Negative Reaction (Callie Cassidy Mysteries) by Lori Roberts Herbst | Character Guest Post

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Negative Reaction (Callie Cassidy Mysteries)

by Lori Roberts Herbst

Negative Reaction (Callie Cassidy Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Colorado
Independently Published (April 25, 2023)
Digital – Number of Pages: 305

Wedding bells are ringing in Rock Creek Village. But when a venomous villager crashes the nuptials, events take a toxic turn…

The long-awaited day has arrived—photographer Callie Cassidy’s best friend is tying the knot. With a gentle snow falling outside and family and friends gathered inside, the wedding couldn’t be more perfect. Even Callie’s golden retriever, Woody, and her tabby cat, Carl, have donned tuxes for the occasion. And the icing on the cake? Callie’s trainee, Braden, is acting as official photographer, with the assistance of his twin brother, Banner. Callie is as proud as if she were their mother.

But as the ceremony ends, an uninvited and apparently inebriated visitor barges into the Event Center. The guests are shocked—and more than a little dismayed—to see Brian Ratliff, the twins’ absentee father, who slunk out of town two years prior, leaving his teenage boys to fend for themselves. Several volatile confrontations ensue, concluding with an angry altercation between Brian and Braden.

When Brian later winds up in a coma, the victim of poisoning, suspicion mounts against Braden. Callie is incensed, certain the boy isn’t capable of harming his father. Besides, plenty of villagers despised the man—any of them might have slipped him the toxin that rendered him unconscious.

As evidence accumulates against Braden, Callie fears he will end up taking the fall. With Detectives Raul Sanchez and Lynn Clarke stonewalling her, she turns to family and friends—including the town’s feisty new cub reporter—for help. Together, can they prove Braden’s innocence—and reveal the true culprit?

Character Guest Post: Callahan Maureen Cassidy

Hi, readers! My name is Callahan Maureen Cassidy, but everyone calls me Callie. Everyone except my parents, that is. My mom, Maggie, often refers to me as Angelface, which used to embarrass me no end when I was a kid, but which now evokes the warmest of feelings. As for my father, Butch (yes, that’s Butch Cassidy!), well, you can probably guess why he’s always called me Sundance. That used to irk me, too, but now I love it so much that I named my photo gallery Sundance Studio. Just goes to show that age can soften the rough edges.

Anyway, you may already know me from the Callie Cassidy Mystery series. (If you don’t, I hope you will soon!) But in case I’m a still a stranger to you, here’s an abridged bio. I was born and raised in Rock Creek Village, Colorado, a quaint mountainside town nestled in the foothills of the Rockies. When I graduated high school, I hightailed it out of town as quickly as I could, hungry for the excitement of the big city. Then, after twenty-five years as an award-winning investigative photojournalist, a career-ending blunder resulted in my return to the village of my youth.

Though it wasn’t exactly by choice, coming home ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me. I’ve reconnected with family and friends, and even rekindled a romance with my high school sweetheart, Sam Petrie, owner of the Snow Plow Chow café. At forty-five years old, I’d just about given up on finding true love. Turns out it was right there in the very place I left it.

Speaking of true love, my best friend, Tonya Stephens, just married the man of her dreams. I was lucky enough to be her maid of honor—or Grande Dame, as she calls me, and Sam was best man. My golden retriever, Woody, and orange tabby cat, Carl, also attended, all gussied up in pet-sized tuxes homemade by my mother. (I can tell you that Carl was none too happy about it, but he endured it for Tonya’s sake.)

To top it all off, Tonya hired my trainee, Braden Ratliff, for his first official photography gig. After the rocky start to my relationship with Braden and his twin brother, Banner, the boys have become like family to me over the past year, so it filled me with immense pride and joy to see Braden taking on the role of photographer.

The wedding was proceeding perfectly—until a crasher intruded. I hadn’t even known the twins’ father Brian was back in town until he showed up—uninvited, naturally—and threatened to spoil everything with his bullying and drunken insults.

As you can imagine, all us guests were aghast, but no one more than Braden. His fury over his father’s behavior was palpable—and he wasn’t shy about expressing it. So, when Brian turned up the next day in a coma, the victim of a poisoning, suspicion fell at once on Braden.

Everyone keeps urging me to let the police handle the investigation—especially Detective Raul Sanchez, who tells me I’m too close to the boys to maintain objectivity. But there’s no way I can stay out of this. I’ll do whatever is necessary to protect the twins, even if that means ruffling Raul’s feathers. It’s not like that would be anything new. Besides, has Raul forgotten that, with the help of my friends and pets, I’ve already solved a crime—or two or three—since I returned to the village?

No, I’ll keep investigating until the true perpetrator is brought to justice. I already have my eye on a certain suspect…Now to rally the troops and prove I’m right.

About Lori Roberts Herbst

Lori Roberts Herbst, who writes the Callie Cassidy Mystery series, spent much of her life writing, editing, and psychoanalyzing. Through thirty years of teaching journalism, advising newspaper and yearbook staff, instructing budding photographers, and counseling teenagers, she still managed to hang on to a modicum of sanity. Her books have earned first-place CIBA awards in the Murder and Mayhem division. She currently serves as secretary of the Sisters in Crime North Dallas chapter and is a member of the Sisters in Crime Guppies and the Mystery Writers of America.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.lorirobertsherbst.com

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lori-Roberts-Herbst/e/B08RBD4QGK/

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Purchase Link – Amazon