I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m Cameron Clewe. Most people call me Cam. I’m in my thirties, intelligent and healthy, and have been told I’m quite attractive…Wait, strike that. It sounds foolish when I read it back. I’m not creating a profile for a dating app, which is frankly something I’d never do. Meeting an unknown woman in a strange place? My fingers tap a waltz beat on my desktop just contemplating that scenario.
The truth is, I don’t like talking about myself. I can hold my own in any discussion of literature, history, science, or the arts, and I’m perfectly capable of running the businesses and investments I inherited. But small talk is like a foreign language. Either people can’t seem to comprehend what I’m trying to say, or I don’t understand the nuances of our conversation and end up being labeled haughty or rude. It’s only because Jane Hunter—who’s my sleuthing partner as well as the librarian I hired to catalog my extensive literary collections—believes sharing a little about myself might be helpful in overcoming some of my social anxiety that I agreed to this interview in the first place.
My daily life? It’s boring, or at least most of the women I’ve dated (always briefly) have told me so. “And far too regulated,” they say, claiming I lack spontaneity. But I need to know what’s going to happen, as well as why, when, and with whom. I don’t deal well with uncertainty. Fortunately, my personal assistant, Lauren, is efficient and dependable. She maintains my schedule and makes sure I have time to research and prepare before I engage with other people. She also handles the details of any social or charitable obligations required by my position as a wealthy CEO. Lauren is quite invaluable, which is why I pay her well. Jane says I should also tell Lauren how much I personally appreciate her, but that seems a little excessive to me. Or maybe, just awkward.
Honestly, I find a lot of things awkward. I often think everyone else owns a key I was never given—a special key to understanding social nuances and emotions. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for what I have. I inherited a large, historic estate called Aircroft as well as several businesses and investments. Money is not a problem, which is helpful in the sleuthing work I’ve taken on with Jane. I can easily pay for P.I.’s and other sources who find people or dig up information. But I’m not good with people, so I can’t chat up random individuals to uncover clues. That’s something I leave to Jane, who has maintained an impressive vitality despite being in her sixties.
Our pasts, circumstances, ages, and aptitudes may be different, but we make a perfect team.
Jane does the legwork, interviewing people and traveling to locations that might provide information. (To be totally transparent, I don’t like crowds and rarely leave the estate). I conduct the deep dive into online resources and use my money and connections to collect other clues. Jane studies the emotional states of our suspects, while I perceive overall patterns in often disparate facts and events. We take on cold cases and crimes where we feel justice will not be, or has not been, served—not for money, but for the sake of fairness and the sheer exhilaration of solving the puzzle.
Come to think of it, maybe my daily life isn’t quite so boring anymore.
A Killer Clue, A Hunter and Clewe Mystery Book 2
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: September 2024
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link
Perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Jenn McKinlay, acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert is back with more devious clues and deadly secrets as Hunter and Clewe take on a new case in the second Hunter and Clewe mystery.
When Eloise Anderson, the owner of an antiquarian bookshop, arrives at the grand Aircroft estate to ask retired librarian Jane Hunter and eccentric collector Cameron Clewe for help, Jane and Cam expect a bookish inquiry. But the bookseller has a different sort of assistance in mind—clearing her mother’s name of a murder Eloise is convinced she didn’t commit.
Eloise’s mother has just died after spending many years in prison for allegedly killing Eloise’s father. Armed with new information found in her mother’s effects, the bookseller is determined to uncover the true killer so her mother can rest in peace, even though the case is now colder than ice. When Jane tracks down the original detective from the investigation and discovers him stabbed to death in Eloise’s bookshop, Jane and Cam are sure this murder is connected to the cold case. They think it’s the same killer, but the police unfortunately have their own prime suspect, and this time around it’s Eloise.
Cam and Jane’s cold-case sleuthing turns urgent—find who committed the murders or watch another innocent woman rot in jail as a cold-blooded killer walks free.
About the author
A retired librarian, Victoria writes the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Booklover’s B&B Mystery series, the Hunter and Clewe traditional mystery series, and the forthcoming Campus Sleuth mystery series for Crooked Lane Books. She is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel, NY, NY. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Victoria lives outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina with her husband, son, and two very spoiled cats.
Linktree with all social media, website, and contact links at victoriagilbertauthor.