…by Quinn McFarland
Mrs. Oliver was my sophomore high school teacher. I had her at a pivotal time in my life, when my BFF and my boyfriend hooked up and dumped me. Humiliated and bereft, I wanted to drop out of school and run away from home. But the brilliant and beautiful Mrs. Oliver took me under her wing and redirected my focus. Mrs. Oliver started a reading club and made me president. She loaned me books to read and showed me how to lead book review meetings. She also made the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted.
Mrs. Oliver never had kids, and I always had the feeling she loved her students all the more because of that.
I was so grateful for her kindnesses. I haven’t kept in close touch with her over the fifteen years since, but I’ve bumped into her from time to time on this small island on the Gulf Coast. Word had it that her husband died and left her very well off. She’s retired now and living in a posh neighborhood on the west end.
I imagine she spends her time baking cookies and reading tons of literary works. She probably works out at the gym, too. She has an amazing figure for someone her age—probably sixtyish.
Last month I received a generous wedding gift from her—a check which she hoped Josh and I would use to start our home library. It’s easy to see why Mrs. Oliver was my favorite teacher.
…by Trish Oliver
Here I am, back on this suffocating island, where gossiping is a contact sport, and I don’t give a flip about what anyone has to say. I’ve spent the Christmas holidays in New York at my sister’s modest confining apartment, hanging out with her attentive annoyingly clingy male neighbor, who is handsome hunky, but unenlightened ignorant when it comes to books.
When I return to my lovely abode, there’s a sign on the door, telling me not to enter and to call Sergeant Schmidt at the police department. I know why he’s roped the house off as a crime scene, and I don’t argue with him. What would be the point?
I rent a room at the historic Grand Galvez Hotel, and I arrange to meet the officer there. I ask him to bring my former student, Quinn McFarland, with him.
Quinn is the perfect ally, and I want her to comfort me while my home and heart are in such turmoil. I helped Quinn years ago, and she thinks I’m an angel. Of course, I’m no angel, but Quinn doesn’t have to know that.
She also doesn’t need to know that I don’t sit around reading books, needlepointing, and baking cookies all day. I much prefer living on the edge a little. Some of my best friends are men, and if those men are a little bad, all the better.
Now that Marvin’s gone, I don’t have to stay home and cook and do laundry. I’m as free as a beautiful butterfly, and my flitting days are far from over.
Mrs. Oliver’s Twist – A Quinn McFarland Mystery, Book 2
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Release: March 2025
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
IF YOU CAN’T TRUST YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER, WHOM CAN YOU TRUST?
Quinn McFarland is on the verge of living her best life. With exciting career plans, a loving husband, and dreams of a perfect future, everything seems to be falling into place. But when she’s asked to identify the body of her beloved former teacher, Mrs. Oliver, Quinn’s world is fragmented.
The moment Quinn looks at the wrist of the deceased, she notices something chilling—a tattoo she’s seen before. But this time, the ink holds an unsettling meaning, pulling Quinn into a tangled web of mystery and deception. As she digs deeper, Quinn uncovers dark truths about her teacher’s past—secrets that lead to a brutal murder and people she knows and trusts.
Now, Quinn must navigate a treacherous path where every clue brings more danger and where the stakes are do-or-die. As the investigation spirals out of control, Quinn’s carefully constructed life begins to unravel. With her marriage, her family, and her future on the line, Quinn must confront the frightening reality that the killer may be closer than she ever imagined—and time is running out.
A gripping thriller filled with unexpected perils, Mrs. Oliver’s Twist will keep you spinning until the very last page.
About the author
Saralyn Richard is the author of the Detective Parrott mystery series, the Quinn McFarland mysteries, A Murder of Principal, and Naughty Nana, a children’s picture book. A former educator, she teaches literature and creative writing. Contact her at saralynrichard.com.