Crimes of Passion, Book 1

Crimes of Passion, Book 1 is the first book of the Crimes of Passion series.

Summary
''A private detective. An exiled royal. A missing woman. Can you crack the case... without getting too close to your suspect?''

Chapter 1: Cross Your Heart
"A private detective. An exiled royal. A missing woman. Can you crack the case... without getting too close to your suspect?"

Chapter 2: Follow My Lead
"You've just discovered something terrible below the Calloway Museum... but your case is just beginning."

Chapter 3: Body Language
"A forensic find breaks a new lead in the case... one that'll take you way out of your comfort zone!"

Chapter 4: The Royal Treatment
"The only thing more exciting than a ball? An undercover mission!"

Chapter 5: Up In Flames
"An unexpected encounter kicks the case into high gear!"

Chapter 6: Sleep When You're Dead
"The only thing worse than a bad party? The hangover."

Chapter 7: Cold Call
"A new mystery unearths old enemies."

Chapter 8: Forging Ahead
"A new lead swings the case in a different direction..."

Chapter 9: The Rite Track
"It's the night of your initiation... What could go wrong?"

Chapter 10: Behind the Mask
"You've been cordially invited to a clandestine affair... but does the guest list include the killer?"

Chapter 11: Reasonable Doubt
"A massive bust leads to some... complications."

Chapter 12: Sabbatical
"An unrelated detour... or a new angle on the case?"

Chapter 13: A Stab in the Dark
"Setbacks, comebacks, and everything in between."

Chapter 14: The Heat
"A sudden breakthrough leads to a daring raid."

Chapter 15: The Final Curtain
"A sinister phone call. A deadly time limit. A race against the clock."

Chapter 16: The Heart of the Matter
"A long overdue chat turns heated."

Chapter 17: The Long Goodbye
"You survived, barely. Now, the aftermath."

Gameplay Features
Throughout the book, certain items and scenes will increase your Detective Score. You also have the opportunity to collect dossiers to provide more details on persons of interest, and clues to unlock a bonus scene.

Sneak Peeks

 * -|Early Access=

Featured Locations

 * New York City
 * Drakovia (bonus scene)
 * Governor's Mansion (Albany, NY)
 * -|Governor's Mansion=

Miscellaneous

 * -|Promo=

Spoilers

 * On August 16, 2019, in their Three Years of Choices Blogpost, PB teased an upcoming mystery book.
 * On August 21, 2019, PB confirmed in a reply to an Instagram comment that they did in fact have a mystery book in development.
 * On September 30, 2019, PB stated that this book is still in the early planning stages, but they teased that the current plot for the book is about a murder mystery focusing on investigating who is murdering an elite society in New York. They teased an "unlikely pair of crime-solvers", thereby hinting at a dual lead story like Most Wanted.
 * In the December 2019 Livestream, they announced that Andrew and Jennifer (The Royal Romance) are currently working on this book and that it is scheduled to release mid-2020.
 * They stated that while there are horror elements, it's not a horror book. They also heavily implied that the big bad will be a serial killer.
 * On July 6, 2020, after a fake screenshot proclaiming this book was genderlocked spread throughout the fandom, PB confirmed the contrary. They answered on Tumblr that players will be able to play as a guy or a girl.
 * On July 10, 2020, PB released a sneak peek of the upcoming mystery book.
 * On August 28, 2020, PB released another sneak peek.
 * In the September 2020 Insiders, there is a "new book" scheduled to release later in the year.
 * On November 23, 2020, in response to a player, PB confirmed the book is still in production.
 * On December 28, 2020, PB released a blogpost stating that the book was originally planned to launch in 2020, but due to stretched resources and the prioritization of the team members' health, they made the decision to release it in 2021.
 * They also included a quote from book lead Andrew which revealed the title to be Crimes of Passion: “I’ve loved working on mystery Books for Choices since the days of Most Wanted, and I think fans of the genre are going to love this one. In Crimes of Passion, a truly terrifying serial killer stalks New York City, and it’ll take a pair of very unlikely partners to bring him down! You can expect spooky thrills, exciting action, plenty of crime scene investigation, and that special wonderful blend of snarky slow-burn that you only get with two partners bickering over a crime scene.”
 * On January 22, 2021, PB released a blogpost revealing more information regarding the book.
 * In the March 2021 Insiders, PB confirmed that the book will be multi-gender and players can also choose their pronouns.
 * In Choices Insiders July 2021, PB confirmed the book will premiere in December.
 * On August 23, 2021, PB released a blogpost stating that the book is VIP and the projected general release is March 2022.
 * In Choices Insiders October 2021, PB has changed the general release date from March to early 2022.
 * On December 2, 2021, PB released another sneak peek.
 * On December 10, 2021, the VIP release date was revealed in-app to be December 22.
 * On December 14, 2021, PB released a teaser video.
 * On December 15, 2021, PB released another sneak peek of the book.
 * On December 16, 2021, PB released a sneak peek featuring Ginovesi Agency crew.
 * On the same day, PB released a blogpost of the book.
 * On December 17, 2021, PB released sneak peeks featuring Trystan Thorne.
 * On December 18, 2021, PB released sneak peeks featuring Detective Rose.
 * On December 20, 2021, PB released a trailer video.
 * On the same day, PB confirmed this is a single love interest book via a response on Instagram.
 * On December 21, 2021, PB released a sneak peek for Chapter 1.
 * On January 11, 2022, PB released a sneak peek for Chapter 5.
 * On February 1, 2022, PB announced the book will be going on a mid-book break after Chapter 10 premieres on February 16. The wide release and VIP return are set for April 6.
 * On April 12, 2022, PB released a sneak peek for the general release of Chapter 3.
 * On April 19, 2022, PB released a sneak peek for the general release of Chapter 4.
 * On April 26, 2022, PB released a sneak peek for the general release of Chapter 5.
 * On May 13, 2022, Pixelberry tweeted that Chapter 17 will be the book finale, indicating that there will be a second book.
 * On May 17, 2022, PB released a sneak peek for the general release of Chapter 8.
 * On May 31, 2022, PB released a sneek peek for the general release of Chapter 10.
 * On June 21, 2022, PB released a sneak peek for the general release of Chapter 13.
 * On July 19, 2022, PB released a sneak peek for the general release of Chapter 17.

Trivia

 * This is the second book to allow players to choose their pronouns after Foreign Affairs.
 * Chapter 5 shares the same title as High School Story, Book 3, Chapter 1, "Up In Flames". Both chapters involve a building burning down.
 * Chapter 10 shares the same title as Hero, Chapter 11, and Mother of the Year, Chapter 8, "Behind the Mask".
 * Chapter 11 shares the same title as Laws of Attraction, Book 1, Chapter 11, "Reasonable Doubt".
 * Chapter 17 shares the same title as The Nanny Affair, Book 3, Chapter 16, "The Long Goodbye".
 * Chapter 1 issues a warning regards realistic and persistent violence, gore, and mature situations.
 * In the same chapter, Luke makes several references depending on Trystan's gender. Male Trystan is described as "half Bruce Wayne, half Loki, with a dash of Christian Grey", while female Trystan is described as "half Angelina Jolie, half Black Widow, with a dash of Kamilah Sayeed".
 * In Chapter 2, Trystan mentions having "Senator Emerson" on their speed dial. During Veil of Secrets, Grant Emerson mentioned running for New York's Senate seat formerly held by the late Adam Vega. It is possible Senator Emerson is indeed Grant.
 * In Chapter 8, Luke mentions that the FBI had taken down smugglers distributing a rare export called "Azuran Iron", and the murder weapon is made from it. This is likely a reference to Azura.
 * If you choose to spar with Trystan in Chapter 8, you make a reference to Batman and The Joker by asking if s/he spends his/her nights "dressed like a bat, beating up a clown".

Click here for the walkthrough of this book: Crimes of Passion, Book 1 Choices.