A Word Before Dying

Series:  Mysteries to Die For (Season 4)
Published:  August 31, 2022
Genre:  Mystery Anthology
My Contribution: Short story “Sue Her”
Page Count:  277

The last word has been a common element of mysteries going back to the emergence of the genre. In Hercule Poirot’s first case, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Mrs. Emily Cavendish Inglethorp’s last word was “Alfred.” But did she say her husband’s name for comfort . . . or as an accusation? In Nayland Smith’s first engagement on British soil with The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, Sir Creighton Davey’s last words were “the red hand.” Was there meaning to the enigmatic phrase, or was it a symptom of a dying mind? Then, of course, there is the greatest last word ever, Citizen Kane’s “Rosebud.”

A Word Before Dying presents nine mysteries, with nine different phrases arranged for you to race against the detective. After the case is laid out, there is a break titled “Deliberation.” That is your cue to lock in on your suspect. Then comes the big reveal.

*Note from Kyra: My contribution to this anthology is the short story “Sue Her”, which features characters from my first two novels, ARMED WITH STEELE and FLIRTING WITH FIRE. For fans of the Hometown Heroes series, you finally get a sneak peek at Charlie and his forever crush.

Available at these fine retailers: Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

You can listen to the podcast reading of this story here:

Or download from the audio link below:

Other appearances in the Mysteries to Die For anthologies: