Excerpt from Red Mist

It’s been a busy week since my last Teaser Tuesday. I finished the first draft of the second book in my new cozy mystery series. And I have started in on my new cowriting project in a female PI series.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.

It is still Mystery Thriller Week, and I’m also participating in the Booksweeps Contemporary Thriller contest (enter to get 50 books and a Kindle fire!) so here is a teaser from Red Mist, by Patricia Cornwell, part of the Kay Scarpetta series. I’ve read a few other books from the series. They are filled with complex relationships and interesting twists and turns:

“I see. When I think I can make a difference, I should never trust it.” I used a pair of surgical scissors to cut the shells of boiled jumbo prawns. “When I decide that taking a risk might produce useful information and help bring about justice, it’s really my feeling guilty.”

Patricia Cornwell, Red Mist

On her quest to find out exactly what happened to her former deputy chief, Jack Fielding, murdered six months before, Scarpetta drives to the Georgia Prison for Women to meet a convicted sex offender and the mother of a vicious and diabolically brilliant killer. Against the advice of her FBI criminal intelligence agent husband, Benton Wesley, Scarpetta is determined to hear this woman out.  

Scarpetta has both personal and professional reasons to learn more about a string of grisly killings: the murder of a Savannah family years earlier, a young woman on death row, and then other inexplicable deaths that begin to occur at a breathtaking pace. Driven by inner forces, Scarpetta discovers connections that compel her to conclude that what she thought ended with Fielding’s death and an attempt on her own life is only the beginning of something far more destructive: a terrifying terrain of conspiracy and potential terrorism on an international scale. 

And she is the only one who can stop it.

P.D. Workman Authorpreneur

P.D. Workman is a USA Today Bestselling author and multi-award winner, renowned for her prolific output of over 100 published works that span various genres. With a knack for crafting page-turners, Workman captivates readers with everything from cozy mysteries like the Auntie Clem's Bakery series to gripping young adult and suspense novels. Her stories resonate deeply as she masterfully weaves sensitive themes—such as childhood trauma, mental illness, and addiction—into compelling narratives that evoke a powerful emotional response. Readers are drawn to her unique voice and empathetic portrayal of complex issues. With each new release, fans eagerly anticipate another thrilling blend of thought-provoking storytelling and relatable characters that define P.D. Workman’s brand as an author of unforgettable page-turners—gripping tales that leave a lasting impact long after the last page is turned.

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Mystery and suspense fiction Young adult crime thrillers Character-driven storytelling Cozy Mysteries Mental health and trauma in fiction Resilience and personal growth themes Indie publishing Writing craft and novel development Obsidian for writers and authors Forensic and medical thriller research Social issues in contemporary fiction Psychological thrillers Traditional mysteries Police procedural mysteries Characters with disabilities