Review by Linda Kay Hardie
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
I approached Ours is a Tale of Murder knowing nothing about this book or its author, Nora Murphy. I have remedied that now and will be reading everything else she’s written, and once I’ve run out of published books, I’ll dig through her trash and read her grocery lists. I like her style.
But I don’t know how or what to write about this amazing book. I want a mystery author to surprise me in the end. It doesn’t have to be something completely out of left field, but I need to be taken aback in some way. And the denouement must be fair. Murphy didn’t cheat, and I nodded the way you do when you’re astonished by an author’s delightful dexterity and realize you want to follow her to the ends of the earth. If I were to hint at why or how or even, really, who... Well, I’m afraid I would take away your pleasure at arriving there yourself to say, “Wow,” and stare off into the distance in contentment. |
| Image Source Soucebooks Landmark |
Murphy begins with a section aptly called “The Story.” Chapter one is told in both first-person and second-person narration. Klara talks to Troy, telling him the story of their lives, but not face to face. Interesting choice. In subsequent chapters, more characters are introduced, now in third-person voice, and as you read about their lives, you catch a glimpse of their wishes and fears.
How do these often-strange anecdotes, from these not-quite-ordinary people, fit into each other’s lives? How will this crazy-quilt jumble suddenly become a clear picture? You seek out the edge pieces, and it soon becomes clear that this puzzle is a kaleidoscope of trauma.
When you reach the second part, called “Now,” a shock smacks you in the face. You might even feel a bit cheated. Yet you’re compelled to read on to suddenly realize that what earlier seemed random now fits together logically. Yet this clarity ramps up the tension as you realize the danger has shifted. Wait. Are there more unreliable narrators than you initially thought?
Additional jolts shake your no-longer-solid foundation. Murphy’s story transforms into that rollercoaster you thought was a piece of cake until it snaps you around a meek-looking turn and wakes you up the hard way. All bets are off, but you keep riding and are glad you did.
To enter to win a copy of Ours is a Tale of Murder, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "tale of murder,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 25, 2026. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.
You can click here to purchase this book.
Linda Kay Hardie is an award-winning writer of short stories in various genres, including crime, horror, and SF/fantasy (often with humor). She also writes essays (usually about cats but sometimes baseball), poetry, and is working on longer works. Her stories appear in many anthologies, including Lunatic Fringe, Gag Me With a Spoon, A Killing at the Copa, Sex & Violins, and The Perp Wore Pumpkin from White City Press. She’s a member of Horror Writers Association, Short Mystery Fiction Society, Queer Crime Writers, Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, and Cat Writers Association. She is an Abyssinian Rescue Ranger, a volunteer foster mom in purebred cat rescue, and a professional teddy bear builder. See her portfolio at https://sierraarts.org/user/linda.kay.hardie/
Tune in to the podcast Misti Media Live! on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 5 p.m. Pacific time/8 p.m. Eastern. Author Linda Kay Hardie joins Misti Media editor-in-chief Jay Hartman to talk, argue, and rant about writing and publishing. See more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JLJLrvP-5s
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
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