Meet Abraham Hall from Written in Secret

by Crystal Caudill | Mar 11, 2025 | Character Interview

IT’S RELEASE DAY FOR WRITTEN IN SECRET!!!! What better way to celebrate than to get to know the hero, Detective Abraham Hall, who steals a romance writer’s heart? Before we dive into the interview, here’s a bit about Written in Secret. Don’t forget I’m hosting TWO special giveaways this month on all my blog posts related to Written in Secret. At the end of the month, I’ll draw a winner. Check out the details in the end! Oh! and if you’ve already read Written in Secret, I’ve created a Facebook Discussion group where you can talk all about it with others who have read it too! I hope to see you there!

Reading Is My SuperPower did an interview with Billy Poe on March 3, so be sure to check that out too!

Written in Secret by Crystal Caudill

In the heart of nineteenth-century Cincinnati one woman holds the power to rewrite history.

What happens when fiction becomes reality? In the corruption-infested Queen City, danger lurks in every shadow, but Lydia Pelton refuses to stay silent. She writes under a pseudonym, E. A. Dupin, crafting crime novels to exact justice and right the wrongs she sees in society. When a serial killer decides to be the sword to her pen, Lydia is confronted with the consequences of her words. Four men are dead, and the city blames her.

With murders on the rise, Officer Abraham Hall’s only lead is Lydia’s fiction, and he is thrust into an investigation with the “Killer Queen of Romance.” Despite his misgivings about the woman, he realizes that even with his reputation for catching elusive criminals, he needs her help. But his unexpected attraction to Lydia proves as difficult to manage as the woman herself.

As the mystery unfolds, Abraham and Lydia race to rewrite the ending, not only for Cincinnati’s citizens, but for their own hearts too.

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Now for our interview with Abraham.

CC: Hello, Detective Hall. It is a pleasure to interview you.

AH: It’s Officer Hall. I’m not a detective. Not officially–even if my partner Detective Talbot Lawson refers to me as one. If I help solve the Dupin Murders before the city implodes, it is likely a promotion.

CC: The Dupin Murders? Could you explain what you mean?

AH: I’ve long believed that dime novels corrupt the soul, and this set of murders proves my thoughts correct. E.A. Dupin is the author of eight murder mysteries based on real Cincinnati crimes. Only instead of allowing the criminals to be arrested in his book, the criminals all die through means similar to their crimes. It’s never at the hands of the hero, Detective Billy Poe. Still, someone has claimed Billy Poe’s identity and is now murdering the real men whose cases inspired the books.

CC: Do you have any suspects?

AH: I did, at least until I discovered who E.A. Dupin actually was. Cincinnati suspected Dupin of the murders due to the descriptions and access to information he shouldn’t have included in his books and how closely the murders matched the endings in his books. However, anyone with access to the dime novel could leave quotes from the hero, Billy Poe, on the victims’ bodies, meaning that any of Cincinnati’s 250,000 residents with access to the book, the motive, and the means could commit the crime.

CC: Anyone but E.A. Dupin? Why is that?

AH: E.A. Dupin is the pseudonym Lydia Pelton uses to pen her soul-corrupting novels. I feel like such a fool for having any interest in her. She lied to get her position as a mystery author, manipulated others to get the information needed for her books, and kept her identity secret even though she knew the police were looking for Dupin.

CC: So you don’t believe she is capable of those murders?

AH: Not physically, but she penned each and every one of them. She is responsible, at least on some level, for the deaths of those men. Even if she cannot be held accountable to the point of facing a trial.

CC: And yet you say you are attracted to her?

AH: I was, was being the key word. I should have known when I arrested her and her friend, Theresa, for attempting to steal a three-legged goat from the circus that she was not a woman to be trusted. Yet, the woman captured my interest even after discovering she was a romance novelist. That was bad enough, but I cannot tolerate the deception needed to be E.A. Dupin and the delay to this case she caused by forcing us to uncover her identity. I am determined to keep her firmly in the criminal box of my mind and off-limits from any other influence she may have over my thoughts.

CC: So there is no future together?

AH: Not if I can help it. Perhaps a shift in conversation would be best. Just thinking about her puts me on edge.

CC: Absolutely. I heard that Billy Poe insists that he is carrying out justice by killing these men. What are your thoughts on the matter?

AH: I am no blind idealist. I know our judicial system can sometimes be corrupt, but only God can carry out judgment. And that is what Billy Poe is doing. Enacting judgment, not justice. Justice allows for restoration. Judgment is final. I admit I wrestle with this idea of not being able to combat the injustice of this world, but God has appointed the judges over us, and whatever their rulings, we must abide by them. God will correct things in the end, and who knows? He may use the release of a criminal to glorify His name and bring them back to Him. At least, that is the hope I cling to.

CC: Sometimes Christ is the only hope we have to cling to.  I have one last question before we wrap up.  What about Lydia Pelton draws you to her, even when you don’t want to be?

AH: I told you that we are done with that topic. Lydia is a puzzle I cannot figure out. It is like two people reside within her—one capable of writing such evil that it sets a city to rioting and one who is determined to bring light and hope to the world. She is fanciful yet serious, intelligent yet foolish, considerate yet selfish. She is a woman of contradictions, and she makes my head hurt.

CC: Don’t all women make men’s heads hurt? I look forward to reading about the headaches she brings and how this case works out for you. I’ve met Billy Poe, and let’s just say he’s one twisted man.

AH: Wait, you know who he is?

CC: And you will too. Eventually. Readers, I hope you’ll pick up Written in Secret and see if you can beat Abraham to the revelation–and see if maybe Lydia is the one who will give him a lifetime of headaches instead of just a season.

Month-Long Blog Giveaway

Help me celebrate the release of Written in Secret and get the word out about the new series. From March 4 to April 1, this giveaway will be open to those legally allowed to enter both domestically and internationally. International winners will be given a prize of equal value as shipping costs are prohibitive. See my giveaway policies for more details.

Prize: homemade book cozy, fuzzy socks, journal, reader mug mat, bookmarks, stickers, tea, and chapstick.

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Month-Long Giveaway #2

Already have the book?? This giveaway is for you. Somewhere in the first fifty pages of Written in Secret is the answer to “What attacked Lydia and Abraham inside the circus tent?” Fill out the below Google Form to be entered for your chance to win a $25 gift card to Amazon or Baker Book House. The giveaway runs until April 11, 2024. The winner will be selected the week of April 12 and notified by email.

Enter Here

Readers, comment with:

What do you think, readers? Do you think books have the power to corrupt someone?