So much is going on in my life these days, I don’t know where to begin, but probably it’s the rally a few days ago. I was covering the event at Philadelphia’s City Hall for one of my clients when a big guy bowled me over. Slammed me to the ground. It happened so quickly I’m not sure about the specifics, but you get the idea. After I hit the hard pavement, I landed in the hospital with a broken arm, cracked ribs and pulled muscles in my shoulder. I know this will sound odd, but Mom’s fainting or fall, whatever happened to her a couple of days after my misadventure, couldn’t have come at a better time. She needs care and I’ve got nothing but time on my hands.
I’m in Lake Amelia now, in upstate New York near the Adirondack mountains, taking care of Mom and waiting for my injuries to heal so I can pick up a camera again. The docs said my arm and shoulder would keep me idle for several weeks. I’d be going stir crazy if I was sitting around in Philadelphia. Instead, I’m going stir crazy in Lake Amelia. I spent another afternoon with Mom in the hospital while doctors try to figure out what caused her to pass out. I have to say she looks like a match for Benjamin Moore’s Classic Gray paint that covers the walls in most of the first floor of Mom’s home. The home where I grew up and am now staying in my old bedroom.
At least I have Aunt Tess’s Main Street Diner and the Lake Amelia Public Library to help keep me sane. I had breakfast at the diner again this morning: three cups of coffee and a cheese omelet with home fries smothered in ketchup. I met deputy sheriff Maxi Stover at the diner. She acts like a tough cop but there’s a hint of a softer side. I don’t think she likes to let it show. You know, tough on crime and all that. My other happy place in this small town is the public library. I’d be lost without libraries. I spent a lot of time in this one escaping into the pages when I was a kid and I’ll be stopping in when I can to find a good read.
Oops, I gotta go. Actually, Mom’s dog, Gladys, needs to relieve herself and I’m on dog duty. Mom duty and dog duty. But I’m itching to do something, and that’s often what lands me in trouble.
Family Ties Family Lies
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: January 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
It’s not easy keeping secrets in a small town.
Rose Webster is facing down her fortieth birthday and worrying about her future as a photojournalist after getting caught in a raucous rally and shoved to the hard pavement, destroying her camera and, at least temporarily, her livelihood. One arm is in a splint, her right hand isn’t strong enough to hold a cup of coffee, and bruised ribs make it difficult to breathe. She’s filling out insurance claims when her aunt calls to tell her she’s needed in upstate New York to care for her ailing mother.
Rose has never liked returning to Lake Amelia in the foothills of the Adirondacks for more than a couple of days, but she has no choice. Doctors discover Rose’s mother has more health issues than anyone suspected, and Rose needs to help care for her. While poking around in the attic of her childhood home, Rose discovers personal items of her late father’s that hint of a secret life: a photo hidden in a book and a travel bag that hasn’t been opened in twelve years.
Rose’s next startling discovery sends shockwaves through her family. She’s more determined than ever to find answers no matter the cost. But will she regret what she learns and how it changes the way she thinks about family?
Meet the author
Jacqueline Boulden is the 2023 IPPY (Independent Press) Gold Award Winner for Best Regional Fiction, Mid-Atlantic, for Her Past Can’t Wait. This debut novel was also named the 2023 Global Book Awards Gold winner for Psychological Thriller, and finalist in several other contests. Her second book, Family Ties Family Lies, also looks at how our past affects our present and shapes our future. Before turning to writing fiction, she won several Emmy awards for reporting and Telly awards for video production. Jacqueline’s TV career took her around the country covering politics in Washington, D.C., NASA and the space shuttle program in Florida (including the Challenger accident) and fighting the wind for control of her hat during live shots in hurricanes and blizzards while working in Orlando and Philadelphia. Jacqueline lives in upstate New York with her spouse and their rescue dog, who’s teaching them how to speak Beaglish. Learn more at jacquelineboulden.com.