FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved seven-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.
When DNA links a murder victim to a serial killer long presumed dead, the team springs into action. A second victim establishes a pattern, and the murderer begins leaving a trail of clues and riddles especially for Gardner. And while the PAR team is usually relegated to working cold cases from behind a desk, the investigation puts them on the road and into the public eye, following in the footsteps of a killer.
Along with Gardner, PAR consists of a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and their leader, a career agent. Each of them must use every skill they have to solve the riddle of the killer’s identity. But with the perpetrator somehow learning more and more about the team at PAR, can they protect themselves and their families…before it’s too late?
HEAD CASES (PAR Unit #1) by John McMahon is an engaging and exciting first book in a new series featuring a group of extremely talented and specialized FBI agents, who while brilliant in their specific areas, have had a serious misstep in their careers and are now grouped together for a last chance to keep their jobs. While the PAR (Patterns and Recognition) unit is quirky, the book’s crime plot is gripping, gritty and graphic as they chase a serial killer of serial killers.
FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an eidetic memory who loves puzzles but is extremely socially awkward. The PAR unit is not deployed to the field but is used when all others have failed to solve a case by analyzing data from their office and finding that missing piece that helps solve the case.
But this case is different. The DNA of a murder victim has come back as a match to a serial killer who was presumed dead. Gardner’s supervisor and the head of the FBI have chosen him to lead this hunt in the field. While the Gardner and the team look forward to the field work, they also realize that if this case is not solved, the recriminations will blow back on them and they could be reassigned or terminated.
The killer has personal information on Gardner that could only come from his FBI file as he taunts and threatens him and his family after another kill. Can Gardner and his unit stop this killer before his endgame and final disappearance?
This is an exciting serial killer crime thriller that kept me reading from page one to the end. Gardner is such a great protagonist, and the author brings him to life as a fully developed and believable character. While not stated in the story, you realize he is somewhere on the spectrum, but his mother has taught him how to deal with his special intellect and social awkwardness from childhood. All his other teammates are brilliant and interesting in their own quirkiness and specialties and will probably be more in the limelight in future books.
The crime thriller plot in this story is perfectly paced with a God complex serial killer and the step-by-step hunt to capture him. Some of the surprises along the way come from more than just the antagonist and Gardner must make decisions that not only affect him, but his whole unit. There are graphic descriptions of blood and body parts throughout, but it is a serial killer thriller and to be expected.
I highly recommend this crime thriller police procedural with great new characters that I am looking forward to following in future books.
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About the Author
John McMahon studied Creative Writing at The University of Arizona. In his role as an ad agency creative director, his work has won a Gold Clio for Fiat, and he’s written a Superbowl spot for Alfa Romeo. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his family and two rescue animals. He’s hard at work on another P.T. Marsh book and dreams of splitting time between Cabo San Lucas and Lake Lanier.
Accidents happen, no matter how careful or well-intentioned you are. Psychiatrist Eve Thayer frequently reassures her patients of that fact. There are even times when accidents have good consequences—like when Eve met her now-husband, Nathan, at his collision shop after another car ran her off the road.
After a whirlwind courtship, Nathan and Eve have settled into domestic life. They have a lovely home on a quiet street, a beautiful baby girl, and even the perfect babysitter to care for her. And yet, something isn’t quite right.
The stress in Eva’s life is mounting, both professionally and personally. Though the clinic where she works has been remodeled since its notorious days as an institution for the criminally insane, she feels increasingly uneasy there. And in her own neighborhood, a break-in at a nearby empty house hasn’t helped, either.
Detective Rita Myers hasn’t yet figured out whether Eve is a target or a suspect, but every disturbing discovery in this usually peaceful neighborhood seems to revolve around her. Only as a deadly ice storm crashes through does it become clear just how far from perfect Eve and Nathan’s lives really are. And as the cracks in the surface come to light, so do the sinister secrets that lie beneath.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Watch Your Back by Terri Parlato intertwines suspense, romance, retribution, and redemption in a compelling measure. It realistically shows how young couples handle stress and trying to make ends meet, which can affect their relationship. The main characters’ professions and personal lives play a significant role in the unfolding of the plot.
The two main characters, Nathan Liddle and Eve Thayer, have settled into domestic life after a whirlwind romance. Shortly thereafter they become the parents of a baby girl, Rosewyn. Due to the stresses of her job, they do not have much time together for their marriage with Nathan spending a lot of time taking care of the baby. As a psychiatrist, Eve Thayer has been tapped to lead the medical staff at a new psychiatric center in the Boston suburb of Graybridge, leaving her little time to help her husband with their infant daughter. He decides to seek companionship elsewhere by having an extramarital affair. The cracks in their relationship become huge after their baby girl is kidnapped from the babysitter’s home and their secrets are revealed. There is a multitude of suspects including Eve, her best friend Rachel, some of Eve’s psychiatric patients, and the babysitter. The detective on the case, Rita Myers, must unravel the secrets and find out who is responsible.
The narrative is told in multiple points of view of Eve, Nathan, and Rita. This helps to make the plot fast paced and intense as well as weaving together the family’s turmoil, the detective’s ability to connect the clues, and the hunt for the culprit.
This plot will have readers guessing all the way through. The prologue starts the story out with a bang, and it does not let up from there. The author writes very multidimensional characters, and the effective red herrings add to the twisty plotline.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Terri Parlato: I often start out with writing the characters. I thought of my children and the young adults who seem to be working very hard with long hours. They have a hard time balancing home, career, and family. This gave me the idea for Eve and Nathan. Because I write thrillers, I had terrible things happen beyond the difficulties of life. The villain is out for vengeance.
EC: How would you describe Eve?
TP: She is a psychiatrist who feels overwhelmed. She is steely, workaholic, quiet, introspective, and wants to control her emotions and keeps them in check. Growing up she did not get a lot of warmth and nurturing, especially with her father cheating.
EC: How would you describe Nathan?
TP: Protective, attentive, down to earth, personable, and puts his child ahead of his own desires.
EC: Do you think the relationship between Eve and Nathan has gone downhill?
TP: After Eve finds out Nathan cheated on her she becomes very distant, and he takes to drinking and smoking. He feels very guilty, and she withdraws, becoming angry. Nathan was seeking companionship because he felt so ignored by Eve. I wanted readers to think about this moral dilemma. Both had a responsibility to talk it out but neither did, but because of having parents MIA, communicating was harder for them. Being from the social media generation they were not good communicators.
EC: What kind of parents are they to their young daughter, especially after the child went missing?
TP: Nathan is very indulgent. For Eve, she loves her daughter but is not sure how to be a mother. She struggles with ‘Am I doing this correctly?’ Then when the child goes missing both worry that the kidnapper has evil intentions. Once the child went missing it magnified the type of parents they had become. Plus, having a child kidnapped is one of the worst things a parent can go through. It brings out their doubts as a parent and tests them to their limits.
EC: What about Eve’s best friend Rachel?
TP: I wanted her to exemplify how the relationship shifted between Rachel who was single and Eve who is now married. Eve is not as dependent on her. Relationships are difficult and tricky. They used to have good old times as single women.
EC: Was Rita, the police detective, also in other books?
TP: She is in all three books set in this fictional town. Rita is the common thread with her own narrative arc. She is growing as a character and has her own demons that shows from book 1 to this book, 3. In this novel, Rita’s drawing plays a role in solving the crime. The first book explained why she draws. In elementary school, the teacher had her draw something to distract her. This really worked and helped her to handle her life. Being the youngest of nine children she lost her brother to leukemia and an older brother to the Vietnam War. Drawing taught her to deal with her feelings. Now it works with her profession because as a detective she can see clues visually. It is a coping mechanism that turned into a tool for her detective work.
EC: Is Rita a lot like Eve?
TP: Yes. Both are lonely, workaholics, and tenacious. I wanted Eve to be a different female lead than in the first two books. She parallels Rita’s personality in that both have demons and are not sure how to handle them.
EC: Next book? TP: It will be out March 2026 and is a domestic thriller. Rita will not be in it. There will be family drama with a villain who will be causing havoc as well as a murder.
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.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for RIVER OF LIES (A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery Book #2) by James L’Etoile on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a Kingsumo giveaway. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Detective Emily Hunter must be the voice for the voiceless
The homeless camps spread throughout the city of Sacramento are a topic of heated debate among residents. They’re considered undesirable—a nuisance—an eyesore. But when the camps fall victim to a string of devastating arson attacks, Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina, dive into the investigation and become acquainted with the real people whose lives have been destroyed.
The attacks only begin to draw attention when two of the victims are identified as the city’s former anti-homeless mayor and a camp social worker—but rather than strengthening the push for justice, the movement to completely abolish the camps intensifies.
The investigation becomes politically charged when Emily discovers who stands to gain from burning the homeless out of their shelters. She struggles to balance the high-stakes investigation with caring for her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother, whose condition is rapidly deteriorating. The investigation uncovers an unlikely suspect and a reluctant witness standing between Emily and the shocking truth. Can Emily overcome resistance and her personal obstacles to halt the attacks?
Genre: Police Procedural; Thriller Published by: Oceanview Publishing Publication Date: January 7, 2025 Number of Pages: 320 ISBN: 9781608095896 (ISBN10: 1608095894) Series: A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery, 2
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
RIVER OF LIES (A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery Book #2) by James L’Etoile is an intriguing, socially relevant, and twisted crime thriller/police procedural featuring a smart and determined female detective in Sacramento, California. This is the second book in the series which can easily be read as a standalone, but the first book, Face of Greed, is an excellent read that I highly recommend, also.
Homicide Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Detective Javier “Javi” Medina are given the politically charged case where homeless encampments are being torched by men in black when a dead man is discovered to have been killed, and it turns out to be the ex-mayor. When another body is discovered at the scene of the next arson and it is once again not a homeless victim, Emily and Javi are caught between investigating the deaths and the new mayor’s office working to abolish the camps and disbursing the homeless while eliminating the crime scenes.
Emily discovers a homeless mother, and her young daughter are somehow tied to the deaths, but with the political interference and threats, the potential profits involved in the elimination of the homeless camps, and the public perceptions of the homeless population, she and Javi must work fast to unravel the motives behind these murders to catch the killer.
Emily and Javi are a great pair of detectives with the perfect blend of smart investigative skills, empathy for victims, and care for each other as partners. Their personal lives are blended seamlessly into the story and add moments of levity to the otherwise serious situations. Besides her high stress job, Emily is also dealing with a mother who has Alzheimer’s and is deteriorating rapidly. The crime plotline is intricately written and realistic with many twists throughout this fast-paced story. When I think I know what is going on and I have a solution in mind, Mr. L’Etoile always has another surprise in store for me and what I think is the ending, is not. These books always need to be read to the very last word and I love that.
I highly recommend this tremendous crime thriller/police procedural from Mr. L’Etoile. If you haven’t picked up any of his books yet, you are missing out.
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Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
It would be easy to float away in the darkness and let the current pull her under, too. She’d thought about it several times before—in her “dark times,” as her ex-husband used to call them.
Lisa’s life hadn’t turned out the way she’d hoped. Abusive parents, a failed marriage, the booze—so much booze—all swirled together to set her on this path. Losing her apartment finally put her out here. Now this. She thought she’d escaped, but running from her past hadn’t worked. The ghosts of years past had stripped everything away. Lisa had nothing left, not even hope.
The tug of the Sacramento River on her legs was temping, and the spring snow runoff numbed Lisa’s thighs as she waded out.
Lisa closed her eyes and pictured herself lying back and allowing the river to put an end to it.
“Momma?”
Lisa’s eyes shot open.
Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted the faint outline of her daughter standing on the riverbank. The eight-year-old wore a thin blue t-shirt with a unicorn on the front, a threadbare pair of jeans, holding a stuffed bunny with one ear missing. The girl’s face registered confusion.
“Baby, go on back to the tent,” Lisa said.
Lisa felt her daughter would be better off without her. The mother’s sins cast a damning shadow. But she couldn’t abandon Willow. Not like this. Lisa knew what it was like to be an orphan in an unfriendly world. The future of an eight-year-old alone in a homeless camp wasn’t the life Willow deserved.
“Momma, what are you doing?”
Lisa’s eyes welled. She didn’t need to tell her daughter the world was a hurtful place. She’d keep the secrets and not let her know there was nothing worth living for—for now.
“I’m coming, baby.”
Lisa turned and waded back toward the bank. Her daughter spent the last two years in one homeless camp or another. The tightly packed shelters made Lisa’s claustrophobia itch.
Lisa reached for her daughter and grabbed her, lifting the girl into a tight hug. Tears streamed down Lisa’s cheeks. Not because Lisa wanted to end her suffering. She’d considered that option before. The tears came from nearly making Willow an orphan and leaving the innocent girl behind in a homeless camp. Willow couldn’t fight off the predators who lurked in the darkness—like they did tonight.
From the river’s edge, the camp spread a quarter mile in either direction. There was never any official count because people came and went, died, were arrested, or simply disappeared from the camp. Lisa guessed there were over two hundred people living here in the city’s forgotten shadows.
It was time to move. When the camps get too big, bad things happen, and people talk.
Lights flickered from small campfires and lanterns throughout the settlement. Lisa thought they looked like fallen stars. She hugged Willow a little closer and followed the trail back into the camp.
She unzipped the fly on their tent and scooted inside. Their belongings—a change of clothes, a towel to share, and two children’s books lay on one end of the nylon dome tent. A pair of sleeping bags took up most of the space. Lisa knew they were lucky to have them—others didn’t.
“All right, sweetie, let’s get you settled in for the night.”
Willow wiggled into her sleeping bag with her stuffed rabbit. Lisa grabbed a book, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, one of her daughter’s favorites. The eight-year-old could recite most of the story by heart.
Lisa opened the book when a loud commotion erupted outside. It wasn’t uncommon in the camp. Fights over property, drugs, or imagined slights fed by drugs, alcohol, and glitchy mental health were a daily occurrence. Lisa learned the best thing to do was stay out of it and never get involved.
It sounded like the usual dust-up until the screams began.
“Stay here, Willow.”
Lisa crawled to the tent flap, zipped it open, and poked her head out.
Fire.
Flames erupted on the far side of the camp. It was always a risk in the cardboard condos and plastic tarp shelters along the riverbank. This was different. At least six structures were ablaze. People were running, backlit by the orange and yellow glow. The evening delta breeze fanned the flames, igniting another dozen tents.
The cheap nylon shelters went up like dried rice paper.
“Baby, get your shoes on.”
“What is it, Momma?”
“We need to—”
Lisa spotted two men in the chaos, both outlined by the flames behind them. They weren’t running. One set the next row of tents ablaze. The second man wielded a baseball bat and swung the aluminum cylinder at anyone who came near. A sickening tink sound echoed among the rows of tents when he bounced the bat off a man’s shoulder.
Lisa grabbed her daughter’s hand, pulling her from the tent. The girl’s eyes grew large when she spotted the fires.
Willow pulled away and ducked back into the tent.
“Willow Marie, don’t you pull away from me. Come here. We need to get away.”
Lisa felt the heat from the fire. It was spreading fast, and the flames jumped up into the trees within the camp.
Bending into the tent, Lisa found Willow gathering her stuffed animal and the books.
“Come now, we need to—”
Tink.
Lisa fell flat on the ground. The rounded end of the baseball bat shoved at her ribs. Dazed from a blow to the head, she didn’t move. Lisa registered a man’s boot stepping over her.
The flames grew closer.
Willow’s fear backed her into the far corner of the tent.
Lisa’s ragged voice called to her daughter. “Willow. Listen. I need—I need you to run. Hide. Go to the safe place—the rock where we hide things. Stay until I come for you.”
“I don’t want to go. I’m scared.”
“I know, baby. You have to be brave. Take Mr. Bunny and go, now.”
Willow clutched her stuffed animal, the book, and stepped through the tent flap.
“Momma, you have an owie.”
“I know, baby. I’ll be okay.”
It was a lie. Lisa knew she was far from okay. She could feel the pressure in her head building with each heartbeat.
“Go to the place we talked about, honey. Go quick.”
Willow’s eyes welled. She didn’t budge, frozen in fear before a scream from someone nearby broke her from the trance. Another row of tents went up in flames.
“Go.”
Willow hugged her bunny and trotted toward the river. Lisa lost sight of her through the smoke billowing through the camp.
She tried to get up and couldn’t move her legs. She crabbed forward using her arms, inching away from the burning camp.
Her tent flashed, and the flames consumed it in seconds. The melting fabric, plastic and nylon fibers fell on her. The molten material burned through her clothing and ate into the flesh on Lisa’s back.
The pain seared into her. Screams around her meant she wasn’t the only one. The two arsonists headed in the same direction Willow had fled.
“Stop them,” she cried. No one could hear over the chaos of the burning camp.
Lisa now wished the water had brought a calm end to everything. She didn’t expect this—the fire, searing flame, and torture. Part of her believed she deserved this fate for the pain she’d caused. Willow didn’t. The girl didn’t understand. Now, Lisa worried about what would happen to her sweet little girl. Mr. Bunny would not be enough.
The last thought before the flames ate at her pant legs. “I’ve failed you.”
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Author Bio
James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His novels have been shortlisted or awarded the Lefty, Anthony, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers Award. River of Lies is his most recent novel. Look for Sins of the Father and The Red List, coming soon. He is the host of Authors on the Air, served as a board member of his local Sister-in-Crime chapter, sits on the Mystery Writers of America national board, and serves as the Director of QueryFest at ThrillerFest for International Thriller Writers.
When a prominent Sacramento businessman is killed and his wife injured in a brutal home invasion, Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina, are called to investigate. At first glance, it seems like a crime of opportunity gone horribly wrong, but Emily soon finds there might be more to both the crime and the dead man.
The high-stakes investigation also comes at a time when Emily is caring for her mother, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s, and Emily struggles to balance her job with her personal life. The city’s political elite seem to want the case solved quickly, but darker forces want it buried.
Could there have been a motive behind the attack, making it more than a random home invasion? Emily uncovers clues that cause her to reconsider her understanding of the crime. A deadly game of greed and deception pulls Emily deeper into the shadowy world of gang violence and retribution. She has to walk the razor’s edge to identify the killer—without becoming the next victim.
FACE OF GREED (A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery Book #1) by James L’Etoile is a gritty, intricately plotted, and fast paced crime thriller/police procedural set in Sacramento, California. This is the first book in a new series by this author with a pair of detectives that I already know I am going to love to follow in future books.
Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Detective Javier Medina are called to the scene of an apparent home invasion. They find the husband, a prominent Sacramento businessman, is brutally murdered and the wife injured, but alive. As they begin their investigation, they are hindered by political interference and the pressure for a quick resolution and a widow who seems to be not that upset by the murder of her husband.
With the death of the dead man’s lawyer, Emily and Javi soon find themselves embroiled in a case full of dirty money and cops, greed, gangs, and violence. Can Emily untangle the evidence before either herself or someone she loves wind up dead?
This story pulls you into the investigation and the lives of Emily and Javi to the point that I could not put it down. Emily is an intelligent and tough protagonist who doggedly follows the clues and walks a fine line at times, but while seeming to stretch it at times, there is always a reason, and she does not cross it. Emily is also dealing with a mother who has dementia and is no longer able to care for herself. Emily’s partnership with Javi feels realistically written and occasionally adds humor to the otherwise intense story.
Mr. L’Etoile’s writing is smart, realistic, gritty, and immersive. The crime plot is twisted and continued to surprise me. I always love this author’s books, and this one was no exception. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series, River of Lies.
I highly recommend this crime thriller/police procedural!
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About the Author
James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His novels have been shortlisted or awarded the Lefty, Anthony, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers Award. Face of Greed and Served Cold are his most recent novel. Look for River of Lies and Sins of the Father, coming in 2025.
Major social themes weave through his work, including the world of human trafficking, black market organ transplants, homelessness, domestic terrorism, immigration policy, political corruption, and the pharmaceutical industry.
The “Hidden Valor Military Veteran/K-9 Series” by Candace Irving is one of the best series to come along in quite a while. Each book combines a mystery, thriller, and police procedural. While the suspense is off the charts, there is also a very heart wrenching and heartwarming backstory of the characters that remind readers of the sacrifices made by those who serve to keep Americans safe.
The main character is Kate Holland, a former US Army detective that spent eleven hours as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. She received a Silver Star after killing her captives and escaping. Fast forward to the present where she is a civilian investigator in her hometown of Arkansas. Because she has demons, she is contemplating suicide but discards those thoughts after saving a German Shepherd puppy, Ruger, shot by a hunter. Throughout the series both Kate and Ruger realize they are each other’s support. There is also a budding romance between Kate and another detective, Arash Kharoti, who is part of the plot mysteries and character world. Some of the other supporting characters are Sherriff Lou Simms, and Deputy Seth Armstrong.
There are five books in the series that should be read in order. The first one is a novella, titled Invisible Wounds followed by The Garbage Man, In the Name Of, Beneath the Bones, and Last Dog Out. In each book readers find a plot involving veterans that is very riveting along with more of a backstory on Kate, Ruger, and Arash.
These book plots are gritty, complex, intense, and have edge of the seat scenes. Anyone who has not read this series might want to start and those that are readers will look forward to the next book in the series.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did your being in the military help influence your writing?
Candace Irving: I am former Army, but it was brief. I did end up in the Navy. I was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy but ended my career as a Navy Lt. I was sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships and was also a damage control officer. Being a part of both branches enables me to write the lingo, plus I married an Army guy. My husband is a former combat engineer sapper who helps me with the explosive’s storyline. Regardless of which branch of the military, the mindset and how things work is the same. I know the correct questions to ask. For instance, in the Navy we do this so what is the Army or Air Force method?
EC: Why did you decide to write the Kate Holland series?
CI: I am writing for all readers but also am writing for all veterans. I hope this is my gift to them. If someone is a vet, they realize the thoughts and feelings of the characters are what they and I experienced. I want the stories to be realistic, not like a book I read that I threw at the wall. It seemed that author got everything wrong and angered me as a woman and a veteran. This is after 9/11, and our soldiers were coming back with serious scars. This author made it seem that the vet who had a scar was nonchalant about it instead of realizing that some veterans have painful memories. This is why I decided to write the Kate series. I wanted to write Kate as a veteran who had to overcome her scars emotionally as well as living with the physical scars on her cheek.
EC: Why the setting of Arkansas?
CI: I lived there for ten years. I thought how not many settings take place there. Fort Roots is an actual base so the place in my story is a wink and a nod. I changed the real place of Mayflower to Braxton because I did not want to be nailed to a specific town. Usually, she is in the small town with interconnected characters.
EC: Most of the books in this series involve murderers centered around veterans. Do you agree?
CI: I am a detective writer at heart so there must be a dead body. Suddenly these bodies were popping up all over the place in this small town that previously had three murders in ten years. I knew I had to change Kate from being a Sherriff’s deputy to working for the state police with Ruger as her K-9 partner that involved veteran cases. The plots involve a very intense mystery that put the heroes and heroines in a dark and nasty place which they must overcome.
EC: Do you own a dog since Ruger is one of the featured characters?
CI: Yes. The inspiration for Ruger is my fifty-pound standard poodle. Some of the weird things my dog does makes me laugh and I say to myself, ‘that is totally going into the book.’ Dog behavior is pretty much consistent.
EC: How would you describe Kate?
CI: She is not Superwoman but does have skills, such as the way she handles knives. She is determined, smart, funny, strong-willed, stubborn, a survivor, guilt ridden, at times feels depressed, doubts herself, and feels shame.
EC: How about Ruger?
CI: He keeps Kate calm, has a sense of purpose, loyal, a guard dog, a service support animal, as well as a canine partner to Kate. He and Kate rescued each other.
EC: What do you want readers to understand about how Kate’s wounds affected her?
CI: While Kate was serving in Afghanistan she was ambushed and then raped. She suffered injuries of a broken collarbone, a broken shoulder, and burns. She saw her best friend, Max, beheaded by the Islamists. She wears his watch and when she gets anxious turns it until her skin is raw. I wanted to make it realistic, so I took on all her emotions. Kate started to get CPT treatment with the trauma focused sessions centering around pains that interfere with the normal recovery process and have her identify problem patterns.
EC: is Kate’s therapist, Dr Manning, based on Dr. Resick?
CI: Yes. From book 2 going forward she became Kate’s therapist. She took the situation I created for Kate and said this is what would occur with her. She reads the book and is Dr. Manning. She makes suggestions for Kate as Dr. Manning, like having her wrap her wrist so when she feels the need to turn the watch her skin will not be raw.
EC: What about her boss, Lou?
CI: He is like an uncle to her. He can read her, is helpful, and caring. Because he knew her father was heartless and someone who constantly put her down, Lou tried to be the opposite to her. He and his wife felt like Kate was the child they could not have. He is based on a neighbor I had in Arkansas, someone compassionate, grounded, figured out what make people tick, and had a lot of common sense.
EC: How would you describe Detective Arash?
CI: He is caring, understands her, trusting, encouraging, and protective. He and Kate share a deep connection.
EC: What about the relationship between Kate and Arash?
CI: I thought hard what kind of man Kate should end up with. It must be someone who does not care about her scars but embraces them. He realizes she is strong. In a way her scars are a badge of honor. Kate is afraid she will lose Arash because of her scars and baggage. She also has issues with showing off her body to the man she wants to look perfect too, Arash.
EC: You have another series, “Deception Point” besides the Kate “Hidden Valor” Series. Can you talk about them?
CI: Both series have investigations and detective stories, but “Deception Point” has a global setting while “Hidden Valor” takes place in Arkansas. The main character of the “Deception Point Series” is Special Agent Regan Chase, an active-duty CID, while Kate is a retired CID. I used my Damage Control Officer experiences to write the book, Blind Edge, of the “Deception Point” series.
EC: Will the “Hidden Valor” series be made into a TV show?
CI: I did option the rights for this series with a potential TV series.
EC: Next book?
CI: Kate will have her last therapy session in the next book, Blood on The Wire that comes out in August of next year. But readers should not worry, Dr. Manning will not be written out of the series. It will be a process for Kate to get over all her scars on her body and face. The relationship with Arash will progress. Also, her former partner Seth’s story will be a part of this story. The case involves a psychologist at a Little Rock VA hospital who was found brutally stabbed to death. In the victim’s house, Kate is stunned to discover a cache of military-grade explosives. Plus, the psychologist was conducting a private investigation into a heinous crime that occurred more than two years ago in an active war zone. Bodies have begun to multiply.
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.
For decades, Taiwan has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. An independent nation to the rest of the world, it is considered a rogue province by the PRC. Previous governments have tried to conquer the island using economic force and diplomatic pressure, but new Chinese President Li Jian Jun is done fooling around. He’s devised a secret military operation to take the island. Only one man knows how to stop Li’s mad and bloody plan for reunification and that’s Minister of Defense Qin Haiyu. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Qin covertly makes contact with the CIA in Beijing and signals his desire to defect to the West.
To get Qin out, John Clark creates an international task force reminiscent of Rainbow Six and goes undercover in mainland China. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan is deployed to the tip of the spear on the destroyer USS Jason Dunham to defend Taiwan. Threatened by an encircling Chinese armada, she’s under pressure to find a flaw in the invaders’ plan for her father to exploit.
For his part, President Jack Ryan may have the power of the entire US military at his disposal, but what he really needs are Li’s secret plans from Defense Minister Qin so he can stave off a war. Because America’s Defense Protocol could lead to a game of mutual destruction that could cost the lives of thousands of young soldiers, sailors, special operators as well as his daughter.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Tom Clancy’s Defense Protocol by Andrews and Wilson brings to life the whole Clancy Universe.
The new Chinese President Li Jian Jun has devised a secret military operation to conquer Taiwan. Only one man knows how to stop Li’s mad and bloody plan for reunification and that’s Minister of Defense Qin Haiyu. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Qin covertly contacts the CIA in Beijing and signals his desire to defect to the West. To get Qin out, John Clark creates an international task force reminiscent of Rainbow Six and goes undercover in mainland China. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan is deployed to the tip of the spear on the destroyer USS Jason Dunham to defend Taiwan. Threatened by an encircling Chinese armada, she’s under pressure to find a flaw in the invaders’ plan for her father to exploit. Both she, her dad, President Ryan, and the rest of the task force must come up with a plan to prevent WWIII.
This was as good as if Tom Clancy had written it himself with an intense plot and a lot of action.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson: After writing the last book, Act of Defiance, which was a submarine book with Russia as the antagonist, we decided to look somewhere else geopolitically. The biggest global geopolitical flashpoints that could turn into war or could shift the balance of global power was with Taiwan, one of those places that’s very high on the list. China has made no secret about their plans to take over Taiwan and have been talking about this for almost two decades. It’s not a matter of if they want to reunify Taiwan, it’s just a matter of when, and how they do it. We thought it would be right for fiction.
EC: Does Chang have a major role in the book even though he died early in the story?
BA and JW: He was the Foreign Minister. In real life I kept seeing these articles about how these high-ranking important Chinese people would just disappear including billionaire civilians who maybe got a little too big for their britches and the Chinese would have them disappear. They would be off the radar with nobody knowing where they were. Those that do return have gone to reeducation camps. I just thought it’s amazing that this happens even with high-profile individuals. People that are known in politics, known on the world stage, and the Chinese are still doing it. We opened with it, which is basically if you want to play in the game and are not on board with what the Chinese President wants to do then you’re an enemy, and he’s going to get rid of you.
EC: I’m wondering if you could explain that it seems China, more than Russia are devious, violent, they’re on the brink of wanting World War III?
BA and JW: They’re always kind of challenging the United States and we wanted to get that point across in the book. The Chinese have what they call their 10-year plan which is part of their fifty-year plan so there’s five 10-year plans that make up their fifty-year plan. What we wanted to convey is that that the Chinese don’t think in terms of election cycles like the United States, and I think you’re spot on when you say that they’re more calculating and more disciplined than Russia because the Chinese think in terms of dynasties. Remember that’s their history: Chinese dynasties ruled the world until British naval power came on to the scene. We did a lot of research for this book just about Chinese history and mentality. They’re on the path to reclaim their destiny as the rightful rulers of the world and America is just in the way. They have been very methodical starting with commerce and manufacturing to get their toe in the door. First, making things for U.S. companies and then once U.S. companies started investing there, they develop trust. Now companies can’t own more than 49% of any business in China and if you want to do anything here you have to surrender your intellectual property. Then they send their people over to the US under the guise of researchers, students, and workers but most of them are spies to pillage intellectual property. They then use that to build up their military using all the money that American consumers spend on Chinese products. Now they have more ships in their Navy than we do. They clone our fighter jets, ships, submarines, and missiles because they’ve stolen all our technology. We wanted to show how they are the most formidable adversary that we face, willing to do one thing and say another because they’re very good at propaganda. Plus, they’re very good at managing their money and buy American T-bills so they can influence our currency.
EC: Everyone seems to be speaking of Russian, but it seems that China is our real enemy-something you point out in this book.
BA and JW: They’re much more sophisticated than Russia, and much less impulsive than Russia. For the Chinese it’s an entire machine really devoted to unseating the US as the world power.
EC: How would you describe the US asset, the Spider?
BA and JW: She is a support asset for the CIA that uses only women to help and has a web of contacts. She gets political dissidents out and can appear cold and cruel. But she’s a survivor and she’s like a spider. Her name is metaphorical but also accurate because she’s built a web in Beijing that allows her to use Cold War tactics and non-technology-based means and methods to do her job, moving information and people safely. It meant that she’s had to sacrifice certain things like having a family, so I think there probably is an element of stoicism to her. As part of her cover she runs a taxi company, hiring only women. Even though China is dominated by men she’s not going to get pushed around by being industrious and having survived the purge after so many other assets and spies were rounded up and murdered by the ministry of state security. She is stealthy, clever, and hard to catch.
EC: You also point out the importance of Taiwan-why?
BA and JW: Taiwan is 100 miles away from their coast. China has multiple bases along the eastern edge right across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan. It would take minutes for their missiles to fly and hit Taiwan and take them over. Everyone knows that Taiwan alone cannot mount an effective defense against a full-scale invasion by the Chinese. I think because 90% of the world’s complex semiconductors are manufactured in Taiwan with so much global commerce running in, around, and through Taiwan that the world would balk. So, what we imagined is that Chinese president would say “to diminish the political damage from taking over Taiwan what we need to do is spin this so that our actions are justified, claiming that it wasn’t us being the aggressor.” Basically, using a false flag operation to provide the justification for the invasion of Taiwan.
EC: Was the role of Katie more of a supporting character?
BA and JW: We did have her anticipate the adversary response and how she helped get the Spider and Defense Minister by out maneuvering President Li. She didn’t wilt under pressure, and she was confident. We wrote her to be the primary protagonist, but this is a Jack Ryan series. Due to the complexity of this book and all the moving chess pieces that we wanted to show on the board, everybody got a little less airtime. There’s lots of other players in the Jack Ryan universe and we wanted to have the whole crew.
EC: You never write her as a superhero, agree?
BA and JW: We want to be authentic, so we don’t want Katie Ryan to be like a marvel superhero where she shows up as the smartest and fastest, able to do flips, beat people up, and knows how to fly planes, basically a one-woman wrecking crew when she’s an analyst who works for the office of naval intelligence. Although she did take a lot of initiative, putting a lot of effort into trying to do as much as she could to figure out what was going on and helping to deescalate the situation by finding a solution.
EC: Why the Battleship game?
BA and JW: The Battleship game is a metaphor for the story itself. Katie and her dad both are analysts, both strategic, playing this game of ships where they can’t see what the other side is doing, can’t see where their ships are. It really was a metaphor for the book, not just the game but also father and daughter playing together, having quality time. One of the things we had happened is that Katie won to foreshadow this idea that she’s the next generation of Ryan, who my gosh maybe she’s just as smart as her dad and or maybe she’s even smarter and she can do the same type of job that he does. Also just giving them some father daughter time to show that they have a very healthy and close relationship.
EC: Next books?
BA and JW: Out in April is the fourth book in our Shepherds Series, titled Dark Rising. There’s been a bit of a hiatus on Shepherds because we changed publishers and because we started writing the Clancy series, so we had to take a little break. It will now be published by Blackstone. Plus, the showrunner for the Shepherds is developing it for television. It has a faith-based component The plot has these kids called the watchers who have a spiritual gift that allows them basically to sort of predict and maybe see through visions like when bad stuff is going to happen and so they get an idea of something going to happen and tell the shepherds which are a bunch of former military special OPS guys. There is an interesting alliance between adolescents and operators where the operators can’t do their job without the watchers but the watchers can’t protect themselves without the shepherds and so you have this interesting alliance of kids and adults trying to stop evil in the world. The specific plot of the next book has terrorists dealing with the Chinese and Russians surrounding a sex trafficking ring. The hero iJedediah Johnson goes on vacation to the Dominican Republic and when he’s there he stops a kidnapping. What he starts to realize is that all these kids are being kidnapped there and taken to other places.
The book Four Minutes has the task force getting intel from technology and the Shepherd Series is getting intel from the spiritual. It is under development with a producer named Mark Evans. Netflix is developing this for film and so we sort of feel like we should wait and see where it goes. We’d like the movie and book to sort of be compatible and if the film goes off like in a big different direction, we need to be able to kind of know that before we write the sequel. 100% we’re going to write the sequel, but we’d like to get at least the first screenplay finished so we know what’s going to happen and then we can start on the next book.
In July will be the next Sons of Valor book, False Flag. The plot has the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia murdered, and the blame is pointed at Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence. The company goes to the Middle East to help figure out who killed the Crown Prince and obviously the title of the book sort of gives away it away.
In October the next Tier One book comes out. It doesn’t have a title yet, but the plot continues where the last book, Ember left off. A Chinese agent was helping the terrorist organization al Qaeda that was responsible for the bombing that killed President Warner and the Indian Prime Minister. Richard Wang of the task force is kidnapped so it’s about trying to figure who took him and how to thwart the Chinese and the terrorists.
The next Clancy book comes out December, maybe a little less Kate because her brother Kyle is going to make his appearance in the series. She’s got this twin brother Kyle. We’re working on it now.
THANK YOU!!
***
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.
