For further information about my murder mystery Detached (Running Wild Press), this page has important details. It provides insights and key aspects (without any spoilers!) to provide a more in-depth understanding of this novel, which I’m so happy to share with you.
The Plot
Detached takes place in the Chicago suburb of Riverton, Illinois and explores how three very different women respond to a brutal murder that personally impacts their daily lives. The shocking homicide is revealed after a chimney fire erupts one evening in the townhome community where these neighbors reside. Through viewpoints that alternate between Wanda Lindstrom, Charlotte Murray, and Marcy Seele, this story of secrets, violence, and emotional horror unfolds. Alongside the trauma of learning the victim’s identity, each heroine reflects upon her distinct relationship with this controversial individual, constantly feeling an awful mixture of both frightened dread and deep concern.
The Main Characters
Wanda Lindstrom
Wanda is a freelance author who’s obsessed with true crime and convinced that her next-door neighbor Charlotte Murray happens to be a killer. Every sound that she hears, even the slightest noise, leads her back to the upstairs bedroom window, where Wanda can freely look outside and scan for any dangers that Charlotte has stirred up. She wishes her husband Ben would believe her theories about the threats that she senses to be true, but he won’t subscribe to Wanda’s intense assertion that they live right beside a murderer. In addition, Wanda has no doubt that Charlotte’s on-again-off-again boyfriend Adam Wilcox, whom Wanda suspects deals drugs on the shared driveway, is also an abusive, criminally minded neo-Nazi. As a Jewish woman, Wanda feels terrified that he will somehow detect her religious faith, even though she never makes her Judaic identity apparent within this community. The constant fear paralyzes her further, securing Wanda to the bedroom window on a more frequent basis as her immense loneliness and isolation intensify.
Charlotte Murray
Charlotte is a massage therapist trying to make a successful name for herself in her chosen industry. Unfortunately, she’s had numerous obstacles to overcome, which include the looming presence of Riverton’s police force. Whenever the smallest infraction occurs in this small town, officers are always ready to blame her and she’s had enough of the harassment. Despite past encounters with the legal system due to her difficult upbringing with little support from near-absent parental figures, she’s now trying to make a fresh start. Determined, Charlotte wants a better life for herself and for her young son. It would also help to see Adam finally get his act together, too, contributing more with the bills that always accumulate. But the persistent suspicion cast on her by area officers interferes with any substantial progress that she achieves, taking her back to a very dark place. And since the fire mysteriously erupted in her unit, she’s an instant target by the local detectives who refuse to accept her claims of innocence. Charlotte knows that if she’s forced to endure any further persecution by this abusive department, something terrible could occur as a result.
Marcy Seele
Marcy is Charlotte’s best friend, a relationship she has embraced and heavily depended upon since high school. Thanks to Charlotte’s resourcefulness, Marcy now lives diagonally across the driveway in her own unit. To support herself, she works as a clerk at one of Riverton’s downtown jewelry stores and fantasizes about the expensive beauty that’s within her reach. After each shift, Marcy usually drinks herself into near unconsciousness on Charlotte’s couch. And she always attends Charlotte’s raucous parties on the weekends, only worsening her years-long addiction to alcohol. In the midst of this powerful reliance on Charlotte, Marcy resents being in her friend’s shadow and not having her own direction. But circumstances change when she accidentally meets a teacher who works at Riverton’s synagogue. He invites her to experience the Jewish religion, providing Marcy with a romantic and hopeful future that she’s never known before. Yet Marcy worries that Charlotte and Adam, in their open intolerance, will angrily disapprove of her choices. She knows they’ll refuse to understand and could potentially cause explosive problems to destroy this promising development in her life.
The Final Teaser
Even though none of the three main characters share the same outlook about this murder, they are all attached to each other in remarkable ways. Without ever realizing this fact, their lives intertwine, unexpectedly overlapping as the homicide is solved.
The Places Where You Can Purchase Detached
Detached is available for purchase at a number of retailers. Please check out the links below and thank you so much for ordering my novel. I greatly appreciate your support!
