A Novel of Second Chances

The farmhouse
remembers everything.

Martin came home broken, chasing one fragment of memory that wouldn't let him heal.

Inside the abandoned house of his childhood, he finds a pregnant teenager hiding from the local sheriff who hurt her. With his neighbor Bill and his friend Crook, Martin builds a case for justice — and becomes the prime suspect when the sheriff turns up dead.

★★★★☆ 4.3 out of 5 — 49 Amazon ratings
Martin, Crook, & Bill book cover — a watercolor figure standing in snow
KINDLE EDITION · 335 PAGES
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The Story

A house built to hold secrets. A man who came back to face them.

When Martin Webster returns to the abandoned farm of his childhood, he's a broken man clinging to one final hope for healing — a fragmented memory that won't let him find peace.

Inside the house, he discovers Cassandra, a pregnant teenager hiding after being raped by the local sheriff. Martin befriends her, and together with his neighbor Bill and his friend Crook from the hospital, he forms a small, unlikely alliance to find justice.

"A story of second chances and healing — and page-turning suspense."

When the sheriff is found murdered, Martin becomes the prime suspect in a case he never meant to be part of.

Who This Book Is For

You'll want to read this if...

01

You love slow-burn suspense

A mystery that builds through memory and grief as much as through plot — patient, atmospheric, and quietly tense.

02

Small towns fascinate you

A story where everyone knows everyone, and that's exactly what makes the truth so dangerous to uncover.

03

You're drawn to stories of healing

Trauma, justice, and second chances sit at the center of this book — suspense with real emotional weight.

04

You enjoy layered perspectives

Multiple points of view weave together into a single unfolding mystery, told with an unconventional structure.

Field Notes From Readers

What readers are saying

4.3
★★★★☆ out of 5 · 49 Amazon ratings
Reader Account 01

"A gripping story that pulls you in from page one and holds on until a genuinely satisfying final page."

— Amazon reader review
Reader Account 02

"Told from a refreshingly different angle, with characters that feel real and a plot that keeps unfolding."

— Amazon reader review
Reader Account 03

"The characters feel completely authentic — one of the more believable casts I've read in a long time."

— Amazon reader review
Reader Account 04

"The house becomes a mirror for Martin's unraveling mind — a smart, layered piece of storytelling."

— Amazon reader review
Donna Nitz Muller, author of Martin, Crook, & Bill
About the Author

Donna Nitz Muller

South Dakota farm → Colorado

I grew up on a farm in South Dakota. Yes, it is true — my high school graduating class totaled 21. On the surface this world may seem enclosed. On the contrary, we had immense freedom. We had no fear of strangers, no drugs beyond a six-pack on Friday night. We had a sense of place. We had ritual and tradition.

This being said, we also had little room for the unusual or the unique, though we honored talent within the acceptable range. We were emotionally and sexually suppressed. We understood history. We could be cruel.

I rode my bicycle into town for softball practice, and cars lined the fence-line when we played a game. I drove a tractor and broke off the hitch turning too sharp at the end of a row. I could outrun a charging bull — but not far.

Colorado is my home now. I am tending toward the life of a hermit, though everything inside of me believes the young must participate in the activities of life. Let's find that needle in a haystack.

View Author Page on Amazon →
Martin, Crook, & Bill book cover
Get the Book

Martin, Crook, & Bill

by Donna Nitz Muller, illustrated by Sarah Nitz — Kindle Edition, also available in paperback.

PublisherKerkvliet Books
PublishedJuly 25, 2011
Length335 pages
Rating4.3 / 5 — 49 reviews
FormatKindle & Paperback
GenreSuspense / Literary Fiction
Contact

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