Killer Flock

by Shannon Baker

Seeking refuge from a relentless blizzard, a bird-watching group takes shelter in a high school—only to find that the deadliest threat is already inside.

"With homage to Agatha Christie... [an] engaging locked-room mystery." —First Clue

Kate Fox has her hands full when her sister Louise and her father’s latest ex-girlfriend, Deenie, show up at her doorstep just as a freak snowstorm comes bearing down. But when the sheriff—snowbound and stranded out of town—calls on Kate to assist a van of bird-watchers stuck along the road, she has no idea what she’s signed up for.

With the help of Deenie and Louise, Kate settles the stranded group in the local high school gym, hoping they can ride out the storm together. But as the blizzard howls and cell service dies, Kate and the eight quirky tourists find themselves utterly isolated. What began as a refuge quickly turns into a nightmare when, by dawn, one of the birders is found dead—murdered.

Trapped by the blizzard, Kate has to single-handedly preserve the crime scene and discreetly begin her investigation, all while keeping the ruffled birders calm. But she soon realizes that each of the bird-watchers has something to hide...and more than one of them had a reason to want the victim gone. Secrets run deep, and as the snow piles higher, so do the lies. With the murderer still among them and no chance of escape, Kate must untangle the deadly truths beneath the snow to avoid becoming prey to a killer in this flock.

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Praise for Shannon

"...terrific series..." —Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author of A Gingerbread House

"...Baker knocks the wind out of you..." —Carolyn Ridder Aspenson, USA Today bestselling author of Damaging Secrets

“Shannon Baker gets better with every book.” —Amazon Charts bestselling author Jess Lourey

"...winning characters and a stunning setting…" —Mystery Scene

"A wonderful western mystery not to be missed! Enjoy!" —Fresh Fiction

"...laugh-out-loud humor and heart-stopping suspense...” —Gwen Florio, author of the Nora Best and Julia Geary series

"Baker serves up a ballsy heroine, a colorful backdrop, and a surprising ending." —Kirkus Reviews

"...Baker offers readers a protagonist and a place they will love coming back to visit book after book." —William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author

"...perfect blend of small-town atmosphere, intriguing plot-line, and down-to-earth characters affectionately called Sandhillers." —Christine Carbo, author of the bestselling Glacier Mystery Series

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Shannon Baker writes mysteries about strong women in dangerous situations. Her books are set in the iconic landscapes of the American West, from the Colorado Rockies to the Nebraska prairies, to the deserts of southern Arizona. Baker spent 20 years in the Nebraska Sandhills, where cattle outnumber people by more than 50:1, and too few years living on Colorado’s front range. Her dark suspense, The Desert Behind Me, is a 2019 Winner of the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award.
Seconds before quitting writing forever and taking up competitive drinking, Shannon was voted Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s 2014 Writer of the Year and, buoyed with that confidence, continued to write, earning another RMFW Writer of the Year nod in 2017-18. Shannon makes her home in Tucson where she enjoys cocktails by the pool, breathtaking sunsets, a crazy Weimaraner, and killing people (in the pages of her books).

A lover of the outdoors, she can be found backpacking in the Rockies, traipsing to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, skiing mountains and plains, kayaking lakes, river running, hiking, cycling, and scuba diving whenever she gets the chance. Arizona sunsets notwithstanding, Baker is, and always will be, a Nebraska Husker, heartbreaking as the last two decades have been. Go Big Red.

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of the Kate Fox series are sure to enjoy this latest installment. When you pick up any book in this series, you get a two for one scenario - a mystery to be solved and a good dose of Fox family drama. Can the books be read as standalones? Yes and no. Each book contains a complete mystery/murder investigation - so in that respect they standalone. The underlying story arc of Kate’s family and relationship dynamics, which is woven throughout the series, make it best to read the series in order.

Kate’s got her hands full in this installment! She’s already worried about her rekindled relationship with Baxter, who’s gone to Chile to find his missing ex-fiancé, when a blizzard bearing down on the Sandhills strands a group of birdwatching tourists who are in need of rescuing and shelter. The rescue mission becomes complicated when her sister Louise and their father’s girlfriend Deenie are the rest of the rescuing crew. Those relationships are already difficult enough, but when the blizzard strands them with the unpleasant group of birdwatchers and one of the tourists winds up dead, tensions rise.

Oh the drama! Good entertainment! The foreshadowing of what may come in the next installment heightens anticipation of what new drama awaits!

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Killer Flock by Shannon Baker is a highly recommended locked-room mystery. This eleventh novel in the Kate Fox series pays homage to Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.

A blizzard is moving in and a van full of eight bird watchers slides off the road. Sheriff Zoe is stuck an hour away so she calls Kate and asks if she can get them to a shelter. Kate has her sister Louise and Deenie, her father’s latest ex-girlfriend, at her house so the three work together and take the group to the only shelter available, the local public school. Louise gathers supplies for the group including enough food for days, cots, and sleeping bags. After they feed the group, Kate, Deenie, and Louisa realize that the blizzard has left them stuck at the school too.

Hearing all sorts of restlessness among the group overnight, the next day one of the tourists is found dead. Cell service is down and the electricity is off so they are dependent on the generators to stay warm in limited areas. Kate photographs the scene, documents what she observes, secures the crime scene, and takes statements from the group while they wait for a snow plow and the sheriff. What becomes clear is that every one of the group has secrets and information they aren't sharing.

This is an entertaining locked-room mystery that challenges Kate in new ways. With Louisa there, readers following the series know there will be clashes between her and anyone who doesn't follow her directions, which is mainly Deenie. She is a nice addition to the cast of characters here. The tourists are all very different but they do have one thing in common and Kate needs to figure out what binds the group together. It's clearly not bird watching. This might be a better choice for those who are acquainted with the characters, but I think enough backstory is included to allow it to be read as a standalone novel.

Killer Flock by Shannon Baker is a great choice for those who enjoy locked-room mysteries and will appreciate the nod to Murder on the Orient Express. Thanks to Severn River Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...

[Abby T. Sellers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun take on a locked room mystery! Filled with the Sandhills-platitudes, sister drama and reborn romance we’ve come to love in the Kate Fox series.

Killer Flock opens 3-4 wks after Taking Stock. Kate and Baxter have rekindled their romance and Kate has returned to Grand County and Poupon. Somehow Aria has ended up in Chile… alone… and Baxter, Carly and Diane set off to find her. I feel like I missed the inception of this event… and expect it to pay a larger role in a future plot. I hope. Because it felt misplaced in this story. I digress (much like that plot point).

Kate is asked by new Sheriff Zoe, to rescue a group of birders who have been waylaid by a van malfunction at the onset of a monster snowstorm. Juggling her sister Louise, and dad’s girlfriend, Deenie, Kate sets out to rescue the forlorn crew before the storm shutters the town. The birders are rescued and stationed at the local high school to ride out the storm, with Kate, Louise, and Deenie, their unwilling chaperones. As expected… there is a death! We have to have some investigative plot point! And the game’s afoot.

Although you knew someone was going to die… it did not feel derivative to me. There were tongue in cheek moments, where in the school library, the characters are discussing mystery books, Kate internalizes her feelings on Agatha Christie, and Louise and Deenie share their true crime podcast knowledge. Maybe it’s because I’m also a true crime podcast girlie, but it made me smirk. The absurdity was actually delightfully satirical. And although I saw the outcome on the “whodunit” from a mile away, the journey and plot twists were surprising.

And Poupon stole the book! That pompous poodle cosplaying as a doodle is wise beyond his years. Kate should have listened to him sooner!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC through "Severn River" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This story begins with Kate being contacted by Zoe, the sheriff, to check out a van and its' occupants that has slid into a ditch. On arriving, it needed to be towed and with a storm coming, it was decided to transport them to the school to ride out a storm. Kate riding with Deena, her father's girlfriend, and Louise, her sister, were able to load them all up. Arrangements were made to bring cots and sleeping bags at the school. Louise had a load of food and other supplies to make it through the storm. When the storm arrived, it was worse than expected and would result with them being snowbound for a short time.

The first night resulted with one of the travelers dying, and now Kate needed to find out what happened. To make matters worse, power went out and the cell signal disappeared. Read along and watch how Kate, Louise and Deena managed to survive and what Kate discovered as she went through interviewing each of the travelers. Discover what secrets were held by all of the travelers and exactly how Jessie died.

The ending will answer any questions and fill in all the cracks. This book is well worth it, don't miss out!

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate is no longer sheriff, but often is called on by the current sheriff to assist when she is short-handed. With a winter storm coming and a bus accident far from her current location, Zoe calls on Kate to assist getting the accident victims to safety. Expecting the bird watching tour group to be grateful, Kate is appalled at what an annoying and entitled set of individuals she is rescuing, and is at times tempted to leave them in the cold and coming snow. But she perseveres and takes them to the local school (over the objections of the equally obnoxious principal) where they can set up cots and have heat and shelter. She calls on Deenie, her father's girlfriend and a nurse, and her sister Louise (sort of her arch nemesis), a master at managing complicated situations, to help her taking care of the strangers. Add a full blizzard, loss of electricity, and one murdered man, and stir. This was loads of fun. None of these people want to be there and sparks fly. Deenie, Louise and Kate all have Issues as well. It is a full and flavorful stew. Highly recommended and thoroughly enjoyed.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this must read mystery that kept me guessing until the end who committed the murder of a man who was a known serial killer and how he ended up on a van with a group.of bird watchers. The van slid off a road in a rural area of the Nebraska Sandhills in the middle of a snowstorm. Kate Fox, the former sheriff, was asked to rescue the people on the tour bus since it was near her house. Her sister, Louise, and a friend, Deannie, were at her house so they agreed to go with her to help get the people to the shelter of the school until their van could be repaired. When the snowstorm turned into a whiteout blizzard, they knew they were stranded for days. Louise had brought groceries and bedding supplies. After one of the travelers was murdered, Kate handled the investigation until the sheriff could arrive and take over. The tourists were all strange but I liked Kate and the way she took charge of the situation. I highly recommend this intense and suspenseful mystery. This was my first time reading a book by Shannon Baker and it won't be my last. I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Scott Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

No longer Sheriff, Kate Fox and some of her family opt to care for some stranded bird watchers caught in a snow storm and whose van is stuck in a ditch. This is the eleventh in the Kate Fox series. Kate, her sister Louise and her father's ex-girlfriend Deenie volunteer to take care of the tourists during a snow blizzard. They decide to house them in a schoolhouse bringing in beds and other necessities. Louise as ever takes on the challenge of providing food for them using the school lab for cooking.

The first night they lose power and one of the travelers is murdered. Kate takes photographs, gathers scraps of evidence and interviews the stranded folks. She soon suspects that all is not what it seems to be. The birdwatching story doesn't hang together.

Kate succeeds in unraveling the secrets of this locked room mystery. A thoroughly enjoyable yarn.

Thanks to Severn Publishing for providing me an Advance Review Copy of this novel.

[Ilona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always good to Kate Fox back in action, even though she is no longer sheriff she still seems to get into some dicey situation.
Her employer, and friend, is still missing in Chili, she is ready to pack her bags and head over to help out but she’s talked out of that by her sister and niece, they are more capable of dealing with the situation.
On top of that a blizzard is moving in, and Louise (older sister) is on the warpath again, this time trying to sort out what is going on between their father and his girlfriend Deenie.
Kate gets a call from Zoe, the current sheriff, about a van that has broken down with bird watchers, the blizzard is moving in fast, and the birders will need shelter. Shelter is found in the high school, but before Kate, Louise and Deenie get a chance to head home they get stuck with the birders …. And then one of them dies …

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me guessing!

As the former sheriff, Kate Fox tries to assist them when called. That's why Kate, her sister Louise, and her father’s ex-girlfriend, Deenie are stuck in the empty high school with a stranded group of bird watchers as a blizzard rages outside. When one of the bird watchers is found dead, Kate has no choice but to preserve the scene and begin investigating. She soon discovers that more than one in the group has reason to want the victim dead. Too many secrets, too much danger, and too much snow!

What a twisty plot! Anyone who likes a good crime mystery will enjoy this book. I received a free copy, but my review is honest and voluntary.

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate gets trapped in the school premises with a group of bird watchers but after one night spent together a man turns up dead. Kate, Louise and Deeny will join forces to untangle the mystery as all the newcommers seem to be tied together and to hate the victim. As the snow storm deepens Kate will discover what is troubling her sister and her dear friend and will keep on worrying about what is going down in Chile. Will they be able to uncover the truth and the culprit? Will they survive one more day? Another great addition to the series! I'm looking forward to reading what happens next.
I thank the author and her publisher for this ARC.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book attempts to take Kate Fox in a different direction and is an homage to Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express as Kate is snowed in in part of a school with a bird watching tour. I didn't think the characters actions were consistent with their prior outings, the obviousness of the mystery, and the leaps that needed to be taken by the characters to solve it as well as the result of the investigation at the ending were quite disappointing. I received a free digital ARC of this novel from the publisher

[M.J. Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bona-fide thriller, set in isolated territory!

This book was amazing and rather chilling to read. I was taken by the group that had to spend a night in a country school in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Katie and other community members set up a shelter in the school and served meals to the group. It was shocking for Katie to find that a man in the group was killed at the school, and that the other members participated in mass killings of children and adults. I was appalled by the findings of the group’s killings!

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killer Kate.

Couldn't get much better. "Detective" Kate gets stranded in the local school with a strange 8 strange strangers whose van slid into a ditch at the front of a Nebraska blizzard. She finds the most despicable of the 8 dead in the room he had been given. It is a suspicious death. It turns into a game of Clue. Which could slip off into literary ditch. But the author loves Kate too much to do that to her. Whodunnit? You expect me to tell you? I had to read the book to find out. So should you. You won't be disappointed.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 11 in the Kate Fox series. This is the first in the series that I've read. I could follow the story quite well. Kate is asked to help a van full of bird watchers stranded on the road in a blizzard and has no idea what is about to happen. The storm makes them seek refuge at the local high school and little do they know a killer has already taken shelter in the school. When one of the birders is killed, Kate must discreetly start an investigation while uncovering a multitude of secrets.

[Rick Molitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a a good, locked room mystery. Kate, along with her sister and her friend Deenie, are stuck sheltering ii the school with a group of bird watchers who were stranded in the storm. When one of the bird watchers dies on the first night, Kate, who was the former sheriff, investigates. It gets complicated because everyone has a motive and they are all lying. Can Kate solve the mystery or will someone get away with murder?

[Doreen Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate is no longer a sheriff but her experience is valued and she is asked to help find shelter for a group of bird watchers. Then one of the group is found dead and Kate gets embroiled in a tricky situation. In addition she has to deal with the quirks of her siblings, especially her older sister, Louisa. What is the reason for Louisa's weird behaviour and what is she hiding? A well crafted plot with unexpected twists and jaw dropping suspense which had me guessing.

[Leah Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good one

A blizzard, a van full of people, and Kate in the middle. This series is interesting and no off colour language. These can be stand alone, but you will enjoy them more if you read in order.

I will say this is not what I was expecting because the last had Kate getting together with the love of her life. In this one he is off looking for someone with her a sister and a niece. Maybe next time.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The next Kate Fox installment is here. It is always an interesting ride with Kate and her family. This time she is caught in a blizzard with a group of sightseers and must solve the murder of one of the group. This book also sets up the storyline for the next book. For those of you that enjoy the Kate Fox series this is one you don’t want to miss.

[BETH F. MANN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not up to previous standards...

I have enjoyed all previous books in this serious and was looking forward to the latest one. I found it difficult to follow and needlessly complicated. The pretense of the group being bird watchers is unrealistic. Fans of Ms. Baker would have been better served ending the series with book number 10.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery and didn't even need to read prior books in series

I was a little worried that because I had never read any of the other books I wouldn't know what was going on. There's definitely some history with the characters that is missing but it didn't really affect being able to read and enjoy this mystery. Great read for a cold rainy or especially snowy day.

[Barbara Tobey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first experience with Kate Fox. I like her and what appeared to be recurring characters. Nice to be snowed in when I am melting from the heat. Interesting story and conclusion. I won the book on Goodreads.

[jamie Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this Thriller it’s got a small town atmosphere with a story line that will keep you glued to the book with its twists and interesting characters! I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite series. This book was a little Murder on the Orient Express, but still good. Chomping at the bit to find out about Baxter. Can't believe Kate's mom is coming back. That woman is a piece of work.

[Susan]

another great book in a great series, can't wait for the next...

This is a quote from the book that tickled me. "I didn't care for these folks before, but they were really starting to pop my birthday balloons.?

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A credible take on an Status Christie story

Book eleven is a credible take on an Status Christie plot. Kate, Louise,and denied girlfriend--- take on a stranded group of townies with a killer among them.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Larry Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shannon’s books are alway hard to put down.

If you are really dedicated you can usually read one of her books in two days. Unless you have a life or need sleep or something.

[MARIE-CLAIRE DEBONVILLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Really good 👍 story Relaxing intriguing and suspenseful Could not put it down Looking forward to the next story Thank you

[Eric Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

book 11

One of the best series I have recently read. I love the Sandhills. Characters just seem to jump off the page and I can’t never get enough.

[Micki Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killer Flock

Another great book in the Kate Fox series! I love reading and listening to all of the books in this series!