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A Killing Breath

By Faye Snowden
Series: Killing
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Brief Description
"Full-bodied and dynamic characters carry this one along a mystery, tying a brutal past with a bloody present that will keep you guessing right up to the finale." - Unnerving Magazine on Book 1 in the series. A Killing Breath follows Raven Burns, who owes her... Read More
Format: Hardback
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Reluctant homicide detective Raven Burns tells herself that police work is just a job. But as she hunts down a serial killer who is murdering her friends and tearing the town apart, she realizes that police work being just a job is a distant dream, and wading in blood her only reality.

Dark, Southern gothic tale of homicide detective Raven Burns, with a complicated past and a desperate case to solve. Black Girls Lit recommends the first book, A Killing Fire "to crime fiction and mystery lovers and fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn.”

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"Full-bodied and dynamic characters carry this one along a mystery, tying a brutal past with a bloody present that will keep you guessing right up to the finale." - Unnerving Magazine on Book 1 in the series.

A Killing Breath follows Raven Burns, who owes her life to the kind souls who looked after her while her father, unbeknownst to them, sowed a path of blood and bodies from California to Louisiana as one of the most notorious serial killers ever known, Floyd "Fire" Burns.

When Raven was a girl, Floyd brutally murdered one of those kind souls, Miss Ruth Jefferson, when the woman made the fatal decision to open the door to him on a pitch-black 4th of July night. As Raven learned of her father's crimes, she vowed to do everything in her power to put men like him away.

Decades later, Raven's hunt for a serial killer terrorising the town leads her right back to that 4th of July night, and a memory that will make her question how much Floyd's evil has settled in her bones.

Author: Based in California, Faye is the author of three novels and several short stories as well as a little poetry sprinkled here and there in various literary journals. She has a master's in English literature and a deep curiosity in all things noir—especially stories populated with people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Series: Killing

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  • A Killing Breath
    "Full-bodied and dynamic characters carry this one along a mystery, tying a brutal past with a bloody present that will keep you guessing right up to the finale." - Unnerving Magazine on Book 1 in the series. A Killing Breath follows Raven Burns, who owes her life to the kind souls who looked after her while her father, unbeknownst to...
    By Faye Snowden
    Hardback
    Sold Out

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781787589728

Publisher: Flame Tree Publishing

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 17 March 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Flame Tree Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 198g

Pages: 288

Collections

Crime & Thriller Faye Snowden Fiction General Fiction Series: Killing

About the Author

Faye Snowden is the author of noir mysteries, poems and several short stories. Her novels include Spiral of Guilt, The Savior, Fatal Justice, and A Killing Fire, a dark, southern Gothic tale featuring homicide detective Raven Burns. A Killing Fire is first in a four-part series. Faye's short story, 'One Bullet. One Vote' was selected as one of the best American mystery and suspense stories of 2021. The story will be anthologized in the book, The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021. Her work has been called 'intense', 'pulse-pounding' and a 'solid contribution to a genre lacking in Black women authors'. Faye has a master's in English literature. She has been awarded writing fellowships from Djerassi and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime (SinC) where she serves as Board Secretary for SinC National. She has participated on many writing panels, appeared as a guest lecture in several university writing classes, and taught information technology courses at the university level. Today, Faye works and writes from her home in Northern California. Aside from her publications, she has managed two boys, a husband, five dogs and three writing fellowships over the years. Learn more about her work at fayesnowden.com.

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