One minute, Giovanna’s new friend Laurel was snorkeling beside her, marveling at the unique wildlife in the Galapagos. Now she’s gone. No one on the luxury cruise ship will acknowledge Laurel is no longer on board. And what does Laurel know about an endangered tortoise that no one wants her to share? Giovanna and her grandmother suspect a cover-up. But Giovanna has secrets of her own that involve a conman who destroyed her life back home, and her quest for revenge might get her killed.
Purchase Secrets of the Galapagos
Michelle DePalma expected to jet into Two Wells, Texas, check on her elderly mother, and hurry back to her orderly life in Atlanta, where she has a happy marriage and satisfying career. Instead, she finds her mother, Lola Hanson, hovered over the bludgeoned body of her caregiver, Brittany Landers.
The agency that provides home care for Lola promptly withdraws its services. Michelle is stuck in her home town longer than planned as she cares for a mother with whom she has never been close and tries to prove her innocence. The police officers who investigate the crime are old antagonists from grade school. A secret thought to be long buried surfaces when a surprise daughter-in-law and granddaughter show up, distracting Michelle from her quest to solve the murder. And then she stumbles upon a motive which makes Lola look even more guilty.
Going Home was inspired by the author’s mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s and explores the challenge of solving a murder mystery when a potential witness cannot rely on her memory. Written from the perspective of a baby boomer forced to reverse roles with her parents, it crosses into the mainstream genre of women’s fiction and touches increasingly common issues such as elder abuse and end-of-life decisions.
Short story, “The Wrong Coffee House” in Shhhh…Murder! an anthology published by Darkhouse Books
Kings River Life podcast – The Wrong Coffee Shop
Sharon Marchisello 