Rafael and Hannah……an unbreakable bond
It all started with Deadly College Murders and continues through to Paris Noir: Deadly Obsession. When I began Deadly College Murders, what started as an innocent campus love story deepened into an unbreakable bond between Rafael and Hannah. That profound connection becomes one of the central themes of the Hannah Walker Mystery Series. Hannah, a young college student accused of murders on campus, insists on handling things herself at first. But when her godfather Rafael intervenes, she reluctantly allows him back into her life after years of distance, driven by fear of losing him. Together they uncover the conspiracy behind the college killings, and Rafael takes Hannah to Paris, where their relationship grows even stronger.
After Hannah’s accident she loses memory of the closeness they once shared, and it falls to Rafael to help her remember how deep their bond ran. In Paris Noir: Deadly Obsession their connection surpasses all prior expectations—Hannah is determined to do whatever it takes to keep Rafael by her side, because losing him is her greatest fear. Rafael, meanwhile, keeps painful secrets to try to protect his goddaughter from harm. Hannah repeatedly has to remind him that he cannot keep pulling her from the path of oncoming trains; she loves his devotion, but neither of them can save the other from every threat they face.
What makes it even more beautiful is how deeply Rafael loves his goddaughter. Perhaps one of the most difficult scenes for me to write was the letter Rafael pens to Hannah near the end of Deadly Vows, written before she fully understands who he really is and before the weight of guilt settles on her after reading it. I cried a lot while composing that letter—especially during the part where she yells at him, and when he recalls their shared adventures in Paris. The memories he describes are vivid: the long walks along the Seine, the quiet mornings in small cafés, and the way the Eiffel Tower would sparkle at midnight, casting a fragile, luminous comfort over them. Their bond will strengthen even more in The Thirteenth Riddle: A poisoned silence, where he will once again be front and center.
How much will their special bond shift after the final chapter of Paris Noir? Stay tuned……
