Blind Faith by Alicia Beckman

Lindsay Keller’s long been haunted by the unsolved murder of Father Michael Leary, a priest and high school teacher in her hometown of Billing, Montana whom she admired and confided in, and whose passion inspired her to become a lawyer. But when she unexpectedly comes into possession of the dead man’s wallet, the long-buried past resurfaces—and with it come secrets that could destroy everything she believes in.

Carrie Mattheson left Billings her senior year of high school, vowing never to return. But the search to find a cure for her young grandson’s illness leads her to an unexpected discovery and questions that can only be answered by doing the thing she swore she’d never do: dig up the past.

When a dead priest’s wallet is discovered, Detective Brian Donovan is thrilled by the chance to solve the coldest case in the state of Montana. But doing so will force him to confront his own truths—that the hunter is not that different from the prey.

A cold case turned red-hot brings these three unlikely partners together to expose a killer—and change everything they thought they knew about themselves.

“The past is hauntingly present in Alicia Beckman’s affecting new thriller BLIND FAITH. Seemingly disparate lives come together as the discovery of a wallet belonging to a long-dead priest proves the tug that unravels decades of secrets and betrayal. Beckman combines edge-of-the-seat tension with enormous compassion. Suspenseful and satisfying.”
—Gwen Florio, award-winning author of The Truth of it All

“Suspenseful and poignant, BLIND FAITH is a twisting, atmospheric mystery that pulled me in deep.”
—Meg Gardiner, award-winning author of the UNSUB series

“Every mystery is about the search for the killer—but in BLIND FAITH, the oh-so-talented storyteller Alicia Beckman has elevated the genre. In this contemporary take on the traditional mystery, Beckman explores bigger questions: belief, motivation, bravery, family history, and humanity. With her immersive settings, heartbreakingly evocative characters, and wise understanding of how the past cannot be separated from the future, this riveting standalone will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can. Agatha Christie meets Kent Krueger in this winner of a novel.”
–Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today Bestselling Author

Alicia Beckman recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing her latest thriller, BLIND FAITH.

Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?
Questions. When I was a 17-year-old high school senior at a small Catholic high school in Billings, Montana, I gave a new girl a ride home and was astonished by where she lived, though I did my best not to show it. I never saw her again. Every few years, I wondered who she was, why she’d left, and where she’d gone. BLIND FAITH is my answer.

Alicia Beckman

What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?
The story involves a contemporary cold case investigation interwoven with a historic timeline, starting in 1972 and moving forward to dovetail with present-day events. The biggest challenge was keeping the timeline straight—at one point, the bi-fold closet doors in my office were covered with three different colors of sticky notes, each coded to one of the four point of view characters. Crazy as that got at times, it was a great opportunity to learn how to balance secrets and disclosures, and with two characters, to write from a male perspective.

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?
This book and its structure were particularly influenced by Laura Lippman’s work. I deeply admire how she uses crime fiction to explore the very real moments of women’s lives, including the impact of crime on their relationships and sense of themselves.

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Alicia Beckman made her suspense debut with Bitterroot Lake (April 2021) and continuing with BLIND FAITH (October 2022). As Leslie Budewitz, she’s a three-time Agatha-Award winner (2011, Best Nonfiction; 2013, Best First Novel; 2018, Best Short Story) and best-selling author of the Spice Shop mysteries, set in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village mysteries, inspired by Bigfork, Montana, where she lives. Leslie is a practicing lawyer, a national board member of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of Sisters in Crime.

To learn more about the author, please visit her website.