Conversation with Robert Jones, Dep. Director FBI Counter Intelligence, Part 3

It’s said the average person in the US appears on security cameras six or seven times a day. I asked Robert Jones, FBI Deputy Director of Counter-Terrorism about that in Part 3 of our conversation on the March 2016 Second Sunday Crime show. Yes, he replied, it is true. In fact, video feeds gave the … Read more

Conversation with Robert Jones, FBI Counter-Intelligence Security, Part 2

Here is Part 2 of my conversation with Robert Jones which we taped last March. You can find the entire interview on the March Second Sunday Crime show here. Cybersecurity We touched briefly on cybersecurity when I asked which is more common: hackers looking for credit card data or corporate spies? Mr. Jones said that as … Read more

Meet Robert Jones, FBI Counter-Intelligence Security, Part 1

My latest Ellie Foreman book, Jump Cut, came out in March, 2016. Rather than talk about the book, I chatted to FBI Counter-Intelligence Deputy Director Robert Jones on the March edition of Second Sunday Crime. He’s been with FBI for 20 years, worked anti-terrorism, and is now with the counter terrorism division. He’s been in … Read more

Murder on the Quai — The Backstory, with Cara Black & Aimee LeDuc

  Aimée Leduc is a chic, no-nonsense Paris-based PI and heroine of 15 mysteries, by Cara Black, a New York Times bestselling author. In June Cara released Murder on the Quai, a prequel revealing how Aimée first became a detective. Cara has won multiple nominations for the Anthony and Macavity Awards, a Washington Post Book … Read more

Kent Krueger Talks About Writing

Eighteen months ago I interviewed my good friend William Kent Krueger on my Second Sunday Crime radio show —actually it was the show premiere. At the time he’d just started writing his 15th Cork O’Connor novel. It’s now been released. It’s called Manitou Canyon, so now seems like the perfect time to delve into what Kent and I … Read more

The Invisible Uyghurs

Who are the Uyghurs? If you don’t know, you’re not alone. They live deep in the remote desert of China’s Tarim Basin, and they’re the second most populous ethnic minority in China. They are Muslims, and their plight is mostly untold. The Chinese call them terrorists. The Uyghurs deny it, saying all they want is … Read more

Publishing in Cuba: Baby Steps

“We have made new friends, fostered business relationships, have fantastic memories, and were a part of history that will forever be a chapter in the publishing industry.” World Book International director Kristin Norell on the Havana Book Fair. Cuba’s publishing scene in 2012 I visited Cuba in February, 2012, and went to the Havana Book … Read more

A Tour of Jump Cut

      Thought you might be interested in a video tour of some of the locations I’ve used in Jump Cut, which comes out next week. The settings range from Ellie Foreman’s hang-outs on the North Shore of Chicago, Lake Geneva, Wi, as well as some locations in downtown Chicago. Enjoy!       … Read more

It’s the Neighborhoods, Stupid…

There’s something about Chicago-based authors. Darkness is part of the scenery. Take the brilliant Chicago resident Gillian Flynn, whose super-dark thrillers have spooked millions of readers all over the world. Or the legendary Silver Dagger award winner Scott Turow. Goodreads reports an impressive 136 thrillers set in Chicago with works by myself, Hugh Holton, Andrew M. … Read more

5 Possible Settings For My Next Thrillers

With a world of exciting, mysterious and historic locations to write about, I’m often asked where I’ll set my next story. Happily, there are plenty of places on my agenda, and if I write a caper novel, which I’m considering btw, I might have even more places to discover. For now, though, here are my … Read more