mystery

Spotlight on: Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill by Ray M. Schultze

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Every answer has a cost—especially in a city where the truth is protected by those who fear it most.

A vanished crime sets the foundation for Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill by Ray M. Schultze, which begins in 1898 San Francisco as Jack London witnesses a murder denied by authorities. His search takes him beyond familiar territory and into districts where unrecorded disappearances and quiet negotiations define everyday life.

Jack’s attempt to understand the event leads him into places where boundaries between groups remain constantly under negotiation. Chinatown’s inner pathways reveal the presence of longstanding disputes and missing young women whose cases attract little official attention. A woman connected to these undercurrents complicates Jack’s efforts, offering direction while adding further uncertainty. As he observes how influence moves discreetly across these areas, he becomes increasingly aware of structures designed to avoid scrutiny. The narrative follows Jack’s efforts to connect the unexplained moment he witnessed to the larger tensions shaping the city’s internal networks.

Ray M. Schultze is the author of six novels, five of them works of suspense—The Last Safe Place, Combustion, The Devil in Dreamland, Decatur’s Dig, and Beranek’s Stand. His most recent novel, Russian River, is historical fiction. His interest in writing began in childhood with a handmade, folded-paper “magazine” that his mother encouraged. After graduating from the University of California at Riverside, he pursued newspaper reporting as a practical way to support himself while writing fiction. Over a twenty-five-year career, he covered politics, the legal system, and education for newspapers in California, Florida, and Arizona. When he turned to fiction full-time, he drew inspiration from authors such as Alan Furst and Ken Follett. Ray now lives in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife, Judi. They enjoy tennis, hiking, exploring the region’s beaches and headlands, and international travel—experiences that often shape his novels’ settings. He is also an award-winning woodworking artist. Visit him at his website.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/48AI8UB (not affiliated with BBNB)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244308185-jack-london-and-murder-on-nob-hill

Publisher: Ray M. Schultze

Publication date: December 2, 2025
Genre(s): Mystery, murder mystery, historical fiction, historical mystery, literary fiction, biographical fiction

Thank you to Melissa at Author Marketing Experts for sharing this tour information with me!

Blog Tour for Murder on a Frosty Night by Verity Bright

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I do love this series and this installment was a fun one to read while we were dealing with frosty weather ourselves, here in New England. Number 24 in the series, and yet the plots never get boring!

Here’s the scoop:

Wrapping presents and singing at midnight mass on a frosty night… Lady Swift is determined to enjoy Christmas at home this year, until another body turns up!

Winter 1925. Eleanor and Hugh are decking the halls for their first married Christmas together when butler Clifford arrives with a mysterious telegram. A lucrative case awaits their new detective agency… but in the most remote county in England. The note insists they must be there by midnight to accept the job.

After a snowy journey, they arrive at the tiny hamlet of Yorelow to find their client, Osmund Unwin, dead in the churchyard as midnight mass ends. They realise they are now in the absurd situation of having to solve the murder of their client – who they never met – to solve a case they know nothing about and officially never accepted!

There is very little festive goodwill to go around, as it seems half the village had a grudge against the rich man. Was it one of the Frisham sisters, owners of the tavern and rumoured to be in a love triangle with Unwin? Or perhaps his maid, who never had a nice thing to say about him?

When another body is found in the ruins of the castle overlooking the town, Eleanor is baffled. Clearly there’s more to this nightmare before Christmas than the gang first thought…

A totally unputdownable historical murder mystery set in an English village at Christmas, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Catherine Coles!

About the Author:

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Harper-Collins Blog Tour for NO ONE ABOARD by Emy McGuire

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So thrilled to be here today to dish about this mystery/thriller: No One Aboard by Emy McGuire. This was a mystery told in part in flashback. It was suspenseful and engaging. I did not figure it out!

Here’s the scoop:

No One Aboard  

Emy McGuire

On Sale Date: December 2, 2025

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The White Lotus meets Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me in this debut domestic mystery about a luxury sailboat found floating adrift in the ocean and the secrets of the missing family who set sail aboard it weeks before.

“No One Aboard is a riveting, astonishing debut, and Emy McGuire is an important new voice in fiction. I will read anything she writes!” 

—Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling author

At the start of summer, billionaire couple Francis and Lila Cameron set off on their private luxury sailboat to celebrate the high school graduation of their two beloved children.

Three weeks later, the Camerons have not been heard from, the captain hasn’t responded to radio calls, and the sailboat is found floating off the coast of Florida.

Empty.

Where are the Camerons? What happened on their trip? And what secrets does the beautiful boat hold?

Set over the course of their vacation and in the aftermath of the sailboat’s discovery, No One Aboard asks who is more dangerous to a family: a stormy ocean or each other?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

EMY MCGUIRE holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre/creative writing from New College of Florida. She has toured nationally in the Edgar Allan Poe Show, sailed from Rome to Antigua, and written everything from ocean thrillers to pirate musicals. She lives in Colorado.

Social Links:

Author website: https://www.emymcguire.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emy_mcguire/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emy.mcguire/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@emymcguire?lang=en 

Twitter: https://x.com/AuthorEmy

Buy Links: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/no-one-aboard-emy-mcguire/63fa7273f5ac1803 

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-one-aboard-emy-mcguire/1146730882 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Aboard-Emy-McGuire/dp/1525831623/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.f319inHNhLU1wAiH2KL7rg._adJBWlXQ3kfFOuKUfnOBW2-IByPb1JvDNEFXuI1f2U&qid=1738439567&sr=8-1

Thank you for my copy and happy reading!!

The Woman Downstairs by JD Kirk

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Bookouture publishers in the UK always sends me the most tantalizing books! I love psychological thrillers and this was a great one.

Here’s the scoop:

‘Hi,’ she says, ‘I’m your new neighbour.’ Her smile is bright but her shoulders are tense as she stands on the leafy green Edinburgh street. She seems friendly. But soon I’ll discover her dangerous secret…

On the first day I meet my new neighbour, we share a glass of wine and talk into the night. We swap numbers and I vow to get to know her better. But as I get closer to her, I discover something about her past that changes everything. She isn’t who I thought she was.

Then when I step into her home, my jaw drops. Everything in here is identical to my own flat – every cushion, every picture on the wall.

Except for the knife, covered in blood. My heart pounds in my chest. What has she done? What is she capable of?

I should never have come here. I should never have got close to her. I need to run.

But then I hear a creak outside the door. And I realise, it may be too late…

An absolutely gripping psychological thriller from multi-million-copy, bestselling author JD Kirk. This book will have you flipping the pages until the final jaw-dropping twist! For anyone who loves Freida McFadden, John Marrs and T.M. Logan.

This was SO GOOD – I could not put it down!

Thank you for my review copy!!

Bookouture Blog Tour for MURDER ON THE CLOCK by Lucy Connelly

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I was excited to receive a copy of the latest installment in the Mercy McCarthy Mysteries. Mercy and her twin sister run a bookshop in Ireland and are US transplants. I love these cozy mysteries and the characters in them!

Here’s the scoop on this one:

The town of Shamrock Cove is gearing up for a grand summer festival… but the fête turns fatal when a clockmaker is killed. Can amateur sleuth Mercy McCarthy crack the case?

When Mercy McCarthy takes her beloved mother’s watch to be fixed, she’s completely charmed by the little repair store and the father-and-son duo who run it. Little does she know that the clock is ticking… when she returns, she finds the father lying unconscious amid broken glass, and her mother’s watch is missing.

The police think Mr. Flynn was attacked in a burglary gone wrong but soon suspects closer to home start coming out of the clockwork. Mercy, her sister, and their canine sidekick, master body sniffer-outer Mr. Poe, set out to gather clues and help the local detective find the killer.

Could it be the family next door to the Flynns who’ve been feuding for decades? His fiercest rival, who’s long dreamed of shutting him down? Or was his son less devoted than he seemed? As the hours tick away, another murder and the discovery of a long-buried secret changes everything…

The summer festival is fast approaching. Can Mercy solve the mystery in the nick of time, or will someone stop her clock?

A completely charming and page-turning Irish cozy mystery. Fans of Agatha Christie, Carlene O’Connor and Faith Martin will absolutely love the Mercy McCarthy series!

About the Author:

Bestselling author Candace Havens has published more than 25 books. Her novels have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion, Write Touch Reader Awards and National Reader’s Choice Awards. She is a Barbara Wilson Award winner. She is the author of the biography Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities from George Clooney to Chris Pratt. Candace runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2000 writers and teaches comprehensive writing classes. She does film reviews with Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association.

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Harper-Collin’s Blog Tour for THE PERFECT HOSTS by Heather Gudenkauf

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I love being part of HTP blog tours – the books are always SO GOOD!

This was a suspense mystery centering around an explosion at a wealthy young couple’s gender reveal party. (Can we talk about gender reveals? These started after my own were born. They are really not my thing — it’s odd to me that people are so fixated on a baby’s perceived gender. Think of it — when you are expecting the first thing people ask is ‘do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?’ So interesting to me…).There was no dearth of suspects and the plot was rather twisty. I thought I had it all figured out — but I was wrong! I really liked the main character cop, Soldano. Let’s have a sequel with him – or better yet – a Netflix limited series!

Here’s the scoop:

The Perfect Hosts

Heather Gudenkauf

Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense

320 pages

About the Book:

A couple’s gender reveal party turns deadly and everyone is a suspect in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest.

Is it a boy or a girl? They would die to know…

Madeline and Wes Drake have invited two hundred of their closest friends and family to their sprawling horse ranch for the most anticipated event of the year: a “pistols and pearls” gender reveal party so sensational it is sure to make headlines. But the party descends into chaos when the celebratory explosive misfires, leaving one woman dead and a trail of secrets.

As the aftershocks of the bloody party ripple across the small town, Agent Jamie Saldano is brought on the scene to investigate. Battling his own demons from the past, Saldano unearths a web of deceit spun around the Drakes. The appearance of some unexpected houseguests only deepens the mystery. And as tensions mount, it becomes clear that the explosion wasn’t just an unlucky accident. But who was the target, and why? As the shadow of a killer looms, the happy parents-to-be must unravel the truth before it’s too late.

About the Author:

Heather Gudenkauf is the critically acclaimed author of several novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Weight of Silence, The Overnight Guest and Everyone Is Watching. She lives in Iowa with her husband and children. 

Social Links:

Website: https://heathergudenkauf.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heather-Gudenkaufs-Books-259685275092/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathergudenkauf/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hgudenkauf/ 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/heather-gudenkauf 

Buy Links: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Hosts-Novel-Heather-Gudenkauf-ebook/dp/B0DQQ9BRLR 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-perfect-hosts-heather-gudenkauf/1146709766?ean=9780778360049 

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-perfect-hosts-original-heather-gudenkauf/22162822?ean=9780778360049&next=t 

Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781488236150-the-perfect-hosts 

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Perfect-Hosts/Heather-Gudenkauf/9780778360049 

Target: https://www.target.com/p/the-perfect-hosts-by-heather-gudenkauf/-/A-94483956?preselect=94481317#lnk=sametab 

Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/otherwise-engaged-a-novel/9780778387268.html  

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-perfect-hosts?sId=7c9b6427-a9f0-4dbf-824b-e63babdb3880 

AppleBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-perfect-hosts/id6739534386 

Thank you for my copy and for having me on the tour! Pick this one up today – Heather never disappoints!

Kelly Rimmer’s The Story Keeper

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I’m WAY early on this one since it releases in July 2026, but I’ve recently had the opportunity (through Net Galley) to listen to the audiobook on this title. I love Kelly Rimmer’s writing and this was a family epic – focusing on a house in Australia and the family that lived there through the years. There’s a story within a story here, too.

Here’s the scoop:

“Kelly Rimmer is at her most skillful here… An emotional, haunting tale.” —Julia Kelly, internationally bestselling author of The Dressmakers of London

In the aftermath of a tumultuous year, Fiona Winslow finds solace in the decaying grandeur of Wurimbirra, the rambling family estate she once called home. Intent on restoring it, she discovers the keys to more than just the dilapidated mansion—beneath the crumbling plaster and dust are secrets that have been buried for a generation.

When a curious book, The Midnight Estate, catches her attention in her late uncle’s library, Fiona is plunged into a tale that mirrors her own—a story of love, loss and betrayal. But as the lines between fiction and reality blur, Fiona must ask herself: Is the true mystery the one hidden within the walls of her ancestral home, or is it within the pages of a book that chose her as much as she chose it?

Told in a dual narrative and set against the Gothic backdrop of Wurimbirra, Kelly Rimmer, bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say, weaves an intricate and compelling tale, inviting readers into the heart of a family’s deepest secrets with an absorbing book-within-a-book mystery.

“Kelly Rimmer always delivers a poignant story with real characters who lodge themselves in your heart.” —New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin

Siho Ellsmore as the narrator does an excellent job of providing the nuances needed for each character, as well as the different accents.

You can pre-order this mesmerizing title now for next summer’s release.

Bookouture Blog Tour for Murder at the Royal Palace – a Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery – by Verity Bright

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Where oh where would I be without my beloved British (the best!) cozy mysteries? They are like a warm cup of tea and an escape from the world. I adore the protagonists (often smart, bold women – and many own dogs). This series is a historical one which adds to my delight. And honestly, you can read these books out of order or just read a few, but I’ve read them all, I believe, and I am always in awe that I could have read over 20 of these books and never found them predictable or boring.

This one was fun as it starts with Eleanor at the Palace. She is a bit cheeky and certainly never a shrinking violet. She gets involved in yet another murder. I thought this one was particularly well-plotted – and, as always, fun!

Thank you for having me as part of the tour and for my copy.

Book Description:

Lady Eleanor Swift has a special royal invitation. She’s got just the right dress and the perfect plus one… But wait! Is that a body by the throne?

Lady Eleanor Swift is at Buckingham Palace to see her new husband, Detective Chief Inspector Seldon, knighted. Brimming with pride, all she can hope is that Gladstone the bulldog behaves himself in front of the king.

But the happy day is overshadowed when Dilly Dalrymple, a royal guard, collapses. The head of the royal police asks Eleanor and Hugh to investigate the murder – unofficially. This is her first clue that there’s more to the story…

Donning a disguise as a journalist for a well-to-do magazine, Eleanor, with butler Clifford posing as her photographer interview the high-profile guests and residents at the palace. She wasn’t expecting gossiping wives, affairs aplenty and talk of long-lost treasure! Was Dilly killed to settle an old score or was he perhaps a little too close to someone else’s wife?

But when another soldier is murdered at midnight, hours after the palace gates are locked, Eleanor knows she needs to keep her wits about her… And when everyone seems to have a reason to lie, can Eleanor dig up the truth before it’s her head next?

A totally gripping royal whodunnit full of twists, set in 1920s London. Fans of T.E. Kinsey, Catherine Coles and Lee Strauss will be utterly obsessed!

Author Bio:

Confident woman at office with laptop computer, mobile phone, and schedule notebook.Gradients, Blending tool, Clipping mask is used.

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

https://twitter.com/BrightVerity

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Verity Bright here: https://www.bookouture.com/verity-bright

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0FF4WTC8Lsocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Bookouture Bog Tour for Murder in the Winter Woods by Katie Gayle – A Julia Bird Mystery

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I absolutely adore this cozy mystery series! Julia is of “mature age” and has started a new life in the English countryside, but she keeps coming across murders. She has a good friend/boyfriend, a cute Labrador companion, extended family, and a former career in social work. There are many interesting things going on in these books alongside the mysteries!

Here’s the scoop on this installment:


Julia Bird adores a walk on a winter’s day. The crunch of fresh show under your feet and the promise of hot cocoa by a roaring fire afterwards… But she’s not expecting to find a body in the woods!

It’s Christmas in Berrywick, the busiest time of year for dashing taxi driver Lewis. But when he’s killed in a road accident, the entire village is shaken. Julia Bird, recently appointed to the Road Safety Committee, visits the site so that no other villager suffers the same fate. But when she spies a pendant left in the bushes, she feels certain Lewis’s death was no accident…

As the festive lights twinkle in the village square, Julia vows to uncover the truth. She soon learns not everyone found Lewis’s charm appealing. Sweetshop owner Dora says he had an eye for the ladies, much to his wife’s frustration. Lewis recently gave his life savings to a mysterious businessman who proves difficult to track down. But could these be reasons enough to want him dead?

Then, local beekeeper Matthew is struck by a car near the Christmas market. Julia believes the two deaths must be linked, but contrary to Lewis, Matthew was as sweet as the honey he sold. Who could possibly want to hurt Berrywick’s kindest man?

With no obvious leads, Julia stumbles upon an old picture that finally links Lewis and Matthew. Many years ago they were in a band poised for stardom, but when the bubble burst, their chance at fame vanished quicker than a glass of festive eggnog. Could someone be targeting the band members one by one? And can Julia track them down before the killer strikes again?

An utterly gripping and totally charming cozy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries!

Author Bio:

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both made their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. 

https://www.facebook.com/KatieGayleWriter
https://www.instagram.com/katiegaylebooks

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Katie Gayle here: https://www.bookouture.com/katie-gayle

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0DZRKHXF6social

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Thank you SO much for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy. As always, these books are a comfort read for me and fun to boot!

HTP Tour for A Killer Motive by Hannah Mary McKinnon

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In this thriller for fans of Ashley Elston and Jeneva Rose, a manipulative kidnapper gives a true crime podcaster one week to locate her brother’s best friend. If she succeeds, she’ll learn the truth about her brother’s disappearance six years ago, but if she fails, his friend will die.

You never know who’s listening.

To Stella Dixon, sneaking her teenage brother out of their parents’ house for a beach party was harmless fun—until Max disappeared without a trace.

Six years later, Stella’s family is still broken, and she can’t let go of her guilt. The only thing that keeps her going is helping other families find closure through A Killer Motive,her true crime podcast.

In a bid to find new sponsors and keep making episodes, Stella goes on a local radio show. But when she says on air that if she had just one clue, she’d find Max and bring whoever hurt him to justice, someone takes it as a challenge.

A mysterious invitation to play a game arrives, with the promise that if Stella wins, she’ll get information about what happened to Max. Stella thinks it’s a sick joke…until Max’s best friend vanishes. And she’s given new instructions: tell nobody or people will die.

Desperate and unable to trust anyone, Stella agrees. But beating a twisted, invisible enemy seems impossible when they make all the rules…

I’m thrilled to be part of the Harper-Collins tour for this new suspenseful thriller by Hannah Mary McKinnon. This one was hard to put down! I do love true crime podcasts, so that appealed to me as well. If you love this genre (and staying up late reading!), then this one is for you!

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour.

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 REVENGE LIST, ONLY ONE SURVIVES, and A KILLER MOTIVE, which is her eleventh book. Her work has been optioned for the screen, and she also writes holiday romantic comedies as Holly Cassidy. Hannah Mary lives near Toronto, Canada with her husband and three sons. You’ll find her on social media as @hannahmarymckinnon, and please visit www.hannahmarymckinnon.com for more.

SOCIALS:

Website: www.HannahMaryMcKinnon.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Instagram: www.instagram.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon/ (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HannahMMcKinnon (@hannahmmckinnon)

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/15144570.Hannah_Mary_McKinnon

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/hannah-mary-mckinnon

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/hannahmarymckinnon 

BUY LINKS: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-killer-motive-original-hannah-mary-mckinnon/22162887?ean=9780778387671&next=t 

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-killer-motive-hannah-mary-mckinnon/1146736156 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Motive-Hannah-Mary-McKinnon/dp/0778387674/ref=sr_1_2?crid=6QUMBB8S34K6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rDBFQrZ6aRL2zZB6SyrpXBpFVSMff3Wm4eB2K9_k0ZahuMlBofAepGkRXGyPEQiGcM1av8Vhd9tl5P3BSjrfliaSjHpD3ujoaxmI19wraXMRNgStEqcMMbqqFjJkVjDFGBz7OFkNnw-VHth7IQ6x8JVlmY6SpUPhN_WnRQH_8AL0slnrSWQwZI7OOfkjw4lJXNx6kTaf3qnQnf5TRt2GfHwIIZcp6GlqMUBjEJ7s3cc.niWihIMfgACLuQCLNy2cDTBPr8NXwQKbgmLEXObpRxs&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+killer+motive&qid=1756399729&sprefix=a+killer+motive%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-2