I opened the door to find two Ottawa police officers standing on my stoop.
“May we come in?” the one on the right asked.
No. You may not. Jack wasn’t home yet, and he should have been home hours ago. I wanted to slam the door and run. Instead, I stood there, smiling at them, being polite. What an idiotic time to smile. I took one careful step after another into the living room, trying to slow time. I must have looked as if I was walking the line of sobriety.
“Are you Kalin Thompson?”
Get out of my house. “Yes.”
“Your husband is Jack Thompson?”
I hated these two strangers standing in my living room. The guy had sweat on his brow. From the oppressive heat that day or from what he was about to tell me, I couldn’t know. The woman’s cheeks flushed, and her eyes avoided contact with mine. She examined the photos of Jack and me on the mantle, shuffled her feet and waited for her partner to speak.
Jack and I were supposed to be sitting in an air-conditioned theatre, fingers intertwined, watching the latest James Bond movie. I didn’t have time to talk. Maybe he was waiting for me, ticket in hand, shaking his head at how unusual it was for me to be late.
“You’re husband was riding his bike on Bronson Avenue when he was hit by a car,” the man said.
Okay, that’s not so terrible. He’s at the hospital. I’ll go to him, and he’ll be fine. Except what if he was paralyzed. He must be seriously hurt if the cops were here, otherwise he would have phoned me himself.
I picked up my car key. “What hospital is he at? I’ll go now.”
“He’s not at a hospital.”
“I don’t understand. Then why are you here?”
“I’m very sorry to tell you, but Jack died in the accident.”
I kept breathing, but I’m not sure how. My body still functioned when my mind wanted to shut down. I backed into the living room wall but had nowhere to go. If only I hadn’t answered the door.
“Who hit him?” I asked, like that mattered.
“We don’t know yet.”
“You mean the driver didn’t stop?” Bronson Avenue was a block away from our home. Jack had been minutes away from our driveway. Minutes from opening the front door, burying me in a hug, and taking me out for the night.
“Have you been driving your car this afternoon?”
“What?”
“We’d like to have a look at your car,” the man said.
I handed my key to the officer, then sagged onto the couch. “It’s in the garage.”
Two years later when I looked back at this scene, I still didn’t understand how something so dreadful could have happened. I couldn’t believe I might never know who killed Jack.
I quit my job and accepted a new one. I’ll be the human resources manager at Stone Mountain Resort in the Purcell Mountains. It’s almost as far west as I could travel and still be in the same country. A big change was the only way for me to survive.
I knew leaving wouldn’t kill the pain of losing Jack. I knew I’d never get over him. But I also knew I had to live. I wasn’t thirty yet.
I got on a plane and flew to Calgary. From there I took the bus to Holden, BC. I took a taxi to Stone Mountain Resort and life began again.
If you want to find out what happened next in my life, Descent is the first in the “Stone Mountain” Mystery Series followed by Blaze, both published by Imajin Books.
About Descent
When Kalin Thompson is promoted to Director of Security at Stone Mountain Resort, she soon becomes entangled in the high-profile murder investigation of an up-and-coming Olympic-caliber skier. There are more suspects with motives than there are gates on the super-G course, and danger mounts with every turn.
Kalin’s boss orders her to investigate. Her boyfriend wants her to stay safe and let the cops do their job. Torn between loyalty to friends and professional duty, Kalin must look within her isolated community to unearth the killer’s identity.
# # # # # # # # # # #
GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment by 12 a.m. eastern on December 13 for your chance to win a Kindle version of DESCENT. Good luck everyone!
Meet the author
Kristina Stanley is the best-selling author of the Stone Mountain Mystery Series. Her books have garnered the attention of prestigious crime writing organizations in Canada and England. Crime Writers 
of Canada nominated Descent for the 2014 Unhanged Arthur award. The Crime Writers’ Association nominated Blaze for the 2014 Debut Dagger. Her short stories are published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Voices of the Valleys Anthology.
Before writing her series, Kristina was the director of security, human resources and guest services at a resort in the depths of the British Columbian mountains. The job and lifestyle captured her heart, and she decided to write mysteries about life in an isolated resort. While writing the first four novels, she spent five years living aboard a sailboat in the US and the Bahamas. Visit Kristina at www.KristinaStanley.com
Gripping story! I’m already hooked!
Thank you Nancy.
Thanks for introducing us to another new series and author.
Hi Doward, Nice to meet you too.
WOW!! I’m totally drawn in.
Thank you Karen. That makes me smile.
Got me on the first sentence . Would love to read this
Thank you Debbie. What a nice thing of you to say.
Thank you for introducing another new series and author. This sounds like a good read!
Nice to meet you too Peggy. Thanks for stopping by.
This booked grabbed me after the first few sentences, can’t wait to read it.
Thank you. Great to hear this.
Sounds like a great nrw book, would love to win, ty for the chance
Thank you Betty. Good luck.
I love that you introduce us to new authors and series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
Good luck Barbara.
I would like to find out who hit Jack. Thanks for the chance to enter.
So would Kalin… Thanks for stopping by, Donna.
Can’t wait to find out who killed her husband.
Thanks for stopping by Gram. It takes Kalin a while to sort out who the culprit is. She finally gets her answer in AVALANCHE, book three in the Stone Mountain Mystery series.
What a great introduction to a new author! Can’t wait to read this book!
Thank you, Jane.
Another new-to-me author to enjoy. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
Good luck, Elaine. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Dru Ann, thanks for having me today and letting me share a bit about Kalin. I’m so excited about the interested it’s generating.
Thank you for telling us about Kalin. When will the third book be out?
HI Dru Ann. I’m hoping Avalanche will be published July 2016. And really, thank you for having me on your blog. I enjoyed interacting with your readers.
Wow! What an opening, I am hooked. Would really like to know what happens! Thank you for the chance to win,
Thank you Carol. Good Luck.
I’m intrigued! (And happy that I finally bought a Kindle in case I win!!)
Good luck Cheryl. I love my kindle. It comes with me everywhere.
What a great introduction to this author who is new to me. Thanks for the opportunity to enter the giveaway for her book. robeader53@yahoo.com
Thanks for stopping by Rob. Good luck.
Added to my TBR list.
Thank you Mary.
Not only do I need to find out who hit Jack, but I need to discover how Kalin got her life back together.
First I must say, Kalin gets in embroiled in a murder mystery which drives her to focus on her life and live it daily. She somehow attacks drama and loves that part of her life.
Would love to win a copy of Descent! The series sounds very interesting, my interest is piqued. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
Thanks MaryAnn. Good luck.
Sounds like a great read and so many 5-star reviews at Amazon. I’d love to win a copy. Thanks.
Thank you Carl for the shout out about the reviews. Very nice of you. Good luck.
Everyone’s nightmare right there at here door.
HI Libby. I’m sure we all have a version of the nightmare. It’s stressful even to write about. Thanks for stopping by.
For a moment I thought this was about Stone Mntn in Georgia. Silly me. Toss my name into the magic contest hat Dru. I hope I get lucky.
Hi Nora, I didn’t know there was a Stone Mountain in Georgia. There isn’t one in BC either, that I know of. One of my favourite characters in Descent and Blaze is named Nora.
Would recommend Descent without any reservations. In fact, I read that opener and only gradually realized that I was getting drawn in all over again. I do that with favourite reads.
Thank you Roland. Your support always makes me smile 🙂
I find this book review very interesting, sounds like I would enjoy it.
Thank you Mary Jane. Good Luck.
Sounds like a good read.
Good luck, Prentiss. Your name would be good for a future character 🙂 I’ve never heard it before. Thanks for stopping by.
This sounds like a wonderful new series to become familiar with. I like the location for this book and the background information very much. Looking forward to reading this new author’s work. Thank you for the chance to win a book. Happy Holidays..
Thank you Cynthia. I’ve been lucky and lived and worked in a remote mountain village. Good luck. Happy Holidays to you too.
Oh, my! This teaser has me hooked. I want this book!!!
Hi Amy. That makes me very happy. Thanks for stopping by and good luck.
A good read for sure, there has to be a number 3 in the new year.
Hi Liliana, Thanks for stopping by and mentioning number 3. It’s called AVALANCHE.
After reading this I bought this book and cannot wait to read it! Thanks!
Thank you so much, Barbara!. I hope you enjoy it.
That is great Barbara! I know the author thanks you.
I have added this book to my WishList..
Thank you for the giveaway…..
Good luck and think you for adding Descent to your wish list.
Another new-to-me author, Dru! Thanks for the great leads on books, and for the chance to win.
Thanks for stopping by Jam. Good luck!
Great post Kristina. As a former cyclist, I had chills reading about Jack’s bike accident. Thanks Dru for this one!
Judy, thanks for stopping by. Sorry about the chills….
Wow! Cpongratulations. Very engaging, Kristina. Hoping to win!
Hi James. Great to see you here. Good luck!
I have spent a good deal of my time in Ottawa over the pasr 20 years although I live in VA. I’m always interested in a book about takes place there, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading yours!
Thank you Jan. Descent takes place in Stone Mountain, BC after Kalin moves away from Ottawa to leave her past behind. I’ve spend lots of time in Ottawa too. If I were to name a city my home, it would have to be Ottawa.
Thanks Kristina for commenting and interacting with my readers.
Contest is closed.
It was wonderful to be here and interact with everyone. Now I’m very curious to see who won 🙂