Alex Shifmanmade a very convincing case for pushing first chapters back into the wild, so here we are.

Think cosy mystery set in Wellington, New Zealand — then crack it open and let the cursed objects, old secrets, and dark humour crawl out.

The Murder Coat begins in a vintage shop with a middle-aged woman who walks her cat on a leash, a landlady who interferes professionally, and a coat that should never have resurfaced.

It’s a slow-burn mystery with cold cases, sharp humour, and Gen X women who refuse to vanish quietly, politely, or on anyone else’s schedule.

Chapter One lives here.  👇🏼