Circle of Lies mystery novel released today: ‘Fat Louie’ character chats about Tom Kagan

By Mark Young

[The latest Tom Kagan novel, Circle of Lies will be released today in digital form through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Smashwords, and IngramSparks. Hardcover and paperback formats to follow very soon.]

I caught up to our Circle of Lies character in California—Sergeant Art Crenshaw of the Santa Rosa Police Department’s Organized Crime and Intelligence Section (OCIS)…wow, that’s a mouthful. Anyway, Fat Louie—

CRENSHAW: “—hey, buddy, that’s not my name. If you can’t be civil in this interview—“

MARK: “—sorry, sergeant. That just slipped out. It won’t happen again.”

CRENSHAW: “Yeah, well, Tom Kagan came up to me later and apologized for calling me that behind my back. Just because I have aspirations to become a lieutenant, and my backside is a little…oh, just forget it. You can call me Art, Crenshaw, or sergeant, but just because you are the author doesn’t mean you can make a joke at my expense. After all, even supervisors have feelings.”

MARK: “Okay, okay, cool your jets, Artie. Like I said, it just slipped out.”

CRENSHAW: “Authors don’t make mistakes. They have to be very specific about the words they use. You just wanted to give readers a little laugh at my expense. Just because you have that power over us characters doesn’t mean you have to be mean.”

MARK: “Gee whiz, Artie, for a cop you have thin skin. Why can’t you be more like Kagan—tough, blunt, no nonsense.”

CRENSHAW: “You’d be sensitive too, Mark, if you had to try and supervise a cop like Tom. I mean, the guy’s a supervisor’s worst nightmare. Never know what he is going to do or say; and the trouble he gets into is enough to make me lose what little hair I still have. He attracts trouble like a magnet. I never know what he is up to. And that gives me nightmares."

MARK: “But he always lands on his feet.”

CRENSHAW: “Yeah, one of these days he’s going to bite the big one and I won’t be able to protect him. He’s a good cop—none better—but he is the reason our department keeps re-writing our rules of conduct. He’s broken just about every one of them getting the case done, and I wind up having ton of paperwork trying to save his butt.”

MARK: “Okay, what about his last case in Circle of Lies? Didn’t he do a fantastic job?”

Crenshaw gives me a quizzical look before answering.

CRENSHAW: “For an author, you are some kind of stupid. You want me to tell your readers everything Tom did in this novel. If I do that, no one’s going to want to read the story.”

MARK: “I didn’t mean to tell them everything Tom did. Just give them a hint of the trouble Tom faced."

Crenshaw shifted his ample behind in the chair as he thought about everything that had happened in the last few months.

CRENSHAW: “Well, I would say that Tom came as close to dying as he has in any police action since he joined the department thirty years ago. For a moment there, I thought they were going to kill him. And if he survived those killers, I feared he might end up in prison for the rest of his life. Now, that’s what I call ‘high stakes.’”

MARK: “How did this all start?”

CRENSHAW: “Hey, writer-man, you can tell them better than I. After all, you made this all up in that twisted head of yours. You tell them.”

MARK: “Hey, Artie. Drop the attitude or I just may write you out of the next novel.”

CRENSHAW: “See, that’s the attitude I was talking about. Now that is just down-right threatening. What? You going to get me killed in the next book?"

MARK: “Worse! Maybe I will make you in charge of all internal affairs cases. Everyone will treat you like you have the plague.”

CRENSHAW: “You think being a supervisor is much better. Always looking over everyone’s shoulder. Telling them all the things they can’t do. Being a supervisor is not a bed of roses. Always on the outside. Never being trusted. Never one of the guys.”

MARK: “Let me share a little secret with you, Artie. Kagan actually thinks you are an okay guy. He felt sorry for joining the other guys with that Fat Louie joke. He stopped calling you that after the Broken Allegiance novel."

CRENSHAW: “He told you he likes me? Are you on the up-and-up, or is this one of your author’s lies you just came up with.”

MARK: “No, I’m being straight with you. From my lips to God’s ears…it is the truth.”

Crenshaw gave me a look like he was trying to figure out whether I was telling the truth, or I was setting him up. I think being the author is like being an internal affairs investigator—no one trusts you.

CRENSHAW: “Okay. Here is how the case started. Tom got a call from a buddy of his up in Seattle about an armored-truck heist and a murder. The victim turned out to be Tom’s old partner at SRPD years ago. The guy was retired and he was working as a driver to make some extra coin. They shot him point-blank. Later they realize the shooting may have been about more than the robbery. It appeared to have been racially motivated. Jason—the dead guy—was black.”

MARK: “So how did Kagan get involved?”

CRENSHAW: “The Seattle cop gave Tom a lead in our neck of the woods. Once Kagan got his teeth into the case, there was no turning him back. I tried several times to give it to the FBI—but that son-of-a-gun keeps finding ways to land in the middle of the investigation. I warned him. The FBI warned him. Even the bad guys tried to get him to stop. But like I said, there was no reasoning with that guy. Tom was going to do it his way. Even taking his gun and badge away—which the chief did at one point—Tom continued to search for the bad guys until…well, I can’t tell your reader that or it would give the story away. Let’s just say Tom got into a heap of trouble. And he had an IA lieutenant looking for anyway to bring him down. Inside the department and outside, Kagan had enough problems that a reasonable man would have just walked away."

MARK: “But not Tom?

Crenshaw ran a hand over his thinning hair, a look of frustration painted on his face.

CRENSHAW: “Look, oh powerful one! I’ve played along here telling your readers about this novel since you have me over a barrel. But enough is enough. I’ve got a desk full of paper from Kagan’s latest fiasco. I’ve got to make sure that he doesn’t have to face off with that IA lieutenant again. So why don’t you run along and harass one of your other characters.”

 MARK: “I thought we were developing a little connection here.”

CRENSHAW: “Yeah, when pigs fly.” He started to rise, then sat back down. “Hey, I heard you are leaving town and heading back to Idaho, to the Nez Perce reservation. Does that mean you won’t be back for a while?” He shot me a look of hope.

MARK: “I’m going to drop in and check on Travis Mays and the gang up there. But I will be back soon, to monitor Tom and the rest of you. I don’t want to leave you guys to your own devices—without a little of my authoritarian supervision.” I gave him a big smile.

Disappointment rained on Crenshaw’s features like thunderclouds, dark and foreboding.

CRENSHAW: “Oh, joy.” He stood, looking down at me. “Next time, promote me to lieutenant and give Kagan another supervisor to harass. I’d like to sit the next one out on the sidelines.”

I just shook my head. Crenshaw needs a little R and R; particularly since I have an idea what kind of trouble Kagan is going to get into next time. Crenshaw will have his hands full. Oh well, an author has got to do what an author has got to do. And I have all kind of ideas that will give Kagan and the others a run for their money.

BROKEN ALLEGIANCE (A Tom Kagan Novel) has been unleashed

By Mark Young

Stop the presses! I completely forget to share my latest bit of news. I have a new novel out!

Can you believe I forget to tell you about this? I have been so busy working on my next novel, posting other authors’ new releases and other blog-related interviews—I completely forget to let you know.

I apologize.

Release of Broken Allegiance (A Tom Kagan Novel) may be known to those of you who pal around with me on other social media sites. However, I just realized that some of my reading friends might only cross paths here on Mark Young's Arresting Fiction blog. They may not know another of my mystery, suspense, police procedural novels has been let loose on the world.

Here is the down-and-dirty:

Police gang detective Tom Kagan sought justice for more than ten years, leaving him a broken man. His only reason for living—the woman he loves and the badge he swore to uphold. When a man is brutally killed in a vineyard on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, California, it sparks a series of events that test what’s left of Kagan’s resolve to protect and serve. 

Secrets from the past thwart Kagan’s efforts to unravel a series of killings sanctioned from within the walls of California’s highest security prison. From the lush vineyards of Sonoma County to the shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe, the detective must outsmart a killer who is moving in for one epic killing spree. 

Leaders of the notorious Nuestra Family prison gang are fighting for power, a struggle that spills out onto the streets of California. Kagan joins forces with Special Agent Hector Garcia, a feisty supervisor of the Special Services Unit for the California Department of Corrections; Diane Phillips, a beautiful and hard-charging prosecutor; and Mikio Sanchez, a former gang member marked for death. Through the eyes of cops and gangsters, readers are able to glimpse the seldom seen workings of the gangster underworld. 

Broken Allegiance is about treacherous lies, broken promises, and shattered lives—about life, death and a man’s honor.

Does this pique your interest? If so, you can find a copy of Broken Allegiance through Amazon’s Kindle Store here or in print through Createspace here.

Grab a copy. A sequel will be coming out right on its heels. Next time, I will be a little quicker letting you know when the novel is released.

Promise! Cross my heart and hope to… Huh, I think I’ll stop right there. After all, I do write crime novels.

Readers: A Quick Glance At the Year Ahead

Self-promotion might be a dirty word to some, but hey…if you don’t toot your own horn once in a while, who will? This post is geared toward those who have read my novels—and enjoyed them—and for those who are still sitting on the fence trying to decide whether to make such an investment. Come on! For something that cost less than a Starbuck’s Venti Mocha, you can have hours of enjoyment in the privacy of your own reading world with a click of the mouse.

Looking back at my three published novels, readers might scratch their heads trying to figure out where I am going with each series. Let me try to explain. Last year ended with the release of Fatal eMpulse (A Gerrit O’Rourke Novel), the sequel to Off the Grid released the previous year. And, before I leave Fatal eMpulse behind, here is the synopsis and what one bestselling author had to say about this novel:

“Taunt with drama and suspense, Fatal eMpulse is a must read!”—Aaron Patterson, Bestselling author of Sweet Dreams.

A presidential edict hurls Gerrit O’Rourke and his international team deep into the heart of the Mid East to prevent an aerial attack threatening to start another world war. To make matters worse, a traitor close to the president alerts others of Gerrit’s mission. Only days away from the attack, the team must stay alive long enough to complete their mission and thwart whoever is trying to orchestrate their deaths.

Racing from the blue waters of Florida’s Key West and California’s Lake Tahoe to the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea, everything comes down to this—who will survive? Gerrit’s past again rises to create conflict between himself, his Mossad-trained partner Alena Shapiro, and a flame from the past—CIA agent Shakeela Vaziri. Beyond romance, beyond survival, Gerrit and his team must race against the clock as attack planes launch. Every second counts.

Now for what 2013 might offer.

I am coming out with a new series that should be released this summer. It is about a character—Sergeant Tom Kagan, an investigating supervisor with Santa Rosa PD’s Gang Crimes Investigations Team—in a novel titled Broken Allegiance (A Tom Kagan Novel). Here, Tom is faced with unraveling a puzzling gang killing that starts in Santa Rosa, California, and leads him all over the state, finally culminating on the shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe. Sadness from his past forces Tom to confront an uncertain future as he tries to save his marriage and those he loves in a story that becomes a cop’s worst nightmare. A killer—unleashed from the bowels of the state’ highest security prison—has targeted Tom and his friends on a mission of terror. A sequel to Broken Allegiance should be coming out later this year.

More on that novel in later posts. Suffice it to say, Tom gets into more trouble trying to do his job. If he does not move fast enough, Tom might lose his job, face prison or, worse, death.

Also in 2013, I intend to release the sequel to Revenge (A Travis Mays Novel), titled Blood Quantum. Travis Mays and his girlfriend, Jessie White Eagle, and her father—Frank, chief of the Nez Perce Tribal Police—once again join forces over one of the hottest issues facing the Indian nations today, a concept called blood quantum. After two long years, I and my readers get to travel back to this beautiful Idaho reservation along the Clearwater River. Travis and his friends find themselves in trouble once again as tribal and BIA politics erupt in murder and deception. And, as part of my research, maybe I can get in a little fly-fishing. Oh, the trials and tribulations of a writer.

Notice I mentioned “intend” to publish in the previous paragraph. Three novels in one year is a tall order, and of course many factors will come into play. There is one whopper of a break—if it happens—surrounding the release of Broken Allegiance. If it materializes, you will be the first learn of it right here on this blog. Stay tuned!

There is one aspect of all my novels that intimately ties them together—characters! Though Revenge (and later, Broken Allegiance), fall in the mystery/suspense genre, and the Gerrit O’Rourke novels are classified as thrillers, my characters could care less about what genre they fall in. For example, in Revenge, Travis Mays is visited by Tom Kagan, who doesn’t even have his own novel until this year. Later, Travis pops up in Gerrit O’Rourke’s first novels which are listed as international thrillers. And finally, FBI agent Beck Malloy, pops up in all three novels to help the main characters survive. Again, Malloy and the others could care less about the boundaries of genre. All they care about is solving the crime, getting out of trouble, saving those they love while fighting for God and country...and in some cases—getting the girl.

I found during my twenty-six years in law enforcement that there is a tie that binds between all brothers and sisters who carry the badge. Not that we are always one happy family. Yes, at times this family might be a little dysfunctional. However, I’ve made friends and acquaintances in all levels and geographical locations of law enforcement. We share information and assistance whenever anyone asks. I asked and gave assistance to others throughout this nation and even foreign countries. And yes, I worked closely with the FBI, IRS, DEA, US Marshals and state agencies on a regular basis. We did this generally without stirring up any ‘us versus them’ squabbles often seen in novels and movies today. Not that there weren’t a few hiccups, but generally we play well together. I have carried this concept over to my characters. So, before anyone reads about my characters’ intradepartmental cooperation—like FBI Beck Malloy, Travis Mays and Tom Kagan—and scoffs at it as unrealistic, let me be the first to tell you—it works and it does exist inside and outside of fiction.

I appreciate every reader who gives me an opportunity to entertain them with the best fiction I can muster. And I appreciate your comments and thoughts about these novels.

Just a warning, though! Watch your back. You never know what is about to happen next. Trust me! Now begin reading.

Creating Fictional Characters A Deadly Business

By Mark Young

Let me start out with a red-faced apology.  Gerrit O’Rourke, my main character in Off the Grid, failed to show up for an interview this morning. At the moment, my favorite U.S. Marine is AWOL. This really ticks me off because he knows I’m up against a deadline. Even worse, I promised readers that I’d interview him in the near future—those who read the novel and can’t wait until OTG’s sequel, The Daemon File, comes out later this year.

So…I’ll just wing it. Let’s start with characters. How dependable—”

A door splinters downstairs. An explosion rocks my house; heavy boots pounding across Brazilian Cherry wood floors. I hear them fanning out throughout my sanctuary—my home.

“Clear.” A stranger yells out below.

“Clear.”  Another voice, further away. At least three—maybe four—intruders methodically clearing the main floor like a SWAT team. No knock and notice. A black ops?

I dash to the window of my second-story office. Glancing outside, I spot a black Suburban idling at the edge of my property, its nose pointed toward the front door like a black leopard eying its prey. Its windows have been ominously tinted all around, doors left wide open. Two heavily-armed men—decked out in jungle-camouflaged fatigues—standing guard out front, one at each corner of my house. I can only assume others have moved to the rear to cut off any escape. No markings on their clothing. These are not cops. Not even angry neighbors.

Why are they here? Trying to steal my The Daemon Files manuscript before I release it later this year? Maybe I unwittingly released government secrets. I know I have a few outstanding parking tickets. What are they after?

Thank goodness, my better half and the rest of the family are gone. This is going to get messy.

Reaching for the telephone, I start dialing. The line is deader than John McCain’s jokes on the David Letterman show in the last election.  Grabbing my cell phone, I see hackers have one upped my cell phone provider. I have no service instead of lousy service. Need to focus!

How the heck did they cut me off? Are they some kind of government-sponsored Blackwater mercenaries? Where’s Gerrit when I need him?

I recalled a conversation with Willy Williams, one of Gerrit’s teammates from OTG, telling me how they’re going to do this in one of the upcoming scenes of The Daemon Files novel. Willy—a former gangster-turned-hacker—learns his questionable skills from Gerrit’s uncle, Joe O’Rourke, aka Joe Costello and a string of other alias that’d make the CIA proud. Willy shoots me a big grin. “Simple as pie if you know what you’re doing, Mr. Y. I can cut your cell phone off faster than Obama can raise taxes.” Oh yeah. Willy likes to call people by the first letter of their last name. Just a peculiarity he picked up that we’ve learned to live with. Willy dubbed me Mr. Why.

Getting back to the action: all my communications links have been hijacked. These guys—

whoever they are—are as serious as the IRS on tax day.

I need a little firepower!

I dash to a secret compartment hidden in my office where my weapons are stored. My arsenal is stashed in a gun safe, well oiled and unused since I left the police department a few years back. It only takes a second to punch in the code and yank the door open.  I grab my .40 caliber Glock 27 Subcompact handgun and wish I still had my department-issued .40 semi-auto S&W. Better yet, I wished I could get my hands on some of those lethal toys our SWAT guys play with. This little baby will have to do. I snatch up several loaded magazines that I leave in the safe…just in case. This is one of those situations I never dreamed would happen outside of my novels.

I can’t even begin to think about what this is little war is going to do to my homeowner’s insurance.

Right now, I need to figure a way out of here without getting dead. Analysis: Trapped on the top floor of the house, one stairway leading up, no other sane way out. I can smash one of the windows and leap outside, but then I face a twenty-foot drop. Defying gravity like that would cost me both knees—or worse.

Better try to fight my way out!

I angle toward the door leading from the office. Beyond the opening, a long hallway leads to the other end of the house where the stairway emerges. It will take a few minutes for these gunmen to clear the house below. Sounds like they searched the main floor first. Next, they’ll send a couple guys downstairs to clear the basement. Once that’s done, they’ll work their way toward my office. Even these morons know that if they control the two bottom floors, I’ll be caught like a rat in a trap up here. Okay, maybe that’s not a good metaphor since I’d don’t want to be likened to one of the most hated creatures on God’s green earth—but  you get the picture.

Somehow, they must have learned I’d be home alone. That sounds like a movie! Oh, yeah, Macaulay Culkin when he was a kid. Focus on the target, Marine!  Just a little history that Gerrit and I share in common—the Corps. And now you know another one of my little secrets. I talk to myself and my fiction characters all the time. Generally, no one can hear me. So, if I get out of this mess, maybe all you can just forget this little quirk of mine? I’d appreciate it.

Brakes squeak outside. Oh, no! More bad guys? I dash to the window and spot a van down the street. A woman and several men dart toward my house carrying assault weapons. Hey, they look familiar. Then it hits me and I smile to myself. Gerrit O’Rourke and the others are coming to my rescue. At that moment, I could have kissed them. Okay, maybe I’ll kiss Alena Shapiro and hug the guys. Then, I remember Alena and Gerrit have a thing going. Don’t what to tick Gerrit off, so I’ll just give her a hug, too.  Boy did I create the right characters for my book.

My heroes! Wait a minute! How’d they know I was in trouble?

I shove that thought aside as I hear intruders downstairs starting to regroup. They must have realized that I’m up here. One of the wooden steps leading to my office gives a loud squeak. The first gunmen must be moving my way. If I can just hold them off until Gerrit and the others get here. I edge toward the door. One good headshot is all I’m asking when the gunman makes that turn halfway up the stairs. He is probably wearing body armor.  I wished I’d brought mine to the party. Gotta work with what I have.

A shadow of a man looms across the far wall in the stairwell, cast by the point man coming up the carpeted steps. Bad mistake, fella.

Here he comes!

I tighten my grip, interlock my fingers, and steady my breathing as I sight down the barrel. I know I’ll only get one clean shot. They’re carrying automatic weapons; I’ve got this little pea shooter.  I calmly squeeze off one round as the gunmen’s head emerges. I reel back for cover, not waiting to see if I hit my target.

I can hear the body falling backwards. One down. How many more to go?

(Continued on Friday, February 24, 2011)

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Hey, Readers. Wish you had some information about your favorite characters between the release of my novels? Little tidbits to let you know they’re still alive and kicking? Well, now you you do that right here. If you subscribed to this blog by email (see top of right column), you’re going to automatically get a notice to remind you the next post just came onlinee. You can stay up with the action and not lse any sleep.

It’s really weird. I keep running into these characters—Gerrit, Alena, Travis Mays, Frank White Eagle, and others—in the strangest situations. In fact, there are a few instances in which I have to drop my pencil and pick up a gun to help out. If you regularly visit this site, I promise you some exiting—and sometimes, funny—scenes. All the character from Off the Grid and Revenge, including a new series beginning with Broken Allegiance (A Tom Kagan Novel), will make brief cameo appearances on any given day. So, don’t be a stranger. Drop by for a visit whenever time allows.

Oh, one more thing. If any of you spot one of my characters—please drop me a line. It’s hard keeping track of these people all by myself. I could use your help. But be careful! These characters always seem to invite trouble, so keep your head down. Thanks for your help.

Stay safe!