“Tonight the Ancient Ones walk among the sacred rocks.”

This first line of the fourth book in the Harrie McKinsey Mystery Series sets the stage. A body, a mystery, a prophetic dream, and Harrie McKinsey and friends are back for another adventure.

Right after I sent off the final edit of Murder on Frequency to Aakenbaaken & Kent, people were already asking, “What’s happening next?” “Where will the next mystery take place?”

I didn’t know. I was tired, Thanksgiving and Christmas were coming. There were other things I’d been putting off. But the worst part of it was I didn’t have any ideas at all! Not one single thing had popped into my mind to use as a backdrop for another Harrie McKinsey Mystery.

That’s when my husband came to the rescue. We were sipping coffee one morning, trying so hard to wake up, and the question had been posed to me the previous evening at a meeting we’d attended. I was still as void of ideas that morning as I had been the night before. Don said, “Why don’t you have a murder at the Petroglyphs?”

I frowned, looked at him, and said, “I’ve never even BEEN to the Petroglyphs. How can I write a murder mystery based on a place I’ve never experienced.”

His comment was brief and to the point. “Let’s drive over there today and check it out.”

So we did, and it was a great thing to get me going. I bought maps, picked up brochures, watched their 22-minute video at the Visitor Center, and talked to Ed, the silver-haired volunteer who has been there for years. He had stories to tell and background to convey. I came away with an appreciation of that monument, and the spiritual aspect surrounding it. I began to see how I could use it as a backdrop for the next adventures of Harrie and her friends and family.

We spent time taking photographs, soaking up the atmosphere, ‘feeling’ the history and spiritual energy of the site. By the time we left, the characters were talking to me and I knew they would tell me the story. I hope you enjoy it.