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Only Ann Knows
Months after losing her only son in the Virginia Tech shooting, Ann Miller remains consumed by grief. The tragedy is made all the more jarring by her profession; she works for a gun rights organization. When she receives an AK-47 to deliver to her boss, the weapon inexplicably discharges, killing 13 people in a single, horrifying moment. Ann insists it was an accident. But was it? Or did the sorrow of losing her son drive her to a calculated act of violence?
In Only Ann Knows, Baird Smart crafts a riveting crime and mystery novel that unfolds with measured intensity. The courtroom drama echoes the legal tension of John Grisham’s best work, yet Smart’s voice remains distinct. The narrative hinges on a single, devastating question: Did Ann pull the trigger on purpose?
What elevates this novel is its commitment to character. Ann is an enigma, vulnerable, composed, inscrutable. Smart reveals just enough of her inner life to make her real, while withholding enough to keep her mysterious. She is, in every way, the novel’s anchor.
Smart manipulates reader expectation with impressive precision. Just when you think you understand Ann’s motives, new details shift your perspective. This is not a story that offers easy answers.
Equally compelling are the two FBI agents assigned to the case, distinct in temperament and method, yet both indispensable to the investigation. Their dynamic adds further layers to a narrative already thick with ambiguity and moral complexity.
Timely in theme and meticulous in execution, Only Ann Knows is a masterclass in suspense. Few novels manage to maintain this level of tension without veering into melodrama. Fewer still offer a conclusion that feels both shocking and entirely earned. Smart delivers both.
Only Ann Knows is a gripping, immersive thriller that doesn’t let go. A standout in the genre, thought-provoking, emotionally charged, and impossible to predict.
Pages: 371 | ASIN : B0D8R9LRB2
A Murderous Rampage
Retribution follows a detective investigating several connected murders who suspects the killer may not be human but a supernatural being. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Retribution started out as a short story. I knew it was unusual and a little disturbing, but it wasn’t until I’d finished it that I realised the potential for a longer story. The original short story is featured in the book. It helps explain the origin of the killer.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
After finishing the last few paragraphs of the short story, I had a good idea of where I wanted to go with it, but, as I progressed, a lot of the scenarios came as I wrote. It is the same with all my stories, they evolve during writing.
What was the hardest part about writing a mystery story; were you constantly having to give just enough to keep the mystery alive until the big reveal?
Yes. In Retribution, the killer is described fairly early on and then the real mystery becomes – What It is, where It came from, and why It’s on a murderous rampage, giving more detail as the story unfolds.
What is the next book you are writing, and when will that be published?
I am working on two books. One is a sequel to my short horror stories collection Down a Dark Path, and the other is a book of flash fiction containing dark, macabre, and unusual tales. The flash fiction book will be out first. I’m working on a cover for it and have a little editing to do before publishing. I’m hoping to get it done before the end of the year.
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