It's release day for COUNTDOWN, the fifth book in the NYPD Negotiators series and I'm super excited to bring it to you. It's Detectives Gemma Capello and Sean Logan's first case together since TERMINAL IMPASSE where Gemma was dragged into the depths of Grand Central Madison as cover for one of the hostage takers and Logan nearly died saving her life. There's a lot of residual trauma for both of them, but they're fighting their way back from it and showing their superiors they can still work as a professional team while balancing a personal relationship. And what a case it is—an isolated hostage situation in the middle of New York Harbor, one in which Gemma senses almost right from the start that things aren't what they seem. But while Gemma and her team meet to negotiate from the southern tip of Battery Park, Logan and his team of elite tactical officers are tasked with navigating the brutal winter harbor waters to where a billionaire's yacht waits in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. Getting on board is just the first challenge. They still need to give Gemma time to negotiate, all while being ready for an armed incursion if everything goes to hell on board. Will they solve the crisis before lives are lost? You'll have to read to find out!

Following their terrifying ordeal as hostages of domestic terrorists, NYPD Detective Gemma Capello is back in the negotiator chair, while Detective Sean Logan, healed from injuries sustained saving Gemma’s life, has resumed leading an A-Team tactical unit—just in time for their next challenge . . . perfect for fans of James Patterson and David Baldacci.

It’s New Year’s Eve, Manhattan is alight with celebration, and Gemma and Logan are hoping for a relatively normal night amid the revelry. But that hope is shattered by a 911 text from a luxury yacht somewhere in busy New York Harbor. Below deck, a college student working aboard is hiding from a hostage taker. The student reports that the crew was ordered to join the guests. Gunshots followed.

The yacht party, hosted by billionaire venture capitalist Lucas Horner, includes local government officials and some of the city’s wealthiest, most influential people. Gemma and her team hypothesize that Horner, an infamously arrogant hustler, has burned someone financially—someone who now wants revenge.

Once the Aviation Unit identifies the yacht and its location, Logan and his team are transported through the brutal winter waters toward Liberty Island. Gemma finally connects with the hostage taker and learns of a cryptocurrency ransom demand—and a chilling execution plan if it’s not fulfilled by midnight. But Horner is refusing to pay. And Gemma senses things aren’t adding up—because beneath the unnerving scenario lies an even more twisted plan, layers of deceit—and a captor with nothing to lose . . .

Happy reading!

While book five is launching and simultaneously I'm drafting book six, I've been thinking a lot about Logan lately and his role in the series.

Did you know that Sean Logan only exists because of my agent? My first version of the partial and synopsis for EXIT STRATEGY didn't include him. My original vision for the series was of a close-knit family, one that just happened to have my own Sicilian roots. Leigh Abbott from the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries had lost both her parents and was quite isolated, while Meg Jennings had a strong family bond, but they were background characters. Found family is a major theme in both series, but I wanted real family for this one, family that could be integrated into Gemma's work life as well. That was the basis for the series (as always, the usual disclaimer that I've never seen Blue Bloods, but apparently we were on the same wavelength). But Nicole zeroed in right away on the lack of a love interest for Gemma. She really wanted another officer or someone on the tactical team, someone Gemma already knew but could initially clash with. Even before Logan was born, the idea of someone trying to stop Gemma from giving up her gun and badge to trade herself for the hostages in City Hall was weighed.

That's where I started. To begin, Logan wasn't a POV character, just an ex-flame Gemma walked away from when she left the academy 15 years earlier, and someone who makes what she sees as a monumental error at the end of EXIT STRATEGY, one she can't forgive. But she doesn't understand that it's their history that forced his hand, all of which becomes clear during SHOT CALLER as she struggles to work with him.

The big change came during LOCKDOWN and the school shooting it centered around. Gemma and Logan had very different roles in that scenario and I realized the only way for the book to work, and for us to see the terror inside the school, was for Logan to be a POV character because Gemma was never realistically going to experience any of that. That was the first book of split POV and I've never gone back. The contrast of their positions—psychological vs. tactical—meant the differing POVs really worked and allowed us to see their very different worlds. But it's the combination of those skills which makes the series work even better in my opinion.

POV sharing is now a hallmark of the series so we get to see each hostage incident fully. These are complicated setups, where different people have different skills and strengths, which is what really makes their teamwork shine. So I'm grateful to Nicole (for so many things, but for now, I'm highlighting this one) for her suggestion. It has definitely made the series what is it today!

More Gemma and Logan to come next year in the sixth installment...

I'm coming to Michigan in May for the Inscribe Books Author Festival taking place at Brady Lodge in Clarkston!

It's just a short hop over the border for me to join some amazing authors (many also from Kensington Books). The main event is May 16th from 11am - 4pm, but there's an additional VIP event the night before to join attending authors for dinner. Check out this incredible list of authors appearing at the festival:

Shana Abe
Jennifer Breedlove
Sara Furlong Burr
Wendy Byard
Lynn Cahoon
Colleen Cambridge
Sara Driscoll
Darci Hannah
Katie Hess
Rachel LaBerge
DK Marie
Lauren Martin
Angela Shupe
Kenzie Snyder
D L Taylor
E C Taylor
Tamika Thompson
Amanda Uhle
Marissa Zile

There will be panel discussions, books signings, swag giveaways, bookish vendors, and Inscribe Books will have the authors' books available for purchase.

Tickets for Saturday are only $20 for regular entry or $30 for VIP entry an hour early at 10am. Tickets for Friday's dinner are $50. Brady Lodge is located at 6970 Andersonville Road in Clarkston, MI. You can find full details here: https://www.inscribebooks.com/author-festival

It's going to be a great event! Hope to see some of you there!

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COUNTDOWN Release Day!

Jen J. Danna/Sara Driscoll - Mystery and Thriller Author