Her First Mistake

Noelle Marshall, Book 1

De: Kendra Elliot

Narrado por: Stephanie Németh-Parker

When a very personal cold case murder is reopened, a detective’s secrets come to light in a novel of shocking twists and suspense by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

Thirteen years ago, Assemblyman Derrick Bell was murdered in his home by an intruder. His wife, Noelle Marshall, was left for dead. The crime was unsolved, but it wasn’t forgotten.

Today the FBI is tackling a fresh perspective on the case and looking to Noelle, now a detective for the Deschutes County sheriff’s office, for new clues. It is reopening everything Noelle thought was behind her. Memories of her escape from a traumatic childhood. A marriage that wasn’t the perfect love story she’d been promised. And a husband whose charm and privilege hid a dark side. But Noelle has been hiding something too: a secret about the night Derrick died that she has never told anyone.

As past and present and leads and misleads collide, one thing is frighteningly clear. Derrick’s murder wasn’t just unsolved. It’s unfinished. And only the truth—no matter the risk—can save the next victim.

©2025 Oceanfront Press LLC. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“This will satisfy…”—Publishers Weekly

Can’t wait for the next book

Love anything Kendra Elliot! I was so excited for this book and a new series. I thought it was a great book and I can’t wait to see what’s next for this series.

Boy howdy!

Boy howdy! Kendra Elliot keeps me guessing again. I believe I have read all of Ms. Elliot's books as well as those she jointly writes with Melinda Leigh. Every time I begin one of her books I tell myself not to second guess. Darn, but all those red herrings and duplicitous characters get me going off on a tangent. Usually, I am able to redirect and simply enjoy what will happen next. This book was no exception. Characters, setting descriptions, plot, subplots and law enforcement - it all works seamlessly throughout to create a fine read. BTW, I listened to this interactively with Audible and ebook. Hats off to Stephanie Nemeth-Parker for a great narration - both female and male characters. I did not have to wince once over the voices.

Guessing

This book kept you on your toes!! Enjoyed it and can’t wait for next one !

Her first mistake

Of course the books get better and better I love this book and all the others The characters become like fictional family and friends and I love how the characters sometimes merge together in different books and sometimes another character is added for us readers to meet. My favorite is Mercy Kilpatrick storyline but certainly every book and book series are 100 percent amazing. Narration perfect as always.

Great new series

Loves the flow of the story and how you were kind of left guess on who did it. Can't wait for the next book!

Is it love - or abuse?

Well written with intriguing relationships. A woman was slowly immersed in what she didn't recognize wasn't love. I could see myself and what happened in my marriage develop in the same way. Must have been very well researched. The story was excellent and made sense.
The vocal performance was ver well done!

WOW, just wow

Another outstanding book from Kendra Elliot. The book starts a little slow but soon is moving along at a perfect pace. The story moves back and forth from the present to the past, which provides the listener/reader with the characters history while at the same time moving the book forward. I only put this book down once I order to get some sleep, it was that gripping of a story. Loved the fact that characters from other series showed up in the book, Mercy Kilpatrick being one of them, and one of my favorite characters. I can’t wait until the next book.

Slow start, but a good ending.

This story started out slow and kept jumping from one time to another, but I am glad I stuck with it through my confusion until the end! You will get to hear about characters we have met in this author's other stories, while learning more about Noel's past and what makes her tick. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, but hopefully it will take place mostly in the present!

Great Read !!

Great mystery
Good character development with realistic life experiences
Loved the main character- hope there are more

morally gray in a good way

interesting ending with a twist I didn't expect. the romantic interest was very low key and just a background part of the overall story. I like how she links her stories to her previous books. her characters are not perfect people, they have issues,make mistakes and are more interesting for it. and for murder mysteries they all have strong family connections in her books