Indelible by Laurie Buchanan
Summary
An ex-cop haunted by survivor’s guilt. A killer who won’t let him forget.
In the village of Fairhaven—nestled between Washington State’s Bellingham Bay and the Cascade Mountains, home to writers’ retreat Pines & Quill—friends and family have gathered for the union of Sean McPherson and Emma Benton. Sean has been working with the FBI and local police to help solve crimes, particularly murders bearing the mark of crime boss Georgio “The Bull” Gambino. Emma, who has just learned to walk again, has begun to feel at home and hopes to one day raise a family.
But just as the festivities begin and corks fly, an explosion shatters everything, killing one and injuring others. From Bellingham to San Francisco and New Orleans, the chase is on to discover who’s dead set on ensuring the newlyweds don’t live happily ever after.
The writers currently in residence at Pines & Quill include a vineyard owner, a Bryn Mawr College professor, a special education teacher accompanied by her seeing-eye dog, and an intuitive who can’t or won’t identify the killer. Gambino has a knack for finding people in even the most inaccessible places to do his bidding. Could one of the writers be on his payroll?
Book Settings: Bellingham, WA
Bellingham, WA: Where Pines & Quills writer retreat is located.
Fairhaven Village: This historic village is located in Bellingham, WA.
Chuckanut Mountain: The Blanchard Hill Bat Caves is located on this mountain. Mick, Joe and Toni go there.
Larrabee State Park Trails: Jason takes this trail.
Magdelena’s Creperie: Niall recommends this restaurant to Jason.
Penny Farthing Bar and Grille: Jason tries to go here but it is closed.
Mount Bakery Café: Jason tries to go here but discovers it doesn’t open til 8am
Padden Creek Lagoon: Jason stops by here after walking through Fairhaven Village.
Old Fairhaven Wines: Niall picked up a couple of bottle of wine here for the event.
San Juan Islands: Mick and Emma were going to take a trip here to go whale watching.
Belle Flora Flower Shop: Jason gets Libby a bouquet from here.
Oyster Dome: Located at the top of Chuckanut Mountain.
Reviews
“I was hooked from the first sentence. Buchanan’s Indelible is a delicious look at what can happen when you create a writing retreat in the bucolic Pacific Northwest and then populate it with many intriguing characters, including a grieving ex-cop, a beautiful woman in a wheelchair, an intuitive, and a serial killer. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire wild ride.”
―John Dedakis, author of the Lark Chadwick Mysteries, and former Senior Copy Editor on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer”
“Indelible is a delightful read! The perfect book for an escape on a rainy afternoon. The literary hooks Laurie weaves into the end of each chapter, make Indelible a novel hard to put down. Laurie’s vivid character descriptions remind me of the Nancy Drew books I loved to read so many years ago. Indelible makes any reader want to stay at Pines & Quill! I'm looking forward to reading the next Sean McPherson novel!”
―Ann Margaret Johns, author of Clarkston’s Curse: One Child’s Quest to Explain the Series of Tragedies in Her Hometown
“Indelible hits a truly sweet spot in an idyllic setting at a writing retreat in the Pacific Northwest. Just when you get comfortable, it turns from cozy to thriller. This is a fantastic debut of what will surely be an addictive series.”
―Shelley Blanton-Stroud, author of Copy Boy: A Novel