ISLAND OF BONES, Marta Sprout’s second book in the Kate Bowers series, takes readers through the party-packed streets and tropical waters of Key West in search for a serial rapist and serial killer.
Island of Bones by Marta Sprout
While on vacation, Bowers is brutally attacked; however, her assailant unknowingly chose the wrong victim. Bowers, a homicide detective and former military MP, is determined to find her assailant—the man with a teardrop tattoo. A man she’s convinced has attacked other women. A man that must be stopped before he strikes again.
The chase leads Bowers to discover something much more disturbing—women enslaved in a high-end sex trafficking operation.
In this interview with The Big Thrill, Marta shares her deep appreciation for law enforcement, reveals how she entered into the mind of a serial killer, and provides insight into what led her to choose such important societal topics as rape and human sex trafficking.
In your new thriller ISLAND OF BONES, you developed an incredibly strong female protagonist in Kate Bowers. She’s tough, driven, intelligent, and skilled with weapons. Why was having such a strong female protagonist important to you?
I felt it was time. We’ve gone through the siege of female protagonists who are so emotionally compromised that she runs off and gets herself in grave danger. That reminds me of the old John Wayne movies, where a woman trips over her skirt, and some big cowboy has to save her. I call that “too stupid to live.” I think the time is now. Men and women both want to see strength, integrity, a person with intelligence, drive, and determination because we’re facing a challenging world, and I think we all need that. I’m trying to create characters that resonate with our lives in both their perspective, the problems they encounter, and the variety of responses people do have to things—and then I let it play out and see what happens.
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This article is part of the interview, first published in the magazine The Big Thrill.
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