Author and aviatrix, Millie West, has done it again! With the publication of her most recent novel – Catherine’s Cross – she weaves together a Lowcountry mystery imbued with romantic tension and intriguing characters.
Gary Fearon, Creative Director of Southern Writers Magazine, says, “Millie West combines lyrical writing with evocative settings to create distinctively Southern storytelling. Catherine’s Cross was chosen a ‘Southern Writers Must Read’ by other authors as quickly as it was released.”
In Catherine’s Cross the city of Beaufort is a character in its own right, a place of beguiling intrigue and beauty that readers will recognize. It serves as the backdrop for a murder, a love story and insights into diverse cultures.
This is the story of Jenks Ellington, who learns that her twin sister Gigi has drowned while diving for artifacts in a Lowcountry river near Beaufort, Although Beaufort County detective Seth Mason is suspicious of Gigi’s diving partner, there is no evidence of foul play. But when Gigi’s Port Royal home is broken into, Jenks discovers two important clues—one leads her to the home of a well-known Gullah medium. As Jenks delves more deeply into her sister’s life, she forms a bond with Detective Mason. Are there secrets the Gullah medium, Meta Jane, is withholding? Was her sister’s death a cover-up of something more mysterious?
A South Carolina native and history buff, Millie West has spent countless hours exploring the rich 
historical relics of her home state. She has come across many story ideas by taking less-traveled paths throughout the South. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Millie has a background in aviation and was one of the first female pilots to be hired by UPS. She flew for private corporations and commercial airlines before retiring to write full-time. Millie lives with her family in Columbia, SC.
On Saturday, May 10th, Millie West will be signing books at the Beaufort Visitor’s Center in the Arsenal Courtyard from 10am – 1pm. Since it’s Mother’s Day weekend, Millie’s visitors can register for a drawing to win brunch for two the next day at Wren, one of many local spots featured in Catherine’s Cross. Other family people and places in the book include The Shrimp Shack, the Sheriff’s Dept, the National Cemetery, Land’s End, the Downtown Marina, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Hunting Island State Park, the Town of Port Royal, the Beaufort Gazette, and the Rev. Chad Lawrence of the Parish Church of St. Helena.
For more information about Millie West’s May 10th book signing, call the Beaufort Visitor’s Center at 525-8500.
