You might say I have a strange sense of humor, but that’s what growing up around dead bodies will do to you. My family and I love a good macabre joke—it’s like a secret language of our own. We all—my mom and dad, my brother Jack, and me—we all work in the funeral business, where none of our clients complain, and all of them keep their cool.

Today nothing seems funny, though. My brother had kidney transplant surgery last night, so I’ve caught morning duty at “the shop.” The coroner calls to alert me that a body is on the way, a victim of violence. I put on my protective work clothes, set up the prep room, and pop a wad of spearmint gum in my mouth. The playlist on my iPod is set on new tunes.

When Rory and Zeke roll the body in and settle it on the stainless-steel table, I open the covering, ready to start. The sightless eyes that stare up at me nearly knock me to the floor. It’s Ana, my one-time BFF, my blood sister.

Ana and I haven’t spoken since we were teenagers, and since she stole my boyfriend and married him. I haven’t even seen her face, even though we live in the same small town, an island on the Gulf coast.

Before the rift, we were inseparable. Ana was the adventurer. I was the follower. Bonded by a blood sister ritual, we had lots of shared experiences, including one that I’ll never talk about. I can’t ever forgive Ana—or Brad—for choosing each other and dumping me.

As I stare at Ana’s bashed face and wonder how on earth she came to be killed at the age of twenty-nine, I wonder whether the two of them did me a favor. I’m overflowing with memories that sting my eyes and tighten my throat. I want to push through my feelings and treat Ana’s body with lovingkindness. I want to forgive her. I want to be able to trust again.

But first I need to deal with the things I’ve buried. And that might take a lot. I switch my playlist to old favorite songs. I chomp on my gum, double-time. I turn on the overhead blower, and I get to work. Ana, tell me the rest of your story.

Bad Blood Sisters
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release: March 2022
Purchase Link

Quinn McFarland has grown up around dead bodies. . .

Quinn’s always joked about death, but this summer, death stops being funny. For one thing, her brother finally undergoes transplant surgery. For another, Quinn’s estranged BFF—her “blood sister”—is brought into the family mortuary, bludgeoned to death.

Quinn is haunted by the past, her friendship gone awry, and the blood oath she’s sworn to keep secret. The police consider her a person of interest, and someone threatens her not to talk. Quinn is the only one who knows enough to bring the killer to justice, but what she’s buried puts her in extreme danger.

About the author
Saralyn Richard’s award-winning humor- and romance-tinged mysteries and children’s book pull back the curtain on people in settings as diverse as elite country manor houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Saralyn’s most recent release is Bad Blood Sisters. A member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Saralyn teaches creative writing and literature at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and continues to write mysteries. Her favorite thing about being an author is interacting with readers like you. Visit Saralyn here, on her Amazon page here, or on Facebook here.

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