Real Blood. Real Procedures. Real Community.

The Durham Chronicles

A grounded, gritty mystery series set in the hills of northern Vermont, where the community runs deep, the secrets run deeper, and one veteran’s instincts and training may be the only thing standing between a killer and a clean getaway.

What Readers Can Expect

• Real Blood → Cases that go to hard places with authentic forensic and investigative detail. No shortcuts, no looking away.
• Real Procedures → Ren Murphy is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and Military Intelligence officer. She works a case like one too.
• Real Community → Durham, Vermont is a small town with long memories, complicated loyalties, and secrets that don’t stay buried.

Peak Deception coming 2026

Susan M. Kelleher is a former deputy sheriff and Navy veteran whose love of true crime and real police procedure found its way onto the page. She writes the kind of mysteries she wants to read, grounded in real investigative method, set in a community that feels lived in, and led by a protagonist who doesn’t flinch.