This is my stop during the book blitz for In the Line of Duty by Carolyn Arnold. In the Line of Duty is the 7th book in the Detective Madison Knight series, but it can be read as standalone.
This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 3 till 9 October, you can view the tour schedule here
In the Line of Duty (Detective Madison Knight series #7)by Carolyn Arnold
Genre: Mystery, police procedural
Age category: Adult
Publisher: Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc.
Length: 292 pages
Release Date: September 29, 2016
Blurb:
He devoted his life to seeking justice. But would she get any for him?
It was an ordinary day for police officer Barry Weir. It was the end of shift, he was tired, and he just wanted to get home to his wife and kids. But someone had other plans for him, shooting him down and forcing him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
When news of Weir’s murder reaches the department, it leaves Detective Madison Knight and every cop in the Stiles PD itching for revenge. It cuts Madison’s boyfriend, colleague, and Weir’s childhood friend, Troy Matthews, deepest of all, driving him away from everyone he loves just when they need one another the most.
With evidence pointing to a gang-related drive-by, Madison and her team investigate the town’s seedy underbelly in search of justice for their fallen brother. But the deeper they dig, the more convoluted the case becomes. Now they need to figure out if this was a random shooting as part of a gang initiation, a straight-up hate crime, or a targeted kill. But with members of the Stiles PD under attack, they have to do it fast…before more officers pay with their lives.
You can find In the Line of Duty on Goodreads
You can buy In the Line of Duty here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- Google Play
- iTunes
Interview:
Have you ever been on a manhunt or at the scene where a dead body was found?
I took part in my local police department’s Citizen’s Academy. As part of this, I received an inside look at seventeen divisions over a ten-week period. As an added benefit, each student was afforded a ride-along. And mine… Well, I went on the perfect one for a crime writer.
My ride-along actually started out with a manhunt. I experienced the excitement of wanting to find the guy and found myself scrutinizing every male I spotted in the area just to make sure he wasn’t the one we were after. Unfortunately, the search moved to the downtown area from the eastern end of the city where the hunt had begun, and the sergeant signed off the investigation. By the end of my ride-along, about five hours later, the man still hadn’t been found.
After the sergeant left the investigation, he turned to me as he was driving and asked if I had ever seen a dead body. I told him I had at memorials and funerals and then asked why. I soon found out that our next stop involved one.
I figured I’d catch a glimpse of the deceased under a tarp or being wheeled away, but I got far more than that. I received a front-row seat to a death investigation. For hours, the sergeant and I were mere feet away from the body. I witnessed firsthand how it changed color over time, but I also found that I went into detective-mode. The forensic identification unit—essentially CSIs—was called in and arrived with collection kits. The team members gloved up, snapped photographs, took fingerprints from the deceased, and more.
The entire time that I was on scene, I noticed myself going into a detached state—the result of adrenaline. Later that evening, it began to sink in that I had spent hours with a dead body, and I was nauseated. As more time passed, I became weepy as it sank in that the deceased had been a husband, a father, a lover, a friend…a person. That night I dreamed about the man. It wasn’t a nightmare, but I was an officer trying to figure out what had happened to him.
I couldn’t imagine returning to the field the next day and having a similar experience or witnessing something even worse, like a violent murder scene or that of a fatal car accident.
What do members of law enforcement say about how you portray the police?
Many testimonials attest that I am pleasing readers in law enforcement. They love that my mysteries are accurate in that regard, and they view that alone as a sign of my respect for them.
One female deputy from Oklahoma wrote in to tell me that she feels like I based Madison Knight on her: “The way Carolyn wrote Madison describes me and the way I work and even my personal life to a T. I have never felt more connected to a character. Thank you for creating something so real.”
Expanding on this deputy’s feedback, other law enforcement officers have also commented on the fact that I show the human side of policing in my books just as accurately as I depict the procedure. A retired patrolman from Illinois said, “I found Eleven to be very [life-like] and exciting. It showed that officers—even the FBI—have personal issues or problems that can interfere with their thinking on the job. Also it was presented so [realistically] that I almost felt like I was an officer in the case…”
In regards to In the Line of Duty, an ERT training officer, stated, “Carolyn Arnold’s love for law enforcement and providing an accurate depiction of [the] job is clearly evident in her writing. She is eager to have police procedures spot on, both in tactics and investigations… You experience the emotions, distractions, frustrations, and successes of the characters in every chapter of In the Line of Duty. I found her heartfelt details to be spot on with a line-of-duty death. Being able to put such a tragic situation into words is difficult in itself, but she does it with compassion, knowledge, and respect for those in uniform who know what it is like to lose a brother or sister in blue.”
What did you do before you became a bestselling author?
For a living, I worked in accounts receivable for a few different companies collecting from businesses. Yet, despite working full time, in 2006 I was reunited with writing. I wrote every chance I got—before work, on lunch breaks, after work, on the weekends. I became so focused on writing and the publishing world that hardly a day went by without them being a part of my life, and since the summer of 2014, I’ve been a full-time author.
How are your four series different from one another?
I offer my readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Let me tell you a little about them:
The Brandon Fisher FBI series follows a rookie FBI agent and a team of profilers with the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they hunt serial killers.
The Detective Madison Knight series has readers teaming up with a hard-boiled female detective and her partner as they search for justice for murder victims.
McKinley Mysteries will have readers sleuthing around with a murder-solving duo, Sean and Sara McKinley, as they do whatever it takes to unravel each mystery while romancing it up along the way.
The Matthew Connor Adventure series puts a modern-day spin on the action-adventure genre. These books are designed for mystery lovers, and readers will have to strap themselves in for adventures with archaeologist and treasure hunter Matthew Connor and his two closest friends.
How do you know so much about what criminals think?
I can’t answer that without incriminating myself… Just kidding.
Everyone has what we call a “dark side.” In writing these books, I suppose you could say I tap into this side of my psyche. Whatever I can scheme up is possible, and I write that which scares and excites me.
When did you know that you had hit the big time with your books?
When I got to say good-bye to my day job! Even before I fully resigned, I had cut back a five-day a week job to four days, then to three. It got to the point, though, that I loathed going in for that many days, and I knew it was time to make the move and become a full-time author. That was in the summer of 2014. Since then, I incorporated my own publishing company in the summer of 2015, and, at the start of 2016, my husband joined me there full time.
Excerpt from Chapter 3:
In the hallway, Troy leaned against a wall and waited as the ringtone drilled into his ear.
Answer the damn phone…
“You’ve reached the voice mail for Chief Fletcher…”
He hung up and redialed. She should be back from her vacation by now. What time had she said her flight was getting in?
Someone picked up on the other end of the line. “Chief Fletcher here.” She sounded groggy, as if he’d woken her up.
“Where are you?” he rushed out.
“Hotel near the airport. We just got in. What’s going on?”
“Something has happened.” The words came out soft-spoken and dry.
“That doesn’t sound good.” He could imagine his sister sitting up in bed and turning on the light on her night table.
“It’s Barry…” His throat constricted. This would be his first time verbalizing what had happened.
His sister’s voice was gentle and caring. “What about Barry?”
“He’s dead.” He delivered the news directly, unable to water it down no matter how much it hurt.
“What? How?” she asked, her tone switching quickly to one of shock.
“He was shot this morning while on duty.” He got through telling her the basics, the facts draining so much from him.
“Wake up, Robert,” his sister said distantly. He heard his brother-in-law moan in the background.
“We’re leaving now. I’ll be in as soon as possible. Has there been a briefing yet?”
“In ten minutes.”
“Has the shooter been caught?”
At his sister’s question, his insides pulsed with adrenaline and determination. No matter what it took from him, he would find Barry’s killer.
“Troy? Has the shooter been caught?” she repeated, a subtle beep in the background of the line.
“Not yet.”
Another beep. “Someone’s calling. I better let you go.” Her voice was withdrawn, and Troy imagined her pulling her phone out to consult the caller ID. “It’s Winston. See you soon.” His sister hung up before he could say anything else. He put his phone away, the ache in his chest now almost unbearable.
Series Information- about the Detective Madison Knight Series
Murder. Investigation. The pursuit of justice. Do you love trying to figure out whodunit? How about investigating alongside police detectives from the crime scene to the forensics lab and everywhere in between? Do you love a strong female lead? Then I invite you to meet Detective Madison Knight as she solves murders with her male partner, utilizing good old-fashioned investigative work aided by modern technology.
This is the perfect book series for fans of Law & Order, CSI, Blue Bloods, Rizzoli & Isles, Women’s Murder Club, and Hawaii Five-O.
Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning: Ties That Bind, Justified, Sacrifice, Found Innocent, Just Cause, Deadly Impulse, In the Line of Duty, Life Sentence (Bonus Prequel).
About the Author:CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.
And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.
You can find and contact Carolyn here:
- Website
- Goodreads
- Newsletter
No comments:
Post a Comment