Secrets, Suspicion, and Second Chances with Carol Light

Death Watch, the second book in my Southern Secrets Mysteries series, is about second chances. Jana Nance (I pronounce her name JAN-ah), is forty-eight, a widow, and an empty nester. Her two grown daughters are living independently although they’re still emotionally dependent on their mom. They often call to vent about their relationships but seldom take her advice.

When Jana is passed over for a promotion at the Indiana Department of Tourism, she begins to think of making a change in her life. Her beloved grandmother, Nana Sue, who had provided a home for her in Crossroads, Arkansas, when she was in high school, has been moved into a nursing home due to her advancing Alzheimer’s disease. So, when the newly created job of tourism director opens in Crossroads, Jana applies and is selected for what promises to be her dream job.

A second chance is just that—an opportunity at which you may or may not succeed. Jana’s new job description probably should have had an asterisk with a footnote explaining that her new boss would be the mayor, Deeann Donahue, the girl in high school she most disliked. Succeeding in her job may depend on how well she can work with her boss, but Jana isn’t sure she wants a second chance to build a positive relationship with Deeann. Fortunately, her best friend, Charlie, now lives next door to Nana’s house. However, tragedy strikes when Jana and her new tourism committee discover the body of Charlie’s son, Eli, at the site of the city’s new proposed park. Eli is found with a cache of fentanyl-laced drugs, and allegations that he may have been selling them soon threaten the friendship between the two women.

There’s no second chance for police chief Tim Birch when he arrives too late to save a young officer who’s suffered a fatal exposure to fentanyl at a traffic stop. Tim is first on the scene, but resuscitation efforts fail. The dead officer is the niece of Tim’s sergeant, who hasn’t embraced his promotion to chief. Eli’s death in the park further leads to suspicion that there may be other officers on his force working against him. Tim will need help from a variety of sources, including Jana, to stop the spread of dangerous drugs and catch a killer who won’t stop with one victim.

For those who read Deadly Inheritance, my first Southern Secrets mystery, Death Watch is your second chance to spend time with the Crossroads characters you met in that story. Jack Huddleston, the word-nerd publisher of the Gazette newspaper is back, although he faces challenges of his own after recent near-death experiences. Merritt Quinn, Cal Kinney, and Curt Macmillan also return. And that new doctor in town, Clay Bailey? I don’t want to spoil a surprise, but there’s even a second chance at love for Jana in this story.

I hope you’ll enjoy Death Watch. Don’t expect all the loose ends to be tied up. There’s more to come in March 2026 when Tule releases my next Southern Secrets mystery, Fatal Silence, your third chance to visit Crossroads, Arkansas.

All the best,
Carol

About the Author

Carol Light is an avid reader and writer of mysteries. She loves creating amateur sleuths and complicating their normal lives with a crime that they must use their talents and wits to solve. She’s traveled worldwide and lived in Australia for eight years, teaching high school English and learning to speak “Strine.” Florida is now her home. If she’s not at the beach or writing, you can find her tackling quilting in much the same way that she figures out her mysteries—piece by piece, clue by clue. You can also follow me on BlueSky.