Who wouldn’t want to be like Inspector Morse?

Although Falls to Pieces is the shortest book I’ve ever written, the story took longer than any other to write. New to the psychological thriller genre, I intended for this pivot to stick and thus, studied the genre for years before daring to try my hand at it.

Unshackled, released on February 4, 2025, is a legal thriller about incarcerated women and the importance of them being reunited with their children. It’s the third book in my award-winning Camille Delaney series. 

I’m often asked, “Why and how do you write about crime and detectives in the 19th century?” The answer, I think, lies in a combination of early influences and personal history.

I was in one of my favorite places – the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles – when I first learned about the murder of Cecil Wells in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1953. Flicking through the newspaper archives, I read that the prime suspect in the case, Cecil’s wife Diane, took her life in a Hollywood hotel a month before the trial.

The environment plays a role in every novel. When clouds darken the sky, they darken the mood of the story. Extreme temperatures drive people to act in ways they’d never imagine on a normal day. And a flash flood can turn an ordinary afternoon hike into a desperate race for survival.