A KILLER MOTIVE by Hannah Mary McKinnon - Spotlight, Excerpt, Q and A
A manipulative kidnapper gives a true crime podcaster one week to locate her brother’s best friend. If she succeeds, she’ll learn the truth about her brother’s disappearance six years ago, but if she fails, his friend will die.
You never know who’s listening.
To Stella Dixon, sneaking her teenage brother out of their parents’ house for a beach party was harmless fun—until Max disappeared without a trace.
Six years later, Stella’s family is still broken, and she can’t let go of her guilt. The only thing that keeps her going is helping other families find closure through "A Killer Motive," her true crime podcast.
In a bid to find new sponsors and keep making episodes, Stella goes on a local radio show. But when she says on air that if she had just one clue, she’d find Max and bring whoever hurt him to justice, someone takes it as a challenge.
A mysterious invitation to play a game arrives, with the promise that if Stella wins, she’ll get information about what happened to Max. Stella thinks it’s a sick joke…until Max’s best friend vanishes. And she’s given new instructions: tell nobody, or people will die.
Desperate and unable to trust anyone, Stella agrees. But beating a twisted, invisible enemy seems impossible when they make all the rules…
CHAPTER ONE
Shoving my hands under my thighs, I slid farther down the passenger seat and peered over the dashboard toward the darkened house at the end of the street. My pulse thudded in my neck like Morse code. For ten minutes, I’d willed the motion-activated porch lights to stay off. Hoped the heavy living room drapes with the silver ring print I’d been mesmerized by as a kid would remain closed, allowing us to stay undetected.
Tap-tap.
Already 9:47 p.m. Where was he?
The cloudless Maine sky had long transitioned from bright blue to bubble gum pink before
enveloping our corner of the East Coast in a blanket of rich black velvet. A cool breeze drifted
through the open car window, providing a welcome break from the searing early August temperatures.
Rain was on its way for Portland and beyond tomorrow, which would be a welcome relief. For now,
the sound of buzzing cicadas filled the Friday night air while this summer’s hottest anthem played on
a radio somewhere in the distance.
The classic smell of freshly cut grass invaded my nostrils, conjuring memories of picnics in the park,
running through sprinklers, and hands sticky from melting strawberry popsicles. Like those lazy days
years ago, tonight would be perfect. All I needed was for my brother to show up.
“Do you think he changed his mind, Stella?” Jeff said, his voice a gentle rumble.
Glancing at my boyfriend, I took in his dark blond hair, straight nose, and the sculpted stubble
accentuating a set of epic cheekbones. I let my gaze sweep across his toned biceps and chest.
Underneath the faded-but-somehow-still-fitted Alanis Morissette T-shirt was a set of rock-hard abs
I couldn’t wait to run my hands over again. Part of me almost wanted Max not to show up so we
could go straight home.
I reached for Jeff’s hand and squeezed it. “No, he’s too excited for the party. I bet he’s waiting for
Mom and Dad to fall asleep in front of the TV.”
Jeff laughed. “Way to make them sound ancient.”
My parents were fifty-one. I was about to reply that compared to Jeff’s twenty-four years and my
twenty-two, that was ancient, but the sight of Max emerging between a pair of fir trees stopped me.
With a mischievous grin on his face, he speed-walked toward us, his hands tucked into the pockets
of a Simpson's hoodie smiled at my baby brother. Baby was slightly unfair considering his eighteenth
birthday was under two weeks away, but I’d forever tease him about being four years younger. Max
didn’t mind. He knew that from the moment I first saw him in the hospital, swaddled in a bunny-print
blanket, his plump cheeks rosy red, I vowed I’d be the best big sister in the world.
Tonight, my solemn promise meant busting his grounded ass out of his minimum-security prison,
aka our parents’ house, so he could join Jeff and me at what would be the coolest party of the
weekend. Lighthouse Beach was a twenty-five-minute drive from Deering, the Portland neighborhood
where Max and I had grown up, and now I couldn’t wait to get going.
Max slid into the back seat of Jeff’s old red pickup truck. I turned around, laughing at my brother’s
beaming face and the perpetual impish twinkle in his green eyes, which looked so much like mine.
“We were about to leave,” I deadpanned. “Thought you’d chickened out.”
Max snorted. “As if.”
“Are we picking up Kenji?”
“He’s at his girlfriend’s, so he’ll meet us at the beach,” Max said, before jokingly adding, “He’d
better, considering he’s taking off next week. Some best friend he is, leaving me behind.”
“Hey,” I shot back with mock indignation. “I thought I was your best friend.”
“Are you two sure about this aiding and abetting?” Jeff cut in before Max could throw a good-natured
sibling zinger my way. “Your mom will go ballistic if she finds out.”
Max shrugged. “I don’t care. She’s way overprotective.”
“You know her reasons,” Jeff said.
We all did. Mom’s older brother died when she was nine and he was seventeen. It was terrible how
some asshole truck driver had run over our uncle, killing him instantly. Still, Max’s rebellion tonight
was fueled by the fact Mom had banned him from going to California with Kenji, saying it was too
far away, and Max was too young. They’d had a massive argument about it, which led to my brother
being grounded for the weekend, hence tonight’s great escape.
“I told them I was heading to bed,” Max said. “They never check, but I stacked my pillows under
the duvet just in case. Nobody will notice.”
“If they do, I’ll take the full blame.” I patted Jeff’s hand. “Max, we’ll drive you home. No
after-parties with Kenji, got it? What Mom and Dad don’t know can’t hurt them.”
“Sir, yes, sir.” Max gave me a salute. “Anyway, I’ll need some sleep. I’m volunteering at the clinic
tomorrow. Woolly had a mass removed and I want to be there for him.”
“Woolly?” Jeff said. “Dog or sheep?”
My brother grinned. “Giant Angora rabbit. He’s awesome.”
“You’re such a softie,” I said before letting out a whoop. “All right, let’s go. Lighthouse Beach,
here we come.”
Questions and Answers
ABOUT A KILLER MOTIVE
Back cover:
You never know who’s listening.
To Stella Dixon, sneaking her teenage brother out of their parents’ house for a beach party was
harmless fun—until Max disappeared without a trace.
Six years later, Stella’s family is still broken, and she can’t let go of her guilt. The only thing
that keeps her going is helping other families find closure through A Killer Motive,her true crime podcast.
In a bid to find new sponsors and keep making episodes, Stella goes on a local radio show. But
when she says on air that if she had just one clues she'dfind Max and bring whoever hurt him to justice, someone takes it as a challenge.
A mysterious invitation to play a game arrives, with the promise that if Stella wins, she’ll get
information about what happened to Max. Stella thinks it’s a sick joke…until Max’s best friend
vanishes. And she’s given new instructions: tell nobody or people will die.
Desperate and unable to trust anyone, Stella agrees. But beating a twisted, invisible enemy seems
impossible when they make all the rules…
Describe A KILLER MOTIVE in…
Four words: Fast-paced, surprising, twisted, devious
A sentence: In A Killer Motive, a twisted, manipulative kidnapper challenges a cold-case
podcaster to locate a recently abducted man with the promise that if she succeeds, the truth
about her brother, who went missing six years ago on her watch, will be revealed.
Tell us about the inspiration for A KILLER MOTIVE?
Typically, I can pinpoint where the idea for a book came from, but with this one it’s a little more
elusive. I remember wondering what a person might do if someone they deeply cared about
vanished, and how that might affect those left behind. What if I pushed it further and the main
character of my story blamed herself for the disappearance? How far would she go to find her
missing loved one if she was given a clue? The story grew legs from there.
How did you develop your main characters, Stella and her antagonist?
Stella’s psyche was relatively clear from the start, and I knew she’d feel responsible for Max’s
situation. I had no clue she was a true crime podcast host—that brilliant suggestion came from my
agent, Carolyn Forde. However, my antagonist’s identity eluded me for some time as I noodled
around the concept. Like Stella, there was a change in the villain’s profession. This switch was
thanks to my editor, Dina Davis, and I’m so glad because it works far better than my original idea.
What was the most difficult part of writing A KILLER MOTIVE?
There are a lot of twists and turns and red herrings, so keeping track of those (and the timelines),
plus making sure they were sufficiently tied up at the end was quite a challenge. There are also a
couple of fight scenes I asked my husband Rob to act out with me, so I could get the description of
the movements right. He’s always game for a laugh!
What kind of unique research did you do for A KILLER MOTIVE?
It’s hard to answer this question without giving anything away, as it’s related to the antagonist.
Suffice it to say that my research was eye-opening and quite disturbing.
What do you hope readers take away from A KILLER MOTIVE?
I always say I write to entertain and provide readers but I guess this time around I hope the story
will also challenge any preconceptions they might have, as writing the project did with mine.
Again, I can’t say more, or I’ll give away clues.
WRITING CAREER
Describe a typical day of your author life
I’m not sure there’s a typical day, which is also why I adore this career so much. I might be
walking around while muttering to myself about a new plot, pushing through the first draft of a
novel, working on edits, designing graphics, interacting with readers on social media, asking
people some seriously weird questions for research, or perhaps attending a conference. Most of the
time it’s a combination of any of the above. And I love it.
What’s your personal favorite story that you’ve written?
That’s a bit like asking if I have a favorite kid! My books all mean something to me for different
reasons.
The Neighbors was my first suspense. Her Secret Sonle things that remind me of my lads. Never Coming Home saved my sanity during the pandemic. A Killer Motive is special because it deals with a brother/sister relationship. I don’t have a brother, but my closest friend whom I love like a brother died a long time ago, so the relationship between Stella and Max is an homage to that.
What genre do you secretly wish you might write in?
I wrote two holiday romantic-comedies as Holly Cassidy (The Christmas Wager and The Christmas Countdown) and I loved writing those feel-good stories. I have a couple of
ideas in the vein of a Steven Rowley
or Clare Pooley book. Hopefully I’ll work on them in the future. It’s great to balance my dark stuff with something bright and cheerful.
PROCESS
You often say you’re a “heavy outliner.” Can you share what that means?
Essentially, I break my story into small steps, from beginning to end. While I don’t come up with every single twist, I have the main beats, which help me move my outline from one chapter to the next. Along with character interviews, I also build a photo gallery and a map of the area I’m dropping my cast into. It’s all quite detailed.
Do you know the ending before you start?
I like to say I think I know the ending. It gives me something to work toward, and a definitive character arc. For the last few novels, the endings have been very close to the ones I’d imagined, but that hasn’t always been the case.
What did you know about podcasting before writing A KILLER MOTIVE?
Other than listening to them…nothing! However, I researched them quite heavily, and I had the
pleasure of meeting Laurah Norton, host of the One Strange Thing and The Fall Line podcasts. Her pertinent questions really helped deepen Stella’s motivations for A Killer Motive. As a side note, if you have the opportunity to hear Laurah speak at a conference, grab it with both
hands because she’s incredible. Check out her podcasts, too.
What sort of routines and rituals do you do when writing?
There’s always a big jug of water nearby. I generally work in silence, or if I’m listening to music,
it’s instrumental chill out. Even then the volume is set quite low. I find it too distracting
otherwise.
My characters chatter enough in my head already, lol.
How do you know when a book is “done”?
Sometimes that’s deadline determined, but most often, when I send the first draft to my agent and
editor (which I’ll have gone over close to a dozen times already), it’s the absolute best I can make
it. At that point I need their help to bring it to the next level. Fresh eyes and input make a world of
difference! They’ll spot things and make suggestions I’d never have thought of. It’s awesome.
INSPIRATION
Where do you get your inspiration from?
All kinds of places. Something somewhere will catch my eye or my ears, and (for my thrillers)
I'll imagine what happened to a fictional person, what could still happen, and how I could make
it worse for them (sounds evil, I know…).
A house next door going up for sale (The Neighbors), a news report while I was at the gym (Ha radio segment about a woman trying to find the owner of a ring Sister Dear) , hearing about a
Toronto man who disappeared from a ski hill in Lake Placid (You Will Remember Me), watching the Guy Ritchie movie The Gentleman, wondering how he made me root for the bad guys (Never Coming Home).
With The Revenge List, it was after batting various plot ideas around with my agent Carolyn, and former editor Emily
that a random idea popped into my head: “What if an anger management group therapy exercise
went terribly wrong?” For Only One Survives tiny nugget of inspiration came from driving past a
dilapidated, abandoned house on which someone had spray painted Come Play. Shivers! A Killer Motive was
“characters with a boatload of guilt” driven, and I wanted to explore an older sister
younger brother relationship dynamic.
Where would you most like to set a book so that you can travel there for “research”?
Actually, I have a Swiss thriller in mind, more specifically in the Graubünden area, which is
stunning (honestly, you can’t go wrong visiting anywhere in Switzerland). Maybe a book in Bora
Bora or Costa Rica would be options, too. Those destinations have been high on my “must travel to”
list for eons.
Which authors have most inspired you and your work?
There are so, so many, it would be impossible to name them all. Stand-outs are Jennifer Hillier,
who’s one of my closest friends, and an incredible thriller author. David Nicholls, who writes
someof the best dialogue and heart-felt stories I’ve ever read, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. I still have a
complete character crush on Carrie Soto.
ADVICE
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Read as much and often as you can and listen to audio books because they’re so informative with
flow and cadence. Write, even if you think it’s terrible—you can’t edit an empty page. Another tip
someone suggested was to skip ahead if I couldn’t figure out a chapter or scene, that I should focus
on another part of the manuscript and trust myself enough to backfill later. It was revolutionary to
think that although a book is read in a linear fashion, it doesn’t have to be written that way.
Finally, share your work. It can be scary, but it’s the only way you’ll get feedback and improve your
craft.
If you could go back and tell yourself one thing when you were at the beginning of your writing career, what would it be?
Probably to take some creative writing courses, as they helped immensely, and were instrumental
in my getting an agent and my book deals. I’d also tell myself to celebrate the milestones I’ve
achieved before setting new ones. Stop for a minute, pat yourself on the back, and say,
“You did it!” Take a minute before chasing the next dream.
ABOUT ME
Tell us more about how you started writing
Writing novels wasn’t on my radar until we moved from Switzerland to Canada in 2010. When
we arrived, and my HR start-up company failed, it catapulted me into deciding what I wanted to
do next. My debut was a rom com called Time After Time (2016) a light-hearted story about paths not taken. After that I wanted to write grittier stories,
and quickly transitioned to the dark side of suspense before returning to rom-coms years later.
My thrillers are:
The Neighbors (2018)
Her Secret Son (2019)
Sister Dear (2020)
You Will Remember Me (2021)
Never Coming Home (2022)
The Revenge List (2023)
Only One Survives (2024)
A Killer Motive (2025)
My romantic-comedies are:
Time After Time (as Hannah Mary McKinnon – 2016)
The Christmas Wager (as Holly Cassidy – 2023)
The Christmas Countdown (as Holly Cassidy – 2024)
What’s your dream job other than being a novelist?
As a kid I wanted to be a lawyer or a police officer but at this point in my life it would be
working in TV or film albeit writing or directing, not in front of the camera. Maybe I’ll attempt
writing a screenplay one day. I have ideas…
What are some things you enjoy when not writing?
I read a lot (not really surprising!), I work out frequently (recently took up self-defense and
loving it), and I started drumming as I was writing Only One Survives Along with my family and work, that all keeps me well out of trouble!
Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?
As always, thank you for your continued and unwavering support. Readers, reviewers, bloggers,
bookstagrammers, librarians, book sellers—you amaze me with your generosity and creativity
every day. Thank you for your generosity, creativity, and everything you do for authors and
publishers!
WHAT’S NEXT
What are you working on now?
To be honest, it’s a little too early to divulge much, but I’m working on a deeply personal thriller
based on something that happened in my life many years ago. It was a daunting project to tackle,
but now I’ve started, I don’t want to stop. I’m excited to continue working on the story and share
details about it when I’m ready.
BIOS & SOCIALS
Bio short
Hannah Mary was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and now lives near Toronto, Canada with her
husband and three sons. Connect on socials @HannahMaryMckinnon, and visit
Bio medium
Internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland
and moved to Canada in 2010. Her eight suspense novels include, THE REVENGE LIST, ONLY ONE
SURVIVES, and A KILLER MOTIVE, and her work has been optioned for the screen. She also writes
holiday romantic comedies as Holly Cassidy. Hannah Mary lives in near Toronto, Canada with her
husband and three sons. Find her on socials @hannahmarymckinnon, and visit
www.hannahmarymckinnon.comfor more.
Bio long
Internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland
and moved to Canada in 2010. While her debut, TIME AFTER TIME, was a rom com, she transitioned
to the dark side thereafter. Her eight suspense novels include THE REVENGE LIST, ONLY ONE
SURVIVES, and A KILLER MOTIVE, and her work has been optioned for the screen. It’s rumored
Hannah Mary still has a softer side because she also writes holiday romantic comedies as Holly Cassidy,
including THE CHRISTMAS WAGER and THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN. Hannah Mary lives
near Toronto, Canada with her husband and three sons. Find her on socials @hannahmarymckinnon,
and visit www.hannahmarymckinnon.com for more.
Socials
Website: www.HannahMaryMcKinnon.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon (@hannahmarymckinnon)
Instagram: www.instagram.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon (@hannahmarymckinnon)
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/15144570.Hannah_Mary_McKinnon
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/hannah-mary-mckinnon
LinkTree: https://linhktr.ee/hannahmarymckinnon
After completing commercial studies in Geneva, I worked as a PA for DuPont. A year later, I moved to Neuchâtel and became the Purchasing Manager for a high-tech company that made motors for industrial and space applications. While working, I returned to university, studying part-time for a Bachelor of Science. And then a friend of a friend introduced me to another friend who’d started up an IT recruitment business. I joined the company in late 1995, and over the next fifteen years, I rose through the ranks to become CEO.
Things outside of work were hardly boring, either. A chance encounter back in the dark ages of the Internet in 1999 led me down the aisle with Rob, my Canadian rock, five months later. Actually, it was exactly ten weeks after we met face-to-face at the Saint John airport in New Brunswick, Canada – and we’re still married. True story. Our first son was born in 2003, followed by identical twin boys just sixteen months later, so I’m heavily outnumbered (and at 5ft8 officially the shortest of the family).
My writing career began after we moved to Oakville in Ontario, Canada in 2010. Maybe it was the failed attempt at a start-up company, or an early mid-life crisis, but one morning I decided to follow my oldest passion, started writing, and never wanted to look back. My first book was a romantic-comedy, but then I switched to the dark side of suspense (say it with me: muahahaha).
In 2023, I returned to the softer side with the holiday romantic-comedy The Christmas Wager, written as Holly Cassidy. If rom-coms aren’t your jam, fear not. More thrillers are coming your way.
Happy reading!
https://hannahmarymckinnon.com
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