A Genealogy Mystery Series
Mystery
Date Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC.
In a bid to heal from the grief of a personal loss, forensic genealogist, RaeJean Hunter, takes on a straightforward case —identify human remains found on a nearby college campus, believed to be the 180-year-old remains of Mary Rogers, a woman who died mysteriously in 1841 and was believed to have been buried in the nearby cemetery that had washed away. It should be simple enough, a project to get her back in the game.
Unfortunately, it quickly becomes anything but. In fact, it becomes downright dangerous.
Someone doesn't want RaeJean to investigate the puzzling death of the woman whose death inspired Edgar Allan Poe's "The Mystery of Marie Roget." As she follows clues through four states and discovers living family members who both help and hinder her search, she quickly realizes that the secrets of Mary Rogers' demise were never meant to be exposed.
What lengths will someone go to keep the truth buried in the past? As threats escalate and RaeJean and her family's lives become endangered, she's forced to follow every lead and use every skill she has to find the answers she needs before it's too late. Using DNA from two famous New England families, historical data, modern genealogical techniques, and a little guidance from a seemingly mystical antique desk, RaeJean takes on the cold case despite being given every reason to abandon it.
After all, what truths have been hidden for 180 years that would be worth bribery, kidnapping, and even murder?
RaeJean Hunter is about to find out.
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
The are several, but the main message to the reader is that
we cannot change the past, and if we don’t learn from our experiences, then
history will repeat itself.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
My educational background is in mathematics and industrial
management. My writing has improved though practice, but sometimes the words
don’t come fast enough for my story. That’s why I love revision. It gives me a
chance to go in and smooth out the bumps.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I’ve written two
books so far. I’m proud of The Desk From Hoboken and hope everyone
enjoys reading it. But my favorite is the second book in the series, The
Doll From Dunedin. It will be coming out sometime in the next 12 months.
If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
Molly Quinn because she looks like I imagine RaeJean Hunter
to look. She’s a little older and taller, but she has the right personality.
When did you begin writing?
2012
How long did it take to complete your first book?
8 years for The Desk From Hoboken
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
No. It was my freshman
English Comp teacher in high school, but it took me many years to finally apply
myself.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Revision. This is where I make all the scenes in the book
work together.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Educational, emotional, believable, fun
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the
future for your writing?
I’m researching Yda Hillis Addis, a successful female writer
and journalist. Yda disappeared in 1902 and is believed to have fled to Mexico
after a hostile divorce from Charles A. Storke, a Santa Barbara lawyer and
owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press. RaeJean will be visiting Mexico. The
source of Yda’s DNA test will be unique.
After this, I have a thick file of cold cases to review. I’ll
filter through it and do more research to find my next case.
About the Author
ML Condike has published short stories in anthologies that include Strange & Sweet, (2019), Tall Tales and Timeless Stories, (2022), Malice in Dallas, Metroplex Mysteries, Volume 1 (2022), and won first place in the fifteenth annual Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards, Mystery/Crime category (2019), and 2nd Place in the Tennessee Williams Short Story Contest, Key West Art & Historical Society (2022).
She’s an associate member of Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter, Sisters in Crime National, Sisters in Crime North Dallas (Treasurer), Granbury Writers’ Bloc, and Key West Writers Guild.
As the result of her study of genealogy for her debut novel The Desk from Hoboken, she researched her own family and she discovered she had a direct bloodline to a Patriot. So, most recently she has been inducted into the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
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