Two Novels, One Relationship: Writing Ghosts of Days Gone By and To The Bone Side by Side

 

What happens when a marriage comes apart—but both partners keep investigating?

That question is at the heart of Ghosts and To The Bone, two new novels written to unfold on parallel tracks. Each book tells a complete story. Each stands on its own. But read them together—in any order—and you’ll experience something rare: a dual perspective on a fractured relationship, told through two cases that echo far beyond their crimes.

In Ghosts, veteran detective John Keegan finds himself at the center of a high-profile homicide while navigating the unwanted spotlight of a true-crime TV show based on his past. In To The Bone, Pauline McCrory Keegan steps away from the life they built together—and right into a missing person case that hits far closer to home than she expected.

They’re not working together. In fact, they’re barely speaking. But the choices each of them makes ripple through the other’s story.

💔 Writing Through the Wreckage of a Relationship

These aren’t just crime stories. They’re character studies wrapped in mystery. The cases give both John and Pauline something to solve—but the real investigation, for each of them, is internal.

How do you keep going when the person you once leaned on becomes someone you can’t even talk to?

What does justice mean when you’re not sure you deserve it?

I wanted to tell two different kinds of detective stories at once. Not just different in tone or pace, but different in emotional lens. John sees the world through grit and discipline, always trying to stay one step ahead of the damage. Pauline sees the emotional aftermath more clearly—and sometimes more painfully.

🤖 Finding Pauline’s Voice (and Losing the Training Wheels)

I’ll admit something: I had never written from a woman’s point of view before To The Bone. At least, not for an entire novel.

In the early stages, I used AI as a kind of sparring partner. I’d feed it scenes or snippets and ask it to rework them with a different emotional cadence, or suggest how Pauline might internalize certain moments. It wasn’t about copying what the AI said—it was about learning to hear a voice that wasn’t mine.

What surprised me most was how quickly I grew out of it.

Once I understood Pauline’s rhythm—her vulnerability, her restraint, her sharper edges—I didn’t need the training wheels anymore. In fact, using AI became less helpful over time. I had found her. I knew what she’d notice. What she’d hide. What she wouldn’t say out loud.

And from that point on, To The Bone became one of the most personal books I’ve ever written.

🛒 Read Them in Any Order. Just Don’t Miss Either.

If you’re the kind of reader who loves character-driven crime, if you’ve ever wondered what both sides of a relationship look like during crisis, if you’re curious how two people can live the same week so differently—these books are for you.

Read Ghosts first, then To The Bone.
Or reverse it.

There’s no wrong way in. There’s just more to see with both.

👉 Preorder both books now: https://amzn.to/3YZPYn1

And if you do read them both, let me know which one hit you harder.

Because for John and Pauline, the mystery isn’t just who did it. It’s who they are when everything else is stripped away.