The Murder of Crowe: A Steampunk Whodunnit

07/03/2026

🎧 The case that started it all... can now be heard.

The Murder of Crowe is officially available as an audiobook.

Darien, Georgia, 1881. When Madame Crowe is found murdered in her own boarding house, Pinkerton detectives Junius Price and Archibald McNittle must navigate a town that wants nothing to do with "Yankee" investigators.

As they dig into the victim's past, they uncover a woman who survived stowing away from Germany, escaped a brothel, built her own empire, and made dangerous enemies along the way. With multiple suspects, conflicting motives, and a newly invented lie detector as their only advantage, the detectives race to find a killer in a case where everyone had reason to want Crowe dead.

A historical fiction mystery where the truth proves more elusive than justice.

Whether you're discovering the Detectives For Hire series for the first time or revisiting where it all began, there's now a new way to experience the mystery.

Available now on:
🎧 Google Play Books
🎧 Spotify

Coming soon to even more audiobook retailers and library platforms.

The investigation begins here.

Spotify is a digital music service that gives you access to millions of songs.

06/19/2026

🎧 BIG NEWS FROM THE DETECTIVES FOR HIRE UNIVERSE 🎧

The adventure that started it all is now available as an audiobook!

⚙️ The Murder of Crowe
Now available on Google Play Books.

https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Carlos_Bayne_The_Murder_of_Crowe?id=AQAAAEC6GwdbrM

Follow Junius Price and Archibald McNittle as they investigate a mysterious death in a world of steam power, intrigue, and danger.

Because stories should be accessible to everyone—whether you read with your eyes or listen with your ears.



And when you're finished...

⚙️ The Clockwork Coroner audiobook is also available!

The Murder of Crowe: A Steampunk Whodunnit audiobook written by Carlos Bayne. AI-narrated. Get instant access to all your favorite books. No monthly commitment. Listen online or offline with Android, iOS, web, Chromecast, and Google Assistant. Try Google Play Audiobooks today!

06/09/2026

📚✍️ Author’s Copy Night

One of the most enjoyable parts of being an indie author isn’t writing the book.

It’s this.

A stack of author copies. A good pen. A quiet evening. And the opportunity to personally autograph books for readers.

These copies of The Murder of Crowe are headed to a group of readers who discovered my writing through The Clockwork Coroner. Many of them pre-ordered Book Two before ever reading Book One.

That level of support isn’t something I take lightly.

So tonight I’m signing a special batch of what I’ve been calling the Founder’s Edition copies—books destined for the people who helped make this journey possible.

From a story that started as an idea on a blank page to a growing community of readers, every signature is a reminder that books only truly come alive when someone turns the first page.

Thank you for being part of the adventure.

06/05/2026

They arrived.

The first author copies, printed by Books.by of The Murder of Crowe are finally in my hands!

There’s something surreal about holding a story that lived on a computer screen and on the website Lulu.com for years … alone.

Next up: signing copies for readers who ordered the Founders Edition Bundle. (The Murder of Crowe ➕ The Clockwork Coroner)

Thank you to everyone who took a chance on a steampunk whodunnit from an independent author. This never gets old.

05/21/2026

The gears are still turning. ⚙️📚

I’ve officially pivoted from Lulu to Books.by for The Murder of Crowe — giving the Detectives For Hire series a cleaner, more polished storefront as I prepare for the release of Book #2: The Clockwork Coroner on June 1, 2026.

I also updated both the front and back cover artwork, including a brand-new blurb (the original Lulu version never had one 👀).

🔗 Links in bio have been updated.

Earlier today, I scrolled through photos from the The Murder of Crowe Book Signing Event … and this cover still hits differently. Every person who attended autographed this copy. Looking at it again honestly made my heart want to polish up the original manuscript and eventually release this version as a special edition. ✍🏽

And the release date for The Clockwork Coroner wasn’t random either.

June 1, 2026 will mark 6 years and 6 months since The Murder of Crowe was originally released. (The signing event came afterward.) It felt like the right moment to return to this world.

One story opened the door.
The next one sharpens the world.

05/19/2026

… while I was pivoting to KINDLE Direct Publishing for the eBook, I seized the opportunity today to setup my paperback version on the same website that Chris Oxford used.

The Murder of Crowe is available to buy!

Browse and buy books by Carlos Bayne. Paperback and hardcover editions available with worldwide shipping.

05/19/2026

From Notes to Novel. From Novel to Kindle.

This morning, before the rest of the world fully woke up, I downloaded Kindle Create onto my iMac, made a few final formatting tweaks to The Murder of Crowe, officially created the Detectives For Hire series … and published it on Amazon Kindle.

Seeing my name attached to a live book listing was surreal.

What began as scattered notes, late-night ideas, research rabbit holes, and countless revisions has now become something tangible readers can actually hold in their hands — or download onto a Kindle.

Set in 1881 Darien, Georgia, The Murder of Crowe follows Pinkerton detectives Junius Price and Archibald “Archie” McNittle as they investigate a brutal murder wrapped in steam power, corruption, and secrets.

And the story isn’t over.

Last night, The Clockwork Coroner — Book Two in the Detectives For Hire series — was officially sent to an editor.

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged the writing journey, supported the pages, read the posts, and believed in these stories while they were still just ideas.

The gears are still turning.