What can I say? My life is perfect. Married to the man of my dreams, the father of my two children, living in a beautiful home in a picturesque small town surrounded by lakes and forests. I’m just your typical housewife and mother.

A normal summer day begins with breakfast in our sunny kitchen, a kiss from Jim as he heads out to work at the real estate firm he owns, after which I scurry to get the kids ready for day camp. Once I drop them off, I do a few chores around the house, then enjoy the beautiful roses around our backyard deck with a book for company or work on my weekly articles for the Gazette. There’s not much to report on. Things are quiet here in this northern mining town in the middle of nowhere. Boring, you could say. But at least I get to write. I mostly cover council meetings, local events of interest, but there is the occasional petty crime story. Not exactly sensational, but I like to think of myself as an investigative reporter. Let’s face it, though. It’s not like anyone’s going to get murdered here or anything. Lake Kipling is about as safe as you can get.

All that’s about to change. A phone call in the middle of the night startles us, panic coursing through my blood. Who would call at this hour? Is it Stefan? Has he found me? I’ve been in hiding for the last twelve years, living under an assumed identity. If anyone finds out who I really am and what I’ve done, my perfect little world will be blown to smithereens.

“The police? What did they say?” Jim’s voice as he speaks into the receiver elicits a scream from me, in spite of the fact that it might wake the kids.

Jim motions for me to be quiet. My heart hammers in anticipation of the police breaking through our door and carting me off in handcuffs. That would be a blessing compared to what Stefan might do to avenge his family honor. I’m ready to grab the kids and make a run for it. Disappear. Again.

But Jim appears puzzled, not terrified. “That was Danny. Julia’s missing,” he says when he hangs up. “Her car’s in the driveway, and it looks like she should be in bed, but she’s nowhere to be found.”

Julia is Jim’s receptionist. Her boyfriend Danny has called the police and reported her missing. I hope she’s found, safe and sound. But maybe she doesn’t want to be found. Like me. This could be Lake Kipling’s story of the decade. And I’m the one who’s going to write it.

I bolt out of bed, telling him he’s in charge of the kids this morning and drive out to Julia’s house. Passing the row of police vehicles and ducking under the crime scene tape, I march up to the front door. The detective in charge speaks to me briefly, then dismisses me. At the police station, I encounter him again only to be scoffed at when I offer to help him find Julia. When I run into him later while interviewing Julia’s neighbors, Detective Scott Evans informs me this is a police investigation and I should go home.

Seriously?

But I take a step back. Something in his eyes makes me wonder if Julia’s disappearance is going to put me in the path of danger. In more ways than one.

Lost Like Me, A Blue Water Mystery Book #2
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: March 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Two women’s lives intersect. One goes missing and needs to be found while the other must remain lost. Both their lives depend on it.

Following a horrific event twelve years ago, Cheryl MacGregor disappeared from the city where she grew up and moved to a remote northern town, assuming a new identity with her husband, Jim. She thought she was safe from the danger that led her to flee—until her parents’ deaths last year.

When Jim’s receptionist, Julia, mysteriously vanishes from her home Cheryl teams up with Detective Scott Evans for two reasons: to find Julia and to write the exclusive report that will forward Cheryl’s career as a journalist. While investigating the possibility that Julia’s disappearance may be linked to strange happenings at an abandoned mine, Cheryl uncovers a connection to her own former life, reminding her that the threat to her family is still out there.

As wildfires threaten the town, Cheryl and Detective Evans race against the encroaching smoke to find Julia before it’s too late. When the investigation hits too close to home, Cheryl must face the reality that she may never be lost enough to escape her past.

About the author
Ivanka Fear is a Slovenian-born Canadian author. She lives in Ontario with her family and feline companions. Ivanka earned her B.A. and B.Ed. in English and French at Western University. After retiring from teaching, she wrote poetry and short stories for various literary journals. The Dead Lie, A Blue Water Mystery, was her debut novel. Lost Like Me is the second book in the Blue Water series. Ivanka is also the author of Where is My Husband?, a Jake and Mallory Thriller. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, and Crime Writers of Canada. When not reading and writing, Ivanka enjoys watching mystery series and romance movies, gardening, going for walks, and watching the waves roll in at the lake. You can connect with her through her website at ivankafear.com.