The Verdigris Witness: A Mara Venn Mystery

The room was sealed. The killer was inside. And the past had finally arrived. When billionaire Adrian Vale collapses inside his hurricane-proof observatory, the world watches him die. Five witnesses stand on the other side of the glass, powerless to help. The room is biometrically sealed. The security feeds show no intruder. There is no weapon, no struggle, and no way out. For Detective Mara Venn, the case is an impossible puzzle. But the crime scene holds a chilling message: three words written in the condensation, marked with the brilliant, toxic green of oxidized copper. Verdigris. As Mara peels back the layers of the Vale family's gilded empire, she discovers a web of secrets stretching back twenty years to a failed clinical trial and the unsolved hit-and-run death of her own mother. Every suspect has a motive, from the widow with a cold smile to Mara's own estranged brother-a toxicologist who knows exactly how to kill without leaving a trace. In a rain-drenched Seattle where wealth masks rot, Mara must decide how much she is willing to destroy to uncover the truth. Because the real killer isn't just protecting a fortune-they are erasing a legacy. And they know exactly what Mara is looking for. The Verdigris Witness is a gripping, high-tech locked-room mystery perfect for fans of forensic thrillers and complex psychological suspense. If you love fair-play puzzles, atmospheric settings, and twists you won't see coming, Al Monroe's debut novel is your next obsession.