Mark your calendars! San Diego Partners in Crime will be welcoming David Putnam on Saturday, January 14 at 5:00 pm ET. David will talk about how his career in law enforcement influenced his writing. His latest is A Fearsome Midnight Black. The new “Dave Beckett” book joins a laudatory body of 16 preceding works in the Crime Thriller, Police Procedural categories!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Dave Beckett is a wide-eyed young man when he joins the police department in a small town in Southern California. His naivete allows him to believe in his world, a vision where the cops are the good guys championing the rights of the wronged. He learns quickly that crime is not black and white, and the bad guys aren’t always the ones committing the crimes. This is the story of a victim turned predator, a young man who grows up too fast and becomes an apt pupil in the pursuit of criminals on both sides of the fence.
REVIEWER RAVES:
“A cop’s life, whether a rookie or a seasoned detective, is jammed with encounters that are often routine, sometimes disturbing, and all too often life-threateningly dangerous, a grind that takes its toll on personal relationships. A FEARSOME MIDNIGHT BLACK pulls back the curtain and takes the reader into that world with in-your-face clarity.”
DP LYLE Award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper Thriller Series
“When writing about police procedures and cases, Putnam knows his stuff. Based on his own true experiences, he brings his characters to life. Real and raw, there’s no way the reader can’t be drawn in quickly and held tightly until the very end.”
Member of Amazon’s Vine Voice (Vine Voice is an invitation only program that gives Amazon reviewers advance access to not-yet-released products for the purpose of writing reviews.)
ABOUT DAVID PUTNAM:
During his career in law enforcement, author David Putnam has done it all: from narcotics, violent crimes and hostage rescue to SWAT, criminal intel and internal affairs. A real-life Five-O! David was recruited to Hawaii’s “Five-O” – like task force as a Special Agent for their Attorney General’s investigation of smuggling and white-collar crimes.
His Bruno Johnson Crime Series launched in 2014 and consists of 7 books up to 2020. Johnson is modeled after a real-life friend of the author who worked with him in a Los Angeles patrol unit. The Sinister is the ninth novel in this best-selling series.
David is also notable for his multiple police awards and commendations for heroism. Putnam lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, Mary.
David Putnam is the author you’ll want to hear from. Ask questions. Don’t miss your chance – Register for David’s Presentation.
A favorite of my mine – now an Amazon Original. How could you not love an inspector whose name is just a consonant away from ganache! Author, bestseller and multiple award-winner, Louise Penny, brings her village of Three Pines and the insightful Armande Gamache to the streaming screen. And what a gift!
Gamache has observed his fellow villagers and probed what doesn’t reveal itself in the everyday business of life. But give Gamache time and connection to the player. He will, like the soul explorer he is, recognize the odd turn of phrase, the oh-so-slight incongruity. His openness to every possibility and his vision into the human psyche are his remarkable gifts.
In Episode One of Amazon’s series, a woman named CC de Poitiers is having an affair with her photographer. Just published, CC is a bitter woman who never says anything positive to anyone. At a curling match with the entire town watching, she is electrocuted. Inspector Gamache (Alfred Molina) is sent to investigate the case, along with Inspector Beauvoir and Sergeant Lacoste. It’s clear to Gamache and team the theme of this murder is not just to take someone’s life but to punish them as much as possible and to make a spectacle of it.
You won’t be able to turn away.
When Do Episodes Air: Three Pines was available on Friday, December 2, with 2 new episodes airing each week.
How Many Episodes: There will be 8 episodes in Season One of Three Pines.
Where to Watch Three Pines: Three Pines is available to stream on Prime Video (free trial)
Denver homicide detective Nick Ryan and homicide suspect Elizabeth Harper have a history. Theirs was a passionate attraction that bound them, but a break in faith extinguished the flame. Years later In a chance assignment, Nick encounters his past lover. Her husband is dead and Elizabeth is the chief suspect. The Woman He Used To Know is a page turning experience you won’t put down.
There are 90 reviews on Amazon and more than 70 on Goodreads. A strong mix of five- and four-star ratings. Here are the samples that say it best.
This was a non-stop thriller. Loved the characters and the twists which kept you guessing until the end as to who was the murderer! Definitely plan to read more from this author.
Helen charms us into thinking we’ll know the plot by giving us frequent glimpses not only into the mind of Nick Ryan, but also into the primary suspect’s mind as well. It is infrequent that I read a mystery book that puts us into the minds of both characters, this was a treat for the book.
You think you have sussed out who did it but to find that you were wrong as the plot thickens. A constant page turner that has you hooked right from the start to finish.
A good murder mystery with an added side of romance that had me hooked from the very first chapter. I liked the underlying spark of chemistry between Nick and Elizabeth and found myself rooting for their second-chance HEA. I found this hard to put down because I just couldn’t guess who the murderer was until it was finally revealed in the last chapters. The author does a good job keeping the reader on the edge right to the very end.
Colorado native and former OR nurse, Helen Starbuck is an award-winning author of The Annie Collins Mystery Series and standalone contemporary romantic suspense. When she’s not writing, you can find her dressing up like a princess and ballroom dancing with her friends or reading books about strong women and interesting men who find themselves in suspense-filled situations.
Having spent 30 years in Public Safety divisions of major telecom carriers, I’ve had the opportunity to direct and manage development of a number of property crime prevention applications. Today I’m cutting through speculative ideas about the nature of home break-ins to give you current facts not only about trends, but about how you can make your home resistant to burglary.
Let’s start with what we know about who is likely to break into your home:
85% of burglaries are committed by amateurs, often done by someone who is desperate.
50% of burglars live less than two miles away from the home they want to steal from.
Thieves are mostly male and typically under the age of 25.
Thieves are not planners. Only 12% of all burglaries are plotted in advance.
And who are thieves most likely to target:
Social media posters: 41% of victimized homeowners aged 18 to 34 years posted photos and updates on social media while they were on vacation.
Students are often targeted for their collections of electronic equipment.
Renters are 50% more likely to be burglarized.
The elderly are also a frequent target.
What are the properties thieves consider as easy marks:
Suburban homes have a 50% higher chance of being burglarized.
If your house has already been hit, 51% of burglarized homes are targeted again within 6 weeks.
Rental properties have a more than 50% chance of break in.
Homes without security systems have a 300% greater chance of being burgled.
Given the stats, it is clear that investing in home security is a wise decision. Tim Howell of Secure View, LLC has provided some key points to consider when choosing a security system.
For the Do-It-Yourselfer
Pro:
I can install it myself
It can be less expensive
A low or no monthly cost
Con:
You are then responsible for installing the equipment.
You well be responsible for the maintenance
You are responsible when upgrades are needed
Your personal information may be released
System may not be secure as you think
No Warranty
Professionally Installed:
Pro:
Expert in the field of Security
Professional security company assists with maintenance and troubleshooting
Your personal information is secure
System is specific to you and secure
1-year warranty on most systems
Con:
Can be more expensive because of higher quality and security?
Low to medium fee for monitoring?
DYI or Professional installation, know the answer to these:
What happens to my personal information when I register into the app of my new system?
How secure or private is the system and my information about the system, i.e., location, type, monitoring info etc.?
What is the warranty?
What is the monthly charge and what does it cover?
Who do I call when I need service on the system?
Whatever your choice of system types, now is the time to think about your home security.
The FBI gives us four good reasons why:
There are 2.5 million burglaries annually in the United States.
A home burglary occurs every 15 seconds in our country.
The average burglary loss is valued at $2,661.
Police solve only 13% of reported burglary cases.
Thanks to Tim Howell of Secure View, LLC for his contribution to this material. Tim has been a home security company owner for 30+ years. If you wish to know more about his company or how he can help protect your home, his contact number is (720) 708-7506.
The San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime welcomes New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle on November 12 – Hey! That’s my birthday. What a great way to celebrate. You’re in for a treat if you sign up to hear about Kate’s adventures.
Kate is a native Californian who worked in television production for quite a few years before turning to writing. She leveraged her lifelong fascination with the art and craft of bookbinding into The Bibliophile Mysteries. Her protagonist is Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills unearth some very old secrets, treachery and murder. She’s written more than twenty books and still found time to launch the Fixer-Upper mystery series. A few of her works have been adapted for television.
Join the SinC chat with Kate about her books. Besides her writing she’ll have some great anecdotes about how she once traveled the world as a Dating Game chaperone and performed strange acts of silliness on The Gong Show.
Remember this date: Nov 12, 2022 02:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada). Register in advance for this meeting: https://bit.ly/3NyJJzi
Valerie Webster and Driven: A Rita Mars Thriller in the spotlight via Author of the Day interview.
Make your next book club event an author event with a writer who’s lived the cases, developed the crime fighting technologies. Contact Valerie Webster today.
