Mitchell S. Karnes
MITCHELL S. KARNES is a husband, father of seven, and grandfather of nine. Mitchell uses his experience and insights as a minister, counselor, and educator to write and speak on challenging issues and concerns with an ever-growing audience. He has published five novels, three short stories, a one-act play, and numerous Bible study lessons, Mitchell is now working on a new series featuring Abbey Rhodes, a Nashville Homicide Detective. The first book, Water Grave, came out January 29, 2025 from WordCrafts Press.
Through two separate battles against Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, God has given Mitchell a new perspective on life that challenges him to create stories not only to entertain audiences but call them to action. Mitchell’s mission is to reach and reconcile those who have been disillusioned with God and His church and inspire the church to live out the love of Christ Jesus in a broken and hurting world.
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SUMMARY of BOOK ONE:
Six years ago, Hannah Leah Abelard needed a fresh start. She changed her name to Abbey Rhodes and enlisted in the United States Army as a part of the “Ever Vigilant,” 18th Military Police Brigade. They taught her how to be a great cop. Abbey moved to Tennessee three years later and joined Metro Nashville’s Police Department.
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Now, in her third month with Homicide, Abbey is thrust into a case that may bring the walls she built crashing down around her, exposing a dark past she thought she’d left behind. A young pastor is found dead in the bottom of his baptistery and Abbey is forced to investigate the one place she swore never to return—the church. The case takes Abbey deeper into a tangled web of lies and secrets where the most dangerous ones may be her own.
SUMMARY of BOOK TWO:
Abbey Rhodes is pulled in two directions when Susan Ripley pleads for her help investigating a series of disappearances in one of Nashville’s homeless camps. Abbey originally declines because she is deep into a double murder in the East Bank development involving a billionaire’s son, but she begins to realize the two cases are connected.
SUMMARY of BOOK THREE
Detective Abbey Rhodes is drawn into a series of complex murders after receiving threatening messages from Skylar, a teenage psychopath she previously helped incarcerate. Each victim is discovered face down, with letters carved into their hands and foreheads, indicating a meticulously staged crime.
As Abbey delves deeper into the investigation, she uncovers a pattern and realizes the murders are a part of a larger plan orchestrated by Skylar and an unknown accomplice. Abbey must also confront her own traumatic past and complicated relationships, including her growing feelings for Dallas.
