Bestselling author Patricia Bradley introduced fans to a well-received suspense series set in the depths of the Natchez Trace in her Natchez Trace Park Rangers Series. Since that time, readers have immersed themselves in plots riddled with secrets, compelling heroes, and elusive villains in Standoff (May 2020), Obsession (February 2021), and Crosshairs (November 2021). She won an Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award in Romantic Suspense, a Daphne du Maurier Award, and a Touched by Love Award; she was a Carol Award finalist; and three of her books were included in anthologies that debuted on the USA Today bestseller list.
In this interview, Patricia shares some of her insights into book 4 of the series, Deception.
FF: Can you please provide a brief summary of your new novel, Deception?
After being forced to kill an FBI agent gone rogue in self-defense while working the violent crimes unit for the Investigative Services Branch, ISB ranger Madison Thorn is comfortable with her move to the fraud and cyber division. At least numbers don’t lie. So she’s less than thrilled when a white crime investigation in Natchez, Mississippi, turns violent. She could also do without being forced to work with former-childhood-enemy-turned-infuriatingly-handsome park ranger Clayton Bradshaw.
When a woman who looks just like Madison is attacked on the same night Madison’s grandfather is shot, it becomes clear that there is something much bigger going on here and that Madison herself is in danger. Madison and Clayton will have to work together—and suppress their growing feelings for one another—if they are to discover the truth before it’s too late.
FF: What can you tell us about Madison and her professional background?
Madison has always liked to solve puzzles, and until a colleague almost kills her, she loved digging into a case and finding the clues that put the bad guys away. But she’s good with numbers and goes after fraud cases with the same tenacity as she did murder cases.
FF: Madison and Clayton have a history. Can you elaborate on why their relationship is complicated?
Madison doesn’t trust men, partly because her adoptive father was always so aloof and she never felt he loved her. And then there was Chad Turner, who professed to love her but only used her to try and get his son back. The only positive male role model she has is her grandfather, Judge William Anderson.
She knew Clayton from when she would visit her grandfather every summer as a child, but he always seemed to be in cahoots with her bullying cousins. When they meet again, she doesn’t have a very high opinion of him.
Clayton Bradshaw is a recovering gambler and ladies’ man. But he’s a changed man when he meets Madison again, and even though he’s attracted to her, he holds back because he’s made a commitment not to have causal relationships.
FF: What inspired the idea for this series?
I’ve always wanted to be a park ranger, and I love the Natchez Trace and the town of Natchez. Writing this series has given me the fun of living that dream.
FF: What makes this series stand out from the other books you’ve written?
While I think all of my series are good, I learn something from each one that makes the next one better. Learning about the Natchez Trace Park rangers and Investigative Service Branch rangers has made this series different. I like the unexpected twists I’ve come up with for each book in the series.
FF: What do you hope readers will gain from reading Deception?
I hope readers see how unforgiveness poisons but forgiveness heals. When you need to forgive someone, you can hold on to unforgiveness and thoughts of revenge, or you can forgive and get on with your life.
FF: What are you working on next?
I’m starting a new series set in the Cumberland Plateau near Chattanooga. It will feature a female sheriff, a chief of police who wanted the sheriff’s job, and a mayor who wants tourists to discover the small town of Pearl Creek, Tennessee. This is not the wish of Apacola County Sheriff Alexandra (Alex) Stone or Police Chief Sean Landry. And when two murders happen shortly after Alex takes office, she determines that a serial killer has followed her to Pearl Creek.
Deception
Natchez Trace Park Rangers Series #4
Patricia Bradley
Revell
Genres: Mystery/Suspense, Romantic Suspense
Release Date: August 2, 2022
ISBN-10: 0800735765
ISBN-13: 978-0800735760
Book Summary:
After a previous assignment goes violently awry, ranger Madison Thorne is happy with her reassignment to the fraud and cyber division. At least there, no one will die at her hands, and numbers don’t try to double-cross you. But when a white-collar crime investigation turns murderous, Madison is pulled back into the field—and forced to work with her childhood enemy, Clayton Bradshaw.
Madison and Clayton must piece together the clues to find the traitor before someone else gets hurt. But they’ll find that the closer they get to the perpetrator—and to each other—the more personal the danger becomes. Can Clayton protect Madison from someone who wants her dead, without losing his heart as well?
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