A Beach Kill: An adrenaline-laced summer novella thriller that grips you from the first page

The Killing Seasons #7

by J.K. Ellem

They came for a vacation … now their blood stains the sand. No bodies. No clues. And time is running out.
Someone has abducted an entire family on summer vacation. Father, mother, and daughter are all missing and their beach house rental is a blood-spattered crime scene mess. No bodies, no clues, only a crimson trail snaking through the dunes and disappearing into the surf.

Clayton Morelli, Erin’s Bay’s Chief of Police, is racing the clock to find the family and stop a killer before the tide washes everything away.
Blistering sun. Shifting sands. A cold-blooded predator on the loose. A Beach Kill is a taut, adrenaline-laced summer novella thriller that grips from the first page to the last.

76 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 22, 2025

About the author

JK Ellem was born in London and spent his formative years preferring to read books and comics rather than doing his homework.

He is the innovative author of short chapter, Hitchcock-style adult thrillers in the genres of crime, mystery, and psychological thrillers which have multiple plot lines that culminate in explosive, unpredictable endings that will leave you shocked.

In 2022 he was accepted into the Curtis Brown Creative, Writing Your Novel in Six Months course which he undertook in London while working on his manuscript for future submission.

He splits his time between the US, the UK and Australia.

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Why not curl up and read one of his can't put down thrillers:

Ravenwood Series:
Mill Point Road
Ravenwood
The Sisterhood
An Unkindness of Sinners

The Killing Seasons:
A Winter’s Kill
A Spring Kill
A Summer's Kill
A Fall Kill
A Wintry Kill
A Dark Kill
A Forgotten Kill

Thrillers:
All Other Sins
Murder School
Audrey Kills Again!
Taxi Man

No Justice Series:
Deadly Touch
No Justice
Cold Justice
American Justice
Fast Justice
Sinful Justice
Dark Justice
Hidden Justice
Raw Justice
Final Justice

Octagon Trilogy:
Soldiers Field
Octagon
Infernum

Visit my Author Page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/jkellem
Follow me on Facebook: https://goo.gl/pQZ9Du
Follow me on Instagram: https://goo.gl/jLKruA
Visit my YouTube Channel : https://bit.ly/3pMqV5X

Reviews

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another installment of evil seaping into Erin's Bay. Morelli's story takes a shocking turn. Fast paced read which has Morelli determined to run into danger.

Enjoyed reading a Beach Kill and cannot wait for the next book.

[Martha Brindley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, snappy and satisfying novella from the author which left me wanting just a little bit more when I reached the last page! It is very atmospheric and gripped me right from the start as I could imagine myself right on the beach with the victims. I really like Morelli and I could sense his frustration at the lack of contact with Ryder as the time passed without her being in touch. This is a very good summer read which drew me in but left so many unanswered questions. Please don't keep me waiting too long for the answers J.K. Ellem!

[Allison Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beach Kill is a short, sharp, shocker, of a thriller read.

Erin's Bay is a perfect and tranquil place to visit. The beach is stunning as well as the town.

But not for the Bishop family, a blood stain door, noticed by a local woman and blood trails throughout the beachfront holiday cottage and absolutely no sign of the family that rented it.
Morelli has his hands full with this investigation and what has happened to his partner Carolyn?

One of the best twists in the series so far.

[Donna Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family has rented a beach house for a week in a secluded area outside of town. A jogger on a run spots red handprints on the door of the beach house. She notifies the police and when they arrive and enter the house, there is blood in several rooms but no one is in the house. Traces of blood lead to the beach and a dead man is found and a battered woman. The daughter, a 10 year old girl is found with a bloody knife and the story of what happened is told.
This is a standalone novella that leaves you with an introduction to JK’s next novel.

Thank you JK Ellem and NetGalley

[Lisa Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beach Kill begins with a mysterious trail of blood leading from a vacation cottage through the woods and onto the beach where the dead body of the father who had rented the cottage is found. JK Ellen does a good job of twisting the plot on this novella to leave the reader unaware of the shocking truth. I am looking forward to the next book to learn what has happened to Carolyn Ryder.

[Anne OK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review to post soon.

[Barbara Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

What?

I've read all the books that are available but I completely lost for words. Baffled actually. Guess I'll need to wait for the next book to understand.