14 Comments

a nail-biting, pulse-accelerating chapter. I like how Marie is growing into her own power as the story unravels.

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Thanks Veronika!

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Oct 15Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

Whoah, a real climax in this chapter! You keep us guessing, Kate! Just when I thought we had answers and the painting ... nope! The box was empty and she was attacked. But by whom?

Excellent.

Also, totally makes me think back on those early days of returning to cafes post covid.

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Thanks Nathan! Sorry message just deleted - anyway, it’s weird on the writing end of “crime” because it’s hard to know what’s mysterious to the reader. Does that make sense?? So I’m happy it’s feeling that way :)

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Oct 17Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

Yes, definitely! :)

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An empty box! There must have been some clue inside. Blasted Kellerdieb! Great suspenseful chapter, Kate. Throwing out the tea and pouring a whisky, yep, Marie, she's going to handle Josef.

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Ha, yes! There are clues everywhere! :)

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Oct 13Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

This chapter beautifully encapsulates Marie’s deepening sense of isolation and unease, especially in the scene where she "gazed down into the opaque water." Your writing masterfully balances psychological depth with external suspense, drawing the reader into Marie's world with each twist.

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Many thanks for such a great comment, Jon.

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A great dramatic chapter, Kate! I enjoyed the skilful change of pace. Looking forward to the next one!

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Thank you, Jeffrey!

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Oh wow. The pace is accelerating! Marie is getting close!

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Things are starting to happen. Loved this one. I was struck by something that isn’t central to the plot, but stayed with me: “I remembered an ex-boyfriend in Japan who always said, ‘Just relax; if you can’t control something, just accept it.’ But I always countered that it’s much easier to relax about things I can control.” The asymptote keeps running…

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I'm reminded of a funny quip - "You're paranoid! Everybody says so!" - and the remarkable tightening of this story, through lockdown and masks and the paranoia about germs we all felt, and now this attack when she went down to the "keller" on a whim and someone was there in a flash to attack her.

I love how well you've integrated Covid into this story. In 2022 an agent told me not to include any mention of covid in my novel, but I was unimpressed with most of her advice.

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