Get Jacked!

Get Jacked for Easter! 

A short Kindle sale for Slaughtered.

Jack hates missing person’s cases. He only agrees to search for missing wife, Bonnie Boyd, because the details of her disappearance closely match his own wife's, Leah. Soon, Jack discovers the city has a serial killer officials have dubbed The Butcher. Could Bonnie Boyd be a victim? More important, was Leah one of his victims? With every clue Jack weaves together, the more his own life unravels.

Just 99c on Kindle.

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Closing the door on an active murder scene

"She had a lot going for her—living on the Presidio of San Francisco with a gorgeous view of the ocean, a husband in the US Army, two sons, and a good path forward. Little did she know, on one February day, people stood outside her front door waiting to kill her. When she opened it, she was shot seven times, beaten, and stabbed. If she’d had any hope of surviving the deadly encounter, those expectations were dashed when her attackers slashed her throat, from ear-to-ear." The Graveyard Shift Blog

I mention this for a couple of reasons. The first being I've had a few readers ask me why Jack has left his family home a crime scene. He moved out the night he came home and found his daughter and the family dog had been murdered, and his wife missing. When asked why I added this element to the storyline, I simply say, "What if investigators missed something?" "That's hardly likely to happen," is the usual reply.

Well, Jack isn't the only one to have closed the door to preserve an active crime scene. The house where the above woman had been murdered was treated exactly the same, only it had been closed for ten years. It was left nearly exactly as it had been found, except for the victim's body being removed and the evidence collected by the CSIs.

Why? The same reason as Jack's. What if investigators missed something? Until a case is solved and the assailant(s) brought to justice, having a 'live' crime scene left to go back to can take those investigators right back to the day the murder happened. Perhaps a new investigator will see something with fresh eyes or a virgin perspective.

This is part of why Jack left his family home a crime scene. No one's perfect. What had investigators missed? And what did HE miss simply because he was too familiar with his own home? Jack's counting on it to find his wife, and those who killed his daughter and her dog.

The other reason I bring his up as on the last post I talked about Lee Lofland and his annual Writers' Police Academy Murder Con, which has gone virtual this year.

David Alford, FBI agent

What other reason would I bring up the above murder and that the house had been closed up for ten years? Because one of his speakers is FBI agent, David Alford, who was an investigating office in that case. He'll be talking about the investigation, along with showing real crime scene photos, and tell attendees who committed this horrible crime during a piece called Case Study of the FBI—#4 of the above link.

During this murder con, David will also be discussing blood in a segment called “Spatter” or “Splatter?” Have You Written it Right, or Wrong That will definitely be interesting too!

This year's murder con is featuring several speakers, including the Guest of Honor, Andrew Child, brother of Lee Child who, already an established writer, has now donned his brother's crown to carry on the Jack Reacher series.

Registration to attend the murder con opens on Sunday the 14th of March. Bookmark this page to join:

https://writerspoliceacademy.com/wpa-murdercon-registration

If this is your first visit to my site, please take a moment to check out my series. Slaughtered will get the ball rolling! I'd love to hear your thoughts when you're done. You can use the little messenger thingy on the side bar. All email addresses are private and come to me directly. I promise to reply!

Don't Pet The Peeve, says veteran police investigator Lee Lofland

Lee Lofland

I love reading Lee Lofland's blog, The Graveyard Shift. There, he shares some amazing tips and facts from his experience as a police investigator. Retired now, Lee is helps writers add authenticity to their writing. Case in point...

In this week's installment, Don’t Pet The Peeve: 8 Facts About Police Detectives You’re Probably Not Getting Right, he explores things in fiction writing that are some of his pet peeves. Check it out.

I try very hard not to cross into Stereotypeland or bow to Hollywoodland programs that make their money on the backs of way too much creative license. A little goes a long way, as the saying goes. I don't want my books to be predictable. At the same time, I want them to be believable because the situations are true-to-life...even if they ride really close to the rails.

In my case, my bad for giving Jack a #4 family crisis. But this is what drives him. However, that's where the stereotype ends. Jack has not become a drunk or a drug abuser as a way to cope. He stays focused in his investigations to find the truth...for his clients and for himself. It doesn't mean the loss of his family doesn't haunt him, because it surely does.

#6 gets a little leeway because Jack's former boss wants him back on the job, and he cuts Jack a little slack because he's uncovered some seriously bad people in the city when clues ran dry for department investigators.

Even with crossing the line into two areas for Jack, the reasons are not common and I hope not predictable. I love to throw in curveballs to keep readers thinking. And of course reading.

If you've read the Jack Slaughter Thriller series, I'd love to hear from you. What did you think? Is Jack something new to the game, or is he pitching with used balls? Let me know?

And if you're a writer, check out Lee's book in the Howdunit series: Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers. It comes as an ebook or in paperback. And get in on his newsletters. You'll find tips like these, as well as information for his Writer's Police Academy conferences. 

Thanks for your support, and if you'd like to get in touch with me, just use the little mailer on the right side of your screen. Let me know what you thought of my books or Jack, or both. I promise to reply to every email.

Stay safe out there!