Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HAKUNA MATATA: Paradise can be Hell (A Jan Norge and Hilda Baker Thriller Book #1) by Stewart Giles on this Books ‘n’ All Blog Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
The first in the new series featuring detectives Jan Norge and Hilda Baker.
It starts with a body in a burned out car.
Jan Norge, recently transferred from Norway hits the ground running with his first case on UK soil. The body in the car is just the start of a journey to hell and back.
As Jan and Hilda dig deeper into the cause of the burned out car, they find themselves drawn into a world of secrets, lies and murder.
Everything leads back to one family. On the surface, the Hunts are a normal, middle-class unit, but they’re anything but. All of them are keeping secrets from the others, and when these secrets turn deadly, Jan and Hilda run out of places to look.
In a case that has its roots on the paradise island of Zanzibar, Jan Norge and Hilda Baker have to disregard everything they believed about human nature in order to beat the most dysfunctional family either of them have ever come across.
HAKUNA MATATA: Paradise can be Hell (A Jan Norge and Hilda Baker Thriller Book #1) by Stewart Giles is an intriguing first crime thriller/British police procedural book in a new series featuring DS Hilda Baker and DC Jan Norge, a new transplant from Norwegian law enforcement, in the small town of Hartlepool, England. This is an interesting read with unique new characters, so you are going to want to start this series right here from the beginning.
Each chapter goes back and forth between the members of the Hunt family and the Hartlepool detectives. Starting with the dysfunctional Hunt family and their vacation in Zanzibar and at home in England, the discovery of a burned-out car containing a burned body. Hilda is a brash and talented DS who is paired up with the new member of their team, DC Jan Norge, who is a very talented detective, but he keeps secrets and is a Taylor Swift music lover. The two shouldn’t work, but they do. Lies, secrets and murder are a tangled web that Hilda and Jan must pull apart to get to the truth and find a killer.
This is an intriguing and fascinating start to this new series. The Hunt family is severely twisted and amoral. I liked how their story unfolded in opposing chapters with the investigation into their lives. I admit that the beginning of the book was a bit confusing, but once the investigation began to pull me in, I was hooked. Hilda and Jan are characters that always surprised me. Hilda seems very outspoken to be a small-town detective, but it worked because she also showed empathy when needed. Jan made me laugh with his Swiftie addiction, but as we learn of his past, it is heartbreaking. I am excited to read the next book in this series. Mr. Giles always gives me an intricately plotted crime thriller/police procedurals with surprising twists and these two new characters are going to be interesting to follow and see how they develop.
I highly recommend this riveting new crime thriller/British police procedural!
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Author Bio
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2013 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor Cornwall series.
The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series and was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brings together the brooding, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor. Dropzone followed shortly after and the third in the series, The Raven Girl finished things off.
Miranda is something totally different. What was to be a stand-alone psychological thriller, it is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before. The ending begged for a sequel and, Mistress was born. Medusa completes the Miranda trilogy.
There are now 25 DS Smith books available with many more planned for the future.
I wanted a break from the crime thriller genre so I came up with The Divide – a macabre horror tale of survival, but crime will always be my true love.
A new series featuring Irishman, DI Liam O’Reilly begins with Blood on the Island, and that was followed by ten more mysteries set on the island of Guernsey.
When I’m not writing I love sailing, guitars and jumping out of perfectly good planes. I’m lucky to have a huge lake on my doorstep as well as a world-class skydiving drop zone.
Disgraced U.S. President Darmond has been ousted from office, but his minions have taken aim at everyone they perceive to be enemies. Off-the-record contractors on a secret list are being eliminated, one by one.
Jonathan Grave and his Security Solutions team manage to turn the tables when the assassins come for them. But the ultimate attack will strike deep at the heart of what’s best about American values.
High-tech weapons, terror-driven fanatics, and top-level betrayal shred the peace of a peaceful gathering in the rolling hills of rural North Carolina. In this showdown, the winner will take all.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Scorched Earth by John Gilstrap highlights, as with all his books, political corruption. It should remind readers of the late Vince Flynn’s book, Term Limits. Now that Vince is no longer writing books, fans of his might want to turn to John Gilstrap who has picked up the torch in a brilliant way.
This novel has vengeance, murder, greed, and political corruption. It picks up where the previous Graves novel, Zero Sum, left off.
Disgraced U.S. President Darmond has been ousted from office, by former FBI Director Irene Rivers. But not all the collaborators were taken out and now some of Darmond’s partners are attempting to kill off-the-record contractors that Rivers used when she didn’t know who to trust within the FBI.
Jonathan Graves and his Security Solutions team are one of those off-the-record contractors that had an attempt on their lives. After managing to survive the killer who came after them, they decide to seek justice by finding out why and who was responsible. He and the team will do what they do best, bringing justice to victims of evil.
The first chapter grabs readers’ attention and the action does not let up. Readers will be turning the pages at a frantic pace. Gilstrap writes a suspenseful and engrossing plot with gripping scenes. People will root for the good guys while also rooting for the bad guys to get their due justice.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
John Gilstrap: The idea comes from the fact of how a terrorist realizes that Americans watch the news and see pictures of dead children and not appear terribly upset about it. In this story the bad guys are terrorists that have specific plans to kill a lot of children, the American Jihad.
EC: What was it like to write a Graves book without Irene Rivers as a player?
JG: Although she is no longer director of the FBI, she had used while director, off the record contractors like Jonathan Graves to get things done. Irene has longed believed that her FBI agents are out for their own careers. They will do whatever the President wants. I painted Irene to be the last honest person in Washington. She hired these contractors because she could not trust the system to get things done. Now that she is gone people are trying to kill these contractors to get retribution. Irene can never be involved in a Jonathan book, and he can never be involved in an Irene book. As a practical matter it would be difficult to decide who does what in a scene if both Jonathan and Irene were present.
EC: Is it hard to write a story without Irene?
JG: Yes, it is hard to write a story without her, a challenge. It is like having broken in shoes and having to wear new shoes. He no longer has her to protect him. In this book it was not necessary for a work around for Jonathan, but I must think about things for future books.
EC: What do you want to say about the Senator, Maxine Bridges?
JG: She realized that while director, Irene has been investigating her for back pocket stuff. Irene had bits and pieces on her. The Senator is killing the contractors that have any information that can hurt her. She is trying to protect herself. She is also doing bad things to justify the actions of her son. She is also a pedophile, using sex from young men who want to be appointed to the military academies.
EC: What about the other bad guys?
JG: I imagined them to be former military who got paid basically nothing. Now they are offered a lot of money and have talked themselves into believing there is no difference in killing, a life is a life.
EC: Can you explain the quote you have about politicians and the media?
JG: You are talking about this one, “When the swamp rats are angry, they destroy their enemies through stories real and fake, leaked to the media.” I am cynical about politicians and so is Jonathan. The media destroyed Irene because it is about clicks, taking sides, and making sure their narrative is forwarded. They shaped facts to support the narrative they wanted to about Irene. Half the country thought Irene was wrong to bring down the US President and half the country thinks she is a hero.
EC: The airborne attack using paragliders reminded me of what Hamas did on October 7th. Am I correct?
JG: Yes, it is based on October 7th.
EC: Next book?
JG: It will be an Irene book, no title yet. It will be published in December 2026. She has accepted the sheriff position. The one daughter, Ashley, who did not go to West Virginia with Irene will go there now. I might have her have a romantic relationship with Billy Stubblefield who was in Burned Bridges.
The Jonathan book will come out nine months after the Irene book.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Russell Palmer, a young New York City attorney, is well-known for taking on unusual and high-risk cases alongside his private detective associate, Robbie Whyte. When the wealthy and alluring Christina Franco approaches him to represent her during divorce proceedings, he finds her story impossible to resist.
As Christina recounts the abuse she has suffered, Palmer’s protective instincts kick in. His interest deepens when she mentions a dangerous associate of her husband—someone Palmer has clashed with before.
Soon, a series of events begins to unfold that may or may not be related to Christina and her influential family. There is the apparent suicide of a prominent lawyer. That is followed by a murder for which another of Palmer’s clients is charged. Then, a federal investigation into a major pharmaceutical company is tied to Christina’s husband.
As Palmer and Whyte work to solve an increasingly complex puzzle, they follow a trail that leads them from New York’s underground to the rarified world of the ultra-rich—and even into the halls of Congress. Along the way they encounter a cast of intriguing individuals, including Christina’s parents—an influential politician and his reclusive wife; an attractive journalist with a personal interest in Palmer; and a number of others populating their client’s world.
As they peel back layers of deceit and corruption at every turn, Palmer and Whyte must navigate a treacherous path to protect their clients—and themselves—while ensuring that justice, in all its forms, prevails.
ILLUSIONS OF TRUST by Jeffrey S. Stephens is a twisted and engrossing legal/political thriller featuring an unusual New York City attorney and his private detective partner. This novel moves between the rich and powerful of Manhattan and Washington D.C. to a connected criminal boss and disposable criminals. This is a standalone novel that was difficult to put down.
New York City attorney Russel Palmer believes in justice for all and is known for taking on unusual cases from all strata of society with or without the ability to pay. Palmer is idealistic, a brilliant lawyer, naïve in his relationships with women, and a germaphobe. His partner, private detective Robbie Whyte is a tough retired NYC detective and like a father figure to Palmer. Palmer’s private practice is rounded out with Maurine, his secretary/office manager who is the sometime needed conscience of the group.
Palmer rarely takes on divorce cases, but when wealthy and alluring Christina Franco shows up with a story of abuse and threat, Palmer takes her case against Whyte’s warnings. Palmer gets pulled into a web of seemingly unrelated government subpoenas, illegal corporate maneuverings, murder, and underworld ties he as digs into this seemingly straight forward divorce case. Palmer and Whyte dive into trying to bring all the information into order, but everyone in this case seems to be keeping secrets and the lies are flowing.
I found this book very compelling with memorable characters and an intricate criminal legal plot with twists and lies abounding from the ultra-rich of Manhattan, corporate manipulation and corruption, and the connected and disposable in the NY criminal underworld. Palmer and Whyte are wonderful protagonists individually and perfect together as a powerhouse team. This story is very investigative leaning, rather than courtroom legal drama which I really enjoyed. I would love to see this book become a series because I want more of these characters and was sorry when the book ended.
I highly recommend this engaging legal/political thriller!
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About the Author
A native New Yorker, now living in Connecticut, Jeffrey Stephens is the author of the Jordan Sandor thrillers, TARGETS OF DECEPTION, TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY, TARGETS OF REVENGE and ROGUE MISSION; the murder mystery CRIMES AND PASSION; the international treasure hunt FOOL’S ERRAND; the Nick Reagan espionage adventures THE HANDLER and ENEMIES AMONG US; and the first book in his new legal thriller series, ILLUSIONS OF TRUST.
When a VA therapist is brutally stabbed, Kate Holland is stunned—the man had clashed with her own shrink days earlier. But the shock deepens when Kate discovers stolen military-grade explosives hidden in his home.
The victim had been investigating a war crime overseas, and now the fallout is erupting in Arkansas. With Ruger at her side and Arash in the fight alongside her, Kate follows a trail of secrets and corpses toward a killer who won’t stop until innocent blood is spilled.
To stop him, Kate must risk everything—including the fragile trust she’s building with the two allies she can’t afford to lose.
BLOOD ON THE WIRE (Hidden Valor K-9 Mysteries Book #5) by Candace Irving is another outstanding action packed and thrilling addition to this series. I enjoyed every book in the entire series and Kate and Ruger’s journey, but I believe you could read this book as a standalone and still love it due to the strategically placed background information you may have questions about.
Special State Investigator Kate Holland and her K-9 Ruger are called to investigate the stabbing death of one of the Little Rock VA’s psychologists. When she gets to the scene, she realizes she met this doctor arguing with Kate’s own doctor just a few days earlier. As Kate and the local detective search the doctor’s home, they discover two safes. One has a cache of military grade C-4 and the other has a notebook filled with writing in code.
As Kate investigates the murder, she discovers the doctor was looking into a crime from two years ago in Afghanistan. There are suspects that are almost too convenient and many tangled stories of truth and lies. As the body count increases, Kate realizes someone is trying to get rid of all ties to the real killer and crimes of the past.
I love this series! I look forward to reading not only an intricately plotted suspense/mystery, but an intimate story of a vet’s healing journey through PTSD and a terrible wartime incident all while she navigates her current job, her work and personal connection to her dog, and finally her learned ability to open up in her personal relationships. The intricate plot and twists in this book left me continually guessing until the very end.
I highly recommend this suspenseful police procedural/K-9 mystery! This is a well written, engrossing series and I cannot wait for more.
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About the Author
A former US Navy Lt., Candace Irving is the daughter of a librarian and a retired boatswain’s mate chief. Candace grew up in the Philippines, Germany, and all over the United States. Her senior year of high school, she enlisted in the US Army. Following basic training, she transferred to the Navy’s ROTC program at the University of Texas-Austin. While at UT, she spent a summer in Washington, DC, as a Congressional Intern. She also worked security for the UT Police. BA in Political Science in hand, Candace was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy and sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships. From there, she followed her father to sea.
Candace Irving writes gritty military thrillers. She is the author of the Deception Point Military Detective Thriller Series and the Hidden Valor Military Veterans/K9 Psychological Suspense Series. She also writes military romance and romantic suspense as Candace Irvin (without the “g”).
Ana Robbins was an Olympic star in the making—until tragedy forced her to leave that world behind. At the age of sixteen, she gave up her dream and never looked back. Fourteen years later, she’s a successful defense attorney, revered for her work with minors. But when her former coach turns up dead, Ana lands right back where it all began, and abruptly ended: The Palace, a world-renowned skating facility nestled high in the mountains of Colorado.
Ana returns to The Palace to defend the young skater accused of the brutal crime—Grace Montgomery. Despite her claims of innocence, all evidence points squarely at Grace’s guilt, and she’s days away from facing charges of first-degree murder.
But Ana’s investigation dredges up childhood memories of her own, triggering the fear that permeates this place where she once lived and trained far from home as an “Orphan.” With a blizzard raging outside, and time running out for Grace, Ana is determined to uncover the truth—even if it means exposing her own secrets that she buried here long ago.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Bladeby Wendy Walker takes readers into the world of figure skating intertwined with a murder mystery. Drawing on her own experience as a teenage figure skater, Wendy Walker vividly brings the rink to life showing readers how the figure skating competitions are toxic with the pursuit of perfection.
The plot has former Olympic figure skating hopeful Ana Robbins, now a successful defense attorney, returning to the Palace, an elite skater’s facility. She becomes the defense attorney for Grace Montgomery, who is accused of murdering the assistant coach, Emile Dresiér. Despite her claims of innocence, all evidence points squarely at Grace’s guilt, and she’s days away from facing charges of first-degree murder.
The chapters alternate between the past, Ana’s time as a skater at The Palace, and the present as a defense attorney. Ana’s investigation dredges up childhood memories of her own, triggering the fear that permeates this place where she once lived and trained under coach Dawn Sumner. She and three others became known as “The Orphans,” because they didn’t have parental support to help with Dawn’s sometimes cruel fear training. Ana and the other “Orphans” were each driven to the breaking point in pursuit of being the best and earning the praise of their coach, Dawn. This is a relevant read since next month the winter Olympics begin. Readers who watch the Olympics will be able to understand what goes on behind the scenes. In this story, what evolves is a dark web of suspense, exploitation, abuse, and shock.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Wendy Walker: Years ago, I was a competitive figure skater. I tried to craft a thriller with this sport. The plot is completely fictional. There is a forward story and backward story of 14 years ago. The focus of the story is not skaters attacking other skating but the pressure of the competition and how coaches misused the girls.
EC: What is true in the story about figure skating?
WW: There are four girls who are orphans living in a dormitory. There is also the rink, the competitions, some aspects of the skater mother’s, the Bleacher Bees, the way it feels to do the jumps, the Triple Axel, the take offs and landings, and how much they train. I did do research and speak with those more current in the figure skating world because my experience was forty years ago.
EC: What about the Orphans?
WW: They have this shared experience, so they forged close friendships. There were also other relationships and other people who are not trustworthy and are super competitive a la the Tanya Harding story from years ago. They developed this family structure, similar to the story The Outsiders, because they were missing parents. Joleen is the advisor, the more nurturing maternal figure. Kayla is the tough one, the stronger parent. Indy is the older sibling to Ana and the one who can best succeed. Ana is the lonely one, the youngest, and the most naïve.
EC: The setting of The Palace?
WW: There are a lot of people coming and going that can be an isolating experience as it was for me. I trained for three years, when I was 13 to 16 years old. I lived in a dormitory and only went home for the holidays and a week for the summer. The weather became an issue for me since I rode my bike to school. I felt so helpless because I was too young to have a car and did not have the emotional maturity to navigate that world. It was a free for all for me.
EC: Are the Bleacher Bees stage moms?
WW: Yes. My parents were not like the Bleacher Bees but there were some that were definitely there. Some moms were moms who were helpful and kind to me and others who did not have a family there. I think Indy’s mom was a real stage mom obsessed with making nationals and the Olympics. Indy’s mom lived vicariously through Indy. She went to the Olympics but never won a medal. She put everything into their child’s skating. They start to have the dream of their child.
EC: How would you describe the coach, Dawn?
WW: She wanted the ice skaters to be fearful of her and to have them strive for her acceptance. Winning becomes the entire self-identity of the skater, although it was not my training. Dawn has the philosophy that the skaters need to worship the coach and to please the coach. The fear of displeasing her is the greatest fear they have, more than falling or getting hurt. She was like an abusive spouse who gives love and affection at times while other times abuse.
EC: The philosophy was fear turns into rage, rage turns into action, and they should fight instead of fleeing or freezing. Did you get this from Yoda’s philosophy of fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering?
WW: No. I wanted to have a psychological phrase for the book. I thought about how much fear is involved in competitive skating where someone’s performance on that day is all that matters. If their brain is seized by the fear the jumps are hard to complete. They have to hurl themselves high into the air, pulling their legs in to get as many rotations as possible, and usually they will fall the first time they try. The fall hurts and skaters have to overcome that when practicing. They had to conquer the fear. There were girls that had huge bruises as Indy had in the story.
EC: How would you describe Grace, the one accused of killing?
WW: She can be impulsive, disturbed, rageful, with anti-social behavior. She has a high IQ. She is an enigma throughout most of the story.
EC: The victim Emile, can be described as?
WW: He is damaged, manipulative, a betrayer, a tattle-teller, and enjoys making the girls feel worthless. There is something sociopathic about him. He operates in the shadows. He suffered a knee injury as a skater because of Dawn’s training and became bitter. He has no empathy for these girls and finds enjoyment by interfering in their lives.
EC: Next book?
WW: It is set in wealthy suburbia. There is a love triangle that goes between the present and the past that involves a murder. The girl is part of a wealthy community and the boy is from the other side of the tracks. A little of West Side Story like. No title yet, and it will probably come out in 2027.
I am also writing another audible first novel next year. It is stand alone. It has a unique format, similar to The Room Next Door. It is a full-length novel with sound effects, music, and seamless narration with a full cast of characters that has a performer saying the lines.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Chasing Justice, Hunting the Truth, and Killer Secretsare the first books by Kathleen Donnelly of the National Forest K-9 Series. She is an author that should be put on everybody’s radar. Having been a handler for a private narcotics K-9 detection company, she is able to use her experiences to craft realistic stories in these novels.
Each of the three books explains more of former Marine Maya Thompson’s and Deputy Sheriff Josh Colte’s pasts, shedding light on the emotional and physical scars of the hero and heroine. They delve into topics involving law enforcement, military reentry after serving overseas, and PTSD within a suspenseful storyline.
After losing her military K-9, former marine Maya Thompson swears she’ll never work with dogs again. But when she returns home to Colorado and accepts a job with US Forest Service law enforcement, fate brings K-9 Juniper into her life just as another tragedy unfolds. The mountain setting in all the plots adds to the suspense. The mystery/action stories are riveting, plus there are added bonuses that have good descriptions and details of how K9s train and work.
Maya and Josh are both recovering addicts who self-medicated their PTSD. She is a K-9 handler with the Forestry Service, and he is with the Sheriff’s office. Throughout the books their mutual attraction grows into a relationship of love.
The plot of book 1, Chasing Justice, involves a deepening drug war and the disappearance of her grandfather, Sheriff Wayne. Book 2, Hunting the Truth, has Maya investigating her past when her mother and grandmother were killed. Killer Secrets, book 3, has an avalanche exposing a serial killer’s dumping grounds in Antler Valley, Colorado. Now Forest Service officer Maya Thompson and her K-9, Juniper, must catch the murderer before they become the next targets.
Donnelly has also written another series involving canines. The first book, Colorado K-9 Rescue has FBI victim specialist, Mckenna Parker, and her crisis canine, Mocha, assigned to a case with FBI agent Evan Knox. McKenna and Mocha help people who have been through major trauma. In this book it is someone rescued from being kidnapped. Now Evan, McKenna, and Mocha must find other local girls who disappeared.
The link to Donnelly’s newsletter is https://kathleendonnelly.com/contact/#newsletter, and if someone signs up, they will receive a non-fiction compilation of short stories about her time as a K-9 handler, titled Working Tails.
Donnelly writes gripping stories that are very realistic. They take readers on a thrilling ride of action-packed non-stop adventure that have twists and turns. The characters will touch people’s hearts as they try to make a life for themselves and lean on each other as well as their furry companions.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the Forest Service K-9 series?
Kathleen Donnelly: I had the setting in Colorado because I grew up there and loved the mountains. My dad was a researcher in the forest service. It is so beautiful, but the mountains can be very dangerous. It is the perfect Jekyll and Hyde setting. I am a retired canine handler, where I did it for nineteen years.
EC: Were you a canine handler for law enforcement?
KD: No. I worked for a private company and owned one, Sherlock Holmes Detection Canine. We went to schools, private business, and some rehabs. Our dogs were trained to find drugs, alcohol, and gun powder. We did go through the same training and certification as law enforcement officers. I try to keep it realistic as far as police procedure and all the drugs in the stories are fact based.
EC: Did you speak with any law enforcement or military people?
KD: One of our handlers was a retired handler officer who reads my books and gives me feedback. I have another friend, a retired chief of police. I have a lot of sources I can reach out to in law enforcement. I was also able to connect with a forest service law enforcement canine handler. He is very helpful because some of my friends would say we would do it this way in city PD, but that is not how forest service will do it.
EC: What about Maya’s PTSD?
KD: I also had a fellow writing friend, Tara Darlene Smith, who was an army veteran who suffered from PTSD. I believe she drove convoys in Iraq. She told me what it was like. She has published a book, Sunflowers in Iraq about what she went through. She helped develop Maya’s battle with PTSD. She told me you do not get over PTSD, just learn how to manage it.
EC: Was the scene where Maya overruled her dog realistic?
KD: The storyline for the first book in the series, Chasing Justicewas based on my own experience. I thought as a handler I wanted to add this realistic aspect, where sometimes things do not go as planned. I had Maya, the handler, not wanting to do the work anymore because of an experience she had, but realizes she is just meant to do it.
EC: Did you base Juniper’s personality on real life dogs?
KD: My dog, Boomer, although not a Malinois, but a black lab, is high energy and does check our house for drugs when we come home. I do have to watch him and keep him away from the tree ornaments. The K-9s are very driven and high energy even when they retire.
EC: How do multi-purpose dogs alert and know what to do?
KD: Dual purposes dogs have more than one job. They have different types of collars or harnesses to show them what job they were going to do. Anytime a dog latches on to a scent for finding evidence, a body, or tracking, their body language changes. Their body language is completely different: the tail can go up, body tenses, they can lie down, or their breathing changes. One of the handlers I spoke with told me, which I added in the story, his dog did a sit for narcotics and laid down to indicate evidence. The dog work I keep as accurate as possible and try to work the storyline around that accuracy even when I was working and my dog was telling me that there was something there, but I missed it.
EC: How would you describe Maya over the course of the three books?
KD: She was a Marine who fought in Afghanistan. She is broken, closed off, loves dogs, she feels grief and anger which shows in her PTSD, and feels guilty over losing her working dog, Zinger, in Afghanistan, blaming herself. She tries to shut off her emotions, and at other times spirals out of control. She can be stubborn, jumps to conclusions, resilient, and a fighter. Maya also wants to be more like her grandfather Wayne, which is why she joined the military and law enforcement, always wanting justice. Because she knows loss, she works hard to help someone find closure.
EC: Is she a recovering alcoholic?
KD: Yes, she now realizes as evidenced in the book quote, she “drinks to quit feeling.” As a character she shows why she got PTSD, dealing with PTSD, and trying to recover from PTSD. I wanted to portray this accurately. A lot of veterans come home, and they do not have a “normal” anymore. She tries to shut down the memories, flashbacks, and nightmares through alcohol. She had a friend, grandfather, and cabin to pull her out of it.
EC: How would you describe Juniper?
KD: She helped Maya with her anxiety, to feel calmness, and gave her purpose. She made her realize her past fear and to trust herself with another dog. Juniper is Maya’s ears, eyes, and smells. She needs structure, is high energy, and high drive. She can be intimidating and loves to destroy objects. She is a typical Malinois, wound tighter than any working dog. When I would look for dogs at rescues, I wanted them to be friendly but are so high energy with extra drive that they could not be just a pet, but a great working dog. They need to be entertained even when retired. The Malinois like Juniper are similar, but only on steroids. One of the best portrayals of a Malinois was the movie “Dog” with Channing Tatum. They did not exaggerate.
EC: The role of Grandfather Wayne?
KD: Protective, stubborn, gruff, a fighter, strong, and indestructible. He did not want her to follow in his footsteps. He raised Maya with her grandmother. He is very proud of her, but it is hard for him to tell her. It was easier for Maya to speak with her grandmother because she understood her so well. Losing her grandmother adds to the grief and loss for Maya. Throughout the books Maya and Wayne try to find if she was murdered.
EC: How would you describe Josh?
KD: A good listener, charming, can be arrogant, kind, and not judgmental. His backstory has affected him and caused PTSD. He wants to help people.
EC: How about the relationship?
KD: He really understood Maya on a level no one has. They are attracted to each other but also found each other annoying. They were good friends first. She thinks she is not good enough for him and does not think she is in a spot to have a relationship. The relationship seems to progress with each book.
EC: How would you describe one of the supposed bad guy characters, Eric Torres?
KD: Cunning, ruthless, smart, charismatic, manipulative, a bad cop who took bribes, and he is not who he appears to be at first sight.
EC: How would you describe the murderer of the third book of the series, Killer Secrets?
KD: Manipulative, a hunter, uses drugs to get his victim incapacitated, feels powerful, obsessed with Maya. He is also methodical, controlling, meticulous, knows investigative techniques and likes to play games with the victims. I developed him off some of the FBI’s research on serial killers and then used my own characteristics.
EC: What about the other series, Colorado Canine Rescue?
KD: It is different than the Forest Service K-9 Series. It is much more of a romance series. Each character has their own story.
EC: How would you describe the female lead, McKenna?
KD: Vulnerable, strong, determined, resilient, and anxious. She is a survivor and wants to help others who had traumatic experiences. She faced her trauma more than Maya had faced hers. There is a statistic where those in law enforcement or the military like Maya have faced over 800 traumatic events where someone like McKenna had that one trauma.
EC: What about the male lead, Evan?
KD: Sometimes rude. Untrusting. A workaholic, driven, and outgoing.
EC: What about the relationship?
KD: At first McKenna thinks of him as a jerk. He likes to tease. Both are sensitive. He makes her feel safe.
EC: How would you describe the dog, Mocha?
KD: He is a canine victim specialist dog. I heard the FBI started this crisis program. They comfort victims. The dogs are deployed to horrific events. Mocha brings joy, provides comfort, and helped McKenna with her trauma.
EC: What about your non-fiction book, Working Tails?
KD: In book 4 of the Forest Service novels, Buried Lies, Josh’s past comes back to haunt him and he is framed for murder. This ties up a lot of his past. It comes out January 2026. Book 5’s plot has one of the bad guys coming back for revenge against Maya. It is titled, Deadly Revenge and comes out July 2026.
The next story in the Colorado Canine Rescue series will feature Cassidy, McKenna’s sister. Probably comes out in 2027.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
