“A smart, well-researched, and wildly unpredictable thriller. Beau and Pepper make an electrifying investigative team at the core of this third installment. Pushing past procedural tropes of the genre and diving into thought-provoking narration, Doucette flexes both her storytelling and psychoanalytic skills. This carefully crafted drama stands out in a genre that often feels saturated with similarity.” Self-Publishing Review
Here is the interview with JL Doucette, author of Unknown Assailant
What is your book about?
Unknown Assailant is a psychological mystery which opens with the violent deaths of a husband and wife, an apparent murder/suicide, on a ranch in rural Wyoming. The novel explores themes of betrayal, trauma, and unresolved grief within three generations of a family. Alongside these heavy themes, several unlikely love stories are entangled in the mystery.
How long did it take you to write this book?
As with all of my books, the idea for the story starts years before the actual writing and arises from learning about an actual event through the news or other sources. I become intrigued with the circumstances and start to explore various storylines that could emerge. I be
gan thinking about the characters in Unknown Assailant over 20 years ago when I first moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
In 2015 I completed a 50K Nanowrimo first draft and left it to complete other work. The first two books in the Dr. Pepper Hunt Mystery Series were published by She Writes Press in 2017 and 2019. It wasn’t until November, 2019, that I began revising the earlier work and adding to the first draft, completing the manuscript in March, 2021. I used this same process for the first two books in the series as well.
What do you hope other people will take away from reading the book?
I hope they will be more knowledgeable about the kinds of family dynamics and psychological issues that the story is built around. More importantly, I hope they’re captivated by the personality of the two main characters and their relationship and that they look forward to reading the next installment in the series.
How can our readers get a copy of your book?
They can order online at the major retailers—Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Kobo–as well as ordering from a local bookstore. It’s currently available in print and ebook formats.
What is the best way for our readers to connect with you?
Readers can find me on Instagram @jldoucettebooks. They can also sign up for my newsletter at www.jldoucette.com
