My Story
My name is Mark French, and I write Noir‑flavoured horror and dark mysteries about ordinary people crushed between progress and something hungry in the dark. I grew up on Stephen King, then fell for classic Noir, so my stories marry creeping dread with hard‑edged, working‑class grit.
I’ve been telling stories since I was a kid, but I’ve spent the last few years pushing toward publication, earning an English scholarship and an honourable mention in the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge along the way. My BayToday.ca column, Second Saturday Stories, ran for 3 years before I brought that same voice home to my own corner of the web.​
I’m in the final stages of my debut novel, Skeleton Unburdened, and I publish shorter, self‑contained horror and mystery tales in the Ink & Shadows Blog. Take a tour of the free stories, then dig into the paid ones if you’re ready for more.​
To keep up with new releases, behind‑the‑scenes peeks, and bonus stories, sign up for my newsletter and follow me on Instagram @markfrench_fiction
Skeleton
Unburdened
Available soon
Autumn 1922. In the shadow of World War One an evil is growing in North Bay, a small northern Ontario town nursing scars leftover from the Great War.
Percy Slate, once a sharp private eye, now wanders through life haunted by the spectre of his late wife, and a past steeped in regret.
When Harry Clemens comes searching for answers to his sister's death, Percy flees into the labyrinth of the city, Taking on a final case in a desperate attempt to escape his brother-in-law's accusations of murder.
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As the case wears on, Percy spirals further into a private hell that he may never turn away from.
In Skeleton Unburdened the present is shattered by the echoes from the past, and the line between friend and enemy is blurred in a wash of blood and torment.
