CALEB NICKERSON

SHAWVILLE June 15, 2019

Local author Luke Murphy released his latest novel, Rock-a-Bye Baby, on June 15 and it promises to be a page-turning thriller.

Though this is his fourth novel, and the second instalment of his Charlene Taylor series, Murphy said that the story has been in the works for quite some time.

“It’s been a long journey but we eventually got there,” he said. “This one I actually wrote the first draft way back in 2001 … It was sitting on the shelf for a long time before I took it back out and polished it up.”

Murphy originally wrote the Charlene Taylor novels, Kiss and Tell and Rock-a-Bye Baby as a hobby, before setting his sights bigger things.

“Once I finished Rock-a-Bye Baby, I kind of sat down to write one with the intention of getting published and that’s when I started working on Dead Man’s Hand,” he explained.

He said the new book is part of a series, but that readers who are new to Charlene Taylor won’t have any problems picking it up.

“I hate using the term sequel because that kind of makes you think you have to have read Kiss and Tell or you’ll be totally lost,” he said. “That’s not true at all … It kind of feeds off book one, but you don’t have to read it.”

The new novel follows LAPD Detective Taylor as she recovers from the trauma of several near-death experiences chronicled in Kiss and Tell. But while visiting her sister in Denver, Taylor’s newborn niece is abducted by a serial kidnapper, throwing her head-first into a new case. In unfamiliar territory, and sidelined by local police, she’s in a race against time to find the perp and the infant before it’s too late.

Murphy said that writing from a female perspective has unique challenges, but he was able to draw on the experiences of those around him.

“For a lot of situations, I talked to women around me, my sisters or my wife, you know, ‘What would you do in this situation?’” he said. “I’ve certainly had a lot of help along the way with all the females in my life. I’ve been surrounded by them for so long with a wife and three daughters.”

This novel was also different from the rest, as Murphy was forced to put it out himself after his previous publisher went out of business. He was forced to learn the ins and outs of the self-publishing world, which delayed the final product significantly.

“It’s a little bit longer process,” he said. I would have published last year otherwise. I learned a lot about self-publishing. It was a big job but in the long run, I think it’ll be faster.

Murphy added that he was still mulling his next project, whether it’s another Calvin Watters instalment, a third Charlene Taylor story or something completely new.

“I usually give it to my readers, put out a survey,” he said. “I have a few ideas.”

Murphy will be holding a local book launch at the Little Red Wagon Winery in Clarendon on June 28 from 6 to 8 p.m.