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Rich Odell

Author

Finding Mabel

Finding Mabel

After twenty eight years of service, one mistake could cost Sergeant Joyce Turner her pension.

Her only alternative – to transfer to a quiet rural village that does not officially exist.

Books & Stories

Historical supernatural mysteries grounded in documented research, threaded with the supernatural.

Finding Mabel book cover

Finding Mabel

Book Two of the Easterwich Series

In 1967, a serving police sergeant begins asking why an English coastal town was quietly removed from the map. Her questions awaken a long dormant office within Whitehall, still loyal to the secret it was created to keep.

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The Corpse Door book cover

The Corpse Door

Book One of the Easterwich Series

In 1897, a farmhouse is torn apart in a single night. What survives the wreckage should not exist in the mortal realm.

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About the Author

Richard Odell writes historical mystery fiction where documented research meets the supernatural. Spanning late Victorian England through the upheavals of the twentieth century, his work draws on policing reform, intelligence history, folklore, and occult tradition.

The historical foundations of each project are examined in accompanying long-form research essays.

Historical Research & Context

Every story begins with careful research. As a lifelong student of history, I examine the events, policing reforms, intelligence operations, folklore, and occult traditions that shaped each era, drawing on primary sources and clearly presented citations.

Edwardian Occult & Secret Societies

A period rich in esoteric movements, spiritualist claims, and discreet societies that shaped thought, power, and belief in the Edwardian era. Each topic is grounded in documented research to capture the atmosphere and tensions of this remarkable time.

Mid-20th Century Secrecy

An age of world wars, global depression, and national reconstruction. Research here explores the occult, folklore, and countercultural currents of the Age of Aquarius, alongside the cults that attracted a generation shaped by the long shadow of war and the rise of nuclear power.

Method & Citation System

Articles use numbered in-text citations linked to a structured Works Cited section with return anchors, allowing readers to verify sources while staying within the flow of the piece.

Source Hierarchy

Primary documents, archival records, academic publications, and institutional material form the foundation. Secondary sources provide context, interpretation, and connective tissue, but do not replace first-order evidence.

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Readable, Not Academic

Narrative flow comes first. Depth follows through evidence rather than jargon. Structural formatting is used only when clarity requires it.

How Research Becomes Story

Transparent Citations

Numbered in-text citations link to a structured Works Cited section, styled for clarity and equipped with return anchors so readers can verify sources without losing their place.

Citation System Overview
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