LOCKDOWN Cover Reveal and NYPD Negotiators Rebranding

The third book in the NYPD Negotiators is finally nearly here. It's been a super long time in coming, but Gemma Capello and Sean Logan's next adventure is coming to you on August 22nd! And I finally have the cover for you... with one significant change. Can you spot it?

When a horrific school shooting turns into a hostage situation, only Gemma Capello, the NYPD’s most skilled negotiator, has a chance to save innocent lives and end the crisis.

It’s every parent’s nightmare—getting a call during the school day from their teenager, huddled in a classroom as the sound of bullets echo in the background. When gunmen invade a Brooklyn school, that nightmare becomes a horrific reality.

Talking a suspect into sending his hostages out alive is NYPD Detective Gemma Capello’s specialty. Alerted to a school shooting at her nephew’s high school, she is one of the first officers on-scene. Detective Sean Logan and the Apprehension Tactical Team arrive next and immediately enter the school to apprehend the two shooters, while Gemma remains outside to help students evacuate. But as time stretches on, and there is no word of her nephew, her fear builds that he is one of the lost.

Instead of a quickly-resolved mass shooting, one of the two shooters holes up with a group of students and their teacher as hostages, and Gemma steps in to negotiate for their survival. Floors away and armed with only her wits and the sound of her voice to convince him, Gemma fights for control of the situation even as tactical leadership pressures her for a more aggressive strategy. But for Gemma, it’s not about a quick solution. It’s about moving heaven and earth to bring everyone in that classroom home. And she’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.
 

I'm sure those of you with eagle eyes spotted the name change. The NYPD Negotiators series is going to be under Sara Driscoll from now on. Let's face it, Jen and Sara are both me, but more readers recognize the Driscoll name, so Kensington Books has done an entire series rebrand. More on that below...

To match the existing formats of EXIT STRATEGY and SHOT CALLER as closely as possible for those who like their books to all be the same size/format, LOCKDOWN will be released in a 6 x 9" trade paperback (same size as the Kensington hardcovers of the first two books) and the 4.75 x 7.5" mass max size to match the mass max formats of the first two books. It will also be available in ebook and in audio from Dreamscape media.

Pre-order links for the ebook of LOCKDOWN are now live at Amazon for auto-delivery on August 22nd: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk. Both paperback formats will be available on release day. Sorry about that... I don't make the rules. I'll have those live links for you then.

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As I mentioned above, Kensington Books is relaunching the NYPD Negotiators series under Sara Driscoll. EXIT STRATEGY had some challenges when it first came out, launching in the opening months of the pandemic when bookstores were closed and people were having trouble reading because it felt like the world was on fire. So there are lots of readers who love the FBI K-9s and who are looking forward to ECHOES OF MEMORY next summer, but who aren't familiar with the Negotiators series. So Kensington has given the series a face lift. The original print copies still exist, but from now on the ebook and a brand new trade paperback format will have the new name and covers. The covers are updated to the understated trend popular with thrillers currently highlighting minimalist architectural design. So here are the new versions of EXIT STRATEGY and SHOT CALLER. Along with LOCKDOWN, they make a great trilogy. I love the moody vibe!

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A little bit up upcoming release news...

ECHOES OF MEMORY is now complete and will be going to my editor in about three weeks after a last round of edits following my critique team's comments.  Watch for that on July 30, 2024. Cover reveal to come...

FBI K-9s #9, now has a name—SUMMIT'S EDGE! It's way too early for details, but yes, there is a mountain involved. I've already seen the cover—it's a banger—but I'll have to wait to release that one once Kensington gives me the all clear to release the cover and jacket copy to you all. SUMMIT'S EDGE comes to you all on November 26, 2024.

THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE Cover Reveal!

Happy New Year, reader friends! Wishing you and your families all the best in 2023!

I'm thrilled to be able to share with you the hot-off-the-presses cover for FBI K-9s #8, THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE, as well as the back cover copy for the book. Been dying to know what Meg, Webb, McCord, and, of course, Hawk, are up to in their next adventure? Well, here you go...

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 partner, Hawk, race to find survivors after a building collapses, and find that the stakes are higher than ever before.
 
There are situations that fill even the most seasoned FBI K-9 handlers with shock and horror. Meg Jennings is preparing for another work day when she gets words of a catastrophic scene in downtown Washington, D.C. Part of a twelve-story condo building has collapsed, and the rest of the structure could soon follow. Every search-and-rescue worker and K-9 team is needed on-site immediately to find survivors—and assess the casualties.
 
Putting aside her fears for her firefighter fiancé, who’s already inside the unstable building, Meg turns to the task at hand. If anyone is still alive within the rubble, she and Hawk, working alongside other K-9 teams, must find them. Every hour, every moment counts—and a wrong move could trigger a deadly chain reaction for those buried beneath. But beyond the present danger is a deeper threat, as evidence indicates that this wasn’t a random tragedy, but an act of domestic terrorism. And identifying the culprit and motivation, in time to stop another attack, means taking on an enemy with terrifying skills—and nothing left to lose.


Didn't Kensington do an amazing job on the cover? Their art department is once again on point! I knew this one would be tough because of the subject matter, but they really came through.

For everyone who makes the logical leap to the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, yes, that was the inspiration for this book. Not to take advantage of a tragic situation, never that, but because, following the collapse, I watched the rescue crews respond, especially those with dogs. It was a situation that absolutely put their lives at risk, but they jumped in with everything they had, putting it all on the line for the slim chance of saving just one more life. It was an incredible display of courage and skill, and I wanted to highlight that aspect of rescue life. So this is a story told strictly from the POV of the first responders—Meg, Brian, and the dogs on the pile, Webb inside the standing structure, McCord trying to figure out what caused the collapse, Cara and her therapy dog, Saki, trying to comfort families and first responders alike. It's an all-hands-on-deck kind of book.

THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE comes to you on November 28, 2023, and pre-order links will go live in the next few weeks.

STILL WATERS Release Day!

It's release day for FBI K-9s #7, STILL WATERS, and I'm so excited to bring this one to you all. It's an outdoorsy, dog-oriented take on a classic English locked door mystery, with a large cast of characters, including a number of series returning favourites.

What's the advance buzz on STILL WATERS? Professional review journals have great things to say about it:

Publishers Weekly: “Driscoll’s entertaining seventh FBI K-9 novel touches a chord with those who deeply love and respect their pets. A happy personal development for Meg will delight series fans.”

Library Journal: “VERDICT: Fans of the series will enjoy this entry, which includes fascinating details about search dogs and their work as well as a unique settings and a colorful cast of recurring characters.”

Bloggers also loved the book:
The Reading Room: "Every time I read a book in Sara Driscoll’s F.B.I. K-9 series I fall completely into the world of its story. I am all in, trying to keep pace in a high action story where danger is never far away. The combination of human handlers and their canine partners is thrilling to see, or read about, in how it works."

Rose Point Publishing: “A new, unique storyline; the conclusion swept the narrative into a climactic and dramatic operation that included both dogs and law enforcement and provided a satisfying closure to all open threads.”

Books of My Heart: "I really appreciate the blend of smart police work, the supportive circle of family and friends, the K9 culture and a romance in the foundation. The mystery and investigation are the primary focus but the rest is there in every page."

A training session in the Minnesota wilderness becomes a fight for survival for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner...

Keeping their search-and-rescue skills honed isn’t just a job requirement for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—it’s essential to saving lives. A water search training weekend in the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota has attracted participants from all levels of law enforcement, each vying to win. The races are challenging, the rivalry is intense, and Meg is already under pressure when Hawk alerts to a scent in the water—and discovers the fresh body of one of Meg’s fellow competitors.

The contest is called off, but Meg’s still feeling the heat. The victim had made an unfounded complaint about her, one that could cost Meg her job and see Hawk removed from her care. The field of suspects is daunting, and all of them are experts in throwing others off the trail. And though Meg’s team flies out to Minnesota to help uncover the truth, they’re on unfamiliar territory, pitted against a killer with the skills, and the motivation, to stay hidden in plain sight...

_____________

STILL WATERS is available now at these fine retailers:
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Apple | Audible | Barnes and Noble
Google | Hudson Booksellers | IndieBound | Indigo | Target | Walmart

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It's party time! Kensington's authors are getting together tonight to celebrate their new releases once again, and you are invited! We'll be on Facebook from 7:30 - 9:30pm EST to chat with readers, talk about our new books, and, of course, hold giveaways. Additionally, Kensington Books will once again be providing a grand prize of a copy of each author's book to one lucky winner. You won't want to miss this!

You can stop by this link to sign up or just follow it directly to join us tonight: https://www.facebook.com/events/802924204278783/. Can't make the whole party or are busy that night? No worries, we have you covered. All posts and giveaways are open until 7:30pm EST tomorrow.

Can't wait to see you there tonight!

STILL WATERS Sneak Peak and a Party Invitation

We're a week out from the release of FBI K-9s #7, STILL WATERS, on November 29th. And I have a sneak preview for you today.

A training session in the Minnesota wilderness becomes a fight for survival for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner...

Keeping their search-and-rescue skills honed isn’t just a job requirement for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—it’s essential to saving lives. A water search training weekend in the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota has attracted participants from all levels of law enforcement, each vying to win. The races are challenging, the rivalry is intense, and Meg is already under pressure when Hawk alerts to a scent in the water—and discovers the fresh body of one of Meg’s fellow competitors.

The contest is called off, but Meg’s still feeling the heat. The victim had made an unfounded complaint about her, one that could cost Meg her job and see Hawk removed from her care. The field of suspects is daunting, and all of them are experts in throwing others off the trail. And though Meg’s team flies out to Minnesota to help uncover the truth, they’re on unfamiliar territory, pitted against a killer with the skills, and the motivation, to stay hidden in plain sight...

_____________

Today, I have the first three chapters of STILL WATERS for you. In it, we get to see Meg and Hawk in their first water recovery training session. This team is greased lightning on land, but their searches stop at any body of water, and Meg is determined to change that. And then we'll see them on the first course of the competition. You can dive into this special preview below.

STILL WATERS - Chapters One to Three

STILL WATERS is available for pre-order at these fine retailers:
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Apple | Audible | Barnes and Noble
Google | Hudson Booksellers | IndieBound | Indigo | Target | Walmart

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It's party time! Kensington's authors are getting together to celebrate their new releases once again, and you are invited! We'll be on Facebook on November 29th, the day of our releases, from 7:30 - 9:30pm EST to chat with readers, talk about our new books, and, of course, hold giveaways. Additionally, Kensington Books will once again be providing a grand prize of a copy of each author's book to one lucky winner. You won't want to miss this!

Stop by right here to to sign up so you don't miss any of the party: https://www.facebook.com/events/802924204278783/. Can't make the whole party or are busy that night? No worries, we have you covered. All posts and giveaways are open until 7pm EST on November 30th, so stop by the next day to enter.

Can't wait to see you there that night!

STILL WATERS Cover Reveal

Today I'm excited to share with you the brand new cover for FBI K-9s #7, STILL WATERS, which releases on November 29, 2022. Take a look at this stunner!

Once again, Kensington's art department has done a fantastic job, really capturing the beauty and the isolation of the book's setting. And, as a Canadian, the familiar sight of our geese is a nice touch!

So, what are Meg and Hawk up to in this installment?

A training session in the Minnesota wilderness becomes a fight for survival for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner . . .

Keeping their search-and-rescue skills honed isn’t just a job requirement for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—it’s essential to saving lives. A water search training weekend in the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota has attracted participants from all levels of law enforcement, each vying to win. The races are challenging, the rivalry is intense, and Meg is already under pressure when Hawk alerts to a scent in the water—and discovers the fresh body of one of Meg’s fellow competitors.

The contest is called off, but Meg’s still feeling the heat. The victim had made an unfounded complaint about her, one that could cost Meg her job and see Hawk removed from her care. The field of suspects is daunting, and all of them are experts in throwing others off the trail. And though Meg’s team flies out to Minnesota to help uncover the truth, they’re on unfamiliar territory, pitted against a killer with the skills, and the motivation, to stay hidden in plain sight . . .

I'm also happy to announce that STILL WATERS is now available for pre-order at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, and Target. Advance orders are so important for the continuing life of an ongoing series, so for all who are able and eager to pre-order their copy, many, many thanks!

Much more to come, including giveaways and sneak previews, as we get closer to release day on November 29th. Stay tuned!

UNDER PRESSURE is Now Available!

It's release day for FBI K-9s #6, UNDER PRESSURE! **throws confetti** I'm really thrilled to bring you this next adventure starring Meg Jennings, and her black Lab, Hawk. And there will be other familiar faces as well with the return of Brian Foster and Lacey, Todd Webb, Clay McCord, and Cara Jennings.

There has been some amazing advanced buzz for UNDER PRESSURE:

“Driscoll’s niche—think Margaret Truman meets the mob—is all her own.” - Kirkus Reviews

"Nonstop and adrenaline-infused, UNDER PRESSURE has both bark and bite as this K-9 team goes up against the mob." - Mystery Scene Magazine

"The plot, the pacing, and the characters (both human and animal) work seamlessly together to keep the reader reading just a little bit more and then a little bit more. Under Pressure is another unmitigated success in this series of brilliant storytelling." - The Reading Room

"The novel never flags, slows down, no sags in the middle. There are action packed scenes, the dogs are in the thick of it, and the tension ramps up as further discoveries are made and pieces come together. The conclusion, gritty and gripping, is satisfying. The novel is an easy one to fly through—you don’t want to put it down!" - Rosepoint Publishing

If you missed it before and would still like a sneak peek, you can read Chapter One here.

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, are drawn into a case that involves a fortune in uncut gems, and an enemy whose power and ruthlessness know no bounds...

Diamonds are no one’s best friend when the jewels in question are smuggled conflict gems. Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk, have undertaken many search-and-rescue missions, but this case has an unusual twist. A Philadelphia syndicate is importing diamonds from war-torn African nations and selling them with fake certificates to Stateside dealers. Agent Finn Pierce of the Organized Crime Program is embedded with the syndicate, but being caught with a wire or tracking device would mean instant execution. If Meg, her partner Brian Foster, and their dogs can track Pierce to a deal location, they can break the smuggling chain while maintaining Pierce’s cover.

With the syndicate monitoring every move, it’s a risky operation with more players than Meg and Brian first assumed—on both sides of the law. And when one of their own gets caught in the line of fire, the team embarks on a desperate rescue mission, knowing that mere seconds are all that separate life and death...

Available at: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

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A reminder that tonight is the big Kensington November 2021 Mystery and Thriller launch party. Pease join us this evening from 7 - 10pm EST right here: https://www.facebook.com/events/520849522331300. If you can't stay the whole evening, or can't make that time frame at all, no problem! All giveaways are open until 7pm EST the next evening, so you can catch up the next morning or afternoon, if you like. And you really won't want to miss the prizes that are being given away, including the prize below from Kensington Books that will go to one lucky winner. Hope to see you tonight!

UNDER PRESSURE Sneak Peek and Launch Party Details

We're a week away from the launch of FBI K-9s #6, UNDER PRESSURE, and I have a special sneak peek exclusively for newsletter readers—Chapter One in its entirety to give you a taste of what's to come.

You can find Chapter One right here: UNDER PRESSURE - Chapter One

Coming to you on November 30th!

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, are drawn into a case that involves a fortune in uncut gems, and an enemy whose power and ruthlessness know no bounds...

Diamonds are no one’s best friend when the jewels in question are smuggled conflict gems. Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk, have undertaken many search-and-rescue missions, but this case has an unusual twist. A Philadelphia syndicate is importing diamonds from war-torn African nations and selling them with fake certificates to Stateside dealers. Agent Finn Pierce of the Organized Crime Program is embedded with the syndicate, but being caught with a wire or tracking device would mean instant execution. If Meg, her partner Brian Foster, and their dogs can track Pierce to a deal location, they can break the smuggling chain while maintaining Pierce’s cover.

With the syndicate monitoring every move, it’s a risky operation with more players than Meg and Brian first assumed—on both sides of the law. And when one of their own gets caught in the line of fire, the team embarks on a desperate rescue mission, knowing that mere seconds are all that separate life and death...

Available for pre-order at: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

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Long time blog readers will know that a book launch means a launch party, and this book is no exception!

Once again, I'm teaming up with a stellar lineup of Kensington authors to celebrate our new releases on November 30th on Facebook. Check out this amazing group of authors and their new books:

Winnie Archer - A MURDER YULE REGRET
V.M. Burns - KILLER WORDS
M.V. Byrne - ISABEL PUDDLES INVESTIGATES
Kate Collins - BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE GREEKTOWN
Maddie Day - MURDER AT THE LOBSTAH SHACK
Jen J. Danna as Sara Driscoll - UNDER PRESSURE
Amanda Flower - MARRIAGE CAN BE MISCHIEF
Sarah Fox - CLARET AND PRESENT DANGER
Lee Hollis - MURDER AT THE BAKE SALE
Meg Macy - BEAR A WEE GRUDGE
Rosemarie Ross - CHRISTMAS CANDY CORPSE
Darcie Wilde - A COUNTERFEIT SUITOR

We would love to see you there, so please join us that evening from 7 - 10pm EST. If you can't stay the whole evening, or can't make that time frame at all, no problem! All giveaways are open until 7pm the next evening, so you can catch up the next morning or afternoon, if you like. You can sign up as Going or Interested to stay in the loop right here on the event site: https://www.facebook.com/events/520849522331300. Many of the prizes are already being previewed on the discussion tab, so stop by to see what you could win. Seriously... so many prizes! And, once again, there will be a Kensington grand prize that you guys will not want to miss!

Many of you have attended in the past and know what a blast these launch parties are. Hope to see you there!!

SHOT CALLER Release Day!

I'm happy to announce that NYPD Negotiators #2, SHOT CALLER, releases today!

In SHOT CALLER, NYPD Detective Gemma Capello and her fellow hostage negotiators are given a particularly difficult situation when a riot in one of the enhanced security units on Rikers Island ends with eight correction officers being held hostage. It’s a challenge—how do you negotiate with someone who already lives under the weight of a life sentence? What retribution within Gemma’s power to grant could possibly be worse than what already lies ahead of those inmates? It makes for an extremely tense situation where everyone from the Department of Corrections administration, NYPD commanders, the tactical team, and the mayor of New York City all have an opinion and an agenda:

In Jen J. Danna’s gripping suspense series, NYPD detective Gemma Capello is called to Rikers Island, where a prison riot threatens to become a bloodbath . . .

On Rikers Island, tensions always run high, especially in the Enhanced Supervision Housing unit. The ESH is home to Rikers’ most dangerous offenders, many of them members of rival street gangs. When Gemma Capello and her team get word of an uprising at the ESH, they know how much is at stake. Gemma also has her own unresolved feelings to deal with—this is the first case she and Detective Sean Logan have worked together since a siege at City Hall that ended with the hostage taker’s death.

Built to hinder escape, prisons are also especially difficult for a tactical team to invade. That’s a last resort for Gemma, but the longer the inmates remain in control, holding corrections officers hostage, the greater the risk. Gemma begins negotiating with Kill Switch, a young, aggressive member of the Filero Kings gang and the inmates’ spokesman. She can tell the stress level is escalating inside. That may give her team some advantages, but it soon leads to a brutal act of retribution—and threats of more to come.

Navigating assumptions on all sides, Gemma desperately tries to stop the body count from rising. But with disagreements and volatility increasing all around, the only certainty is that the next misstep may be a fatal one . . .

Publishers Weekly described SHOT CALLER as "A solid sequel to 2020’s EXIT STRATEGY. Danna’s convincing portrayal of the hostage negotiating process and life at Rikers keep the pages turning. Readers will look forward to Gemma’s next outing."

SHOT CALLER is available now from these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Audible, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

And a book release means it's party time!

Please join us tonight from 7 - 10pm EDT for a mass Kensington launch party. You'll find the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/849446682324828. Many of the prizes being offered this evening are already up for preview in the discussion tab, including the grand prize from Kensington - one of each of the twelve books highlighted at tonight's party to one lucky winner! All giveaways are open for twenty-four hours, so if you can't make it tonight, you can still catch up tomorrow and get your name into the prize draws. Personally, I'll be giving away three copies of SHOT CALLER, an audio CD set of EXIT STRATEGY, and five ARCS of my upcoming FBI K-9s novel, UNDER PRESSURE.

Hope to see you there, and good luck in all the draws!

SHOT CALLER Sneak Peek and Launch Party Details

We're a little over a week away from the launch of NYPD Negotiators #2, SHOT CALLER, and I have a special sneak peek for you—Chapter One in its entirety to give you a taste of what's to come.

You can find Chapter One right here: SHOT CALLER - Chapter One

In Jen J. Danna’s gripping suspense series, NYPD detective Gemma Capello is called to Rikers Island, where a prison riot threatens to become a bloodbath…

On Rikers Island, tensions always run high, especially in the Enhanced Supervision Housing unit. The ESH is home to Rikers’ most dangerous offenders, many of them members of rival street gangs. When Gemma Capello and her team get word of an uprising at the ESH, they know how much is at stake. Gemma also has her own unresolved feelings to deal with—this is the first case she and Detective Sean Logan have worked together since a siege at City Hall that ended with the hostage taker’s death.

Built to hinder escape, prisons are also especially difficult for a tactical team to invade. That’s a last resort for Gemma, but the longer the inmates remain in control, holding corrections officers hostage, the greater the risk. Gemma begins negotiating with Kill Switch, a young, aggressive member of the Filero Kings gang and the inmates’ spokesman. She can tell the stress level is escalating inside. That may give her team some advantages, but it soon leads to a brutal act of retribution—and threats of more to come.

Navigating assumptions on all sides, Gemma desperately tries to stop the body count from rising. But with disagreements and volatility increasing all around, the only certainty is that the next misstep may be a fatal one . . .

For all those who have already pre-ordered, huge thanks. And for those who are interested in ordering early so SHOT CALLER is available immediately upon release, it's carried by these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart. Thank you to you as well!

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In more NYPD Negotiator news, Gemma Capello, Sean Logan, and the whole Capelllo family will return in book #3, LOCKDOWN. Newly completed, LOCKDOWN takes Gemma and Logan into the horror of a Brooklyn high school shooting that evolves into a hostage situation. But the incident becomes even more terrifying for the Capellos when Gemma's nephew, who attends the imperiled school, is not among the evacuated students and cannot be contacted. Coming in 2022...

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Speaking of upcoming releases, FBI K-9s #6, UNDER PRESSURE, releases on November 30th, and I have paperback advanced reader copies! So watch this space for giveaway information in a few weeks. But, if you are interested in winning a copy sooner, then you'll want to come out on August 31st...

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It's launch party time again! Once again, I'm teaming up with a stellar lineup of Kensington authors to celebrate our new releases on August 31st on Facebook. Check out this amazing group of authors and their new books:

Suzanne Chazin - THE FRAGILE EDGE
Jen J. Danna - SHOT CALLER
Maddie Day - NO GRATER CRIME
Devon Delaney - DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIE MURDER
JC Eaton - RAILROADED 4 MURDER
Alex Erickson - DIAL M FOR MAINE COON
Lee Hollis - HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER
Anna Lee Huber - MURDER MOST FAIR
Victoria Laurie - COACHED IN THE ACT
Alyssa Maxwell - MURDER AT WAKEHURST
Barbara Ross - HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER
Karen Rose Smith - MURDER WITH ORANGE PEKOE TEA
Traci Wilton - MRS. MORRIS AND THE VAMPIRE

We would love to see you there, so please join us that evening from 7 - 10pm EDT. If you can't stay the whole evening, or can't make that time frame at all, no problem! All giveaways are open for 24 hours before a winner is selected, so you can catch up the next morning or afternoon, if you like. You can sign up as Going or Interested to stay in the loop: https://www.facebook.com/events/849446682324828. Many of the prizes are already being previewed on the discussion tab, so stop by to see what you could win. Seriously... so many prizes (including copies of UNDER PRESSURE)! And, for the first time, there will be a Kensington grand prize this year that will be revealed in the coming days.

Many of you have attended in the past and know what a blast these launch parties are. Hope to see you there!!

SHOT CALLER ARC Winners!

First of all, many, many thanks to all who entered the draw for one of five physical ARCs of SHOT CALLER. I had 877 entries, which made me wish I had more books! But the bright side is that I have enough for one more draw... more on that after I announce the winners.

The winners of this round of ARC giveaways are the following: Tiffany Coffman, Melanie Stickler Falconer, Sandy Giden, Amy Newman Connolley, and Jane Pettitt. Congratulations! Check your inboxes for an email from me with a request for your snail mail addresses and I'll get the book in the mail to you this week.

For the next draw, I think I'm going to keep it to my newsletter peeps. There should be some advantage to allowing me into your inboxes, so for anyone who isn't on my list and would like to get on before the next giveaway, you can sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/86c40ef0893b/jen-j-danna-author-newsletter

Once again, many thanks to all who entered! And if you didn't win this time, a reminder that if you are a NetGalley reader, you can apply for access here: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/218753

Win an advanced copy of SHOT CALLER!

After a year and two releases where I didn't get any physical advanced reading copies because of the pandemic, it was a thrill to recently receive a whole box of ARCs for SHOT CALLER, the second book in the NYPD Negotiators series. So we all know what that means, right?

Giveaways!

View fullsize

View fullsize

In Jen J. Danna’s gripping suspense series, NYPD detective Gemma Capello is called to Rikers Island, where a prison riot threatens to become a bloodbath . . .

On Rikers Island, tensions always run high, especially in the Enhanced Supervision Housing unit. The ESH is home to Rikers’ most dangerous offenders, many of them members of rival street gangs. When Gemma Capello and her team get word of an uprising at the ESH, they know how much is at stake. Gemma also has her own unresolved feelings to deal with—this is the first case she and Detective Sean Logan have worked together since a siege at City Hall that ended with the hostage taker’s death.

Built to hinder escape, prisons are also especially difficult for a tactical team to invade. That’s a last resort for Gemma, but the longer the inmates remain in control, holding corrections officers hostage, the greater the risk. Gemma begins negotiating with Kill Switch, a young, aggressive member of the Filero Kings gang and the inmates’ spokesman. She can tell the stress level is escalating inside. That may give her team some advantages, but it soon leads to a brutal act of retribution—and threats of more to come.

Navigating assumptions on all sides, Gemma desperately tries to stop the body count from rising. But with disagreements and volatility increasing all around, the only certainty is that the next misstep may be a fatal one . . .

This one is a real nail-biter, and is definitely the kind of situation that could happen tomorrow in any of the country's incarceration facilities. I think you guys are really going to love it.

For your chance to win one of five physical ARCs, please enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Rafflecopter will be open from Wednesday, April 21 to to 11:59pm on Tuesday, April 27 for residents of Canada and the U.S. For international readers, or those readers who are part of NetGalley, if you're looking for an e-ARC, you can apply for one here: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/218753.

Good luck!!

Cover Reveal and Exciting Release Day News for FBI K-9s #6, UNDER PRESSURE

Lots to cover in this post, but we’ll start with the brand new cover for the next FBI K-9, book #6, UNDER PRESSURE:

Doesn't it look great? Do you recognize the location from those steps? That's the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and you may remember them as the famous steps Rocky Balboa jogs up in the original Rocky movie.

So, what is the team up to in UNDER PRESSURE?

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, are drawn into a case that involves a fortune in uncut gems, and an enemy whose power and ruthlessness know no bounds...

Diamonds are no one’s best friend when the jewels in question are smuggled conflict gems. Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk, have undertaken many search-and-rescue missions, but this case has an unusual twist. A Philadelphia syndicate is importing diamonds from war-torn African nations and selling them with fake certificates to Stateside dealers. Agent Finn Pierce of the Organized Crime Program is embedded with the syndicate, but being caught with a wire or tracking device would mean instant execution. If Meg, her partner Brian Foster, and their dogs can track Pierce to a deal location, they can break the smuggling chain while maintaining Pierce’s cover.

With the syndicate monitoring every move, it’s a risky operation with more players than Meg and Brian first assumed—on both sides of the law. And when one of their own gets caught in the line of fire, the team embarks on a desperate rescue mission, knowing that mere seconds are all that separate life and death...

Whose life is on the line? It's a fan favourite, so you won't want to miss this one!

I was recently pleasantly surprised to learn that the release of this book has been moved up several months, so, everyone who loved LEAVE NO TRACE and wanted more, you'll be happy to hear that it's no longer a winter 2022 release, but will be launching on November 30, 2021! And savvy readers will note from the blurb above that Brian and Lacey are back with the team after Lacey's devastating injury in LEAVE NO TRACE. Good news all around!

Because the release date has been moved up, pre-order links are already live for UNDER PRESSURE. You can pre-order your copy here: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, and Target.

Speaking of LEAVE NO TRACE, the fifth book in the FBI K-9s series continues to be popular. Perhaps it's the mix of case with so many threads woven through of the personal lives of the team, but this book has struck a chord with many readers. Haven't grabbed your copy yet? You can find it here: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

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A reminder that NYPD Negotiators #2, SHOT CALLER, the sequel to EXIT STRATEGY, will release on August 31, 2021.

For longtime newsletter readers, you know what this means? This means another amazing virtual Kensington authors launch! It's really early, so early I haven't made up any promo images yet, but I do have a list of all the authors who are excited to join me for a Facebook event on the evening of August 31, from 7 - 10pm EDT.

Check out these amazing authors and the books they'll be sharing that night:
Suzanne Chazin - THE FRAGILE EDGE
Jen J. Danna - SHOT CALLER
Maddie Day - NO GRATER CRIME
Devon Delaney - DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIE MURDER
JC Eaton - RAILROADED 4 MURDER
Alex Erickson - DIAL M FOR MAINE COON
Anna Lee Huber - MURDER MOST FAIR
Victoria Laurie - COACHED IN THE ACT
Alyssa Maxwell - MURDER AT WAKEHURST
Carol J. Perry - BE MY GHOST
Barbara Rosss - HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER
Karen Rose Smith - MURDER WITH ORANGE PEKOE TEA
Traci Wilton - MRS. MORRIS AND THE VAMPIRE

Please save the date, and watch for all the details you'll need to join us in upcoming newsletters!

In Jen J. Danna’s gripping suspense series, NYPD detective Gemma Capello is called to Rikers Island, where a prison riot threatens to become a bloodbath . . .

On Rikers Island, tensions always run high, especially in the Enhanced Supervision Housing unit. The ESH is home to Rikers’ most dangerous offenders, many of them members of rival street gangs. When Gemma Capello and her team get word of an uprising at the ESH, they know how much is at stake. Gemma also has her own unresolved feelings to deal with—this is the first case she and Detective Sean Logan have worked together since a siege at City Hall that ended with the hostage taker’s death.

Built to hinder escape, prisons are also especially difficult for a tactical team to invade. That’s a last resort for Gemma, but the longer the inmates remain in control, holding corrections officers hostage, the greater the risk. Gemma begins negotiating with Kill Switch, a young, aggressive member of the Filero Kings gang and the inmates’ spokesman. She can tell the stress level is escalating inside. That may give her team some advantages, but it soon leads to a brutal act of retribution—and threats of more to come.

Navigating assumptions on all sides, Gemma desperately tries to stop the body count from rising. But with disagreements and volatility increasing all around, the only certainty is that the next misstep may be a fatal one . . .

Think SHOT CALLER looks interesting, but you haven’t read EXIT STRATEGY yet? I'll put buy links in below, or perhaps you could grab a copy from your local library. Your local library doesn't have it? Request it! You’ll get to enjoy it and then others who frequent the library will also have a chance to discover it. What if you've already read it and possibly even own EXIT STRATEGY, but still want to support the series because you love Gemma and the Capellos and want to spend more time with them? Request EXIT STRATEGY and/or SHOT CALLER at your local library if they aren't already in their catalogue. And, of course, pre-ordering your copy of SHOT CALLER is the very best way to support the series and ensure there will be more installments in the series. However you can help out, sincerely, many many thanks!

SHOT CALLER pre-order links: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

You can find EXIT STRATEGY at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Audible, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

In this taut new suspense series featuring NYPD detective Gemma Capello and her close-knit law enforcement family, a madman brings a halt to the heart of the city that never sleeps . . .

After her mother’s death during a bank robbery when she was a child, Gemma Capello grew up to become one of the NYPD’s elite hostage negotiators. In a family of cops, there’s rarely a day when a Capello isn’t facing down some form of threat. Still, despite their unpredictable schedules, they always find time for their annual family summer picnic. But this year, a sudden phone call changes everything.

A heavily armed gunman has taken hostages at City Hall. Gemma races downtown to join the rest of the Hostage Negotiation Team as they scramble to identify the captives—fearing the mayor may be among them. But as they scramble for answers and struggle to gain control of the circumstances, it becomes clear that the mayor is at the center of it all, just not in the way they initially believed.

With several lives on the line and a criminal who always seems to be one step ahead, Gemma is the only one able to connect with the suspect. Soon, she finds herself engaging in a battle of wits while enduring a battle of egos in the command center. With time running out and a mastermind who has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, Gemma risks it all—her career and her life—in a last-ditch effort to save the hostages. Now, she needs to figure out how to save herself . . .

It's Launch Day for LEAVE NO TRACE!

Today is finally the day when LEAVE NO TRACE, the fifth book in the FBI K-9s series, goes out into the world! **throws confetti, blows horn**

This installment is a real nail biter and an emotional roller coaster for our cast of characters. So don’t miss the book early readers are calling “another heart pounding suspense ride”, “gripping and action-packed”, and “the best book in the series to date”!

Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 partner are heading south where it’s hunting season. But this time the prey is human.

One arrow through the heart could be a tragic hunting accident. A second one, within days, looks more like a crime. That’s when Meg Jennings and Brian Foster of the FBI’s Forensic Canine Unit head to Georgia to investigate. With their dogs Hawk and Lacey, Meg and Brian are enlisted to follow the scent of a killer. At first, nothing seems to connect the two victims–a county commissioner and State Patrol officer.  But the blood sport around the southern town of Blue Ridge is just beginning.

As the body count rises, the compound bow killer becomes even more elusive, appearing and vanishing like a ghost. However, with each new slaying, Meg is beginning to suspect the grim design that’s escalating in the shadows. At its heart, a tragic event that reaches back nearly two centuries in Georgia’s history is now turning Blue Ridge into a hunting ground. But as Meg gets closer to solving the puzzle, the closer she is to stepping into the crosshairs of an elusive murderer with deadly aim, and motives as deep and dark as the woods . . .

You can pick up your copy of LEAVE NO TRACE at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

Want to get a taste before you buy? Here’s a sneak peek at Chapter One!

And a reminder about the launch party for LEAVE NO TRACE. Once again, I’m joining forces with a group of Kensington Books authors to celebrate:

Please join me with Ellery Adams, V.M. Burns, Stephanie Graves, Jeff Gunhus, Sherry Harris, Edwin Hill, Meg Macy, Rose Pressey, Angela M. Sanders, and Karen Rose Smith as we celebrate our new releases as part of a Facebook event. Please stop by and sign up as Going or Interested to receive up to date news on the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/196606035392643. Our books all release today, but January is really blah after the holiday whirl, so we decided to liven it up by postponing our launch for one week and running it on January 5th instead. I hope you can join us. There will be a ton of prizes being given away that night, so don't miss out! See you there…

Two Weeks Until LEAVE NO TRACE — A Sneak Peek at Chapter One, a Party Invitation, and a Bonus Cover Reveal

We’re two weeks away from the launch of FBI K-9s #5, LEAVE NO TRACE, and today I’ve got a sneak peek of Chapter One for you, as well as a party invitation.

Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 partner are heading south where it’s hunting season. But this time the prey is human.

One arrow through the heart could be a tragic hunting accident. A second one, within days, looks more like a crime. That’s when Meg Jennings and Brian Foster of the FBI’s Forensic Canine Unit head to Georgia to investigate. With their dogs Hawk and Lacey, Meg and Brian are enlisted to follow the scent of a killer. At first, nothing seems to connect the two victims–a county commissioner and State Patrol officer.  But the blood sport around the southern town of Blue Ridge is just beginning.

As the body count rises, the compound bow killer becomes even more elusive, appearing and vanishing like a ghost. However, with each new slaying, Meg is beginning to suspect the grim design that’s escalating in the shadows. At its heart, a tragic event that reaches back nearly two centuries in Georgia’s history is now turning Blue Ridge into a hunting ground. But as Meg gets closer to solving the puzzle, the closer she is to stepping into the crosshairs of an elusive murderer with deadly aim, and motives as deep and dark as the woods . . .

Sound interesting? Get a taste of the book here with Chapter One. Enjoy!

Pre-sale links are live. As always, all advanced and initial buys help keep the series strong and increase our chance of further books. And are very appreciated! Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

I also have news about the launch of LEAVE NO TRACE. For my last few books launches, I've joined with a group of Kensington authors to celebrate together. And this launch will be no exception:

Please join me with Ellery Adams, V.M. Burns, Stephanie Graves, Jeff Gunhus, Sherry Harris, Edwin Hill, Meg Macy, Rose Pressey, Angela M. Sanders, and Karen Rose Smith as we celebrate our new releases as part of a Facebook event. Please stop by and sign up as Going or Interested to receive up to date news on the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/196606035392643. Our books all come out on December 29th, but January is really blah after the holiday whirl, so we decided to liven it up by postponing our launch for one week and running it on January 5th instead. I hope you can join us! There will be a ton of prizes being given away that night, so don't miss out!

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And last, but definitely not least, I have a special reveal. The second book in the NYPD Negotiators series launches on August 31, 2021 and I've got a special sneak preview of the cover.

In Jen J. Danna’s gripping suspense series, NYPD detective Gemma Capello is called to Rikers Island, where a prison riot threatens to become a bloodbath . . .

On Rikers Island, tensions always run high, especially in the Enhanced Supervision Housing unit. The ESH is home to Rikers’ most dangerous offenders, many of them members of rival street gangs. When Gemma Capello and her team get word of an uprising at the ESH, they know how much is at stake. Gemma also has her own unresolved feelings to deal with—this is the first case she and Detective Sean Logan have worked together since a siege at City Hall that ended with the hostage taker’s death.

Built to hinder escape, prisons are also especially difficult for a tactical team to invade. That’s a last resort for Gemma, but the longer the inmates remain in control, holding corrections officers hostage, the greater the risk. Gemma begins negotiating with Kill Switch, a young, aggressive member of the Filero Kings gang and the inmates’ spokesman. She can tell the stress level is escalating inside. That may give her team some advantages, but it soon leads to a brutal act of retribution—and threats of more to come.

Navigating assumptions on all sides, Gemma desperately tries to stop the body count from rising. But with disagreements and volatility increasing all around, the only certainty is that the next misstep may be a fatal one . . .

This one is a real nail-biter, and is definitely the kind of situation that could happen tomorrow in any of the country's incarceration facilities. So keep it in mind for summer 2021!

It’s Release Day! EXIT STRATEGY Is Out!

It’s release day and EXIT STRATEGY is finally here! It feels like today has been a long time in coming, and I’m thrilled to say you can now get your hands on your own copy. 

What are people saying about EXIT STRATEGY? Here’s some of the advanced praise:

“Tense and tightly plotted, Exit Strategy pulls you in and doesn't let go. A compelling page-turner.”—Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Clancy: Code of Honor

“An energetic series launch with convincing descriptions of New York City neighborhoods and police tactics, along with flashbacks full of Italian family lore. Fans of contemporary police procedurals will hope to see a lot more of the capable Gemma."—Publishers Weekly

"Danna kicks off her first solo effort with a compelling, dramatic story while using the protagonist’s family background as motivation. Readers who love the TV show Blue Bloods, with its family of cops, will relish this launch."—Library Journal

“Coming in hot. This phrase in its military meaning of “all guns blazing” describes the first book in a new series by Jen J. Danna to a tee. Readers will be riveted to the spot as the clock counts down on a day rife with danger and suspense. Danna has done a superb job of introducing the Capellos and the NYPD Negotiators series to readers. I’m excited about this series and what Gemma and her negotiating team will face next.”—The Reading Room

“Fast-paced and packed with plenty of action. Reading Exit Strategy was like watching a movie, it had that cinematic, high-octane plot speed and plenty going on to keep the reader turning the pages.”—Bibliophile Book Club

“A terrific well-plotted storyline. My hat is off to this author and her attention to detail and the weaving of a great read.”—Rose Point Publishing 

One more time for the people in the back, what is EXIT STRATEGY about?

In this taut new suspense series featuring NYPD detective Gemma Capello and her close-knit law enforcement family, a madman brings a halt to the heart of the city that never sleeps . . .

After her mother’s death during a bank robbery when she was a child, Gemma Capello grew up to become one of the NYPD’s elite hostage negotiators. In a family of cops, there’s rarely a day when a Capello isn’t facing down some form of threat. Still, despite their unpredictable schedules, they always find time for their annual family summer picnic. But this year, a sudden phone call changes everything.

A heavily armed gunman has taken hostages at City Hall. Gemma races downtown to join the rest of the Hostage Negotiation Team as they scramble to identify the captives—fearing the mayor may be among them. But as they scramble for answers and struggle to gain control of the circumstances, it becomes clear that the mayor is at the center of it all, just not in the way they initially believed.

With several lives on the line and a criminal who always seems to be one step ahead, Gemma is the only one able to connect with the suspect. Soon, she finds herself engaging in a battle of wits while enduring a battle of egos in the command center. With time running out and a mastermind who has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, Gemma risks it all—her career and her life—in a last-ditch effort to save the hostages. Now, she needs to figure out how to save herself . . .

You can find EXIT STRATEGY available now at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Audible, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

These are difficult times and many people are stretched emotionally and financially. What’s a reader to do if they can’t afford to go out and buy a hardcover copy of EXIT STRATEGY? There are lots of ways you can still support me and EXIT STRATEGY’s launch:

• Word of mouth is one of the best ways to sell new books, so please recommend EXIT STRATEGY to your reader friends.

• Talk about the book on social media. Especially during the quarantimes, this a fantastic way to get the word out about a new book or a new series.

• Request the book at your local library. I love libraries and they’re a great way for readers to find a new author. But a library member needs to request the book if it’s not already in the catalogue to start that off. That way you get to read it, but then you’re sharing the gift of that book with other library members.

• Write reviews on commercial websites like Goodreads or Amazon. Other readers who are interested in the book will look at reviews when they are deciding whether to try a new book. A great review goes a very long way.

• Think about book lovers on any upcoming birthday or holiday lists and give EXIT STRATEGY as a gift.

 Many thanks to all for their support. Launching a book in the middle of a pandemic definitely has its challenges, especially when the sales from this book will 100% decide if the series will go beyond book #2. So I very, VERY much appreciate all the support from you, my fabulous readers! 

And don’t forget the big book launch party tonight. You’ll find me and a group of bestselling Kensington authors here on Facebook tonight from 7 – 10pm EDT: https://www.facebook.com/events/755932971842445/  

If you go to the event today, you can sign up so you’re right in the middle of all the action tonight. You can also see some of the prizes we’ll be giving away in posts in the Discussion tab. Seriously, so many prizes. Books, audiobooks, clothing, book tie-in packages, and much more. So please stop by tonight because you may be one of our lucky winners. Hope to see you there!!

The Sites of EXIT STRATEGY – St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral

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Photo credit: Jonathan Dawkins

Just north of present-day Little Italy, in the Manhattan neighbourhood of Nolita (North of Little Italy) stands a Gothic Revival church which opened in 1815—the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. This is the site of the final scene of EXIT STRATEGY, a location that is familiar to Gemma Capello, and her family, and where she makes a final stand against a man who threatens not only her own life, but the lives of everyone around them. 

Designed in 1809 by Joseph-François Mangin, who also designed New York City Hall, it was the largest building in the city. Construction started in 1809 on a plot of land surrounded by farm land well north of the city and was completed in 1815. However, as the city grew, it enveloped this area of what is now Lower Manhattan. Within sixty years, the church was a cornerstone of Little Italy and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York until the more modern St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built in Midtown Manhattan in 1879.

The church is surrounded by a 10-foot-high brick wall, originally built to contain the church cemetery. It was used in 1836 as defense against attacks by Protestants who were concerned the church could be used as a stronghold from which the Pope could convert the largely Protestant Manhattan to Catholicism. Prior to Italian immigration, St. Patrick’s was largely a congregation of Irish immigrants. Those Irish congregants cut holes in the wall for musket barrels and posted armed men to protect the church and its property, even going so far as to patrol the streets outside the Basilica. This action finally discouraged the Protestants from their original plan to sack the church.

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Inside the church, the sanctuary is marked by an arched Gothic ceiling supported by two lines of iron columns running parallel to framing stained-glass windows. At the front of the church on a raised dais, an intricate hand-carved reredos, an ornate wooden screen standing behind the alter, is leafed with gold and holds ten saints within its decorative niches. Rows of wooden pews fill the nave and, at the rear of the sanctuary, twin confessionals are set against facing walls next to statues of the Virgin and St. Francis with his lamb, both surrounded by candles. High in the balcony at the back of the church, the original 1868 pipe organ, which contains over 2,500 pipes, is still in use and is the last remaining large pipe organ designed by 19th century, world-renowned New York City organ builder, Henry Erben. 

However, one of the most interesting aspects of the church lies underneath the nave—the church’s historic catacombs. Constructed following the church’s opening in 1815, the catacombs contain over fifty family crypts, each small door opening to stairs leading to a lower level large enough to hold up to twelve occupants. There are a number of well-known early-to-mid 19th century persons interred here: numerous members of the Delmonico restauranteur family; General Thomas Eckert, a Union Army officer who ran the War Department Telegraph Staff for most of the Civil War; Reverend John Connolly, the first bishop of New York; Thomas O’Connor, a prominent Irish journalist; and Congressman John Kelly, an advisor to President Abraham Lincoln. Recently refurbished, visitors to the cathedral can now tour the catacombs led by Tommy’s of New York.

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Some fun facts about St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral: Martin Scorsese, who grew up in Little Italy and served as an altar boy at St. Patrick’s, used the cathedral cemetery for a scene in Mean Streets. The sanctuary and baptismal font were used by Francis Ford Coppola in the movie The Godfather. And, finally, each year money is raised to bring in a grounds crew for the cemetery—three sheep who spend their summer inside the outer walls maintaining the cemetery lawn, a little touch of what life around the church was like in its earliest days.

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The Sites of EXIT STRATEGY – Little Italy

New York City has a colourful history. What began as New Amsterdam, a Dutch settlement in the 17th century, then became an English town, and finally a 19th and 20th century draw for people from all over the world including Ireland, Germany, Russia and Poland. And, of course, Italy. 

Life in Italy in the mid-19th century was hard. Poverty, political strife, an overwhelmingly agricultural lifestyle, high taxes combined with low wages, and a lack of land pushed whole families, even sometimes entire villages, to emigrate. The United States was a desirable destination as it was not only known for its available land, but for its lower taxes and higher wages for skilled labour, as well as its growing industrial age businesses.  

Italian immigration started as a trickle in the 1860s. Those who settled in Manhattan took up residence in perhaps the most dangerous area of the city—Five Points. They filled tenements on the south end of Mulberry Street, an area called Mulberry Bend, clinging to their original family and village groupings, maintaining the insular lifestyle to which they were accustomed in Italy. But Mulberry Bend was the city’s epicenter of poverty, crime, and gang life with a growing population squeezed into multi-family single room lodgings. In fact, at one point, this area of Five Points was designated the most densely populated area of the entire city, and was infamous for its disease, crime, and murder rates, far outnumbering any other part of Manhattan. As a result, in 1897, the city tore down the tenements and created Mulberry Park, known today as Columbus Park. Displaced Italian residents moved uptown, finding their homes further north on Mulberry, as well as on Mott, Elizabeth, Prince, and Grand Streets, to name a few. It is this area which is still known as Little Italy today.

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The Italian community flourished, even more so as additional immigrants moved in. It is estimated that between 1880 and 1920, over four million Italians immigrated to America, and thousands flocked to the community in Manhattan that came to be called Little Italy. At its peak in 1910, 10,000 Italians lived inside this two-square-mile area.  

The residents of Little Italy re-established their familiar lifestyle, and, in doing so, introduced it to New York City. Restaurants, bakeries, delicatessens, and food carts and shops opened. Churches were community centers of engagement. Organ grinders could be heard throughout the streets. And in 1926, the first Feast of San Gennaro was celebrated. Now an annual 11-day street festival each September, festivities include mass at the Church of the Most Precious Blood on Mulberry Street, as well as parades, live music, shopping, and, of course, food. However, with the good, came the bad as the Mafia moved in and established itself in Little Italy in the early 20th century, including the Morello, Gambino, and Genevese crime families. Almost seventy years later, New York City native Mario Puzo set his novel, The Godfather, with its Corleone crime family in Little Italy as a representation of that Mafia presence.

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Now down to a handful of blocks from it’s original fifty square block spread, Little Italy contains few Italians, but remains a tourist destination in New York City. However, it maintains some of its colourful roots. If you visit the area, you can still get a taste of the late 19th and early 20th century charm in some of the original shops, still run by the founding families: 

Alleva Dairy—Makers of fine cheeses, specially known for their ricotta and mozzarella; the oldest continually run shop in Little Italy since its opening in 1892.

Parisi Bakery—From 1903 through three generations of Parisis, an authentic Italian brick-oven bakery and delicatessen.

Di Palo’s Fine Foods—A specialty Italian grocery store opened in 1903 and currently operated by fifth generation Di Palos.

Piemonte Ravioli—Creating traditional fresh and dried Italian pasta since 1920. 

This is the world in which Gemma Capello was raised. Her nuclear family may have lived in Brooklyn, but her Italian grandparents lived on Elizabeth Street, once the Sicilian bastion of Little Italy. It is here she learns her family’s history. It is here she retreats following the death of her mother, to her grandmother’s care, where she learns to cook all the traditional Sicilian family favourites. It is here where her best friend Frankie and Frankie’s father run their bakery/café. And it is here she comes when she needs to save lives, including her own.  

On Friday, we’ll look at the site of the book’s climax, Little Italy’s early-19th century St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, a site rich with history and which contains a series of hidden catacombs underneath. 

All photos from The Library of Congress.

A Sneak Peek of EXIT STRATEGY

We’re two weeks away from the launch of EXIT STRATEGY and I’ve got a sneak peek for you in the form of Chapter One. Chapter One is really a self-contained, short-story introduction of Gemma Capello and what she does as a negotiator—holding lives in her hands. Click the link below to jump right in!

EXIT STRATEGY - CHAPTER ONE

Praise for EXIT STRATEGY:

Publishers Weekly: An "energetic series launch" with "convincing descriptions of New York City neighborhoods and police tactics, along with flashbacks full of Italian family lore. Fans of contemporary police procedurals will hope to see a lot more of the capable Gemma."

Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Clancy: Code of Honor: “Tense and tightly plotted, Exit Strategy pulls you in and doesn't let go. A compelling page-turner.”

Bibliophile Book Club: “Fast-paced and packed with plenty of action. Reading Exit Strategy was like watching a movie, it had that cinematic, high-octane plot speed and plenty going on to keep the reader turning the pages.”

Rose Point Publishing: “A terrific well-plotted storyline. My hat is off to this author and her attention to detail and the weaving of a great read.”

EXIT STRATEGY is available for pre-order at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

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And look what just arrived last night! Author copies of EXIT STRATEGY. New book deliveries are the best!

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A reminder of the big Kensington July Mystery and Thriller Launch party coming up on July 28th from 7 - 10PM. You’ll find the link to sign up as going or interested, and to get updates and reminders of the event right here: https://www.facebook.com/events/755932971842445/. It’s going to be really great evening with lots of interesting conversation and a ton of great prizes for attendees. I hope to see you all there!

The Sites of EXIT STRATEGY – City Hall Subway Station

Before we start today’s post, just a reminder that the big virtual launch of EXIT STRATEGY will be July 28th from 7 – 10PM, from the safe, socially distanced location of your choice worldwide. I’m sharing the launch party with 10 other amazing Kensington authors, so please come join us that night.

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Last week on the blog, I introduced New York City Hall, the site of the hostage taking in EXIT STRATEGY. But there is a hidden treasure under the adjacent City Hall Park which is not well known even to many native New Yorkers.  

By the late 19th century, New York City already had an elevated train line through the city, but the Great Blizzard of 1888—which dumped 55” of snow on the city, left them with two-story high snow drifts, and closed down train travel for over a week—demonstrated the advantages of subterranean train travel. Plans for New York City’s subway system were approved in 1894 and four years of construction on the initial line began in 1900.

Wikimedia Commons

When the New York City subway system opened in 1904 there were twenty-eight stations over nine miles of track between City Hall and 145th Street (compared to the current four hundred and twenty-seven stations over two hundred and thirty-six miles of track). The system was constructed as a continuous line using a cut and cover technique. Sequential streets were closed to allow for the subway tunnel to be dug by blasting, shovels, and pickaxes, then a series of trusses and beams were built to form the tunnel before the road was laid on top of it. After this, the work could be completed underground without interruption to life above. It was dangerous, backbreaking work completed by 7,700 immigrant workers, and at least sixty men died during the project. 

Of the twenty-eight stations, one was built as the “crown jewel” of the system—City Hall Station. Unlike other stations which were built using standard designs and practical materials, City Hall Station was built as a work of art. Architects George Lewis Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge designed the station around a circular piece of track with curved ceilings and entryways, and enlisted Rafael Guastavino, a Spanish engineer who perfected the use of compression thin-tiling to create arched ceilings and vaults. Additionally, the station was lit by decorative glass skylights by day and brass chandeliers at night. The ticket room, up a short flight of stairs from the platform, had an ornate oak and iron ticket booth sounded by green and yellow tiling.  It was a gorgeous piece of architecture.

The Library of Congress

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

However, as the line expanded and railways cars modernized, the station became antiquated. Newer cars were longer, with three sets of doors instead of the previous two, and while the cars could manage the curve in the track, the platform no longer reached all the doors. Additionally, the nearby Brooklyn Bridge Station, only minutes away by foot, was a larger station with a longer platform and connections to additional lines. Thus, on December 31, 1945, City Hall Station closed. 

For decades the station and platform sat empty and the track was only used to turn around southbound trains emptied at Brooklyn Bridge Station before heading north again. For most of New York City, the station faded from memory.

By Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

However, a movement started in the 1990s to obtain funding to refurbish the historic station and open it for tours. Since 2006, the New York Transit Museum has conducted extremely popular tours for their members of the station. Tickets sell out in minutes and demand remains high. For those who haven’t had the chance to attend a tour, it is now permitted by the MTA for riders of the southbound 6  and <6>  trains to remain onboard during the turnaround. The route takes you right through the station and you can see the vaults and platform and ticket room up the stairs for yourselves.

Now, how does this station relate to EXIT STRATEGY? Well, that would be telling. You’ll just have to read to find out how this station plays a crucial role in the hostage situation. 

Next week, I’ll be dropping by twice. First to give you a sneak peak at the beginning of EXIT STRATEGY, and then later in the week when I return to Gemma’s roots as we dive into NYC’s Little Italy. See you there!

The Sites of EXIT STRATEGY – New York City Hall

New York City is a fascinating place, full of business, entertainment, and history. But to Gemma Capello, it’s home. And as we come closer to the release of EXIT STRATEGY, I wanted to share some of Gemma’s city as it’s highlighted in the book.

Wikimedia Commons, by MusikAnimal - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

New York City Hall is the main location for much of EXIT STRATEGY. As the story starts, a crisis breaks out at City Hall as an armed man gains entrance to the building and takes hostages inside the mayor’s office. It’s this situation which calls the Capellos—Chief Tony Capello, head of Special Operations; Lieutenant Joe Capello of the Manhattan Gang Squad; Sergeant Mark Capello of the 5th Precinct; and Detective Gemma Capello of the Hostage Negotiation Team—away from a family get-together and into the city center. The Capellos scatter to their various roles, and Gemma ends up sitting in a repurposed bank vault near City Hall, on the phone with the hostage taker. But beyond the site of this fictional crisis, New York City Hall is a gorgeous building with a fascinating history. 

The third of New York’s city halls, the current building is the country’s oldest city hall still used for its original purpose. In an 1802 competition, Joseph Francois Mangin and John McCombs Jr. won the $350 grand prize for their French Renaissance design (we’ll see more of Mr. Mangin’s work in a few weeks when we talk about Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral). However, due to budget constraints and the resulting requirement for some design changes, construction didn’t start until 1810, with the building officially opening in 1812. It was the first city hall in the country that was part of a city park, a response to Boston’s and Philadelphia’s downtown city halls which were built with no significant greenspace.

New York City Hall, Aquatint by W. G. Wall, 1826.

In modern times, the building isn’t big enough to manage all municipal business (thus the adjacent David N. Dinkins Municipal Building, opened in 1914 following the consolidation of the five boroughs), but early on, the building not only served as the mayor’s office and the associated municipal offices, but it also contained a beer and wine cellar, several small jails, and a chapel. Currently, the building houses the mayor and his staff, as well as the majority and minority leaders and their staffs, and the council chambers for municipal business.

Edited by Jess Danna Photography

The central building is flanked by two wings and is topped by a cupola bearing a statue of lady justice. Thirteen steps, one for each of the thirteen colonies at the time of construction, rise to the five-door entrance sheltered by a portico supported by Corinthian columns. Inside, a statue of George Washington guards the front entryway that opens to the American-Georgian styled foyer.

One of the most notable features of the building is the pairing of a floating double staircase and a coffered rotunda, designated an interior landmark in 1976. The keystone, cantilevered marble staircase, an engineering feat in the early nineteenth century, rises to the second floor. Above it, the coffered dome is supported by ten Corinthian columns. Centered in the dome is an oculus to naturally light the space.

Wikimedia Commons, by Mary Browlee - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Edited by Jess Danna Photography

The rotunda has been the site of many important events, including the lying-in-state of both President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and President Ulysses S. Grant in 1885.  

At the top of the floating staircase, is the Governor’s Room, both a reception room and the location of many of City Hall’s museum pieces, including their portraiture collection and George Washington’s writing desk from Federal Hall, the seat of the federal government from 1789 – 1790.

Edited by Jess Danna Photography

Also on the second floor are the Council Chambers—still used today for modern municipal business—which boasts a mahogany dais, a mural ceiling, and a balcony for spectators.

Wikimedia Commons, by Grenoble17 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Outside, City Hall Park is a public space for residents and tourists alike. Here, George Washington read the Declaration of Independence for the first time on July 9th, 1776; it was also the site of the first protest against the British. A memorial to Captain Nathan Hale stands opposite City Hall, and the beautiful 1871 fountain, designed by Jacob Wrey Mould, the architect of much of Central Park, is located at the southern end of the park.

Edited by Jess Danna Photography

Wikimedia Commons, by Martin Furtschegger - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Next week, we’re going to look at a little-known secret below City Hall—the City Hall Subway Station, built in 1904 but abandoned since 1945. It’s a gorgeous piece of architecture from days gone by that has a fascinating tie-in to EXIT STRATEGY. You won’t want to miss it!

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EXIT STRATEGY releases on July 28, 2020 and is available for pre-order at these fine retailers: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Indigo, Target, and Walmart.

After her mother’s death during a bank robbery when she was a child, Gemma Capello grew up to become one of the NYPD’s elite hostage negotiators. In a family of cops, there’s rarely a day when a Capello isn’t facing down some form of threat. Still, despite their unpredictable schedules, they always find time for their annual family summer picnic. But this year, a sudden phone call changes everything.

A heavily armed gunman has taken hostages at City Hall. Gemma races downtown to join the rest of the Hostage Negotiation Team as they scramble to identify the captives—fearing the mayor may be among them. But as they scramble for answers and struggle to gain control of the circumstances, it becomes clear that the mayor is at the center of it all, just not in the way they initially believed.

With several lives on the line and a criminal who always seems to be one step ahead, Gemma is the only one able to connect with the suspect. Soon, she finds herself engaging in a battle of wits while enduring a battle of egos in the command center. With time running out and a mastermind who has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, Gemma risks it all—her career and her life—in a last-ditch effort to save the hostages. Now, she needs to figure out how to save herself . . .