Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, so let’s meet Maggie.

What is your name?
Maggie Gardiner

How old are you?
Early 30’s

What is your profession?
I’m a Forensic Specialist with the Cleveland Police Department. That means I’m a civilian employee. I work in both the lab and at crime scenes, analyzing fingeprints, blood spatter, bullet trajectories, fibers, paint and anything else that comes up (that I’m trained in, that is–for instance I can’t do handwriting comparisons or toxicological tests).

Do you have a significant other?
Hah! No. Right now that would create a real mess. I mean even more of a mess than I’m already in. I was married to a homicide detective for about five years and now we’ve been divorced for about five years.

Any children?
No.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
I have one brother, Alex. He’s my best pal in the world but we hardly ever see each other, because he’s always on the road with a rock band. He has an adorable wife and two small daughters.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
I now have a cat, after the events of Perish left it without an owner. His name is Keynes, after the economist.

What town do you live in?
Cleveland, Ohio

House or building complex?
I have an apartment.

Do you rent or own?
Just rent. I can walk to work and I don’t have a lot of time for home maintenance anyway.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
I have a tiny balcony, from which I can watch the sun set.

Who is your best friend?
Other than Alex, I guess I’d say Carol. She’s an older lady and DNA analyst at the lab.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Professional. Sorta. . .the detectives actually run the investigation. I’m there to provide forensic support, but sometimes I overstep my role. So far I haven’t gotten in trouble for it, other than being shot at, slashed, almost strangled and nearly blown up. But my boss Denny will always have my back.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Denny and Carol. We have two other techs in the lab named Josh and Amy. But somehow my most complicated cases always find me alongside homicide detectives Jack Renner and Thomas Riley. I guess that’s not that strange, because everything about Jack is complicated. The problem is, no one knows it except me.

Favorite meal?
Bacon cheeseburger and fries. I’m not saying I eat that very often because it is a heart attack on a plate, but if calories were not a consideration it would be my next order. Or gnocchi alfredo. (Same qualification applies.)

Favorite dessert?
Hot fudge sundae.

Favorite hobby?
Hobby? I don’t really have a hobby. . .though I do spend a lot of time in the true crime section of the downtown library.

Favorite vacation spot?
Vacation? Wow, I haven’t had a vacation in a long time. I suppose I really should go somewhere. . .I’d love to hike the Appalachian trail.

Favorite color?
Red.

Favorite author?
P.D. James

Favorite sports team?
The Indians, of course!!!

Movies or Broadway?
I love both. I mean I really love both. But with Broadway it pretty much has to be a musical.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I walk the few blocks to the Justice Center, which is pleasant in spring and fall but not so great when that winter wind sweeps off the lake. (I’m near the river and the JC is only about 1000 feet from Lake Erie.) I might compare fingerprints, photograph the scene of a fatal car accident, testify in court, collect fibers from a victim’s shirt, trace a bullet’s trajectory or any combination of the above plus a few other duties as assigned. When I get all that done or get tired enough to leave it for the next day, I’ll walk home trying to resist all the great-smelling restaurants, feed the cat, text my brother, and convince myself that everything is normal and I’m okay even though I murdered someone about six months ago. Sometimes it nearly works. Most of the time it doesn’t.

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Suffer The Children. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends August 29, 2018. Good luck everyone!

You can read about Maggie in Suffer The Children, the fourth book in the “Gardiner and Renner” thriller series, coming August 28, 2018. The first book in the series is That Darkness.

Maggie Gardiner, forensics expert for the Cleveland police department, and Jack Renner, a homicide detective with a killer secret, return in bestselling author Lisa Black’s new thriller as they confront the darkest threat yet to their careers—and their lives.

The body of fifteen-year-old Rachael Donahue—abandoned by society, raised in foster homes, and violently unapproachable—has been discovered at the bottom of a stairwell at Firebird, the secure facility for juvenile offenders in Cleveland. For Maggie and Jack, Rachael’s death comes with a disturbing twist—the girl may have been involved with a much older man.

But Rachael’s not the only resident at the center to come to a dead end. Firebird’s ten-year-old “wild child” has overdosed in the infirmary—back-to-back tragedies that appear to be terrible accidents. As a forensic investigator, Maggie knows appearances can be deceiving. And Jack knows all about deceit. That’s why they both suspect a cold-blooded murderer is carrying out a deadly agenda.

As Maggie’s ex-husband gets nearer to uncovering the secrets that Maggie and Jack must hide, it becomes increasingly harder for them to protect a new and vulnerable victim from a killer with unfathomable demons.

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About the author
Lisa Black spent the five happiest years of her life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist at the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office she analyzed many forms of trace evidence as well as crime scenes. Now she’s a certified latent print examiner and CSI in Florida and is the author of twelve traditionally published novels. Some of which have been translated into six other languages, one has been optioned for film and one reached the New York Times bestseller’s list. Visit Lisa at lisa-black.com.

All comments are welcomed.