˗ˏˋ 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 1 ━━ 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬. ˊˎ˗
( 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑤𝑛𝑠 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 )
it started with a game. and ended with a fire. . . . in a game of chess or poker, how can you defeat that person who wants everything? we'll tell you what, for the past couple of months of living in this twisted murder mystery, we happened to learn that after playing a deadly game is that in order to win, you have to fight fire with fire. no matter what the consequences are. . .
━━
In this tale that brings similarities of Pretty Little Liars and The Scream Franchise, an anonymous killer who goes by the alias, "𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠", terrorizes two high school students, Elliott Newman and April Spring, in a twisted game of chess, cat and house, and poker. The kids team up with fellow students at the boarding school known as Blackwood Academy to come up with strategic ways to put an end to Cards' torment.
( 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 )
A criminal mastermind makes a bold move against a wealthy client to put himself in a position to retire in comfort. He has no idea what he's up against when a young widow, desperate to make ends meet, sets her eyes on earning the bounty set on his head.
***
Newly widowed housewife Melody Scott needs to earn some major cash, fast. When her bright and busy children learn that a priceless ruby bracelet has been stolen and a six-figure reward is being offered, they convince her to try to do what the police, museum security, and the best private investigators have failed to do. Working against them is a notorious thief who has met people from around the world, but who has never once encountered a woman like Melody Scott. When the sweet innocence of the Scott family clashes against criminal forces more dangerous than they ever imagined, Melody is all too aware that a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do to protect her family.
The Widow, Melody Scott is a 2021 Watty Award Winner!
Content Warning: This story does contain depictions of stalking behavior.