by Janice Cantore
It can be dangerous to ask a suspense fiction author where they get their story ideas. The answer might be some twisted true crime story. Luckily, that was not the case for Every Deadly Suspicion. California gold rush history was the story behind the story for this book.
Lots of things spark my attention and/or prod my imagination to sit down and write a book. A news story, a friend’s anecdote, a historical event, or something that happened when I was in uniform, all may intrigue me at first. I may even write a few pages. But for an idea to have enough depth to become a book-length novel, three things need to be true. First, the idea needs to lend itself to an entire book. The subject or setting should be fertile enough to facilitate a full, satisfying story line. Second, the idea should lend itself to suspense, mystery, intrigue, and a little romance. And finally, I need to love it. The subject must make me want to invest my time and energy into it.
The California Gold Rush is an exciting chapter in California history and the subject has always intrigued me and tickled my imagination. It’s a backdrop with plenty of meat for a book-long story. Especially in Northern California, where remnants of the rush, from mines to storied towns, still exist. Many towns sprung up around gold and silver mines in the 1800s and life flourished in them as long as the mines produced and people made money. When the mines died, many of the towns followed suit, leaving behind empty holes in the ground, myths and legends, and dusty old buildings. Though I don’t write historical fiction, the ghosts of old mining towns still haunt today with the lure of what was left hidden or lost.
Old mining shafts and ghost towns certainly lend themselves to suspense, mystery, and intrigue. Anything could be hidden in a mine shaft. And if the mining town didn’t become a ghost town, there would still be people with some connection to days gone by—mysteries (or crimes) in families could be handed down, embellished, or concealed. In Every Deadly Suspicion, a family with roots to the fabled mining history of Dry Oaks holds the key to a decades-old mystery.
I find the subject of old, abandoned mines and mining towns endlessly fascinating. In Inyo County, California, an enterprising entrepreneur bought a ghost town called Cerro Gordo. The mine there was once the highest producing silver mine in California. Founded in 1865, the mining operations ended in the early 1900s and Cerro Gordo was abandoned until this entrepreneur purchased it, hoping to bring it back to life as a tourist attraction.
I understand the allure. I’d love to be able to visit a place like Cerro Gordo and learn the quirky history of the place. Why did some towns survive while others didn’t?
In my novel, the fictional town of Dry Oaks survives because the people living there care and want their town to live. I visited the area where I set the novel, then drove around and soaked up the history. I found markers for historic occurrences, scars from mining methods that were not environmentally friendly, and many beautiful buildings that would surely have tales to tell if they could talk.
One of the questions that helped kick start Every Deadly Suspicion was what if something buried deep in the mountain will solve an old mystery? The book follows Hanna Keyes as she searches for answers to long-buried questions.
The history of California’s gold rush turned out to be the perfect starting point for a suspense novel. The setting is rich, there’s plenty of potential for mystery and suspense, and I love digging into history. Check out Every Deadly Suspicion and see how all of this fit into the novel.
About the Author
Janice Cantore is a former Long Beach, California, police officer of 22 years. She 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.
About the Book
In Dry Oaks, California, Chief of Police Hanna Keyes has long believed her father, Joe, is a murderer, justly imprisoned. When she’s told he’s dying and is being given compassionate release from prison, she wants nothing to do with him. But taking him in might be Hanna’s one shot at cracking the cold case. Joe’s arrival in Dry Oaks seems to set off a chain reaction of crimes. Then an infamous true-crime podcaster comes sniffing for information, and Hanna’s first love, Jared, shows up just when she least needs the distraction. As the pieces start to fit together, it becomes clear that there’s a sinister plot at work, far more wide-reaching than anyone suspected, and that someone is desperate to silence the truth at any cost.
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