Guest blogger: Jessica R. Patch
“The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” ~John 1:4-5
Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
In my newest thriller, The Garden Girls, my villain places victims at lighthouses to cast light on them, to spotlight his wicked work as he’s tattooed flowers on their bodies. He thinks he is a god of his own making and that he is invincible.
But darkness is not invincible. It never has been. It never will be.
The night Jesus was arrested he spoke to the Pharisees and He said, “Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.” (Luke 22:53)
In this one moment, darkness had its way but even then, God was still sovereign. Darkness was wielded for God’s redemptive purposes and Jesus allowed Himself to be hung on that cross to set us free, to show us light in darkness, to bring us hope, to rescue us and one day He’ll guide us home.
Cape Hatteras
Darkness seems to reign in The Garden Girls and what’s happening isn’t edited out, as the Bible doesn’t edit out darkness, but the Light does shine. God uses that darkness for His own redemptive purposes and we see the sacrificial love displayed in a beautiful moment.
Lighthouses are beacons of light, leading the blind to shore, to safety. Without the light, ships would crash and people would be lost. I wanted to use them in the books to showcase that even though it appears tragedy and darkness overpowered the beauty of light—it does not. The light is far greater, and stronger than that.
Sometimes evil masquerades as an angel of light, as my villain does in The Garden Girls, but I assure you, he’s only reigning in darkness for a moment.
Then light shines!
Do you like lighthouses? Have you ever been inside one?
About the Story:
FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape.
Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.
As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive…
Read Eli’s review of The Garden Girls.
About the Author:
Jessica R. Patch is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author known for her dry wit, signature twists, and complex characters. She loves reading true crime books, discussing cold cases over chips and salsa, and hunting down serial killers in her romantic suspense novels and thrillers. She resides in the Memphis area with her family and her spoiled Shetland Sheepdog. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, Patched In, at her website and receive a free short thriller.
Connect with Jessica through her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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