Rafael Poisoned….
Hannah and Rafael…..the two protagonists who suffer at every turn. I knew I had to give more character development to Rafael. While Rafael was important in Deadly College Murders, that first book in the series focused more on Hannah and her determination to discover who murdered Gonzalez. It also centered on the persistent premonition dreams she kept having, dreams that continue to haunt her regularly as the series progresses.
Going into the second book, I knew I wanted Rafael to undergo more development. How much did he change in the three years he spent traveling with his goddaughter? He grew wiser than he already was and became even more protective of Hannah. How was I going to ensure Rafael received more time and attention in the second book, similar to Hannah? By having Hannah lose her memory and forget who he was, I created an opportunity to explore the fears, hopes, and dreams Rafael carried for the future.
In Deadly Vows we explore the deep fears Rafael experiences when he discovers Hannah is losing her memory. The more he struggles and fights to make sure she remembers who he is, the less he sees that Hannah is quietly pushing him away. As her frustration boils over and she shouts that she will never remember him, Rafael’s hope collapses; distraught and defeated, he finally gives up and leaves her a heartbreaking letter.
Following the events of Deadly Vows and moving into Paris Noir Deadly Obsession, Rafael has moved on and has been undercover for six months—six long months during which Hannah did not see or hear from her beloved godfather. As Hannah prepares for her upcoming nuptials with Jonathan, Rafael remains unaware that his past is resurfacing to haunt him. An arch‑nemesis emerges who must upend the hero’s life; in this story, that hero is Rafael. He spends the entire book focused on keeping Hannah safe, driven by the consuming fear of losing her, until she finally confronts him with a hard truth: new threats arrive every day, and he cannot always shield her from danger.
After the events of Paris Noir, Hannah and Rafael are not exactly on speaking terms in The Thirteenth Riddle: A Poisoned Silence, their strained relationship marked by awkward silences and unspoken tensions.
When Rafael tries to calm Hannah’s attitude and anger, Hannah erupts into an explosive fight with him that ends with Rafael being kidnapped. As she learns of his abduction, an immense guilt overwhelms her—she remembers how she’d mostly yelled at him and said things she now deeply regrets. After she manages to rescue Rafael and breaks down in his arms in their New Orleans apartment, Hannah’s world darkens further: at the hospital they tell her the one thing she never wanted to hear. Her beloved godfather has been poisoned, and the only clues point to a place called Die Klinik Den Geist Zu Halen. Now Hannah must race to find the antidote that could save Rafael. The answers—and the dangers—lie in TTRAPS.
