Tag Archives: The Wraith’s Return

Author Raemi A. Ray Stops by The Tule Mystery Blog to Chat With Us About Author Life, Real Life, and Mysteries!

Welcome to the Tule Blog. How have you been? What have you been up to?

Thank you for having me. Since A Chain of Pearls released in April, I’ve been kept very busy
working on marketing, and the release of book two, The Wraith’s Return and book three later this year. It’s been a rollercoaster in the best way.

That’s right, Book Two in your first series the Martha’s Vineyard Murders is releasing today,  August 22! What’s this one about?

It’s another whodunnit. Kyra returns to the island from London and has to solve two mysteries: what happened to a centuries old lost pirate treasure ship, and the suspicious deaths of the people trying to find the treasure.

Oh, so the same characters are featured in Book Two, The Wraith’s Return. Do you have a favorite one you like to write? Why?

Yes, the same main characters all make appearances: Kyra Gibson our protagonist, her detective Tarek Collins and of course the cat, Cronkite return. The series is really about them – a sort of modern-day Nick and Nora Charles. Side characters you may recognize pop in and out, as well as some new faces. My favorite to write? Honestly, it’s probably Cronkite. He’s a quintessential cat. He’s not bound by morality or social mores. He’s hardly even bound by the laws of physics (as people who live with cats know). He can be an unrepentant little terror and still be lovable. Originally, he was intended as a plot device so Kyra wouldn’t have long internal monologues weighing down the narrative, but along the way he developed a devious personality and now he’s an integral part of the story.
It’s a bit of a spoiler, but I love how his primary human isn’t Kyra. She’s been relegated to spare and it irritates her to no end, as I’m sure anyone in similar shoes could relate.

But you didn’t write a book about fictional cats. You wrote a mystery series. There must be a reason you find the genre compelling?

I do. I like that mysteries in many cases invite the reader to participate. Often in books, and all consumptive media really, the audience is a spectator. Their role is one of passive observer. But in mysteries, the reader can be asked to solve the mystery alongside the main character. I try to craft my narratives, so the main characters learn with the reader. In some cases, the reader might be able to figure out the killer even before Kyra. The clues are all there. The reader can play the game as well.

That’s interesting. Do you have some past experience that makes you good at solving
mysteries? Are you able to incorporate that previous experience in your jobs/education in your writing?

Oh no. I’ve zero qualifications that would make me suited for actual detective or crime fighting work. I do occasionally use my own experiences as a quick and lazy fix. I gave Kyra my day job so I wouldn’t have to research a profession for her. Cronkite is a cat because I’ve always had cats and know their behaviors. The characters all drive cars that me or my family have owned over the years, so I didn’t need to research those either. My real life plays a very dull role in my books.

But you do research?

Oh yes, extensively. Especially because so much of my plots derive from real life events. In The Wraith’s Return the pirate ship Keres is based on the real-life shipwreck discovered off the coast of Wellfleet, MA, the Whydah Gally and its captain Black Sam Bellamy. I’ve also had to research lots of creative and complex ways to kill people and how one would cover it up. My Google search history is terrifying. I’m positive I’m on an FBI watch list at this point.

Really? What’s the strangest thing you’ve had to research for the Martha’s Vineyard Murders?

Strangest? When you deal in death, it’s all a little strange, I suppose. But the most obscure? Probably the deep dive I did on the Welsh whisky trade. It’s not particularly interesting, and there are few distilleries in Wales, less than ten, but I now know a lot about all of them. It was for a two-sentence anecdote in Book Three. It’s possible I went overboard there.

It sounds like it. Is that what you enjoy doing when you’re not writing, or do you have other pastimes?

I have a bad rabbit hole habit, but it’s not an intentional hobby. I don’t consider working my other job a ‘pastime’ and I suspect they wouldn’t either, but that does take up a fair amount of each week. I read a lot, too. But if I’m taking time off, I’m getting on a plane. I want to see the world. I’m always preparing or planning my next trip. I’ve been to some amazing and wild places, but there’s so much more to see.

Are you heading anywhere spectacular soon? Does it influence your stories?

I’ve a few trips planned in the near future and if you follow me on social media you’ll probably see photos. Traveling influences my stories in subtle ways. It gives me perspective, mostly.

That’s exciting and thank you for stopping by. It’s been nice chatting with you. We have one more bonus question. What is the one book that you consider to be your comfort read that you will always reach for?

Oh. It’s hard to pick just one since I’m a serial re-reader, but perhaps Jane Eyre. I read it every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas and have since I was a kid.

Thank you for having me Tule Mystery.

Congrats on your release of The Wraith’s ReturnRaemi!

About the Author 

Raemi A. Ray is the author of the Martha’s Vineyard Murders series. Her travels to the island and around the world inspire her stories. She lives with her family in Boston.

 

A month packed full of mysteries and cozies for our August release line up!

Check out our August releases for Tule Mystery! If you haven’t already done so, be sure you’re subscribed to our Tule Mystery newsletter AND, if you’re interested in cozy mysteries, check out Tule’s Cozy Mystery Cafe and read up on our new cozy authors!


Release Date: August 5, 2024

Turning thirty can be murder! 

When a body is discovered next to the Little Dog Diner on her milestone birthday, Dani Mackenzie finds herself scooping up a scandal instead of cutting cake.

The prime suspect is the new owner of the Blueberry Bay Grapevine, but the victim’s stepbrother and ex-girlfriend also have means, motive, and opportunity.

With this trio of suspects, it will take a good nose to uncover whodunnit. At least Dani has her best friend—her Jack Russell, Pip—at her side to help sniff out the killer! But in the meantime, her kick-off to her thirties is turning into more of an upside-down cake than a celebration as she uncovers money, a business scandal, and thwarted love at the core of this crime.

It will take the victim’s black Labrador and finding a winning lottery ticket to solve this mystery, but Dani never throws in the towel. Will she and Pip once again use their experience at solving mysteries to bring justice to Misty Harbor, Maine, or will they be caught in the crosshairs of the killer?


Release Date: August 12, 2024

What’s worse than a murder victim on your doorstep? 

For Rebecca Cuthbert, it’s finding a cursed Egyptian charm tucked into the dead woman’s pocket. The ominous discovery propels the fearless shopkeeper and her immortal, chatty cat on a perilous hunt for the killer and another piece of the missing magical collection.

Unfortunately, Citrus Grove’s annual summer festival is tying up police department resources—including Rebecca’s new beau, Detective Nick Devon—which leaves Rebecca, her grandfather’s wisdom, and Aneksi’s mystical powers to crack the case.

As her investigation delves into the amulet’s eerie peculiarities and the deceased’s shocking connections with a menacing foe, as well as an unwelcome old flame from Rebecca’s past, Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust. Can she rely on her newfound friends in her adopted hometown, or will deadly revelations turn her into the killer’s next target?

Prepare to journey through unexpected twists, ancient mysteries, and a dash of romance in this cozy mystery that will keep you guessing till the very end!


Release Date: August 13, 2024

Inspired by the remarkable life of Dorothy Peto, the Metropolitan Police’s first female superintendent.

Even in war, your enemies can linger too close to home… 

While war and revolution continue to ravage Europe, Dorothy Peto embraces her new role at Scotland Yard as she and several detectives investigate a series of jewel thefts. Then Dorothy is tasked with assisting the inscrutable Inspector Derwent and the charming Colonel Lamarchant to find a missing French aristocrat. Their enquiries take them to a country house in Yorkshire, that’s been converted to a hospital for wounded soldiers and was the last place the Frenchman visited. However, the more questions they ask, the more questions they have.

When the body of a man suspected of being the marquis is discovered, the investigative team returns to London, but the dead man is a stranger. Dorothy speculates that the death, the jewel thefts and the missing Frenchman may be connected. She finds herself tangled in a web of conscientious objectors, Irish republicans and communist agitators, and not everyone is who they appear to be.


Release Date: August 22, 2024

Some secrets are safer lost at sea…

London based lawyer Kyra Gibson returns to Martha’s Vineyard and the beach house she inherited for an extended summer holiday. Still reeling from her father’s brutal murder and the role she and the handsome detective, Tarek Collins played in uncovering it, Kyra is hopeful for some peace and quiet. But when a summer squall reveals the wreckage of the pirate ship, Keres, rich with rumored treasure, all hopes of peace are dashed. Conservationists and treasure hunters descend on the exclusive island to lay claim to the ship. When two of the salvagers are killed, Kyra and Tarek’s friend, pub owner and amateur historian, Gully Gould is arrested for murder.

Determined to prove Gully’s innocence, Kyra, Tarek, and reformed playboy Chase Hawthorn team up to clear their friend’s name. But someone wants the treasure for themselves. And with someone willing to kill for it, there is more than just danger lurking along the island’s caves and coves. There is death.


Release Date: August 28, 2024

Murder has twisted them together…

It’s bad enough that Kyrie Dawn had an affair and a son with Charlotte McLaughlin’s husband, then, following his death, sued Charlotte for the two-bedroom love nest he’d purchased on a private residence cruise ship. That cabin was Charlotte’s consolation prize, and she’s chosen to travel the world in luxury, with her sister Jane along for the ride.

But now Kyrie Dawn has taken a job onboard teaching yoga—and she’s brought her little boy, who looks just like his father, with her.

Charlotte considers jumping ship as they sail toward Yokohama, Japan. Then the head chef is found in the downward dead position in Kyrie Dawn’s yoga studio, and all evidence points to her as the killer. She begs Charlotte and Jane to look after this friendly toddler—permanently if she’s found guilty.

With a second chance at motherhood snuggled in her lap, Charlotte must decide which life path to follow. Can she even set aside her hurt and anger to help exonerate the woman who ruined her life?