mystery Archives - R.W. Wallace

Posted on March 17, 2022March 6, 2022 by R.W. Wallace — Leave a comment

Piercing the Veil: Book 4 of the Ghost Detective Series

The next book in the Ghost Detective series is finally here! Robert and Clothilde continue their search for justice, this time by… interviewing the ghosts of other past victims. Because why not?

All detectives search for clues and take testimonies when working a case. Ghost detectives are no different. And they have an advantage: They can depose other ghosts — the actual victims.

Robert and Clothilde’s current interviewee occupies a tiny cemetery in the depths of the Pyrenees. Alone since her burial over a decade ago, she willingly tells the detectives about the circumstances around her death.

Louise’s story sets Robert, Clothilde, and Captain Evian on the path to uncovering new facets of the conspiracy responsible for so many deaths — bringing them one step closer to justice.

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Posted on November 28, 2021December 5, 2021 by R.W. Wallace — 1 Comment

Holiday Spectacular: The Case of the Disappearing Gingerbread City

I have the great pleasure to have a story in WMG Publishing’s Holiday Spectacular again this year. This time, it’s a mystery, albeit a weird one (which is why the editor, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, placed it in the A Weird Holiday Season anthology).

I’m allowed to share the story for free for one week after its appearance in the calendar, so here it is, for you enjoyment!

If you want to read all the stories of the calendar (and why wouldn’t you? 38 wonderful holiday stories!), you can still sign up right here. They’ll catch you up on all the stories that have already been published.

The inhabitants of Bergen, Norway take their gingerbread constructions very seriously, especially when it comes to their beloved pre-Christmas Gingerbread City. When calamity struck the sweet sculptures in 2009, a literal witch hunt spread throughout the country as they searched for the culprit.

Years later, police officer Ingelin receives a pre-dawn call, informing her somebody stole the train station, part of the docks, and the Eiffel Tower.

Fearing a repeat of 2009, Officer Ingelin knows she must solve the case before the media catches the story — even if it means treating the investigation like a serial killer manhunt.

Missed the Story?

There’s still time to sign up for the entire calendar (they have a catch-up sequence). Then the story will be available when the entire anthology comes out next summer!

Remember, if you want to try out one of my Ghost Detective stories, you can get the first one for free through my newsletter!

Posted on November 18, 2021November 17, 2021 by R.W. Wallace — Leave a comment

Tales From the Trenches

While I mostly write fiction for adults, from time to time a Young Adult story pops out. After all, it’s a time of life filled with emotions and new experiences, be they good or bad, so it’s great story fodder.

I always publish my short stories as standalones, because I enjoy doing it. But I hardly expect to make a lot of sales on them. However, some of these Young Adult stories have surprised me and actually sell regularly.

This is why I’m so happy to finally have enough of them to make a collection. In fact, two of them are so recent I haven’t gotten around to publish them individually yet (but I will!).

So this month’s release is Tales From the Trenches, a Young Adult short story collection. The stories are from various genres: mystery, holiday, romance, urban fantasy… A little something for everyone!

You can get the book at the link below – and feel free to tell me what you think!

Nobody ever said high school was boring — or easy.

Everyone searches for their place — some do their best to fit in, others thrive in standing out.

From new-kid status to dealing with bullies and impossible parents, from coming face-to-face with weird Martians to being accused of murder on the very first day of school, the high school years are… unforgettable.

Tales From the Trenches is a collection of five Young Adult short stories across genres: First Impressions, Unexpected Consequences, The Lucia Crown, Let Them Eat Cake, and The Art of Pretending.

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Posted on November 1, 2021November 3, 2021 by R.W. Wallace — Leave a comment

Halloween Spectacular: Free Ghost Detective story

I have the great pleasure of having a story in the 2021 Halloween Spectacular. The deal is you get one short story per day, right in your inbox, over a week around Halloween.

Heritage

On the Day of the Dead, families decorate the cemetery’s tombstones with chrysanthemums of all colors according to French tradition.

Even amid the rainbow of petals, one grave stands out. The last resting place of the young man who died six months ago. His mother brings him roses, while lamenting that her son’s “not there.”

As the resident ghosts, Robert and Clothilde can indeed confirm his absence in the afterlife — but it may not be for the usual reasons.

Missed the story?

I could only leave the story up for free for a few days, but not to worry, you can get the whole Halloween Spectacular anthology, starting November 4th.

Posted on October 14, 2021October 13, 2021 by R.W. Wallace — Leave a comment

A Thief in the Night

For this month’s release, we have another collection of short stories. As usual, some take place in France, some in Norway.

And they’re all a little weird. (Also, as usual, I think…)

What makes a mystery intriguing? Which element makes the investigators’ sixth sense rear up and say this crime will stand out in their memories forever?

Dozens of crabs pushing a man to jump from his balcony should do the trick. Or an island’s one of two inhabitants eating rat poison with his cereal. How about an octagonarian going after internet trolls? An experienced kayaker surprised by bad weather? Or a jail break creating unimaginable damage with a slight miscalculation.

All of the above are covered in A Thief in the Night. Contains the short stories Critters, Two’s Company, Gertrude and the Trojan Horse, Like Mother Like Daughter, and The Red Brick Haze.

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Posted on September 16, 2021April 1, 2022 by R.W. Wallace — Leave a comment

The Third Book in the Ghost Detective Series is Out

Robert and Clothilde keep looking for the people responsible for their death, and keep running into other ghosts who need their help.

In this third installement of the Ghost Detective series, they continue their search in the company of Captain Evian, while dealing with Constantine, the not-quite-stable ghost that haunts the pretty neighbor’s bedroom.

While it’s not the end of the series, like the other volumes, it has an end. Next month’s release will not be in this series, but there is more to come in the future!

Captain Emeline Evian reluctantly finds her neighbor’s guest bedroom a near-idyllic setting for speaking with the dead — even if the ghost she aims to help is, well, resistant.

On the other end of Evian’s Ouija board, Ghost Detective Robert and his rebellious friend Clothilde do their best to contain the unpredictable Constantine and help this old, worn soul find peace — all while investigating their own decades-old cold cases in an elusive search for justice.

Can the ghost detective finally settle his own unfinished business? Will Clothilde allow them to take a deep dive into her past?

Beneath the Surface is the third novel in the Ghost Detective series, following Robert and Clothilde in their ceaseless search for closure.

Get the book here

Posted on September 9, 2021September 9, 2021 by R.W. Wallace — Leave a comment

Getting Justice Storybundle

Ten books on a common theme, and for only $15!

I’m thrilled to be part of this Storybundle on the theme of “Getting Justice.” It’s curated by Dean Wesley Smith and contains books by a group of wonderful writers.

Seriously, here’s your chance at getting a ton of great reading for only $15! And to top it all off, some of the proceeds go to the charity AbleGamers. You can read all about how Storybundle works here.

My book Beyond the Grave is part of this bundle. After all, Clothilde and Robert are searching for justice thirty years after their murders, so the story certainly fits with the theme.

Some books in the bundle, like mine, have fantasy elements to them, but not all. Some are very serious and dark (like Kris Nelscott’s Street Justice) and some are definitely on the lighter side (Robert Jeschonek’s Death by Polka obviously has some humerous elements).

There are full-length novels, anthologies, and short story collections.

Something for everyone! Dean explains it all to perfection in his blog post.

Go check out the Storybundle here – and don’t take too long, it’s only available for three weeks!

Posted on August 19, 2021August 19, 2021 by R.W. Wallace — Leave a comment

The Search for Justice Continues

This month’s release is Unveiling the Past, book 2 of the Ghost Detective novel series. I’ve been working on these books for awhile now, and I’m so very happy they’re finally out in the world.

Feel free to let me know what you think!

Not everyone can attend their own funeral. Not consciously and calmly, anyway.

Even Robert, a long-time ghost and something of a pro when it comes to final rites, finds it disconcerting. In the company of his long-time friend and fellow ghost Clothilde, Robert watches as his mother accompanies his remains to the grave — thirty years after his demise.

But why does Clothilde’s frail old uncle do the same? Does he know about the link between Clothilde and Robert’s deaths?

A funeral won’t put the past to rest — only solving the mystery of their own murders can bring closure.

And Uncle Lucien seems to hold vital clues…

Unveiling the Past is the second novel in the Ghost Detective series, following Robert and Clothilde in their continued search for justice.

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Posted on November 26, 2020November 26, 2020 by R.W. Wallace — Leave a comment

Cold Blue Eternity: A Mystery Short Story

Another short story is out! This one’s mostly mystery, set in the French Alps, but with a fantasy element.

Cold Blue Eternity

In a tiny village perched at the foot of a great glacier in the French Alps, a specific brand of crazy haunts its inhabitants.

An old lady bakes poisoned cookies. A man robs the bank every time he sets foot inside the doors. A woman tries to murder her husband whenever he cooks.

All manageable.

Until now.

Old legends. Repeating crimes. A melting glacier. Cold Blue Eternity takes the search for answers right into the belly of the beast.

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Posted on October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 by R.W. Wallace — Leave a comment

The Red Brick Basilica: A Tolosa Mystery

Remember that first book? The Red Brick Cellars? Well, I wrote a sequel, and quite some time ago at that. Then I stuck it in a virtual drawer and forgot about it.

Now I’m bringing it back out and it’s live on all the platforms today!

The Red Brick Basilica

Book 2 of the Tolosa Mysteries

Louis Saint-Blancat loves every aspect of Toulouse – the delicious food, the temperate climate, the laidback people. And the history! Every building and square guards bits of Toulouse’s past, from well-known events to morsels only revealed to the curious like Louis.

Especially the morbidly fascinating stories catch Louis’s interest in ways he can’t explain.

When someone slaughters a Catholic priest on the steps of the city’s largest mosque, reenacting the story of Saint Sernin’s death from the year 250 A.D., Louis fears Toulouse is in for an upheaval of disastrous proportions.

In this second installment of The Tolosa Mysteries, Louis must wade through political minefields and deal with an increasingly split population while searching for the culprit – and helping his beloved city stay unified.

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