Finally!
Looking back on previous launch-day posts, I realize that
they almost always begin with “Finally!” or “At Last!” I always feel as though
I’m making my readers wait too long for the next book, and, according to the
e-mails I get, they feel that way too. This book is no different. It seems as though I’ve been working on Flash
in the Dark forever, but it’s actually only been a year. The fact that the year was 2020 may have
colored my perception, but I can honestly say it was the longest year of my
life.
One of the basic tenets of mystery writing is to maintain
suspense. Always keep the reader anxious
to find out what happens next, whether it’s in the next paragraph, the next
chapter, or, sometimes, the next book.
The downside of this is that when you leave readers wondering what
happens next, you eventually have to tell them.
In Flash
of Brilliance an evil character is introduced and the suggestion is
made that he may be related to our protagonist.
In Pieces
of Eight, we come closer to finding out the true identity of this
character, and what his motivations might be. Given that there has been an
average of 18 months between each book, readers have been incredibly patient
waiting to have their questions answered.
In Flash in the Dark, it
all comes together—all the tiny puzzle pieces find their places, all the
questions find their answers, nothing is left unfinished. It took a while to figure out. It wasn’t easy. But it’s finished. Finally.
A lot happens in Flash in the Dark, and in fact, this
is the longest of all the Dogleg Island mysteries. Pete and Lorraine welcome a new family
member. Aggie finally gets the answers
about her father she has sought. Grady unearths
a dangerous plot orchestrated by a secret organization with sinister
connections to the past. Angelo’s true identity is revealed. The citizens of Dogleg Island rise up to meet
a crisis that will leave each one of them forever changed. And Flash, whose
only goal has always been to protect and serve the people he loves, learns new
lessons about the state of humanity and its ever-evolving complexity. It took a lot of words to bring all of this
together. But here it is at last: Flash
in the Dark, the book you’ve been waiting so long for.
Gosh, I hope you like it.
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