WICKED WEDNESDAY
Join me in welcoming Randy Overbeck back to Wicked Wednesday on Discover... Always a great guest post.
Wicked
is okay as long as it is…out there.
With my
newest title, Red Shadows at Saugatuck, I have tried to give readers
what they want—some wicked inside the pages of the novel—and, at
the same time, cross the line into the reality of truly wicked.
This new novel is the fourth entry in my Haunted Shores Mysteries, the
bestselling series which has captured twelve national awards, including BEST
BOOK AWARD (Chanticleer) GOLD AWARD (Literary Titan) and MYSTERY OF THE YEAR
(ReaderViews). Each tale is mystery and a ghost story and each revolves
around a murder connected to some larger wicked. Earlier
entries have tackled such wickedness as racial injustice (Blood on
the Chesapeake) and human
trafficking (Crimson at Cape May).
Red
Shadows at Saugatuck (2025)
follows in these well-trod footsteps. This time the narrative is set on the west
shore of Lake Michigan, on what’s known as the Art Coast. Like Cape May and
Crystal River, Saugatuck is a quaint, charming resort town in Michigan visitors
flock to in the summer. And for this entry, I chose to entangle the murder
mystery in a wicked beyond belief, a wicked that would come to be known as MMIW, Missing
and Murdered Indigenous Women—though that label did not yet exist at the time the
story is set in (2007).
Through my
research for the novel, I learned some shattering truths about this wicked—
·
Ten
times as many Native women and girls
disappear as white females each year (and Natives make up 1.1% of the US
population compared to 60.6% for whites)
·
In
2023 (the latest year with stats) more than 16,000 Native women and girls
are reported missing
·
Because
of lack of coordination between local, state and federal authorities, the
numbers of kidnapped, abused and murdered indigenous women and girls are most
certainly higher than even these numbers
·
And
these atrocities have been going on for decades (at least) because until
recently there was little effort to collect this data and follow up on reports
·
Also,
the US is not alone. Canada is confronted with the same wicked,
as their numbers of MMIW are just as staggering.
Talk
about sobering statistics of a real life wicked.
I
think Red Shadows at Saugatuck is my best work yet and early critics
agree.
“Thoughtful,
deeply human and low-key terrifying.”—Literary
Tita
“Mesmerized
from the very first page right up to the last.”—ReaderViews
“A
paranormal mystery while stole my heart and took my breath away. Truly, one of
the finest books ever written.”—N N Light Bookheaven
Here’s
a bit about Red Shadows at Saugatuck.
Darrell
Henshaw hoped he was past it all. After all, no ghosts had visited him for
years. Instead, he learns his five-year-old-son, Leo has inherited his “gift.”
Now,
they both can see ghosts.
This
time, Darrell drives his young family 800 miles to celebrate his Aunt
Gertrude’s 80th birthday. But, once in the resort town of Saugatuck, Michigan, their
participation gets derailed by the spirit of a Native teen who went missing
weeks earlier. When he and Leo inquire about the girl, the locals dismiss their
concerns—"Those girls run away all the time.” Still, as questions pile up and threats grow,
Darrell senses they may have stumbled onto something far worse and even more
evil than one missing teen.
Can
Darrell continue to pursue justice for the girl if it places his wife and
five-year-old son in danger?
You
can check out more information on Red Shadows at Saugatuck and all my
works at my webpage—http://authorrandyoverbeck.com
As
a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of
the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a
mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as
Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop.
When he’s not researching, writing, speaking or podcasting, Randy enjoys traveling with his wife Cathy and visiting both his far-flung family and the scenic locations around this country, often in search of inspiration for his next great story.
More info
about his novels, programs and podcast can be found at his website www.authorrandyoverbeck.com
randyoverbeck@authorrandyoverbeck.com
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