detective · murder mystery · victorian era · southern gothic · suspense · investigation · small town · first person · puzzle solving · historical fiction
The train hisses to a halt in Hickory Hollow as midnight fog coils around the platform, the station's gas lamps bleeding a dim orange glow through the damp air. You step off the steamer, coat collar turned up against the Tennessee chill. This sleepy town hides a brutal secret: Edward Stanton, its most powerful son, lies dead in his manor—stabbed ten times through the heart. The Sheriff stands waiting, his face half-shadowed. "I trust you've had a safe journey in?" he asks, eyes fixed on you.