December 10, 2019 marks the release of Crossroad, by Spotted Owl Award winning Bill Cameron (writing as W.H. Cameron). With the introduction of Melisende Dulac, Crossroad marks the start of a new series.
On a desolate road in the Oregon high desert, an apprentice mortician stumbles upon a horrific car crash–and into a vortex of treachery, long-buried secrets, and growing menace.
Melisende is a fish out of water after relocating from the East Coast to a small community in the Oregon high desert. But just as she’s beginning to think of Barlow County as home, her life takes an ominous turn when she comes upon a grisly multiple car wreck and three shattered bodies on an isolated road outside of town. Near the scene, Melisende trips over a fourth body, that of a newborn girl lying a physics-defying distance from the wreckage. There is no one to claim the infant, nor a clear indication she was even part of the accident.
The crash offers plenty of opportunities for an apprentice mortician–but when the victims’ bodies are stolen from her family’s mortuary, Melisende is branded suspect number one. Then, Portland lawyer Kendrick Pride arrives on the scene on behalf of one of the victim’s families–or so he says–and Melisende begins to see that there’s much more to this enigmatic figure than meets the eye.
As the shadows gather and the mystery deepens, Melisende must race to find the truth–or be swallowed by the darkness.
Praise for Crossroad
“A richly drawn background contextualizes the mystery’s melancholy, with bursts of humor emerging like sun through clouds.”
“This pulse-pounding tale begs to be read in one sitting.”
Learn more . . .
Melisende Dulac also appears in the short story, “Hey Nineteen,” included in the anthology A Beast Without A Name: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Steely Dan, edited by Brian Thornton and available from Down and Out Books.
Cameron will be appearing with J.S. James at events in Portland, Seattle, and Eugene. Check out the Events page at his website for dates and details.