#elisesthoughts – Page 5 – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Evelyn Redfern Series by Julia Kelly

A Traitor in Whitehall, Evelyne Redfern Book 1

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park, Evelyne Redfern Book 2

A Dark and Deadly Journal, Evelyne Redfern Book 3

Julia Kelly

Minotaur Books

Julia Kelly’s new series introduces a new heroine, Evelyne Redfern. She is intelligent, logical, and resilient with a love of reading detective stories. Readers are plunged into WWII where Evelyne ends up as a spy. These novels have secrets and friendships.

All three books are very interesting reads with characters that are well developed. The historical insight only adds to the books’ suspense.

Book Description

1940, England: Evelyne Redfern, known as “The Parisian Orphan” as a child, is working on the line at a munitions factory in wartime London. When Mr. Fletcher, one of her father’s old friends, spots Evelyne on a night out, Evelyne finds herself plunged into the world of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms.

However, shortly after she settles into her new role as a secretary, one of the girls at work is murdered, and Evelyne must use all of her amateur sleuthing expertise to find the killer. But doing so puts her right in the path of David Poole, a cagey minister’s aide who seems determined to thwart her investigations. That is, until Evelyne finds out David’s real mission is to root out a mole selling government secrets to Britain’s enemies, and the pair begrudgingly team up.

With her quick wit, sharp eyes, and determination, will Evelyne be able to find out who’s been selling England’s secrets and catch a killer, all while battling her growing attraction to David?

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Elise’s Thoughts

A Traitor in Whitehall introduces Evelyne by going into her backstory. She was known as the Parisian Orphan after her mother died, and her father was in name only. Now many years later, she is approached by Mr. Fletcher, a family friend who offers her a secretarial job in an underground bunker where the Churchill cabinet war rooms are located. Shortly after she settles into the job, one of her fellow workers is murdered. She uses her amateur detective skills to find the killer. But doing so puts her right in the path of David Poole, a cagey minister’s aide who seems determined to thwart her investigations. That is, until Evelyne finds out David’s real mission is to root out a mole selling government secrets to Britain’s enemies. The pair begrudgingly team up since it becomes obvious Evelyne can get people to speak to her.

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Book Description

Freshly graduated from a rigorous training program in all things spy craft, former typist Evelyne Redfern is eager for her first assignment as a field agent helping Britain win the war. However, when she learns her first task is performing a simple security test at Blackthorn Park, a requisitioned manor house in the sleepy Sussex countryside, she can’t help her initial disappointment. Making matters worse, her handler is to be David Poole, a fellow agent who manages to be both strait-laced and dashing in annoyingly equal measure. However, Evelyne soon realizes that Blackthorn Park is more than meets the eye, and an upcoming visit from Winston Churchill means that security at the secret weapons research and development facility is of the utmost importance.

When Evelyne discovers Blackthorn Park’s chief engineer dead in his office, her simple assignment becomes more complicated. Evelyne must use all of her—and David’s—detection skills to root out who is responsible and uncover layers of deception that could change the course of the war.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park has Evelyne going from a secretary to a covert spy. Now, fresh out of training, Evelyne is sent, with David as her handler, to infiltrate Blackthorn Park, a secret government installation developing clandestine weapons. They must figure out why some materials have gone missing. They are on a time limit since Prime Minister Winston Churchill is due to arrive there in a few days for a demonstration. Unfortunately, while making sure the facility is secure, Evelyne stumbles upon a dead body, that of Sir Nigel Balram, a brilliant but unpopular engineer who heads the project. Despite David and Evelyne’s slightly prickly relationship they function efficiently and intelligently together and now must quickly find the killer.

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Book Description

After being sidelined for a pesky gunshot wound, typist-turned-field agent Evelyne Redfern is ready for her next assignment with Britain’s secretive Special Investigations Unit. When a British Intelligence informant in Portugal mysteriously disappears just after hinting that he has vital information about German plans that could tip the balance of World War Two, Evelyne and her dashingly irksome partner, David Poole, are sent headed to Lisbon to find him.

Once they land, Evelyne and David aren’t even able to leave the airport, before she discovers one of their fellow aeroplane passengers murdered and uncovers a diary with a clear link between the victim and their missing informant. With their mission in jeopardy before it can truly begin, Evelyne and David fight to keep their cover intact as they descend deeper into the shadows that surround Lisbon’s glittering collection of wealthy expats and dangerous spies. This case will test Evelyne and David’s training, charm, and wit—and their growing attraction for one another.

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Elise’s Thoughts

A Dark and Deadly Journal is a cliff hanger. While the other two books are more of a mystery this book combines a mystery within a thriller making for a riveting and gripping novel. When a British Intelligence informant in Portugal mysteriously disappears just after hinting that he has vital information about German plans that could tip the balance of World War Two, Evelyne and her partner, David Poole, are sent to Lisbon to find him. Before she even leaves the plane, she discovers one of their fellow passengers murdered and uncovers a diary with a clear link between the victim and their missing informant. Unfortunately, Evelyn finds herself the main suspect in a murder before she even leaves the airport, but she is eventually released, although still considered a person of interest. As she and David try to find the informant, Evelyne feels guilty because she is hiding the other reason she is in Portugal, to locate her estranged father.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Is the theme for all the Evelyne Redfern books having her find a dead body?

Julia Kelly: I like a classic murder mystery with the set up and who done it. I always enjoyed the puzzle and figuring out what will happen. For the foreseeable future I anticipate focusing on the murder mystery side of things.

EC: How did you get the idea for the series?

JK: I was at the Imperial War Museums in London with a friend. It is interesting where they have the underground bunkers for the cabinet war rooms used during WWII. I thought this would be a good place to set a murder mystery because it is a closed room so to speak. It is a bit of a lock room mystery in a way. I wrote this into my first book, A Traitor in Whitehall.

EC: In the first book Evelyne mother’s death was highlighted. Why?

JK: It is one of Evelyne’s big motivations. Her mother died when she was twelve and she always felt that the death was not investigated properly. She has this lingering feeling that something does not add up. She sees it again when a murder happens at Whitehall, believing that the military police are not taking the death seriously. Her motivation was the feeling of mirrors and parallel to the investigation of her mother.

EC: The victims in the books seem to be unlikeable. Do you agree?

JK: Yes, in the first book the victim, Jean Plinkton, is not sympathetic. She is catty, likes to collect and use information on people to blackmail them, unpopular, a bully, and a snitch. Evelyne believes that she still deserves justice. In the second and third books the victims were ladies’ men who had affairs. I wanted to write about elements of their characters that were possible red herrings.

EC: What was the idea for the second book, Betrayal at Blackthorn Park?

JK: I wanted to write a country house murder mystery. During the war there was a huge number of stately homes, requestioned, including a SOE research and development facility for the creation of weapons. Evelyne was sent to investigate the security there because of breeches.

EC: Is the SOE real?

JK: It stands for Special Operations Executive, a branch of the British government that was clandestine. They are covert. Their agents use surveillance, have weapons training, use explosives, and have combat and parachute training. They blow up strategic targets, run secret missions, conduct assassinations, and extract people out of a country. They were controversial because some felt war should be fought out in the open and not in secret. Churchill believed the war would be won with not only conventional forces but also secret combat missions. It was nicknamed the Department of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

EC: The idea for the third book, A Dark and Deadly Journal?

JK: I wanted to get Evelyne and her partner David out of their comfort zone. I decided to send them to Portugal, a neutral country during WWII. It is an interesting space because there was a huge amount of espionage activity there. They were sent to Portugal to investigate the disappearance of a missing vital informant run by British intelligence. Evelyne is now growing as a field agent.

EC: Do readers get to know her father in this book?

JK: Yes. He never calls himself dad to her. He is not cautious, not meticulous, uncaring, aloof, selfish, arrogant, unfaithful, a bad father/husband, and is content that he had years of no contact with his daughter, Evelyne. To others he can be glamorous, charming and gracious. He made his living by going off on adventures and writing about them.

EC: How would you describe Evelyne?

JK: She is perceptive, insightful, curious, independent, personable, aggressive, sarcastic, likes to disarm people, and tends to sulk at times.

EC: How would you describe her partner, David?

JK: He is calm, trusting, and a rule follower. He is the straight man to Evelyne. He has a past that has not been dealt with yet.

EC: There is a debate between Evelyne and David about detective novels. Why?

JK: She likes English detective stories, and he likes American detective stories. Part of it is my enjoyment of reading them and a nod to the golden age of novels. Evelyne’s ambitions to become a detective intrigues her because of her reading of those stories. I have personally read many more British detective novels than American.

EC: What was the role of Evelyne’s Aunt Amelia?

JK: She is probably my favorite character to write. She is very bold. She came about because Evelyne is estranged from her father, her mother has died, and I wanted Evelyne to have a connection with a family member. Aunt Amelia is a strong presence but not always a welcome presence in Evelyne’s life. She is bossy, difficult, and pushy but loves her niece very much.

EC: What about Mrs. White and Mr. Fletcher?

JK: They are Evelyne’s bosses who will push her. Fletcher recruits her, a family friend. He very much believes in her. Mrs. White is much more by the book who is sharp, efficient, serious, and shrewd. She wants to make sure Evelyne is trained and knows what she is doing. They have Evelyne investigate moles and breeches of security. Mrs. White does not feel Evelyne has earned her trust yet and they have a tense relationship. Fletcher runs the department while Mrs. White runs the field agents.

EC: In the books you play on women’s issues?

JK: There were men who did not want women to be in a certain role. Especially with the first book I wanted to play up the fact how Evelyne is underestimated at every turn because she is a woman in the typing pool. She was not valued. She was able to speak to people who would otherwise not speak to an investigator and is able to fly under the radar. Women’s roles were opening during the war. The perception that women were not capable of doing certain jobs for the war effort was still part of the thinking of the time. She used that expectation to her own advantage.

EC: What about the relationship between David and Evelyne?

JK: He has high regard for her. At first, he does not look on her as an equal partner but comes around. They can read each other. They do not necessarily trust each other. It is a relationship that is still growing. In the last book I do not leave them in a very good place.

EC: Next book?

JK: I want to not focus not only on the murder mystery themselves, but the development of the characters. Going forward I will have some changes and tension between them. I wanted to put their relationship on some strain and pressure. The next book is in the making.

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Last Seen and The Wolves Come Out at Night by J.T. Ellison

Both books are riveting and gripping novels. The twists and turns will keep readers guessing to the very end.

Book Description

Come here. Come closer.

Halley James knows her marriage is over. But she’s not prepared for the rest of her life to fall apart too.

No one can hear you. No one can help you.

She just lost her job at the forensics lab. Her dad needs emergency surgery. But the biggest blow comes back home in Marchburg, Virginia, where she discovers her mother didn’t actually die in a car crash. Her mom was murdered—and her father lied about it all these years.

I have nothing to hide from you. Are you hiding something from me?

Since she was six years old, it’s been Halley and her dad. Now, she doesn’t know what to believe. Desperate for the truth, Halley chases down a lead in Brockville, Tennessee. But all there is not as it seems. Brockville’s utopian charm hides a chilling darkness. And Halley’s search for answers threatens to expose an unspeakable reality.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Last Seen by J. T. Ellison is a standalone novel. Her protagonist, Halley James, is not having a good year. She is getting divorced, has lost her job at the forensics lab, and her dad needs emergency surgery after a fall. But the biggest blow is when she discovers her mother died, not in a car accident, but was murdered by her sister. Since she was six years old her dad had lied to her, refusing to tell her the truth about her mother’s death. Halley is now looking for answers and knows she must find her missing sister to get to the bottom of what happened to her mom. Luckily, her soon to be ex-husband is willing to help her and protect her.

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Book Description

A detective on the brink.
An assassin out for revenge.
A desperate mother racing against the clock.

While the high-profile murder of a young country singer turns Nashville inside out, danger lurks in the woods beyond the city’s border. There was a witness to the terrible crime, a college student who stumbled onto the scene. When the girl goes missing, the police don’t know if she’s run for cover or been taken…or if something more sinister is happening.

The truth will shatter Taylor’s career and bring her face to face with a deadly assassin who wants nothing more than to finish what they started.

Taylor Jackson is back. And you’ve never seen her quite like this.

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Elise’s Thoughts

The Wolves Come at Night has two storylines that come together at the end. It may at first seem like each storyline is not related but they turn out to be connected in the end. One story has the murder of a country music singer by a supposed serial killer. The other story has Taylor making some big changes plus must team up with assassin Angelie Delacroiz. Taylor, now a Captain, is frustrated at having basically a desk job and during an impulsive moment she quits over a disagreement on how to pursue another case assigned to her, the disappearance of a murder witness.

It seems that Carson, the witness to the murder of country singer Georgia Wray, has disappeared. Worse, her mom, Dr. Avery Conway receives a ransom note. Through the course of the investigation, it is discovered that the same people who kidnapped Carson, also killed, her dad, Richard. Taylor suspects that the murder of Georgia Wray relate to Carson Conway’s disappearance. Along with Angelie’s help they pursue the kidnappers before they have a chance to do harm to Carson.

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Author Interview

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

J. T. Ellison: I dreamed this one. It happens sometimes. I had this wild dream about a romance in this town. I found a way to darken it up. I decided to use the same town of Brockville. I was with my sweet little cat Jamison. It was her last night, and we knew we would have to put her down the next day because she was sick. This was the original title for this story, ‘Her Last Night.’ She sat in my lap while I wrote the story. I swear she gave me the story. The main character, Halley James, finds out everything she knew about her life is a lie including the death of her mother by her sister.

EC: How would you describe Halley?

JT: I moved the entire story up ten years, so she is now 34. She is a trained forensic scientist. Her whole life is falling apart with a failed job, a failed marriage, not having a child she desires, her mother dead, her dad is in the hospital because of a fall, and her sister disappeared. She is still having grief. I wrote the book from a place of bereavement, having lost one of my furry muses. I was so sad and unhappy that I channeled that grief into the story. Halley is curious, suspicious, has a moral compass, and is damaged. She had a head injury and continues to have memory issues, blackouts, that make her feel panicky, fearful, and anxious.

EC: How would you describe Cat, the sister?

JT: She is a highly functioning well adjusted sociopath. She is jealous, mean, cruel, smart, stubborn, aggressive, has an impulse disorder, and is full of rage. Although things might not be as they seem.

EC: What is the relationship between Halley and Cat?

JT: Halley is obsessed with finding her because she wanted to know why she killed her mother. They have a very complicated relationship. Cat exists and functions in the darkness that is represented by Ian, while Halley is lightness. Cat is Ian’s servant.

EC: How would you describe the antagonist, Ian?

JT: He is a monster. He is evil. He is immoral. One of the darkest characters I have ever written.

EC: How would you describe Halley’s estranged husband Theo?

JT: He loves her deeply. He has his own demons. Theo supports her. He is gentle, concerned, caring, but stubborn. He is willing to lose his marriage instead of compromising his morals. Because he sees such horrible things in his job, he does not want to raise a child in this world.

EC: What role does the dad play in the story?

JT: He is Halley’s mentor. He is her savior and protector. The dad brought Halley up after her mother died and kept her safe. He had a big miscalculation in judgement in that trying to keep her safe he lied to her. He broke her heart and trust.

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for Whiteout and The Wolves Come at Night?

J. T. Ellison: It is part of an anthology I wrote, and the theme was having a white-out blizzard that crisscrossed a large portion of the county, to create isolation. The anthology written with Erica Spindler and Alex Kava features all our main characters in separate stories. Whiteout is a novella, the opening for the book, The Wolves Come at Night. Whiteout is a closed circle mystery, while Wolves is a bang-out thriller.

EC: What is the battle between the “two wolves?

JTE: It is the duality of the heroes. Both Angelie and Taylor struggle with doing immoral things for moral reasons. They both must kill, face evil, and must decide if they choose the good or choose the evil.

EC: How would you describe Angelie?

JTE: I wanted to explore how her backstory affected her and how this formative moment made her the person she is. Angelie Delacroix’s backstory is based on a real crime in France where a little girl watched her parents executed in front of her. Angelie is fearless, a predator, has a temper, can be reckless, has a darkness, unstable, ruthless, but has a sense of humor, and is a rogue assassin. I do not think she is a sociopath because she was made into someone who she is and was not born that way. She is doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.

EC: How would you describe Detective Taylor Jackson?

JTE: She is an idealist, instinctive, loyal, can read people, not a rule follower, sarcastic, wants to rid the world of those who do harm, and seeks justice. She is in a place she does not want to be. In the previous books she was traumatized. She was shot in So Close the Hand of Death, and in the book Where All the Dead Lie, she could not speak, incredibly traumatized. In this story, it appears she has lost a step. The Nashville Metro Police Department did not want to lose her, so they promoted her, because they did not want her in the field due to her unpredictability. She does not want to ride a desk but wants to be on the streets with her team.

EC: Do both characters have similarities?

JTE: Yes. In many ways they are a lot alike, but also completely opposite. Taylor always wanted to be a protector. Angelie would have gone down that road, had she not experienced such trauma. She idolizes Taylor and is obsessed with her and fascinated with her. Angelie looks in the mirror and sees a very dark version of Taylor. Yet, Taylor looks in the mirror and sees her own darkness. Taylor gets annoyed by her but respects her as an intelligent operative. Taylor learns from her. Both butted heads because they do not like how each questions the others authority. Taylor is old-fashioned, more predictable, while Angelie does not worry about legality and morality. This is why Taylor is a detective and not an assassin.

EC: What role did the Macallan Group play in the story?

JTE: It is an off-book organization that works for the government. It is a private powerful organization.

EC: Next books?

JTE: Taylor Jackson will be back in some capacity as a Lieutenant or a Private Investigator, based out of Nashville.

The next book is a standalone titled You Know Why. It should be out this time next year. It is the story of two women. One woman is going on a vacation with her husband and while on a plane another woman sees the murderer of her sister. When the married couple are heading for a connecting flight, the husband disappears. It all collides.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Tom Clancy Terminal Velocity and Red Tide by M.P. Woodward

Tom Clancy Terminal Velocity and Red Tide by M. P. Woodward are both riveting military thrillers. Although Red Tide is not part of a Tom Clancy series, it’s very much in that style. Terminal Velocity has the Jack Ryan family, while Red Tide introduces the Cole Family. Both these books are a salute to those who have served and their families. There is plenty of action but also some family drama.

Both these books blend geographical tension within action-filled realistic plots.

Book Description – Terminal Velocity

A string of savage murders in the United States seems unrelated until the FBI makes a shocking discovery: a decade ago, all of the murder victims were involved in a raid to eliminate the Umayyad Revolutionary Council, a vicious terror group that—were it not for John Clark and the Campus—would have perpetrated the most devastating attack against critical American infrastructure in history. Now it appears they’re back, with a next-generation leader hell-bent on revenge.

Mary Pat Foley, Director of National Intelligence, greenlights an op for the Campus to cut the head off the snake. Clark taps ex-Delta commando Bartosz “Midas” Jankowski to lead a kill team deep into the mountains to snuff out the charismatic terror leader. But when the hunters become the hunted, it’s up to Jack Rayan Jr. to avert disaster amid a deadly power game of nations vying for control of the disputed region.

On a rapid covert ingress from neighboring India, he’ll traverse the Himalayan wilderness with a rifle on his back and a tough Mujahadin fighter by his side. Jack knows time is growing short—he must save his team and lead them into position to be the first to hit terminal velocity.

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Elise’s Thoughts – Terminal Velocity

Terminal Velocity begins with Jack Ryan Jr., and his fiancée, Lisanne Robertson, visiting Delhi, India, to attend the wedding of Srini Rai, the brilliant surgeon who attached Lisanne’s prosthetic left arm. But there is trouble back in the US with a string of murders of former military who were involved in a raid to eliminate the Umayyad Revolutionary Council, a vicious terror group. John Clark, who heads the Campus, has ex-Delta commando Bartosz “Midas” Jankowski leading a kill team deep into the Pakistan/Afghan mountains to snuff out the charismatic terror leader who seeks revenge against those involved. Unfortunately, when the hunters become the hunted, it’s up to Jack Ryan Jr., who happens to be in the area for the wedding, to avert disaster amid a deadly power game of nations vying for control of the disputed region of Kashmir and to stop the terrorist attack in the US.

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Book Description – Red Tide

Rear Adm. Will Cole, outgoing operations officer (N3) of the Pacific Fleet, knows this is a recipe for disaster. But after decades at sea, he is ready to pass the torch to the next generation of “fighting Coles”: his eldest, Henry, a Navy lieutenant who flies F-18s; his middle son Jaime, a merchant marine officer; and his daughter Lu back home. When the new Cold War turns hot, however, Cole must abandon his plans. Proven right when the missiles start flying, Cole’s reward is an order to do the impossible: destroy the Chinese fleet and retake Taiwan—before it’s too late.

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Elise’s Thoughts – Red Tide

Red Tide’s plot examines the US Navy’s ability to remain the world’s guarantor of a free sea. Tensions between China and the United States have never been higher as both nations compete for access to advanced semiconductor chips produced only in Taiwan. Pearl Harbor comes to mind as the Chinese launch a surprise attack, crippling the U.S. fleet with devastating missile strikes while knocking American GPS, communications, and reconnaissance satellites out of orbit. A modernized Chinese fleet blockades Taiwan and seizes control of Pacific Sea lanes, throttling global commerce. One courageous military family, the Coles, are at the center of thwarting the Chinese in this war where the US must destroy the Chinese fleet and retake Taiwan. To succeed, Will Cole decides to listen to the reserve commander and tech-savvy venture capitalist Gabe Sorkin. With ties to the DOD’s new Defense Innovation Office, Sorkin pushes Cole to think outside the bureaucratic box.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for Tom Clancy Terminal Velocity?

M. P. Woodward: In all the Clancy books I write I want there to be an echo back to an original Clancy book. Tom Clancy wrote a book Dead or Alive before he died, published in 2010. It featured a terrorist network, the Umayyard Council. They had great designs to do something terrible to the American infrastructure. In this book even though the Umayyard Council was knocked out, the American operators who participated in achieving that goal are now dying, effectively murdered. The former terrorists have reconstituted themselves in Kashmir. I used the idea of the original Clancy book but modernized it.

EC: How would you describe one of the terrorists, Fahim?

MPW: Intelligent, charismatic, ambitious, and lecherous. He represents how a Muslim can be pushed into becoming a terrorist. I wanted to show the rift between East and West. His half-brother is a strict terrorist who manipulated him into it.

EC: How would you describe Rafa, Fahim’s half-brother?

MPW: A terrorist, unbalanced, thinks he is God’s messenger, and thinks he is a descendant of Mohammad. He feels he has a great score to settle against the US.

EC: You seem to be able to spot the hot geographical areas of the world. Is that why you had the setting in Northern Pakistan?

MPW: Yes. The clash between India and Pakistan is very real. Just a few months ago there was a terrorist incident in Kashmir, because it is so politically unsettled.

EC: Why the characters of Gavin, Midas, and Mandy in this book?

MPW: The Campus has about ten people with cross-functional skills. Bartosz “Midas” Jankowski has never really been featured except in the book Dead or Alive. The same with Mandy so I wanted to give both characters more page time. Gavin has been a constant character. Midas is a retired Lt-Col ex Delta operator, a commando. Mandy was an FBI-counter-terror investigator. Gavin is a computer nerd and hacker.

EC: There are some scenes with AI in this book. What would you like to say about it?

MPW: I did put in my book how Gavin has AI, Princess, his homegrown AI that can analyze data. AI is just another technical tool to make that easier. It makes sense for Gavin to build his own agent. AI will go into plots but that is different than using it to steal intellectual property.

Copyright protection is a real problem. When it becomes easier to imitate other people’s work, copyright protection should apply. Just as I cannot rebroadcast an NFL game without paying the NFL, permission should be asked, or else it is stealing author’s characters. AI is just another technical tool to make that easier. AI is the next extension of computing power.

EC: The idea for the story of Red Tide?

MPW: There is great power competition happening between China and the US. China is building up its naval power, trying to shut the US out of the South China Sea. I thought about how the US has a dependence on the Taiwanese semi-conductor production. I wondered since China is also dependent on that semi-conductor production, what if they just took it? This is a scenario of how a trade war can lead to a real war.

EC: Do you think this story has points about China?

MPW: China wants to regain Taiwan as a lost province and wants to project power across the South Pacific, calling it the defense of the first Island chain. It goes from Japan down to Indonesia. This is why they built up illegal reefs all over the China Sea, and have territorial disputes with the Philippines and other countries.

EC: Why call it “The Hide and Seek War”?

MPW: It is a fictional name I developed. As the fighting begins, each side will blame the other and try to take out the satellites. Once that happens it becomes a contest of fleets, a la WWII when there was not long-range intelligence. I put in the beginning of the book the President Reagan quote because it speaks of needing American naval power to maintain a free sea. It is something that is an obligation. We are still the number one naval power in the world but are stretched too thin versus China that is trying to control the South China Sea. The US naval power is the one since WWII to enforce that the oceans are open to all. There are other countries that want to close off oceans.

EC: What is the importance of the semiconductors?

MPW: Everything in our world is based on semiconductors. All the AI that is powering the economy is based on semiconductors. I think 70% of that production comes out of Taiwan. The design comes out of the US, but the physical manufacturer all happens in Taiwan. It is a major threat to the global economy.

EC: In this story there is an implication that Japan is not a true ally of the US. Agree?

MPW: When there are challenges national alliances will shift. At some point nations do not have friends, but interests. In this story, I wrote a fictional scenario how China was in a conflict, and the livelihood of Japan was threatened, so Japan wanted to stay out of it.

EC: There are some relevant parts of the story that is happening today. Agree?

MPW: The US Navy must make sure it works at innovating and not be bounded by procurement policies. Recently created was something I came up with in this book, working more with tech innovators. As I put in the book, China’s naval industrial capacity far outweighs the US. This has been a developing problem for many years.

EC: How would you describe the Cole family, the featured characters of the book?

MPW: I wanted them to be like families I have meant that are dedicated to service. The father, Will, is a naval officer, and one of his sons, Henry, also a naval officer, flies F-18s. The daughter, Lucy, works for the defense industry. The other son, Jamie, is a Merchant Marine. Henry’s wife, Sarah, works in DC as a lobbyist. I wanted to show how great this mindset is and hope there will be many more who are out there. We should all admire families like the Coles.

EC: How would you describe Gabe Sorkin?

MPW: I wanted a character who represented reservists. He came from the tech business; someone committed to defense and the military. His point is be prepared to fight each war differently.

EC: Next books?

MPW: I will be writing another Tom Clancy book, coming out in 2026. Red Tide is a standalone, but I am working on another military thriller that should be out in 2026 and is not a Red Tide sequel but is based around the Navy.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Blood on the Wire by Candace Irving

Book Description

Duty. Honor. Betrayal.

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?

CI: True. There are mugs with varied colors, T-shirts, and phone cases. People can find it here: https://store.candaceirving.com/collections/hidden-valor-merch-collection

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Dead Line by Marc Cameron

Book Description

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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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Believe Me Now by S.M. Govett

Book Description

Natalie Campbell loses time. She’ll wake up in different places with no memory of how she got there. The blackouts are a symptom of her PTSD, which began after she was sexually assaulted by her boss, who was found not guilty. But she found ways to cope by setting up routines and relying on her supportive husband, Ryan. Then one day, her husband is accused of committing the same crime that ruined her life.

Natalie desperately wants to believe he is innocent, but when Alice Lytton, the young woman who accused him, is found murdered in the woods near their house, she begins to doubt the man she married.

DI Helen Stratton is also healing from old wounds. Her older sister disappeared when she was 16, and the police didn’t bother to investigate. Vowing to help other lost and vulnerable girls, she joined the force. Stratton is ready to do whatever it takes to catch the killer and bring justice to her sister and Alice.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Believe Me Now by S. M. Govett is a gripping thriller with a very puzzling case. The dual narration between a victim and a detective help to make the story more suspenseful.

The victim is Natalie Campbell, who ten years ago was sexually assaulted by her boss who was found not guilty. One day later, he died of a heart attack and ever since Natalie has been receiving threatening letters. She has blackouts, a symptom of PTSD. Now ten years later she has found ways to cope by setting up routines and relying on her supportive husband, Ryan. But that comes to an end when Ryan is accused of committing the same crime of sexual assault. To make matters worse, Ryan’s accuser is found dead in the woods.

Investigating the crime, DI Helen Stratton thinks Ryan is guilty. She, like Natalie, is suffering from a backstory of the disappearance of her sister Karen. She joined the police to help other lost and vulnerable girls and to do whatever it takes to catch the preparators.

This story is fast paced and riveting. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they try to figure out who can be believed and who cannot. It appears most of the characters are suspects and are guilty including Natalie and her husband Ryan. The twists add to the suspense and will throw people a curveball.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Does this book have two stories about bosses making advances?

Sarah (S. M.) Govett: I wanted to write how there are power imbalances that come into play and how power can be abused. There was a mutual one and one without consent. Detective Helen Stratton had a mutual one but did face additional challenges. Yet, her boss still had some power over her.

EC: How did you get the idea for the story?

SMG: I wanted to write a thriller with belief systems. For example, there is such a thing as rule of law, innocent people will walk free, guilty people will go to jail, or if someone works hard, they will succeed. I wanted to take them away from my protagonist, Natalie, one by one, so her whole world crumbles.

EC: How would you relate both characters, Detective Stratton and Natalie?

SMG: I wanted them to seem like chalk and cheese characters. They both had traumatic events in their life. Natalie responded by cocooning her life where her home is her only safe place, and she does not want to step outside of it. Whereas Stratton has overcome her trauma by developing a tough as nails exterior with a softer underbelly that very few people see. I like the idea that “home” represents safety and a prison. These are two women whose life and personalities have changed because something happened in their past and they were not believed. Stratton and her mom were not believed by the police when they said Karen, the sister/daughter, had not runaway. Both Natalie and Stratton coped in completely different ways.

EC: How would you describe Natalie’s PTSD?

SMG: She has an inner strength and is stronger than she thinks she is, which she discovers at the end. She has a form of PTSD. Hers has come about because she was sexually assaulted by her boss and then she is not believed in court. This has fractured her memory system giving her blackouts during stressful triggering situations and has her carry out tasks she will not remember. There are three strikes for her: she was assaulted by her boss, she was not believed, and had a stalker, her attacker’s wife.

EC: How would you describe Natalie?

SMG: She feels powerless. She runs from trauma, insecure, anxious, and paranoid. In the book she thinks she is existing rather than living.

EC: How would you describe Ryan?

SMG: Protective, calm, controlled, and gets frustrated.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Ryan and Natalie?

SMG: He wants her to push herself, engaging more with the outside world other than with her best friend, Rachel. He is very supportive. He agreed to move and not be around families with young children since she could no longer become pregnant after the rape. She considers him her soulmate who represents her home, rock, and stability. Yet, she chased Ryan away and does not take any responsibility that in some ways the marriage is faltering. She still really loves him, but his touch can be triggering.

EC: How would you describe Detective Stratton?

SMG: Untrusting, sarcastic, can be seen as caring, and wants answers. She has a fire in her to get cases having to do with young women who have disappeared. For her, these women always represent her sister.

EC: What about the role of Alice?

SMG: She accuses Ryan of rape. Now Natalie has her trauma played all over again. She wants to make something of herself and is considered charming, a people person. Ryan became intimate with her once. I think Ryan’s actions are flawed but understandable but there are a lot of readers who think he is an absolute baddie for what he has done. Natalie at first believed her because besides Ryan no one believed her. She is very wary of doubting the testimony of women when it comes to sexual assault.

EC: How would you describe Stratton’s boss who had the affair with her, Parker?

SMG: He is a jerk, wants power over her. He is gutless. I want all my characters to be flawed instead of incredibly bad. He is a weak flawed man. He is attracted to Stratton, wants sex with her, but also wants to be married. He is weak. He wants to have what he wants. When it becomes difficult for him, he wants to walk away unscathed. She sees him as a weak man. She could destroy his life by making the affair public and she knows he is a little bit scared of her. But she will not do it. Because he knows this is the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, he is mistakenly trying to protect her by sheltering her from work. Whereas what she really needs to do is to drown herself in work.

EC: Next books?

SMG: There will be more Stratton, but I’m also excited about a sci-fi thriller that I’ve recently completed.

THANK YOU!!

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