Welcome back riders. Today I am featuring a Gothic Mystery Novel by Debbie De Louise. She recently released this book back in March of 2026. Check out her customized guest post and all her book content below. And make sure to grab your copy of "Looking For Lucy," today. Happy reading everyone :).
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A missing cousin, A Mysterious Mansion, Family Secrets, and a "ghost" cat.
The Trip and Sentence that Inspired me to Write Looking for Lucy
By Debbie De Louise
Unlike my other books, I clearly remember what inspired me to write Looking for Lucy. It was after I’d taken a trip with the library where I’d worked as a librarian until 2023. The trip was to East Hampton on Long Island. Viewing the mansions from the tour bus, I got the idea about setting a novel at a mansion. For many years, I’d enjoyed visiting the mansion at Old Westbury Gardens, as well and, as a young adult, I’d read the gothic mysteries written by Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, and Mary Stewart. Those mysteries were known as gothic romances because they featured a woman in distress at an isolated mansion with a handsome but strange man.
As this thought percolated in my mind, I still had yet to think of characters to populate my novel that I considered would become a gothic mystery. After that trip out East, I was at work at the library when a phrase came to mind: “We were closer than sisters, tighter than friends.” I’m not sure where it came from. I usually get inspiration for books early in the morning as I’m waking up, but this came in the afternoon. That sentence gave me the idea to feature two cousins as the main characters in my novel. From there, I developed the plot. A cousin is missing. Her last known location was at a mansion where she was working as a tour guide. In keeping to the gothic theme, I created three mysterious men who were also connected with the mansion – the estate heir, the gardener, and an artist who taught classes on the grounds.
Because most of my books, the standalone mysteries as well as the cozies, feature cats, I added two: a live one and a ghost cat. I put all these elements together including a missing woman from the past who resembled the missing cousin, a bunch of family secrets, a garden maze, and diaries. That became the basis of Looking for Lucy, but it all began with a bus trip and a sentence that popped into my mind.
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Looking For Lucy
by: Debbie De Louise
Genre: Gothic Mystery, Psychological Thriller
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BLURB:
She was never meant to be the brave one.
Despite their different personalities, cousins Mary and Lucy are closer than sisters. Mary, a teacher in a small town, fears change and suffers from claustrophobia. Lucy, a thrill-seeker, travels around the world in search of adventure.
When Lucy goes missing, Mary, her mother, and aunt visit a Long Island mansion called Hollingham Hall where Lucy had been employed as a tour guide before she disappeared. There, Mary meets three men, one of whom may have been romantically involved with Lucy – a charming historian, a volatile artist, and a friendly landscaper.
As Mary searches for her cousin, she is drawn deeper into Hollingham’s labyrinthine gardens and shadowed corridors where she discovers a chilling connection between Lucy and a woman who vanished seventy years ago on the eve of her wedding. She also learns of the “ghost cat” rumored to prowl the property.
When strange events take place at Hollingham, the police are called to investigate. But is Lucy alive and is her disappearance connected to the missing bride or one of the men on the estate?
A mystery of illicit affairs, hidden passageways, and family secrets, Looking for Lucy is the perfect read for fans of gothic novels, psychological thrillers, and atmospheric suspense.
Purchase your Copy Today!
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Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a retired reference librarian. She is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Cat Writers’ Association, and the South Carolina Writers Association. She’s written over twenty books including three cozy mystery series: the Cobble Cove Mysteries, Buttercup Bend Mysteries, and her new series, Soup the Supernatural Kitten Mysteries. She’s also written a paranormal romance, standalone mysteries, a time-travel novel, and a collection of cat poems. Her stories and poetry appear in more than a dozen anthologies. Originally from Long Island, she moved to South Carolina where she now lives with her husband, daughter, and three cats. Learn more about Debbie and her books by visiting her website at https://debbiedelouise.com.
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Thanks so much for hosting a spot on my book tour and for featuring my guest post.
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