Shadows in the Frame

When retired travel photographer Clara Whitcombe accepts an invitation to a prestigious photography retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she expects nothing more than autumn landscapes and quiet contemplation. But the historic Merriweather estate holds secrets that stretch back over a century, and when a fellow photographer is found dead at the base of a scenic overlook, Clara recognizes something the local sheriff doesn't—the body has been arranged to match a photograph taken in 1903.

The Merriweather family archives contain seven haunting images documenting tragic accidents spanning from 1898 to 1912. As Clara delves deeper into the collection with her loyal companion Atlas at her side, she begins to suspect that history isn't just repeating itself—someone is deliberately recreating these century-old death scenes. With each photograph she examines and each question she asks, Clara draws closer to a killer who believes murder is the highest form of art.

In this fifth installment of The Coastal Clues Mysteries, Clara must use every skill she's honed over forty years behind the camera to expose a legacy of violence hidden in plain sight. The mountains are beautiful, the autumn light is golden, and somewhere in the shadows, a photographer is waiting to capture his masterpiece.