Romantic suspense writer Patricia Bradley talks cold cases
By Brock D. Eastman
When a letter surfaces stating that a condemned killer is innocent, Detective Will Kinkaid of the Memphis Cold Case Unit will stop at nothing to help the victim’s sister find the real murderer. Patricia Bradley talks with FamilyFiction about her latest romantic suspense novel, Justice Delayed (Revell). In this exclusive Q&A, Patricia shares why she wrote a novel focused on a cold case, secrets from the book, and what happens when her characters take over the story.
Why write a romantic suspense focusing on a cold case?
I’ve wanted to write a book about cold cases for a long time, and since I grew up in Memphis, it was the perfect location, especially since I have an advisor who is part of the cold case team there.
As for this particular story, when I wake up every morning, I spend a few minutes letting thoughts run through my mind. If I were writing, it would be called free writing, so I guess it’s free thinking. One morning I wondered what if someone on death row received a letter stating he had not committed the murder he was convicted of? And what if the letter writer had proof. But then the letter is stolen and the writer is murdered. And Justice Delayed went from there.
In three words what is this book about?
Diamonds. Deception. Justice.
Give us a one liner on each of the protagonist for Justice Delayed…
Will Kincade wanted to be a policeman since he was a kid along with his best friend, Brad Hollister. Andi Hollister is a TV reporter who drives her family and friends crazy with the risks she takes to get a story.
Share something about the story that no one other than you would know.
Will is ashamed that he and Brad locked Andi in the shed when she was 10 and they were 12 so she couldn’t tag along with them. Especially since she’s now terrified of being in enclosed places. Andi is driven to prove herself, but no one knows how afraid she is when she interviews a dangerous person like the gang member.
How about something most people don’t know about you?
I’ve been bucked off a horse two times, and one of those times, the saddle came with me.
Yikes. You mentioned the free writing in the morning—once you’ve found that idea, how do you put it in story form?
I discover who my characters are, and then I usually plot out the end of Act 1 where something happens where the protagonist(s) is thrown into solving the crime, then in the middle of Act 2, my protagonist(s)learn something that changes everything. I also know what the black moment is and usually how the story ends. Of course, my characters may have other ideas about all this, and then I go with them. I don’t always know who did it. I was writing this story one day and a character admitted to the murder—and I thought, So you’re the one who did it!
More about the book here: