There’s orange and yellow creeping into the oak and maple leaves around here… The air even carries a hint of crisp fall time in the mornings. We’re still enjoying summer weather and my garden is producing all kinds of veggies, but it’s hard not to think about autumn scents, harvest time, and sunny but cooler days. I’m also thinking it’s time for a writing update! I have lots to share.

It’s been a strange year. Lots of ups and downs, changes, and just crazy life. That’s kept me busy and a bit under water, but I’ve been writing in the background. I actually started several new novels and have more ideas rattling around in my head, all waiting to pour out on the page. Some are thrillers and some are more commercial; one is a story from my heart that looks at a fifty year marriage. I’ve thought about the story idea for years and finally hit on a way to make it an engaging novel. But more on those later!

Right now it’s time to share about my newest thriller, one that’s longer, darker, and grittier than my other work so I’m releasing it under a new pen name.

This story takes us to Portland, Oregon, as the weather chills and leaves turn color and fall. It also dives deep into the mind and the dark places we can go.

TWO CAN LIE — a Pacific Northwest Noir Crime Thriller — Coming in September!

Do you like to review advance copies? Request an ARC on Storyorigin!

A gritty crime/ psychological thriller by K.C. Beard (Reader discretion advised; contains murder/strong language.)

Two identical crime scenes. One terrified connection who can’t trust her own mind. And the detective who will cross the line to save her.

Detective Allen Hounder knows the dark side of Portland, Oregon. But when two double homicides are discovered on opposite sides of the city—staged with eerie, identical precision—even he is shaken.

There is only one link between the bodies: a terrified woman named Lucy Marshall.

For Hounder, her name is a painful echo of his murdered girlfriend, but the living Lucy is a puzzle he can’t solve. Desperate to protect her, he pushes the boundaries of his badge, unaware that Lucy’s world is rapidly fracturing around her.

Lucy must protect her secrets at all cost, even as she is unraveling. Plagued by blackouts and mounting confusion, she finds mysterious notes scattered through her home—some offering lifesaving alibis, others issuing sinister warnings.

Someone is watching her every move, but as her memory slips, she can no longer tell if she is being framed, losing her mind, or being hunted.

With time running out and the killer closing in, Hounder is trapped in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. To catch a murderer, he must answer the one question threatening to destroy them both: Is the woman he’s desperate to save an innocent victim running out of time… or a calculating killer playing him from the start?

An atmospheric, rain-soaked Pacific Northwest thriller perfect for fans of gritty police procedurals and mind-bending psychological suspense.

**This is a detective novel (like Ridge City) but much grittier.

I’m excited to share more about the story and a preview in the coming weeks!