Attending the 2026 Killer Nashville Author Conference
Will you be at Killer Nashville this month? If so, join me for great panels and presentations 19-23 August at the Embassy Suites by Hilton-Cool Springs, Franklin, TN. This is my favorite author...
New Book Release: DRAGON CARTEL offers torn-from-the-headlines scenario
The wait is over! The ebook edition of DRAGON CARTEL is out and available on all platforms, including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and lending platforms, too. The paperback edition releases 30...
DRAGON CARTEL, the next Detective Emilia Cruz mystery, coming 16 June
Get ready for the next Detective Emilia Cruz mystery set in Acapulco! DRAGON CARTEL releases 16 June 2026 in ebook format on all platforms. Look for the paperback edition on 30 June in all your...
New Reader Hub! Crime fiction lovers, this is for you
If you’ve ever finished one of my books and wished you could see a map of the place? Find out more about the characters or even taste the cocktails served at the Pasodoble Bar . . . Well, now you...
Introducing the Crime Fiction Files
For 7 years, mystery readers and I have connected under the banner of Mystery Ahead. That newsletter was a fantastic journey with so many readers cheering me on as I navigated the move from CIA...
Speak Easy, Listen Hard: The Galliano Club Audio Experience
James Froemel is the reason why you should listen to the Galliano Club books on Audible. He's the actor who narrates all 4 books, creating the drama of a small city in upstate New York during...
Two Authors, Two Continents, One Obsession: Welcome to A2B Crime Conversations
What happens when an American former intelligence officer and a British bestselling author start talking shop? You get Amato2Berrick (A2B) Crime Conversations, a YouTube channel dedicated to the...
Seeing Strength as the Earth Shakes
The floor tilted. Pictures crashed to the floor. Beyond the French doors, water slopped out of the pool as if it was an overfilled bowl about to fall. Our maid Johanna stood there and screamed. As...
The next name they stitch could be yours or mine
When I was growing up, embroidery was a common craft. Everyone knew the basics: chain stitch, blanket stitch, satin stitch. My mother made cocktail napkins decorated with tiny daisies and...
A Crime Fiction Lesson from Jennifer Aniston
The low tire pressure light came on. I pulled off the highway, found a gas station and put air in the tire. But air continued to bleed out all the way home. So I watched tv Twelve hours later, I...
If you went missing, would you want the government or your mother to look for you?
If you go missing in Mexico, your family becomes the search party. If the government looks, chances are high someone will fumble the search. Out of incompetence? Or something more sinister? Eleven...
AI Scams and Spam Targeting Authors: My Inbox is Still Laughing
Blogger extraordinaire Anne R. Allen recently posted a warning to authors who get lots of emails gushing over their books. All those emails are an AI-driven scam, which Anne detailed here: Authors,...
Mexico Transfers More Cartel Crime Bosses to US
In my previous career as a CIA intel officer, I focused on counterdrug efforts. Bringing Mexican cartel kingpins to justice was a big goal. So I gave a silent cheer when Mexico transferred 26...
Book Review: THE SECOND MIDNIGHT by Andrew Taylor
This British espionage thriller has a sweeping, multi character point-of-view style that reminds me of WWII novels by Herman Wouk (THE CAINE MUTINY) or Leon Uris (MILA 18, EXODUS, BATTLE CRY). Two...
KARLA’S CHOICE continues John Le Carre’s spy world and we have thoughts
Back when I was a newly-minted CIA officer, the Alec Guinness movie version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was played during new analyst training. Until then, I'd never been one to read spy thrillers....
Pigs help hunt for the missing in Mexico
“Pigs in human clothes are helping unearth the missing in Mexico.” The image of pigs dressed in Burberry plaid snuffling for truffles came to mind as I skimmed the headline. Over 130,000 people have...
The impact of Martin Cruz Smith, author of the Arkady Renko series
Let’s talk about mentors for a moment Especially when you are taking on a new challenge, a mentor can show the way, guide you around obstacles, or simply be a sounding board. Being a mentor is a way...
Your virtual summer in Italy with the Galliano Club historical fiction series
Aaaah Imagine yourself lounging on a hotel balcony in Positano, an Aperol Spritz in one hand, condensation rolling down the glass and cooling your palm. Below you, the Mediterranean is a translucent...
Book Review: INTO THIN AIR by Ørjan Karlsson
As a rule, I’m not fond of the serial-killer-with-mommy-issues-preying-on-young-women trope but this thriller breaks the mold. The book is so cleverly plotted that you don’t recognize the trope...
How to Introduce Yourself with Confidence
It’s summer. Also known as the Season of Author Conferences and Book Festivals. This means that I’ll be introducing myself to lots of strangers. In noisy situations, dull situations,...
New YouTube Sensation: Amato2Berrick Crime Conversations
I've teamed with UK author Jane Harvey-Berrick, who writes the Cornish Crime Thriller series as Berrick Ford, in a new YouTube project! Our Amato2Berrick Crime Conversations features short videos...
Book Review: MIDNIGHT AND BLUE by Ian Rankin
Over the years, Rankin has put his iconic Edinburgh police detective John Rebus through the wringer. In the latest, MIDNIGHT AND BLUE, Rebus is 60-something and in jail for the murder of his...
Carlota/Claudia: Fictional Mayor vs Madam El Presidente
Carlota Montoya Perez, the fictional mayor of Acapulco in the Detective Emilia Cruz series, was “born” long before Claudia Sheinbaum became president of Mexico last year. (That’s her official...
Book Review: KARLA’s CHOICE by Nick Harkaway
The master of spy fiction, is of course, John le Carré. TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY is the classic Cold War counterintelligence tale. There’s a Soviet mole within the Circus, the author euphemism...
Not Quite James Bond but a good career nonetheless
My CIA career has come up several times lately, during new release promo events for BARRACUDA BAY, the latest Detective Emilia Cruz mystery. House of Mystery podcast When I was chatting with House...
7 Teeny Tiny Illustrated Instant Book Reviews
Every other Sunday, my Mystery Review newsletter carries a review of a book I loved and think you will, too. Basically, I'm recommending what to read while you wait for my next book! But if you're a...
How to Add a Book to Goodreads Lists
Goodreads is a great resource for readers. One part review platform, one part social sharing, all parts clunky and hard to navigate. Yet it is worth taking the time to navigate the platform because...