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A Maggie MacGowen Mystery #9
The Color of Light: A Maggie MacGowen Mystery
Filmmaker Maggie MacGowen learns the hard way that going home again can be deadly. While clearing out her deceased father's desk, Maggie discovers that he had locked away potential evidence (an old home movie) in a brutal unsolved murder thirty years earlier that rocked the close-knit community where she grew up. When she begins to ask questions of family and old friends, it quickly becomes clear that there are people in that seemingly peaceful university town who will go to lethal lengths to prevent the truth from coming out.
- GenresMystery
272 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2014
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Hornsby
54 books25 followersI can’t remember ever not knowing that I was a writer. When I was in the second grade, because I was forever writing little stories, my teacher, a lovely woman named Barbara Heath, gave me her own copy of Little Women, to keep. Hardcover, illustrated, no less. The story wasn’t so much magic for me as was the character of Jo March. Somehow I knew Jo, I pretended I was her sometimes, and knew I was going to grow up to be, as she was, a writer.
When I was in fourth grade, I turned pro. My essay, “Why I love Camp Nawakwa,” won a community contest, earning me a camp scholarship, and my future was set. Sort of. Loving Camp Nawakwa was my writing pinnacle for quite a while.
When it was time for college, I headed off to UCLA, where I tried on a large number of majors before I decided on History. History, well told, has more romance, adventure, intrigue, courage, provocative mystery than any fiction that can be imagined. Besides, the process of historical research and writing mysteries have a great deal in common. One snoops through the remnants of people’s lives – real or fictional – asking the important who, what, where, and when questions and implying insight with the hope of making sense of things. The study of History is great preparation for a writer, especially a writer of mysteries.
The afternoon that I learned I had passed my comprehensive exams for the Masters degree in History at CSULB, I was hired to teach History as an adjunct at Long Beach City College. Over the next decades I taught, went to school some more, raised two beautiful babies to adulthood, acquired a full-time tenured position at LBCC, and, somehow, between school and soccer and baseball and school plays, managed to get seven mystery novels and many, many short stories published. Amazing how that happened.
When my kids, Alyson and Christopher, were of a certain age, I took them to visit The Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, where Louisa May Alcott grew up and where she wrote Little Women. I stood in her upstairs bedroom, beside the little half-moon desk where she created Jo March, and thanked her for giving a little girl a bit of courage to believe that she, too, could be a writer.
Wendy Hornsby is the Edgar Award winning author of the Maggie MacGowen mysteries.
When I was in fourth grade, I turned pro. My essay, “Why I love Camp Nawakwa,” won a community contest, earning me a camp scholarship, and my future was set. Sort of. Loving Camp Nawakwa was my writing pinnacle for quite a while.
When it was time for college, I headed off to UCLA, where I tried on a large number of majors before I decided on History. History, well told, has more romance, adventure, intrigue, courage, provocative mystery than any fiction that can be imagined. Besides, the process of historical research and writing mysteries have a great deal in common. One snoops through the remnants of people’s lives – real or fictional – asking the important who, what, where, and when questions and implying insight with the hope of making sense of things. The study of History is great preparation for a writer, especially a writer of mysteries.
The afternoon that I learned I had passed my comprehensive exams for the Masters degree in History at CSULB, I was hired to teach History as an adjunct at Long Beach City College. Over the next decades I taught, went to school some more, raised two beautiful babies to adulthood, acquired a full-time tenured position at LBCC, and, somehow, between school and soccer and baseball and school plays, managed to get seven mystery novels and many, many short stories published. Amazing how that happened.
When my kids, Alyson and Christopher, were of a certain age, I took them to visit The Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, where Louisa May Alcott grew up and where she wrote Little Women. I stood in her upstairs bedroom, beside the little half-moon desk where she created Jo March, and thanked her for giving a little girl a bit of courage to believe that she, too, could be a writer.
Wendy Hornsby is the Edgar Award winning author of the Maggie MacGowen mysteries.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 18, 2019
Always excellent, this 9th book in the series about Maggie McGowan draws you in from the opening sentence. Maggie has found an old Super 8 shot by her father while cleaning out his desk. As she shows it to her high school sweetheart, and now police detective, they realize it was shot the same day as their friend's mother was murdered decades before. A murder that was never solved. The book delves into the history of the Vietnam era in Berkley. It was so good that I couldn't put it down until I was halfway through. And finished today. Highly recommended. Both this book and the whole series.
May 2, 2014
I was hooked from the first page of Wendy Hornsby's newest Maggie MacGowan mystery, The Color of Light. It opens as Maggie, now an investigative film maker, sits watching an old Super 8 movie taken by her father of a group of pre-teen girls walking down a street in Berkeley, California. Maggie was one of them. Her father happened to catch the group in a confrontation with the neighborhood bully, a confrontation that still left Maggie with guilt feelings even after thirty years. The film also brings back strong memories of the Vietnamese mother of one of her childhood friends who was brutally murdered on the very day that film was made.
Maggie is in Berkeley to clean out her family home after her father's death and her mother's move to southern California. She is something of a local celebrity after her success as a film maker, but Berkeley is still enough of a small town that families reside in the same houses as in Maggie's childhood, and her friends and their parents still hold secrets that were not apparent to the eyes of a child.
Protagonist Maggie MacGowan is trained to ask questions for her film work, and is not afraid to use her skills in solving a thirty year old murder. Beneath the tranquil surface of the quiet neighborhood of well-kept lawns, and Maggie's physics professor father's carefully designed flower bed with which he illustrated the principles of the visual spectrum, lie dangerous secrets. Maggie's high school boy friend turns up and nearly rekindles their old relationship, until the jealousy of his alcoholic wife can cause near-deadly consequences.
Author Hornsby writes with sensitivity about the complex, multi-ethnic character of Berkeley residents. Part mystery and party romance, The Color of Light had me turning the pages eagerly until the end, when the strands of a complex plot finally come together in a satisfying conclusion.(As published in Suspense Magazine)
Maggie is in Berkeley to clean out her family home after her father's death and her mother's move to southern California. She is something of a local celebrity after her success as a film maker, but Berkeley is still enough of a small town that families reside in the same houses as in Maggie's childhood, and her friends and their parents still hold secrets that were not apparent to the eyes of a child.
Protagonist Maggie MacGowan is trained to ask questions for her film work, and is not afraid to use her skills in solving a thirty year old murder. Beneath the tranquil surface of the quiet neighborhood of well-kept lawns, and Maggie's physics professor father's carefully designed flower bed with which he illustrated the principles of the visual spectrum, lie dangerous secrets. Maggie's high school boy friend turns up and nearly rekindles their old relationship, until the jealousy of his alcoholic wife can cause near-deadly consequences.
Author Hornsby writes with sensitivity about the complex, multi-ethnic character of Berkeley residents. Part mystery and party romance, The Color of Light had me turning the pages eagerly until the end, when the strands of a complex plot finally come together in a satisfying conclusion.(As published in Suspense Magazine)
January 26, 2018
This is my first introduction to the Maggie MacGowen Mystery series. (It turns out I had read an earlier Maggie mystery about 2.5 years ago and had forgotten until I checked. Since I did not recall anything about Maggie, it was as though it were the first book in the series for me.) Although it is the ninth book in the series, I did not feel any sense of missing backstory that I needed to enjoy this tale, perhaps because much of the mystery stems from 30 years earlier and naturally allowed the author opportunities to drop in backstory.
The characters are interesting and varied, dealing with a post-Vietnam Berkeley, CA and the aftermath thirty years later. As an amateur sleuth, Maggie is driven by curiosity to understand and bit by bit unravels the events of her childhood in this multilayered mystery.
The characters are interesting and varied, dealing with a post-Vietnam Berkeley, CA and the aftermath thirty years later. As an amateur sleuth, Maggie is driven by curiosity to understand and bit by bit unravels the events of her childhood in this multilayered mystery.
July 20, 2014
I quite enjoyed this riveting, well-plotted mystery. It's the ninth book in the Maggie MacGowen series, and this is the first I've read, but background information was so skillfully interwoven into the story that I had no problem following the plot or keeping the characters straight.
The Berkeley setting is vividly described, the characters are varied, lively and interesting, and the dialogue is great. In the story, TV documentary filmmaker Maggie has set out to solve a 30-year-old murder case, and the shifts between past and present are beautifully done. There's also a touch of romance. And the resolution, after numerous twists, is totally satisfying.
Now I will have to look for the earlier books in this series and find out all about Maggie's earlier adventures.
The Berkeley setting is vividly described, the characters are varied, lively and interesting, and the dialogue is great. In the story, TV documentary filmmaker Maggie has set out to solve a 30-year-old murder case, and the shifts between past and present are beautifully done. There's also a touch of romance. And the resolution, after numerous twists, is totally satisfying.
Now I will have to look for the earlier books in this series and find out all about Maggie's earlier adventures.
May 20, 2014
As always, a great book by W. Hornsby. Once again Maggie, the main character, is looking into her family's past and finding more secrets kept by her father. This one involves a neighbor who was murdered when Maggie was about 10 years old. The adult Maggie manages to uncover old clues to reveal the murderer, all while shifting through memories as she closes the old family home. The author does an excellent job of portraying the characters, their motivation, and the reality of adult children dealing with the detritus of a parent's life.
April 6, 2014
I couldn't put it down until I found out what happened. This series gets better and better.
Nice convoluted plot that includes back story of Maggie and then adds all sorts of complications. Switches from Berkeley in the 70's to present time.
Nice convoluted plot that includes back story of Maggie and then adds all sorts of complications. Switches from Berkeley in the 70's to present time.
May 9, 2016
I enjoyed this book very much, and not just because I grew up in Berkeley. Hornsby tells a good story and she creates entertaining and believable supporting characters. Her descriptions of the place are spot on.
May 7, 2014
First Sentence: Six girls walk down the sidewalk away from the camera, seemingly unaware anyone is watching them.
Documentary filmmaker Maggie MacGowen has returned to her childhood home in Berkeley, California to clear the house after her father’s death. That return has resurrected many memories and questions, particularly after Maggie finds a film her father took showing her with her friends. One of those friends, Beto, is shown with his mother, who turned up murdered later that same day. No one was ever arrested. Can Maggie put the pieces together after all these years and do so without getting killed?
What a wonderful, completely captivating opening that is so visually rendered. It draws you in and the, suddenly, lets you go.
It is interesting to learn about the Bay Area during the Vietnam years; the refugees and the Hungry Ghosts Celebration. Although it is my own home, it is one to which I came later in time and I learned things about the area I hadn’t known. Also, because of Maggie’s profession, one learns a bit about the television industry.
For those who have not followed the series, there is very good background information on Maggie. It is brief and perfectly woven into the story. From there, there is an interesting theme about Maggie learning things about her parents, particularly her late father. It can lead the reader to wonder what one may not know about their own parents.
One appreciates that Maggie is a character who develops and whose life changes through the course of the series, including her relationships.
“The Color of Light” may not be a fast-paced read, but it well plotted with a good twist. It is an enjoyable read that certainly held my interest.
THE COLOR OF LIGHT (Mys-Maggie MacGowen-Berkeley, CA-Contemp) – G+
Hornsby, Wendy – 9th in series
Perseverance Press, 2014
Documentary filmmaker Maggie MacGowen has returned to her childhood home in Berkeley, California to clear the house after her father’s death. That return has resurrected many memories and questions, particularly after Maggie finds a film her father took showing her with her friends. One of those friends, Beto, is shown with his mother, who turned up murdered later that same day. No one was ever arrested. Can Maggie put the pieces together after all these years and do so without getting killed?
What a wonderful, completely captivating opening that is so visually rendered. It draws you in and the, suddenly, lets you go.
It is interesting to learn about the Bay Area during the Vietnam years; the refugees and the Hungry Ghosts Celebration. Although it is my own home, it is one to which I came later in time and I learned things about the area I hadn’t known. Also, because of Maggie’s profession, one learns a bit about the television industry.
For those who have not followed the series, there is very good background information on Maggie. It is brief and perfectly woven into the story. From there, there is an interesting theme about Maggie learning things about her parents, particularly her late father. It can lead the reader to wonder what one may not know about their own parents.
One appreciates that Maggie is a character who develops and whose life changes through the course of the series, including her relationships.
“The Color of Light” may not be a fast-paced read, but it well plotted with a good twist. It is an enjoyable read that certainly held my interest.
THE COLOR OF LIGHT (Mys-Maggie MacGowen-Berkeley, CA-Contemp) – G+
Hornsby, Wendy – 9th in series
Perseverance Press, 2014
November 6, 2014
In her ninth Wendy Hornby’s Maggie MacGowen mystery, we find Maggie, two weeks before her planned trip to France to make a film, back to her childhood home in Berkeley, California, to clear out the family house, as her mother has moved into a smaller place (her father, a physicist, having died a while back). In the course of which her instincts, the fact that she “plays” at being an investigator on her popular TV series and, perhaps, the fact that her late husband was a homicide detective, lead to her uncovering things other than old family treasures. She finds inescapable the memories of a murder that occurred over 30 years ago, when the beautiful Vietnamese mother of a school friend was brutally raped and killed, when she and her friends were then ten and eleven years old. Her mother was a close friend of the murdered woman, as Maggie was with her son, Beto.
Maggie’s boyfriend at the time of the murder is now Detective Kevin Halloran, who is not crazy about the fact that she is asking questions of people she suspects are hiding secrets. Maggie is very skittish about secrets: It was not long ago that she discovered that her biological mother was a woman with whom her father had had an affair long ago in France. The film she is about to make is about that woman’s family and their farm in Normandy. Her daughter, Casey, has just finished her sophomore year in college, and Maggie is traveling with her current boyfriend, the French consul general to Los Angeles and a widower with a son about Casey’s age. The ensuing investigation is fraught with danger; as Maggie’s uncle tells her, “Always an adventure with you, kid. Always an adventure.” The author has blended a great cast of characters and an intriguing mystery, and the book is recommended.
February 28, 2015
I've been reading this series for 23 years! Hornsby wrote pretty regularly in the early nineties, then she took a 12-year break, and then resumed writing again. I don't recall that when the series resumed, how it was, or even if it was, accounted for in the story, but the protagonist, investigative documentary filmmaker, Maggie MacGowan, is now into her forties and her daughter is a junior in college -- so she's at least moved her along life-wise. However, the series is taking a new turn, and I'm not sure how I will respond come the next book. It might feel fresh and new, or I will miss the familiarity of the former. C'est la vie!
February 11, 2015
3.5 stars. A good, enjoyable quick read. It's the ninth in the Maggie MacGowan series, but the first I've read. The characters were engaging and well written; the mystery was compelling. I did not feel that I was missing anything not having read the previous books in the series; the author did a good job of filling in the history of Maggie and others. I think I would enjoy others in this series, but who knows when I'll get to them; so many great books waiting to be read.
November 27, 2014
Excellent mystery set in Berkeley with believable characters. First time I've read this author.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews