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Even Gods Can Die: A Mystery Crime Thriller
Rookie detective Dana Cauldwell is handed a cold case no one cares to a string of “mercy killings” across the city. Her job is clear—reopen the wounds of the grieving families and hunt down the “Doctor” behind the needle.
But as Dana digs into the investigation, her own life begins to fracture. Between a fellow officer determined to put her in her place and her mother’s questionable health, the line between the law and morality starts to blur.
Every interview reveals a devastating truth, behind every crime is an act of compassion.
Now, Dana must decide if she’s hunting a serial killer or a man doing God’s work.
But as Dana digs into the investigation, her own life begins to fracture. Between a fellow officer determined to put her in her place and her mother’s questionable health, the line between the law and morality starts to blur.
Every interview reveals a devastating truth, behind every crime is an act of compassion.
Now, Dana must decide if she’s hunting a serial killer or a man doing God’s work.
126 pages, Paperback
Published August 7, 2026
About the author
Micah Castle
46 books127 followersMicah Castle is a weird fiction and horror writer. He's an author of multiple books, and his stories have appeared in various magazines, websites, and anthologies.
While away from the keyboard, he enjoys spending time with his wife, playing with his animals, spending hours in the woods, and can typically be found reading a book or writing somewhere in his Pennsylvania home.
While away from the keyboard, he enjoys spending time with his wife, playing with his animals, spending hours in the woods, and can typically be found reading a book or writing somewhere in his Pennsylvania home.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 19, 2026
This book took me a while to review.
Not because Even Gods Can Die is particularly long (it's only around 120 pages) but because it left me thinking about it long after I'd finished.
Dana is a rookie detective investigating a series of so-called "mercy killings." Someone known as the Doctor is ending the lives of seriously ill people, and as far as Dana is concerned, the situation is fairly straightforward: regardless of the circumstances or intentions behind it, killing is still killing.
At the same time, Dana is dealing with something much more personal. Her mother's health is deteriorating, and as the investigation progresses, Dana is forced to confront the reality of serious illness outside the boundaries of a police case.
And suddenly, questions that seemed very black and white become a lot more complicated.
For such a short book, this tackles A LOT.
It asks some incredibly uncomfortable questions about suffering, compassion, morality, death and how easy it is to have very firm opinions about something when you're looking at it from the outside.
This was also a particularly difficult read for me on a personal level. As someone living with some limited edition cancer (lol), end-of-life choices and the question of how much suffering a person should be expected to endure aren't entirely hypothetical subjects to me. I've thought about them myself, so I found it very easy to understand how Dana's perspective begins to change when illness stops being something happening to strangers in case files and becomes painfully close to home.
That made certain parts toward the end especially difficult to read.
And that ending...
I genuinely think it's going to divide readers. Depending on your own beliefs and experiences, I can easily imagine someone loving the direction the author chose or absolutely hating it.
For me, it worked.
Not necessarily because every decision is comfortable or because I think the book gives us an easy answer, it doesn't. If anything, that's what I appreciated. This is a messy subject where morality, legality, compassion, autonomy, grief and love can collide in ways that don't leave anyone with a perfect choice.
And somehow Micah Castle managed to explore all of that in approximately 120 pages without making the story feel rushed.
It's a small book dealing with a very big question, and it's one that stayed in my head considerably longer than I expected.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Micah Castle for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...
Not because Even Gods Can Die is particularly long (it's only around 120 pages) but because it left me thinking about it long after I'd finished.
Dana is a rookie detective investigating a series of so-called "mercy killings." Someone known as the Doctor is ending the lives of seriously ill people, and as far as Dana is concerned, the situation is fairly straightforward: regardless of the circumstances or intentions behind it, killing is still killing.
At the same time, Dana is dealing with something much more personal. Her mother's health is deteriorating, and as the investigation progresses, Dana is forced to confront the reality of serious illness outside the boundaries of a police case.
And suddenly, questions that seemed very black and white become a lot more complicated.
For such a short book, this tackles A LOT.
It asks some incredibly uncomfortable questions about suffering, compassion, morality, death and how easy it is to have very firm opinions about something when you're looking at it from the outside.
This was also a particularly difficult read for me on a personal level. As someone living with some limited edition cancer (lol), end-of-life choices and the question of how much suffering a person should be expected to endure aren't entirely hypothetical subjects to me. I've thought about them myself, so I found it very easy to understand how Dana's perspective begins to change when illness stops being something happening to strangers in case files and becomes painfully close to home.
That made certain parts toward the end especially difficult to read.
And that ending...
I genuinely think it's going to divide readers. Depending on your own beliefs and experiences, I can easily imagine someone loving the direction the author chose or absolutely hating it.
For me, it worked.
Not necessarily because every decision is comfortable or because I think the book gives us an easy answer, it doesn't. If anything, that's what I appreciated. This is a messy subject where morality, legality, compassion, autonomy, grief and love can collide in ways that don't leave anyone with a perfect choice.
And somehow Micah Castle managed to explore all of that in approximately 120 pages without making the story feel rushed.
It's a small book dealing with a very big question, and it's one that stayed in my head considerably longer than I expected.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Micah Castle for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...
June 1, 2026
ARC READ—
I loved it!
Detective at a new department who gets a cold case. She is firm in her beliefs and the law. As she works on the case, she is forced to deal with previous trauma and the realization that her life is going to be flipped upside down when she has to deal with her mother’s medical condition. Do black and white rules turn grey when the issues hit close to home?
I loved it!
Detective at a new department who gets a cold case. She is firm in her beliefs and the law. As she works on the case, she is forced to deal with previous trauma and the realization that her life is going to be flipped upside down when she has to deal with her mother’s medical condition. Do black and white rules turn grey when the issues hit close to home?
Review of advance copy received from Author
Mercy, Fate, and the Gods We Create: A Gritty Noir Steeped in Mythic Shadows
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.75 rounded up)
Micah Castle’s Even Gods Can Die is one of the most tightly controlled novellas I’ve ever read. Each stylistic choice feels deliberate, all emotional beats purposeful, and not a single scene overstays its welcome.
Castle's world-building is sharply realistic. Instead of relying on surface-level nostalgia, he constructs an uncannily authentic retro atmosphere by anchoring the setting in tangible, unglamorous sensory details such as the reek of urinal cakes drifting out of public restrooms. This powerful sense of place is layered seamlessly with other period-accurate visuals; notably, the frenzy of daytime talk-show brawls on a muted television screen, stacks of VHS tapes, and humming computer towers flickering green and red lights.
I enjoyed the subtle characterization choices that made Dana feel genuinely real rather than fictional. During high-stress moments, her internal thoughts fragment into short, clipped observations that perfectly capture the feeling of trying to hold yourself together while emotionally overwhelmed. Even Dana’s smallest private habits capture a distinctly feminine kind of nuance that many women will recognize.
Don’t let the title or the mention of “God’s work” in the blurb lead you to expect a traditional religious thriller. Castle instead explores darker ideas surrounding fate, mercy, suffering, and what people owe their loved ones at the end of life. Mythological motifs and noir elements create a lingering sense that something larger and more unsettling is unfolding beneath the investigation. The result is a world that feels spiritually haunted long before the story fully reveals why.
What engaged me most was Castle’s careful restraint. Lines such as, “Surreal film coats the slowing world, each hitching breath causing it to ripple like cellophane,” stand out because he uses vivid imagery with intentional precision. Another of my favorites was, “I let my mind unspool like ribbons, spilling from every orifice of my head and unfurl over the carpet.” These moments land so effectively because Castle trusts both his prose and his readers enough to give his strongest passages breathing room. Under that level of authorial control, the imagery retains its full impact rather than becoming diluted through repetition.
The conclusion delivers a powerful, thought-provoking ending. While it leans into a style I don’t always prefer personally, Castle executes it with enough poignancy and thematic confidence that it fully justifies the direction it takes. It's impressive to see a story balance this much atmosphere, restraint, and moral complexity without collapsing under its own weight.
Many thanks to the author for providing an early copy for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.75 rounded up)
Micah Castle’s Even Gods Can Die is one of the most tightly controlled novellas I’ve ever read. Each stylistic choice feels deliberate, all emotional beats purposeful, and not a single scene overstays its welcome.
Castle's world-building is sharply realistic. Instead of relying on surface-level nostalgia, he constructs an uncannily authentic retro atmosphere by anchoring the setting in tangible, unglamorous sensory details such as the reek of urinal cakes drifting out of public restrooms. This powerful sense of place is layered seamlessly with other period-accurate visuals; notably, the frenzy of daytime talk-show brawls on a muted television screen, stacks of VHS tapes, and humming computer towers flickering green and red lights.
I enjoyed the subtle characterization choices that made Dana feel genuinely real rather than fictional. During high-stress moments, her internal thoughts fragment into short, clipped observations that perfectly capture the feeling of trying to hold yourself together while emotionally overwhelmed. Even Dana’s smallest private habits capture a distinctly feminine kind of nuance that many women will recognize.
Don’t let the title or the mention of “God’s work” in the blurb lead you to expect a traditional religious thriller. Castle instead explores darker ideas surrounding fate, mercy, suffering, and what people owe their loved ones at the end of life. Mythological motifs and noir elements create a lingering sense that something larger and more unsettling is unfolding beneath the investigation. The result is a world that feels spiritually haunted long before the story fully reveals why.
What engaged me most was Castle’s careful restraint. Lines such as, “Surreal film coats the slowing world, each hitching breath causing it to ripple like cellophane,” stand out because he uses vivid imagery with intentional precision. Another of my favorites was, “I let my mind unspool like ribbons, spilling from every orifice of my head and unfurl over the carpet.” These moments land so effectively because Castle trusts both his prose and his readers enough to give his strongest passages breathing room. Under that level of authorial control, the imagery retains its full impact rather than becoming diluted through repetition.
The conclusion delivers a powerful, thought-provoking ending. While it leans into a style I don’t always prefer personally, Castle executes it with enough poignancy and thematic confidence that it fully justifies the direction it takes. It's impressive to see a story balance this much atmosphere, restraint, and moral complexity without collapsing under its own weight.
Many thanks to the author for providing an early copy for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
August 23, 2026
I received this book as a free review copy from the author. This review is based on my reading the book and is my honest feedback about the book.
I read all sorts of books and there are some books which are dark because they want to shock you but this one - Even Gods Can Die is dark in a different way. It just slowly settles under your skin and refuses to leave.
This is a short, atmospheric crime novella centred around rookie detective Dana Cauldwell, who finds herself investigating a series of "mercy killings.”
What initially lstarts off as a cold case investigation gradually turns into something far more unsettling, where the line between victim and perpetrator, justice and cruelty, begin to blur.
Frankly, that was my favourite part of this book.
Micah does not treat this like a straightforward whodunit. There is a wonderfully grim, almost melancholic quality to the storytelling and beneath the mystery is a much darker exploration of human nature. The further Dana digs, the more uncomfortable the questions become and I loved that the book does not always make those questions easy to answer.
The writing also has that gritty noir quality I enjoy. It is bleak without becoming unnecessarily elaborate and the relatively short length keeps propelling the story forward. There is very little wasted space which makes this an easy book to pick up and difficult to put down once the mystery starts tightening its grip.
My only real complaint in the entire exercise is that I wanted more.
At times, the novella moves so quickly that I wished Micah had given certain characters, revelations, and emotional consequences a little more room to breathe. Dana, in particular, is a character I would happily have spent more time with and she deserved more pages. I truly hope Micah elaborates on her in future novels.
Still, this is a wonderfully dark little mystery, part crime fiction, part psychological thriller, with a sinister edge that occasionally drifts toward horror.
If you enjoy your mysteries bleak, morally complicated, and just a little disturbing, Even Gods Can Die is definitely worth picking up.
A quick read, but one with enough darkness to linger.
I read all sorts of books and there are some books which are dark because they want to shock you but this one - Even Gods Can Die is dark in a different way. It just slowly settles under your skin and refuses to leave.
This is a short, atmospheric crime novella centred around rookie detective Dana Cauldwell, who finds herself investigating a series of "mercy killings.”
What initially lstarts off as a cold case investigation gradually turns into something far more unsettling, where the line between victim and perpetrator, justice and cruelty, begin to blur.
Frankly, that was my favourite part of this book.
Micah does not treat this like a straightforward whodunit. There is a wonderfully grim, almost melancholic quality to the storytelling and beneath the mystery is a much darker exploration of human nature. The further Dana digs, the more uncomfortable the questions become and I loved that the book does not always make those questions easy to answer.
The writing also has that gritty noir quality I enjoy. It is bleak without becoming unnecessarily elaborate and the relatively short length keeps propelling the story forward. There is very little wasted space which makes this an easy book to pick up and difficult to put down once the mystery starts tightening its grip.
My only real complaint in the entire exercise is that I wanted more.
At times, the novella moves so quickly that I wished Micah had given certain characters, revelations, and emotional consequences a little more room to breathe. Dana, in particular, is a character I would happily have spent more time with and she deserved more pages. I truly hope Micah elaborates on her in future novels.
Still, this is a wonderfully dark little mystery, part crime fiction, part psychological thriller, with a sinister edge that occasionally drifts toward horror.
If you enjoy your mysteries bleak, morally complicated, and just a little disturbing, Even Gods Can Die is definitely worth picking up.
A quick read, but one with enough darkness to linger.
Review of advance copy received from Author
In Micah Castle's thoroughly atmospheric 90s setting, the female protagonist, Dana, is struggling under intense life pressures. These include her demanding new job as a detective in a precinct dominated by an "old boys' club" mentality and her concern about her mother's declining health.
From the very first page, I was completely hooked. The vivid details of Dana's environment, along with the descriptions of the people, places, and smells, transported me back to the 90s setting, filling me with nostalgia. Additionally, the cold case she was investigating prompted me to question my own convictions.
The book delves into significant issues such as
euthanasia, suicide, and sexual assault and the tone of the novel is gritty and tough.
It's also extremely thought provoking and powerful causing an internal struggle over what is right and wrong.
The ending is not one I typically enjoy but it does in fact work well for this book. I love Micah's writing style and I look forward to reading more from him in the future.
Thanks to the author for offering me a review copy. It was very much appreciated and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
From the very first page, I was completely hooked. The vivid details of Dana's environment, along with the descriptions of the people, places, and smells, transported me back to the 90s setting, filling me with nostalgia. Additionally, the cold case she was investigating prompted me to question my own convictions.
The book delves into significant issues such as
euthanasia, suicide, and sexual assault and the tone of the novel is gritty and tough.
It's also extremely thought provoking and powerful causing an internal struggle over what is right and wrong.
The ending is not one I typically enjoy but it does in fact work well for this book. I love Micah's writing style and I look forward to reading more from him in the future.
Thanks to the author for offering me a review copy. It was very much appreciated and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I would like to thank Micah Castle for allowing me to read this advanced copy of Even Gods Can Die.
"Rookie detective Dana Cauldwell is handed a cold case no one cares to a string of “mercy killings” across the city. Her job is clear—reopen the wounds of the grieving families and hunt down the “Doctor” behind the needle."
Release Date: August 7th 2026
Writing: Beautifully written, with a vulnerability that is often hard to capture. A fictional story about a very real subject. A thing that causes debates, arguments and criminal trials. What you you do for someone you loved who was slowly dying?
Characters:
Story: Dana is a newly promoted detective in a new precinct where she isn't welcome. She is stubborn and tough yet she is also very damaged and flawed. The fact we got such an insight into her in such a short story was amazing. And the growth we see also is incredible.
Who Would I Recommend This To: Do you like stories that aren't black or white but filled with grey? Then this is for you!
Overall: A very thought provoking short story about love, grief, strength and morality.
"Rookie detective Dana Cauldwell is handed a cold case no one cares to a string of “mercy killings” across the city. Her job is clear—reopen the wounds of the grieving families and hunt down the “Doctor” behind the needle."
Release Date: August 7th 2026
Writing: Beautifully written, with a vulnerability that is often hard to capture. A fictional story about a very real subject. A thing that causes debates, arguments and criminal trials. What you you do for someone you loved who was slowly dying?
Characters:
Story: Dana is a newly promoted detective in a new precinct where she isn't welcome. She is stubborn and tough yet she is also very damaged and flawed. The fact we got such an insight into her in such a short story was amazing. And the growth we see also is incredible.
Who Would I Recommend This To: Do you like stories that aren't black or white but filled with grey? Then this is for you!
Overall: A very thought provoking short story about love, grief, strength and morality.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Micah Castle is known for his cosmic supernatural horror, but Even Gods Can Die proves he doesn't need supernatural entities to hollow you out. This is a devastatingly grounded crime story that reads less like a traditional thriller and more like a meditation on survival.
We follow a newly minted detective drowning in pressure. On the clock, she’s hunting a "back-alley Kevorkian" who facilitates illegal assisted suicides. Off the clock, she’s watching her mother’s health collapse, grappling with her own identity and self doubt, and fighting a toxic coworker determined to see her fail.
The book is soaked in atmosphere, but it’s the character work that sticks with you. The protagonist has a weird, borderline obsessive fixation on Norse mythology. At first, it feels totally out of place in a crime novel, but as the story wears on, you realize it’s her armor. She is a deeply flawed, inadequate-feeling human looking to ancient gods for the strength to survive a brutal modern reality. It’s atmospheric, intensely thematic, and easily a 4/5.
We follow a newly minted detective drowning in pressure. On the clock, she’s hunting a "back-alley Kevorkian" who facilitates illegal assisted suicides. Off the clock, she’s watching her mother’s health collapse, grappling with her own identity and self doubt, and fighting a toxic coworker determined to see her fail.
The book is soaked in atmosphere, but it’s the character work that sticks with you. The protagonist has a weird, borderline obsessive fixation on Norse mythology. At first, it feels totally out of place in a crime novel, but as the story wears on, you realize it’s her armor. She is a deeply flawed, inadequate-feeling human looking to ancient gods for the strength to survive a brutal modern reality. It’s atmospheric, intensely thematic, and easily a 4/5.
August 13, 2026
This story was such an interesting concept, and it hooked me right away. I found it easy to get invested in the story, although it was a little confusing at times, and the flow felt somewhat choppy in certain areas.
I really enjoyed this book, but unfortunately, it left me wanting more. I was invested in seeing what the detective was going to do, so I was excited to see how everything would come together. However, I felt like I didn't get the closure I was hoping for by the end.
Sometimes, an ending that's left open to interpretation works really well, but unfortunately, those types of endings aren't really for me. I still thought this was a great concept and an interesting story, but I just wish there had been a little more resolution.
This is my honest review. Thank you so much to the author for providing me with an ARC!
I really enjoyed this book, but unfortunately, it left me wanting more. I was invested in seeing what the detective was going to do, so I was excited to see how everything would come together. However, I felt like I didn't get the closure I was hoping for by the end.
Sometimes, an ending that's left open to interpretation works really well, but unfortunately, those types of endings aren't really for me. I still thought this was a great concept and an interesting story, but I just wish there had been a little more resolution.
This is my honest review. Thank you so much to the author for providing me with an ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Author
My first book by this author and if they're all like this, sign me up! I loved Dana, a detective who has been through the mill at her last posting, rumours follow her but only she really knows the truth to why she was moved.
I like how real Dana feels as a character, a down to earth woman, feeling real things, dealing with real situations. Her mum's condition is a hard one for me to read as I know that time'll come for mine some time but Dana is strong and from how she reacts, she'll be ok!
I like how she's given a cold case to reopen, "new eyes" to get the facts and stories right. When you read the case notes, you get a feel of the families and people involved.
It's good writing, a quick read and one I read in one sitting. Can't wait to read more from Micah!
I like how real Dana feels as a character, a down to earth woman, feeling real things, dealing with real situations. Her mum's condition is a hard one for me to read as I know that time'll come for mine some time but Dana is strong and from how she reacts, she'll be ok!
I like how she's given a cold case to reopen, "new eyes" to get the facts and stories right. When you read the case notes, you get a feel of the families and people involved.
It's good writing, a quick read and one I read in one sitting. Can't wait to read more from Micah!
Review of advance copy received from Author
A (mostly) quiet crime novella from one of the most consistent voices in Indie Horror?! Sign me up!
Even Gods Can Die asks the question: if someone is dying, is killing them actually murder? Or is it mercy?
This taut novella poses this question while also wrestling with inadequacy and misogyny.
As I have grown accustomed to with Castle, the prose here is sharp, and pacing is brisk, and the finish leaves you craving more.
Dive into this one on a rainy day and find yourself lost for a bit, coming out on the other side questioning how you'd handle the events contained within Even Gods Can Die.
Even Gods Can Die asks the question: if someone is dying, is killing them actually murder? Or is it mercy?
This taut novella poses this question while also wrestling with inadequacy and misogyny.
As I have grown accustomed to with Castle, the prose here is sharp, and pacing is brisk, and the finish leaves you craving more.
Dive into this one on a rainy day and find yourself lost for a bit, coming out on the other side questioning how you'd handle the events contained within Even Gods Can Die.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Moral dilemma
Dana arrives at her new police station under a bit of a cloud, from the previous one. She doesn't want to be "one of the guys", so one of the guys holds that very much against her. Dana's biggest worry is her sick mum, she has no time to make friends.
Reading the situation, her captain passes her a cold case. A guy practicing euthanasia.....and some families have complained.
Dana is very black/white. The law is the law. The euthanasia practitioner is breaking the law and needs to be found and arrested. No qualms.....or are there?
What starts off as an ordinary detective novel, ends very dramatically and really leaves you thinking.
Dana arrives at her new police station under a bit of a cloud, from the previous one. She doesn't want to be "one of the guys", so one of the guys holds that very much against her. Dana's biggest worry is her sick mum, she has no time to make friends.
Reading the situation, her captain passes her a cold case. A guy practicing euthanasia.....and some families have complained.
Dana is very black/white. The law is the law. The euthanasia practitioner is breaking the law and needs to be found and arrested. No qualms.....or are there?
What starts off as an ordinary detective novel, ends very dramatically and really leaves you thinking.
June 17, 2026
Thriller/Mystery novella, that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
Thank you to the author Micah Castle and a gifted eARC.
This is a quick, easy to read thriller that can be read in a couple of hours.
I really enjoyed this story I enjoyed the main character and just truly felt so bad for her. This book flowed nicely and didn’t leave me with any questions throughout.
Definitely check the trigger warnings before reading... it’s definitely a book that will make you think, “what would I do” in this situation.
Thank you to the author Micah Castle and a gifted eARC.
This is a quick, easy to read thriller that can be read in a couple of hours.
I really enjoyed this story I enjoyed the main character and just truly felt so bad for her. This book flowed nicely and didn’t leave me with any questions throughout.
Definitely check the trigger warnings before reading... it’s definitely a book that will make you think, “what would I do” in this situation.
August 7, 2026
I think this book had a lot of potential. The main concept is great. It is hard to find the moral high ground when someone is ending someone’s suffering, especially if they signed up for it. I feel the story lacked serious action. I get that it was mostly an investigative story, but details could have been added without drowning the reader in boredom. It might have even helped with getting some character development with the victims. It would make it more personal. Overall, this was a fun, quick read.
June 18, 2026
so i really struggled with rating this book. it’s not because i thought it was bad, i just realized that this book wasn’t for me. if goodreads would let me, i would give it 3.5 stars because there were surprising elements to the story that i thought were good twists. overall, i thought the characters were well-developed and the story was cogent. i was an ARC reader for this book and my review is honest and voluntary.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This fast-paced novella tackles some heavy, thought-provoking themes in such an entertaining way! Our main character is absolutely going through some tough situations, but still manages to be likeable and such a "real" character. This story will have you thinking about what you would do in these situations long after reading the last page!
July 3, 2026
Wow. This book hit me hard. Totally not what I was expecting. Dana is a cop who has very clear morals and believes 100% in following the law. While working a cold case, her life take s a turn that seems to run parallel to the case. Will she allow her love and personal beliefs to cloud her judgement when her loved one is involved or will she stay that 100% strait laced cop?
Review of advance copy received from Author
Even Gods Can Die is a slow paced, atmospheric read based in a 1990s nostalgia filled world.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat while also felt a bit like a "slice of life" in the world of a detective.
Content warnings should be read and taken seriously for this novella.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat while also felt a bit like a "slice of life" in the world of a detective.
Content warnings should be read and taken seriously for this novella.
August 24, 2026
Fantastic
Sometimes a grief read is everything you need. Well written, great story, finished in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down.
Sometimes a grief read is everything you need. Well written, great story, finished in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down.
Review of advance copy received from Author
4 🍓
Is he a serial killer, or is he just doing God's work?
Rookie detective Dana is transferred to a new station and is handed an old cold case no one cares to solve: a series of "mercy killings" in the city. She needs to find the so-called "Doctor" who had been committing these illegal assisted suicides.
Throughout the story, we see Dana struggle with this dilemma and her own morals as she interviews the families and hears their stories.
All the while, her own life becomes a nightmare with co-workers who think they can do whatever they want, whenever they want. And when her own mother's health starts to decline, she has to decide if what she's investigating is actually wrong or if it is compassion at its finest.
I feel like Castle explored this topic so well through Dana's experience. It's a short story full of meaning. The gritty ambience perfectly matches the story and transports you directly into it. Such a different take on a crime thriller.
Thanks to the author for this ARC; I really enjoyed this one!
Is he a serial killer, or is he just doing God's work?
Rookie detective Dana is transferred to a new station and is handed an old cold case no one cares to solve: a series of "mercy killings" in the city. She needs to find the so-called "Doctor" who had been committing these illegal assisted suicides.
Throughout the story, we see Dana struggle with this dilemma and her own morals as she interviews the families and hears their stories.
All the while, her own life becomes a nightmare with co-workers who think they can do whatever they want, whenever they want. And when her own mother's health starts to decline, she has to decide if what she's investigating is actually wrong or if it is compassion at its finest.
I feel like Castle explored this topic so well through Dana's experience. It's a short story full of meaning. The gritty ambience perfectly matches the story and transports you directly into it. Such a different take on a crime thriller.
Thanks to the author for this ARC; I really enjoyed this one!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews