#BookReview ~Darkness Hides by J C Gatlin

JC Gatlin lives in Tampa, Florida, and writes mystery novels that include sunny Florida locales and quirky locals as characters. His last novel, H_NGM_N: Murder is the Word, won the coveted Florida Royal Palm Literary Award for Best Mystery in 2019. He is active in the Florida Writer’s Association and is a board member on the Florida Writer’s Foundation, a charity organization that fights illiteracy.

What is your new book, Darkness Hides, about?

Darkness Hides is an Amateur Sleuth murder mystery set in Florida. In it, a former Fish and Wildlife officer launches an off-the-books investigation into a string of corpses that appear to have a connection to her nephew’s death. Then the hurricane hits.

What was your inspiration for the mystery?

There were several inspirations. I wanted to write a book about several characters riding out a hurricane in their dark, boarded-up home and, during the storm, someone pounds on their front door. That was the first scene I wrote.

I was also interested in writing about the Fish and Wildlife Commission and thought it would make an interesting profession for the amateur sleuth. Then, finally, one of my friends often talked about the estranged relationship with her sister. They didn’t get along at all, and I thought that would make an interesting dynamic for the heroine. When my friend read the book, she told me the sisters reminded her of her sister! 

Who is the main character?

Kate Parks is the “amateur sleuth” who gets wrapped-up in solving the murder mystery. She worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission until a gunshot injury ended her career. Now she’s recovering, both physically and mentally, and working as a boat safety instructor for the Sienna Key Police Department. She’s a young woman in her early thirties trying to put her life back together after the injury, while also trying to mend the estranged relationship with her sister and reevaluating where her relationship is going with a rebel-with-too-many causes boyfriend.

What’s the mystery in the book?

As a boat safety instructor, Kate discovers a body washed ashore in Tampa Bay. Then another. And another. At first, the murders seem to have a connection to one of the causes her boyfriend is passionately protesting. Then she realizes all the people murdered have a peripheral link to the accident that took her young nephew’s life. And she suspects her brother-in-law or, worse, her sister committed the murders.

When did you start writing murder mysteries?

I actually wrote my very first mystery short story in grade school for a class project, and I wrote my first novel in college. But I didn’t get serious about publishing until 2013, when I started writing and self-publishing on Amazon. In 2019, Milford House Press accepted and published H_NGM_N: Murder is the Word and just published this new mystery, Darkness Hides.

What makes your mysteries stand out from the rest?

Obviously, all good books must have a fresh plot, compelling characters, and a good hook. My mysteries go one step further and deliver an unexpected ending. I put a lot of time in planning how to get the characters into a place the reader didn’t see coming.  That’s not just revealing which character turns out to be the murderer, but also creating a suspenseful ending that keeps the reader turning pages.

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