? Someone once said that buying a dog is like buying a small tragedy. You know on the first day how it all will turn out. But that’s not the point, is it? It’s the journey that counts, what you give the dog and what you get in return.”

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Elise’s Tribute to Torii

Torii was our fourteen-year-old beloved black Labrador Retriever who we had to put down because all her vitals was shutting down. She was a survivor and fighter who always seemed to bounce back, having overcome immune disease, one bout with tick disease, mass cell tumors, heart disease, high blood pressure, torn ACL, gerardia, bitten by a vicious dog that required a drain, and an allergic reaction to a bee sting. Unfortunately, she got a second bout of mass cell tumors and eventually it was too much for her to overcome.

We thought of her as a child because that is how she acted. She made us so very, very happy because of her kind, caring, and loveable ways. Two events stand out for me. One was when I was on the phone with my supervisor and was not a happy camper. Torii jumped on the couch, put her head on my shoulder, and started licking me. It was like she was saying ‘calm down mom things are going to be OK’. The other event is when we were having lunch in an outside restaurant and two children passed by, obviously afraid of dogs. I started talking to them and coaxed them to come up to her. Torii worked her magic and soon the children were enamored with her, crying when their mom said they had to go.

We miss Torii so very much. She gave unconditional love. She always amazed us with her strength and endurance while overcoming life’s obstacles. She was always well behaved except for the times she talked back when she wanted to eat. She made us laugh and smile with her antics. She will always be forever in our hearts and always remembered.

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Below are some authors who wrote about that special dog they lost in their lives:

Linda Castillo is a best-selling author known for writing the Kate Burkholder mystery series with her latest, A Dark Path. She speaks about the special dog she lost and was very attached to. “I had a chocolate lab. Gosh, it was back in the late ’90s, and I loved this girl. Her name was Cinnamon, and she was a dog that we just connected with. Cinnamon was one of those special dogs. If my husband and I were out and about, and we were on our way home, back to the house, I would feel this little leap of joy in my gut, because for a second, I would think that I was gonna see Cinnamon. She was a dark chocolate lab. We got her when she was a puppy from the Humane Society. And she was little, a runt. She was gorgeous. She was a beautiful dark chocolate Labrador. She had the Labrador, everything, the body, the personality, the appetite, and was calm as could be.”

“She was seven years old when she died of cancer. I made myself wait 3 months. I went down to the SPCA and I’m looking and my husband was like, everything that I look at, if it wasn’t Cinnamon, I did not want to get that dog. I had volunteered down there before, previously. So, about three months later, we went back to the SPCA in downtown Dallas, and I found the most unlikely dog. We had seen him before. He weighed 144 pounds, probably a Newfoundland. We did not get him that day but the day I won a writing contest; I drove down to the SPCA. He was still there, I put this 144-pound dog in the back of my Mustang, and I took him home.”

“I know each person is different and realize they must follow their feelings. But I think that the love that people feel for a dog, is a love just as strong as those with children. They always say, you can’t replace them, and you can’t, but a lot of people say, ‘Oh, you have to wait until you get another dog, because, you can’t replace the one that died.’ I think that the best way to mend a broken heart, when you lose a dog, is to get another dog, or two. That’s my theory.”

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J. A. Jance is a best-selling author known for writing three series centering around Seattle police detective J. P. Beaumont, Arizona County Sheriff Joanna Brady, and mystery solver Ali Reynolds who is featured in her latest book Overkill. She speaks of her special dog that she lost. “Sixteen years ago, coming home from a Saturday morning shopping trip to Target with my daughter and grandson, Colt, we spotted a little miniature dachshund running down the middle of a busy road. My daughter pulled over onto the shoulder while I jumped out and gave chase. It was rainy and cold. Eventually two college-aged kids pulled over and helped me corner her.”

“She was tiny, muddy, soaking wet, shivering, and scared to death. She had a collar but no tag and no chip. We spent the better part of two hours trying to locate her owner to no effect. Eventually we came back to the house, Bill, my husband came outside to see what all the fuss was about, and ended up carrying her into the house. On the way, Colt was explaining to Bill how we found this “poor little fella on the street. ‘Colt, Bill said, Fella is a boy name. This is a girl dog.’ ‘Okay’, Colt replied. ‘We’ll call her Bella.’”

“And Bella she became. She had obviously lived in an apartment. She had no idea how to use our doggie door, but her instincts were strong. When it came to moles, she was a killer. The first time she brought one of her bloody prizes into the house, it was right in the middle of a dinner party!”

“Because she was scared to death of our dog sitter, when it came time to go on a book tour, Bella went along and became Bella, the Book Tour Dog. Her first day on the job, she interacted with 2500 people including spending time with one woman. She had recently lost her daughter to cancer, and she had come to the signing to have her daughter’s book signed. Once I finished autographing her book, I passed her along to Bill and Bella, and Bella did her comforting best for the next half hour. But boy was she tired when we got back to the hotel.”

“We had her for eight years. Prior to having Bella, we had been golden retriever-people, but Bella helped us downsize. We’ve since had two more long-haired miniature dachshunds, Jojo and Mary. Jojo is gone, now, too, and I believe Mary is what my father would call our ‘toes-up dog.’ Loving an animal means we’re going to lose them eventually, but I wouldn’t have missed the time spent with anyone of them. I wrote a novella which is, I believe, a fictionalized version of Bella’s history. It’s called A Last Goodbye.”

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Peter James is the best-selling author of the Roy Grace novels. His latest is The Hawk Is Dead. He spoke of the special dog he lost. “Phoebe was a German Shepherd. German Shepherds have a very unfair reputation for being aggressive. In truth, its owners who should have that bad reputation: Yes, an ill-treated and badly trained Shepherd may well turn aggressive – as would almost any breed. But properly trained, loved and nurtured they can be among the gentle breeds of dog in the world. I watched one time an eight-year-old baby crawl across the floor and take a handful of food out of Phoebe’s bowl – and she just lay there, passively, without batting an eyelid. But with sheep that is another thing. I once asked a police dog handler how to stop a German Shepherd from chasing sheep and he told me it was virtually impossible since it was in their DNA! I remember when Phoebe was 12 years old, a great age for a Shepherd, and her back legs were starting to go, as we were walking through a field of sheep, she totally forgot her age and decided she was two again and damn well was going to have herself a sheep!! She almost pulled me over.”

“We’ve always tended to have three dogs of differing ages. Getting a new dog is the only cure I know for the pain of losing a dog. I honestly think losing a dog can hurt more than then losing a human relative. All my dogs are a combination of soulmate, writing companion, and personal trainer. Doesn’t matter how bad the weather might be and how much I do not feel like going out for a walk or a run, all I need is a baleful look from any of my dogs and off we go!”

“My wife, Lara, is a qualified canine massage therapist (a dog masseur) and she works with dogs with serious arthritis. She comes across a wide variety of breeds in her work – and is always falling in love with each of them! Sometimes we will replace a loved dog with the same breed, but oftentimes we may get a rescue. I’m a patron of the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) so I have a big incentive to take on rescue animals – and it is so rewarding.”

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Jenna Blum is a best-selling author whose latest is Murder Your Darlings. She speaks of her special dog Woodrow, a Labrador Retriever. “He was my North, my South, my East, and West. My working week and my Sunday rest. My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song. As W. H. Auden said, ‘He was my daily joy, my pal.’ I called myself (or he called me) “Mommoo,” so he was a fur child of sorts. But he was also The George Clooney of Dogs–not a nickname I gave him. He was a very elegant soul in a dog suit.?

“I have a new black Lab, Henry Higgins, who is a dog in a dog suit, and I love him just as much and fiercely, in a very different way. You can always expand to let a new love into your life! My memoir about Woodrow is Woodrow on the Bench. I hope it helps people who are caring for a senior animal and/ or who have lost one.”

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Melinda Curtis is a best-selling author of light‐hearted contemporary romance. Her latest is The Cowboy’s Accidental Bride and Winning the Bull Rider’s Heart. She speaks of her special dog Calvin, a chocolate lab. “Calvin grew up with our boys and thought he was a boy, too. If they played catch, he demanded to play, too. If they went swimming, he went swimming, too. And if we tried to leave him outside while other kids were over, he’d protest mightily, doing everything from dragging the screen door away from the slider and into the back yard or prying a board off the fence. You never know what personality your child will have. Same goes for animals. Calvin had a big personality and we loved him for it. He could be high energy but also gentle with little kids and our elderly parents.”

“We did get a dog after Calvin but we went smaller, a terrier mix. She’s mellower, tan, but still short hair.”

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Catherine Curzon is a bestselling author of World War Two saga fiction. She writes under the pen name Ellie Curzon with Helen Barrel, their latest, The Lifeboat Orphans and The Lost Orphans. She writes about her dog Pippa. “She was a Jackapoo and she was my everything. Best friend, constant companion, everything. It’s impossible to overstate just how much she meant to me and still does. I think about her with love every single day. I loved that little girl beyond my capacity to even articulate how much. She was everything to me in the world. Pippa was bright, silly, beautiful, and the best pal anyone could wish for. She enriched my life enormously and brought so much happiness to everyone who knew her.”

“Pippa passed a little over two years ago and it’s taken me until now to feel ready to look for a new companion, but I think that time is finally here. My husband and I are trusting to fate to send us the right pup, just as it did with Pippa. We didn’t choose her, she found us.”

“She is featured in my latest books The Lost Orphans and The Lifeboat Orphans. We started writing the series just after she died. Nothing has hit me as hard as her death. I felt like I lost a part of myself. Helen suggested to name the dog in the series after my Pippa. She is grey and peachy. I love having her in the book because that makes her immortal.”

Anyone who lost a furry loved one can agree with the sentiment of Camille Marcotte, “I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you: but instead, I am deeply honored knowing you spent the rest of your life with me.”

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Shadows of Frenchmen by Michael Rigg

SHADOWS OF FRENCHMEN

by Michael Rigg

June 22 – July 31, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SHADOWS OF FRENCHMEN (A Jonathan Grey, M.D. Mystery) by Michael Rigg on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, and excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links and a PICT giveaway. Enjoy and good luck!

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Book Description

On a frosty Sunday morning in February, Dr. Jonathan Gray, Coroner of Orleans Parish, faces a gruesome sight. A dead man splayed against the circular steel and cut-glass blocks of the city’s AIDS memorial in Washington Square Park has strange symbols carved into his forehead and chest. A coded note—a cipher—has been placed under one hand. The body mutilation and note are hallmarks of a serial killer dubbed by the news media as the “Mardi Gras Sweeper,” because he strikes during Carnival season and leaves coded manifestos taunting police and giving hints about his next victim.

Hoping to avoid a panic during the city’s most profitable season, Mayor Max Jamerson asks Gray to investigate the murder “on the sly,” without formal assistance from the New Orleans Police Department. Time is of the essence as Gray races to figure out the cipher and track down the Sweeper in order to prevent additional killings—and save Mardi Gras.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250760357-shadows-of-frenchmen?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ozOAu5RFVD&rank=1

Shadows of Frenchmen

Genre: Medico-Legal (Coroner) Thriller
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: May 5, 2026
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 979-8898202354
Series: A Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery, Book 2

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

SHADOWS OF FRENCHMEN (A Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery) by Michael Rigg is the second exciting book in the Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery series. While this book is easily read as a standalone, I am glad I read book one, Voices of the Elysian Fields, first, just for more detailed character backstory. There is little time between each book with book one set during the Christmas/New Years holidays and this second book set during Mardi Gras.

There have been some repercussions for Lt. Detective Betsy Sprance since accusing the mayor in her last case, but Coroner Jonathan Gray is determined to get her help when a body is discovered with strange symbols carved into its flesh. It is very similar to bodies left during a killing spree two years previous, also during Mardi Gras. While Jonathan and Betsy believed they had witnessed the killer’s death, it appears he has returned.

As they race to catch a killer, they are hampered by the mayor not wanting to panic the Mardi Gras crowds. As the murders continue, they must solve the cypher of the killer’s manifesto with only the help of their small group of friends to stop the killings once and for all.

This is another New Orleans immersive fast-paced mystery/crime thriller featuring a great cast of characters. All the main characters are fully developed and realistic. Jonathan and his wife have a strong relationship that has been tested, and they came out even stronger. Betsy has worked hard as a Marine and then worked her way up in the NOPD Detective Squad. Ranger, Betsy’s husband’s storyline is still evolving and intriguing. Jonathan and Betsy are both engaging and exciting main protagonists. The plot of this serial killer crime/ mystery was well paced with as many dead ends as surprises and twists. The discovery of the killer completely shocked me, and I like when that happens. This series is addictive.

I highly recommend this thrilling addition to the Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery series!

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Excerpt

Chapter One

Alpha and Omega

Sunday, February 1, 2015 – 1:47 a.m.

Twenty-plus years with the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office taught Jonathan Gray to expect the unexpected. But Washington Square Park had always been a tranquil haven on the fringe of the French Quarter. So crime-scene tape draping the square’s wrought-iron fence presented the visual equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard. Moonlight filtering through stately live oaks cast eerie—almost funereal—shadows, adding to the dissonance.

Fluttering in the nippy midwinter breeze, the neon-yellow ribbon communicated

a mute warning. On this side, normalcy. On the other, insanity. Stepping into the dysfunction never got easier. Regardless, turning back wasn’t an option. As if speaking the incantation aloud would immunize him against the unfolding drama, he repeated his trite pre-crime scene mantra: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” His breath lingered in the frosty air before evaporating.

After checking in with the uniformed officer monitoring access, Jonathan angled toward floodlights illuminating a temporary canopy above the city’s AIDS memorial. More tape—red as opposed to yellow—identified the innermost “Do Not Cross” perimeter. Crime scene technicians in white Tyvek protective suits busied themselves measuring and photographing what must be the reason he’d been summoned. A male corpse sitting upright on the ground—its arms and legs twisted at seemingly impossible angles—leaned against the memorial’s circular cut-glass and steel panels surrounded by a pool of thick, dark-crimson liquid. 

A curved, nearly rectangular piece of wood with brass edges—most likely a knife handle—protruded from under the right side of the dead man’s rib cage. A portion of his intestines spilled out of the wound. A second knife—its handle and part of its blade visible—had been thrust downward into the soft tissue between the left collarbone and neck.

Cause of death seemed too obvious to require someone of Jonathan’s seniority. A first-year med student could have made the call. But markings carved into the dead man’s forehead and chest hinted at something more sinister. No wonder Mitch Broussard from NOPD had called him in the middle of the night. The man’s heavy flannel shirt lay open, exposing his chest and a series of

capital letters etched into his skin. The letters—G I D I A I D I V—made no sense, at least not in English. A folded piece of paper with similar letters and other symbols, not quite readable from that distance, lay under the man’s left hand. Lack of blood covering the letters in the chest signaled they had been added postmortem. Jonathan focused on two marks in the man’s forehead. An uppercase “A” and what looked like an upside-down horseshoe—the Greek letter Omega—apparently cut while the victim was still alive. 

It couldn’t have been two years already. But there it was. Alpha and Omega. Jonathan bit his lip and cursed under his breath. Then, a silent prayer. Looked like the nightmare was about to begin—again.

One of the CSTs stood and raised her clear face shield. “Hey, Doc. Welcome to Funsville.”

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Author Bio

Agatha and Anthony-nominated author Michael Rigg, a lawyer for more than four decades, writes mysteries and thrillers set in two very different locations: Virginia Beach (where he lives) and New Orleans (which he visits as often as possible “for research,” including participation in three Mardi Gras Krewes). He is a retired Navy Judge Advocate and a retired civilian government attorney, formerly working for the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel. He is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and both the Sisters in Crime national organization and its Southeastern Virginia Chapter—Mystery by the Sea.

Social Media Links

www.MichaelRigg.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub – @michaelrigg716
Instagram – @michael.rigg716
Threads – @michael.rigg716
LinkedIn
Facebook

Purchase Links

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PICT GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.tours/EIHFVc9T

Feature Post and Book Review: Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg

Book Description

Two days before Christmas, Jonathan Gray, M. D., Chief Deputy Coroner for Orleans Parish, receives shocking news. Robby O’Malley—Jonathan’s mentor for nearly forty years—has died under mysterious circumstances. Within hours after Robby’s death, Gray takes the oath of office as Coroner and participates in autopsies of an elderly couple murdered in their Garden District home. After mass on Christmas morning, Archbishop Phillip Fontenot asks Gray to investigate the sexual assault of one of his parishioners, as well as the disappearance of her sister—without involving the police. As Jonathan winds his way through what appear to be separate incidents, he uncovers connections and secrets that members of the city’s power elite would just as soon remain hidden.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230857363-voices-of-the-elysian-fields?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=5zzgAl1Wyl&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

VOICES OF THE ELYSIAN FIELDS (A Jonathan Grey, M.D. Mystery) by Michael Rigg is an exciting, fast paced start to a new mystery/crime thriller series featuring the Chief Coroner of New Orleans. This book pulls you in from the first chapter with realistic characters and a total immersion into life in New Orleans.

Just two days before Christmas, Chief Deputy Coroner Dr. Jonathan Grey finds himself at the death scene of the Chief Coroner of New Orleans, his long-term mentor and friend. Just hours later after taking the oath of office to Chief Coroner, he receives a high-profile elderly couple from the Garden District in what appears to be a murder-suicide. As the detectives investigate, the autopsy results call the original assumption into question.

Not only does he have a wealthy, prominent New Orleans family to deal with, but the Archbishop of New Orleans asks for Jonathan’s discrete help after Christmas day mass in the sexual assault of a couple that has asked the church for sanctuary.

With pressure coming from all sides, Jonathan and his friends on the New Orleans detective squad must untangle a web of deceit that brings together the political elite, the rich and powerful, and a multi-country sex trafficking ring. Are all these holiday death cases related or not and can he keep his friends and loved ones safe?

This is a wonderful start to a new series that kept me reading well into the night. The characters are fully developed and realistic even with this being the first book in this series. Jonathan and his wife are a tight couple even with the tragedy in their past and I love that they are well suited to each other, but also singularly strong characters. Jonathan and the detectives followed an intricately plotted investigation with red herrings and twists that continually had me reevaluating who I believed was guilty and whether the two major cases were related or not. The city of New Orleans’ history, geography, and people are woven throughout the story and made me feel like I was right there on the streets with the characters. I am looking forward to reading many more books with these characters in the future.

I highly recommend this amazing first book in the Jonathan Grey, M.D. Mystery series!

***

About the Author

Agatha and Anthony-nominated author Michael Rigg, an attorney for more than four decades, writes mysteries and thrillers set in two very different locations: Virginia Beach (where he lives) and New Orleans (which he visits as often as possible “for research,” including participation in three Mardi Gras Krewes). He is a retired Navy Judge Advocate and a retired civilian government attorney, formerly working for the Department of the Navy. He is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and both the Sisters in Crime national organization and its Southeastern Virginia Chapter—Mystery by the Sea.

Social Media Links

Website: https://michaelrigg.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.rigg.author

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael.rigg716/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/voices-of-the-elysian-fields-a-jonathan-gray-m-d-mystery-by-michael-rigg

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Next Wife by Liz Lawler

Book Description

My husband is everything I ever dreamed of. A handsome, successful doctor who swept me off my feet.

Our new life together is perfect.

He’s perfect.

But am I good enough for him? I never seem to get anything right. And I’m starting to feel a little afraid of the man I married.

He’s taken away my bank card and my phone. I don’t know what to think or what to do. I gave up everything for him and now I’m trapped.

Then a stranger comes to our door. She tells me that I can’t trust my husband.

That I should ask him what happened to his first wife.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Next Wife by Liz Lawler explores domestic violence, that includes physical, sexual, mental, and emotional.

The plot explains that Tess Myers met her husband, Daniel, while they worked together in an English hospital. He is a doctor, she a nurse. They got married quickly and then moved to Bath England. After they moved into the house, Tess notices the change in Daniel as he becomes increasingly controlling. As he escalates his abuse Tess knows she must leave him. This is confirmed when a woman in her 80s, Martha King, comes to her doorstep and warns Tess about Daniel’s first wife.

Daniel is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He is a psychopath, cruel, nasty, evil and makes Tess’s life unbearable. Yet, outsiders see him as a great surgeon, charismatic, caring, and nice. Daniel is a monster to her and the abuse he inflicted is appalling.

Tess is not the same person she was before she married Daniel. She has become timid, scared, and fearful for her life, being reduced to a shell of her former self.

The relationship between them shows how Daniel uses his power over her, whether at their work or in their home. As Tess’s abuse, sexual, physical and mental, gets worse she feels increasingly alone. Readers wonder if Tess will be able to survive and how she will be able to leave Daniel.

People will be captivated by this story and riveted to their seats as they turn the page. This book begins with a bang of a mysterious murder and ends with a bang of a twist that many will not see coming.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Liz Lawler: Well, the germ of the idea came to me from one of my previous jobs of working at a railway station as a customer ambassador for Great Western Railway, which is one of the main network railways in England. Part of my job was dealing with distressed customers and being mindful of passengers on the platform. Over the time I was there, I did come across a few attempted suicides. I remember this one lady, a businesswoman, beautifully dressed, and I got a feeling about her. Unfortunately, my gut was right, and it was telling me that she was far too close to the yellow line. Basically, what I wanted to do with The Next Wife was really, explore coercive control, the kind of abuse that often starts so subtly.

EC: Was this woman the inspiration for the main female lead, the wife Tess?

LL: She was, although not her character, but the situation. Her character was completely different to Tess’s. It was sad. She was a woman probably in her early, early 40s, maybe late 30s.

EC: Did your nursing career help you to write this story?

LL: Very much so because I was able to pull on all the experiences as a nurse. and almost walk Tess’s line, you know, every part of Tess’s journey in the hospital setting. My nursing background is my solid career background, and that influenced me greatly in everything that I liked because of all the experiences of dealing with people. I predominantly worked in the emergency department. The scene in the surgery, with Tess and Daniel, that’s very realistic. What happened to Tess could possibly have happened. I’m very fortunate to have people that I’ve been in contact, and one of the people that I contacted to make sure I got everything correct, is a vascular surgeon. I got him to read the passages that I wanted him to check and he said, he felt he was there. What happened won’t happen to many people, thank goodness. But yes, situations like that can happen.

EC: How would you describe Tess?

LL: Tess is sensitive, wants to belong. She’s a loner and anxious. Before Daniel, her abusive husband, she was chatty and confident, and somewhat bossy. Now she’s guarded, and feels that she’s in a world of darkness and secrets.

EC: What about the husband, Daniel?

LL: He’s a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. To Tess, he’s a Dr. Jekyll and to everyone else a Mr. Hyde. He has a facade of an attentive husband, that he’s kind and considerate to her. He is charismatic. To her, he’s power hungry. Tess doesn’t know anything about him. She doesn’t know anything about his past, about his childhood, all the things that make Daniel’s character what it is. She hasn’t got a clue.

EC: What about the setting of Bath London?

LL: She’s in a new place where she should feel safe. Bath city is considered probably one of the safest cities, not only in the UK, but possibly in the world. It’s a beautiful, calm place, and this is one place where Tess should have felt safe. And it doesn’t pan out like that at all.

EC: What about the relationship between Tess and Daniel?

LL: His behavior escalates little by little. Daniel makes her feel off kilter. He is such a betrayal from someone she loves. To her, he’s critical. He humiliates her. He’s abusive, controlling, cold, cruel, brutal, with no compassion. She feels powerless, really, without answers, without anybody telling her anything.

EC: What was the role of Martha in the story?

LL: She has a real life happening within our own head. But it’s in a different time zone. So, everything she things she is experiencing in the now is something that she’s experienced in the past. What she’s seen, she thinks this is the present, what she’s witnessing. She can’t grasp why Daniel has moved back into this house. Now he’s there, and the only thing that he’s changed is his name. He’s hiding in plain sight with this new wife. Martha is convinced that she knows his first wife. And then she’s convinced that this new wife must be warned. Because unless she warns her, this young new bride is in danger. Martha’s, my favorite character who I fell in love with. When I was writing Martha, my mum was always in my head. My mum would have been out there, rain, snow, trying to warn this new young wife of Daniel’s, that she was in a dangerous situation, because she knew everything that had happened. in the past.

EC: Next book?

LL: The story is set in London. The main character is a nurse that works on the surgical ward. A patient is brought in and he’s a prisoner that has a spinal injury. He tells her that he’s not guilty of the crime sent to prison for and who is the real criminal. She is shocked she knows them. The working title is The Hospital Prisoner and it is due to be published on January 27th.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Kill to Keep by Elena Taylor

KILL TO KEEP

by Elena Taylor

July 6 – August 14, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for KILL TO KEEP (Sheriff Bet Rivers Book #3) by Elena Taylor on this Partner’s In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a PICT giveaway. Enjoy and good luck!

***

My Book Description

Sheriff Bet Rivers’ inspection of the carnival grounds should have been routine. Murder is certainly the last thing on anyone’s mind. Then comes the sound of a gunshot. And a dead body with no signs of trauma, no witnesses and no obvious motive for the killing.

But solving the unexplained death is only part of the challenge. Bet is still grappling with her on-off relationship with town owner Rob Collier, while dealing with her feelings about her late father, the beloved town sheriff she had to replace.

As Bet launches her homicide investigation, she soon discovers the carnival is a place of whispers, rumours, resentments and lie after lie. And as the stakes build, it quickly becomes clear that protecting a deadly secret is something that someone is willing to kill to keep.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246509602-kill-to-keep?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=x0SGEDtFCt&rank=4

Kill to Keep

Genre: Police Procedural, Rural Crime Fiction
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: July 7, 2026
Number of Pages: 279
ISBN: 9781448317400 (ISBN10: 1448317401)
Series: Sheriff Bet Rivers Mystery Series

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

KILL TO KEEP (Sheriff Bet Rivers Book #3) by Elena Taylor is an action filled smalltown crime thriller/police procedural in the Sheriff Bet Rivers series. I enjoyed the characters and investigations in the previous books and looked forward to reading this new one. Like most books in this genre, as the series continues the lives of the main characters also develop, but the criminal investigation plots are always concluded in each book.

Sheriff Elizabeth “Bet” Rivers has settled into her role as the sheriff of her smalltown in Collier, Washington. Former FBI agent Rob Collier and longtime friend invites Bet to do a walk-through of the carnival that has come to town and is leasing part of his property. A gunshot rings out and when they investigate, they discover a dead body, but it has no gunshot wound.

Bet and her team, along with the help of Rob, find silence and deception from many of the carnies. It will take all their skills to discover the identity of the body and the killer.

I found this addition to the series to be another well plotted crime thriller with plenty of suspects and twists. Bet is once again a smart and resourceful smalltown sheriff who makes do with what she has and the excellent help of her deputies, Clay and Nate, Rob, and Alma, her senior office manager/computer tech extraordinaire.  And you cannot forget Schweitzer, her Anatolian Shepard. My small criticism of this book, which made it not as enjoyable as the previous two was Bet’s continual internal dialogue about her and Rob’s relationship. It felt overdone and not what I would expect from Bet. Even though I was not really interested in the carnival plot to start, it did pull me in the further I progressed in the story, and I realized I had some of the same prejudices of carnies as Bet. The revisiting of the town and characters along with an intricate crime plot made this another solid addition to the series and I hope to read many more in the series.

I recommend this smalltown crime thriller and the entire Bet Rivers series.

***

Excerpt

ONE

The air above the blacktop rippled as Sheriff Elizabeth “Bet” Rivers drove west. The tiny town of Collier struggled under a heatwave that had swept through Washington State and turned the last week of June unexpectedly brutal. The sun, barely over the tops of the mountains surrounding the community, already beat down hard. By midday, it would be merciless on the traveling Carnival Roma where they’d set up on the hardpacked dirt at the far end of the valley.

Bet parked the SUV in the makeshift visitor lot and eyed the temporary fencing around the fairgrounds. It didn’t encircle the entire footprint, tempting reckless souls to take a shot at getting in through the back for free.

She sauntered up to the empty ticket booth where Robert Collier Junior stood with an unreadable expression on his face. He cocked an eyebrow. “Mornin’, Sheriff.” His voice was warm and low, teasing her with his formality.

Pretending deference, she tipped the brown campaign hat that covered her auburn curls. “Mr. Collier.”

At thirty-seven, Rob had more than a few care lines etched into his tanned face, and the dark, neatly trimmed beard had begun to show hints of gray. He held out his arm. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” Bet wrapped her fingers around the crook of his elbow, enjoying the tingle that always arrived when she touched him. They had stopped and restarted seeing each other so many times since they’d met last September that her head spun, but the physical attraction was always there—at least for her. Rob played his feelings close to the vest. Recently, there had been phone calls and texts that he ignored in her presence, or left the room to answer, giving Bet the impression she wasn’t the only woman in his life. She worried that they had missed their chance at something wonderful and would fall into the awkward role of “friends.”

It surprised her how much that hurt.

Following Rob through the turnstile, she kept her fingers tucked against his arm. “I feel special getting in before opening day.”

“It’s my role as the person renting the land to do a walkthrough, and as the head of local law enforcement, you should confirm that everything meets your approval.”

“And as a bonus, you get to show off your newfound status as feudal lord of the manor.” She meant it as a joke about his recently expanded fortune but caught Rob’s grimace from the

corner of her eye. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s OK.” He stopped and pulled her around to face him. “It’s not your fault that I’m uncomfortable owning an entire town.”

Not to mention international corporations and properties across the US. His sudden riches had regularly taken him away from their remote high elevation valley, interrupting their progress as a couple and turning him into someone else. Toe-to-toe, she got a better look at the dark circles under his eyes. There was a toll to all the travel his new position forced on him. Rob had left the Collier family responsibilities behind years before to pursue a career with the FBI, but his

father’s death had sucked him back in. As the sole heir, he felt obligated to the people his father’s businesses employed and responsible to various organizations.

He tugged her closer, and she closed her eyes, the heat of his body seeping through their clothing in direct competition with the weather. Standing together, the world felt right, even with a heat dome hovering over their heads.

All too soon, Rob stepped back with a glint of amusement in his eyes. “I wanted to join the circus once.” The brim of his hat cast a shadow across his face and for the briefest of moments, he looked like a stranger.

Bet wasn’t sure if he was joking. “Because you wanted to run away?”

“Because I wanted to be Buffalo Bill.”

“And star in a Wild West show.” Bet could picture him on his big Morgan horse, shooting targets at a full gallop.

“Something like that.” The two continued their walk, and with no one around to see them, Bet kept her grip on his elbow, touching the soft blue denim of his shirt. It made them feel like a real couple. She’d never wanted that until now, when it wasn’t clear if they would ever be committed.

The midway split the meadow in half. Food stalls filled one side while games of skill and chance filled the other, with rides scattered in between. The big blue and white striped tent at the far end promised trick horses and acrobats, shimmering in the heat like a mirage. Carnival Roma combined the food, rides, and fun of a carnival with the live performances of a circus, guaranteeing tourist dollars for her often-overlooked town and spectacle under the big top.

As they made their way along the empty “street,” Bet imagined Rob in a fringed coat, performing with the big horse he’d brought with him to Collier almost a year ago. “You still got to carry a gun to work for the FBI. That’s almost like Buffalo Bill.”

“Does that make you Annie Oakley?”

They reached the first of the games—multi-colored balloons to pop with darts, metal targets to hit with little peashooters, heavy white milk cans stacked into pyramids waiting to be knocked into the dirt by an oversized softball. Memories of the past filled her, the view of those games from a child’s eye level. Her father always waving off trying his hand at hitting the targets. A crack shot, he didn’t believe guns should be used as toys.

The stalls were unattended, but a tall, gangly man stood not far away watching them—his blue polo shirt had GUS stitched in gold letters on the left side and a patch with the carnival’s logo on the right.

Rob gestured toward the shooting gallery like a game show host pointing out the grand prize. “Care to prove your gunslinger skills, Sheriff?”

“Only if Gus’ll let us use the dart game.” Bet didn’t hold the same belief as her father, toy guns didn’t bother her, but she refused to fail at hitting the targets with the carnival rifles because the sights were bad.

Gus started his singsong patter as he climbed over the knee wall in front of the games. “Hit a balloon and win a prize.”

Hefting a dart, Bet readied her shot. The pink balloon popped as the point found its target, but before they could finish the high five she aimed Rob’s way, a sharp crack rebounded down the valley. “That was—”

She caught Rob’s startled expression, and they finished with eyes locked together, “—a gunshot.”

Bet’s hand went instinctively for the gun in her holster. But before she drew, she reached down to her backup weapon and held the Smith & Wesson Shield Plus out to him. Planning a fun morning off, his weapons were all back home in his gun safe. Rob gave her a nod, the micro-compact looking tiny but lethal in his hand. They started toward the far end of the carnival grounds, their steps in sync.

Carnival workers streamed toward them, away from the blast at the north end of the midway. With the carnival opening in two days, performers and other staff had likely been at their various tasks and rehearsals. Now they formed a mob, racing toward the entrance, their voices loud and frightened.

Bet grabbed the arm of a young woman running by, wearing a glittery costume. Her silver tights and gold leotard were draped in spangled scarves and netting, which sparkled in the bright sunlight. “What did you see?” Bet asked her.

“Nothing.” Her wild eyes focused and she took in Bet’s sheriff uniform. “I was inside the big top when I heard the gunshot. It sounded close, like it came from out back where the trucks are parked.”

Bet let the woman go and she slipped into the crowd as Bet picked up speed in the other direction. She caught up to Rob, who had paused a short distance away. “Could have come from behind the tent,” she said.

His expression was grim, his body taut as they jogged toward the far end of the midway. “At least there haven’t been any more shots,” he said.

If this had been a spree, the report wouldn’t have stopped at one. But Bet wasn’t taking any chances. Kane Stand, her sole full-time deputy, answered his cell on the first ring.

“We may have an active shooter at the carnival,” Bet said before he could get a word out. “Call Clayton and get him back here now.” She hoped her part-time deputy was still in the area, his night shift had only recently ended.

Kane’s calm voice came through. “Will do. He just left, so he hasn’t gotten far.” Kane grounded her as she fought to steady her breathing. “Do we need Addy?” he asked.

Addy Jamisen was an EMT who owned the only ambulance to serve the rural valley.

“Yes, please. Call her too. But wait with her and Clayton at the front entrance while Rob and I determine if someone has been injured or there’s still a threat.”

“OK, but if I hear gunshots, I’m coming to back you up.” Kane’s voice said not to argue with him doing his job. “Keep me posted on your location.”

“We’re heading past the southeast corner of the tent to get behind it. I’ll be in touch.”

She made eye contact with Rob, and they moved faster in tandem again, weapons drawn.

The tent blocked their view of all the travel trailers for the crew and performers parked behind it, along with transport vehicles for rides and booths and animals. As they came around the side of the tent, the forest of vehicles and trailers threw angular shadows onto the ground. Danger could hide in the fractured light.

Fifty feet away, a man lay face down in the dirt near the back of the tent—as if the gunman had already hit the bull’s-eye, only to slip away in the crowd.

***

Author Bio

Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to fiction. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under Elena Hartwell, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo. She is also the author of the standalone suspense novel, The Haunting of Emily Grace.

With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Elena returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers much more serious and atmospheric novels. Located in Washington State, Elena produces tense and suspenseful investigations for a lone sheriff in an isolated community.

Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she and her hubby own south of Spokane, Washington. They live with their equines, dogs, and cats.

Social Media Links

ElenaTaylorAuthor.com
www.TheMysteryOfWriting.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub – @elenataylorauthor
Instagram – @ElenaTaylorAuthor
BlueSky – ‪@elenataylorauthor.bsky.social‬
Facebook – @elenataylorauthor
YouTube – @ElenaHartwellAuthor

Purchase Links

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PICT Giveaway

https://pictbooks.tours/E6AxdgOJ