The fictional town of Lost Beach is the backdrop for four of the books in the bestselling Texas Murder Files series, including LIAR’S POINT. Lost Beach is inspired by South Padre Island, a barrier island at the southernmost tip of Texas. I spent many summers on the Texas coast—beachcombing, crabbing, and playing in the waves with my sisters. It’s such a unique place, and I love incorporating the sights, tastes, and sounds of this setting in my stories.
Here are some of my favorite places in the Texas Murder Files novels, along with the real-life locations that inspired them.
Lighthouse Point
LIAR’S POINT opens with a chilling scene as a jogger discovers a body on the windy tip of the island, known as Lighthouse Point. This dramatic location features prominently in multiple Texas Murder Files books, including FLIGHT (when Miranda is trapped in the burning lighthouse) and MIDNIGHT DUNES (when Macey confronts the murderer). This fictional location is inspired by the Port Isabel Lighthouse, built in 1852, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tourists who climb the 75 steps to the top will get a beautiful view of Laguna Madre and South Padre Island.
The Lost Beach Nature Center
In the novel FLIGHT, a nature photographer working in the marshes discovers a murdered couple in a canoe. As investigators try to unravel what happened, they consult wildlife experts at the Lost Beach Nature Center. This scenic location on the bay side of the island is inspired by the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. The nature center includes a 5-story bird watching tower, a boardwalk through the wetlands, and a butterfly garden. South Padre Island (as well as the fictional setting of Lost Beach) is home to more than 380 species of birds—a bird lover’s paradise.
White Dunes Park
The fictional island of Lost Beach is known for its pristine white sand dunes, like those found at Padre Island National Seashore. This 66-mile stretch of protected coastland is home to all sorts of wildlife, including the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Padre Island National Seashore is one of my favorite places in Texas, a spot where you can go camping, fishing, beachcombing, or spend an afternoon playing in the waves. The fictional White Dunes Park, which is the backdrop for the crime at the beginning of MIDNIGHT DUNES, was inspired by Padre Island National Seashore’s windswept sand dunes.
The Texas Murder Files #5
Two homicide detectives must separate the puzzling truth from a growing web of lies while investigating a murder victim’s friends and lovers in Lost Beach, Texas.
Detective Nicole Lawson is fed up with her job and nonexistent love life. Her first date in months gets cut short by an urgent call from the chief of police. A body has been discovered at Lighthouse Point, and the medical examiner finds an array of strange clues. When the death is ruled a homicide, the news quickly reverberates through Nicole’s beachside hometown.
The Lost Beach police department swings into high gear. Leading the investigation is Emmet Davis, a veteran detective who is Nicole’s fiercest rival at work and also the man she has secretly harbored feelings toward for years. With Emmet calling the shots, Nicole sets out to search for leads, starting with the enigmatic yoga instructor who first discovered the body. Nicole is certain the witness knows more than she’s revealing and may even hold the key to unlocking the case.
When another person turns up dead under suspicious circumstances, Nicole sees a bizarre pattern, but no one believes her theory. Under the gun to solve the case, Nicole must put aside her tumultuous feelings and work closely with Emmet to figure out who is targeting her beloved hometown . . . before she becomes a target herself.
Mystery Police Procedural | Romance [Berkley, On Sale: May 21, 2024, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593546758 / eISBN: 9780593546765]
When Liars Find the Truth with Laura Griffin
An apparent suicide is quickly ruled a homicide, turning a beach town into a killer's hunting ground
LAURA GRIFFIN is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books and novellas, including LIAR’S POINT, a romantic thriller set on the Texas coast. Laura lives in Austin, where she is working on her next novel.
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