mrm #4, Vacant Grave

Happy Halloween! 🎃 It’s the perfect day for a murder … er … to release Vacant Grave, Marnie Reilly Mysteries Book 4. Why? It’s the spookiest day of the year. 👻 What better time to drop a new thriller book?

Marnie and the crew are back and invite you to spend time with them in Creekwood, NY, nestled in the Adirondack Mountains. After all! It’s the best season 🍁🍂 to visit the region. Vacant Grave opens on October 9th and closes on the 31st with a party at the psychic psychologist’s home, Wild Creek Ranch. Will the festivities end well or take a dark turn like July 4th? 💥😲🤷‍♀️😏 No spoilers! But I can share two snippets from the first chapter 👇.

October 9^th

Creekwood, New York—Copper Woods, 7:43 AM

Jess Eloise Alder crouched at the base of a sugar maple, its brilliant fall leaves blanketing the ground. She held her breath—listening for footsteps, tears streaking the dirt on her pretty freckled face.

“No!” she screamed, as her kidnapper grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and scooped her over his shoulder. “Let me go! I have class! I’m gonna be late!”

“In more ways than one,” growled her abductor.

Creekwood, New York—Hudson Pass, AKA The Ridge, 10:06 AM

A cyclone of dead leaves swirled, riding the wave of a crisp north breeze. Vibrant orange, yellow, and crimson foliage mingled mid-air before settling on the mossy forest floor.

Ranger Abel Jackson grasped for the feathery branch of a Tamarack to steady himself but dropped to his knees, blood dripping from his broken nose.

“Get back here!” he shouted.

With an extended middle finger, the ranger’s attacker walked away, mumbling to himself, shoulders hunched, hands in his pockets.

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From the Back Cover

Fact and fiction collide when a gruesome urban myth creeps out of the forest, bringing terror to the little town of Creekwood. Will psychic psychologist Marnie Reilly bury her past demons? Or will they send her to an early grave?

Haunted by dreams of an icepick wielding stranger hunting her in the woods behind her house, Marnie Reilly waves it off as a trauma induced nightmare. After all, who wouldn’t experience night terrors after twelve months of murder and mayhem?

Then October takes on a more chilling vibe when a corpse is discovered in the hay maze on her property and a local girl disappears from the road outside her home.

But when disturbing effigies dressed in the bloodstained clothes of missing women are dropped at her doorstep, the psychic psychologist races against time to save the women of Creekwood, including herself.

Is urban legend The Poacher alive and on a killing spree? Or is something more sinister at play?

Welcome to Creekwood. Where Halloween is murder!

Back Cover Reviews

Danger is at every turn when an ugly part of Creekwood’s past, once buried, rises to haunt Marnie and a host of characters. The realistic dialogue is a treat, making readers feel like they are sitting at the local coffee shop listening to town gossip, or walking, even running frantically, through Marnie’s country property. The tension throughout is tightly woven, often using humor or everyday activities like cooking to settle the nerves. The introduction of a few new characters is a treat and hopefully we will see more of them. Mitchell has woven a complicated plot full of angst, interesting characters, and humor.

– Chronicles of Crime, Victoria, BC, Canada

Author Shari T. Mitchell has me hooked! If you love thrillers, this series belongs on your bookshelf.

-TL Brown, Door to Door Paranormal Mysteries

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Wild Creek Ranch — Oo! Look! A Map! 👀

For the first time, I have included a map in the front matter of the book at the request of readers. While it isn’t terribly flash or to scale, it works. I even included Tater, Dickens, and Gus in front of Marnie’s house. Anyway, when you read dodgy things are happening in the hay maze or Copper Woods, you’ll now have some idea where they are.

What Beta Readers are Saying About Vacant Grave

The folks who read my books before they go to market are called beta readers and they are often kind enough to give me lists of things they loved about the storyline. If you follow me on Instagram, Threads and Facebook, you will see more feedback, quotes, and observations over the coming days.

Where to Grab the Paperback or Ebook

Vacant Grave is available around the world, but here are the most popular places to find the series in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Australia

Amazon.au Kindle Link https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DHV8S948

Amazon.au Paperback Link https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1735862576

Marnie Reilly Mysteries Character Interviews

Marnie Reilly and Detective Lieutenant Daniel Gregg both agreed to interviews recently. If you would like to check out what they had to say, links are provided below.

Interview with Marnie Reilly

Interview with Danny Gregg

If you are interested in reading an interview with a different character in the series, please let me know in the comments and I will see what I can do.

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Now … I am off to drink a glass of champagne, finish outlines for the next two books in the series, and have a well-deserved break from my keyboard.

Thanks so much for spending time with me. I’ll see you soon.

Wishing you a pleasant and safe visit to Creekwood!

Cheers,

Shari

P.S. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported me throughout the creation of Vacant Grave. I couldn’t have done it without out you—literally!