DEVIL OF THE DUNES & TEACH AND REACH BY AUTHOR WENDY BYARD
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Behind the deserted dunes, mere steps from Lake Michigan’s dark waters,
The Weirdo kidnaps Cadie McLeod on, unbelievably, the same night
her parents were murdered in grisly fashion six years ago.
'DYING WELL IS THE BEST REVENGE'
Devil of the Dunes is not your ordinary suspense fiction. First, it takes place along the atmospheric west coast of Michigan, a hidden gem and place Good Morning America called "the most beautiful place in America." The story’s locale features the soaring cliffs of Empire, the towering dunes of Sleeping Bear, sugar sand beaches, picturesque coastal towns like Leland and Harbor Cove, the historic islands of Mackinac and Manitou, and the often deadly, stormy waters of Lake Michigan. The setting is almost a character itself.
Second, this suspense story centers on the exceptional Cadie McLeod - not your typical high school senior. One night, under a midnight moon, steps away from a bonfire’s crackling embers and Lake Michigan’s dark, rhythmic waves, Cadie McLeod vanishes. The 18-year-old high school track star with an IQ of 160 waves goodbye to drunken classmates huddled around the dying fire, enters the isolated, windswept dunes, and, like a gust of wind, in seconds she’s gone.
Strangely, the young woman disappears on the anniversary her parents were run down in cold blood. Is there a connection?
Six years ago, Thomas and Aileen McLeod, happy and in love, walked hand in hand down Michigan’s coastal highway M22 headed for Frosty Bar. Minutes into their walk, a car laying in wait on the deserted stretch of highway suddenly accelerates and drives headlong into the young, married couple. Aileen and Thomas die instantly. As their killer drives away, he notices something sparkling on the debris-strewn concrete. He opens his car door, leans down, and grabs a ‘trophy’ from the road: Aileen’s bloody half a heart gold necklace.
In this twisty tale, the victim is not the predictable female. Unlike most crime and suspense fiction in which victims are nameless, faceless, female afterthoughts, Cadie McLeod is calm, cool, and clever. Orphaned at age twelve by a supposed drunk driver, the genius-level, budding forensic scientist is fixated on a singular goal: solving her parents’ murder. Named after the 'author' of the Nancy Drew book series that Aileen adored, Cadie draws strength from her fictional hero in her fight for life.
While Cadie works to escape her unusual imprisonment in an even more unusual manner, local hero cop Jake Brennan and his son Nick struggle against the clock to find her. Years ago, Jake rescued several children from a bus driver, but not one little girl he overlooked. Haunted by her death, Jake now tries to redeem himself by finding Cadie. The detective must hunt down several possible perpetrators, including convicted pedophile Carl Casper who dies in a way never recorded in literature before. Nick has his own reasons: he is in love with his crimson-haired, childhood neighbor. As Nick searches for Cadie, he ultimately finds himself fighting for his own life.
The tale concludes off North Manitou Island in a raging Lake Michigan storm. On the sea-tossed mini yacht Best Revenge, a fight to the death reveals all. The killer of Thomas and Aileen and the captor of Cadie is brought to light and his dark motivations exposed. Only then do we learn the true identity of the person who killed the McLeods - the identity of The Weirdo.
Is there a connection between Cadie's disappearance and her parents' murders? What could it be? Will the mystery of their deaths finally be revealed? Will Cadie escape? Survive? Read Devil of the Dunes to find out!
Hidden behind tufts of slender dune grass, the deep, dark waters of Lake Michigan just feet away, I stalk my prey. Black binoculars fixed on her every move. It’s midnight on the beach. A bright harvest moon allows me to observe closely. I am motionless - transfixed. I have never seen her more beautiful than she is tonight. Laughing and twirling in her flowing yellow sundress beside the crackling, dancing bonfire, she casually interacts with girlfriends – and a few young men in sporty swim trunks sprawled on yellow and blue beach blankets. In a sudden gust of lake wind, the young woman joyfully tosses back her crimson hair and grins at a friend. She touches the gold necklace around her slender neck. Completely at ease. A lovely, carefree girl on an idyllic beach enjoying her end-of-school celebration.
Oh, how I despise her and her happiness.
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She gently lifts the floral sundress and kicks off her matching yellow flip flops. I marvel at her long, graceful legs moving in the cool water. Years of running high school track has sculpted enviable calves. She is a strong athlete.
That might be a problem.
Then I notice her perfectly formed face seems pensive and lost in thought as she toys with her necklace. Half a heart on a gold chain.
Where is the other half?
Yet, it pleases me to see her in pain. Alone with dark thoughts. I, too, have dark thoughts - not that anyone cares. Unspoken, hidden thoughts about the people who have wronged me. (There have been a few!) My high school counselor said narcissists hold grudges longer and deeper than most people. Though I hide it well, my mind overflows with frequent thoughts about vengeance and death.
How do you let go of a grudge that destroyed your life?
One day, I saw Cadie jogging down the street, her red hair blowing in the autumn breeze, not a care in the world, and I saw her happiness. It brought back all the pain, anger, resentment, and bitterness tenfold. I ruminated on my feelings for a good long while.
I decided it’s time.
Retired college professor Wendy Byard spent twenty years teaching her students to write creatively and get published.
Now it's her turn.
Byard has penned Devil of the Dunes, an engrossing crime thriller set on the charming - and sometimes deadly - coast of Lake Michigan.
Byard is the published author of Teach and Reach for Classroom Miracles: Lessons on Teaching with Love . She was a college writing instructor for over twenty years; a magazine writer for On the Town magazine; a journalist with articles published in various Michigan newspapers; a former high school English teacher; a previous advertising and marketing account executive; and is now the owner of a graphic design and website design business: Wordgirl Marketing (wordgirlmarketing.com).
Byard earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and history and a master’s degree in English Education from Michigan State University.
She resides in Metamora, Michigan.
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