WHAT CHARACTER WOULD I WANT TO SOLVE A REAL CRIME?

By Patricia Bradley

I was sitting at my computer, watching a rare snowfall here in Northeast Mississippi, and having a hard time coming up with an idea for this blog post. We get snow so seldom, it's a treat when we do, especially like today with fat snowflakes but streets warm enough to not freeze the snow and cause wrecks. 

So, I turned to my readers on Facebook and Candace West Posey came up with a great subject. She asked if I could solve a real-life mystery with one of the characters from my books, who would I choose?

I would choose...boy, that's a hard question. First, it would depend on the unsolved crime I want to solve. If it's the Red Headed Murders that happened in five nearby states that included Tennessee and Mississippi and have never been solved, I believe it would be David Raines from Justice Delayed and Justice Delivered.

Here's a little bit about those murders: In the 1970s, '80s, and even into the '90s, bodies of redheaded women were found in Memphis, Jellico, Ashland City, and Greenville, Tennessee, as well as Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. All of the bodies were found along major highways, suggesting that they were hitchhiking or working in prostitution, according to the Gasden Times. They were dubbed "The Redhead Murders" and have never been solved. I think David and the Memphis Cold Case team could do it.

On the other hand, if it was the "February 9 Killer" case, where there were two murders exactly two years to the date apart, I think Brooke Danvers and Luke Fereday from Standoff, Natchez Trace Parkway Rangers Book 1, would be perfect...maybe with a little help from Sam Ryker from Obsession, the second book in the Natchez Trace series.

The murders occurred on February 9, 2006 and February 9, 2008. The fact that the murders occurred in a similar manner two years apart indicated to detectives that they were dealing with a serial killer, and the same DNA was found at both crime scenes. However, the "February 9 Killer" has yet to be identified and apprehended.

I'm giving away a copy of Justice Delivered and Standoff. If you've read my books, which character do you think would be better to try and solve the cold cases? Or tell me some other fictional detective you think would be good to solve one of these cases.

Justice Delivered

Carly Smith came by her trust issues honestly. A victim of sex trafficking, she's been at the mercy of merciless men, ignored by law enforcement officers who should have helped her, and seemingly rejected by her family. She can't even trust herself to do the right thing. Though she escaped her captors and is working hard on building a new life, the past continues to haunt her when she discovers that the man she couldn't bring herself to report to police for fear of reliving her captivity is still out there, luring vulnerable girls under the guise of being a modeling agent.

When her own niece is kidnapped, Carly must overcome her fears and come forward with the information she has before it's too late. When that proves to be not enough, she'll have to go after the perpetrators herself.

Standoff --Natchez Trace Park Rangers, Book 1

The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It's the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for Luke Fereday, it's also perfect for moving drugs.

Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers. John's daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father's murder but soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her.

Luke will have his hands full keeping her safe. But who's going to keep him safe when he realizes he's falling – hard – for the daughter of the man he failed to save?