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An Unsung Neighborhood
The Mystery from Way Back When follows a man returning to his childhood church where he meets a young woman who is the baby he rescued years ago. She now needs his help to find her birth mother. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My father grew up a member of a close family that were proud members of Sacred Heart Church in the Keighry Head neighborhood of Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended Sacred Heart School and was even an altar boy. Sacred Heart Church later became Our Lady of Fatima Church. I wanted to set a mystery there, in Keighry Head. It’s an unsung neighborhood and, from my late dad’s stories, the way it once was when he was a boy during the Depression and World War II has pretty much disappeared.
What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?
Above all, strength of character and decency! The main character, Benny, doesn’t hesitate for a second when he sees a young girl at a distance abandoning a baby on the steps of his church. He takes the baby right home to his mother, knowing she can help the little one, and then tries to identify who abandoned her. It’s World War II. The people are patriotic. The kids have their eye on a suspected spy. Maybe a lot of people these days don’t realize this, but Catholics have always taken a lot of flak in this country, even yet, and especially since the whole situation came to light about the pedophile priests. In this story, the priest doesn’t belong in jail. He’s a really good guy.
What was your favorite scene in this story?
Oh, that’s an easy question! When Benny brings the abandoned newborn baby home and his mother tends to her, she starts to sing to the baby, and naturally, the song is “Baby Face.” Benny, his brothers, and even the old grandfather who lives with them chimes in. It’s joyous! It turns the baby’s sad start into something of a celebration of her arrival.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
There were two books that I had started working on and then put temporarily aside. I picked them up again and I’m continuing with both. They’re mysteries. One is set on a cruise ship and the other in a non-profit organization where someone is corrupt to the core and stealing the funds. I also have another one in mind, and it’s a mystery that unfolds during a wedding, where the parents of the bride are divorced and it’s always a battleground when they’re required to get together. So I’ve got three books in the works, and they should be available later in the year. Somehow, for me, it works out beautifully to work on more than one book at a time. I’m loving the whole process of creating all of these stories!
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The only clue to the child’s origins is a note found in the basket requesting that she be raised Catholic. The police arrive to get the baby to the hospital while the parish priest arranges for her adoption. Meanwhile, the boys try to play detective and figure out who gave the baby up. Benny even has a likely suspect, Nancy Kilkenny, but she hotly denies it.
Years later, the baby, all grown up, has an urgent reason to connect with Benny and Timmy to try and find out what really happened way back when. Who was the mother who gave her away? What happened on that memorable day in 1944? And can she ever manage to find out the truth?
The Mystery from Way Back When
In The Mystery from Way Back When, Carolyn Summer Quinn weaves a compelling narrative that bridges the present and the past with elegance and emotional depth. Benny Finnegan, accompanied by his wife Imogene and daughter Tara, returns to his childhood church in New Jersey for its final Mass. This seemingly routine visit transforms into a poignant journey through time when Benny reunites with Antonia “Baby Face,” a woman he once found as a baby on the church steps alongside his brother. Now a mother herself, Antonia urgently seeks Benny’s help to uncover the identity of her biological mother—a quest made critical by a medical crisis. As Benny reflects on his wartime childhood and the earlier, fruitless search for Antonia’s family, the narrative delicately unfolds layers of memory, revealing how the passage of time brings clarity and resolution to the long-unsolved mystery of her origins.
Quinn balances suspense with warmth, crafting a story that is as engaging as it is uplifting. The intrigue surrounding Antonia’s past, paired with her urgent search for answers, offers just enough suspense to keep readers hooked without veering into melodrama. Simultaneously, the wholesome tone of the book lends a comforting, heartfelt quality that makes the story both accessible and deeply satisfying.
The author’s writing style and pacing are fantastic. The narrative moves seamlessly, blending mild suspense with moments of reflection and revelation. Quinn’s ability to evoke both emotional resonance and curiosity ensures that readers remain fully invested in the characters’ intertwined journeys.
At its heart, this novel is a touching exploration of belonging and identity. Quinn beautifully captures the significance of family bonds and the profound sense of rootedness that comes with understanding one’s history. Through Benny’s and Antonia’s interconnected stories, the book offers a poignant reminder of the enduring importance of connection, whether by blood or choice.
The Mystery from Way Back When is a wholesome, engaging, and thought-provoking read. With its blend of mild suspense and heartfelt moments, it holds universal appeal and is highly recommended for readers of all ages seeking a story that will both captivate and uplift.
Pages: 166 | ASIN : B0DQP1RJ4P
LITERARY TITAN 