Cara Knight is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Murder at the Waterfront, the latest novel in the Academic Mom mystery series.

Welcome, Cara. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

I live inside Murder at the Waterfront, book three of the Academic Mom Mystery series after Murder in Georgetown and Murder off U Street, and before whatever mess I get pulled into next. This one starts at, of all places, a fatality review meeting, which is exactly as fun as it sounds. The Chief Medical Examiner led the meeting, and I found him a nasty fellow, unsympathetic to the fentanyl crisis unfolding in D.C. communities. But then he turns up dead the next day, and my own student gets arrested for it. I spend the rest of the summer proving he didn’t do it while also getting my kids to camp on time.

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?

Officially, Jacque’s in charge. Unofficially, she’ll admit she’s “more of a pantser than should be recommended for a mystery author,” which means she shows up most days with a couple of tentpoles and a suspicious amount of optimism, and I fill in the rest.

How did you evolve as the main character?

In my first appearance in this book, I started the way I start most days: late, sweaty, and apologizing for something. By the end, I’d stopped apologizing for asking questions. Everyone from the fatality board to Metro Police kept telling me to leave it to the professionals, and there were moments when I doubted my choices—when a preschool Queen Bee mom turned down a playdate because she suspected it was reconnaissance, and when both Lt. Reynolds and Sgt. Bronson stopped answering my calls. But I persisted, and next time, I’ll even be more confident in my crime-solving instincts.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?

My husband Seth, without question. He stabilizes me; otherwise, I might run off and put myself in true danger. My kids, Alyssa and Noah, mostly because they remind me that “amateur sleuth” is not actually my job title; “mom” is, and it comes first, camp drop-offs and all.

And then, much against my better judgment, Sgt. Bronson. He is sweaty, cynical, and has never met a camera — or a captive listener — he didn’t like. But he’s also the only cop who’ll actually talk to me, even if half of it is complaining about his ex-wife. I’ve learned to take the tidbits where I can get them.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?

Washington, D.C., and the Northern Virginia suburbs, in the middle of a swampy July. I split my time between the School of Social Work at Virginia University, the Medical Examiner’s Office, and whatever patch of humidity my kids happen to be sweating through that day — camp, playdates with preschool friends, and any pools we can gain access to.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?

Just that I didn’t ask for any of this. I signed up for a fatality review board to find a research site, not a case. But if there’s one thing three books in this series have taught me, it’s that showing up late to a meeting is apparently how I keep ending up in the middle of a homicide investigation. If you enjoy your mysteries with a side of carpool logistics, I think you’ll feel right at home in Murder at the Waterfront.

Thank you for answering my questions, Cara, and good luck to you and your author, Jacque Rosman, with Murder at the Waterfront, the latest book in the Academic Mom mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Cara and her author, Jacque Rosman by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and LinkedIn pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org – Kobo

About Jacque Rosman: Jacque writes the Academic Mom Mystery series, featuring Cara Knight, a social work professor whose research instincts keep pulling her into investigations that are decidedly off-syllabus. With wry humor, Jacque mines the absurdity of academia and motherhood for a series that’s equal parts twisty and true-to-life, set in the nation’s capital. When she’s not plotting murders, Jacque can be found juggling her own version of the academic mom life. Join the newsletter for updates on Cara’s next case and the meals that she can get all her family to eat.