By: Kaye Brownstone

So, what happens when an appraiser walks into a supposedly vacant house and discovers three dead bodies taking up space where the couch should have been?

This is the plight Lizzy James finds herself in after stumbling upon a drug cartel execution in the course of her job. Realizing there’s now a price on her head, she knows her only chance of survival depends on entering witness protection. Reborn as Lily Jordan, she relocates to the quaint town of Cowherd, Mississippi, seeking sanctuary and solitude.

Yet Lily’s peace and anonymity are short-lived when her neighbor, a scandal-loving gossip columnist, is murdered. There are suspects aplenty—including Lily. Determined to clear her name, Lily forms an unexpected alliance with Chaney Bridges, a perceptive almost-11-year-old. But the pressure intensifies when Chaney’s father is also implicated by an unscrupulous sheriff determined to get a conviction by hook or by crook.

As Lily and Chaney pursue the truth behind the murder, they find a town riddled with fiercely kept secrets and ingrained prejudices that have festered for decades. Echoes of generational fear rumble through the community that eerily mirror Lily’s own history, unearthing memories she’s fought to forget and secrets she’s sworn to conceal.

US Marshal, Eamonn Kelly, has taken on the responsibility of safeguarding Lily from the relentless pursuit of the cartel. Still, he knows she harbors secrets she refuses to confess, and he’s determined to unravel the mysteries of her past.

Can Lily maintain her new persona intact long enough to keep from being charged with murder? More importantly, can she find the killer before she becomes the next victim?

Whispers of Kith and Kin is a story of justice and accountability and the power of faith to conquer evil. It will resonate with readers who enjoy unraveling twisty mysteries hiding in the shadows of small-town America.

(Not actual cover)

Coming November 2026 — Whispers of the Blessed

You first met her as Lily Jordan in Whispers of Kith and Kin, but when her cover is blown, she’s forced to run once more…straight into a web of lies, betrayal, and deadly secrets.

A remote mountain lodge was meant to be Holly Joseph’s sanctuary. Now, it’s her prison—and a killer is locked inside with her.

For Holly Joseph, living under a new name in the Witness Security Program is a constant, lonely battle. Hiding from a ruthless drug cartel, she arrives at the historic Hawthorne Lodge in the mountains of West Virginia, praying for a quiet place to disappear. But her hope for a safe haven shatters when she finds the lodge locked, the town’s businesses closed, and the streets eerily silent. The only place with warmth and life is the Baptist church. Drawn to the light and voices, she slips inside, inadvertently becoming part of the service. As she takes in the scene, she realizes she’s stumbled into a funeral. And the man in the casket is her host—the owner of Hawthorne Lodge.

When at the center of the gathering, a mysterious Native American elder steps forward, a hush falls over the mourners, the silence stretching as the elder’s gaze sweeps across the church. Her eyes then come to rest on the grieving family, and she casts a chilling curse upon them—a prophecy of vengeance for sins buried deep in the land.

The elder’s words still echo in the church; outside, snow begins to fall, pale flakes drifting across the mountains, each one a subtle omen of the chaos stirring beyond.

Soon, a record-breaking blizzard descends on the town—ruthless, furious, and swallowing all in its path. With the lodge cut off from the outside world, the curse’s chilling prophecy starts to unfold. Tensions rise, trust erodes, and the line between superstition and reality blurs. When death strikes, a terrifying truth becomes undeniable: a killer is walking among them, and their sanctuary is anything but safe.

With fear spreading as fast as the storm outside, Holly knows she can’t wait for a rescue that may never come. Teaming up with a brilliant but quirky historian, she must untangle a web of family secrets, buried betrayals, and the Hawthorne family’s shadowed past to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again. But in a place where everyone has something to hide, trusting the wrong person could be deadly.