NYPD Negotiators book #3, LOCKDOWN, is out in the world today!

It feels like this book has been a long time coming. And it has, as it's been three years since SHOT CALLER came out and I thought the series might be over. And now, here we are, with the series rebranded, LOCKDOWN launched, and TERMINAL IMPASSE completed to follow next May. I'm ever so grateful to Kensington editor James Abbate for advocating for this book after freelance editing it when I was going to self-publish. Right from the start, he said he was sorry Kensington wasn't going to produce this book. Then the moment the tide turned with the rebrand, he was instrumental in bringing LOCKDOWN to the team as a next book option. And suddenly, the Negotiators series was back in the Kensington fold, where it belongs, IMHO. Thank you, James!

Now Gemma Capello and Sean Logan are back!

When a horrific school shooting turns into a hostage situation, only Gemma Capello, the NYPD’s most skilled negotiator, has a chance to save innocent lives and end the crisis.

It’s every parent’s nightmare—getting a call during the school day from their teenager, huddled in a classroom as the sound of bullets echo in the background. When gunmen invade a Brooklyn school, that nightmare becomes a horrific reality.

Talking a suspect into sending his hostages out alive is NYPD Detective Gemma Capello’s specialty. Alerted to a school shooting at her nephew’s high school, she is one of the first officers on-scene. Detective Sean Logan and the Apprehension Tactical Team arrive next and immediately enter the school to apprehend the two shooters, while Gemma remains outside to help students evacuate. But as time stretches on, and there is no word of her nephew, her fear builds that he is one of the lost.

Instead of a quickly-resolved mass shooting, one of the two shooters holes up with a group of students and their teacher as hostages, and Gemma steps in to negotiate for their survival. Floors away and armed with only her wits and the sound of her voice to convince him, Gemma fights for control of the situation even as tactical leadership pressures her for a more aggressive strategy. But for Gemma, it’s not about a quick solution. It’s about moving heaven and earth to bring everyone in that classroom home. And she’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

Some book giveaway goodness! Kensington is currently holding two giveaways on Goodreads for US readers:

LOCKDOWN - Enter here for your chance to win 1 of 100 final trade paperback copies: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/389144-lockdown. Giveaway closes May 27th.

ECHOES OF MEMORY - Enter here for your chance to win 1 of 100 trade paperback ARCs with those really gorgeous illustrated covers I showed off in a previous newsletter: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/389189-echoes-of-memory. Giveaway closes May 30th.

Good luck!

Last, but certainly not least, the first professional review is in for ECHOES OF MEMORY. And from Kirkus, no less, a group known for being really tough reviewers. Needless to say, I'm thrilled! You can find the full review here (be warned, there are spoilers): https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sara-driscoll/echoes-of-memory-2/

ECHOES OF MEMORY is available for pre-order in hardcover, ebook, and audio: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Books-a-Million | Bookshop.org Support Independent Bookstores | Hudson Booksellers | Indigo | Target

A reminder that my pre-order bookplate offer is open for ECHOES (and the next FBI K-9s novel, SUMMIT'S EDGE, out in November). If you pre-order a physical copy of the book and send a copy of your bill to jenjdanna@gmail.com (feel free to redact any credit card info), I'll send a personalized bookplate to your home mailing address when the book releases.

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LOCKDOWN Releases Today! Plus Two 100-Copy Paperback Book Giveaways!

Jen J. Danna/Sara Driscoll - Mystery and Thriller Author