The Redux of Sam Murdoch

by Mary Kendall

A mid-life calamity, an eerie town’s secrets and unexpected second chances….

While stuck in a midlife meltdown with a broken marriage, angry offspring and a crumbling career, Sam Murdoch stumbles upon a long-buried family secret: the grandfather he idolized once shot a man. Desperate for an escape (and some answers), he hits the open road in a beat-up Volvo station wagon with his eccentric college buddy, Godfrey, on a quest for truth.

Their journey takes an unexpected and dark turn in a town called Middlevale. Amid the corn shocks and scythes, Sam is thrown into a face-off with superstitious and maybe unhinged townsfolk and he must fight to find a path forward. Sam’s little adventure to solve riddles about his family history has shifted to something else altogether and may take him to places he never imagined.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Road Trip

280 pages, Paperback

Published August 11, 2026

About the author

Mary Kendall lived in old (and haunted) houses growing up which sparked a life-long interest in history and story-telling. She earned degrees in history related fields and worked as an historian for many years. Her fiction writing is heavily influenced by the past which she believes is never really dead and buried.

Fueled by black coffee and a possible sprinkling of Celtic fairy dust, she tends to find inspiration in odd places and sometimes while kneading bread dough.

Reviews

[Melissa (Nissa_the.bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🖤 love gothic horror
🔎 have ever delved into your family history
🚘 enjoy road trips
👀 like male POVs

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Sam Murdoch fractured his life into bits and is in dire need of a redux.

While stuck in a midlife meltdown with a broken marriage, angry offspring and a crumbling career, Sam stumbles upon along-buried family secret: the grandfather he idolized once shot a man. Desperate for an escape (and some answers), he hits the open road in a beat-up Volvo station wagon with his eccentric college buddy, Godfrey, on a quest for truth.

After some meandering through a throwback America of old-time general stores, small-town square dances, vintage diners and quirky characters, the journey takes an unexpected and dark turn in a town called Middlevale. Thrown into a face-off with superstitious and maybe unhinged townsfolk, Sam’s little adventure to solve riddles about his family history has shifted to something else altogether. 

Amid Middlevale’s corn shocks and scythes, Sam must fight to find his path forward.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

I absolutely devoured this one! It starts off relatively normal - Sam is having a midlife crisis. His marriage is a mess and his children are a wreck. Then he discovers that his grandfather, aka his favorite person in the world, killed a man. With nothing better to do, he takes a road trip with his old college friend who just happens to be a self proclaimed historian to discover the whole truth. And this is where it gets dark and weird, and where I began to thoroughly enjoy this creepy tale! The town and its residents gave off sinister vibes and I loved going along for the ride to solve this mystery! Highly recommend!

[Chelsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Murdoch is wondering where is life is going? He is midlife, his marriage is over and his kids are not who he was hoping they'd be. When he finds out that his grandfather once killed a man, and that his name is related to this whole incident. When he inquires about trying to find family history to a college buddy, Sam inevitably gets pulled into a road trip with Godfrey to find answers. When they get to the place where things all started, it is quite eerie, and things only get stranger from here on out. This place is a dead zone, and yet everyone seems to know its secrets. When they go to the town event that evening, Sam really wonders what he got himself into, who are these people and who was his family really, what had his grandfather started? This was an enjoyable read that blends spooky with mystery and a quirky Godfrey to keep you chuckling through out. Thank you to the author for the complementary novel and to Suzy Approved Book Tours for another tour invite. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

[Julie B. (readingonthebrink) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queue music from Delta Dawn by Helen Reddy / Tanya Tucker

The Redux of Sam Murdock by Mary Kendall is an atmospheric, gothic, horror-adjacent adventure that perfectly blends nostalgia and heart with slow burn dread.

Spiraling from a crisis of mid-life consequences, Sam Murdoch discovers one faded newspaper clipping that changes everything he thought he knew about himself and the grandfather he adored. After reaching out to the only person he could think of to help - an old college acquaintance and self-proclaimed historian - the mismatched twosome embark on an unsettling road trip through the rural Virginia Piedmont in search of answers. The further they travel and the deeper Sam and Godfrey dig/delve into Sam’s lineage, the eerier the town and more sinister the people.

Kendall flawlessly balances two mismatched yet unexpectedly likeable and relatable characters with nerve wracking suspense in an unputdownable story that pits risk against secrets and second chances.

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opens with Sam Murdoch, struggling with the familiar midlife woes: impending divorce, unruly kids, and a stagnant career.
But a discovery that his grandfather, the man he idolized, may have committed a terrible act has Sam and his college buddy, Godfrey, on a road trip to dig for answers in Sam’s family history.

The road trip takes the pair to the town of Middlevale. There, they encounter strange occurrences, unhinged townsfolk, a cult-like harvest fest, and even threats. I felt like someone was trying to cover something up, or didn’t want Sam nosing around.

As much as this is a fun road trip adventure with plenty of diner stops and quirky characters, Sam’s genealogy scavenger hunt balances it out nicely with mystery and intrigue.


3.5⭐️

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @mary.kendall.author for this gifted book.

[Debbie Rozier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is set in the point of view of a man, Sam Murdoch, as he is admittedly in a mid life crises.

Sam finds out some information about his beloved grandparents that takes him on several road trips throughout Virginia. He has a friend, Godfrey, that uses his experience in genealogy to help Sam and serves as Sam’s travel companion.

There is also a backstory of Sam’s marital demise that’s in the back of Sam’s thoughts.

I was impressed that this book is authored by a woman because it feels very much like a man’s point of view.

I enjoyed the back roads and small towns that Sam encounters as well as the characters in those towns.

Family history can be complex and this read sheds a real light on that.

[Lisa Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intriguing story of mid-life challenges, a secret family history, friendship, roadtripping for answers, and mysterious surprises along the way. The characters are interesting and a bit quirky, but it was the twists and turns in the storyline that kept me turning the pages long past my bedtime. I found the ending to be very satisfying and I always appreciate author's notes at the end. An eclectic genre mash up that will appeal to a wide variety of readers.

I received a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have got to say I was quite impressed with how this story turned out. This book was filled with intrigue and family secrets and kept my attention from beginning to end. I have got to say that I really admired Sam and the dedication that he had to go on a quest and find the answers to the past that he so desperately needed in order to put a situation to rest in the past. Overall this story was highly enjoyable and I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good mystery!

[Dawnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Murdoch has a troubled marriage and family life. He uncovers a family secret about his grandfather and sets out on road trip with his collage buddy for answers. This was interesting and I liked the mystery.

Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY


#thereduxofsammurdoch
#marykendall
#booksontour

[Christy Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This page-turner kept me guessing until the end. Sam was dealing with some heavy things in his midlife chapter, including a complicated family history full of secrets and potentially the end of his marriage. His twisted road trip with a college buddy kept me entertained and had me on the edge of my seat a few times!

[Christina McComiskie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. I felt like I was right there with Sam and Godfrey as they were trying to unravel the mysterious past of his beloved late grandparents. I read this book in one sitting and can highly recommend it if you're looking for something entertaining to read this summer.

[Maryb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book from Mary Kendall down! Loved the quirky bromance between the two main guys. A gothic tale with unexpected twists and turns .

[Miss W Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Redux of Sam Murdoch by Mary Kendall is an interesting novel that kept me interested throughout the story.

Sam Murdock is the main character. His family is in turmoil. He is having marriage troubles, and his kids are a hot mess.

When he finds out that his grandfather who has passed, had shot a man when he was alive, this is the perfect excuse to get away.

Sam and his college friend Godrey go on a trip to discover what happened.

There are some strange happenings that were surprising.

A thought-provoking book that I enjoyed.

[Linda Zagon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Kendall, the Author of "The Redux of Sam Murdock" has written a unique and intriguing novel. The Genres for this Novel are : Southern Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Folk Horror, Folklore, and Fiction. The Author vividly describes the scenery, landscape, and the dark and dramatic characters. The characters can be described as complex, complicated, flawed, eccentric, quirky, dysfunctional and each has their own problems. Sam Murdock is a middle aged family man in the middle of a family crisis. His marriage is troubled, his kids are hostile, and he discovers that his beloved deceased grandfather once shot a man. This looks like the perfect escape and opportunity for Sam and his quirky college buddy Godfrey to find out about Sam's family ancestry. They travel a dangerous but enlightening path to a superstitious, dark town, where Sam's family come from. There are strange cult like activities that at times are frightening. I recommend this thought-provoking and challenging novel.

[David Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very compelling story of road trips to mysterious places with mysterious people and a dangerous festival. It's also the story of the discovery of a family secret buried long ago but has connections to that dangerous annual festival. There were times I found I didn't know who to trust or who was telling the truth and that piqued my interest and kept me turning the pages. The story is very well written and when it all came together in the end, I finished it with a smile.

Thank you to the author and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the gifted copy and including me on this tour.

[Charissa Costa Bauhaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE REDUX OF SAM MURDOCH is both incredibly disturbing and unexpectedly warm. How Mary Kendall accomplishes this is nothing short of magical.

Our hero, Sam, has done a masterful job of dismantling his own life, but when a thread of family history pulls at him, he sets aside his own mess and follows where the trail leads. Part road trip and part fever dream, the story cuts through a small town with peculiar locals and sinister traditions, and distant relatives offer more questions than answers. The deeper Sam digs into his family’s past, the harder it becomes to look away from his own.

Like all of Mary’s novels, THE REDUX OF SAM MURDOCH takes historical fiction and blends it with the speed of a tilt-a-whirl, leaving you unbalanced, stunned, and completely entertained.