Death In Dutch Harbor by D. MacNeill Parker
A little bit about Author D. MacNeill Parker…
I’ve wanted to write a book since I was in fourth grade. Like most kids, I had a fertile imagination that fueled fantastical tales that translated well into short stories. It wasn’t until 50 years later that I found time to sit down and write a darn book. I’m happy to report that my fiery imagination remains intact! So writing it was the fun part and all that fun has powered me into a second book.
Early in my adult life I worked as a successful journalist. But after going out on a commercial fishing boat from Kodiak on assignment for Alaska Magazine, I got hooked on fishing and worked in the industry for the next thirty years. In those days, it was tough for a woman to land a job on a fishing boat. But I did.
I met my husband aboard a longliner, fishing for halibut. He went on to become a fishing boat captain. I came ashore when we had children and returned to my journalism roots to report on statewide fisheries issues until I moved on to become the fisheries specialist for the State of Alaska. Later I worked as a manager of a seafood company. Oh the stories I could tell! And I’ve used some of them as fodder to craft a whodunit where commercial fishing and murder meet in the remote fishing port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Though the characters are fictional, they thrive in this authentic setting. Readers can find out more about me and my book, DEATH IN DUTCH HARBOR, by visiting my website at dmparkerauthor.com.
This is Author D. MacNeill Parker’s writing and publication journey in her own words…
Inspiration to start writing…
Murder mysteries are my preferred genre. I love reading them and, now, I love writing them. When I set out to write my first book, I thought the structure of a whodunit would simplify my task. Knock someone off and find the killer, right? Well it’s a lot more complicated than that, I discovered. But I’m hooked on this genre and must be good at it because my book was selected as the 2024 winner of the prestigious Nancy Pearl Book Award for genre fiction.
I can’t imagine writing in another genre. And I’ll tell you why. I’m what’s called a “pantser”, which means I develop a minimalist plot and then write from the seat of my pants. Sure, I knew from the beginning that the backdrop was commercial fishing in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. And I knew the protagonist was a veterinarian with a three-legged dog and a couple of blustery pals. I even knew a murder would take place at sea. But, believe it or not, at the outset I didn’t know who the killer was or the motive for the dastardly deed. I discovered both along the way. Each morning that I set out to write a scene, I often knew little more than I had to move the story forward by leaving a clue, a red herring, a plot twist or a character complication that turned up the heat. My brain seemed to relocate to the tips of my fingers, poised over the keyboard, waiting for the action to begin. Where would it take me? I couldn’t wait to find out. There were times I was so astonished, that I marched myself in front of a mirror and poked at my reflection. “You are brilliant!” Of course, I’m no genius but I love the adventure, and continue as a “pantser” in writing my second book.
Where you can find D. MacNeill Parker’s book…
My book, DEATH IN DUTCH HARBOR, can be found in a variety of online bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Death In Dutch Harbor Blurb…
When two murders strain the police force of a remote Alaska fishing port, veterinarian Maureen McMurty is tapped by the Dutch Harbor police chief for forensic assistance. The doc’s got a past she’d rather not discuss, a gun in her closet, and a retired police dog that hasn’t lost her chops. All come in handy as she deciphers the cause and time of death of a local drug addict washed ashore with dead sea lions, and an environmentalist found in a crab pot hauled from the sea in the net of a fishing vessel. When her romantic relationship with a boat captain is swamped by mounting evidence that he’s the prime suspect in one of the murders, McMurtry struggles with her own doubts to prove his innocence. But can she? McMurtry’s pals, a manager of the Bering Sea crab fishery and another who tends Alaska’s most dangerous bar, assist in unravelling the sinister truth.
One of D. MacNeill Parker’s favourite scenes from Death In Dutch Harbor…
Eric took the blanket he’d laid on the ice bench and draped it over the guy’s shoulders, just a kid really. He folded the hands so they lay on the kids lap and packed ice around his shoulders so he would remain secure for the rough ride back to port. Reaching into his own chest pocket, he removed a pack of rettes. His hand shook as he lit two. “We smoke the brand,” he said, bending to wedge one between the kid’s blue lips. He smoked the other, all the while talking to the kid as if his spirit lingered nearby. He told the kid he would be missed by someone and promised to get him home. Hearing his own voice crack, Eric turned away as if he didn’t want the kid to see him that way. Then he closed the freezer door. The kid sat in the bait locker, the cigarette still hanging from his lips. The freezing temperature caused the saltwater on his eyelashes and beard to crystallize. He looked as if he were climbing Mt. Everest instead of sitting propped up, dead in a fishing boat headed to Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
