Kernels of Truth in Tangle of Lies by C. J. Carmichael

I always chose the settings for my mysteries carefully. They are the “kernel of truth” that lies at the heart of the story. The setting of Tangle of Lies (my new mystery with Tule Publishing) is fictional Tangle Falls on the border of British Columbia, and the state of Washington. Like all my settings, this fictional one is based on a very real place. In this case the small mountain town (technically a city) of Greenwood.

I was fascinated by Greenwood because it was the unlikely location of one of the first internment camps for Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. During this shameful period of Canadian history, Japanese living in coastal British Columbia were stripped of their businesses, homes and money, and sent to live in various internment camps throughout central British Columbia and the prairies.

The ones sent to Greenwood were the “lucky” ones. There they were welcomed, encouraged to get jobs and start businesses. The children were invited into existing schools and sports teams.  You see, back in the forties, Greenwood was an old mining town, and with the copper rush ended, there were a lot of vacant buildings. The mayor at the time, saw the influx of new citizens as an opportunity for the town to have a fresh start.

As part of my research, I visited the fascinating Greenwood Museum, where I learned about the lives and living conditions of the Japanese who made their home in Greenwood. After the war, many of the Japanese opted to remain in Greenwood, and those families made an enduring contribution to the town going forward. In one local cemetery that I visited It was interesting seeing names like Fujimura and Higashi buried along with the Clarks and the McDonalds.

So that’s a bit about the setting of the novel. What about the story itself? Well, have you ever reached a stage in your life when you wondered, what happens next? That was the question I started with when I began writing Tangle of Lies. I wanted to write about a woman who had thrown herself into her career as a science teacher, but now that she’s retired, no children of her own, husband passed away, she’s wondering what life will hold for her now.

That problem is solved for my new protagonist, Bobbie Galloway, when one of her former students is murdered, and another of her students is accused of the crime. Certain that the authorities are investigating the wrong person, she becomes determined to find the truth herself, and embarks on a journey that leaves her feeling that almost everyone in Tangle Falls has a dirty secret they want to protect.

Amid the layered story lines and characters are other kernels of truth. One of my characters is based on a boy I remember being bullied relentless when I was a child. I wasn’t the bully, but I still carry guilt about not standing up for him. Several of the characters in this book are obsessed with gardening, an homage to my mother, known at our local farmer’s market as “the flower lady.” The character who is wracked with guilt over the plight of the elderly in care homes during the covid crisis, reflects the pain endured by many of my friends separated from their loved ones during that time. Truth and fiction, it can be hard to tell them apart sometimes.

I love being a fiction writer with the power to invent, distort, weave, and twist. But what grounds a story and gives it power and heart are the kernels of truth, embedded within. Sometimes that truth isn’t a thing, a place, an event or a person. Sometimes the most important truths are feelings. How does it feel to be a mother who wants only to protect her child? How does it feel to love a man, but fear he loves another? How does it feel to see your family destroyed through the cruelty of others?

These are heavy emotions, but what gives hope in Tangle of Lies, what gives hope in all my books, are the ties of love binding families, friends and communities. And there is more than a kernel of truth in that. 

Tangle of Lies

Part of the Tangle Falls Mysteries Series

A murder rips through the quiet town of Tangle Falls, exposing a web of lies and buried sins.

Former science teacher Bobbie Galloway is shaken when a former student’s body is found along the tranquil river of sleepy Tangle Falls. She’s even more troubled that George Lindeman, another student of hers, is the prime suspect.

George was never able to escape the rumors surrounding his family’s death a decade ago and now he’s once again thrust into the spotlight of a murder investigation. Bobbie believes George is innocent. She never believed the rumors about him.

Hadley Hooper left Tangle Falls at seventeen but she’s back to right old wrongs. She believes George is innocent too. But can she be trusted, or does she have her own agenda?

As tensions mount in the aftermath of the murder, Bobbie is suspicious of Fern Sinclair, who just bought the deserted farmhouse next to Bobbie’s brother’s ranch. The home care worker claims she wants to restore the property’s garden to its former glory, but Bobbie can’t shake the feeling Fern is hiding something.

As whispers of suspicion echo through Tangle Falls, Bobbie embarks on a gripping journey into the heart of the town, unearthing secrets that threaten to unravel the very fabric of the community.

Tangle of Lies is out now  https://cjcarmichael.com/books/tangle-of-lies/

For more information about C. J. Carmichael’s other Mystery series visit her website: https://cjcarmichael.com/mystery/

Bestselling author C. J. Carmichael has written over 50 novels, including three mystery series, as well as romance and women’s fiction. Three of her novels have been nominated for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, including A Bramble House Christmas. A film version of A Bramble House Christmas premiered as a Hallmark Mystery movie in 2017.

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Bestselling author C. J. Carmichael has written over 50 novels, including three mystery series, as well as romance and women’s fiction. Three of her novels have been nominated for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, including A Bramble House Christmas. A film version of A Bramble House Christmas premiered as a Hallmark Mystery movie in 2017.

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing