“I went on spectacular castle tours in the Thousand Islands in 2019 and couldn’t get the setting out of my mind,” she said. “It took me a few years, but I wrote the suspense mystery I wanted to write.”

The book opens when two high school seniors go missing near Quill Castle the night before their graduation. The case goes cold for 25 years until a local newspaper editor unwittingly discovers evidence. “From there, all hell breaks loose when the original FBI agent returns to the case, sending lifelong friends scampering into dangerous depths of betrayal, revenge and murder,” she said.

Several locations in western and central New York are part of the story. While primarily set in Alexandria Bay, the action travels to the Buffalo waterfront, Buffalo City Hall, Syracuse, and even the Jefferson County Fair in Watertown.

“There might even be a few Pizza Village slices served up at one point,” D’Agostino said. “It was a hoot to write.”

“Braided Lies: A Thousand Islands Castle Mystery” features locations across Western and Central New York.

Currently available on Amazon, the novel should start appearing on Barnes & Noble in a few weeks. Anyone wanting to follow developments with the book can visit ironpelicanpublications.com or follow Iron Pelican Publications on Facebook or Instagram.

“I’m a member of a local Book Club, so I was sure to put discussion questions in the back, along with another surprise I can’t reveal,” she said.

D’Agostino praised a local organization for its support. “I’d still probably be at home writing in circles if not for the Lake Shore Center for the Arts in Westfield. Joining its writing group nudged me forward to completing the manuscript. I’m grateful to have found them.”

Before releasing this novel, D’Agostino received recognition for two screenplays, “Say Something Funny” and “Rising Descent.”