The death of a nameless young woman in his emergency room spurs physician AJ Docker to seek answers. Together with his policeman friend and a police dog, he sets out on a quest for justice for his lost patient, but he discovers more questions than answers as he delves into the criminal world.
Last Patient of the Night is an action packed thriller interspersed with lighthearted stories from the emergency room, featuring a cast of interesting characters.
LAST PATIENT OF THE NIGHT (AJ Docker Thriller Book #1) by Gary Gerlacher is a fast paced action/adventure crime thriller that gives the reader a mash-up of amateur sleuth in an E.R. doctor protagonist, AJ Docker, his policeman friend and K-9 police dog, and two local detectives work the case as a police procedural all intertwined with humor as well as thrills, danger, and action.
This first book in a series introduces the main characters, AJ Docker and K-9, Banshee. The Doc has a way with the ladies (think James Bond as an E.R. doctor), is smart, talented as an Emergency Room doctor, and has a penchant to help the underdog and/or persecuted. He is also sports oriented and trained in firearms and marital arts. The secondary characters are interesting in their own ways, and the dialogue is snarky and fun. The crime thriller plot is fast-paced and kept me turning the pages. This is a thriller you pick up for escapism, action, fun, and an easy read.
I am looking forward to following Doc and Banshee in future books.
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About the Author
One of the wildest work environments imaginable, Emergency Rooms give staff the joy and satisfaction of saving lives as well as the low of pronouncing death just minutes apart. Each emergency room runs on adrenaline-fueled heroes working 24/7/365 to help patients. After thirty years in the field of medicine as a pediatric emergency physician, Gary Gerlacher has a lifetime of stories to share from his experiences. His books seek to capture the chaos and energy of life in the emergency room, while seeking justice for traumatized patients. They feature a potent mix of emotion, action, and humor, as Doc and Banshee, his K9 sidekick, travel the country to meet new challenges in each work environment. Gary is a serial entrepreneur in the healthcare space and lives in Dallas with his wife and two rescue dogs. He is currently working on opening a competitive cheer gym with his daughters (thoughts and prayers please). Last Patient of the Night, Faulty Bloodline, Sin City Treachery and Deadly Equation are currently available on Amazon. Book five, Terminal Exchanges, will be released in October, 2025.
Army CID Special Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor team up for their toughest assignment yet as they are dispatched to Camp Hayden to investigate the death of Major Roger Ames, the chief scientist in charge of the top-secret war games being conducted between a platoon of Army Rangers and a fleet of “lethal autonomous weapons.” Brodie and Taylor find themselves at ground zero of the next generation of warfare, and must untangle the complex web of alliances, animosities, and secret agendas among the men and women of the isolated facility.
In a place cut off from the world and exposed to the harsh desert elements, everyone is a suspect—from the zealous camp commander who pushes his men to the limit, to the Rangers slipping into madness due to isolation, grueling training, and rampant abuse of performance-enhancing drugs, to the late Major Ames’s own research colleagues. Brodie and Taylor must uncover layers of deception to find the hidden hand behind the murder of Major Ames, and the real purpose of the activities at Camp Hayden and its terrifying arsenal of next-generation weapons.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Alex DeMille is carrying on the torch of his father. Nelson DeMille passed away on September 17th, 2024, from esophageal cancer. He was resilient, caring, non-woke, and a perfectionist. Readers will see many of the Nelson DeMille traits of the characters in this book, written by Alex, where wokeness does not exist, they are sarcastic, wisecrackers, and are out for justice. As with Nelson DeMille’s plots, this storyline masterfully builds suspense, takes on relevant topics, and has humor and wit. Yet Alex puts his own imprint on the story and characters by having them do things that might shock readers in a good way.
The newly released book in the series Nelson DeMille’s The Tin Men, was written by Alex DeMille. Army CID Special Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor are dispatched to Camp Hayden to investigate the death of Major Roger Ames, the chief scientist in charge of the top-secret war games being conducted between a platoon of Army Rangers and a fleet of “lethal robotic autonomous weapons.” Brodie and Taylor find themselves at ground zero of the next generation of warfare robotic fighters. They must uncover layers of deception to find who is behind the murder of the robot’s creator, Major Ames. The investigation is thwarted by the complex web of alliances, animosities, secret agendas, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs in this isolated desert facility.
The second book of the series, Nelson DeMille’s Blood Lines, is written mostly by Alex DeMille; with an assist from his father. Army Criminal Investigation Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor have been separated for five months following their last assignment. Working together again, they are sent to Berlin, tasked with investigating the murder of one of their own: CID Special Agent Harry Vance of the 5th MP Battalion. Vance is an accomplished counterterrorism agent who had been stationed in western Germany, and whose body was discovered in a city park in the heart of Berlin’s Arab refugee community. The authorities suspect this is an act of Islamic terrorism, but Brodie and Taylor soon believe there is more than meets the eye. They work to discover what the murder victim was doing in the days and weeks preceding his death, becoming immersed in the many conflicts and contradictions of modern Germany: the Arab refugee crisis, the dark legacy of the Cold War, the Stasi secret police, and the imminent threats of a rising neo-Nazi movement. At the same time, they are butting heads with both the German and American authorities.
The first Nelson DeMille book in the series, The Deserter, was co-written with his son. The story seems to be based on Bowe Berghdal, a US soldier stationed in Afghanistan who walked away from his post, had two of his peers killed trying to find him, and was caught by the Taliban who kept him in supposed captivity. But then the plot takes a twist and turn. Delta Force Army Officer Kyle Mercer, the “Berghdal” character, has escaped the Taliban by beheading his captors and fleeing to Venezuela. After being spotted by an old army buddy the top military brass decides to send two members of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to that socialist evil country to find Mercer and bring him back for trial of desertion.
All three books have a riveting plot. Readers are taken on a roller coaster ride in this action-filled story with surprise twists and turns.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: There are three books in the series, what were the differences?
Alex DeMille: The first, The Deserter, was written fully with my dad and was set in Venezuela, the second, Bloodlines, was set in Berlin, and this one was set in America’s Southwest at an Army base like Fort Irwin. The setting came first and the plot with AI/autonomous weapons/robots came later.
I also wanted in the plot something I was reading about, drug abuse in the military. Specifically with the Special Operation elite soldiers using strength enhancing drugs.
In the first two books the main characters had to suck it up, keep their mouths shut, and not talk about the secretive stuff they found out. I wanted this book to be different.
EC: What was it like writing this story, mainly without your dad?
AD: I spoke with my dad about the plot for this book and he pushed for this idea of robotics and AI. He said we can do this and make it real where science fiction become science fact. Because he was so sick, I wrote the whole plot of this book on my own. Although, we did the proposal together: the stage, the characters, and the premise but after that the plot was not blueprinted out. I tried to follow his style whether he wrote with me, or I did it on my own. However, he has a unique voice so I could not parrot him exactly. With that said, he is my parent and have a sense of how he speaks in his writing, humor, and what he finds interesting. A lot of his style came to me through osmosis where a version of his voice melted with my voice. I really did hear his voice in my head when I was writing this book. In a way I felt connected to him after he passed away. I came to the realization, as many children do, that our parents’ voices are in our heads.
EC: Were you in the military?
AD: I was not in the military. This book does lean into the military more than the other two. While writing the first book together, I would have this conversation with my father who was a veteran so I felt comfortable, knowing if there was something that sounded wrong or was factually wrong, he would catch it. For this book, I did go to Fort Irwin where war games are cloned with logistic and combat training. I got to ride on a Blackhawk helicopter. I thought about what kind of weapons would be used by Army Rangers and Titanium Alloy humanoid weapons as well as how a base runs and how each type of officer relates to each other. I had a friend, a former officer in the Marines, read the book for authenticity since CID officers must operate without any consideration of rank.
EC: Were Maggie and Scott both in combat?
AD: Yes. Scott Brodie was a former infantry soldier in Iraq, now a top CID investigator. Maggie Taylor a former Civil Affairs E-5 in Afghanistan, is Scott’s CID partner. Their knowledge of combat was used in this plot. He was in one of the most vicious battles of the Iraq war, the Second Battle of Fallujah. She was a Civil Affairs Officer on the ground that was exposed to danger. Maggie’s first foot forward was diplomatic, and the guns came out if necessary.
EC: Why the drug use in this story?
AD: Partly because it was set in the desert, which I associated with hallucinogens. One can argue that these performance enhancing drugs that soldiers use in real life make them less human and become more like robots. I also had this drug used by many Native Americans where the user reconnects with nature, having ways of altering body and mind.
EC: Has Maggie and Scott, the CID Agents, changed over the course of the three books?
AD: I think they have changed. In the first book Scott was the brilliant crude arrogant rule breaking maverick while Maggie was brilliant but a rule follower who stayed between the lines. Through the course of the three books readers will see Maggie not by the book as she seems and Scott realizes he has limits. I really enjoyed writing Maggie, who was the junior officer to Scott, as she came more into her own and more confident. They both ended up having problems with authority, were untrusting, and rule breakers because the system was corrupt.
EC: What about their relationship?
AD: It began with sexual and professional tension. It grew into a deeper bond with a mutual respect and love for each other. Maggie became more like Scott because she saw through his eyes that these institutions are complicated, and she could not always defend them.
EC: How would you describe the robots, the D-17s?
AD: They are strong, and have the skills to run, jump, flip, roll, and dive. The first image of them is that they are like Terminators. They are not frightening because of their brains, but because of their brawn. They are killing machines. Despite being very powerful and agile they are designed to not have any sophisticated learning. They only engage in certain ways and certain places with certain rules on how they could be deactivated. The goal was to give the Rangers this incredible physical challenge fighting against them. The Rangers never win because they cannot overcome these unstoppable monsters. Throughout the course of the book readers see the humans wonder how they can prevail after the robots became like the “Scarecrow,” getting a brain. The story shows that with AI things can go wrong. I read how it cannot be autonomous without being intelligent and cannot be autonomous if it is too lethal. The military must balance how much the person can be taken out of the loop.
EC: How did you come up with the names for the robots?
AD: I do not remember if it was my idea or my dad’s idea to use baseball player names. I know he said the robots need names because the military names everything. The CEO of Simon & Schuster suggested instead of Wade Boggs to use Bucky Dent. I thought Bucky is an interesting name for a robot.
EC: What about the AI effect?
AD: I dislike it because I see all the ways it replaces human communication and human art. But a friend, a radiologist oncologist, pointed out, how it quickly can identify breast cancer. To me, in this case, humans were not taken out of the loop, and the machines were used as a machine. AI should be doing the grunt work so we can do art, not the other way around where AI does the art, so we all become grunts.
EC: Do you agree with David Baldacci that says AI companies are committing plagiarism and piracy of authors’ works?
AD: I completely agree with him. It is theft where learning models are taught on the work of the creators. They are using real artwork. How can someone trace what intellectual property feeds into it? I do not trust Congress to do anything. I am not optimistic that government is going to put any of this on a leash.
EC: What do you want readers to get out of this book?
AD: What it is like to lose humanity and then to regain it. Do the soldiers become the machines they are fighting against?
EC: Next book?
AD: I would be happy to write another Taylor/Brodie book, and I also have another idea for a thriller 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.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HER COLD HEART (Detective Delaney Pace Book #6) by Pamela Fagan Hutchins on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
As snow falls over the small town of Kearny, the body of a young woman lies on the frozen ground. Her unblinking eyes stare out across the mountain top, and a wave of crimson-red blood seeps into the white blanket where she rests.
When residents discover a body on the slopes of a popular ski resort, DetectiveDelaney Pace and Sheriff Leo Palmer are first to investigate. Delaney scans her surroundings, and among the panic-stricken crowd she spots a man fleeing through the trees.
Delaney and Leo race after the suspect, following the tracks he left in his wake. But when the pair are separated, Delaney makes a heart-stopping discovery: a make-shift graveyard at an abandoned lodge deep in the forest. Immediately she knows there are more victims—and Leo’s radio has gone dead…
With the sheriff missing and the risk of more lives being taken, Delaney works fast to capture the twisted killer. But her mission grinds to a halt when a ghost from her past sends her a chilling message: Do as I say, if you want to see Leo again.
Desperate to save the man she loves, Delaney faces the shocking realisation that this whole thing was planned. She knows who’s responsible—and how dangerous they are. If she follows the orders she could lose her life, but if she doesn’t, she could lose Leo. Will she catch the killer in time? Or will she pay the ultimate price?
HER COLD HEART (Detective Delaney Pace Book #6) by Pamela Fagan Hutchins is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that is full of action and twists. This is the sixth book in the series, and I could not put it down. I would recommend reading this series in order because the characters’ personal lives, growth, and histories play a large part in each book.
Detective Delaney Pace and Sheriff Leo Palmer are out enjoying the slopes with their family. As they are getting off the ski lift at the top of the run, a shot rings out and the young women behind Delaney is shot and killed. Delaney and Leo race after the suspect described by a witness.
A snow mobile chase ensues, and Delaney and Leo separate. When Delaney returns for Leo’s help, she cannot find him anywhere. As she traces his tracks, she discovers he was in an accident and then taken by the suspects they were chasing. She is sent a proof of life video and is told she must follow all orders she receives to get Leo back alive.
Delaney must risk everything as she goes up against dangerous ghosts from her past who want both dead.
This is such a fast paced, thrill ride of a new book in this series. After six books, I care about all the characters and I just feel like I am catching up with old friends, and when they are in danger, I read as fast as I can and pray all ends well. The danger, mysteries, and plot twists come fast in this story as Delaney works to save Leo and herself.
I highly recommend this emotional, action-packed thriller/police procedural addition to this series and cannot wait for more!
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About the Author
USA Today bestselling and Silver Falchion Best Mystery winning mystery/thriller/suspense author (and recovering attorney and investigator) who splits time between an off-the-grid lodge on the face of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains and a rustic cabin on Maine’s Lake Mooselookmeguntic with her husband, kids and grandkids, rescue pets and sled dog, and draft cross horses.
Writes for Bookouture and independently.
Host of Crime & Wine: Novelist Chats with Pamela Fagan Hutchins.
Kate Holland has a new case. A psychologist assigned to a Little Rock VA hospital was found brutally stabbed to death. Kate met the man mere days earlier…following his argument with her own shrink.
At the victim’s house, Kate’s stunned to discover a cache of military-grade explosives. Is there more deadly C-4 floating around out there—and does someone have plans to use it?
Evidence found in the victim’s safe suggests yes. The psychologist was conducting a private investigation into a heinous crime that occurred more than two years ago and half a world away…in an active war zone.
Back in Arkansas, connections and bodies have begun to multiply. Can Kate zero in on the killer before he obliterates the most innocent victim of all—with the rest of that stolen C-4?
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Elise’s Thoughts
Blood On the Wire by Candace Irving brings back Kate Holland and her loving furry partner, Ruger. She is a former US Navy Lieutenant who writes the “Hidden Valor Series,” and the “Deception Point Military Detective Series.” Fans of Ruger get a bonus because there is now merchandise available for purchase at https://store.candaceirving.com/collections/hidden-valor-merch-collection
The plot of this book has Kate initially investigating the death of a VA psychologist who was brutally stabbed to death. But during the investigation, Kate discovers a cache of military grade explosives. But the psychologist is not the only death, and the multiple deaths bring about multiple suspects including Gwen Lindt, someone brutally raped. Kate must put together the pieces to find out if there is a connection between the C-4 explosives, the rape, and the killings.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Candace Irving: I wanted to put in this book where Kate will be in her PTSD journey, even after she finishes her therapy. The mystery involves multiple dead bodies including a psychologist and multiple suspects, one of which will be a worker in Civil Affairs.
EC: You better never ever kill off Ruger. Do you agree?
CI: Ruger will never grow old and will never die in the series. Never mind Kate, I could not handle it. This is fiction. There is not a timeline in the series. Kate and Ruger are in a little bubble so it will take many books to get through a year.
EC: What about PTSD?
CI: Part of my goal for writing this series is to help vets and those who have PTSD. It is never just gone, even if someone finishes up their therapy. With Kate I took readers through the process of having PTSD and getting into the right therapy. The character is this story Gwen Lindt is the flip side who does not go to therapy. My consultant, Dr. Patricia Resick, and I discussed rape victims because the story centers on it. The victim in the story became promiscuous because of her horrific rapes. In her mind that is how she is dealing with her stress because she feels she can control it.
EC: Why does Kate have PTSD about her capture by Islamists and being tortured but not about her being raped by them?
CI: Dr. Resick pointed out that Kate is not hung up about the rape. I put in the earlier stories the reason. Because she was raped when unconscious she has no memory of it and therefore no PTSD regarding it. Kate will never lose control so for example she will never get drunk because she was raped while unconscious. She did kill everyone who raped her. What she did have is her physical appearance hang ups and conflicts.
EC: Why the Afghan smuggling plot of the story?
CI: SIV means Special Immigrant Visas that were given to translators and families who helped US forces during the War on Terror. But in this story, there were some characters who charged Afghans to falsify documents who wanted to come to the US. I found through my research this was going on. This part of the story was one of the chess pieces of the whole chess board part of the plot. One of the characters was motivated because he wants to help those who helped US forces out of these deadly situations and is not concerned with getting money.
EC: How would you describe Gwen?
CI: In the scene where Kate is first interviewing her, Gwen comes across as a major jerk. But as the story progresses readers might understand why Gwen acted the way she did, having a lot of resentment toward Kate. She had displaced anger. Gwen comes across as arrogant but actually she is still living in her trauma. Kate seems to understand why Gwen is acting out, that she is punishing people she displaces for those who were involved in the rapes. The statistic I put in the book is true: 20% of the women in the US at some point in their life will either be a victim of an attempted rape or were raped.
EC: Was this book sort of a crossover since you have CID Special Agent Regan Chase making an appearance from the Deception Point Series?
CI: Yes. This book is as close as I have come so far. Kate and Regan are friends. They can read each other, almost being able to finish each other’s thoughts. Kate was Regan’s mentor. Back when I wanted to connect “The Deception Point Series” featuring Regan and “The Hidden Valor Series” featuring Kate I decided that Kate while in Iraq realized that Regan is very good at doing investigative work.
EC: Why does Ruger dislike Dr. Manning, Kate’s psychologist?
CI: Ruger can sense Kate’s feelings and hurt. Ruger does not like men for obvious reasons. The moment Kate and Ruger walked into Dr. Manning’s office Ruger realized this was a smell that is freaking my mom (Kate) out because he is so attuned to Kate’s feelings and has such a strong sense of smell.
EC: What is the role of Ruger in this story?
CI: He comforts, a partner of Kate, and a search dog. Anyone who has a dog understands how Ruger is a comfort to Kate. Ruger can pick up on all her emotions.
EC: What about Arash and Kate’s relationship?
CI: They love each other. She wants to become intimate with him but initially pulls away because of the scars all over her body. They are honest with each other.
EC: Next books?
CI: There will be two books in “The Deception Point Series” that will finish off the arc. Pitch Black is the next Regan book and another one after it. These books will have a dual point of view, one from CID Agent Regan and one from NCIS Agent Mira.
The next Kate book will be after the two books in “The Deception Point Series.” The working title is Into the Cold. There will be people readers know and love and hate in this story.
EC: Rumor has it that fans of the Ruger series can get some merchandise?
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 TRUST NO ONE (Agent Tori Hunter Book #8) by Roger Stelljes on this blog tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
In a cabin by a lake, a mother and father tuck their little girl into bed and kiss her goodnight. But they can’t enjoy the evening summer breeze—because this is no ordinary family on vacation. This is a family with nowhere left to run… and no one left to trust.
When FBI Agent Tori Hunter and Detective Will Braddock are called to a crime scene at a remote hunting cabin, they find blood everywhere. A small pink suitcase has been left behind, filled with children’s clothes and medicine. Has a family been murdered on vacation, or did they run just in time?
The team quickly tracks down the details of the family renting the cabin. But Braddock freezes at the last name. He claims to have never heard it before… but Tori can always tell when her partner is lying.
Furious that Braddock might keep something from her when lives are at stake, when two New York City detectives show up in Minnesota with questions for Braddock her fears are proved right… because there’s a murder case in Braddock’s past he never told Tori about. It took over his life just after his wife died, and forced him out of the city for good. Why did he keep it secret?
Tori has no time for games. Tracking down suppliers of the medicine from the cabin is her one lead to find this family before it’s too late. But with fingers pointing at Braddock, and her own instincts screaming that he’d never betray her or the shield, Tori will have to put her own career on the line to defend the man she trusts above all else—and find the real killer with a deadly score to settle.
TRUST NO ONE (Agent Tori Hunter Book #8) by Roger Stelljes is an action-packed thrilling tangled web of a crime plot that intertwines flashbacks in Detective Will Braddock’s past in the NYCPD which seems to jeopardize his present life with former FBI agent Tori Hunter in Minnesota. This is the eighth book in this great series and can be easily read as a standalone, but I read the books in order to follow the two main protagonist’s growing relationship.
Detective Will Braddock gets a call from a snitch from an old case in NYC who has come to Manchester Bay for help. The case involved one of his friends from the NYPD who was killed while he worked the case because his nephew was involved. At the time, Will’s wife was dying of cancer, and he just did not want to work on it as he normally would. He refuses to get involved, but the next day Tori and Will get called to a hunting cabin riddled with bullet holes and blood everywhere, but no bodies.
Two NYC cops from Will’s past show up at the police station and accuse Will of being dirty. After leaving the station, they are both nearly killed. Tori has had enough and decides with the help of their friends to turn this hunt around and go after the hunters by becoming the hunters themselves to keep those she loves safe.
This series is amazing, and this book even topped the rest for me. I could not put it down. The book is intricately plotted and full of surprises, so I was never sure what to believe so I had to keep turning the pages. Tori is smart, strong, and intelligent and so is Will, which makes for head butting along the way, but it also is what made them attracted to each other. The beautiful descriptions of the lake they live on and all the different types of weather and terrain in Minnesota brings it to life.
This is an overall well written and very strong police procedural/crime thriller series that I highly recommend to all lovers of the genre.
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About the Author
Roger Stelljes is the acclaimed New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of pulse-pounding murder mystery and suspense novels, including the Tori Hunter and McRyan Mystery Series. Roger’s crime thrillers are noted for their fast-paced, yet intricate plots filled with layered and complex characters.
Roger started his first novel in July 2002 while on vacation in Minnesota’s Brainerd Lakes area and has been writing ever since. His debut book, The St. Paul Conspiracy, was nominated in genre fiction for the Minnesota Book Awards along with finalists Brian Freeman and William Kent Krueger. With his follow-up, Deadly Stillwater, where Vince Flynn hailed Roger as a “powerful new thriller voice”, he won the Midwest Independent Book Publishers award for commercial fiction.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Roger still lives there with his family. In addition to his work as an author, Roger is a partner in his law firm. Roger is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys spending time outdoors boating, attending hockey games, and honing his golf game.
In the White Mountain Wilderness of Interior Alaska, twenty-four-year-old protected witness Sam Lujan is lonely for his old life. So much so, the young Apache not only breaks the cardinal rule of the Witness Protection Program—by revealing his whereabouts to his mother, he invites her to join him to see the Northern Lights. It’s her lifelong dream. No worries. It’ll be safe.
When Deputy U.S. Marshals Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki discover Sam has gone missing, they’re asked to make a quick trip into the remote wild to make sure the witness is indeed protected. But there’s no such thing as a quick trip. Not when they’re plunging headlong into the frozen unknown at fifty-eight degrees below zero. And not when they aren’t the only ones searching. Valeria Kot, the vengeful daughter of the criminal Sam testified against, has been waiting and watching for years for just the opportunity to strike back. She’s found it—and has dispatched a sadistic hit squad to make sure Sam pays in the most savage way possible.
Once Arliss and Lola reach the trailhead it doesn’t take long for them to realize they’re dealing with more than a witness who’s broken protocol. Tracks in the snow and tell-tale signs signal an armed team—one that’s already a step ahead of them. For Arliss and Lola, and a desperate mother and son on the run, the death-defying, frigid temperatures are the least of their worries.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Dead Line by Marc Cameron, a former US Marshal, is very realistic. This is no surprise considering he draws upon his past experiences to create riveting storylines.
This story has Deputy U.S. Marshals Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki chasing multiple killers. Royce Decker, a former member of the St. Louis Metro PD, is on the run in Alaska for hiring a hit man to kill his pregnant wife. Also, there is Butch Pritchard, a killer-for-hire, who ruthlessly killed the woman and her unborn baby. While this is going on, a mob hit squad is heading into their area to take out a snitch in witness protection.
Besides pursuing these killers, Cutter and Teariki must contend with the Alaskan weather. Readers feel the wind chill factor with Cameron’s vivid descriptions along with the frigid coldness that has the temperature falling to minus seventy-two degrees.
Along with these plotlines, readers get more of Cutter’s backstory. He is now trying to come to terms with his estranged mother, Ursula, who left him with his grandfather when he was five years old. She has now suddenly appeared and has hit him with a new revelation. There is also the continuing saga of how Mim, Cutter’s late brother’s wife, and he are trying to forge a relationship. Then there is the relationship between Cutter and his partner Lola who he looks upon as a daughter, yet realizes she is too impulsive and may need to take a step back before she reacts.
All of this makes for a wonderful story that has personal relationships which humanize the characters. But not to be forgotten is the intense action that will have readers quickly turning the pages.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?
Marc Cameron: About 25 years ago I was on a training mission with the tactical tracking unit. It is like a real SWAT team that we operate in the woods. This happened right after I moved to Alaska.
EC: Did you get the ideas for weather playing a role in the story from your experiences?
MC: Yes. When I was working there it was winter. There was a case where the Marshals drove through Fairbanks, and the sign said 58 degrees below. As we drove North it got colder. Having spent 4 days in a cabin and deployed from it in snow machines, we learned about wind chill. Plus, the scene when I had Lola fall through the ice was realistic. I have been out on the lake ice. There is a time when people should not go out because of the cracking underneath their feet. There were times I had to chase people across the ice and thought ‘this is pretty dangerous.’
EC: Did you ever fall through the ice?
MC: I have never fallen through the ice. But I did jump through a hole in the ice to know what it is like and to learn how to get out. Falling through the ice in a river is dangerous because of the current. The key to falling through the ice on a lake is for people to relax and swim their way out, kicking their feet up, to come out of the water like a seal. It is doable if someone does not panic.
EC: Did you ever track human traffickers, one of the plot lines in this story?
MC: I have dealt with lots of human trafficking. When I first moved to Alaska in 1991 there was a bunch of exotic dancers who were pimped out and trafficked by the Russian mob. I take bits of pieces of cases I worked on.
EC: What about tracking law enforcement criminals, the other plot line?
MC: There is a whole new set of dangers to be aware of when trying to find a fugitive that is former law enforcement or former military Online there is so much out there we now assume people have a lot of skills.
EC: How would you describe Alriss’s mom, Ursula?
MC: She has secrets, can be fearless, and he has a lot of her personality. She left her sons when they were young and now Arliss has found out he has a stepsister. She is imperfect. When she was younger Ursula realized she was not going to be a good mother for her sons. Now she is trying. She was never evil.
EC: What about the Mim/Cutter relationship?
MC: Readers will see where it is going by the end of this book. Over the course of the next couple of books there will be some struggles, trying to figure out how to move forward. It was clear at the end of the last book, Bad River, that they were moving forward. It will be a journey for them.
EC: What about the next book?
MC: The next book is titled Back Track, out this time next year. There will be more of a progression in the Mim/Cutter relationship. Half of the next story will go back to 1977 when Grumpy is in his 40’s, moving from Texas to Florida. This is the year Arliss is born. Part of the book will happen in 1977, and part will be in present day, landing in Arliss’s lap. It is sort of a Cold Case of Grumpys.
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.
