Sign-In
Cart
The Winterstone Murder: An Unconventional Forensic Mystery
Paperback
Series: The Woodhead & Becker Mysteries, Book 1
Publisher Price: $19.99
ISBN13: 9781036715748
Publisher: Vinci Books Ltd
Published: Oct 20 2026
Pages: 384
Weight: 0.74
Height: 0.96 Width: 5.06 Depth: 7.81
Language: English
A forensic procedural that introduces an investigator odd couple: a toxicologist with a bloodhound's nose for chemistry and a federal agent running out of second chances. Campus-set crime fiction where academic rivalry, research funding and rare poisons make a murder look like an overdose.
A poisoned grad student. A medieval chapel. And two investigators with everything to prove.Dr. Kep Woodhead isn't known for his people skills. He's known for his unmatched nose--literally. A brilliant forensic toxicologist with a supersensitive sense of smell and a reputation for being impossible to work with, he's the last person you'd expect to lead a federal investigation.
Bernadette Becker is on thin ice. After a botched federal sting left her career in ruins, this case is her last shot at redemption. When she's paired with Woodhead to solve the suspicious death of a graduate student at a prestigious university in Milwaukee, it's clear neither of them is thrilled about the arrangement.
The victim was found inside a 15th-century chapel on campus, a syringe sticking out of his arm--and a rare hallucinogen in his bloodstream. But this wasn't a drug overdose. It was murder.
As Woodhead and Becker dig deeper, they uncover a tangled web of academic rivalries, buried secrets, and a controversial research project involving invasive sea lampreys--creatures as slippery and dangerous as the people protecting them. With funding on the line and reputations at stake, nearly everyone involved had a reason to keep the victim quiet.
But the more pressure Becker and Woodhead apply, the more resistance they meet--from inside the university and beyond. Someone is watching their every move. And if they're not careful, the next body found in that chapel might be one of their own.
Smart, propulsive, and packed with forensic intrigue, The Winterstone Murder is the explosive first entry in the Woodhead & Becker Mystery Series. Perfect for fans of Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, and Tana French, this tightly plotted procedural introduces a dynamic new investigative duo in a world where science cuts through lies--and justice comes at a cost.
Start The Winterstone Murder today and follow two unforgettable investigators into a deadly academic underworld where truth is toxic, and secrets don't stay buried.
This book was originally published under the title Ceremony.
Also from
Ardoin, Paul Austin
The Winterstone Murder: A Hardboiled Mystery where Poison Meets Biotech
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Executive Murder: A Riveting Mystery of Biotech Secrets and Corporate Corruption
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
From Zero to Four Figures: Making $1000 a Month Self-Publishing Fiction
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Disloyal Coroner: A Gripping Hardboiled Mystery with Twists and Secrets
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Digital Coroner: A Hardboiled Mystery Full of Secrets in the Desert
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Reluctant Coroner: A Hardboiled Mystery of Family, Power, and Murder (Large Print Edition)
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Incumbent Coroner: A Coastal California Mystery of Murder and Deception (Large Print Edition)
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Candidate Coroner: A Hardboiled Mystery Full of Twists (Large Print Edition)
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Upstaged Coroner: A Shakespeare Theatre Murder Mystery (Large Print Edition)
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Courtroom Coroner: A Hardboiled Locked Room Mystery (Large Print Edition)
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Watchful Coroner: A Hardboiled Mystery Full of Twists (Large Print Edition)
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Incumbent Coroner: A Coastal California Mystery of Murder and Deception
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
A Time for Murder: A Hardboiled Murder Mystery with a Time-Travel Twist
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
The Reluctant Coroner: A Hardboiled Mystery of Family, Power, and Murder
Ardoin, Paul Austin
Paperback
Also in
Mystery & Thriller
Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues
Bantock, Nick
Hardcover
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Movie Tie-In Edition): Book 1 of the Millennium Trilogy
Larsson, Stieg
Paperback
The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes
Bantock, Nick
Hardcover
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River
Lawhon, Ariel
Hardcover
Big Little Truths: Reese's Book Club: A Novel: The Sequel to Big Little Lies
Moriarty, Liane
Hardcover
The Altar of Pergamon: The Mystery of the Dark Angel and the Future of the World
Cahn, Jonathan
Hardcover