Tag: #bookdescription

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Very Dead of Winter: A Sinner’s Cross Novel by Miles Watson

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE VERY DEAD OF WINTER: A Sinner’s Cross Novel by Miles Watson on the Coffee and Thorn Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

***

Book Description

On the eve of what will be known as The Battle of the Bulge, the survivors of Sinner’s Cross are scattered all over Europe. Halleck, the tough Texan who drives men like cattle, finds himself surrounded in the snow-blanketed forests of the Eifel Mountains riding herd on greenhorn soldiers; Breese, the phony hero with a chip on his shoulder the size of Rushmore, embarks on a bloody mission of redemption behind enemy lines; Cramm, the one-eyed, one-armed German staff officer, tries to balance duty against his lust for vengeance against those who crippled him. Three men separated by war will once again converge…in The Very Dead of Winter.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61406162-the-very-dead-of-winter?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=8t0N7LlpRS&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE VERY DEAD OF WINTER: A Sinner’s Cross Novel by Miles Watson is a historical fiction book I was very excited to be able to read for this blog tour. This is the second Sinner’s Cross book and while it is a continuation of the three main soldier protagonists lives from the first book, Sinner’s Cross, this book is easily read as a standalone. I recommend them both highly!

In this book, three survivors of the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest are converging in the Ardennes Forest in the dead of winter for what will be known as the Battle of the Bulge. Sgt. Halleck is battle-hardened and once again finds himself leading men into battle with the enemy behind every tree, Lt. Breeze gets sent back to the front and finds himself battling the Nazis looking for redemption, and Cramm, a German staff officer, who will fight to the death but no longer believes in Hitler and his fanatics.

The writer’s depiction of this horrific battle and the three diverse paths the main characters are on felt so realistic. Even knowing the outcome of this historical battle, I kept turning the pages because I was so invested after following these characters in two books. The moral questions about war and loss of life are ever present, but unlike the feeling of senseless loss of life in the first book and this was the largest and bloodiest battle during WWII, this battle was a turning point in the war for the Allies and the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.

I highly recommend this historical fiction novel and I believe both books in the Sinner’s Cross series are exceptional!

***

About the Author

Miles Watson is one of the most successful independent writers of his generation. He holds undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and History and a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction, and served in law enforcement for nearly ten years before moving to Los Angeles, where he has worked on over 200 episodes of television and half a dozen feature films. But his first and last passion is writing. His various works have won the following:

CAGE LIFE – Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Runner Up (2016): Zealot Script Magazine “Book of the Year” (2017); Best Indie Book Award – Mystery & Suspense (2018)

KNUCKLE DOWN – Writer’s Digest S.P.B.A. Honorable Mention (2019); Best Indie Book Award – Suspense (2019)

DEVILS YOU KNOW – Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing Finalist (2019)

THE NUMBERS GAME – Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Novella – (2019)

NOSFERATU – Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Novella – (2020)

SINNER’S CROSS – Best Indie Book Award – Historical Fiction – (2019); Book Excellence Award – Action (2020); Literary Titan Book Award – Gold Medal (2020); Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards – Finalist (2020); Readers Favorite Five Stars (2021)

THE VERY DEAD OF WINTER – Literary Titan Book Award – Gold Medal (2022); Pinnacle Book Achievement Award (2022); Book Excellence Award Finalist (2023)

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.mileswatsonauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miles.watson1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMilesWatson

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/miles-watson

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: What Remains by Wendy Walker

Book Description

She saved his life. Now he‘ll never let her go.

Detective Elise Sutton is drawn to cold cases. Each crime is a puzzle to solve, pulled from the past. Elise looks for cracks in the surface and has become an expert on how murderers slip up and give themselves away. She has dedicated her life to creating a sense of order, at work with her ex-marine partner; at home with her husband and two young daughters; and within, battling her own demons. Elise has everything under control, until one afternoon, when she walks into a department store and is forced to make a terrible choice: to save one life, she will have to take another.

Elise is hailed as a hero, but she doesn’t feel like one. Steeped in guilt, and on a leave of absence from work, she’s numb, even to her husband and daughters, until she connects with Wade Austin, the tall man whose life she saved. But Elise soon realizes that he isn’t who he says he is. In fact, Wade Austin isn’t even his real name. The tall man is a ghost, one who will set off a terrifying game of cat and mouse, threatening Elise and the people she loves most.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

What Remains by Wendy Walker is part procedural, part domestic suspense, part mystery, and a cat/mouse thriller between a policewoman and a stalker.

The story opens with Cold Case Detective Elise Sutton stopping at a department store to buy her children a gift. She hears gunshots and is confronted by an active shooter. One man is about to shoot another, so she decides to make the choice to take one life to save the other. Elise is very shaken having killed someone, even if it was necessary to save other lives. As a detective who works cold cases, she has little need to fire her weapon in the line of duty. She is hailed as a hero, but she doesn’t feel like one. Steeped in guilt, and on a leave of absence from work, she’s numb, even to her husband and daughters, until she connects with Wade Austin, the tall man, whose life she saved. She asks him if it was a good shooting, which saved his life.

But this meeting will put her life in turmoil even though Wade, known as The Tall Man, hails her as a hero.  She is guilt ridden that she took a life and tells him more about herself than she should.  The problem is Wade is not his real name and when she tries to find him, he   becomes a ghost.

This is where the story takes a turn and deals with the psychological aftermath of a shooting. Elise comes to grip with letting her guard down with a total stranger who is hellbent on ruining her life unless she gives into his demands of spending their life together.  He begins stalking her and threatening the people she loves including her husband, daughters, and police partner. It now becomes a dangerous, twisted, and deadly game between Elise and the man she saved.

This is an edgy, intense, and chilling novel where readers take a journey with Elise. Readers will not be able to put the book down.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Wendy Walker: I was listening to the news years ago and heard about a shooting in Boulder Colorado in a grocery store. Listening to the bystanders interviewed it was so clear they suffered a trauma. I wondered what happened to them.  This is where the title, What Remains, comes from. This was a sudden acute trauma and I wondered what happens to people emotionally.  This is where the character was born and from there, I decided to make her a police officer, Elise.

EC:  The steps of trauma?

WW:  I found it interesting to find these stages.  In the research, some had seven stages, some six, some five.  Someone’s brain goes through this process of what happened. I put in the books these steps: shock, denial, pain, guilt, anger, bargaining, depression, then an upward swing toward acceptance and hope. I had Elise, obsessed with finding one of those caught up in the store to try to put her mind at ease about the shooting. She feels isolated and alone because she has stopped herself from going through these stages.

EC:  How would you describe Elise, the police officer?

WW: She has an internal conflict after being hailed a hero, yet she has tremendous guilt and doubt about the shot she took killing the shooter.  She tends toward having anguish, is a puzzle solver because she can control it, vulnerable, and a risk taker. Before the shooting she is confident and happy with her life.

EC:  What about after the shooting?

WW:  What happened really shakes her and changes her.  As a police officer she second guessed herself. She is strong, tough, capable, and protects herself.  I do not see her as a victim. She is kind of a bad ass because she decided to use her weapon to save people’s lives. She feels tormented, puts herself in danger, feels alone, and has secrets. Elise feels isolated, which comes from the shooting because she sees life darker. There is a disconnect from her emotional brain and thinking brain. The book has a scene where the psychiatrist tells her, ‘The worst kind of loneliness is to be with people you love and feel that they don’t see you, then to be alone.  It is more painful.’

EC:  Readers understand what a stalker does?

WW:  Stalkers are irrational. The like to target, humiliate, create fear, and the victim feels helpless. They are compulsive, torment, play a game of wits, and love the control. If they cannot have someone in their life this is the way they do it. There is no end game because the victim will never be with them. They need to have it in that moment, a connection with the person being stalked. It is just in the moment. They crave power over that person.

EC:  How would you describe Wade, the stalker?

WW:  He is fragile and is in a compromised emotional state when he enters the store. In the store his behavior is less than heroic. His self-esteem is shattered.  The focus on Elise is because he has “rescue worship,” which is based on obsession. He believes that the shooting was meant to be to connect him with Elise. He did not see it as random. Being connected to Elise is essential for Wade’s emotional survival. He is also ruthless and violent because he is desperate and loses control.

EC:  The role of her partner and husband?

WW:  Rowan is her police partner and is meant to be someone who witnesses what she is going through. He ends up helping her and keeps her secrets. He is the other man in her life even though there is no romance but is protective of her.

Mitch, her husband, had an affair that they are trying to overcome. With this dynamic it makes it easier for Wade to torment her and to get at her because of this vulnerability. What they managed to rebuild is challenging and being exploited by Wade. What Elise loves about Mitch is that he is protective, strong, and supportive. He is trying to understand what she is going through but does not.

EC:  Next books?

WW:  American Girl was an audible original in 2021. It is coming to print in October. There is a TV option for it. An autistic 17-year-old in a small town witnesses a crime, the death of a wealthy business owner. It is a fast-paced thriller. It was inspired by the Tom Petty song, “American Girl.”

Next year there will be an audio play called Mad Love. It is a psychological thriller.  A con man is married to a wealthy widow and is found murdered in his bed and she is shot and in a coma.

Also, next year there will be a new novel coming out in 2024 titled Kill Me Softly. It is a play on the song, “Killing Me Softly.” It is about a serial killer who is targeting middle aged women and making it appear like suicides. A young feminist researcher comes to believe there is a serial killer.

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.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: None Without Sin by Michael Bradley

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for NONE WITHOUT SIN by Michael Bradley on this Black Tide Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

***

Book Description

When a Delaware real estate mogul is murdered, newspaper journalist Brian Wilder wants the scoop on the killing, including the meaning behind the mysterious loaf of bread left with the corpse. Reverend Candice Miller, called to minister to the grieving family, quickly realizes that the killer has adopted the symbolism of sin eating, a Victorian-era religious ritual, as a calling card. Is it the work of a religious fanatic set to punish people for their missteps, or something even more sinister?

As more victims fall, Brian and Candice follow a trail of deceit and blackmail, hoping to discover the identity of the killer―and praying that their own sins won’t catch the killer’s attention.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59659956-none-without-sin?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=OxQ9bYMxKf&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

NONE WITHOUT SIN by Michael Bradley is an intriguing amateur sleuth mystery/serial killer crime thriller with an interesting historical religious hook, secrets, lies and murder. There are several murders in this standalone, but they are not overly graphic.  

Pastor Candice Miller is an Episcopalian minister who is called to help with a woman and her daughter from her church when the husband is found dead when they return home from a show. The locally known real estate agent is found with a knife stabbed into his chest through a loaf of round bread.

Brian Wilder is an award-winning journalist who has started over by opening his own small town local newspaper. He meets his detective friend, at the scene of the murder and learns of the bread and the fact that a word was scrawled on the dead man’s sleeve.

As more murders occur Brian and Candice are at each scene and begin to trade information and discover the ritual meaning of the bread left on each victim goes back to the tradition of sin-eaters from the 18th and early 19th centuries. They also discover all the victims have a sin they are hiding and so do Candice and Brian. Could they become victims, too?

This is an easy-to-read interesting character driven mystery. So many secrets and lies among the entire cast of characters and yet they are believable secrets and lies. While Candice and Brian are the dual POV characters throughout the story, I developed a real empathy for Brian, and I can see the author being able to bring him back for follow-up stories. The historical information was woven into the story without slowing the pace of the investigation. The pace of the plot was steady throughout until the fast-paced climax, with plenty of twists and red herrings. While the climax was not a surprise to me, it was still well written.

I recommend this engaging amateur sleuth mystery.

***

Excerpt

PREVIEWBradley_NONE-WITHOUT-SIN-3-21-1Download

***

About the Author

Michael Bradley was born and raised in New Jersey, a fact he hopes no one will hold against him. He spent eight years as a radio DJ “on the air” before realizing he needed a real job and turned to IT. Never one to waste an experience, he uses his familiarity with life on the radio for many of his suspense novels, among them his first, the supernatural thriller Sirens in the Night (2015), a “smart, terrifying, heartbreaking” and “compelling read,” and his third, the thriller Dead Air (2020), a “phenomenal read” that will “make you look over your shoulder the moment night falls.”

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.mbradleyonline.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjbradley88

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjbradley88

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michael-bradley-32147eb5-2f6d-4287-87c6-afeae5f4a2f3

Amazon Purchase Link

https://bookgoodies.com/a/B09RJNQLS3

Feature Post and Mini Book Review: The Castle Keepers by Aimie K. Runyan, J’nell Ciesielski, & Rachel McMillan

Book Description

Leedswick Castle has housed the Alnwick family in the English countryside for generations, despite a family curse determined to destroy their legacy and erase them from history.

1870. After a disastrous dinner at the Astor mansion forces her to flee New York in disgrace, socialite Beatrice Holbrook knows her performance in London must be a triumph. When she catches the eye of Charles Alnwick, one of the town’s most enviably titled bachelors, she prepares to attempt a social coup and become the future Marchioness of Northridge. Then tragedy and scandal strike the Alnwick family, and Beatrice must assume the role of a lifetime: that of her true, brave self.

1917. Artist Elena Hamilton arrives in Northumberland determined to transform a soldier’s wounds into something beautiful. Tobias Alnwick’s parents have commissioned a lifelike mask to help their son return to his former self after battle wounds partially destroyed his face. But Elena doesn’t see a man who needs fixing—she sees a man who needn’t hide. Yet secrets from their past threaten to chase away the peace they’ve found in each other and destroy the future they’re creating.

1945. Alec Alnwick returns home from the war haunted but determined to leave death and destruction behind. With the help of Brigitta Mayr, the brilliant young psychoanalyst whose correspondence was a lifeline during his time on the Western Front, he reconstructs his family’s large estate into a rehabilitation center for similarly wounded soldiers. Alec’s efforts may be the only chance to redeem his family legacy—and break the curse on the Alnwick name—once and for all.

Three beloved authors share stories of the Alnwick family through the generations, revealing how love and war can change a place—but only its people can unshackle it from the misdeeds of the past.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61349365-the-castle-keepers?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=AFZCp2ZX68&rank=1

***

My Mini Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE CASTLE KEEPERS by Aimie K. Runyan, J’nell Ciesielski, and Rachel McMillan is an enchanting novella anthology of historical romances featuring three generations of Alnwick heirs and is set at the “cursed” Leedswick castle in rugged Northumberland England.

Each novella, besides the historical romance plot, had an interesting hook that made them more than just a romance. The first set in 1870, The Truth Keepers, set up the premise of the “curse” that runs through all three novellas. It also had a heroine that was a “Dollar Princess” and a mystery plot involving the castle’s Poison Garden. In the 1917 setting, The Memory Keepers, the heroine is an artist who paints masks for disfigured Tommies returning from WWI. The last novella set in 1945, The Dream Keepers, has a heroine with psychological training who works with the returned heir to help soldiers covalence in the rural castle setting and offers psychological analysis. Wars and the “Curse” have affected each Alnwick heir, and each will find a love that may be what they need to heal, learn to love, and break the curse.

I really enjoyed each novella in this anthology. The authors were able to pull me right into each romance and time period with well developed characters and interesting and varied heroines and plots.

I recommend this enjoyable historical romance anthology.

***

About the Author – Aimie K. Runyan

Aimie writes fiction, both historical and contemporary, that celebrates the spirit of strong women. In addition to her writing, she is active as a speaker and educator in the writing community. She lives in Colorado with her amazing husband, kids, cats, and pet dragon.

Website: https://aimiekrunyan.com/

###

About the Author – J’nell Ciesielski

Bestselling author and with a passion for heart-stopping adventure and sweeping love stories, J’nell Ciesielski weaves fresh takes into romances of times gone by. When not creating dashing heroes and daring heroines, she can be found dreaming of Scotland, indulging in chocolate of any kind, or watching old black and white movies. She is a Florida native who now lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and lazy beagle.

Website: https://jnellciesielski.com/

###

About the Author – Rachel McMillan

Rachel McMillan is the author of The London Restoration, The Mozart Code, the Herringford and Watts mysteries, the Van Buren and DeLuca mysteries, and the Three Quarter Time series of contemporary Viennese romances. She is also the author of Dream, Plan, Go: A Travel Guide to Inspire Independent Adventure. .

Website: https://www.rachelmcmillan.net/

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Beginning of Forever by Catherine Bybee

Book Description

Tasting wine is not enough: sommelier Giovanni D’Angelo wants to create it. To put his family first, he’s always deferred his dreams—a vineyard to run, a woman to marry. But a three-week vineyard tour in Italy could set him back on track.

For Emma Rutledge, wine is in her blood. Intent to run the family wine business one day, she finds that the men in her family are only intent to push her out of it. But that’s fine—she’s got a plan.

When Gio and Emma meet on a wine tour in Tuscany, their shared aspirations fuel an undeniable chemistry. Returning home to California, they work toward setting up Emma’s vineyard and a label of their own. But when Emma receives a life-altering diagnosis, she worries it’s all been for nothing.

As Emma works to cement her family legacy while dealing with this unexpected challenge, Gio tries to convince her that their future isn’t just wine.

It’s each other.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Beginning of Forever by Catherine Bybee is a story of passion and following one’s dreams. There are deep and meaningful family and friend relationships. 

The heroine Emma must contend with a misogynist father who refuses to allow her to be a part of the family wine business.  To make matters worse, he has put her ex-husband in charge. Intent to run the family wine business one day, she finds that the men in her family want only to push her out of it. But she has other plans. To take some time off and decide what she will do Emma accepts a gift of a wine tasting tour in Italy.

Both Emma and Gio, the hero, are given for their thirtieth birthdays, a trip to wine country in Tuscany Italy. They form an instant connection and attraction during the three-week tour. Gio wants to continue the relationship once they return to the States and is willing to jump through some hoops to make it happen. After returning to California, they continue to see each other.  The relationship takes a turn when an unexpected issue makes Emma reevaluate some things in her life with Gio right by her side.

This is a heartfelt and emotional story that includes struggling with medical issues and family. The humor and banter in the story are a welcome release for readers as they go on a journey with the hero and heroine.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did you know anyone with the disease hemochromatosis?

Catherine Bybee:  That would be me.  I was diagnosed after I asked to check to see if I was anemic because I bruise easily. They ran an iron panel. When it came back it was very high.  They repeated the blood work.  They sent me to a specialist.  At the end of the day, they found out my iron counts were incredibly high.  As I wrote in the story, I had the same scares as my heroine, Emma. As Emma referred to, we dealt with vampires. Now a couple of years later my liver is free of all the iron. Now I only must go to the vampires every two or three months.

EC: How would you describe Gio?

CB:  He is a kind “player.” He does not try to score more girls on his bedpost. He is the culmination of the hot guy people want in their life with a high degree of loyalty. He is charming, caring, and excepting.  He is flirty, a teaser, but is also family minded. He is a protective brother to his sister Chloe.

EC:  How about Emma?

CB:  She is a little jaded because of having to deal with her misogynist father. She is down to earth, direct, competitive, and confident, also flirty.

EC:  The relationship?

CB: She does want her happily ever after.  They are both very competitive and are intrigued by each other. There is some Yin and Yang. He wants to find her vulnerability. They have a completely different parental dynamic going on in their lives. He has a widowed mom who still dearly loves her late husband and is very supportive of her children.  Emma is completely opposite because her mom always buffered the dad. They have a committed relationship from day one without realizing it. Having the same birthday was a little sign from the universe that she should not blow Gio off.

EC:  Did the lost luggage scene ever happen to you?

CB:  No.  I just had to get Gio and Emma alone. This way they went together in a car to buy her some clothes. I wanted her to wear the $5 vendor T-shirts instead of the Chanel and Versace. She has class and sophistication, and this enabled me to bring her down to earth more.

EC:  What was the role of Emma’s father, Robert?

CB:  He is a jerk, a misogynistic, a self-centered dad.  He uses the purse strings to try to control everybody. He is domineering.

EC:  Were “The Golden Girls” based on anyone?

CB:  Yes, the four women in the book are based on those that come from the villages in Florida.  One of my best friends moved there. These women in the villages, a massive retirement community, drink a lot. They were a culmination of what I saw in the villages in Florida.  It is like Disneyland for adults. They drink alcohol like it is a soda.

EC:  Next books?

CB:  It will be Salena and Ryan’s story titled The Whole Time, out in November. It was so much fun to write. Ryan is Emma’s brother and does not rely on the dad and only tolerates him. He rides a motorcycle. Salena s down on her luck. I threw her into the D’Angelo system by her taking over Gio’s apartment. They both have controlling parents. The characters from this book will be in it.

At some point I plan on writing Mama D’Angelo’s book with possibly Dante’s mom Rosa’s story in the same book. 

The book after this one is a first in a series. It will have a billionaire theme with dysfunctional wealthy families.  There is corporate espionage and twists.

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Inside Threat by Matthew Quirk

Book Description

Assume the worst. Code Black.

The day that every secret service agent trains for has arrived. The White House has been breached; the President forced to flee to a massive doomsday bunker outside DC to defend against whatever comes next. Only the most trusted agents and officials are allowed in with him—those dedicated to keeping the government intact at all costs.

Among these is Erik Hill, who has given his life to the Secret Service. They are his purpose and his family, and his impressive record has made him a hero among them. Despite his growing disillusionment from seeing Washington corruption up close, Erik can’t ignore years of instincts honed on the job. The government is under attack, and no one is better equipped to face down the threat than he is.

The evidence leads him to a conspiracy at the highest levels of power, with the attack orchestrated by some of the very individuals now locked in with him. As the killers strike inside the bunker, it will take everything Erik Hill has to save his people, himself, and his country.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Inside Threat by Matthew Quirk is a political thriller that will remind readers of Vince Flynn’s Transfer of Power and David Baldacci’s characters Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, retired Secret Service Agents. The plot has secrets, lies, and betrayals with the readers not knowing who the bad guys are and who are the good guys.

The book begins with an attack on the White House, obvious that it has been breached.  The President, his wife, the most trusted officials, and the best Secret Service Agents move to a secure underground facility known as Raven Rock.  Most impressive is how Quirk drew a simplified version of this complex.  It is a facility 700 feet under a mountain near Camp David. 

Secret Service Agents Eric Hill and Amber Cody, soon discover the threat is locked inside with them. Communications have been cut, exits sabotaged, and bodies piling up. Hill and Cody must use their skills and instincts to determine who can be trusted.  Are the perpetrators the officials, or those in the Army, or the Secret Service? Both know they must do whatever it takes to protect the institution they have been sworn to serve and protect.

Given the current events, this concept of a threat to the government from within is very scary. Wondering who is a friend and who is a foe has readers taking the dangerous journey with Hill and Cody. The many twists will keep people reading, not wanting to put the book down. The Q&A below comes from notes from a conversation with Quirk that has been condensed.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea?

Matthew Quirk: I try to strike a balance between a conspiracy shadow behind certain powers, while adding hope, realism, and not feeding into the cynicism.  The premise has what would happen if a President came under attack?  I played with these questions for the readers to think about. What is the drive behind someone going against the office they are protecting? Are they protecting a larger value by taking matters into their own hands? Is going rogue part of the problem or solving the problem? Who can be trusted? This is my go at a Die Hard or Seven Days in May story with a bit of Agatha Christie thrown in.

EC: Was the President based on anyone?

MQ: This is an interesting time for politics, with such a high temperature. I try in writing a plot to be non-partisan. Some readers of my books have diametrically opposed views.  They find corollaries of what is currently happening. For them, the story will often confirm their views of how they perceive Washington DC.  For instance, if there is a crooked President in the book, each side thinks the President is part of the other side. For me, it is interesting that I can write these political thrillers in an incredibly polarized time and still have them appeal broadly.

EC:  How would you describe President Kline?

MQ:  Some think he is paranoid, elitist, aloof, but others think he is caring and protective. One of the mysteries of the book is, can the President be trusted to defend the Constitution?

EC:  What is real in the book?

MQ: “Yankee White,” a special background investigation, basically a clearance, required of anyone who will hold the President’s life in their hands such as a chef, helicopter pilot, and a doctor. There is this distinct circle of people that would single handedly be able to kill the President.

The saying “shut up and color,” which is military slang for “do your job and follow orders.” This was one of the themes of the book because what if doing the right thing and following orders are at odds.

My friend had written an entire book on Raven Rock, the bunker 700 feet under a mountain near Camp David. I tried to find a bunch of imagery. In the beginning of the book, I drew a simplified layout of the architectural buildings and tunnels.  I wanted the reader to follow along with the action I did take some liberties to streamline things, but everything in the book comes from real life.

The Presidential Emergency Action Documents, which are documents that can be invoked by the President.  No one knows what is in them. The President could possibly create martial law, suspend Congress, nationalize industries, and ignore the Constitution.

EC:  Do you think Secret Service Agents can be flies on the wall?

MQ:  I have this book quote, they “can see everything and see nothing.” I did talk to Secret Service people for the book. Their job is to protect the person and yet they are seeing Washington politics up close. They still do their job, which is protecting the office. Even if it someone they do not respect they are still willing to protect them, even to the point of sacrificing their life. This is very honorable. 

EC:  How would you describe the Secret Service Agent Eric Hill?

MQ:  Direct, a straight talker, protective, has a slight temper, loyal and suspicious.  Because of his backstory he is disillusioned.

EC:  How would you describe the rookie Secret Service Agent Amber Cody?

MQ:  Tough, smart, stubborn, enthusiastic, disciplined, and feels she needs to prove herself to be brave.

EC:  There is a book quote about the Secret Service that reminds me of those in the military.  Please explain.

MQ:  You are referring to this book quote, “The Service was in many ways closer than family.  Agents spent more time with each other than they did with their wives and husbands and kids. They gave everything to the job, including their lives… They lived together, ate together, counted off endless hours driving through the sticks, standing in the rain, staked out in cars, and holed up in hotels.” Many of them are former military.  Talking to the real-life Secret Service Agents gave me this impression. They are so dedicated. It is like a military brotherhood.

EC:  A movie or TV show being made?

MQ:  Yes, we just announced that Chernin Entertainment has optioned the book for a feature film. I’m really excited to be working with them. The Night Agent has been renewed for season two with the plan to be out in 2024.

EC: Your next book?

MQ:  It’s early, so this could change, but the premise is that an actress who always plays tough characters and is well trained in weapons and martial arts has her friend gone missing. While looking for them, she is drawn into the world of espionage and diplomacy.  To save her friend and survive she needs to become as tough as the characters she plays on TV.

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.