Series: Bones & Betrayals, Book 1
Author(s): Erica Marks & Andi Ewington
Artist: Calum Alexander Watt
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/4Wfno1Z
Amazon US: https://a.co/d/8oV1QSD
Blurb
“A magical murder mystery filled with magnificent mirth and mayhem.”
Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragons)
”Bones and Betrayals: Silence of the Dead is a must-read for anyone who likes their mystery with a dash of tongue-in-cheek humor and a pinch of zippity-pow.”
Jodie Crump (Witty & Sarcastic Book Club)
”This novel delivers the perfect amount of bang for your entertainment buck. A satisfying combination of mystery, tension, magic, and stupid jokes and puns.”
HC Newton (Irresponsible Reader)
Murder has come to the city of Tronte…
Holtar didn’t become a necromancer for the prestige—he did it because talking to the dead is marginally easier than dealing with the living. Unfortunately, his latest case has given him a fresh problem: the corpses aren’t talking.
No last words. No cryptic riddles. Just silence. And silence, as it turns out, is very bad when your job depends on listening to the dead speak of their final moments.
With only a snarky, possessed skull called Seymour as his companion, Holtar must unravel a conspiracy that threatens both the living and the dead—one that grows more tangled, absurd, and dangerously personal with every once-bitten pastry.
Silence of the Dead is a fantasy mystery with the wit of a detective comedy—where necromancy is just another thankless job, the dead refuse to talk, and the killer has an unsettling passion for pastry-based clues.
Below is a link to a FREE Prequel short story featuring Holtar and Seymour.
https://bookhip.com/CAXAWPM
About the Creators
Andi Ewington is a writer with a diverse portfolio of comic titles to his name, including Forty-Five45, Warhammer 40k, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Rogue Trooper, The Hero Interviews, Campaigns & Companions, Tales from the Black Museum, Tharg’s Futureshocks, S6X, Sunflower, Red Dog, Dark Souls II, Just Cause 3, Freeway Fighter, and Vikings. When he’s not writing books, Andi works as a computer game consultant—living out his childhood dreams one pixel at a time. He lives in Surrey, England, surrounded by a cherished collection of classic RPGs and Choose Your Own Adventure gamebooks he refuses to part with. Social handles: @AndiEwington or @Butwin
Erica Marks discovered her love for storytelling in the third grade with her comedic short story, Grounded in Manure. From that moment on, she embraced the art of crafting fantastical worlds—sometimes from the most unexpected places. Over the years, she has refined her skills through freelance writing and editing, continually expanding her creative horizons. In 2025, she joined Black Library, with her debut Warhammer 40k story set to launch in 2026—introducing thrilling new adventures to the universe. Social handles: @EricaMarks or @EricaMMarks
Calum Alexander Watt is a freelance concept artist and illustrator working in the entertainment industry. He has created costume concepts for Neill Blomkamp (Alien and Zygote), Lucasfilm (Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker, Solo A Star Wars Story), character designs for Pixar (Lightyear) and storyboarded for Blur Studios and Tim Miller (Terminator and Love, Death and Robots). He lives and works in the UK, somewhere near the sea with his wife, twin daughters and 2.9 cats.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Gerwin Thale knew he was dying the moment the poison reached his stomach.
At first, it was just an uncomfortable warmth, a slow bloom in his chest, like a fine brandy, tricking him into thinking all was well. His fingers tingled. Gerwin stared at them, uncertain what to do about the strange sensation. His vision blurred at the edges, the flickering lanternlight above his desk warping unnaturally.
He dropped his quill and gasped, clutching his abdomen. Ink splattered across his ledger, soaking into the parchment, ruining the last word on the page.
His mind clawed through the haze, reaching for the final thing he remembered before the heat turned sharply cold and spread through his veins. Someone else had been here—hadn’t they? He had been making a deal or closing one?
His thoughts slid away from him, stolen like a merchant’s purse by an opportunistic thief.
Gerwin’s shop—his precious little mark on the world, tucked into the deepest corner of Tronte, blurred in and out of focus. Shelves stacked high with artefacts and trinkets, some worth a fortune, others only looked that way. But the real trade had been his greatest secret. The kind of secret that could get a man killed if he wasn’t careful.
A man like Gerwin Thale.
His chest felt heavy as if a block of ice had frozen his lungs. This wasn’t just poison—this was something worse. Something unholy. He tried to move his lips, to whisper a prayer, a curse, a cry for help—anything.
Nothing came.
A shadow lurked just beyond his fading vision—a presence. Silent. Watching. Waiting.
Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
And so was he.
In the cold stillness of Gerwin Thale’s Olde Curiosity Shoppe, a murder had just been committed.
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