M.R. Mackenzie's Blog

The Secrets We Keep has been included in IngramSpark's 2025 Mystery/Thriller editorial selection, alongside titles from some big names like Rachel Abbott and Robert Bryndza.

In IngramSpark's own words:

Each month, we spotlight a handpicked collection of titles across genres to help readers and industry professionals discover standout indie books. This feature is truly a reflection of your hard work and creativity, marking your title as top content in your genre.

To say I was not expecting thi...

THE ANNA SCAVOLINI MYSTERIES – VOLUME TWO is now available!

Featuring books 4-6 in the series – Women Who Kill, The Reckoning and the FT "Best Summer Books of 2025"-listed The Secrets We Keep – the box set is available to buy on Kindle or to read for free on Kindle Unlimited. If you're buying it, it works out at roughly three books for the price of two – a considerable saving over picking them up separately.

Here's the blurb to whet your appetite:

When the truth cuts deep, she won't back down...

I've had a few queries asking whether there would be another collected volume of Anna Scavolini books now that book six has been released. Well, the good news is that the answer is "yes" – and it's coming very soon!

THE ANNA SCAVOLINI MYSTERIES - VOLUME TWO includes books 4-6 in the series: Women Who Kill, The Reckoning and the FT "Best Summer Books of 2025"-listed The Secrets We Keep.

It's due out on Kindle on August 22, and you can pre-order it today!

Attention, friends! For one week only, the Kindle version of The Anna Scavolini Mysteries – Volume One, containing the first three books in the series, is discounted to ��2.99 in the UK, $2.99 in the US and Canada, and $3.99 in Australia. That's THREE BOOKS for less than the price of one!

If you're missing any of them from your collection, now's the ideal time to plug that gap!

I'm thrilled to announce that the Financial Times has chosen The Secrets We Keep as one of their Best Summer Books of 2025 (Crime and Thrillers)!

Read all about it, and the other books that have been selected, in Saturday's issue. Or, if you're a subscriber, read the (paywalled) article now.

Thanks to everyone who came along to the livestream launch, and congratulations to Murdo for becoming the lucky winner of a signed copy of The Secrets We Keep!

If you missed the event, you can watch a replay at the link below.

I'm delighted to announce that the latest Anna Scavolini mystery, The Secrets We Keep, is NOW AVAILABLE on Kindle and in paperback.

Click here to buy it on Kindle and start reading immediately.

Click here to buy it in paperback from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

If you'd like a paperback copy and would prefer to get it from elsewhere, you can order it from your local bookshop of choice. Just ask them to get it for you and I'm sure they'll be only too happy to oblige!

Several other online retai...

Crime Time asked me to contribute a few words about the writing of The Secrets We Keep.

Read all about why I decided to ignore the sacred mantra: "Don't mention the pandemic!"

It's a mantra I suspect most authors writing in a contemporary context have repeated to themselves over the past few years - and with good reason. After all, it's not a period any reader looks back on with fond memories. Every reminder of the two-metre rule, the ban on gatherings and an hour's daily allotted exercise - t...

To celebrate the release of the latest Anna Scavolini novel, THE SECRETS WE KEEP, I'll be holding an exclusive livestream event in just over two weeks' time.

Hosted by myself and my editor, Suze Clarke-Morris, the livestream will feature readings from The Reckoning, Q&A, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and more. Plus, I'll be giving away a signed paperback copy to one lucky viewer.

The event will be held on Friday 23 May at 7 p.m. BST. Follow the link below to head over to Facebook, where you can ...

With just two weeks to go until the release of the latest Anna Scavolini mystery, The Secrets We Keep, what better time to check out this exclusive sneak peek, consisting of the prologue and first three chapters?

Here's a small snippet to whet your appetite:

If she'd just made time to listen, things could have turned out so very differently.

The setting was the house on Clarence Drive; the occasion Anna Scavolini's non-denominational midwinter gathering cum farewell party. The tall, narrow town...