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New Standalone by Cold Case Investigation Series Author

To Write a Series or a Standalone, that is the Question

A Standalone is a novel that well . . . stands by itself. There are no other books with the same characters. A series book is one that is intentionally written to have additional books with the same characters (or location or other carryover between novels).

This week’s author has a successful series, the Cold Case Investigation Series, but has now come out with a brand new standalone. New characters, new crime.

In addition to sharing a launch day with fellow Crooked Lane author Katharine Schellman, I also share a book birthday with Lissa Marie Redmond. She’s the author of The Secrets They Left Behind and three Cold Case Investigation novels, with a fourth coming out May 5.

Read my joint interview with Katharine by clicking the link here.


The Author

Cold Case Investigation
Lissa Marie Redmond

Lissa Redmond was born in Buffalo and grew up in a compact little neighborhood south of the city called Woodlawn, squashed between the massive Bethlehem Steel plant and Ford Stamping plant. Growing up she rode her bike, played on the shores of Lake Erie and never dreamed she’d someday be a cop.

During her days at the University of Buffalo she took the exam to be a city of Buffalo police officer and got on the job. At the age of twenty-two they gave her gun, a badge, a bullet proof vest, and put her on patrol. Twenty-two years, a detective’s badge, a fellow detective husband and two kids later, she retired to pursue a “normal” life.

She decided to become a writer instead.

She still lives in Buffalo with her husband, raises her kids, feeds and pampers her ungrateful cat, and writes about the things that kept her up at night, staring at the ceiling in the dark, asking herself, “What if?”

And she invites you to come along.

To learn more about Lissa, click on her photo, name, or the following links: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.


The Book

Standalone

Three college freshmen go missing from their rural hometown of Kelly’s Falls while on Christmas break. Their cell phones, coats, and purses are left behind, but the girls have disappeared without a trace. As the days turn into weeks and the investigation grows cold, twenty-three year old Buffalo police officer Shea O’Connor is called on to dig up leads undercover.

Still bearing the emotional and physical scars of a previous case, O’Connor infiltrates as eighteen-year-old Shea Anderson, a college freshman and the “niece” of the town’s police chief.

As she begins to immerse herself in the missing girls’ world, befriending their friends and family, and doing whatever it takes to maintain her cover, O’Connor realizes the track is far colder than she initially thought. But whoever was behind the girls’ disappearance was only warming up, and they have set their crosshairs directly on her.

The heat is on for O’Connor as she closes in on the shocking truth about what really happened the night the girls vanished.

To buy the book from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, and Dog Ears Bookstore, click here.


“It’s my first title with Crooked Lane Books and I couldn’t be happier with the people there.”


Some thoughts from the author on The Secrets They Left Behind . . .

First off, I want to congratulate Elena on the release of her book. I can’t wait to read All We Buried. If my latest book is any indication, small town secrets are right up my alley!

(Thank you! So excited to share a launch date with you. I’m looking forward to reading yours as well!)

I’m very excited about the release of my new novel The Secrets They left Behind for a couple of reasons. It’s my first title with Crooked Lane Books and I couldn’t be happier with the people there. They’ve made it such a positive experience in this time of tragedy and uncertainty. I hope the story gives my readers a few hours of escape at the end of the day. I know I curl up in my bed with a book every night until I fall asleep.


“I did undercover work and I know what’s it’s like to feel like you have to earn the respect of your peers…”


Another reason I’m glad to see this book hit the shelves is because I was once a twenty-three-year old cop (a long, long time ago, it seems now). I did undercover work and I know what’s it’s like to feel like you have to earn the respect of your peers, so the character of Shea is very dear to my heart.

While she’s very different from me and this is fiction, I remember the knots in the pit of my stomach, always wanting to do the right thing, believing I could make a difference. Hopefully I bring that raw emotion to Shea as she tries to find out what happened to the three missing girls.


A little bit about Crooked Lane Books

A crime fiction imprint that publishes today’s most gripping mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels. From high-concept thrillers and white-knuckled suspense to traditional mysteries and literary crime, our titles consistently deliver driving plots, engaging characters, and stunning twists from the most talented authors on the scene.

Crooked Lane Books was founded in 2014 to publish the highest quality crime fiction titles in both print and electronic editions. From editorial and production to promotion, distribution, and sales, we are a house that focuses on working with our authors to reach readers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense.

Crooked Lane Books is distributed through Penguin Random House Publisher Services. They are committed to providing the highest level of sales and distribution services to independent publishers, and unparalleled access to information, new technologies, a leading supply chain, and the benefits and reach of the Penguin Random House sales force.

Crooked Lane is also represented by Biagi Literary Management for subsidiary rights licensing in foreign and domestic markets, and our business relationships include some of the most respected companies in the industry, including Bookspan, home of the country’s largest book clubs, and Blackstone Audio, one of the nation’s largest independent audiobook publishers.

With our experienced staff, hands on approach, and innovative marketing techniques, Crooked Lane Books partners with our authors to publish the best possible books for fans of every kind of crime fiction.

For more information about Crooked Lane, click the link here.


Header Photo by Philm1310 on Pixabay. Click the link here for more information.

Elena Hartwell

Author and developmental editor.

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