By Mitchell S. Karnes
They say, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” If that is true, I’m ecstatic. Book one of my Abbey Rhodes Mystery series, Water Grave, was released on January 29, 2025. One month ago, book four, Countdown, came out, and now I find myself in the depths of book five, which is currently titled Closure. It has been a joyful whirlwind. Add to that the filming of Water Grave as a streaming mini-series, and I am truly giddy. Honestly, I must thank God for everything: the talent, the ideas, the opportunities, and the success.
I intentionally made each book different for several reasons. Primarily, I don’t want my mysteries to become predictable or boring. So far, so good. I’ve heard wonderful comments from my readers, many of whom finish the latest books in one to three days. Today I heard that book two “was a real page turner,” “Wow!!! Book three of the Abbey Rhodes Mysteries is a book I have not been able to put down. It grabbed me from the first word,” and “Another awesome book in the series. They just get better and better.” These comments reinforce my resolve to work hard at my talent and grow steadily as a writer. They also inspire me to connect with my readers.
Countdown was fun to write, which reminds me of a comment one of my creative writing professors made. “If you don’t enjoy writing it, why would you expect anyone to enjoy reading it?” I think he used the word passion there somewhere, but it was forty-four years ago. Anyway, my point is that I can’t wait to write the next installment, and I love to hear readers say, “I couldn’t put it down. Read it in 2 days. Mad I have to wait until January to see what’s next.” She was speaking of Countdown. Abbey’s antagonist discovers the significance of her name change from Hannah Leah Abelard to Abbey Rhodes, and she uses lyrics of the Beatles’ album Abbey Road as Abbey’s only clue to the next potential murder. The clock is ticking, and Abbey has just seven days to save seven people. Fail, and they die.
Someone asked, “Where do you get all of these ideas?” Honestly, it’s a God-thing. They come to me, and I’m able to watch them unfold like a movie before my eyes. I obviously fill in details, leave enough clues so the reader has a chance to solve the mystery before Abbey does, and plant plenty of red herrings along the way to lead you astray. Who wouldn’t love doing that all day? Sorry that you have to wait six months between installments, but imagine if I only wrote one book a year. You keep reading and loving them, and I’ll keep working to entertain you and to keep you guessing. If I can pull it off, book five will blow you away.
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Mitchell S. Karnes is a Christian husband, father, and grandfather who lives in Brentwood, TN. He uses his experiences and insights as a minister, counselor, and educator to write and speak on relevant issues with an ever-growing audience. This is his eighth novel. Through two separate battles against Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, God has given Mitchell a new perspective on life that challenges him to create stories not only to entertain audiences but call them to action. Mitchell’s mission is to reach and reconcile those who have been disillusioned with God and his church and inspire the church to live out the love of Christ Jesus in a broken and hurting world.