Not all of the characters I create are nice people. After all, this is a mystery series, and somebody has to have committed a crime, say a murder, an attempted one, even a kidnapped baby — and got away with it. And as Isabel Long has discovered as she tries to solve each cold case, there are suspects who could be classified as bad guys. That includes women by the way.

Frankly, I enjoy creating these characters and often keep several around for more than one book. I try to create characters that are complex, so their villainy might not be apparent. Or they might have some redeeming characteristics that shows they aren’t all bad after all. And sometimes they might seem like they’re okay, but as Isabel finds out, they’re not.

I am going to focus on the first three books in the series — Chasing the Case, Redneck’s Revenge, and Checking the Traps— which were recently released by Bloodhound Books.

In Chasing the Case, Victor Wilson is a suspect in the disappearance of Adela Collins 28 years earlier. (It was Isabel’s first big story as a rookie reporter.) He’s one of those unfriendly guys living in what looks like a stockade on one of the town’s back roads. Isabel has a good guess what he does there and it isn’t growing orchids in a greenhouse. You know the type — quiet and keeps to himself — for a good reason.

Vincent is on the permanently banned list at the Rooster for coming in one night spouting White Supremacist “crap” and carrying a gun. Here’s what Isabel has to say about him: “I typically see him pumping gas outside the general store. Once in a while, Victor comes to town meetings to bitch about something. He’s a scrawny dude with a long hipster beard, before it came into style, and naturally, a wild head of hair. I have no idea what he does for a living.”

But did Victor have anything to do with Adela’s disappearance. I’m not saying.

In Redneck’s Revenge, Annette Waters hires Isabel — for free mechanical service for life at her Rough Waters Junkyard and Garage — to investigate the death of her father Chet. It appears Chet was too drunk to get out of his house when it caught fire. Her father might have been an SOB of a guy, but Annette doesn’t believe his death was accidental.

Among the suspects are two brothers, Gary and Larry Beaumont, drug dealers who terrorized Isabel. The brothers live in a dump of a house and have the manners of feral dogs. They allegedly were responsible for drugs found in a junked car that was delivered to Rough Waters. Oh, Gary’s the father of Annette’s grown son after a brief relationship as teenagers — a secret she keeps to herself.

Isabel goes with Annette to Baxter’s Bar to meet Gary and Larry who were being elusive. (They are banned from the Rooster for selling drugs in the parking lot.) This is what Annette says when the brothers arrive: “Hard to tell ’em apart, eh?” Annette says. “Well, the ugly son of a bitch with the mustache is Gary. The other ugly son of a bitch with the scar down the side of his face is Larry. It’s from a car crash, not a knife fight although he’s been in a couple of those.”

I grew so fond of the brothers, I have kept them through the series. I have also added more complexity to their personalities. Maybe they’re not upstanding citizens, but they aren’t just bad guys.

For instance, Gary, the alpha brother, hires Isabel for her third case in Checking the Traps. Gary wants Isabel to find out what happened to their half-brother Cary. He doesn’t believe for a second that Cary, who worked on a highway crew and wrote poetry at night, jumped off a bridge in a neighboring town that is known for suicides. He is sure somebody murdered him.

The chief suspects are one of Gary’s business associate, yes, Victor Wilson, and a famous but rather snotty poet, Cyrus Nilsson, who plagiarized his brother’s poetry for an award-winning book. Could a poet be a bad guy? Sure, why not?

Here are the links to those books: : Chasing the Case, Redneck’s Revengeand Checking the Traps. Thank you if you do.