Last Room at the Cliff's Edge

Detective Linda Mysteries #1

by Mark McNease

Retired homicide detective Linda Sikorsky and her wife Kirsten McClellan head to Maine for a long weekend of rest, relaxation and rewrites as Kirsten finishes drafting her first novel. Bad weather alters their plans, forcing them to stop for the night at the Cliff’s Edge, a motel known for secrecy and indiscretion. Something murderous goes bump in the night, sending the women on a search for justice when a young reporter’s body is found dumped and violated on a back road. A road Linda must now go down, no matter where it takes her, or what it reveals.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook

185 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2016

About the author

I've recently released 'Blank Page to Bookshelf: From First Sentence to First Sale,' condensing two years of my workshops into one easy to read guide on fiction writing, character creation, and self-publishing.

I've also written horror as M.A. McNease - not a pen name, it's my initials. Books under M.A. McNease include 'I, Warlock,' 'A House in the Woods (1 and 2)', and 'Hell to Pay' (a two-book volume of both House in the Woods books).

I'm the author of the Kyle Callahan Mysteries, two of which have been best sellers on Kindle. In 2022 I released the second Maggie Dahl Mystery, 'Open Secrets,' with Maggie pursuing another killer in sleepy Lambertville, NJ.

My Detective Linda mystery, 'Last Room at the Cliff's Edge', was released in September, 2016, and called a winner by Publishers Weekly. I released the first Marshall James thriller, 'Murder at the Paisley Parrot', in 2017, followed by 'Beautiful Corpse,' 'Final Audition,' and most recently 'Night Flight to Murder Town' in 2025.

'Black Cat White Paws: A Maggie Dahl Mystery' was released in 2018, followed by 'Open Secrets.'

I have 10 audiobooks currently available (Audible, Amazon, various retailers). My short story 'Stop the Car' was selected as a Kindle Single and is now an audiobook narrated by the amazing Braden Wright. It was selected twice to be included in the Amazon Prime reading library.

For old time's sake I also have two Emmys for Outstanding Children's Program for 'Into the Outdoors', a television show I co-created and wrote for two years that is now in its 17th year.

I live in the New Jersey woods with my husband, Frank, and our two cats, Wilma and James.

You can find me at my website, MarkMcNease.com.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally love cosy mysteries but for some reason this didn't sit right with me. I liked the plot and it was well written and paced, however I'll agree with a previous reviewer and say that there were too many characters to focus on. There also seemed a lot of work and back story put into the characters Cayley Rees and Daniel Wiley/Trevor Wilcox to then have the author kill them off when you were just starting to become invested in them. I also found the constant references on the gay/lesbian theme to be distracting. Yes, it was a part of the characters lives but it almost felt like the issue was competing with the murders.
I have another of the author's books in my Kindle library so I will wait until I have read that before I make a final choice on the author's work.

[Sharon Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author, who I consider to be a friend.
I have read all of the Kyle Calahan books which is where we first met Detective Linda. I love that series – so much so that I am now in the process of buying them as audiobooks as well – but I wasn’t sure how much a book starring Detective Linda would appeal because I really like Kyle.
I shouldn’t have worried as this book is excellent. I like Mark’s writing style and his story telling and he’s created another winner with Linda and her wife, Kirsten. The book kept me engrossed from page 1 and I had no trouble at all finishing it in an afternoon.
I have no problem in highly recommending both this book and the original series.
I’m looking forward to the next book, Mark.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What starts out as a road trip to get away and have some time together while Kristen works on her first mystery novel turns into the real thing when a storm strands them overnight. You can take the detective out of law enforcement, but you can't take law enforcement out of Detective Linda. Very engrossing, yet not overlong. Don't miss this one!

[Natalie Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, this author takes a refreshing approach to writing a mystery. What a privilege to listen to an F/F romance mystery courtesy of Mark McNease! Competently narrated by Daniela Acitelli, 'Last Room at the Cliff's Edge' is different from other mysteries I've read. In this book, Mark tells us 'who done it' right from the word 'Go!' Then readers treated with the excitement of seeing how Linda Sikorsky, retired homicide detective, solves it! He gives us a villain who's horrifically creepy as he plans his murders. The writer is also so horrendously clever in creating a mystery and a protagonist one can't help but admire and applaud! This was just so bleeping BRILLIANT! There is just SO VERY MUCH going on that can't be mentioned without spoiling the story! Dang, what an awesome listen! Thanks for the good time, Mr. McNease!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Room at the Cliff's Edge: Detective Linda Mysteries, Book 1
: Mark McNease

I've listened to Mark McNease's Kyle Callahan series and was introduced to Detective Linda in them. This new series features her and her wife, a budding writer. A storm causes them to have to stay at a motel on their way to a writers retreat. This is where the story begins and takes you on a roller coaster ride.


The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed. Daniela Acitelli sometimes goes over the top, but it's not too bad.



"I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."

[Randi Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the way to a writer's retreat with her wife Kristen, retired detective Linda Sikorsky is forced by a storm to stop at a seedy wayside motel in Maine. When things go bump in the night, Linda can't help reverting to her old detecting habits. She learns of the murder of a reporter for a small local paper and uncovers old secrets that have been festering for years. This satisfying mystery ends with Linda and Kristin finally making it to the retreat and all is well, but they have a wild ride getting there.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery story revolves around a new murder, a decades old disappearance, set in a small town in Maine. A raging storm causes the chief protagonist and her wife to take refuge in a failing motel. Over the course of the next couple days, Linda, a retired detective solves the murder and clears up the mystery of the bicentennial disappearances. It just seemed too tidy.
I received this novel through a goodreads giveaway.

[Amber K · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first read by this author and I thought the story was interesting. I did have a little trouble getting into the beginning as the story seemed to be predictable. I was very pleased to find that after a few plot twists I was wrong. The audio narration was enjoyable and overall I found the story entertaining!

[Saskia Veldhuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook - excellent narration.
Story - after enjoying the books where (ex) Detective Linda worked together with Kyle Callahan, I was happy to try one with Linda investigating by herself (with her wife in tow). There weren't any big surprises, but the danger felt real, and there was a good amount of suspense.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"an unfortunate history of run-ins with murderers""
Linda (always known as Detective Linda by her friends, Kyle and Danny) and her wanna-be author wife, Kirsten, are forced by a major storm to take overnight shelter in a somewhat seedy small town hotel whilst en route to an holiday of hotel luxury.. Awake in the night, Linda hears muffled noises from the room next door followed by the sound of a car leaving. Intrigued that anyone would be driving away at that time of morning, she notices that the Golden(ish) car which had been parked next to theirs is missing, later to be found abandoned with the body of a young female journalist nearby.. Detective Linda's ex-police mental radar goes into overdrive as she drags her reluctant partner on a trail of discovery and danger rather than the relaxed holiday she had been anticipating.

More of a standard mystery thriller than the Pride series books (how I miss the lovely Danny and Kyle), Mark McNease has written an intriguing crime story peopled with colourful characters. Linda always has been a great personality and it is good to be able to get to know both her and her new wife better through this book and experience the closeness of the couple despite their obvious differences. His characters are always real people, not cyphers on a page. Like absent friends rather than imaginary ones.

The narration by Daniela Acitelli is good, clear and well paced (although I had to increase the audio speed to 1.25 for it to be comfortable to hear as I found her reading, at the regular speed, too long drawn out). She also voices the characters well, giving them even greater credibility. Overall, a good performance.
This was an enjoyable listen and I can recommend it to all mystery lovers and, if you are still unfamiliar with the companion Pride series, suggest you treat yourself to the pleasure of discovering new friends in those titles, also

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Last Room at the Cliff's Edge" is a short mystery novel which moves very quickly. We follow Cayley and then Linda and Kirsten as they travel to the Cliff's Edge motel, which is not on a cliff or an edge. There are almost too many characters as I found it somewhat difficult to keep straight in a short novel (about 170 pages). It moves very quickly in terms of length and the writing is middle of the road. I'm giving it three stars thanks to the fact that it's easy to read in one sitting, but I won't be continuing with the series. Please note that I received this book through a goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.

[Patty Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much.

I love the characters, Detective Linda and her wife, Kirsten. This book had twists that kept me interested until the end. I will definitely read another.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

KU
Good solid mystery/suspense with a twist at the end. Strong writing and story and I only missed Kyle a tiny little bit.