Truly Wicked with Randy Overbeck

WICKED WEDNESDAY

Join me in welcoming Randy Overbeck back to Wicked Wednesday on Discover... Always a great guest post.

Sadly, thereis no shortage of wicked in our world. All you have to do is lookaround. The news with the latest homicide or the newest political scandal. Andwhat’s with everyone’s fascination with true crime…and serial killers. Not tomention, mysteries and thrillers are the second most popular genre for readers—behindromance, who doesn’t love a romance? We are fascinated by wicked ,though we prefer it tugged safely in the pages of our latest read or capturedon the screens of our phones or 58’ television.

Wickedis okay as long as it is…out there.

With mynewest title, Red Shadows at Saugatuck, I have tried to give readerswhat they want—some wicked inside the pages of the novel—and, atthe same time, cross the line into the reality of truly wicked.This new novel is the fourth entry in my Haunted Shores Mysteries, thebestselling series which has captured twelve national awards, including BESTBOOK AWARD (Chanticleer) GOLD AWARD (Literary Titan) and MYSTERY OF THE YEAR(ReaderViews). Each tale is mystery and a ghost story and each revolvesaround a murder connected to some larger wicked. Earlierentries have tackled such wickedness as racial injustice (Blood onthe Chesapeake)  and humantrafficking (Crimson at Cape May).

RedShadows at Saugatuck (2025)follows in these well-trod footsteps. This time the narrative is set on the westshore of Lake Michigan, on what’s known as the Art Coast. Like Cape May andCrystal River, Saugatuck is a quaint, charming resort town in Michigan visitorsflock to in the summer. And for this entry, I chose to entangle the murdermystery in a wicked beyond belief, a wicked  that would come to be known as MMIW, Missingand Murdered Indigenous Women—though that label did not yet exist at the time thestory is set in (2007).

Through myresearch for the novel, I learned some shattering truths about this wicked—

·      Tentimes as many Native women and girlsdisappear as white females each year (and Natives make up 1.1% of the USpopulation compared to 60.6% for whites)

·      In2023 (the latest year with stats) more than 16,000 Native women and girlsare reported missing

·      Becauseof lack of coordination between local, state and federal authorities, thenumbers of kidnapped, abused and murdered indigenous women and girls are mostcertainly higher than even these numbers

·      Andthese atrocities have been going on for decades (at least) because untilrecently there was little effort to collect this data and follow up on reports

·      Also,the US is not alone. Canada is confronted with the same wicked,as their numbers of MMIW are just as staggering.

Talkabout sobering statistics of a real life wicked.

Whenreaders dive into the pages of Red Shadows at Saugatuck, they will notonly discover another beautiful resort town nestled against the fresh waters ofLake Michigan, they’ll get a tale about family and love and relationshipssparked by a spunky five-year-old named Leo. And they’ll encounter anothersatisfying ghostly whodunit like the earlier entries, which won Mystery of theYear honors. But, perhaps most important, they will be confronted with thereality of a truly horrendous wicked , Missing and MurderedIndigenous Women. 

Ithink Red Shadows at Saugatuck is my best work yet and early criticsagree.

“Thoughtful,deeply human and low-key terrifying.”—LiteraryTita

“Mesmerizedfrom the very first page right up to the last.”—ReaderViews

“Aparanormal mystery while stole my heart and took my breath away. Truly, one ofthe finest books ever written.”—N N Light Bookheaven

Here’sa bit about Red Shadows at Saugatuck.

DarrellHenshaw hoped he was past it all. After all, no ghosts had visited him foryears. Instead, he learns his five-year-old-son, Leo has inherited his “gift.”

Now,they both can see ghosts.

Thistime, Darrell drives his young family 800 miles to celebrate his AuntGertrude’s 80th birthday. But, once in the resort  town of Saugatuck, Michigan, theirparticipation gets derailed by the spirit of a Native teen who went missingweeks earlier. When he and Leo inquire about the girl, the locals dismiss theirconcerns—"Those girls run away all the time.”  Still, as questions pile up and threats grow,Darrell senses they may have stumbled onto something far worse and even moreevil than one missing teen.

CanDarrell continue to pursue justice for the girl if it places his wife andfive-year-old son in danger?

Youcan check out more information on Red Shadows at Saugatuck and all myworks at my webpage—http://authorrandyoverbeck.com

Dr.Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author, speaker and podcaster. Asan educator, he served children for more than three decades and has mined thatexperience to create captivating fiction, authoring two series, the bestsellingseries, “The Haunted Shores Mysteries,” and the award-winning series, “Lessonsin Peril.” His novels have won critical acclaim and garnered national awardsincluding Mystery of the Year (ReaderViews) Best Book Award(Chanticleer Books and Reviews) and the Gold Award (Literary Titan) andamassed hundreds of 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Dr. Overbeck also hoststhe popular podcast, “Great Stories about Great Storytellers,” which revealsthe unusual and sometimes strange backstories of famous authors, directors andpoets and can be heard wherever listeners get their podcasts. He is a speakerin considerable demand, sharing his popular presentations about ghosts and theworld of book publishing with hundreds of audiences all over the U.S.

Asa member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member ofthe literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as amentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such asKiller Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop.

Whenhe’s not researching, writing, speaking or podcasting, Randy enjoys travelingwith his wife Cathy and visiting both his far-flung family and the sceniclocations around this country, often in search of inspiration for his next greatstory. 

More infoabout his novels, programs and podcast can be found at his website www.authorrandyoverbeck.com

randyoverbeck@authorrandyoverbeck.com 

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