Light Reclaimed: Billie Knight
📚 book 1 in The Spirit Reports series
It’s June 2020, and on top of the Covid shutdowns and racial justice revolution, Billie Knight’s dad just died. She soon realizes he wasn’t the one who hurt her when she was a kid—but then who the hell was?
Billie, a fifty-year-old muralist and art teacher, sets out to solve the mystery of her trauma—from the off-grid queer community she built on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, through Seattle’s autonomous zones and underground theaters, to her wild childhood home of Humboldt County—with her long-lost bestie, Randall, as her partner. Between stakeouts, suspect-snatchings, witness interviews, and flashbacks, Billie and Randall must confront the conflicts that kept them apart for so many years.
The truth is like a feral animal—the closer they get, the more it claws and hisses. Will Billie and her spirit army find the answers she needs to bring the perpetrators to justice and reclaim her place in the universe?
Selected praise:
“Teja Rhae Watson writes with the emotional depth and beauty of someone who has seen what the characters in Light Reclaimed: Billie Knight have seen: trauma and darkness, but also powerful friendships and glorious, spiritual redemption.”
—tammy lynne stoner, award-winning author of Sugar Land
“A compelling, emotional mystery. From dynamic characters to immersive West Coast settings, this page-turner will lead you through an arc both enlightening and cathartic.”
—September Woods Garland, author of Going Legit
“This gripping and emotionally charged story takes you on a rollercoaster ride filled with love, mystery, and self-discovery. Billie and her long-lost best friend, Randall, navigate a web of secrets and confront the conflicts that have kept them apart. But the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous it becomes. ¶ This book is more than just a mystery. It is a powerful exploration of resilience, friendship, and the strength of the human spirit. With its authentic queer representation and compelling characters, it's an unforgettable read I would recommend to anyone looking for a good mystery to solve.”
—Robin Ginther-Venneri on Goodreads
“Amazing and compelling emotional story of a fifty-year-old Billie set out to fight her childhood trauma. Brutally heavy on emotions, it made me uncomfortable at times but also gave me power and hope. The ending couldn't have been better. So many queer characters!”
—Sakshi on Goodreads
“I love this book so much, I can’t gush enough about it. It’s so good. I loved the queer representation and the way Billie describes memories of her childhood abuse coming back to her is 1,000% accurate. Just the way a smell or a sound or a touch can bring it all back. I was like, wow, get out of my head, lady. ¶ The mystery kept me reading and the relationships between Billie and her friends were beautiful, she saw the best in the people she cares about. ¶ This book has a little bit of everything. And the ending—chef’s kiss. So satisfying. ¶ I couldn’t put it down. I read it in two days and stayed up late to finish it, that’s how good it was.”
—Mia on Goodreads
