Anita Coffee Thomas
Blood Will Tell · 2023
A novel
Blood Will Tell
The year is 1971. Amanda Blackstone wants to be an investigative reporter. Her paper makes her the society columnist — until she overhears a threat at a debutante reception.
Mysteries from the last days of the newsroom.
Kindle $9.49 Paperback $18.99 Hardcover $27.99 Audiobook $13.65
What the critics said
“An entertaining beach read with the potential for a sequel.”
“A fresh, engaging debut that will please fans of the genre.”
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
The book
A rookie reporter, a suspicious suicide, and a secret worth killing for
Set in 1971 in the fictitious coastal town of Compton, North Carolina, Blood Will Tell follows Amanda Blackstone on her quest to become a hotshot investigative reporter. An early assignment at her first job leads her into the corrupt world of the town’s wealthiest and most powerful man, where an overheard threat uncovers corporate embezzlement, a suspicious suicide, blackmail, and a long-buried family secret that ends in murder.
Seasoned reporter Patrick Maguire tries to rein in Amanda’s impulsive instincts while together they navigate the ethical and physical dangers of reporting during the backdrop of the turbulent 1970s. As her feelings for Pat grow, Amanda realizes her rookie mistakes may have put both their lives in danger.
Listen
Narrated by Anita herself
Where to get it
Anita recorded the audiobook in her own voice with Heir Media Productions in Wilmington. Eight and a half hours, one reporter, one very bad year in Compton.
Audio sample slot — 60 to 90 seconds
Needs the clip file from the author
Meet Anita
She spent a career inside a newsroom. Then she wrote one.
Anita grew up in northeast Florida and earned her B.A. in English from Florida State University. She married her childhood sweetheart, but was widowed at 28. She spent 20 years in advertising in Atlanta before moving to Wilmington, North Carolina, in 2000, where she spent ten years as the Publisher’s Assistant at the local daily newspaper, the StarNews.
That publishing background gave her the inspiration and the setting for her debut novel, begun after her retirement in 2014.
The assignment was to spend thirty minutes writing a scene in which two or more characters are in conflict.
CONTACT
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Anita Coffee Thomas
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THE WIRE
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An occasional letter — new writing, events, and the odd essay about newspapers. No more than once a month.
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Anita Coffee Thomas
Author of Blood Will Tell. Wilmington, North Carolina.
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