NBC Orders Pilot for Remake of Prime Suspect

It was almost a year ago that NBC shelved its remake of Prime Suspect. Now we're learning (via The Hollywood Reporter) that the network has picked up a pilot for the series, set in a New York precient dominated by men.

The original Prime Suspect, which aired seven "seasons" over a period of 15 years, stars Helen Mirren as Detective Chief Inspector (and later Detective Superintendent) Jane Tennison, and was created by crime novelist Lynda La Plante. NBC's remake is scripted by Alexandra Cunningham (Desperate Housewives, Fastlane).

What held NBC up last year was reportedly difficulty in casting the lead. No word yet on who might be up for the part this time around.

Jeff Bridges Cast in YA Fantasy Adaptation The Seventh Son

In some casting (and potential casting) news, Just Jared is reporting that Jeff Bridges will play the role of John Gregory in The Seventh Son, a film adaptation of the young adult fantasy novel The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney.

Published under the heading "The Wardstone Chronicles" in the UK, the books of "The Last Apprentice" series feature the seventh son of a seventh son, Thomas J. Ward, who is sent to apprentice under John Gregory, the County Spook, a powerful figure who deals with evils of the dark.

Offers are out to Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four) for the role of Thomas and to Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) for the role of a suspected witch (presumably the Alice Deane character in the book).

The are currently seven books in the series, with an eighth to be published this year.

15 Mysterious Facts about Midsomer Murders

DCI Thomas Barnaby solved his final murder this week as ITV aired the last episode of Midsomer Murders to star John Nettles as the lead investigator for Causton CID. (Fans in the US won't likely see the episode until 2012 at the earliest.)

In a look back at the series, The Telegraph has published 15 mysterious facts about Midsomer Murders, noting that it has featured 222 murders, 11 accidental deaths, 11 suicides, and 7 deaths from natural causes over its 14 year / 81 episode run (to date). Be advised: There are one or two spoilers in the list.

One fact they don't mention is that the series is based on characters created by crime novelist Caroline Graham. Indeed, the series pilot and many of its early episodes were adapted from her mysteries featuring Barnaby. (One of the mysterious facts noted by The Telegraph is that the series was originally titled Barnaby; Anthony Horowitz, who wrote several of the early screenplays, suggested Midsomer Murders.)

Our resident film and television reviewer, Mr. E., has published a number of reviews of the series; you can find them on the Mr. E. Reviews website.

Though John Nettles is retiring as Thomas Barnaby, the popular series continues production with Neil Dudgeon taking over as DCI John Barnaby, the former DCI's cousin (and introduced in episode 75, "The Sword of Guillaume"). Jason Hughes, who plays DS Ben Jones, Barnaby's partner, will continue in the same role. Four new episodes are scheduled to air on ITV later this year.

Mystery Bestsellers for February 04, 2011

A list of the top 15 mystery hardcover bestsellers for the week ending February 4th, 2011 has been posted on the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books website.

No change in the top three from last week, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson remains atop the list, with James Patterson's latest taking over the 4th spot.

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Tick Tock is the fourth mystery by James Patterson (and Michael Ledwidge) to feature NYPD Detective Michael Bennett.

A rash of horrifying crimes tears through the city, throwing it into complete chaos and terrorizing everyone living there. Immediately, it becomes clear that they are not the work of an amateur, but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind.

The city calls on Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside retreat with his ten adopted children, his grandfather, and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine. Not only does it tear apart their vacation, it leaves the entire family open to attack.

Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Emily Parker. As his affection for Emily grows into something stronger, his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. All too soon, another appalling crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer's pattern and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.

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Moving up from 19 to 8 is Heartstone, the 5th Matthew Shardlake mystery by C. J. Sansom.

It is Summer, 1545, England is at war, and Matthew Shardlake is about to encounter the most politically dangerous case of his career.

While a massive French fleet prepares to attack, every able-bodied man is being pressed into military service. Meanwhile, an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr asks Shardlake to investigate claims of "monstrous wrongs" committed against a young ward of the court.

Shardlake's inquiries take him and his loyal assistant, Jack Barak, to Hoyland Priory and Portsmouth, where the English fleet is gathering. There they uncover a startling link between the ward and a woman incarcerated in Bedlam.

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Finally, new this week at number 14 is The Death Instinct, the second Stratham Younger mystery by Jed Rubenfeld.

Under a clear blue September sky, America's financial center in lower Manhattan became the site of the largest, deadliest terrorist attack in the nation's history. It was September 16, 1920. Four hundred people were killed or injured. The country was appalled by the magnitude and savagery of the incomprehensible attack, which remains unsolved to this day.

War veteran Dr. Stratham Younger and his friend Captain James Littlemore of the New York Police Department are caught on Wall Street on the fateful day of the blast. With them is the beautiful Colette Rousseau, a French radiochemist whom Younger meets while fighting in the world war. A series of inexplicable attacks on Rousseau, a secret buried in her past, and a mysterious trail of evidence lead Young, Littlemore, and Rousseau on a thrilling international and psychological journey-from Paris to Prague, from the Vienna home of Dr. Sigmund Freud to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., and ultimately to the hidden depths of our most savage instincts. As the seemingly disjointed pieces of what Younger and Littlemore learn come together, the two uncover the shocking truth behind the bombing.

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The top four mystery bestsellers this week are shown below:

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

Vince Flynn: "This is a Battle I Do Not Plan on Losing"

The Rap Sheet posted a personal note from thriller novelist Vince Flynn, which itself was posted on the author's website, and we wanted to share the information with our readers.

In November, at the end of my last tour, I was diagnosed with Stage III metastatic prostate cancer. Just a few years ago, this diagnosis would have been a death sentence. Today, specialists are making great strides in the areas of hormone therapy and immune response, and there are several very promising drug trials that are changing the landscape of how prostate cancer is treated.

My treatments are working very well, and my near term prognosis is extremely good. In other words, I have more than a few Rapp novels left in me. My attitude is strong, and I feel better than I have in years. I am blessed to be surrounded by a wonderful wife, family, and great friends who have been extremely supportive. My faith has seen me through the darkest moments, and early on, when the diagnosis was not entirely accurate, things were very dark indeed. I am also blessed that I live in a part of the country that is known for great medical care. I have a wonderful group of doctors who are confident that I can beat this thing. For those of you who have gotten to know me, it will not be a surprise to you that this is a battle I do not plan on losing. As with any cancer, this is serious, but the good news is that I have lots of options for slowing this thing down, and then hopefully killing it.

I am currently working with Brian Haig on our joint novel and have started the next Rapp novel that should be out in October of 2011. Please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers, and I will try to keep you posted as things progress.

Our thoughts and best wishes are with Vince Flynn and his family.

We had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Flynn's most recent Mitch Rapp novel, American Assassin, a prequel to the series, calling it "a pulse-pounding thriller, one not easily put down."

You can read the first chapter(s) of American Assassin below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

NBC Pulls Chase from Schedule, Orders Pilot for Alternate Reality Series REM

Some prime time crime news out of NBC.

Just yesterday we learned that NBC has cut The Cape to 10 episodes, effectively canceling it at the end of this month.

Now the network has pulled the low-rated Chase, starring Kelli Giddish as US Marshal Annie Frost, who tracks down violent criminals on the run, from its schedule, effective immediately. It will likely be replaced by (start groaning now) the game show Minute to Win It.

In other news, NBC has picked up (according to Deadline: Hollywood) a pilot for REM, an Inception-styled thriller about a cop who wakes up after an accident to find he is living in two different realities.

Enter to Win a Collection of Julia Spencer-Fleming Mysteries from Minotaur Books

If you haven't already done so, head on over to Minotaur Books, where the publisher is giving three readers a chance to win all six books in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series by Julia Spencer-Fleming plus an advanced reading copy of the seventh, One Was a Soldier, scheduled to be published this April. You have until March 1st, 2011 to enter.

The first book in the series In the Bleak Midwinter, was the winner of the 2001 Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best Traditional Mystery Novel Contest. The book went on to be honored with the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel, and several others. The fifth book in the series, All Mortal Flesh, was given the Nero Award in 2007.

The mysteries are set in the Adirondack town of Millers Kill in upstate New York, and feature Episcopal priest, The Reverend Clare Fergusson and the local Chief of Police, Russ Van Alstyne.

You can find out how it all started by reading the first chapter(s) of In the Bleak Midwinter below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

Cold Weather Opens in Theaters (Limited) Friday, February 4th

Rather than feature the two thrillers opening widely in theaters tomorrow, Friday February 4th (those would be Sanctum and The Roommate), we thought we'd spotlight an indie mystery with a limited initial run.

Cris Lankenau stars as Doug, a self-styled Sherlock Holmes who has abandoned an academic career in forensic science to return home to Portland (Oregon). He lands a dead-end job working in an ice factory, but soon finds an opportunity to use his passion and skill in detective work when his ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) goes missing. Enlisting a team of ramshackle slacker-sleuths, Doug leads his team down a complex trail of clues and increasingly close to the discovering the mysterious truth about Rachel.

Written and directed by Aaron Katz, you can watch the trailer below.

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman (Mystery Book Review)

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman. A Tess Monaghan Mystery. William Morrow Trade Paperback, January 2011.

This novella -- a format rarely used by authors, but one that has great appeal nonetheless -- works as a simply presented whodunit that plays out in an unexpected manner. The storyline is, to be sure, a little thin here and there and goes off on seemingly unrelated tangents, but the credibly developed mystery plot offers a satisfactory and enjoyable puzzle to solve.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman.

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Read the first chapter(s) of The Girl in the Green Raincoat below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

A&E Developing Boston-based Crime Drama Overload

Deadline|Hollywood is reporting that A&E is potentially adding to its slate of prime time crime series, developing Overload, a crime drama set in Boston and featuring a female detective blessed -- and cursed -- with hyper-acute senses.

John Pogue (Ghost Ship, The Skulls, U.S. Marshals) and Irwin Winkler (The Mechanic, the Rocky films) are behind the project.

USA Network Announces Season Premiere Dates for Law & Order: CI and In Plain Sight

Mark your calendars! USA Network has announced that the tenth (and final) season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent will premiere on Sunday, May 1st at 9 PM (ET/PT). The legal crime drama stars Vincent D'Onofrio as Detective Robert Green and Kathryn Erbe as his partner, Detective Alexandra Eames.

An hour later the fourth season of In Plain Sight, which stars Mary McCormack as US Marshal Mary Shannon, premieres.

OMN Welcomes William Topek, Author of Shadow of a Distant Morning

Omnimystery News is delighted to welcome William Topek as our guest blogger. His first mystery, Shadow of a Distant Morning (ireadiwrite Publishing, November 2010 eBook, 978-1-926760-48-3), set in 1934 Kansas City, introduces private investigator Devlin Caine.

Today, William writes about "Bringing the Past to Life Without Killing Your Story." And he's also providing our readers with an opportunity to win a copy of his book. Visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "William Topek: Shadow of a Distant Morning" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (5367) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 02/17/2011.)

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There's really only one rule to the art of storytelling: make the audience want to know what happens next. When writing fiction, naturally you should be concerned with such things as character development, story structure, pacing and plot. In the end, though, if the reader wants to keep going with your story, wants to know what happens next, it means you've already done your job addressing these things. A story must flow, and the key here is to keep from jarring the reader out of this flow with flat, dull characters, unbelievable plot points, incoherent writing, plodding description, or anything else that breaks the narrative. Readers will forgive a lot for a good story, but a good storyteller seeks rapt attention, not forgiveness.

Setting a story in the past adds an additional challenge to keeping the flow going. To bring a past era alive and make it relatable to a modern audience, you must authentically and accurately recreate that period. Nothing will jar a reader out of a story faster than a blatant anachronism. If your story includes a doctor in the 1950s who pauses to look at his digital watch, you've just slammed yourself down into the lowest ranks of amateurism. While in some cases only expert historians might catch the mistakes you make, you may be writing about a more recent past, known well by people alive today. And frankly, don't the more knowledgeable among us also deserve to enjoy an engaging, well-written story free of glaring errors?

I decided that for my first novel I wanted to write an old-style, private detective story, a throwback to the hard-boiled, noirish works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. An atmospheric narrative filled with complex characters and surprising, even shocking, revelations. The result was Shadow of a Distant Morning, a novel set in 1934 and featuring Devlin Caine, a WWI veteran and former Pinkerton's operative now working as a private detective in Kansas City. Along with all the usual labors involved in writing a novel, I had to do a great deal of research about the period. I chose 1934 at random. I knew I wanted a Thirties/Forties-era private eye, and figured that if I wanted to write more novels featuring that character (and I do), it might be better to start farther back. As it turned out, 1934 was a particularly eventful year for the world, for America, and for Kansas City.

The first step was to ask myself: what do I need to know about this period to write an authentic, convincing novel? The obvious answer was: everything I could. What local, national, and world events were going on at that time, things that everyday people were talking about? In what media were these events being reported? What technology was in use at that time? How did people dress and speak? Who were the celebrities of the period? What brand-name products were available then? How much did things cost in 1934? What well-known landmarks should be referenced? What were some of the more popular songs and movies of the day? What makes and models of cars were being driven? What was the political and economic climate like in Kansas City a few years into the Great Depression?

This is not an article on how to do research. Research is like writing in that there are as many individual approaches to it as there are researchers. Obviously, the single most helpful resource these days is the internet, and any writer should be supremely grateful to live in a time when such an incredibly powerful tool is available. I have a newfound respect for writers who did this kind of thing using only public libraries, telephones, and legwork (and manual typewriters, while we're at it). Some years ago I attended a lecture given by renowned fantasy author Ray Bradbury. He told us how he wrote his classic novel Fahrenheit 451: by feeding dimes into a coin-operated typewriter in the basement of a library, then taking breaks to head up to the stacks and locate classic literary works he wished to reference. I could have visited a dozen libraries while researching my novel, spent far more time with printed reference material, and still not uncovered as much useful, specific information as I found online.

Not that I relied exclusively on my own internet search skills. I had a friend assist me with general material from the period as well as specific odds and ends I asked for. He was able to provide advertising materials from the time, various historical tidbits, and the make and model of Devlin Caine's favored handgun. From eBay, I acquired a street map of 1934 Kansas City. I contacted a staff member at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (which had just opened the year before my novel takes place) and was able to learn of a specific exhibit being shown at the time. Having lived in the area years earlier, I arranged a return visit to Kansas City and spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon photographing various historical landmarks downtown. I decorated a bulletin board in my office with printed photos to inspire me – the buildings I'd photographed, automobiles mentioned in the novel, and two group photos: one of plainclothes detectives on the KC police force in 1934 and another of the Kansas City Monarchs, a regional baseball team from the Negro National League. While I usually prefer to write in a quiet environment, I sometimes listened to songs from that year that I'd purchased and downloaded from iTunes.

I don't think I've ever wanted to time travel so badly in my life. What I wouldn't have given for just one week in 1934 Kansas City. Sit in the diners, visit the nightclubs, walk the streets and observe how people dressed, spoke, and behaved. So I did the next best thing: I watched films from the period. I sat with a legal pad while viewing the classic 1931 gangster film, The Public Enemy with James Cagney, taking four pages of notes on speech patterns, slang expressions (Yes, people did say “What's up?” back then), technology, and anything else that caught my eye. I reread works from the period (Hammett, Chandler, and James M. Cain among them), keeping an eye toward the same details. One of my goals was to write a novel that actually could have been published in 1934. Also, I didn't want the protagonist looking back on the story as a memory from some future vantage point, desiring instead to give the story a stronger sense of immediacy. For these reasons, I was careful with the language. Nothing too explicit, and I avoided to the best of my ability using expressions that didn't exist back then (“blue-collar” and “for the birds” had to be dropped from the first draft).

Okay, so you have all this information, never enough but more than you should be able to use if you're any kind of researcher. How do you work it into your story? And how much is too much? As my novel is told in the first person, it was natural to have a lot of internal monologue, Caine's thoughts as he goes over the events of the day in his head. As a private detective, he's no stranger to doing research himself. He visits the library, reads the newspapers and magazines of the day, and listens to the radio (I was fortunate to find an article from an October 1934 issue of Time magazine, as well as an article about FDR's fireside chat given the day before the novel opens). And, of course, Caine interacts with other characters. A lot of authentic detail can be given in the natural context of conversations, interviews, etc.

I don't consider Shadow of a Distant Morning to fit the criteria of an historical novel. My protagonist does not participate in well-known, real-world events of the time, nor does he interact with actual historical figures. The events in the novel and the characters who populate it are entirely creations of my imagination. Nonetheless, I needed a sufficient amount of detail to make both the setting and the story accurate and believable. Many people outside Kansas City are unaware of the area's rich mob history, particularly in the Thirties. I was surprised to find that KC's head mobster was assassinated in the very year my story takes place (a fact I was able to work subtly into the plot). Indeed, 1934 was a banner year for public enemies in general. Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson were all gunned down that year (note to certain filmmakers: and in that order). At that time, Kansas City also had a political boss, one of the most powerful in the nation. This person was instrumental in starting Harry S Truman along a political path that eventually led him to the presidency.

Clearly, a novel should not read like a history thesis. A novel is a story, and in a story, well, things should happen. You don't need to put in every detail of your research, citing specific dates, listing every fact, giving the complete history of an event or person. While occasionally some information is helpful to establish a setting or plot device, or is just interesting stuff to know (people do appreciate learning new things), don't clog down the story in your eagerness to show off how much work you did. That's as bad as using long, cumbersome sentences and esoteric vocabulary just to show off your knowledge of English. Make the story flow naturally. How do you converse with your spouse, friends, or workmates about current events or movies or a new restaurant opening? The characters in your story should do so in the same way.

An interesting side-effect to delving into the past is that you'll begin to notice similarities to life in the present day. At first the differences will manifest themselves. Readers will connect the details you provide with their own images of similarly placed novels, films, and photographs. They'll begin to see the world at that time in which you're writing. But as the old adage says, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Readers will begin to notice the ways in which your past setting reflects their modern world. In 1934, America was still reeling from the Great Depression. Ruthless business moguls and other speculators, unhindered by concepts of responsible use or limitation of any sort, essentially gutted the stock market, and the nation spiraled into an unprecedented economic collapse. A Democratic administration pushed for stricter regulation, establishing large-scale social programs and other emergency measures to keep things from getting worse, while the rich and powerful railed against this veering away from an entirely free market. Sound familiar? And, of course, people in any age work, eat, dream, fall in love, and generally try to make their lives better. Not too surprising that any age starts to feel familiar.

When used judiciously, historical detail will lend authenticity to your novel without slowing down or otherwise taking away from the story. There are several historical details in my novel that I don't expect most readers to notice, or to care about if they do. Kansas City's police force did install two-way radios in their squad cars in 1934. The World Series really did go all seven games that year, and the scores of individual games – where they appear in the novel – are reported accurately. The moon really was waning when Caine looked at it (I checked the NASA records). Apart from the fictitious Maxie's Diner and a bar named Lonnigan's, all other named locations used in the novel are, or were, real ones. Such details may add an extra level of verisimilitude for those in the know, but they won't detract from the action for those unfamiliar or uninterested.

Are there historical inaccuracies in my novel? Almost certainly; a lone researcher can only do so much, and a researcher is only as good as his or her sources. And in this age of instant communication, mistakes are identified and brought to the surface faster than ever. There are hordes of internet users whose very reason for living seems to be the gleeful finding and touting of errors. I don't believe a writer should be daunted by this. For one thing, such scrutiny helps keep us all honest, and reasonable readers will recognize and appreciate the difference between a particularly arcane slip and a writer who was too lazy to get basic facts straight. Apart from all that, there's something inherently flattering about having your work pored over with such attentiveness.

So, the basic formula for authentically recreating the past in a naturalistic way? Figure out what you need to know, find out more than you need to know, and apply such knowledge as necessary to establish and enrich both setting and story. And do so in as realistic and flowing a manner as possible. Like any other aspect of good writing, this is hard work. The result, however, will be a quality piece of fiction that is richly satisfying for both the writer and, hopefully, the reader.

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About Shadow of a Distant Morning: Kansas City, 1934. Devlin Caine, a WWI veteran and former Pinkerton’s operative, is hired by a wealthy industrialist to check out a potential business partner. The job is simple and the money good, but for Caine, it’s a short step from checking public records to being roughed up in a back alley. Clearly there are things the client neglected to mention, such as Caine’s predecessor on the job being found in the Missouri River with a slug in his chest.

When the man Caine is investigating turns up murdered as well, Caine finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between his client, a competing industrialist, and a local underworld boss — all after a coded notebook Caine found in the dead man’s hotel room. Desperate to unlock the mystery of the notebook (and to protect his client’s beautiful young daughter), Caine plays the three men against each other in an effort to buy time. He knows only one of the three rivals can win this battle, and backing the wrong side will cost lives, starting with his own.

Shadow of a Distant Morning is available in popular eBook formats including Kindle Edition and NookBook.

For a chance to win a copy of Shadow of a Distant Morning, courtesy of William Topek, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "William Topek: Shadow of a Distant Morning" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (5367) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 02/17/2011.)

Murder à la Mode by G. A. McKevett is Today's Featured Free Kindle Mystery

MystereBooks is pleased to feature a mystery title that is currently available in Kindle eBook format for free from Amazon.com. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically only until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so download it today!

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Murder à la Mode by G. A. McKevett
A Savannah Reid Mystery (10th in series)
Kensington (Kindle eBook)
Download Link

About Murder à la Mode (from the publisher): Voluptuous P.I. Savannah Reid's cravings for tasty treats come second only to her appetite for adventure. Of course, every girl needs a little down time, and when things are quiet, Savannah loves nothing more than to curl up in bed with a box of chocolates, a steaming Irish coffee topped with whipped cream, and an even steamier romance novel -- preferably one with Lance Roman on the cover. He's everything she's ever wanted in a man: hunky, handsome, and oh-so-sexy. But when she gets the chance to compete for a date with Lance on a reality TV show, Man of My Dreams, her dream-come-true quickly turns into a nightmare.

Read the first chapter(s) of Murder à la Mode below. Use the Aa button to adjust the display settings (font size, line spacing, word density).

CBS Renews NCIS for 9th Season

In what can hardly be called news, CBS has officially renewed its hit series NCIS for ninth season. (It would be news if it hadn't done so! This week's episode achieved its highest ratings ever, beating ABC, Fox, NBC, and The CW combined in viewers.)

Mark Harmon, who plays Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the show, signed a two-year extension to his contract, which was set to expire this May.

Mercy Kill by Lori Armstrong (Mystery Book Review)

Mercy Kill by Lori Armstrong. A Mercy Gunderson Mystery. Touchstone Trade Paperback, January 2011.

This hard-hitting suspense novel is populated with hard-edged characters, the remote South Dakota setting just about ideal. The mystery surrounding the dead man -- why him, why there, why now -- is well-plotted. The most significant drawback (for some readers) will be the pervasive use of R-rated language by most of the characters.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Mercy Kill by Lori Armstrong.

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Read the first chapter(s) of Mercy Kill below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.