Mystery at the Hidden River follows a retired engineer as his professional expertise draws him into investigating the suspicious death of a fellow engineer on the Northern California coast. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The suspicious death of a colleague is the setup for the revealing of a dangerous landslide on the Hidden River. I learned of a similar landslide in my disaster-related work many years ago, and thought that such a threat would be a good angle for a story. Of course, Hidden River was completed months before the terrible Nepal flash flood, which showed in reality the sort of threat posed by a landslide that could temporarily block a river.

What kind of emotional experience did you want readers to have between moments of suspense?

To be carried along in Jace Carter’s life as he deals with things on a daily basis. Mr. Carter is in many ways an ‘everyman,’ in that he does ordinary things as anyone does, but is drawn into these extraordinary situations. By walking with Jace as he seeks to solve the ordinary problems of living, the reader shares his emotions and confusion as he faces the puzzling and sometimes frightening aspects of his investigation.

How does the landscape become part of the mystery?

The fictional Hidden River is an interesting draw into the story. In the storyline, early European explorers noticed that fresh water could be found in a certain place out at sea, but there was no visible source at the shore. There is a real parallel in history with the Amazon River that way, though with the Amazon the fresh water was available many miles from visible land. In this case, the fictional Hidden River is ‘cloaked’ by the many cliffs around and behind the river mouth that all look the same from the ocean.

The landslide threat is also looming in the story and is not discovered by Jace Carter and the law until the dead engineer’s office is searched. The drug dealer’s den is also discovered at the same time, and the difficult terrain in the Coastal Mountains makes such a secretive location believable.

If you could ask Jace Carter one question, what would it be?

When will your life become normal?

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