Chalk Line by Paula LaRocque

Chalk Line by Paula LaRocque, a local author, has been chosen for our January book club read. Although Ms. LaRocque has authored non-fiction books on writing, this is her debut fiction novel. In the acknowledgements, she offers thanks to a detective and police officers from the Arlington Police Department and it's obvious from her story that she did extensive research to authenticate the procedures within the novel. It was a compelling read.

From the cover:
Chief of Detectives, Ben Gallagher thinks life will be rosy again for his family when his younger brother, Andrew, gets out of Texas' Huntsville Prison. But on the very day of his release, the brothers discover the body of a lifelong friend, Dayton Slaughter. . . Dayton's murder launches Ben on a fast slide from his revered rule of the law.


This isn't the last we've heard of Ben Gallagher, and Paula shared with us some insights into the next novel in the series which she hopes will be published this year. She also spoke to us about her writing and how she writes the ending first, although she admits sometimes the culprit may change as she delves deeper into the characters she has created. "Writing a novel," she said, "Is different from journalism. In a mystery the headline comes at the end."

Paula LaRocque on the right

We can't wait to read the next mystery in the series.