Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, where you can learn more about what makes them tick. Let’s see what Julia has to say.

What is your name?
– – Julia Gooden

How old are you?
– – 37

What is your profession?
– – I’m a crime reporter in the city of Detroit. Some people call my reporting style relentless, but I know what it’s like to be on the other side of a crime story. My older brother, Ben, was abducted when he was nine. The crime beat is a natural for me. The people I write about are usually broken and need answers. I feel like I have a personal mission to help them and their families. I always try to slip past the yellow tape at crime scenes—and I generally get kicked out in a hurry. I feel like if I can see the body, I’ll work even harder to find out what happened.

Do you have a significant other?
– – Absolutely, and I’ve never been happier. I recently got back together with a man I was in deeply in love with in my twenties. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I better explain my situation with my former husband first. I was previously married to Assistant District Attorney David Tanner. David and I were separated when he was killed last year. David initially left me because he felt I was too overprotective of our boys. Before his murder, I discovered David was involved in some pretty serious transgressions that I would’ve never been able to forgive, even if he were still alive.

What is his name?
– – My significant other’s name is Raymond Navarro.

What is his profession?
– – Navarro is a detective with the Detroit PD. When I was twenty-five, Navarro asked me to marry him, but I felt like we were too young. We broke up but still remained close friends. There are very few people I trust, but Navarro, hands-down, is the best person I’ve ever met.

Any children?
– – My children mean everything to me. I have two little boys from my marriage with David. My oldest son, Logan, is nine. Will is three. Logan is incredibly brave. He tried to save Will and me once from someone who was trying to kill us. Will is all boy and is very close to Logan, just like Ben and I were growing up. My kids have been through a lot with the loss of their dad, although I’ve tried to shield them from the news about what he did. We are a very close family, and I would fight to the death for my kids.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
– – My brother Ben was everything to me growing up. Our dad, Duke, was a con man who was in and out of jail, and our mother, Marjorie, was a drunk. Ben tried to make everything good for me despite our circumstances. I have an older sister, Sarah. I was able to move in with our aunt when our parents took off. But Sarah started acting up and wound up in foster care. Sarah later turned into a con like my dad. But now that she’s back in Detroit, Sarah claims that she is really sober this time and is turning her life around. I’m not sure people can really change. We’ll see. Duke recently resurfaced after abandoning us thirty years ago. I don’t trust Duke, but I think he can help me finally figure out what happened to my brother. The only problem is, Duke has a trail of bad guys who are coming after him. Against my better judgment, I am going to need to team up with Sarah and Duke to solve Ben’s case.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
– – No pets.

What town do you live in?
– – I live in Rochester Hills, Michigan, with Logan, Will and our housekeeper, Helen Jankowski, our self-appointed den mother who has the best pierogi recipe this side of Detroit.

Do you rent or own?
– – I own our house, but it’s on the market. My former husband and I bought the place right before Logan was born. Considering what happened with David, there are too many bad memories hanging around the house like ghosts, so it’s time for a fresh start.

House or building complex?
– – My family and I live in a house. I’m far too paranoid over my children’s safety, considering what happened to my brother, to live in a place with multiple strangers.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
– – I like the backyard where I watch Logan and Will play in their tree house, but the spot I gravitate to most is my home office where I can be found writing or scanning the latest news stories to make sure I haven’t been scooped by the competition.

Who is your best friend?
– – That’s an easy question. My best friend is Navarro. Navarro understands me more than anyone else I’ve ever met. I think a big part of our connection is because we both know what it’s like to come from difficult childhoods. Navarro witnessed his father murder his mother when he was eleven. That’s the reason Navarro became a cop. He felt like he didn’t protect his mother, even though he was just a kid at the time of her murder. And as an extra bonus, Navarro’s pretty great to look at.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
– – Professional. I first became a newspaper reporter to give others the closure I couldn’t find for myself. I won’t stop until I find out the truth. Some people think I should stop putting myself in dangerous situations since I have kids. But when people say that, I tell them, “There is nothing more important to me than my children. And I bet you wouldn’t be accusing me of that if I were a man.”

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
– – I’ve been told that I’m stubborn and headstrong when chasing a story. That’s probably true. I’m lucky to have people who help me, because I couldn’t go it alone. Ray Navarro is my partner in crime, along with his police partner, LeRoy Russell. I also have some great sources who provide me invaluable assistance. One of my go-to people when I need to find out what’s happening on the street is Tyce Jones. Tyce is a former drug dealer turned entrepreneur and music producer. Tyce is now in a wheelchair because one of his rivals took him out in a territory dispute. But these days, Tyce is a scrappy, legit businessman.

Favorite meal?
– – Anything Helen makes. Helen is originally from Poland. Helen’s mother put her on a ship during the outbreak of World War II to protect her from the Nazis. Helen is like the mother I never had, and she is an incredible cook. Her specialties are pierogies, Polish red borscht, golabki, which are cabbage stuffed with meat and rice, and her breaded pork and potato dumplings. Everything she makes is delicious!

Favorite dessert?
– – Helen’s pączki, which are Polish donuts. We only get these if my kids and I are on our best behavior.

Favorite hobby?
– – Running. My psychiatrist thinks I keep up my relentless pace of running ten-miles-a-day, six-days-a-week, as some sort of punishment because I could never remember what happened to my brother the night he was taken, even though I was sleeping in the same room with Ben at the time. I’m not a fan of shrinks. But in the last few years, I realized I’ve kept much of the trauma from my childhood bottled up inside. And that’s not good. Counseling has helped. And running clears my head.

Favorite vacation spot?
– – Who has time for a vacation?

Favorite color?
– – Red. It was my brother Ben’s favorite color. In his missing person’s flyer that is still pinned above my desk, Ben is wearing his favorite red shirt.

Favorite author?
– – Linwood Barclay. He’s a fantastic mystery writer. I tend to gravitate to mystery writers who were/are journalists, like me. I’ve read all of Lindwood Barclay’s books. My favorite is Trust Your Eyes. Seriously, you’ve got to read this guy if you haven’t yet.

Favorite sports team?
– – I’m from Detroit, so you probably think I’m going to say the Red Wings, the Lions or the Tigers, but my favorite sport’s team is the New York Yankees. My brother Ben adored the Yankees. I was able to find a piece of evidence—Ben’s New York Yankee’s pendant—that had been snatched by a suspect in his missing person’s case. The necklace is precious to me.

Movies or Broadway?
– – I like movies. The more suspenseful, the better.

Are you a morning or a night person?
– – I get up at dawn to run, so I guess I’m a morning person, but I stay up late most nights as well. You can’t get things done if you’re sleeping.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
– – Taking care of my boys and making sure they are safe. Working my sources and digging deep into a story to find out the truth. And bringing down the bad guys.

You can read about Julia in Worth Killing For, the third book in the “Julia Gooden” mystery series. The first book in the series is The Last Time She Saw Him.

Detroit newspaper reporter Julia Gooden returns in a twisting, superbly assured new mystery, where a brutal murder and a father’s sudden return may provide the answers she’s spent decades searching for . . . or lead deep into a fatal trap.

The past never really leaves us. Crime reporter Julia Gooden sees proof of this every day in her stories. A dark childhood, a negligent parent, early abandonment—any one of them can seal a person’s fate as either a villain or victim. Julia, who experienced all three, seems to have beaten the odds, finding happiness raising her two sons and a blossoming relationship with detective Raymond Navarro.

But now, after three decades of absence, Julia’s conman father has resurfaced to throw her life into turmoil again. Julia was only seven when Duke Gooden abruptly left. Barely a month later, her nine-year-old brother, Ben, disappeared. Ben was her hero and protector, and though the case is cold, Julia has never given up hope of finding him. Duke’s return offers vital clues—but it also makes her a target of those who intend to see Duke punished for his many sins.

When Julia investigates the death of a city councilman’s young nephew, she finds links to a string of other murders . . . and to a web of greed and kidnapping that stretches back decades. At long last, Julia may be able to discover what happened to Ben all those years ago, but only if she’s willing to risk everything in her present . . .

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About the author
Jane Haseldine is a journalist, former crime reporter, columnist, newspaper editor, and deputy director of communications for a governor. Jane graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a degree in journalism. She resides in Southern California with her husband and two sons. You can find her at janehaseldine.com, Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook and on Instagram at @janehaseldineauthor.

All comments are welcomed.