Ellie sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we can learn more about what makes her tick. Let’s see what she has to say.

What is your full name?
Elizabeth Claire Carr. But everyone calls me Ellie.

How old are you?
30

What is your profession?
Forensic Scientist. At the Locard Institute, that means I teach classes, conduct research and assist in investigations for private client.

Do you have a significant other?
No. Not at the moment.

Do you have any children?
No. I tried when I was married, but…never got pregnant.

Do you have any siblings?
No.

Are your parents nearby?
Short answer: No. Long answer: My mother died when I was four in a car accident. The next day, my father told me that it wasn’t his fault—which makes no sense because he wasn’t in the car—and left. I haven’t seen him since. I lived with my grandmother, then one aunt and uncle, then more aunts and uncles. This sounds sad but it was very much not! They are all wonderful people. My cousins became my sisters and brothers and my whole extended family became a foundation of solid rock.

Who is your best friend?
I don’t make friends easily. Maybe I spent too much time with family when young. I suppose my best friend now is my boss, Dr. Rachael Davies. I’ve only known her a few months, but what months they’ve been!

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
I recently adopted a puppy, Kai, after he stumbled into our crime scene at the Locard. He’s adorable, energetic, and a night owl. He doesn’t like to let me sleep.

What town do you live in?
A tiny place on the shores of Chesapeake Bay, outside Washington D.C.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
It’s an odd little house that I bought sight unseen—too excited about my new job at the Locard to think straight. It needs some work.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
The sitting area/office on my second floor, a large airy room with french doors leading out to the balcony facing the bay across the street. (It sounds fancier than it is.)

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Fettucine Alfredo. Ice cream. If it doesn’t involve ice cream, it’s not a real dessert. But if it has a lot of frosting, or pie, it can come close.

Do you have any hobbies?
Um. Working out, reading, and home renovations.

What music do you listen to?
Broadway tunes.

What is your favorite color?
Red. Make of that what you will.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Prague.

Are you a morning or night person?
I guess morning. I can’t stay up really late, and I don’t have any trouble waking up. Of course that doesn’t mean I want to.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Eating pasta at an outdoor cafe in Rome.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Adventures in Blood. No, that sounds too dire. Forensics: Not As Glamorous As It Sounds.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Professional. See question #3.

What is a typical day in your life like?
Oh wow. There’s really no typical day. When we’re presenting a class—topics for law enforcement and other students—I might be lecturing on DNA or latent print processing for four or eight hours a day for a week or two. Also, currently I’m experimenting with using colored filters to get fingerprints off transparent tape—if I come up with a reliable technique, we will present a paper. Aaaand, I’m about to fly to Florida to meet with a father who believes his daughter was murdered and wants the Locard to find out.

The Deepest Kill, A Locard Institute Thriller Book #3
Genre: Thriller
Release: February 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

With a duo of complex female protagonists, breakneck plotting, and authenticity informed by her career as a crime scene analyst, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Black’s Locard Institute Thrillers land her in the same league as Tess Gerritsen, Patricia Cornwell, and Kathy Reichs.

Now forensic experts Ellie Carr and Rachael Davies are called to a billionaire’s private compound on Florida’s Gulf Coast to investigate a tragic death amid a dangerous storm of power, deception, and conspiracy…

For software pioneer Martin Post, the third richest man in America, his private compound on the Florida coast is a sunny no-man’s-land separating his family from the rest of the world. Now, expert forensic analysts Ellie Carr and Rachael Davies of the renowned Locard Institute have been summoned to its dark side.

Martin’s pregnant daughter, Ashley, had ventured on a day trip in her motorboat into the Gulf, only to wash up dead on a nearby shore. Although the local coroner determined her death was an accident, Ellie and Rachael soon confirm Martin’s gravest fear: His daughter was murdered. Was it a kidnapping gone wrong? Or something even more brutal? Ashley and her husband, Greg, had been working with Martin on a revolutionary new defense initiative for the US military – could espionage have played a part in her death? Martin believes Greg is behind the murder, and the spoiled charmer does set off Rachel’s deception radar. If the widower didn’t kill Ashley himself, why isn’t he more upset that she’s dead?

Drawn into the Posts’ increasingly dangerous family dynamic, Ellie and Rachael must work hard and fast to discover what secrets are buried at the heart of the crime. Because the churning waters of the Gulf are getting rougher. And soon, Ellie and Rachael themselves will be in danger of getting crushed in their depths.

About the author
Lisa Black is the New York Times bestselling author of 17 suspense novels, including the Gardiner & Renner series and the Locard Institute series. Her works have been translated into six languages, optioned for film, and shortlisted for both the inaugural Sue Grafton Memorial Award and the Nero. She is also a full-time Certified Latent Print Examiner and a Certified Crime Scene Analyst, beginning her forensics career at the Coroner’s office in Cleveland Ohio and then the police department in Cape Coral, Florida. She has spoken to readers and writers at numerous conferences, been a consultant for CourtTV, and was a Guest of Honor at 2021 Killer Nashville.