Bridging Time -- The Clay Cantrell Mysteries
Author Bruce Wetterau talks about the series:
You might say Clay Cantrell and his friend Mac Harper have one foot in the past and one in the present. Their hometown of Staunton, Virginia, is steeped in history, and it's many nineteenth-century buildings are fertile ground for anyone harboring a kinship with the past.
At first glance Staunton might seem a peaceful country village nestled in the foothills of Virginia's bucolic Shenandoah Valley. But as with all places where people come together in numbers greater than one, there is more going on than meets the eye. That's grist for our two heroes, who are both ex-Army Rangers.
They've made the transition from a life of daring military exploits to what should be a humdrum civilian career as partners renovating historic houses, but they cannot quite escape their adventurous past. Trouble has a way of finding them. They know how to take care of themselves though, and fortunately for us, they won't let go of a mystery until it's solved.
A key feature of all the Clay Cantrell mystery thrillers is the historical back story. It's really a second plotline built of flashbacks that develops along with the modern-day mystery story. And in each book, that historical narrative ultimately bridges the river of time, so to speak, to reach forward in some way and affect the contemporary mystery Clay and Mac are trying to solve.
In book one, Lost Treasure, flashbacks to the last days of the Civil War reveal how the Confederate gold came to be lost and eventually those events lead to a surprising revelation for Clay as well. But I shouldn't say any more than that here. In the second book, Killer Fog, flashbacks to prewar America tell the story of a Nazi spy ring operating here and provide key clues to the mystery Clay and Mac must solve. And in The Girl Behind the Wall...Well, you will just have to read the book to see how events from a time long ago again somehow bridge the years separating past and present.
For a brief description of one or the other Cantrell series books, click on the appropriate cover below. Links will also lead you to reviews, an excerpt (read for free), a pair of nonfiction articles on subjects relating to the books, author interviews about the book, and quick links to booksellers for purchasing a copy. Click on my Bruce's Short Takes logo below to read the latest humorous offering.
You might say Clay Cantrell and his friend Mac Harper have one foot in the past and one in the present. Their hometown of Staunton, Virginia, is steeped in history, and it's many nineteenth-century buildings are fertile ground for anyone harboring a kinship with the past.
At first glance Staunton might seem a peaceful country village nestled in the foothills of Virginia's bucolic Shenandoah Valley. But as with all places where people come together in numbers greater than one, there is more going on than meets the eye. That's grist for our two heroes, who are both ex-Army Rangers.
They've made the transition from a life of daring military exploits to what should be a humdrum civilian career as partners renovating historic houses, but they cannot quite escape their adventurous past. Trouble has a way of finding them. They know how to take care of themselves though, and fortunately for us, they won't let go of a mystery until it's solved.
A key feature of all the Clay Cantrell mystery thrillers is the historical back story. It's really a second plotline built of flashbacks that develops along with the modern-day mystery story. And in each book, that historical narrative ultimately bridges the river of time, so to speak, to reach forward in some way and affect the contemporary mystery Clay and Mac are trying to solve.
In book one, Lost Treasure, flashbacks to the last days of the Civil War reveal how the Confederate gold came to be lost and eventually those events lead to a surprising revelation for Clay as well. But I shouldn't say any more than that here. In the second book, Killer Fog, flashbacks to prewar America tell the story of a Nazi spy ring operating here and provide key clues to the mystery Clay and Mac must solve. And in The Girl Behind the Wall...Well, you will just have to read the book to see how events from a time long ago again somehow bridge the years separating past and present.
For a brief description of one or the other Cantrell series books, click on the appropriate cover below. Links will also lead you to reviews, an excerpt (read for free), a pair of nonfiction articles on subjects relating to the books, author interviews about the book, and quick links to booksellers for purchasing a copy. Click on my Bruce's Short Takes logo below to read the latest humorous offering.
Click on an image below to read the article
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Be sure to check the links page for my OmnimysteryNews author interviews and other breaking news