Over the Edge: A Novel
Traditional Mystery
Setting – Sedona, Arizona
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (June 4, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages

Synopsis

In Sedona’s red rock canyons, a former reporter must piece together her shattered memories in time to stop a killer in this cat-and-mouse thriller, perfect for fans of CJ Box and Anne Hillerman.

After a disastrous mistake ended her career as a crime reporter, Del Cooper returns to Sedona and takes a gig with a down-on-its-luck tour company while she rebuilds her life. Her peaceful small-town escape ends when, hiking in a remote red rock canyon, she finds the broken body of a murdered man.

At first, she believes the murder is connected to a proposed land trade that will pave the way for a luxury development on the edge of town, but it seems money isn’t the killer’s only motive. As she digs deeper, she uncovers the small town’s darkest secrets, all leading her to Lee Ranch, a former filming location for Western movies. Two women disappear after Del interviews them, and rumors begin to spin faster than Sedona’s famed energy vortexes. But she knows the truth: Someone is watching her from the shadows.

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Guest Post

Lost and Found

“You are what you read,” or so we’re told. Since I’m a lifelong fan of crime fiction, I’m going to state right up front that I’m innocent of everything except for the occasional overdue library book.

I’m also a lifelong introvert who likes quiet hikes and good reads, though my love of books recently nudged me out of my safe space and into volunteering at a local author festival. Our small town hosted more than twenty accomplished writers, including journalists and poets, bestselling novelists, and Pulitzer Prize winners. The authors were gracious and inspiring, and the lively event reinforced my belief in the power of writing and reading.

According to one speaker (a journalist and constitutional scholar), America’s founding fathers undertook reading, and talking about reading, as a daily exercise in self-improvement. They read classical philosophy, poetry, and essays not only to benefit themselves but also out of a sense of service to others. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and their contemporaries, viewed literacy as the foundation for becoming a contributing member of a civil society.

If you’re like me, on the other hand, you read to lose yourself in the pages of a good book. After learning about Alexander Hamilton’s reading regimen, I wondered if losing myself in the latest thriller was lazy or self-indulgent on my part. Should I trade in my TBR pile for Plato or Cicero?

Now, I absolutely agree that it’s a worthy endeavor to devote at least some time to reading the classics. But I’d also argue that we learn a lot from pleasure reading. Begin by asking yourself why you read. What books have inspired you? What draws you to certain types of stories?

Though I read across genres, I recognize patterns. I love good-humored books about overcoming adversity (such as Amor Towles’s A Gentleman in Moscow and JoJo Moyes The Giver of Stars) and themes of personal reinvention (titles by Jennifer Weiner and Susan Elizabeth Phillips come to mind). I’m a huge fan of stories—true and fictional—with characters who need their wits and skills to survive. That includes Andy Weir’s The Martian and almost anything about mountaineering, even though I’ve never picked up an ice axe. I appreciate the steady persistence in a police procedural, but I also savor the delicious ambiguity of unreliable narrators. I love to feel immersed in places or cultures or time periods (with gratitude to Tana French, Tony Hillerman, Edward Rutherfurd, and others). Happily-ever-afters are nice, but not necessary.

Hmmm. I see a theme or two emerging. It seems I like books about inner strength and persistence, especially if they also transport me to a particular time period or place, or help me understand a character’s state of mind.

How about you? Have you played this game? Taking a moment to step back and look at what you’ve just finished reading is, well, a bit like looking in a mirror. You thought you were reading to escape, but there you are, on every page.

Big themes are easy to spot: Power corrupts. Karma happens. Love conquers all. But stories offer subtler lessons, too. Each time we root for a seemingly unlikeable character, we practice empathy. Small-town settings and warm friendships satisfy our longing for community. Some stories bolster our faith in humanity, or reinforce self-compassion, or foster a sense of fair play. You could say that we read fiction to uncover our deepest truth.

Taking time for a post-read inventory can also help point you toward other books and authors you’ll enjoy. But be careful. Reading books this deeply might have the completely unintended and dangerous side-effect of making you want to write a book yourself. It’s like Tony Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

Though I didn’t have Tony Morrison’s advice in mind when I wrote OVER THE EDGE, many of the story’s elements happen to match up with my favorite themes and motifs. While I read across multiple genres, mystery has been my go-to ever since I discovered Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. I enjoy mysteries with outdoorsy settings, especially outdoor mysteries with female lead characters. (Books by Nevada Barr, Margaret Mizushima, Anne Hillerman … I can’t get enough of them.)*

While writing OVER THE EDGE, I sprinkled in other story elements, including reinvention, an unreliable narrator, survival instincts, and an unusual setting. After deep-sixing her career, Delilah Cooper, my lead character, takes a job as a Jeep tour guide (reinvention). Del’s unsure if she has an intuitive gift, or if she’s lost her mind (unreliable narrator). She must gather her mental and emotional strength when … (sorry, that’s a spoiler). What I can tell you is that Sedona, with its colorful spires and canyons, is both an idea and a real location, where mystery and truth intersect.

To my fellow readers who love getting lost (then found) in the pages of a good book, I wish you a lifetime of wonderful journeys and rewarding discoveries, outward and inward.

*Yes, that’s an invitation: Tell me about your favorites so I can add them to my TBR list!

About the Author

Kathleen Bryant turned her boots-first exploration of the West’s landscapes and cultures into a career as a travel writer and novelist. Her publishing credits include romance novels, travel guides, magazine articles, an award-winning children’s picture book, and a cookbook highlighting National Parks. An avid hiker and history buff, she’s led tours of ancient rock art sites, participated in field school digs, and guided yoga experiences in the red rocks of Sedona. Today, Kathleen lives with her musician husband in California, where she continues to seek out new adventures. When she’s not writing or researching her next book, you might find her on a hiking trail taking photos of wildflowers or driving down a country lane to visit a dairy farm or vineyard.

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