A Dash of Paranormal with Your Mystery?, by Kirsten Weiss

 

The movement you catch in the corner of your eye. The curtain that stirs when the air is still. The murmured voice when no one is there. Little mysteries fill our daily lives, and for the most part, we (rightly) rationalize them. 

 

But what if…?  

 

What if you really had seen something? What if an invisible hand parted the curtain? What if someone was trying to speak to you from beyond? 

 

It certainly adds to the mystery, which is why I like to mix a dash of paranormal with mine. 

 

When it comes to writing, I’m no purist. I like to layer the spook factor. Sure, there’s a real live bad guy in the background, committing crimes. But what else is out there, making life harder (and creepier) for our heroine? Is that creak on the stairs a flesh and blood villain, or something else? 

 

Even more fun, is bringing those elements crashing together. How does the villain react when confronted by the supernatural, and vice versa? Are they working together, as partners, or are they at odds? The supernatural can become a character in itself, nudging our actors in different directions. 

 

But. 

 

The rules of mystery still apply. Readers need to be able to follow the clues and have a chance at figuring out whodunit. “The ghost did it” generally is not a satisfactory solution. Because rule two of the mystery genre is that the killer must get his comeuppance. It’s hard to prosecute a ghost. 

 

I recently started a new mystery series, starring a female security consultant. Unlike my Riga Hayworth series of paranormal mysteries, it was supposed to be a “straight” mystery novel. But I couldn’t help myself – I had to write some paranormal into the story. I’m still not sure where it’s going – the paranormal is just seasoning, so to speak. But I love the extra spice! 

 

YouTube trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kohhn5z3bM

 

 

The Infernal Detective 

 

When Riga Hayworth finds a dead body in her bedroom a week before her wedding, it’s par for the course. When the corpse drives off with her fiancée… That’s a problem. 

 

Riga knows dead. More intimately than she’d like. So when a murdered photographer gets up and walks away, she’s believes there’s necromancy afoot. And when she discovers that several of her wedding guests are under the influence of dark magic, she’s certain. But how can she catch a killer and stop a necromancer when even her nearest and dearest are lying to her? 

 

The Infernal Detective is a fast-paced, paranormal mystery, where nothing is quite as it seems, and magic lies just beyond the veil. 

 

 

 

About the author: 

 

Kirsten Weiss is the author of the Riga Hayworth series of paranormal mysteries: the urban fantasy,The Metaphysical Detective, The Alchemical Detective, and The Shamanic Detective.  The fourth book in the series, The Infernal Detective, will be available on Amazon May 21st. 

 

Kirsten worked overseas for nearly fourteen years, in the fringes of the former USSR and deep in the Afghan war zone.  Her experiences abroad not only gave her glimpses into the darker side of human nature, but also sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.