The Sites of EXIT STRATEGY – St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral

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Photo credit: Jonathan Dawkins

Just north of present-day Little Italy, in the Manhattan neighbourhood of Nolita (North of Little Italy) stands a Gothic Revival church which opened in 1815—the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. This is the site of the final scene of EXIT STRATEGY, a location that is familiar to Gemma Capello, and her family, and where she makes a final stand against a man who threatens not only her own life, but the lives of everyone around them. 

Designed in 1809 by Joseph-François Mangin, who also designed New York City Hall, it was the largest building in the city. Construction started in 1809 on a plot of land surrounded by farm land well north of the city and was completed in 1815. However, as the city grew, it enveloped this area of what is now Lower Manhattan. Within sixty years, the church was a cornerstone of Little Italy and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York until the more modern St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built in Midtown Manhattan in 1879.

The church is surrounded by a 10-foot-high brick wall, originally built to contain the church cemetery. It was used in 1836 as defense against attacks by Protestants who were concerned the church could be used as a stronghold from which the Pope could convert the largely Protestant Manhattan to Catholicism. Prior to Italian immigration, St. Patrick’s was largely a congregation of Irish immigrants. Those Irish congregants cut holes in the wall for musket barrels and posted armed men to protect the church and its property, even going so far as to patrol the streets outside the Basilica. This action finally discouraged the Protestants from their original plan to sack the church.

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Inside the church, the sanctuary is marked by an arched Gothic ceiling supported by two lines of iron columns running parallel to framing stained-glass windows. At the front of the church on a raised dais, an intricate hand-carved reredos, an ornate wooden screen standing behind the alter, is leafed with gold and holds ten saints within its decorative niches. Rows of wooden pews fill the nave and, at the rear of the sanctuary, twin confessionals are set against facing walls next to statues of the Virgin and St. Francis with his lamb, both surrounded by candles. High in the balcony at the back of the church, the original 1868 pipe organ, which contains over 2,500 pipes, is still in use and is the last remaining large pipe organ designed by 19th century, world-renowned New York City organ builder, Henry Erben. 

However, one of the most interesting aspects of the church lies underneath the nave—the church’s historic catacombs. Constructed following the church’s opening in 1815, the catacombs contain over fifty family crypts, each small door opening to stairs leading to a lower level large enough to hold up to twelve occupants. There are a number of well-known early-to-mid 19th century persons interred here: numerous members of the Delmonico restauranteur family; General Thomas Eckert, a Union Army officer who ran the War Department Telegraph Staff for most of the Civil War; Reverend John Connolly, the first bishop of New York; Thomas O’Connor, a prominent Irish journalist; and Congressman John Kelly, an advisor to President Abraham Lincoln. Recently refurbished, visitors to the cathedral can now tour the catacombs led by Tommy’s of New York.

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Some fun facts about St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral: Martin Scorsese, who grew up in Little Italy and served as an altar boy at St. Patrick’s, used the cathedral cemetery for a scene in Mean Streets. The sanctuary and baptismal font were used by Francis Ford Coppola in the movie The Godfather. And, finally, each year money is raised to bring in a grounds crew for the cemetery—three sheep who spend their summer inside the outer walls maintaining the cemetery lawn, a little touch of what life around the church was like in its earliest days.

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The Sites of EXIT STRATEGY – Little Italy

New York City has a colourful history. What began as New Amsterdam, a Dutch settlement in the 17th century, then became an English town, and finally a 19th and 20th century draw for people from all over the world including Ireland, Germany, Russia and Poland. And, of course, Italy. 

Life in Italy in the mid-19th century was hard. Poverty, political strife, an overwhelmingly agricultural lifestyle, high taxes combined with low wages, and a lack of land pushed whole families, even sometimes entire villages, to emigrate. The United States was a desirable destination as it was not only known for its available land, but for its lower taxes and higher wages for skilled labour, as well as its growing industrial age businesses.  

Italian immigration started as a trickle in the 1860s. Those who settled in Manhattan took up residence in perhaps the most dangerous area of the city—Five Points. They filled tenements on the south end of Mulberry Street, an area called Mulberry Bend, clinging to their original family and village groupings, maintaining the insular lifestyle to which they were accustomed in Italy. But Mulberry Bend was the city’s epicenter of poverty, crime, and gang life with a growing population squeezed into multi-family single room lodgings. In fact, at one point, this area of Five Points was designated the most densely populated area of the entire city, and was infamous for its disease, crime, and murder rates, far outnumbering any other part of Manhattan. As a result, in 1897, the city tore down the tenements and created Mulberry Park, known today as Columbus Park. Displaced Italian residents moved uptown, finding their homes further north on Mulberry, as well as on Mott, Elizabeth, Prince, and Grand Streets, to name a few. It is this area which is still known as Little Italy today.

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The Italian community flourished, even more so as additional immigrants moved in. It is estimated that between 1880 and 1920, over four million Italians immigrated to America, and thousands flocked to the community in Manhattan that came to be called Little Italy. At its peak in 1910, 10,000 Italians lived inside this two-square-mile area.  

The residents of Little Italy re-established their familiar lifestyle, and, in doing so, introduced it to New York City. Restaurants, bakeries, delicatessens, and food carts and shops opened. Churches were community centers of engagement. Organ grinders could be heard throughout the streets. And in 1926, the first Feast of San Gennaro was celebrated. Now an annual 11-day street festival each September, festivities include mass at the Church of the Most Precious Blood on Mulberry Street, as well as parades, live music, shopping, and, of course, food. However, with the good, came the bad as the Mafia moved in and established itself in Little Italy in the early 20th century, including the Morello, Gambino, and Genevese crime families. Almost seventy years later, New York City native Mario Puzo set his novel, The Godfather, with its Corleone crime family in Little Italy as a representation of that Mafia presence.

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Now down to a handful of blocks from it’s original fifty square block spread, Little Italy contains few Italians, but remains a tourist destination in New York City. However, it maintains some of its colourful roots. If you visit the area, you can still get a taste of the late 19th and early 20th century charm in some of the original shops, still run by the founding families: 

Alleva Dairy—Makers of fine cheeses, specially known for their ricotta and mozzarella; the oldest continually run shop in Little Italy since its opening in 1892.

Parisi Bakery—From 1903 through three generations of Parisis, an authentic Italian brick-oven bakery and delicatessen.

Di Palo’s Fine Foods—A specialty Italian grocery store opened in 1903 and currently operated by fifth generation Di Palos.

Piemonte Ravioli—Creating traditional fresh and dried Italian pasta since 1920. 

This is the world in which Gemma Capello was raised. Her nuclear family may have lived in Brooklyn, but her Italian grandparents lived on Elizabeth Street, once the Sicilian bastion of Little Italy. It is here she learns her family’s history. It is here she retreats following the death of her mother, to her grandmother’s care, where she learns to cook all the traditional Sicilian family favourites. It is here where her best friend Frankie and Frankie’s father run their bakery/café. And it is here she comes when she needs to save lives, including her own.  

On Friday, we’ll look at the site of the book’s climax, Little Italy’s early-19th century St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, a site rich with history and which contains a series of hidden catacombs underneath. 

All photos from The Library of Congress.

A Sneak Peek of EXIT STRATEGY

We’re two weeks away from the launch of EXIT STRATEGY and I’ve got a sneak peek for you in the form of Chapter One. Chapter One is really a self-contained, short-story introduction of Gemma Capello and what she does as a negotiator—holding lives in her hands. Click the link below to jump right in!

EXIT STRATEGY - CHAPTER ONE

Praise for EXIT STRATEGY:

Publishers Weekly: An "energetic series launch" with "convincing descriptions of New York City neighborhoods and police tactics, along with flashbacks full of Italian family lore. Fans of contemporary police procedurals will hope to see a lot more of the capable Gemma."

Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Clancy: Code of Honor: “Tense and tightly plotted, Exit Strategy pulls you in and doesn't let go. A compelling page-turner.”

Bibliophile Book Club: “Fast-paced and packed with plenty of action. Reading Exit Strategy was like watching a movie, it had that cinematic, high-octane plot speed and plenty going on to keep the reader turning the pages.”

Rose Point Publishing: “A terrific well-plotted storyline. My hat is off to this author and her attention to detail and the weaving of a great read.”

EXIT STRATEGY is available for pre-order at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

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And look what just arrived last night! Author copies of EXIT STRATEGY. New book deliveries are the best!

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A reminder of the big Kensington July Mystery and Thriller Launch party coming up on July 28th from 7 - 10PM. You’ll find the link to sign up as going or interested, and to get updates and reminders of the event right here: https://www.facebook.com/events/755932971842445/. It’s going to be really great evening with lots of interesting conversation and a ton of great prizes for attendees. I hope to see you all there!

The Sites of EXIT STRATEGY – City Hall Subway Station

Before we start today’s post, just a reminder that the big virtual launch of EXIT STRATEGY will be July 28th from 7 – 10PM, from the safe, socially distanced location of your choice worldwide. I’m sharing the launch party with 10 other amazing Kensington authors, so please come join us that night.

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Last week on the blog, I introduced New York City Hall, the site of the hostage taking in EXIT STRATEGY. But there is a hidden treasure under the adjacent City Hall Park which is not well known even to many native New Yorkers.  

By the late 19th century, New York City already had an elevated train line through the city, but the Great Blizzard of 1888—which dumped 55” of snow on the city, left them with two-story high snow drifts, and closed down train travel for over a week—demonstrated the advantages of subterranean train travel. Plans for New York City’s subway system were approved in 1894 and four years of construction on the initial line began in 1900.

Wikimedia Commons

When the New York City subway system opened in 1904 there were twenty-eight stations over nine miles of track between City Hall and 145th Street (compared to the current four hundred and twenty-seven stations over two hundred and thirty-six miles of track). The system was constructed as a continuous line using a cut and cover technique. Sequential streets were closed to allow for the subway tunnel to be dug by blasting, shovels, and pickaxes, then a series of trusses and beams were built to form the tunnel before the road was laid on top of it. After this, the work could be completed underground without interruption to life above. It was dangerous, backbreaking work completed by 7,700 immigrant workers, and at least sixty men died during the project. 

Of the twenty-eight stations, one was built as the “crown jewel” of the system—City Hall Station. Unlike other stations which were built using standard designs and practical materials, City Hall Station was built as a work of art. Architects George Lewis Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge designed the station around a circular piece of track with curved ceilings and entryways, and enlisted Rafael Guastavino, a Spanish engineer who perfected the use of compression thin-tiling to create arched ceilings and vaults. Additionally, the station was lit by decorative glass skylights by day and brass chandeliers at night. The ticket room, up a short flight of stairs from the platform, had an ornate oak and iron ticket booth sounded by green and yellow tiling.  It was a gorgeous piece of architecture.

The Library of Congress

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

However, as the line expanded and railways cars modernized, the station became antiquated. Newer cars were longer, with three sets of doors instead of the previous two, and while the cars could manage the curve in the track, the platform no longer reached all the doors. Additionally, the nearby Brooklyn Bridge Station, only minutes away by foot, was a larger station with a longer platform and connections to additional lines. Thus, on December 31, 1945, City Hall Station closed. 

For decades the station and platform sat empty and the track was only used to turn around southbound trains emptied at Brooklyn Bridge Station before heading north again. For most of New York City, the station faded from memory.

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

However, a movement started in the 1990s to obtain funding to refurbish the historic station and open it for tours. Since 2006, the New York Transit Museum has conducted extremely popular tours for their members of the station. Tickets sell out in minutes and demand remains high. For those who haven’t had the chance to attend a tour, it is now permitted by the MTA for riders of the southbound 6  and <6>  trains to remain onboard during the turnaround. The route takes you right through the station and you can see the vaults and platform and ticket room up the stairs for yourselves.

Now, how does this station relate to EXIT STRATEGY? Well, that would be telling. You’ll just have to read to find out how this station plays a crucial role in the hostage situation. 

Next week, I’ll be dropping by twice. First to give you a sneak peak at the beginning of EXIT STRATEGY, and then later in the week when I return to Gemma’s roots as we dive into NYC’s Little Italy. See you there!

The Sites of EXIT STRATEGY – New York City Hall

New York City is a fascinating place, full of business, entertainment, and history. But to Gemma Capello, it’s home. And as we come closer to the release of EXIT STRATEGY, I wanted to share some of Gemma’s city as it’s highlighted in the book.

Wikimedia Commons, by MusikAnimal - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

New York City Hall is the main location for much of EXIT STRATEGY. As the story starts, a crisis breaks out at City Hall as an armed man gains entrance to the building and takes hostages inside the mayor’s office. It’s this situation which calls the Capellos—Chief Tony Capello, head of Special Operations; Lieutenant Joe Capello of the Manhattan Gang Squad; Sergeant Mark Capello of the 5th Precinct; and Detective Gemma Capello of the Hostage Negotiation Team—away from a family get-together and into the city center. The Capellos scatter to their various roles, and Gemma ends up sitting in a repurposed bank vault near City Hall, on the phone with the hostage taker. But beyond the site of this fictional crisis, New York City Hall is a gorgeous building with a fascinating history. 

The third of New York’s city halls, the current building is the country’s oldest city hall still used for its original purpose. In an 1802 competition, Joseph Francois Mangin and John McCombs Jr. won the $350 grand prize for their French Renaissance design (we’ll see more of Mr. Mangin’s work in a few weeks when we talk about Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral). However, due to budget constraints and the resulting requirement for some design changes, construction didn’t start until 1810, with the building officially opening in 1812. It was the first city hall in the country that was part of a city park, a response to Boston’s and Philadelphia’s downtown city halls which were built with no significant greenspace.

New York City Hall, Aquatint by W. G. Wall, 1826.

In modern times, the building isn’t big enough to manage all municipal business (thus the adjacent David N. Dinkins Municipal Building, opened in 1914 following the consolidation of the five boroughs), but early on, the building not only served as the mayor’s office and the associated municipal offices, but it also contained a beer and wine cellar, several small jails, and a chapel. Currently, the building houses the mayor and his staff, as well as the majority and minority leaders and their staffs, and the council chambers for municipal business.

Edited by Jess Danna Photography

The central building is flanked by two wings and is topped by a cupola bearing a statue of lady justice. Thirteen steps, one for each of the thirteen colonies at the time of construction, rise to the five-door entrance sheltered by a portico supported by Corinthian columns. Inside, a statue of George Washington guards the front entryway that opens to the American-Georgian styled foyer.

One of the most notable features of the building is the pairing of a floating double staircase and a coffered rotunda, designated an interior landmark in 1976. The keystone, cantilevered marble staircase, an engineering feat in the early nineteenth century, rises to the second floor. Above it, the coffered dome is supported by ten Corinthian columns. Centered in the dome is an oculus to naturally light the space.

Wikimedia Commons, by Mary Browlee - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Edited by Jess Danna Photography

The rotunda has been the site of many important events, including the lying-in-state of both President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and President Ulysses S. Grant in 1885.  

At the top of the floating staircase, is the Governor’s Room, both a reception room and the location of many of City Hall’s museum pieces, including their portraiture collection and George Washington’s writing desk from Federal Hall, the seat of the federal government from 1789 – 1790.

Edited by Jess Danna Photography

Also on the second floor are the Council Chambers—still used today for modern municipal business—which boasts a mahogany dais, a mural ceiling, and a balcony for spectators.

Wikimedia Commons, by Grenoble17 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Outside, City Hall Park is a public space for residents and tourists alike. Here, George Washington read the Declaration of Independence for the first time on July 9th, 1776; it was also the site of the first protest against the British. A memorial to Captain Nathan Hale stands opposite City Hall, and the beautiful 1871 fountain, designed by Jacob Wrey Mould, the architect of much of Central Park, is located at the southern end of the park.

Edited by Jess Danna Photography

Wikimedia Commons, by Martin Furtschegger - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Next week, we’re going to look at a little-known secret below City Hall—the City Hall Subway Station, built in 1904 but abandoned since 1945. It’s a gorgeous piece of architecture from days gone by that has a fascinating tie-in to EXIT STRATEGY. You won’t want to miss it!

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EXIT STRATEGY releases on July 28, 2020 and is available for pre-order at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

After her mother’s death during a bank robbery when she was a child, Gemma Capello grew up to become one of the NYPD’s elite hostage negotiators. In a family of cops, there’s rarely a day when a Capello isn’t facing down some form of threat. Still, despite their unpredictable schedules, they always find time for their annual family summer picnic. But this year, a sudden phone call changes everything.

A heavily armed gunman has taken hostages at City Hall. Gemma races downtown to join the rest of the Hostage Negotiation Team as they scramble to identify the captives—fearing the mayor may be among them. But as they scramble for answers and struggle to gain control of the circumstances, it becomes clear that the mayor is at the center of it all, just not in the way they initially believed.

With several lives on the line and a criminal who always seems to be one step ahead, Gemma is the only one able to connect with the suspect. Soon, she finds herself engaging in a battle of wits while enduring a battle of egos in the command center. With time running out and a mastermind who has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, Gemma risks it all—her career and her life—in a last-ditch effort to save the hostages. Now, she needs to figure out how to save herself . . .

You're Invited to a Multi-Author Book Launch Party!

There’s a virtual party planned and you’re invited! Please join me and 10 other Kensington mystery and thriller authors for what’s shaping up to be a really fabulous event. We’ll be getting together on Tuesday, July 28th from 7 – 10pm EDT to celebrate our new book releases, and we’d love for you to join us from the safety and social distance of your own home anywhere in the world. We’ll be chatting with our readers, dishing the inside scoop about our books and writing, raffling off chances to be the first to get early reader copies of upcoming releases, and giving away swag and other prizes.  

These bestselling authors are taking part that night:

Lisa Black – Every Kind of Wicked; A Gardiner and Renner Novel, book 6

Jen J. Danna – Exit Strategy; NYPD Negotiators, book 1

Vicki Delany – Tea and Treachery; A Tea by the Sea Mysteries, book 1

Charlie Donlea – The Suicide House; A Rory Moore/Lane Phillips Novel, book 2

Dianne Freeman – A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder; A Countess of Harleigh Mystery, book 3

Sherry Harris – From Beer to Eternity; A Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery, book 1

A.L. Herbert – Murder with Honey Ham Biscuits; A Mahalia Watkins Mystery, book 4

Lee Hollis – Death of a Wicked Witch; Hayley Powell Mystery, book 13

Kevin O’Brien – The Bad Sister; Family Secrets, book 2

Carlene O’Connor – Murder in Connemara; An Irish Village Mystery, book 8

Annelise Ryan – The Night Shift; A Helping Hands Mystery, book 2

We have books to match the taste of every mystery or thriller reader, so please join us on July 28th from 7 – 10pm EDT here: https://www.facebook.com/events/755932971842445/. If you stop by the event link prior to that day and sign up as going or interested, you’ll receive reminders about the event so you won’t miss it.

We hope to see you there!

Introducing Gemma Capello and the Capellos of New York City

Hello, blog readers! I hope you and yours are all safe and well during this time of crisis.  

It’s been a long time since my last blog. Life has been busy! I’ve doubled my writing output to two books a year, which has forced me to blog less so I could write more. Then the pandemic hit. My day job as a lab manager threw me directly into COVID research, and, as a group, we’ve been run off our feet since mid-March. However, I’m back now in the run up to the release of EXIT STRATEGY.  

EXIT STRATEGY will release in five weeks and I’m excited to introduce you to Gemma Capello and her first responder family, all of whom you will meet in EXIT STRATEGY, and several of whom play crucial roles in the book. 

So who is Gemma Capello, hostage negotiator, and where did she come from? 

The idea to write about a hostage negotiator was borne out of LONE WOLF and a character that was only on the page for a grand total of about two hundred words. But this character, and the challenges he faced stuck with me, so much so that when I was looking at starting a new series on my own, of the two promising ideas I discussed with my agent, this was the one I wanted to explore first. 

My love of writing series has largely come of my love of reading series. I enjoy settling in for a long ride with familiar characters. But as an author, you can also settle into writing a group of characters like Meg Jennings, Todd Webb and Clay McCord of the FBI K-9s. When I start each new K-9 book, my main concern is plot with some character development on the side. But I know these characters so well at this point, I can dive right in with them without much thought. 

Writing a new cast of characters required some advance planning. One of the books I read in preparation for the series was 45 Master Characters – Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters, which I used to help figure out some of the major characteristics of my protagonist. In the end, for Gemma, I decided on someone who is a nurturer. But as a single woman who is more married to her career than anything else at this point in her life, most of her nurturing is turned toward her family.  

I fell back to a small extent on my own family background when fleshing out Gemma’s backstory. Like the Dannas, the Capellos hail from Siculiana, a small town of less than 5,000 people in the province of Agrigento in Sicily. Like me, Gemma lost a parent as a child, though her loss came as part of a violent incident that she herself was involved in. Unlike me, Gemma is surrounded by only brothers; in her case, four of them. With the loss of her mother when Gemma was ten, she stepped into the nurturing female role in her immediate family, and remains there in adulthood. 

Like any large, raucous Italian family they are a nosy, loving group who are caught up in each other’s lives. The patriarch, Tony, is the Chief of Special Operations in the NYPD, heading up the department Gemma herself is a part of as a member of the NYPD Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT). The oldest Capello sibling, Joe, is a lieutenant in the Manhattan Gang Squad. The next oldest, Marco, is a patrol sergeant in the 5th Precinct in Manhattan. Matteo, the third son, is the only Capello to break with tradition and instead finds his place in the FDNY. Gemma follows as the fourth sibling, working her way up through the ranks to detective, finally succeeding in her goal to join the HNT, a highly prized position only eligible to a detective with a minimum of twelve years’ experience in the NYPD. The baby of the family, Alex, Gemma’s closest sibling following the death of their mother, is a detective in the Internal Affairs Bureau. 

The family is introduced right at the beginning of Exit Strategy during a traditional family gathering that is interrupted by a hostage taking at New York’s City Hall. Because of their positions and family connections, we see many of the Capellos throughout the story as they collectively work to end the standoff. Gemma may be the one talking to the suspect, and, in the end, risking her life to save the hostages, but when one Capello is in trouble, it’s an all hands on deck moment for the family. I hope when you meet them, you’ll love them as much as I do. 

However, EXIT STRATEGY doesn’t just take place inside and around New York City Hall. Gemma has to travel through some of the most fascinating areas of the city in her quest to stop the hostage taker. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to look at some of the highlights of Gemma’s city and their fascinating history. Stay tuned for much more…

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EXIT STRATEGY releases on July 28, 2020 and is available for pre-order at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart. 

After her mother’s death during a bank robbery when she was a child, Gemma Capello grew up to become one of the NYPD’s elite hostage negotiators. In a family of cops, there’s rarely a day when a Capello isn’t facing down some form of threat. Still, despite their unpredictable schedules, they always find time for their annual family summer picnic. But this year, a sudden phone call changes everything.

A heavily armed gunman has taken hostages at City Hall. Gemma races downtown to join the rest of the Hostage Negotiation Team as they scramble to identify the captives—fearing the mayor may be among them. But as they scramble for answers and struggle to gain control of the circumstances, it becomes clear that the mayor is at the center of it all, just not in the way they initially believed.

With several lives on the line and a criminal who always seems to be one step ahead, Gemma is the only one able to connect with the suspect. Soon, she finds herself engaging in a battle of wits while enduring a battle of egos in the command center. With time running out and a mastermind who has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, Gemma risks it all—her career and her life—in a last-ditch effort to save the hostages. Now, she needs to figure out how to save herself . . .

Release Day for NO MAN'S LAND!

Release day is finally here and FBI K-9s #4, NO MAN'S LAND, is finally out! **throws confetti** I'm very excited to introduce our readers to the fascinating world of urban exploration and to the new character of Chuck Smaill, a coworker of Todd Webb and the teams' guide into the world of urbex.

Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue dog are on the trail of a killer hiding where others fear to tread…

For Meg Jennings and her K-9 companion, Hawk, exploring the ruins of a deserted building is an exciting way to sharpen their skills without the life-or-death stakes they face as part of the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team. But deep in the echoing rooms of an abandoned asylum, Hawk finds the body of an elderly woman. The victim couldn’t have made her way into the derelict building on her own. Before forty-eight hours pass, Meg learns of more cases of elders found dead in neglected urban structures.

There’s not enough evidence to link the deaths—yet. But Meg scents a pattern, and when she gets word of another senior gone missing, she and Hawk don’t hesitate. Meg is sure a murderer is hunting the elderly, and she can prove it if she can just find a connection. It will take the expert coordination of her whole team, along with help from Clay McCord and Todd Webb, to uncover the means, let alone a motive. And to stop someone who has operated in the dark for so long, Meg will need to risk more than she has to give . . .

You can find NO MAN'S LAND in hardcover, ebook, and audio at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound and Indigo.

And don't forget, the holiday season is coming and NO MAN'S LAND would be a great gift for the mystery/thriller reader and/or dog lover in your life!

To celebrate, it's party time tonight!

Please join us for a Facebook launch party here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2727819780608149/. Ann and I will be joined by Marc Cameron, Sarah Fox, Susan Furlong, Sally Goldenbaum, Kevin O'Brien, Rosemarie Ross and Karen Rose Smith as we celebrate our new releases. You'll be able to chat with the authors, ask them questions about their process and books, and enter for a chance to win many prizes!

Speaking of prizes, I'll be giving away 3 bundle packs of a hardcover copy of NO MAN'S LAND, a Hawk/'Rescue is a Lifestyle' keychain, and a personalized bookplate, custom-made for NO MAN'S LAND. I'll also be giving away keychains and bookplates tonight, as well as a chance to be the first to receive an advanced reading copy of NYPD Negotiators #1, EXIT STRATEGY, as soon as it's available in a few months. So be sure to stop by for your chance to win!

Finally, a gentle reminder that word of mouth and reviews sell books and help keep the series going. So I'd be forever grateful if you'd leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon and/or wherever you purchased your copy. Thanks a million!

Happy reading!

Sneak peek of NO MAN'S LAND and Launch Party Details

We're less than a week away from the launch of FBI K-9s #4, NO MAN'S LAND, and I've got a sneak peek for you in the form of Chapter One! If you want to get a taste of what the team is up against this time around, click on the link below to see just how fascinating and treacherous the world of urban exploration can be:

NO MAN’S LAND - Chapter One

Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue dog are on the trail of a killer hiding where others fear to tread…

For Meg Jennings and her K-9 companion, Hawk, exploring the ruins of a deserted building is an exciting way to sharpen their skills without the life-or-death stakes they face as part of the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team. But deep in the echoing rooms of an abandoned asylum, Hawk finds the body of an elderly woman. The victim couldn’t have made her way into the derelict building on her own. Before forty-eight hours pass, Meg learns of more cases of elders found dead in neglected urban structures.

There’s not enough evidence to link the deaths—yet. But Meg scents a pattern, and when she gets word of another senior gone missing, she and Hawk don’t hesitate. Meg is sure a murderer is hunting the elderly, and she can prove it if she can just find a connection. It will take the expert coordination of her whole team, along with help from Clay McCord and Todd Webb, to uncover the means, let alone a motive. And to stop someone who has operated in the dark for so long, Meg will need to risk more than she has to give . . .

A reminder that Tuesday, November 26th is the big virtual launch party for NO MAN'S LAND: https://www.facebook.com/events/485238118737691/. From 7 - 10pm EST, myself, Ann, and a group of Kensington authors who are all releasing books that same day are jointly hosting the launch party. We'll all be giving away books and swag, so you definitely don't want to miss this event. There's something to suit everyone's taste!

Personally, I'll be giving away books, custom FBI K-9 "Rescue is a lifestyle" keychains, and bookplates created just for NO MAN'S LAND. Would you like a signed copy of NO MAN'S LAND? Then be sure to stop by that night for your chance to have a personalized bookplate mailed to you.

I'll also be giving away the chance to be among the first to win an advanced reading copy of NYPD Negotiators #1, EXIT STRATEGY, as soon as they are printed in a few months.

If you're not available during the time of the party, we're going to be leaving giveaways open until the following evening, so don't miss your chance to win any of a huge number of prizes!

Hope to see you on Tuesday night!

NO MAN'S LAND Launch and EXIT STRATEGY Cover Reveal

It's almost time for the release of FBI K-9s #4, NO MAN'S LAND, and that means it's party time! This year, for the first time, instead of an in-store launch, I'm doing a virtual launch that everyone can attend from the comfort of their own home. And, even better, it's not just me, but I'm joining forces with 8 other Kensington authors who are all launching on the same day. We'll all be there, giving away books, swag, and other prizes, and sharing the inside scoop about our novels. Interested? Then this is where you can sign up for the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/485238118737691/

There's more good news. One of the prizes I'll be giving away that night will be a chance to win one of the upcoming paper ARCs of EXIT STRATEGY, the very first book in the NYPD Negotiators series. But you have to be there that night to have a chance to win!

Speaking of EXIT STRATEGY, I'm very pleased to be able to reveal the cover for it, hot off the presses from Kensington Books:

In this taut new suspense series featuring NYPD detective Gemma Capello and her close-knit law enforcement family, a madman brings a halt to the heart of the city that never sleeps . . .

After her mother’s death during a bank robbery when she was a child, Gemma Capello grew up to become one of the NYPD’s elite hostage negotiators. In a family of cops, there’s rarely a day when a Capello isn’t facing down some form of threat. Still, despite their unpredictable schedules, they always find time for their annual family summer picnic. But this year, a sudden phone call changes everything.

A heavily armed gunman has taken hostages at City Hall. Gemma races downtown to join the rest of the Hostage Negotiation Team as they scramble to identify the captives—fearing the mayor may be among them. But as they scramble for answers and struggle to gain control of the circumstances, it becomes clear that the mayor is at the center of it all, just not in the way they initially believed.

With several lives on the line and a criminal who always seems to be one step ahead, Gemma is the only one able to connect with the suspect. Soon, she finds herself engaging in a battle of wits while enduring a battle of egos in the command center. With time running out and a mastermind who has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, Gemma risks it all—her career and her life—in a last-ditch effort to save the hostages. Now, she needs to figure out how to save herself . . .

Doesn't it look amazing and atmospheric? I love it and can't wait to introduce you all to Gemma and her family of first responders.

For those who have emailed me and asked, I now have buy links for EXIT STRATEGY, which is already available for pre-order at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Hudson Booksellers, Indiebound, and Indigo.

ARC Giveaway of FBI K-9s #4, NO MAN'S LAND

To celebrate the completion of FBI K-9s #5, I'm holding a giveaway for NO MAN'S LAND, FBI K-9s #4. NO MAN'S LAND releases on November 26th, but you still have one last chance to win a free advanced reading copy, delivered to your doorstep.

You can find the giveaway through Rafflecopter right below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, as I'm looking toward the official launch of NO MAN'S LAND, I wanted to share some advance plans. Instead of an in-person launch, I'm going to do a virtual launch, with swag and hardcover book giveaways. Even better, the launch is going to be shared with a number of other Kensington mystery and thriller authors who will also be doing their own giveaways, so this will be a great opportunity to win free stuff (because who doesn't love that?) and meet some new authors. Interested? Then keep November 26th in the evening in mind to pop in and join us online!

Abbott and Lowell Announcements and FBI K-9 Giveaways!

I have lots of news today, so hang on to your hat!

1. Five Star is getting out of the ebook business, and that means they've returned the ebook rights to the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries to us. So I'm happy to announce that brand new, shiny ebook versions with our fantastic new covers are now available on Amazon and Kobo. You can find them here:

DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Kobo.com
NO ONE SEES ME 'TIL I FALL: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Kobo.com
A FLAME IN THE WIND OF DEATH: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Kobo.com
TWO PARTS BLOODY MURDER: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Kobo.com
LAMENT THE COMMON BONES: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Kobo.com

To celebrate getting the rights back, for the next two weeks, we're pricing all the ebooks as low as Amazon will let us, so they are all $2.99 USD (except for the novella, NO ONE SEES ME 'TIL I FALL; it's $0.99 USD). You can scoop up the whole series for under $13, so grab it now while the price is right! If you found us after reading the Sara Driscoll books, here is a whole new series for you to try for a very reasonable price!

2. After many requests, I'm happy to announce that our Abbott and Lowell novella, NO ONE SEES ME 'TIL I FALL, is now available for the first time in print for just $4.99 USD! So if you're a print lover, and you've missed out on this mini Matt and Leigh adventure, you can find it here: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.

Fun facts: That's my youngest daughter on the front cover as shot and then designed by my eldest daughter. And my husband did all the print formatting for us. Publishing... sometimes it's a family affair!

3. The ARCs (advanced reader copies) of FBI K-9's #4, NO MAN'S LAND, have arrived, and I've got a limited number to give away. And just as I was getting ready to put together a giveaway for that book, my mass market author copies of Abbott and Lowell #5, LAMENT THE COMMON BONES showed up. So it's time for the first giveaway! Stop by this Rafflecopter link for your chance to win one of five set of both books:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/76d0650513/?

4. Last, but not least, we've got a great sale coming up starting on August 1st (and lasting until September 1st). The ebook of LONE WOLF has been on sale for $0.99 a few times, but this time BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE will be on sale for $0.99 USD. And for the first time since it's release last November, STORM RISING will be on sale for $2.99 USD. I know some of our readers have been waiting for it to go on sale, so this is your chance to catch up on the series before NO MAN'S LAND releases this November.

Best of luck in the Rafflecopter draw, and if you dive into the any of our cheap and cheerful books, enjoy!

FBI K-9s on sale! (Plus an EXIT STRATEGY update and a brand new snazzy cover...)

The first two books in the FBI K-9s series, LONE WOLF and BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE, are on sale during the month of June as part of Kensington's Get Chilled To The Bone This Summer With Thrilling Reads sale. So whether it's a good opportunity to catch up on the series, or you're looking for a nice portable summer beach or vacation read, or if there's a special man in your life you think would enjoy receiving a book (or books!) for Father's Day, you can find the first two books in the FBI K-9s series for $2.99 USD (or equivalent) here:

LONE WOLF for Kindle (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk), Nook (Barnes and Noble), and Kobo/Indigo

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE for Kindle (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk), Nook (Barnes and Noble), and Kobo/Indigo.


The next book in the series, STORM RISING, will release in mass market paperback on August 27th. Kensington Books has just shared a new and improved cover for the book with us, this time featuring Hawk in a brand new, snazzy FBI work vest. I love it!

STORM RISING is available for preorder at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound, and Indigo.

And finally, I'm happy to say that NYPD Negotiators book #1, EXIT STRATEGY, is complete and has been handed off to my editor at Kensington. We're looking at a September 2020 release date for it, so it's going to be a busy fall next year with it launching in September, the mass market edition of NO MAN'S LAND coming out in November, and FBI K-9s #5 releasing in hardcover in December. Wow! So watch this space for updates as we get closer.

It's Cover Reveal Time for NO MAN'S LAND!

It's always a thrilling experience for an author when they get the cover for a new novel. As the author, you hold the world of your novel in your head, so it's always fascinating to see an artist's rendition of that world. We gave Kensington a challenge this time as Meg and Hawk entered the dangerous and uncertain world of urbex—urban exploration—and we wanted to see one of those search scenes, as well as both Meg and Hawk, on the cover. Well, they really hit it out of the park with this one and we're thrilled with it.

So, without further ado, let me present the cover for NO MAN'S LAND:

Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue dog are on the trail of a killer hiding where others fear to tread…

For Meg Jennings and her K-9 companion, Hawk, exploring the ruins of a deserted building is an exciting way to sharpen their skills without the life-or-death stakes they face as part of the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team. But deep in the echoing rooms of an abandoned asylum, Hawk finds the body of an elderly woman. The victim couldn’t have made her way into the derelict building on her own. Before forty-eight hours pass, Meg learns of more cases of elders found dead in neglected urban structures.

There’s not enough evidence to link the deaths—yet. But Meg scents a pattern, and when she gets word of another senior gone missing, she and Hawk don’t hesitate. Meg is sure a murderer is hunting the elderly, and she can prove it if she can just find a connection. It will take the expert coordination of her whole team, along with help from Clay McCord and Todd Webb, to uncover the means, let alone a motive. And to stop someone who has operated in the dark for so long, Meg will need to risk more than she has to give . . .

I'm also happy to announce that NO MAN'S LAND, which releases on November 26, 2019, is up for pre-order at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Hudson Booksellers, and Indigo.

Love the series? Please consider pre-ordering. The more early sales, the better chance we have of seeing more of Meg and Hawk's continuing adventures in future books. Thank you!!

Announcing a Brand New Series!

Photo credit: Wikimedia commons

I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I have a publishing deal for a completely new series. I’ll be teaming up with Kensington Books and my amazing editor Esi Sogah once again to bring you the NYPD Negotiators thriller series as a two-book deal in both hardcover and ebook starting next summer. I love working with Esi, who has made a significant impact on the FBI K-9s series, so I’m over the moon to start this new series with her. At the same time, I also have a three-book deal with Dreamscape Media for the audio version of the series.

This will be a bit of a change for me as this will be my first series as a solo author. I love working with Ann, and will continue to do so with the FBI K-9s series, but I’m stretching my wings a bit and working toward a full-time career writing once I finally retire from my day job as an infectious diseases lab manager. Until then, I’ll be publishing two books a year, one solo and one with Ann, so life has become pretty crazy. I finished the first draft of book one (EXIT STRATEGY) yesterday, and will have it edited and handed in by the time FBI K-9s book five beckons in June. But, in the mean time, it will go through several rounds of editing before my critique team gets it in just under three weeks, and then my husband and I are off to New York City for some better-late-than-never research for the book. It's not my usual order to write a book and then complete the research, but due to a very fast deadline on this one to fit around the K-9 due date, that's how this book is coming together. Not to worry though, there will still be lots of time to finesse the manuscript before it goes to Kensington, so it will all work out in the end.

So what is this new series about? Here is the initial back cover copy for EXIT STRATEGY, which will give you a taste of what is to come:

After watching her mother die as a hostage during a bank robbery when she was a child, Gemma Capello grew up to become one of the NYPD’s elite hostage negotiators. Unlike other negotiators, she knows firsthand the nightmare of being held at the mercy of a madman with a gun. So when the first deputy mayor of New York City and many of the city’s senior staffers are taken hostage inside City Hall, Gemma is selected as part of the handpicked team of negotiators tasked with resolving the situation before blood is spilled. 

But the man inside City Hall has other ideas. Deadly calm and in complete control, he stymies and outwits the negotiators at every turn. He has a very personal agenda, and wants retribution at any cost, even if it means his own death. Now that lives are in his hands, the negotiators are afraid they don’t have anything to offer him that has greater value. Until he demands a single negotiator in exchange.

The golden rule of negotiation is that no negotiator has ever died talking to a suspect over the phone. But when he asks Gemma, the daughter and sister of NYPD cops, to put herself in harm’s way, she agrees, citing the needs of the many. NYPD brass are unequivocal that she will not go, but Gemma has known the terror of being there herself and is willing to walk away from her shield to save the hostages. Now, she just needs to figure out how to save herself.

Many thanks to my agent, Nicole Resciniti of the The Seymour Agency, for putting together a deal with extended negotiations that went over both the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. She worked hard on this one—from assistance on the original proposal chapters to juggling counter offers for the final deal—and I can’t thank her enough!

Just a reminder to blog readers that if you want to keep up with my news, sneak peeks, and new releases, sign up for my newsletter here: Jen J. Danna Newsletter. Lots more on the FBI K-9s and the NYPD Negotiators to come, including the brand new cover for FBI K-9s #4, NO MAN’S LAND!

STORM RISING's Missing Chapter

Before we start into today’s blog post, just a note that Ann and I took over Kensington’s Tumblr page last Thursday following the release of STORM RISING and posted five mini blog posts. If you’re interested in some extra content about the FBI K-9s, STORM RISING, or search-and-rescue dogs, pop over to Kensington’s Thumblr: http://kensingtonbooks.tumblr.com/

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I have a treat for the readers of STORM RISING this week in the form of some supplementary material—a chapter that existed in the original manuscript, but was deleted from the final version. Our editor extraordinaire, Esi Sogah, had a concern about the original set-up of the book. The story starts with Meg and Hawk participating in live rescues following Hurricane Cole’s landfall in Virginia. It’s only after the first two days of searches that the main plot starts when Meg and Webb stumble across a human trafficking ring. Esi’s concern was that the central mystery took too long to start. She made a very good point as there were three major search scenes that came before the human trafficking story, two water rescues and one land rescue. So we decided we needed to cut one scene. That scene became a short conversation between Meg and Brian to fill out their search activities of the day, and an even shorter conversation between Meg and Webb. Without a doubt, Esi made the correct call, and the book is stronger for it.

A side angle of this scene’s deletion is that brainstorming for the book’s cover came directly from this scene. In it, the team is in a boat, moving between houses flooded nearly to their roof lines. Hawk hears a cry for help and jumps out of the boat to swim toward one of the houses. On the cover, we see Hawk just after launching off the bow of the boat, before he hits the water. In my head, Meg and the boat are just off scene, following Hawk on the way to the rescue.

First, here is the conversation between Brian and Meg:

---

“How did the rest of your morning go?” Brian’s words lifted Meg from her contemplation. “The last time I texted you, you sounded pretty discouraged.” He glanced down at Lacey trotting at his side. “Lacey sure was. She started gnawing at her paw after we found the fifth or sixth deceased victim.”

“Poor girl.” Meg ran her fingers over Lacey’s back, earning her a quick, ear-perked look from the dog. “These kinds of searches are so hard on them. We had a terrible start to the morning, but got lucky later on. There was a family trapped in their two-story house with the water nearly to the roof. Dad drowned downstairs trying to keep the water out, but Mom, her newborn baby, and two other kids made it up to the attic. Then Mom threw a postpartum clot and stroked out, leaving the care of all four of them in the hands of her ten-year-old son. Not knowing what else to do, he stood at their attic window bellowing for help. I couldn’t hear him, but Hawk could. Launched himself out of the boat because we weren’t going fast enough and swam right to the window where the boy stood in waist-high water. We got them all out.”

“Did Mom make it?”

Meg nodded. “We can thank Todd for that. I got him on his cell and told him the symptoms. He confirmed it was an ischemic stroke and told us what we needed to do for her and what meds she needed immediately to save her life. We called in a Coast Guard chopper with a medical team and they got her into the chopper and had meds flowing before they even had everybody off the roof. Then they airlifted the whole family right to the hospital. Her chances for a full recovery look pretty good, thanks to Hawk and Todd. Even another hour or two would have changed her life forever, or ended it.”

“A full recovery is crucial now that she’s lost her husband. Those three kids are going to need their mother more than ever.”

---

And now, a link to a PDF of the original first version of this scene before it was cut from the manuscript. Enjoy!

STORM RISING Original Chapter Six

STORM RISING Tumblr Takeover!

It's a #ThrillingThursday Tumblr takeover! Kensington gave Ann and I the keys to the car and we've been on their Tumblr all day talking about STORM RISING. Want some short and snappy tidbits about how we write the FBI K-9s, how search-and-rescue dogs work, or my favourite scene in STORM RISING? You can catch all this and more on Kensington's Tumblr page, so follow this link: http://kensingtonbooks.tumblr.com/

It's Release Day for STORM RISING!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! But it’s a happier Tuesday here because STORM RISING is finally out in the world! **throws confetti**

The early reviews are in and they’re spectacular!

Publisher’s Weekly gave it a starred review, saying: “Exceptional… The descriptions of the teamwork between dog and human are detailed and dramatic, and the interactions between Meg and Todd as their relationship develops are convincing. Readers will hope this series has a long run.”

Library Journal said, “Driscoll’s third thriller offers an action-packed story combining the drama of a post hurricane search and rescue with the suspenseful investigation of a human trafficking case.”

The Reading Room described the book as "This book covers so much, but it is at its core a story of rescue... Storm Rising is not only a great piece of storytelling; it is an important read for awareness."

Still not sure and want to see more review goodness? Then head over to Goodreads, where readers have given it a 4.57 rating.

You can get your copy of STORM RISING in hardcover, ebook and audio at these fine online retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Indigo, and IndieBound, or at your local bookstore.

The heart-pounding thriller of a series continues as FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 companion confront the fury of nature—and the more dangerous nature of man . . .
 
In the wake of a devastating hurricane, Special Agent Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—invaluable members of the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team—have been deployed to Virginia Beach. They have their work cut out for them. Amid graveyards of debris, and the buried cries for help, the search and rescue operation begins. The most alarming discovery is yet to come—a teenage girl hiding in the Great Dismal Swamp. Shaken by the storm, she has reason to be scared. But this young survivor is terrified of so much more.

Her name is Emma—a disheveled runaway lost to the sordid underbelly of a Virginia sex-trafficking ring. Its leader has disappeared in the chaos—along with other victims. With so much evidence, and so many witnesses, seemingly washed away, Meg joins forces with Special Agent Walter Van Cleave to ensure no further harm comes to their vulnerable charge. They soon discover that this is no small-time localized syndicate. Its branches are rooted in some of the most influential powers in Virginia. Now as Meg’s investigation digs deeper, she’s making some very dangerous enemies. And one by one, they’re coming out of the storm to stop her.

Looking for a taste of what is to come? You can find the first chapter of the novel here: STORM RISING - Chapter One

Also, a reminder that if you are in the greater Toronto area, the launch for STORM RISING is this Saturday at 4pm. I’d love to see you there if you can make it.

Walter Van Cleave – A Character in Memoriam

Lt. Col. Walter Van Cleave (1927 - 1969)

Late in the winter of 2017, just as Ann and I were deep into the developmental edit of BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE, I was approached by a representative of the National League of Families of PPOW/MIA. One of their local groups was going to be holding a fundraiser, and she asked if I would be willing to contribute a book to raffle off along with an opportunity to name a character in our next book. Anyone at the fundraiser could win the raffle, but they were hopeful that a family member of a missing-in-action or killed-in-action soldier would win. Ann and I were quite happy to be involved, so I sent them a copy of LONE WOLF for the raffle and then we waited to hear about the winner.

We finished developmental and copy edits of BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE, and then dove into planning what would become STORM RISING. Considering that we were honouring a fallen soldier, we wanted this particular character to be good guy and a straight shooter, so we created an FBI agent to fill that roll. As we didn’t yet have a name, he appeared in the outline as Agent Raffle. He even appeared in an early back cover copy from Kensington as Agent Raffle!

Finally, in late June, I was introduced to the winner of the raffle. And that’s when we met U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Walter Shelby Van Cleave, a Phantom F-4 fighter pilot. Born in August of 1927, Lt. Col. Van Cleave was forty-one when he was shot down on April 22, 1969 over Laos. His body was never recovered. His son Chris won the raffle and was kind enough to provide us with some personal details to integrate into our fictitious Walter Van Cleave.

Thus was born Special Agent in Charge Walter Van Cleave, an agent out of the Norfolk, Virginia field office who specializes in human trafficking and in finding justice for trafficking victims. When Meg Jennings, Hawk, and DCFEMS Lieutenant Todd Webb stumble across victims of human trafficking, Meg joins forces with SAC Van Cleave, or “Van”, as the local expert in his field. SAC Walter Van Cleave not only has Lt. Col Van Cleave’s physical traits, he even smokes the same kind of pipe tobacco. Still a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, his personal military history has been updated to fit the current setting of the series.

Meg swiveled to see what Craig was looking at. Twenty feet down the hallway a tall, lean man with dark hair cut almost military short stood at the nurses’ station, his identification flip case open and extended as he talked to a nurse. “That must be SAC Van Cleave.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

Meg turned her back to the nurses’ station. “Know anything about him?”

“Not personally. When I heard who we were going to be handing this off to, I looked him up. Ex–air force, flew Tomcats in Operation Desert Storm. Been with the Bureau for nearly twenty years. Going by his record he seems like a good man with a lot of experience. Also sounds like a straight shooter with no BS tolerated.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Better still, he hasn’t burned out. My six months working human trafficking as a junior agent was enough to show me that wasn’t my niche. It looks like he’s been doing this in the Norfolk office for close to a decade.”

“Can’t beat that kind of experience,” Meg said. “Does he work in conjunction with local law enforcement?”

“That’s what I’ve been told, so he’ll have some useful contacts. Here he comes.”

Meg turned around to face the man coming down the hallway in the standard FBI uniform of white dress shirt paired with a dark suit and tie. Craig stepped up to stand beside her, holding out his hand. “SAC Van Cleave. I’m SAC Craig Beaumont from the Forensic Canine Unit out of D.C.”

“Beaumont, nice to meet you.” The special agent in charge shook hands with him, then turned to Meg. “Walter Van Cleave.”

Meg shook hands. “Meg Jennings. Canine handler for the Human Scent Evidence Team.”

Van Cleave’s head tilted slightly as he considered her. “You’re the one who tracked the girls.”

“Yes.” Standing so close to Van Cleave, a faint scent caught at Meg, tugging at a long-buried memory. Not cigarette smoke, nothing so acidic, something mellower, almost carrying a trace of cherries. Then it hit her—pipe smoke, and from a similar blend of tobacco as the one her Irish grandfather used. She blinked at him in surprise. In this day and age, a man who smoked a pipe. He was a throwback to the classic 1950s G-man. Walter Van Cleave was a rarity in more ways than one apparently.

SAC Walter Van Cleave turned out to be a great character and it was a pleasure to be able to include him. Thank you, Chris, for giving us the opportunity. We hope we produced a character you would feel proud to bear your father’s name.

---

STORM RISING releases in a week! There’s still time to pre-order at these fine retailers so you can meet SAC Walter Van Cleave: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Indigo, and IndieBound.

The heart-pounding thriller of a series continues as FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 companion confront the fury of nature—and the more dangerous nature of man . . .
 
In the wake of a devastating hurricane, Special Agent Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—invaluable members of the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team—have been deployed to Virginia Beach. They have their work cut out for them. Amid graveyards of debris, and the buried cries for help, the search and rescue operation begins. The most alarming discovery is yet to come—a teenage girl hiding in the Great Dismal Swamp. Shaken by the storm, she has reason to be scared. But this young survivor is terrified of so much more.

Her name is Emma—a disheveled runaway lost to the sordid underbelly of a Virginia sex-trafficking ring. Its leader has disappeared in the chaos—along with other victims. With so much evidence, and so many witnesses, seemingly washed away, Meg joins forces with Special Agent Walter Van Cleave to ensure no further harm comes to their vulnerable charge. They soon discover that this is no small-time localized syndicate. Its branches are rooted in some of the most influential powers in Virginia. Now as Meg’s investigation digs deeper, she’s making some very dangerous enemies. And one by one, they’re coming out of the storm to stop her.

It's a Launch Party for STORM RISING!

We’re coming closer to the release date for STORM RISING, and that means it’s almost party time! I’ll be celebrating the launch at A Different Drummer Books in Burlington (full details below) on December 1st at 4pm. Southern Ontario peeps, I know it’s a busy time of year, but I’d love to see you that day. It’s also a great time for holiday shopping and STORM RISING is perfect for the mystery or thriller lover on your list (and A Different Drummer is a fantastic indie bookstore, perfect for all your book-lover gift giving needs!).

If you’re in the area, please stop by for a reading, some refreshments, and to get your own signed copy of the book. We’ll also have the entire K-9 series on hand, as well as the new versions of all the Abbott and Lowell books.

Hope to see you there!!