The Light Catcher Murders
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jo Cassie McRae will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Nestled in the scenic Texas Hill Country, the cozy town of Wheaton Creek seemed an idyllic place to escape the world’s increasingly harsh realities. At least, that’s what Kate Atherton thought.
Kate once enjoyed a long, successful career with a specialized, highly secret federal intelligence agency. Crises in both her personal and professional life drove her to early retirement and, ultimately, to Wheaton Creek, the perfect place for her and her former-military husband to escape what had come to feel like a world made up of wars, hatred, fear, and untimely death. And, at first, the escape was all Kate had hoped for. Then murder came to Wheaton Creek—a crime that a corrupt county sheriff seems determined to pin on Kate’s photographer friend, Lucy Celek.
Lucy’s work has been chosen to appear at a prestigious photography festival, a festival that could take her from amateur to professional standing. All goes well until the gallery displaying her work is broken into, and one of Lucy’s photographs is vandalized. A week later, the man Lucy suspected of destroying her photograph—a fellow photographer who was angry that his own work was not chosen by the festival committee—is murdered. Faced with a sheriff who shows little interest in expanding his list of suspects beyond Lucy, Kate feels she must dust off her puzzle-solving skills to find the real killer. Murder is just the beginning, though, as Kate’s amateur sleuthing begins to reveal a tangled web of crimes that go beyond anything she could have imagined.
Tessa Boatwright leveled eagle-sharp eyes upon B. D. Jackson as he ambled toward her appointed position near Lucy’s mural-sized photograph, which filled the back wall of the gallery. Ostensibly there to answer questions, Tessa also made it her duty to keep inquisitive children and unthinking adults from touching the expensive photograph. As a painter who had struggled for years before achieving critical and financial success, she was keenly aware of the thin edge between amateur and professional status that Lucy teetered upon. Tessa wanted to help her friend, and she was determined that every visitor appreciate what was special about Lucy Celek’s photographs. And B. D.’s air of indifference to the art around him made Tessa suspect him of needing to be educated.
For his part, B. D. hardly noticed Tessa who—to his boorish young eye—was merely an older woman with graying hair. Though he had no interest in the gallery aside from its convenience as a place to duck the attention of the sheriff’s deputy, the mural, which was scaled so that B. D. almost felt he could step from the gallery into the scene, had captured his interest the moment he had spotted it. The photograph showed an iconic Hill Country scene—a live oak tree, stately and alone on a distant hill that was carpeted with bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and pink evening primrose. The sun was setting behind the tree, bathing the scene in glorious luminous hues. B. D. removed his sunglasses so he could see the mural more clearly. He stood staring, his frown deepening as the realization dawned that he had been mistaken. The sun had to be rising, not setting. B. D. knew what direction the photographer had been facing because he knew this place.
Jo Cassie McRae is a native Texan who has lived near Austin on the edge of the Texas Hill country for over 30 years. In addition to writing, McRae loves to read, garden, and cook. Like Kate Atherton (The Light Catcher Murders), McRae’s bookshelves overflow with history books, biographies, historical fiction, and mystery novels. Unlike Kate, McRae does not have a mysterious, secret former career, having worked instead as a rather ordinary legal assistant at an Austin law firm.
FB: https://www.facebook.com/authorjocassiemcrae/
Website: http://www.jocassiemcrae.com
Email: authorjcmcrae@icloud.com
Amazon purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Catcher-Murders-Atherton-Mysteries/dp/B08FTLN76D/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteMurder and corruption - sounds fabulous to me. Love the photography angle too.
ReplyDeleteYes. The photography angle is very key to the plot. It was great fun to write because I have a very good friend who is a photographer. Though none of her adventures have been so dramatic as what poor Lucy experiences in The Light Catcher Murders, she does get up to her share of mischief! I hope you will read the book and let me know what you think!
DeleteThank you for sharing your book with us. I always look forward to finding out about another great read.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I enjoying meeting new readers, so this blog tour has been a nice experience for me. I hope you'll read the book. As I said in an earlier post, photography is a key to the plot. There are a lot of other elements--drones, selfies, and social media in particular--from our everyday lives that converge to create what I hope is a satisfying mystery.
DeleteWhat did you find to be the hardest part or scene of the book, without giving anything away?
ReplyDeleteThe most difficult thing, as in most mysteries, was plotting the timeline and figuring out where to place the clues along that timeline. The most difficult scenes for me are those in which the murders are committed. I want to convey the impact without going too far and becoming gratuitous.
DeleteIt sounds like a tough balancing act.
DeleteIt is a challenge, but an enjoyable one. Like Kate Atherton (in the book) I enjoy solving puzzles.
DeleteSounds like a good book!
ReplyDeleteThank you--and thank you for following the tour! I do hope you'll read the book! It's available on Kindle Unlimited, as well as for Kindle purchase and in paperback. (Deep in my heart, I still prefer paper books!)
DeleteA question for the author: When you were a child, what were some of your favorite authors and book series?
ReplyDeleteI was a child a long time ago, but I remember the impact Little Women, The Secret Garden, and Charlotte's Web all had on me. I loved the Narnia books, as well. I pretty much read anything I could manage, so I could go on and on!
DeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThank you, and thank you for following the tour!
DeleteI wanted to share a few thoughts that came to me when I took a couple of questions in combination. (And, I hope this is allowed! My apologies if not.)
ReplyDeleteAs I was conceptualizing The Light Catcher Murders, there were a number of things buzzing around in my head. First was the prevalence of cameras in our society. It seems like there is always someone around us taking a photo of their surroundings, their friends, or even just a selfie. In all instances, it is possible that we may appear in that photo whether we want to or not. I am intrigued by our acceptance of that considering how it can conflict with our desire to protect our privacy. Next, there’s the issue of social media and our overwhelming use of those platforms. There are so many unintended uses for our posts, use in solving a murder being only one possibility. Finally, there are drones. They are a relatively common thing, and yet we’re only just coming to grips with how we want them in our lives. State legislatures continue to wrestle with how much, if any, regulation to impose, and, as individuals, we get caught up in the yen and yang of wanting to play with something that is awfully fun, yet not wanting to feel spied upon. All of these things come into play in the novel.
It sounds like a good mystery. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I do hope you will give it a read!
DeleteThis sounds interesting, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThank you for following the tour! I do think readers are enjoying the book. Check out the reviews on Amazon. I hope you'll decide to read the book!
DeleteGood evening, my question for you today is, would you like to see your book made into a movie and if so, who is in your dream cast?
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting question! I do think it would be great to have it made into a movie--though, I'd have reservations. My experience with how books I love translated to the screen has not generally been satisfying. As far as cast--well, there's a scene in the book where several of the characters talk about who they would want to play them if a movie were ever made about their lives, and I'd stick with the actors the characters suggest, I think. (One hint--Judi Dench--with an American accent--for Kate.)
DeleteI would like to express my appreciation to Literary Gold for hosting The Light Catcher Murders today. Also, thanks to the readers who have posed such great comments and questions. Thank you all for your time!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds very interesting. I love mysteries/ suspense stories, especially ones with murders!
ReplyDeleteOh, do please give the book a try! The feedback I'm getting from mystery readers indicates that they are finding the mystery element in The Light Catcher Murders very satisfying. The book is on Amazon, and is part of the Kindle Unlimited program.
DeleteI think this cover is perfect for the storyline.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I had a great designer, so I can't take credit. (Heather Foster at Star Street Creative www.starstreetcreative.com)
DeleteI like the cover. It sets the tone for the book.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm glad you like it. I thought my cover designer did such a good job. She took what I thought would make a GREAT cover and gently lead me to something much better. She was wonderful to work with! The background photo was provided by photographer Linda Nickell. The photo is muted on the cover, but the actual photo is quite beautiful and full of vivid color. You can see more of her work at lindanickell.com, on my website jocassiemcrae.com, or on my FB page @authorjocassiemcrae.
Delete