A cold case. Just that term makes my spine tingle and the hair prickles on the back of my neck. A mystery that remains unsolved for years due to lack of evidence or witnesses or an obvious motive always grabs me by my curiosity and just won’t let go.
When plotting BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, I knew I wanted to challenge my amateur sleuth Lindsey Norris with a cold case. Why? Well, in a small New England town like Briar Creek, a cold case would resonate for years in such a close-knit community. People would have their suspicions, families would be torn apart, and as the mystery remained unsolved so the lives of those impacted by the murder would also remain disrupted and out of order. Lindsey being a librarian with a librarian’s rage for order would definitely feel compelled to find the truth.
For me personally, the motivation to write a cold case was much like my reasoning for writing in the mystery genre to begin with — to have good triumph over evil. You don’t really get happy-ever-afters in mysteries, but in a world that is full of anger and violence, writing mysteries helps ease my outrage when a murderer walks away from their crime or when my heart breaks for the loved ones of the victims, the ones who are left to pick up the pieces not knowing why their person was murdered or who did it.
The interesting thing about cold cases, at least for me, is that while we now live in a world of instant gratification where answers can be found as simply as a DNA swab, with a cold case that isn’t always an option. A case that has run cold due to lack of evidence is a much more boots on the ground operation, where the sleuth needs to interview the key players, review the case notes, and do research, research, research! Yes, the librarian in me loves that part. Clearly, I had a great time writing BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.
If you, like me, enjoy an unsolved mystery, here’s a brief synopsis of Lindsey’s latest case: When the Briar Creek Public Library holds its first overdue book amnesty day—no fines for late returns—the volume of incoming materials is more than Lindsey and her staff can handle. In a bind, Lindsey drafts the crafternoon ladies to help check in and sort the stacks of books.
But one tardy tome catches her attention—a copy of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, twenty years past due. When Lindsey looks up the borrower, she’s shocked to discover it was checked out to a teacher named Candice Whitley on the day she was murdered and her killer was never found.
Now Lindsey wonders if it could provide a clue to the decades-old cold case. No one noticed who brought the book back in, but could it be Candice’s killer? Lindsey is determined to catch the culprit one way or another, because justice for Candice Whitley is long overdue…
Is your spine tingling? The hair on the back of your neck prickling? Then join Lindsey and the crafternoon crew and find out what happened to Candice Whitley on the fateful day she checked out The Catcher in the Rye.
Thanks so much for letting me visit!
Happy Reading,
Jenn
About Jenn McKinlay
Jenn McKinlay took her first decoupage class when she was twelve years old. Since then, cutting and pasting have become a way of life. With two small children at home, she finds decoupage a fun craft as well as a very handy tool, especially when used to cover up doodles made in permanent marker on otherwise lovely furniture. And yes, they know her by name at her local Michael’s Craft Store. She is the author of three previous novels under the name Jennifer McKinlay and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her musician husband Chris, their two sons, two cats, one dog and one fish.
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BETTER LATE THAN NEVER by Jenn McKinlay
In the latest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of A Likely Story, a decades overdue book puts library director Lindsey Norris hot on the trail of a cold case…
When the Briar Creek Public Library holds its first overdue book amnesty day—no fines for late returns—the volume of incoming materials is more than Lindsey and her staff can handle. In a bind, Lindsey drafts the crafternoon ladies to help check in and sort the stacks of books.
But one tardy tome catches her attention—a copy of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, twenty years past due. When Lindsey looks up the borrower, she’s shocked to discover it was a murdered teacher named Candice Whitley, whose killer was never found.
Candice checked out the novel on the day she was murdered. Now Lindsey wonders if it could provide a clue to the decades-old cold case. No one noticed who brought the book back in, but could it be Candice’s killer? Lindsey is determined to catch the culprit one way or another, because justice for Candice Whitley is long overdue…
Mystery Amateur Sleuth | Mystery Cozy [Berkley, On Sale: November 1, 2016, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780399583735 / eISBN: 9780399583742]
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