Weaving Murderous Tales
WHERE JUSTICE PREVAILS
Hidden Pieces
A Misty Pines Mystery
AVAILABLE TO BUY NOW!
He has nothing left to lose but this case. Can he rescue a young victim before there's another death on his conscience?
Sheriff Jax Turner is staring down the barrel of his broken past. On the brink of ending it all, he feels like a failure following his daughter's tragic passing and his subsequent divorce. But when a schoolgirl vanishes and her backpack is found in a sex offender's backseat, the weary lawman drags himself into action and vows to nail one last sociopath.
“A multilayered psychological thriller…that is both poignant and engrossing” - Kirkus Reviews
Coming October 24, 2023!
A missing surf legend. Waterlogged clues. Can he trust his gut instincts to end the wave of murder?
Sheriff Jax Turner is learning to live again. Holding tight to the hope of reconciling with his FBI agent ex-wife, the wary man is determined to keep his focus on his coastal Oregon community. And after a concerned brother requests a welfare check, Jax is troubled to find the absent surf shop owner’s tracks lead to a pool of blood.
Now investigating a potential homicide, Turner chases a tip from his former spouse about a severed foot found on the beach. But when a torrent of leads links the victim to a politician's son, a jealous competitor, and a get-straight program for youth, the steadfast lawman fears layers of lies and secret agendas will keep him from stopping a vicious killer.
Can he unravel the fatal agenda before he’s the next corpse to wash ashore?
Mary Keliikoa
I’m the author of HIDDEN PIECES, the first book in the Misty Pines Mystery Series set at the Oregon coast and featuring small-town Sheriff Jax Turner, and the Shamus Finalist and Lefty, Agatha & Anthony nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series which features a tenacious single mom who has inherited her father’s detective agency. I’ve also had short stories appear in Woman’s World, and in the anthology Peace, Love and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Songs of the ’60s.
For years, I worked as a legal secretary, giving me a front row seat on the legal maneuverings that took place every day. I loved the unfolding of a case from the first documents being run to the courthouse to preparing for trial. That love is one of many reasons I gravitated to writing mystery and suspense.
And yes, I’m that person that actually gets excited when called for jury duty.
The legal system is an incredible lens by which to see what makes people tick. This is what I infused into my novels, along with characters striving to overcome significant odds to find meaning and purpose in this crazy world. I mean, aren’t we all?
