FIRST CHAPTER FUN

First Chapter Fun – Episode 339 – WHAT REMAINS by Wendy Walker

Listen to internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon read the description and opening pages of WHAT REMAINS by Wendy Walker, which is available June 13th!

About WHAT REMAINS:

Detective Elise Sutton is drawn to cold cases. Each crime is a puzzle to solve, pulled from the past.

Elise looks for cracks in the surface and has become an expert on how murderers slip up and give themselves away. She has dedicated her life to creating a sense of order, at work with her ex-marine partner; at home with her husband and two young daughters; and within, battling her own demons. Elise has everything under control, until one afternoon, when she walks into a department store and is forced to make a terrible choice: to save one life, she will have to take another.

Elise is hailed as a hero, but she doesn’t feel like one. Steeped in guilt, and on a leave of absence from work, she’s numb, even to her husband and daughters, until she connects with Wade Austin, the tall man whose life she saved. But Elise soon realizes that he isn’t who he says he is. In fact, Wade Austin isn’t even his real name. The tall man is a ghost, one who will set off a terrifying game of cat and mouse, threatening Elise and the people she loves most.

About the author:  

Wendy Walker is the national bestselling author of psychological suspense. Her books have been published in over 23 foreign languages and have been optioned for film and television. Her latest novels include Don’t Look for Me, the Audible Original, American Girl and What. Wendy is a graduate of Brown University and Georgetown Law School. Prior to writing, she worked as an investment banker and in several areas of the law.

Connect with Wendy:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/wendywalkerauthor

Instagram: www.instagram.com/wendywalkerauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/wendy_walker

Website: www.wendywalkerbooks.com

Meet your First Chapter Fun hosts ⁠Hannah Mary McKinnon⁠ and ⁠Hank Phillippi Ryan⁠ and join us for First Chapter Fun ever Tuesday, live on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ at 12.30 p.m. ET (or catch up later on this podcast).

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission

First Chapter Fun – Episode 338 – THE RAVEN THIEF by Gigi Pandian

Listen to internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon read the description and opening pages of THE RAVEN THIEF by Gigi Pandian, which is available now!

About THE RAVEN THIEF: 

Tempest Raj returns in The Raven Thief, where sliding bookcases, trick tables, and hidden reading nooks hide something much more sinister than the Secret Staircase Construction crew ever imagined.

Secret Staircase Construction just finished their first project with Tempest Raj officially a part of the team―a classic mystery novel-themed home interior. Their client is now ready to celebrate her new life without her cheating ex-husband, famous mystery author Corbin Colt. First up, a party, and Tempest and Grandpa Ash are invited to the exclusive mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property―for good. It's all lighthearted fun until Corbin's dead body crashes the party.

The only possible suspects are the eight people around the séance table―a circle of clasped hands that wasn't broken. Suspicion quickly falls on Grandpa Ash, the only one with actual blood on him. To prove her beloved grandfather’s innocence, Tempest must figure out what really happened―and how―or Ash will be cooking his delectable Indian and Scottish creations nevermore.

About the author:  

Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and locked-room mystery enthusiast. She’s been awarded Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Derringer awards, and is a co-founder of Crime Writers of Color. Gigi writes the Accidental Alchemist Mysteries, Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries, and her new Secret Staircase Mystery Series kicked off with UNDER LOCK & SKELETON KEY (called “wildly entertaining” by the New York Times).

Connect with Gigi:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GigiPandian

Instagram: www.instagram.com/GigiPandian

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GigiPandian

Website: www.gigipandian.com

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission

First Chapter Fun – Episode 337 – THE DARLINGS by Hannah McKinnon

Listen to bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon read the description and opening pages of THE DARLINGS by her American counterpart Hannah McKinnon, which is available now!

About THE DARLINGS:

On a secluded stretch of Cape Cod, a wedding is being planned at a beloved beach house—only for a long kept secret to emerge that hurtles both the wedding and the family off course, in this fresh, lyrical new novel from the acclaimed author of the “charming and warm-hearted” (PopSugar) The Summer House.

At age ninety-two, Tish Darling is the matriarch and protector of what’s left of the Darling family fortune, including the decades-old beach house, Riptide. Located on the crook of Cape Cod, it’s a place she once loved but has not returned to in decades, since a tragic family accident one perfect summer day. Still, she is determined to keep Riptide in the family. Even if that means going back there on the cusp of her granddaughter’s wedding. Even if it means revealing someone else’s truth.

Her daughter-in-law Cora has her own complicated feelings surrounding Tish’s return as well as doubts about her place within the Darling family. After all, Cora came into the family carrying a secret that her husband promised to keep for her forever. Tish’s sudden return to Riptide may force everything they’ve worked so hard to protect out into the light. Meanwhile, Cora’s eldest daughter, Andi isn’t exactly looking forward to her little sister’s wedding so soon after her own divorce. To make matters worse, her ex has arrived on the Cape with his insufferable new girlfriend. Andi has no idea how she’ll be able to survive this family reunion…until she bumps into an old friend from the past. A friend who may just offer her a second chance.

As the three distinct generations of Darling women arrive at Riptide, they have no idea that this summer will forever change them. One old secret, kept with the best of intentions, threatens to not only divide the family, but shatter each member’s sense of who they really are. Can the ties that bind survive, when the history you’ve always been told turns out to be untrue?

About the author:  

Connect with Hannah:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahMcKinnon

Instagram: www.instagram.com/HannahMcKinnonWrites

Website: www.HannahMcKinnon.com

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission

First Chapter Fun – Episode 336 – THE REVENGE LIST by Hannah Mary McKinnon

About THE REVENGE LIST:

The people in Frankie Morgan’s life say she’s angry. Emotionally stunted. Combative. But really, who can blame her? It’s hard being nice when your clients are insufferable, your next-door neighbor is a miserable woman and the cowardly driver who killed your mother is still out living it up somewhere.

Somehow, though, she finds herself at her very first anger-management group session—drinking terrible coffee and learning all about how “forgiveness is a process.” One that starts with a list. Frankie is skeptical. A list of everyone who’s wronged her in some way over the years? More paper, please. Still, she makes the pointless list—with her own name in a prominent spot—and promptly forgets about it…until it goes missing.

And one by one, the people she’s named start getting hurt in freak accidents, each deadlier than the last.Could it be coincidence giving her the revenge she never dared to seek…or something more sinister? If Frankie doesn’t find out who’s behind it all, she might be next.

About the author:

Internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. Her suspense novels include THE NEIGHBORS, and bestsellers HER SECRET SON, SISTER DEAR, YOU WILL REMEMBER ME, NEVER COMING HOME, and THE REVENGE LIST, which is her seventh novel. She also writes romantic comedies under the pseudonym Holly Cassidy, the first of which, THE CHRISTMAS WAGER, will release this fall. Hannah Mary lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons. 

Connect with Hannah:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon

Instagram: www.instagram.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HannahMMcKinnon

Website: www.hannahmarymckinnon.com

Meet your First Chapter Fun hosts ⁠⁠Hannah Mary McKinnon⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Hank Phillippi Ryan⁠⁠ and join us for First Chapter Fun ever Tuesday, live on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ at 12.30 p.m. ET (or catch up later on this podcast).

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission

First Chapter Fun – Episode 335 – BETWEEN TWO STRANGERS by Kate White

Listen to bestselling, award-winning crime author Hank Phillippi Ryan read the description and opening pages of BETWEEN TWO STRANGERS by Kate White, which is available now.

About BETWEEN TWO STRANGERS:

A pulse-pounding psychological thriller about a struggling artist named Skyler Moore who receives a bewilderingly large, life-changing inheritance from a man she spent a single night with twelve years ago--and she has no idea why.

As Skyler digs for the truth, overwhelmed with a desire to understand the man’s motivation, it becomes clear that he might have taken other secrets to the grave, secrets that could have terrifying consequences for her.

About the author:

Kate White is the New York Times best-selling author of nine standalone psychological thrillers, including Between Two Strangers (2023), The Second Husband, and The Fiancée, as well as eight Bailey Weggins mysteries, including Such a Perfect Wife, which was nominated for an International Thriller Writers Award. The former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Kate is also the editor of The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. Her books have been published in over 30 countries. 

Connect with Kate:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KateWhiteAuthor

Instagram: www.instagram.com/Katewhite_author

Website: www.KateWhite.com

Meet your First Chapter Fun hosts ⁠Hannah Mary McKinnon⁠ and ⁠Hank Phillippi Ryan⁠ and join us for First Chapter Fun ever Tuesday, live on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ at 12.30 p.m. ET (or catch up later on this podcast).

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission

First Chapter Fun – Episode 334 – ONE LAST SECRET by Adele Parks

Listen to award-winning crime author Hank Phillippi Ryan read the description and opening pages of ONE LAST SECRET by Adele Parks, which is available now.

About ONE LAST SECRET: 

One last client

A week at a beautiful chateau in the south of France—it should be a straightforward final job for Dora. She’s a smart, stunning and discreet escort, and Daniel has paid for her services before. This time, all she has to do is to convince the assembled guests that she is his girlfriend. Dora is used to playing roles and being whatever men want her to be. It’s all about putting on a front.

One last chance

It will be a last, luxurious look at how the other half lives before Dora turns her back on the escort world and all its dangers. She has found someone she loves and trusts. With him, she can escape the life she’s trapped in. But when Dora arrives at the chateau, it quickly becomes obvious that nothing is what it seems...

One last secret

Dora finds herself face-to-face with a man she has never forgotten, the one man who really knows her. And as old secrets surface, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that one last secret could cost Dora her life... 

About the author:

Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000, and since then she's had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages. She's been an ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa Book Awards, and is a keen supporter of The National Literary Trust. She's lived in Italy, Botswana and London and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, son and two cats. 

Connect with Adele:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OfficialAdeleParks

Instagram: www.instagram.com/adele_parks

Twitter: www.twitter.com/adeleparks

Meet your First Chapter Fun hosts Hannah Mary McKinnon and Hank Phillippi Ryan and join us for First Chapter Fun ever Tuesday, live on Facebook and Instagram at 12.30 p.m. ET (or catch up later on this podcast).

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission

First Chapter Fun – Episode 333 – DON’T YOU DARE by Jessica Hamilton

Listen to internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon read the description and opening pages of DON’T YOU DARE by Jessica Hamilton, which is available May 16, 2023!

About DON’T YOU DARE:

When best friends Hannah and Scarlett meet Thomas in college—the chemistry is instantaneous. They grow closer while playing the Daring Game, where each dare is riskier than the last. When the friendship of the trio begins to cross boundaries between the platonic and the illicit, jealousy and secrets quickly develop resulting in one last tragic dare that exiles Thomas from college and the friendship. 

Sixteen years later, Hannah is unhappy in marriage and in life when Thomas suddenly arrives back in town offering her the escape she’s been longing for. With Scarlett out of the picture, and a renewal of the dangerous game, the sparks begin to fly between them once more.

Until one day a dare is sent from an unknown source—somebody else is playing the game with them and knows all their secrets, past and present. Hannah’s list of suspects is long: Could it be her nosey neighbor, Libby, who has a few secrets of her own? Or did her husband plan this as revenge for the torrid affair? Is Scarlett back and ready to play again?

Hannah needs to face the mistakes of her past and present and finally put an end to the Daring Game before she loses everything she knows and loves. 
About the author:

Jessica Hamilton was born in Australia but grew up in Canada. She has lived and worked in the Czech Republic, Taiwan, India and Japan. She studied writing at the Humber School for Writers as well as George Brown College. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband, son, and daughter. Her debut novel is titled What You Never Knew, her second novel titled, Don’t You Dare, are both thrillers and published by Crooked Lane Books.

Connect with Jessica:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jhamiltonwrites

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jhamiltonwrites

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jhamiltonwrites

Website: www.jessicahamilton.org

Meet your First Chapter Fun hosts Hannah Mary McKinnon and Hank Phillippi Ryan and join us for First Chapter Fun ever Tuesday, live on Facebook and Instagram at 12.30 p.m. ET (or catch up later on this podcast).

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission

Listen to award-winning, bestselling crime author Hank Phillippi Ryan read the description and opening pages of THE LAST BEEKEEPER by Julie Carrick Dalton, which is available now!

About THE LAST BEEKEEPER:

It’s been more than a decade since the world has come undone, and Sasha Severn has returned to her childhood home with one goal in mind―find the mythic research her father, the infamous Last Beekeeper, hid before he was incarcerated. There, Sasha is confronted with a group of squatters who have claimed the quiet, idyllic farm as their own. While she initially feels threatened, the group soon becomes her newfound family, offering what she hasn't felt since her father was imprisoned: security and hope. Maybe it's time to forget the family secrets buried on the farm and focus on her future.

But just as she settles into her new life, Sasha witnesses the impossible. She sees a honey bee, presumed extinct. People who claim to see bees are ridiculed and silenced for reasons Sasha doesn't understand, but she can't shake the feeling that this impossible bee is connected to her father's missing research. Fighting to uncover the truth could shatter Sasha's fragile security and threaten the lives of her newfound family―or it could save them all.

About the author:

Julie Carrick Dalton is the author of The Last Beekeeper and Waiting for the Night Song, a CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, and Parade Most Anticipated novel. Her writing has appeared in Orion, The Boston Globe, BusinessWeek, The Hollywood Reporter, Chicago Review of Books, Electric Lit, Lit Hub, and others. A Bread Loaf and Tin House alum, she is a frequent speaker on the topic of fiction in the age of climate crisis at universities, museums, libraries, and conferences. When she isn't reading, writing, or wrangling her four kids, you can probably find her skiing, kayaking, or digging in her garden.

Connect with Julie:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/juliecarrickdalton

Instagram: www.instagram.com/juliecdalton

Twitter: www.twitter.com/juliecardalt

Website: juliecarrickdalton.com

Meet your First Chapter Fun hosts Hannah Mary McKinnon and Hank Phillippi Ryan and join us for First Chapter Fun ever Tuesday, live on Facebook and Instagram at 12.30 p.m. ET (or catch up later on this podcast).

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission

About SISTERS OF THE LOST NATION:

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation’s casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step—an ancient tribal myth come to life, one that’s intent on devouring her whole.With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe’s past.When Anna’s own little sister also disappears, she’ll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation—both old and new—are strong, and sometimes, it’s the stories that never get told that are the most important.

About the author:

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Nick Medina appreciates blues-based music, local folklore, and snowy winters. He has degrees in organizational and multicultural communication and has worked as a college instructor. He enjoys playing guitar, listening to classic rock, exploring haunted cemeteries, and all sorts of spooky stuff.

Connect with Nick:

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission

First Chapter Fun – Episode 330 – A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES by T. Kingfisher

Listen to bestselling, award-winning crime author Hank Phillippi Ryan read the description and opening pages of A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES by T. Kingfisher, which is available now.

About A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES: "Mom seems off." Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out. But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above. To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

About the author: T. Kingfisher is the author of multiple award-winning novels, most recently Nettle & Bone and What Moves The Dead from Tor and Tor Nightfire. She also writes books for kids under the name Ursula Vernon. She lives in North Carolina, in a house that does not appear to have anything weird buried under the roses.

Connect with T. Kingfisher:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/redwombatstudio

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ursulav

Stay safe. Stay kind. See you next time on First Chapter Fun!

Hank & Hannah x

Note: read with the author's and publisher's permission