Laurel Falls, N.C., 2009: Life on the farm was pretty much one day the same as the next—until that stranger showed up. I’ll never forget the first time I saw him and how everything changed after that. It might not have turned out so crazy if he’d known who he was. We figured that big gash on the back of his head stole his memory. But how did he get that wound? And who was after him?
It had seemed wrong to turn him away, especially since you might say I saved his life. But what he wrought on my life … well, you can’t imagine how much havoc a man without a past can wreak.
It wasn’t ‘til my friend Della Kincaid put her crime-reporter skills to work that we got to the bottom of everything. And I do mean bottom. Things sunk pretty low before we started getting at the truth. ~Abit Bradshaw
You'll enjoy this suspenseful standalone mystery because who hasn’t wished someone would show up and change their lives (for the better)?
If you love Elly Griffiths, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series.
Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations.
Up the Creek is the sixth book—a standalone novel—in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel.
Interview with the Author
Q: Where does this sixth book pick up in the lives of Abit Bradshaw and Della Kincaid?
A: It's three years after the Bradshaw family’s fateful trip to Ireland and England in Deep in the Forest. During that time, Abit has dealt with a lot of change in his life, especially once the stranger makes his way to his farm.
Q: What's new in the series?
A: The stranger who comes to town. That’s a favorite plot theme of authors and screenwriters, but it never ceases to intrigue. This man with no memory kindles mystery, suspense, and imagination with all kinds of questions. Who is he and does he bring good or bad? Or both?
Q: Why should readers give this series a try?
A: Because these are serious mysteries without over-the-top violence. And readers tell me the character development makes them eager to read more: "A pair of unforgettable crime-solving characters," one reader shared, and another wrote, "I became intrigued by and attached to the characters -- Della, Abit, Alex, even the dog, Jake -- and their dialogue."
Q: In what order was this series written?
A: Up the Creek is a standalone, so readers won't be confused if they start with this book. Actually, I worked to make all the books in the series easy to understand, wherever readers start in the series. The other books include: A Life for a Life, The Roads to Damascus, Welcome the Little Children, Murder Ballad Blues, Deep in the Forest, Unwrapped, and Waiting for You (free prequel).
My writing career started in the most unlikely place—a town of 200 people in the mountains of North Carolina. Although it was many years ago, I recall that day with the fiercest clarity. I'd found the Campbell Folk School, an amazing center for art, craft, and music (and featured in my novels as The Hickson School of American Studies). The director eventually asked if I’d like to learn public relations. To be honest, I should have answered, “What’s that?” Instead, I said, “Sure,” and took to it like ink to newsprint. I haven’t stopped writing since.
These days, I spend my time writing my Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. I started them as a way to share amazing stories from my back-to-the-land experience in the N.C. mountains. I made mistakes by the wheelbarrow load , but I wouldn’t take anything for those years. My Appalachian Mountain Mysteries pay homage to the people of Appalachia who taught me so much.
Before my novel-writing days, I crafted 1,200 articles for arts and culture magazines such as Southern Living, Country Living, AmericanStyle, Southwest Art, Yoga Journal, American Cinematographer, Chile Pepper, and Restaurants USA. Newspaper articles about art, food, and business ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Charlotte Observer, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, washington
I've also written 15 nonfiction books, including several on the art and craft of writing. For the past 10 years, I've also had the privilege to guide people through their own book-writing process—both fiction and nonfiction. Together we turn their dreams into reality.