Paul Austin Ardoin's Blog, page 7

The Reviews Are In!

The Accused Coroner, the seventh book in the Fenway Stevenson Mysteries, is now available on all major retailers in both ebook and paperback. This wraps up the first set of Fenway's adventures, having watched her grow both personally and professionally over her first year in Estancia.

I knew this book was fun to write, but I've been blown away by the response from readers. Thank you to everyone who has left a review! Here are some of my favorites:

You can add your own review on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, GooglePlay, Apple Books, Goodreads, or BookBub.

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Today is the Day!

When I first published The Reluctant Coroner, nearly three years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Chronicling Fenway’s journey during her first year as county coroner through seven books (and a short story) was incredibly exhilarating to write—and I hope you’ve found it equally enjoyable to read!

Today, The Accused Coroner, the seventh book in the Fenway Stevenson Mysteries, is now available on all major retailers in both ebook and paperback. 

The Accused Coroner wraps up this first set of Fenway novels—she’s grown professionally and personally, and she’s proven her worth not only to the people of Estancia but also to her family and herself as well. Happy reading!Read More

The Paths We Tread

Ten crime thrillers from ten of the best authors in the mystery & thriller worlds!

This mystery collection features full length novels from Paul Austin Ardoin, Jack Benton, Tom Fowler, D.F. Hart, Ava S. King, Virginia King, J.R. Mathis, Meghan O'Flynn, Malcolm Richards and P.D. Workman. And, for a limited time, get the entire collection for a special introductory price of just 99¢! Pre-order your copy today, and read it on Wednesday.

The Reluctant Coroner - Fenway Stevenson doesn't want to return to the town where her estranged father is practically king. But the death of her mother drags her back—and the murder of the county coroner draws her into a deepening conspiracy. As the body count rises, all signs point toward her father's oil company.

The Man by the Sea – P.I. John "Slim" Hardy is hired to investigate Ted Douglas, who leaves work early every Friday to visit a remote local cove. There, he takes an old book to the shore and reads aloud. His wife thinks he's having an affair. Slim thinks he's insane. The truth is more incredible than either could imagine…

The Reluctant Detective - Rookie PI C.T. Ferguson wanted an easy first case. Instead, he got Alice. She thinks her husband is cheating on her, but C.T. soon learns Alice is a serial liar. With enforcers hounding him, C.T. will need all his physical and digital skills to prevent his first case from becoming his last.

Book of Secrets - When an FBI profiler and his girlfriend encounter pure evil, they manage to survive — but their nightmare is far from over. A serial killer is obsessed with Bella Amsel, and agent Nathan Thomas is running out of time to keep her safe.

Agent Red: Fatal Memory - Teagan Stone lives for her family. After retiring from an elite Naval group, Teagan wants to focus...Read More

Buy and Read Fenway 7 Early!

The seventh Fenway Stevenson mystery novel, The Accused Coroner, will be released on all major retailers on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. But YOU can read the book today! Just buy and download it from my author store or on Smashwords!

Author Store:

If you'd like to read Fenway 7 early, go to my Author Store. I use PayHip to power my store, and you can pay with PayPal. Download directly from the PayHip link, or get the book through the BookFunnel email. (BookFunnel is an easy way to download the book directly to your Kindle, Nook, Kobo ereader, mobile device, or tablet.)

Smashwords:

The Smashwords store is great option if you don't want to pay through PayPal. Go to the Smashwords presale page to buy and download the book early!

The early reviews are in!

"Be warned: to read one Fenway mystery is to want to read them all. If you love page-turning, unputdownable mysteries, then Ardoin is the real deal."

—Mark Stay, bestselling author and host of The Bestseller Experiment podcast

“From the first chapter to the last, The Accused Coroner deftly twines Fenway’s current life with her mother’s mysterious past, and keeps you guessing the entire time. This series has been getting better with every book—be prepared to stay up all night!”

—Tess Baytree, author of The Penelope Standing Mysteries

“Fenway is fantastic, and The Accused Coroner is...Read More

Music for Focus—and for Inspiration

Writing and Music

Music has a big focus in the Fenway Stevenson novels. A couple of years ago, I wrote about some music that I see in my head during a few Fenway scenes.

The climactic scene of the first book, The Reluctant Coroner, for example—in my head, I’ve scored the whole thing to an instrumental tune by the Swedish band Wintergatan called “Paradis.” The final hits of the song’s coda hit with the bullets leaving the chamber in that scene.

About two-thirds into the second book, The Incumbent Coroner, there’s a scene where Fenway and McVie are in the front seat of McVie’s Highlander, watching justice being served (Dez bashes the door down to a warehouse), and Fenway realizes what she’s been missing in her life. For that scene, I’ve always had Vienna Teng’s “Never Look Away” (from the 2014 album Aims) running through my brain. I think the lyrics of that song are similar to what’s running through McVie’s head during their stakeout.

But a few readers have asked me what I listen to when I actually write my books. Some of my author friends write in silence, some listen to heavy metal, others listen to Broadway tunes or nature sounds.

I’ve found that I can’t listen to anything with words when I write—it’s too distracting. Ambient electronic music seems to work for me. In particular, an electronic artist named Kubbi (two albums in particular—Ember and Taiga) get me in the writing zone, and another artist named Tycho (I like all his stuff, but especially his album Awake).

Experiencing the Music

Over the holidays,...Read More

New Year, New Books

If 2020 was "The Year We All Stayed Home" that also means it was "The Year I Did A LOT of Writing." And that is just fine with me. I was able to publish two Fenway Stevenson novels (The Courtroom Coroner and The Watchful Coroner), begin the editing process for a third (The Accused Coroner, coming March 9), AND get started on a brand new murder mystery series, Murders of Substance. So, here's a sneak peek into some of the things coming in 2021.

Cover Reveal!

Murders of Substance Book 1: Ceremony

Here is the (almost final) cover for Ceremony, the first book in the new murder mystery series, Murders of Substance. The Murders of Substance series features a brilliant but arrogant forensic toxicologist and the federal agent who is assigned to work cases with him. The first novel, Ceremony, finds a dead graduate student injected with a dangerous hallucinogen. The list of suspects is huge, from the professor in debt to a pharmaceutical company, the mysterious girlfriend, a local fringe church who used the drug in rituals, an animal-rights activist—even the local lake fishing society. I’m targeting the middle of next year for release.

Chapter 1 Preview!

Fenway Stevenson Mysteries Book 7: The Accused Coroner

Continue reading Chapter 1 of The Accused Coroner

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Preview: The Accused Coroner Chapter 1

The Accused Coroner

Fenway Stevenson Mysteries Book Seven

Coming March 9, 2021 • Preorder Now

The choir rose in their black-and-burgundy vestments and began to sing “Amazing Grace.” The reverend backed away from the pulpit, clasping the worn Bible with both weathered hands, still looking soberly at the congregation after his words of comfort.

Fenway Stevenson shifted in the hard wooden pew, five rows from the front. She hadn’t realized how noisy her favorite black dress was until she’d sat down in the echo chamber of the Ladera Heights First Baptist Church. Even with the choir singing, it sounded like she was ripping up newspaper.

A man in a charcoal gray suit, the shoulders too broad for his frame, sat across the aisle. One of the few white people in the church, he was next to an older woman who was probably his mother. He looked oddly familiar. Then Fenway placed him: Dr. Richard Ivanovich, her opponent in the coroner election back in November. Fenway blinked and looked harder, just to be sure.

He looked uncomfortable. What was he doing here—not just in this church, but in L.A.?

She stared at him for a long time before realizing the hymn was over and the preacher was walking back to the pulpit.

The woman next to Fenway—about her age, though a good six inches shorter than Fenway’s five-ten—kept looking at her out of the corner of her eye. The church was overheated in the chill of the January day, and the woman fanned herself with the funeral service program.

After the hymn and the benediction, the organ started playing another piece that Fenway didn’t quite recognize, and people stood and began to filter out. Some of them walked up to the front row—where several...Read More

Five Stars to An Occupied Grave by A.G. Barnett

An Occupied Grave (Brock & Poole Mystery Book 1)

By A.G. Barnett • ★★★★★

When mourners gather in the village of Lower Gladdock, the grave is found to be already occupied.

Detective-sergeant Guy Poole is hoping to put his traumatic past behind him and settle into his new station at Bexford. Now history is threatening to raise its head again, and he has a murder case to contend with. Detective Inspector Sam Brock has a new recruit to take under his wing, and he’s determined this one isn’t going to die. As if that wasn’t enough of a headache, his wife is coming home and may be on the verge of discovering the lie he’s been telling her.

Newly paired duo Brock & Poole must track down the killer before more lives are lost.

An Occupied Grave is a terrific police procedural. It has sharply drawn, compelling lead characters, a murder plot that kept me guessing, and a neat bit of ongoing subplots that don’t get wrapped up in a bow to keep me coming back for more. This is a great page-turner and a fantastic start to a series I will definitely continue to read.

Verdict: Not to be missed!

Buy An Occupied Grave from your favorite eBook retailer

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Review: The End of Magic by Mark Stay

The End of Magic • Mark Stay • ★★★★★

Although I don't read a lot of fantasy, I thought I'd give this one a try. I've enjoyed Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and a little bit of other stuff here and there. But The End of Magic took me by surprise at how relatable Rosheen is, and, to a lesser extent, Sander. They are two mages forced by fate to opposite sides of a war to essentially rule the known world.

Haldor Frang is definitely an antagonist I despised out of the gate. As with Stay's recent co-written book Back to Reality (which I loved), the writing is excellent: vivid images, clear voice, and well-rounded characters.

The body count is high in this book, and I found the deaths, especially early on, are difficult to get through. By the time the climactic scenes come, I found myself almost numb to the bloodshed. Yes, there are moments of silliness and levity, but Stay keeps the stakes high at all times, and leaves just enough light at the end of the tunnel.

I might not recommend this to new readers of the genre, particularly if they're not used to the more Tarantino-esque fantasy books, but The End of Magic has a compelling narrative, as well as a strong authorial voice.

Buy The End of Magic from your favorite ebook retailer

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Fenway Short Story: Now in Audio and Paperback!

You may have seen that I contributed a short story to the crime fiction anthology 12 Shots. Titled "The Coroner and the Body and the Bath," the story takes place between books 1 and 2.

Readers have asked for the story in audiobook form, and I've found a narrator for the Fenway books! The short story was perfect for our first project together. So—wait no more! The audio version of "The Coroner and the Body in the Bath" is here! Find your favorite retailer below.

The Coroner and the Body in the Bath

Narrated by Alexis Marcom

Apple

Booktopia

GooglePlay

Kobo

The audiobook will soon be available at more stores, like Audible, NookAudio, Chirp, and many more.

Did someone say paperback?

Yes, the short story is available in a small paperback edition through Amazon.

If you want the e-book version of the story, it's only available when you purchase Read More