The Reluctant Coroner: A Hardboiled Mystery of Family, Power, and Murder

Paul Austin Ardoin

Aug 2021 · Fenway Stevenson Mysteries Book 1 · Pax Ardsen · Narrated by Alexis Pinkney

About this audiobook

Blood is thicker than oil—until murder threatens everything.

Fenway Stevenson swore she'd never go back to Estancia.

But after losing her mother and her job in one devastating week, she's left with no options and forced to ask her estranged father for help. That means returning to the coastal California town where he wields near-absolute power as the head of the region's largest oil company—and where Fenway is viewed as an outsider at best, and a political pawn at worst.

Then the county coroner is murdered.

Suddenly, Fenway is thrust into a spotlight she never wanted. Appointed as interim coroner—a move that reeks of backroom deals and her father's influence—she's immediately faced with a murder case that hits far too close to home. The evidence points in one direction: her father's oil company. And in Estancia, money has always had a way of silencing the truth.

As she follows a trail of secrets, sabotage, and cover-ups, Fenway must untangle a decades-old web of power and corruption, all while balancing her own fragile loyalties. If she can't find the killer before they strike again, her first case might be her last.

Smart, layered, and full of sharp twists, The Reluctant Coroner is the explosive first entry in the Fenway Stevenson Mysteries. For readers who love hardboiled crime fiction with a modern edge, this series delivers high-stakes investigations, rich character drama, and a protagonist who refuses to back down--even when the town wants her gone.

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"Think Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich, but with darker twists and more biting social commentary. A five-star thriller!"

—John Ling, USA Today Bestselling Author

About the author

Paul Austin Ardoin is a California native who put his degree in creative writing degree to use-by authoring marketing materials for computer security companies for the better part of two decades. The Reluctant Coroner is his first novel. He has published short fiction and humorous essays in Bottomfish and Sweet Fancy Moses, and non-fiction works about computer security in California Computer News and European Communications. When he's not writing novels or trying to save the world through better computer security, Paul plays keyboards in a dance rock band. He lives in the Sacramento area with his wife, two teenagers, and a menagerie of animals.