Her First Mistake

Noelle Marshall, Book 1

By: Kendra Elliot

Narrated by: 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.

Critic reviews

“This will satisfy…”—Publishers Weekly

“As in any good thriller, the narration, the dialogue and the action draw us deeper and deeper into the life of the main character.”—Bookreporter

“Cold cases inevitably provide great fodder for crime thrillers, and Kendra Elliot proves remarkably adept at mining that trope with her latest sizzler of a story, Her First Mistake.”—Jon Land, BookTrib

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.

Deceit

Story of love, friendship, how drugs change people, murder, how one can doubt themselves, and most of all deceit of someone you think you can trust.

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.

annoying nasal voice

The story wasn’t my fav of Kendra Elliot story but still enjoyed it. This is the second book I’ve listened to with this narrator, and in the future, I’ll read any by her with my eye not ears. Her performance was welll done but I was always distracted by the nasally sound.

The Highs and Lows of Her Life

I liked Noelle from the beginning of the book! I liked getting to know her family! I liked all of the FBI agents in the book.