Researching for my novels takes me down some pretty strange roads. Right now, I’m working on a crime novel (totally fiction!) that involves a very cold case. An armed robbery gone bad back in 1989. Two people were murdered and one escaped. Where is the killer today?
This is the first book in a new series. It features Michael Flint, The Heir Hunter. What do heir hunters do? In Flint’s case, he’s a high end private investigator who can find anyone, anywhere. Or so he boasts to potential clients who are desperate. Let’s just see if he can deliver, shall we?
As Michael Flint searches for the killer, his search takes him back to a time when we didn’t live in a twenty-four hour news cycle, cell phones weren’t in everyone’s pocket, and people could still disappear. On the fringes, some runaway teens, particularly girls, ended up living in small cults, often completely off the radar for law enforcement.
An extreme example that captured everyone’s attention was a larger group active during the time frame for my novel. The Branch Dividians, led by David Koresh from 1988-1993, resulted in the historic raid on their Waco, Texas, compound in 1993. Four Federal Agents and six Dividians were killed during the initial two-hour fire-fight. The subsequent siege resulted in a fire that killed 79 members of the Branch Dividians, including Koresh.
My novel won’t involve the Branch Davidians or David Koresh. But research shows that many such cults existed during the right time period and could easily have figured into my story.
Research for this book has been fascinating and frightening. Perfect fodder for a thriller, don’t you think?
This new series will be published by Thomas & Mercer. The release date hasn’t been set yet, but it’s tentatively slated for October 2016. Stay tuned!
It sounds like a series I’d read. Can’t wait!
Sounds like it is going to be a great series.