Long Road to Mercy

Dear Reader,

I’m thrilled to introduce a brand new series character to the world: FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine. I’ve written plenty of female characters into my stories, but it’s about time I wrote a book with a female lead. She’s investigating a mysterious case in the Grand Canyon, near to where she works and lives in the wild outdoors of Arizona. With a tragic backstory that will deepen and develop over time, I’m excited to build Pine into a long series of stories. Along with Amos Decker, I truly believe that Atlee Pine is one of the most unique characters I’ve ever created.

I’ve been in this business a long time, certainly long enough to understand quite clearly that if it weren’t for you readers, there wouldn’t be a publishing industry. And I would be unable to do for a living what I love to do. It used to be that when someone told me they didn’t read I would just say, “Well, everyone is busy these days.” Now I say, “I feel very sorry for you because you have no idea what you’re missing. You really need to get books into your life. They make it a lot richer, on many levels.” I became a writer because I was a reader. When I cracked open a book, I was glimpsing inside someone else’s imagination. And allowing others to glimpse inside my head is really how I love to spend my days. So thank you for allowing me to do that.