In Janice Cantore’s latest romantic suspense, Every Deadly Suspicion, police chief Hanna must reckon with her past when her convicted felon father is given compassionate release from prison . . . and her first love returns to town.
Along with Janice’s Q&A below, we’ve pulled short excerpts from the novel that get at the heart of Janice’s answers and provide a sneak peek into this thrilling romance.
If you like what you read, get access to the entire first chapter of Every Deadly Suspicion, or find your own copy in softcover, e-book, or audiobook at a retailer near you.
What inspired Every Deadly Suspicion?
I have always been fascinated with the rich Gold Rush history in California. On YouTube there’s a channel called History Hunters, which has done several pieces on different towns and mines in northern California. They’ve visited both ghost towns and towns that have survived. They’ve also visited graveyards and shared stories of many men and women who died chasing the dream of finding gold. The episodes sparked my imagination and led to me asking a lot of what-if questions. Gold Rush history lends itself to hidden secrets. Hidden secrets make good suspense novels. These questions led me to develop the fictional town of Dry Oaks and this story.
Driving to the Buckley home always made Hanna think of Hearst Castle. The home was not a castle, but it was at the highest point in Dry Oaks, and the road that took you there wound up an incline like a grand drive. The Buckleys were, in a way, Dry Oaks royalty. Their home occupied a historical spot where a high-producing gold mine once stood, and a marker at the beginning of the drive explained the significance.
Beecher’s Mine, like most mines during the California gold rush, had burned brightly for a short time, enough to build a thriving town in the area, and then thinned out. About two hundred acres of Buckley land was originally a claim mined by Dale Beecher.
When Beecher’s Mine went bust, Everett Buckley’s great-grandfather purchased the mine and surrounding acres for pennies on the dollar. The family became the backbone of Dry Oaks. Because they stayed, invested in real estate, and helped preserve local mining history, the town did not dry up like other mining towns did. Why Dry Oaks hadn’t been named Buckley, she didn’t know. . . .
The small local cemetery just outside downtown was packed, a line of black limos stretching a long way along the road. The Buckleys weren’t churchgoers, so the only public service was graveside.
Many large, ornate headstones belonged to pioneers, Civil War vets, and gold miners. The place attracted a lot of history hunters, and parts of several western movies had been filmed here. The Buckley plot was in the oldest section of the cemetery.
Do you have a favorite character in the book? If so, why are they your favorite?
Hanna Keyes is my favorite. She’s a take-charge person who is not afraid to tackle any challenge.
If something was amiss in the crash, Hanna wanted to know.
“Secure the scene,” Hanna told her officers. “Jenna, move your patrol vehicle to the north end of the debris field, tape off the area. I can see gawkers already walking through debris.”
“On it.” Jenna turned and jogged to her car.
Hanna turned to Asa and pointed to the people approaching the main wreckage. “Tape this off now so we get as little contamination as possible.”
A county deputy joined them. Hanna acknowledged him with a nod. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take the NTSB to respond. Every bit of the wreckage is evidence. Secure it all.” She sighed. “This will be a long day.”
“You got it, Chief.”
What messages or themes do you focus on in this book, and why did you want them to be a part of this story?
One message is that the truth always works its way to the surface, no matter how people try to hide it. And holding on to a grudge, or withholding forgiveness from someone who has wronged you, damages you, not the other way around.
Have I forgiven him?
“I honestly don’t know.”
“I don’t have to guess for myself. I have, but it was hard. My grandparents have always been about forgiveness. Holding bitterness, unforgiveness against someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. I’ve heard that warning my whole life. When I was a kid, the phrase gave me an oversized fear of drinking poison. I expected if I ever did, all my insides would leak out and I’d die in a puddle.”
If you’d like to talk about this romantic suspense with a book club or dive further into the story on your own, Every Deadly Suspicion includes discussion questions.
A former Long Beach, California, police officer of twenty-two years, Janice Cantore worked a variety of assignments, including patrol, administration, juvenile investigations, and training. She’s always enjoyed writing and published two short articles on faith at work for Cop and Christ and Today’s Christian Woman before tackling novels. She now lives in Florida, where she enjoys ocean swimming, golfing, spending time on the beach, and going on long walks with her Labrador retrievers, Abbie and Tilly.
Janice writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired. She has penned more than a dozen novels including the Line of Duty series, the Cold Case Justice series, Breach of Honor, Code of Courage, and One Final Target.
Visit Janice’s website at janicecantore.com and connect with her on Facebook at facebook.com/JaniceCantore and at the Romantic Suspense A-TEAM group.
