AN INTRODUCTION FROM TESSA WEGERT

Briefly introduce yourself.

I’m the author of two crime fiction series: the Shana Merchant mysteries and the North Country thrillers. Funnily enough, I didn’t set out to write a series at all. My debut novel Death in the Family was meant to be a standalone locked-room mystery, but I was given the opportunity to turn it into a series kick-off and here we are eight books later. Prior to writing fiction, I worked as a freelance journalist and copy developer for companies, like Audible, and publications like Forbes and The Globe and Mail. I’m Canadian, and I currently live in Connecticut, not far from New York City. 

For readers discovering your books for the first time, how would you introduce The River Runs Black and the world they’re about to step into?

All of my books pair puzzle box mysteries with police procedural elements, and all are designed to transport the reader to one of the most atmospheric places I’ve ever found: the remote Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York and Ontario, home to both priceless private islands and a community of locals who cater to wealthy tourists’ needs. The stories I write explore their disparate lives through the lens of New York State Police detectives, whose close-knit relationships produce drama of their own. In The River Runs Black, the investigative team must work out the connection between a mysterious overdose death at the high school, the arrival of a traumatized stranger, and the sudden disappearance of one of their own. Think midnight drug busts on the river and fall festivities that take a dark turn. With a Halloween backdrop and chilling twists, this book is definitely right for the spooky season! 

What do you think makes Tim different from other detectives’ readers may already know and love?

Tim Wellington began as a side character in the Shana Merchant books — which are written from Shana’s point of view — but the more time I spent with him, the more I felt that he needed to be in the spotlight. Tim is a born-and-bred local who’s very loyal to his neighbours and programmed to give people the benefit of the doubt. In both series, he struggles to accept the increased violence in his community, especially because some of it is directly connected to his colleague Shana Merchant’s dark past. Tim isn’t your typical hardened and cynical homicide detective, quite the contrary. But he’s learned to use his compassion and integrity to his advantage, and his innocence and intuition often unlock the secret to closing a case. 

Do you have a favourite member of the investigative team to write?

It’s a toss-up between Shana and Tim for sure. I spent six books inside Shana’s head in my first series, so she’ll always be special to me, but I’m really enjoying the multiple-POV structure of the North Country novels, in which Tim quickly emerged as a core character. It’s been fun to plumb the depths of his inner thoughts and expand on his backstory. Tim has a quirky, slightly nerdy sense of humor, which I enjoy playing up on the page. 

Without giving too much away, what can readers look forward to from Tim Wellington and the North Country series beyond The River Runs Black?

There is so much more to come! In future books, a menacing threat targets Tim’s own family—but you’ll also see some exciting new locales, including an island castle and the smallest inhabited island on earth. I hope readers will come along for the ride.