Final Deception and Final Passage: Two Mysteries on Whidbey Island and the Alaska Ferry

by Dan Pedersen

When a woman's body washes up near Deception Pass Bridge on Whidbey Island, it looks like suicide. Brad Haraldsen, her long-ago lover, isn't so sure. Decades after journalist Bella Morelli disappears from Brad's life, she is back and in trouble. She travels 3,000 miles to seek refuge and a new start on Whidbey Island, only to find conflict with powerful interests as she prepares to write the most important story of her life. That conflict continues today. In this combination volume of two mysteries, Final Deception and Final Passage, the quest to bring Bella's murderers to justice continues on the Alaska Ferry. Brad and his adventurous wife, Irene, and detective-partner Shane Lindstrom, pursue their suspects north on the Inside Passage and then back again to Puget Sound, where the villains' luck finally runs out in a secret compound in the San Juan Islands. These page-turning thrillers take readers on a fast-paced journey to out-of-the-way places.

362 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2020

About the author

I grew up in Western Washington and now make my home on Whidbey Island with my wife, Sue, and our adventurous canine, Duncan. We live in the woods with the deer, squirrels, owls, coyotes and other creatures that come and go when the spirit moves them.

After studying journalism at the University of Washington and receiving bachelor's and master's degrees, I became a reporter and editor for several newspapers in Washington and Idaho, including a large regional outdoor weekly. For most of my career I managed a magazine and other publications for a large insurance and financial services corporation.

But I saved the best for last. After giving up my good job in the city, I discovered how much fun writing could really be, starting with nature and rural life as my themes and, in time, evolving to writing mysteries, the most rewarding of all. What I love about mysteries is the platform they provide for my characters to stimulate reflection in the minds of readers.

My philosophy is my books should always entertain, but also give readers something more. Readers should come away having learned something new and been challenged to think about what they truly value in their lives.