Suspense · Thriller · Horror · Dark Romantasy
Kendall Kirkbride writes stories shaped by secrets, obsession, and the dangerous space between what we know and what we fear.
Discover the writing
The Elliott Mercer series · Book one
Twenty-five years after his little sister vanished, Elliott Mercer returns to Blackridge. The story his hometown has told about Emma may be wrong.
The Dead Gods · Book one
The gods have been dead for centuries. Then Dr. Sera Voss discovers a heartbeat where there should be none.
The Elliott Mercer series · Book two
A disappearance. Years of sightings. A body beneath Room Six.
Book two is officially available for Kindle preorder. Regular sales begin on publication day, November 17, 2026.
Kendall Kirkbride is an Ohio-based author whose work moves through psychological suspense, crime thriller, gothic mystery, horror, and dark romantasy.
Her debut novel, The Quiet Between Us, opens the Elliott Mercer series, followed by Where the Missing Go and What the Dead Remember. Her dark romantasy novel, When Gods Wake, is the first book in the planned five-book series The Dead Gods.
Outside of writing, Kendall is a licensed chemical dependency counselor working as a primary therapist in substance-use treatment. She earned her undergraduate degree in criminal justice and is pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, with concentrations in addiction counseling and forensic counseling, as she prepares for doctoral study in forensic psychology.
Kendall lives on a small Ohio homestead with her wife, Missy, their teenage daughter, a houseful of deeply loved—and thoroughly spoiled—dogs and cats, and an ever-growing collection of books and houseplants.
A note from Kendall
Kendall began drafting and developing several of her novels in tandem before publishing her debut. The close release dates reflect years of overlapping writing, revision, and interconnected planning—not books conceived and completed within a matter of weeks.
For reader messages, media inquiries, and book-related correspondence.
hello@kendallkirkbride.com