Feisty,
eccentric old ladies have always intrigued me. It’s long been my goal to become
one, although I’m in no hurry to get there.
So
it shouldn’t have come as a surprise—but it did—when a 96-year-old lady nearly
ran away with my latest mystery, The
Case of the Surly Surrogate.
Every
character in my Safe Harbor Medical Mysteries leaps off the page for me.
Primarily, though, I live through my hero, Dr. Eric Darcy, a young physician
who cares deeply about his patients and assists his private investigator
sister-in-law in solving murders that affect them.
In
the new mystery, the father of
a baby about to be born via surrogate is murdered. Eric’s patients include not
only the surrogate and the widow (the intended mother of the baby), but also
the widow’s great-grandmother.
Lenore
Bryerly, diagnosed with mild dementia, has a tantalizing habit of dropping
hints to Eric about her family’s troubled history, hints that point in a
different direction than police are pursuing. She’s outspoken and determined,
but is she a credible witness?
Members
of my critique group let me know they couldn’t wait to read more about her. One
of my beta readers, who’s in her twenties, emailed me: “I. Love. Lenore. She is
easily my favorite character and I kinda want to read this whole story from her
perspective now. Plus, I just love badass old ladies.”
Here
lay a dilemma: as tension builds in a mystery, it’s valuable to have a second
murder. But while Lenore might seem to be the obvious target, I just couldn’t
kill her off.
Instead,
I worked in another character who took the fall instead. And Lenore became an
integral part of the fast-paced, dangerous climax.
One
of the joys of writing a series is being able to revisit beloved characters,
and there’s always a chance she’ll pop up again. I hope she’ll live long and
prosper!
The Case of the Surly
Surrogate
Amazon link
Kindle Unlimited (yes)
Author Bio:
USA Today
bestselling author Jacqueline Diamond is known for her mysteries, romantic
comedies, medical romances and Regency romances—102 titles as of 2017. A former
Associated Press reporter, Jackie received a Romantic Times Career Achievement
Award. She currently writes the Safe Harbor Medical Mysteries, beginning with The Case of the Questionable Quadruplet,
and is reissuing her classic romantic comedies, including The Bride Wore Gym Shoes and Million-Dollar Mommy.
Book
blurb:
After Dr. Eric Darcy
discovers the body of a patient’s husband, he lands in the midst of a murder
investigation. Was the photographer killed because he was cheating on his wife,
or was he using his photos in a blackmail plot? And how did he antagonize the
surrogate mother about to give birth to his baby? The puzzle pieces snap
together in a fast-paced climax that could cost Eric his life. USA Today bestselling author
Jacqueline Diamond interweaves a medical setting with memorable characters in
the second Safe Harbor Medical mystery.
Twitter name:
@jacquediamond
Comments
As for becoming a feisty, eccentric old lady, I would say you already have the feisty part down!
Looking forward to reading The Surly Surrogate in its entirety.