Once Upon A Time

 When I was a little girl, my mother used to read bedtime stories to me. Every time she read “Once upon a time,” I knew I was about to be drawn into a good story. I settled back against my pillow, confident that, no matter what happened to the characters in the course of the book, at the end all would be resolved and I would hear the words “And they lived happily ever after.”

Those were fairy tales but they made a lasting impression on me. Starting with Mixed Messages, the first book in my Malone mystery series which takes place at Halloween, I put my characters in some dangerous situations and gave them lots of problems, but I’m confident readers will be satisfied when they finish each book. Because it is a series, some things carry over to the next book but, by the end of Marnie Malone, the fifth and last book in the series, all loose ends are tied up. 

Once upon a time, a family of four lived in an old Victorian on the west side of Cincinnati - where a serial killer is attacking women in their homes.

It’s the week of Halloween and, in addition to worrying about a maniac on the loose, Ann Malone Kern struggles with several personal issues. Her primary concern is her marriage which, like her west side neighborhood, is in jeopardy. Her husband is drinking heavily and his behavior toward her is erratic. One minute, he’s the kind, loving man she married and, the next minute, he’s cold and cruel.

Ann dismisses a psychic’s warning that she is in danger. But, when she receives a series of ominous biblical quotes in addition to the love poems someone has been sending her, she grows nervous and suspicious of everyone, including her own husband.

As the bizarre and frightening events unfold, Ann discovers a handmade tombstone marked with her name, pushing her close to the edge.

          Will Ann be the Westwood Strangler's next victim?  

If you enjoy character-driven, family-oriented mysteries, you can read about and/or order the Malone mysteries at: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007VDDUPQ or you can click on a book cover on the right side of this page. Happy Reading!

Unfinished Business

The Westwood Strangler is dead. Or so everyone believes.

Ann Malone Kern is busy preparing for her favorite holiday. She’s especially looking forward to her sister’s annual Christmas visit. But, several things threaten to ruin her festive mood.

The National Weather Service issues a severe winter storm warning for the Cincinnati area, predicting blizzard conditions, and Ann worries that her sister and her new boyfriend won’t be able to make the drive from South Carolina.

Then, a woman is found strangled in Ann’s neighborhood and everyone, including the police, assumes it’s the work of a copycat killer. However, when two more women are murdered in their homes, the police announce their conviction that the Westwood Strangler is responsible.

When Ann hears the news, the sense of safety and security she’s worked so hard to recapture since her attack on Halloween night, shatters. If the intruder who died in her apartment wasn’t the Westwood Strangler, who is? 

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Picture this

It's a beautiful day in October. The sun is shining and the air is cool and crisp, a welcome relief after summer's heat and humidity. You're walking down the tree-lined street where you live, admiring the changing colors of the leaves. Calm. Peaceful. Serene.

You smile as you walk past the Halloween displays in your neighbors' yards.

What you don't know is that there's a serial killer lurking in the shadows.

"Mixed Messages"

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'Tis the Season

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PROLOGUE

I pace the floor, my mind going a mile a minute, while the rest of the world sleeps. There is no rest for me because I am not like the others. I have a responsibility. So much to do. So little time. It is all up to me.

I light a candle and the flames make dancing shadows on the walls, in sync with Mozart’s Requiem. Pure, beautiful music: the way life should be. Not like the mindless trash I hear thumping from car stereos these days, screaming words of profanity. Quality has virtually disappeared and in its place? Quantity.

People want more and they want it now. They insist on instant gratification. Fast food. Faster everything. They drive their cars like lunatics, virtually riding the bumper of the car in front of them, urging the driver to go faster or get out of their way. They risk other people’s lives so they can get home two minutes earlier. And for what? To sit in front of the television set staring mindlessly at nothing, nothing of any value. It is sinful!

The world is a terrible place. God should be first! No one puts God first anymore. If they would turn their lives over to Him, they would be saved. But some refuse to be saved. Instead, they go about their pathetic lives, thinking only of themselves. What do I want and what do I have to do to get it? They use sex to manipulate others. Women haunt bars and flaunt their scantily clad bodies to get what they want. They have no family values, no morals. Adultery, abortion: atrocities against God.

Some people don’t deserve to live. They do not even care that their immoral acts, their lack of common decency, their selfishness, harms everyone around them. That has to stop. I have to stop it. It is all up to me. God has spoken to me. He has chosen me to carry out His work and He has shown me The Way. I know what needs to be done and, to honor Him, I will do His will. People have to pay for their sins. I will make them pay.

Actually, the deed itself is almost always so easy. People are creatures of habit. They leave their doors unlocked when they walk out to get the morning paper or take out the garbage, never thinking that someone might be watching them, just waiting for an opportunity. They assume that “it” will never happen to them. But, for some, it will. I will see to it.

I must be the strong one. In the time I have left here, I must do my part to save at least this little corner of the world. And I must be careful. I must plan everything in advance, down to the smallest detail. Timing is of the utmost importance. I must be patient. It all comes down to control: self-control. I must suppress the rage inside me.

I need to play my role perfectly. I must continue to do all the things that are expected of me. Never show anyone the way I feel. I must say all the right words. Do all the right things. It is all up to me. No one must suspect me. No one must ever know. I cannot afford to make any mistakes. That would ruin everything. They would never understand and they would try to stop me. Then, there would be no one to carry out God’s work. It is sad enough that, when I’m gone, there will be no one left to rid this neighborhood of the human garbage.

I blow out the candle, extinguishing its life and pray for a few hours of sleep before dawn. I will not have to wait much longer. I can feel it.

It is almost time again.

Serial Killers 101

I’ve always been fascinated with the subject of serial killers. I’m most interested in “why” they do what they do; what causes a human being to become a monster? It’s a question of nature vs. nurture. Was it the fault of their upbringing and/or society or were they “born” to be serial killers? 

The more I read about them as I did research for my first Malone mystery, Mixed Messages, the more intrigued I became. Here's a brief overview of what I learned. There are four types of serial killers:

·       Visionary  killers

·       Mission killers

·       Pleasure (Hedonistic) killers 

·       Power/control killers

Keep in mind: there’s a difference between mass murderers and serial killers. Mass murderers kill their victims all at once. They choose a killing field and attempt to take as many victims as possible. They do not hunt, torture and then kill their victims. Serial killers do. One definition of a serial killer is “someone who commits three or more murders over an unspecified period of time.” 

It’s virtually impossible to distinguish serial killers from the rest of society. They look just like you and me (yes, there have been many female serial killers) and they're everywhere. The FBI can’t give us actual statistics; no one knows for sure how many are out there, targeting their next victims. Estimates run anywhere from twenty to thirty to the thousands! 

There are three predatory types:

·   territorial killers who hunt within a specific area

·   nomadic killers who travel extensively on their killing sprees

·   stationary killers who prefer to commit murders in their own homes or places of employment

Serial killers are categorized as “organized” or “disorganized.”

·   Organized killers are the most difficult to identify and capture because they’re highly intelligent. They plan each and every detail, often stalking their victims for long periods of time to determine the best time to strike.

·   Disorganized killers are usually of lesser intelligence and don’t plan their attacks in advance. Their victims are usually people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Most serial killers have a “preference.” For example, Albert DeSalvo, the Boston Strangler, was sexually obsessed with the elderly. Some serial killers take “souvenirs” from their victims: a lock of hair, a piece of jewelry or a body part and many serial killers have bizarre fetishes like Ed Gein, the role model for Hitchcock’s Psycho, who collected corpses for a variety of sick purposes. 

Until next time, be wary of strangers and people you know. Remember, anyone could be a serial killer – even the boy next door.