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.

Lots of Gemma and Logan content for you today, from how their teamwork makes the crucial difference when hostages are taken during a high school shooting, to what happens to them only weeks later when they are caught in Grand Central Terminal as gunmen attack...

Let's start with book #3, LOCKDOWN...

We first met Gemma and her NYPD family in EXIT STRATEGY: Gemma, a member of the Hostage Negotiation Team, her brothers—Gang Squad Lieutenant Joe Capello, Precinct 5 Sergeant Mark Capello, and IAB Detective Alex Capello—and her father, Chief of Special Operations Tony Capello (and let's not forget her last brother, FDNY Firefighter Teo Capello). We also met members of the NYPD Apprehension Tactical Team—better known as the A-Team—specifically Detective Sean Logan, one of the team's crack tactical officers who has a long-standing personal history with Gemma. Gemma and Logan have had some rocky times lately, but recently called a truce. In the end, it's their familiarity and history that allows them to work together on a different level to save lives.

It's a nightmare situation for the entire family as Joe's oldest son is locked down with the rest of his high school when two intruders enter the building and start shooting. Gemma is in the area and redirects immediately to find her nephew, but is blocked by a barrage of bullets. Fortunately, Logan and his A-Team officers arrive and enter the school to confront the shooters. However, when one of the shooters takes shelter in a classroom and holds the teacher and students hostage, Gemma is ready to negotiate. Only with Logan's help is there a chance that together they can save the twenty-four lives trapped with the shooter.

LOCKDOWN releases on May 21st!

Here's an exclusive sneak peek of the first chapter of the book as Gemma learns of her nephew's danger and scrambles to the scene of the shooting: LOCKDOWN Chapter One

LOCKDOWN is vailable for pre-order at your favourite retailers: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Books-a-Million | Bookshop.org Support Independent Bookstores | Google | Hudson Booksellers | Indigo | Target | Walmart

A pre-order reminder! Buying a physical copy and would like it signed? For all physical copy pre-orders, if you'd like a free personalized or simply signed bookplate, I'd be happy to send you one in the mail. Email me at jenjdanna@gmail.com with a copy of your order, your snail mail address, and your bookplate preference, and I'll get one in the mail to you when book releases in just a few weeks. Also, I think I'll have some special custom bookmarks in hand at that point and will include one of those as well.

Now onto book #4 in the series, TERMINAL IMPASSE.

I recently completed the first draft of TERMINAL IMPASSE and am now working on edits following the amazing efforts of my critique team. That book is due to my editor in just a couple of weeks, but I'm now able to show off the book's cover and copy.

I love this cover! Grand Central Terminal is such an iconic location and I knew right from the start this was the image we needed. As always Kensington did an amazing job. And check out the back cover copy for this novel. Let me tell you, this is an exciting installment!

When domestic terrorists seize hostages at one of New York’s busiest commuter stations, they also capture Gemma Capello, an expert police negotiator determined to protect the innocent civilians . . .

NYPD detectives Gemma Capello and Sean Logan are cutting through Grand Central Terminal on their way to a nearby pub when all hell breaks loose. Masked men gun down police officers and round up a group of commuters—including Gemma and Logan—taking their cell phones and binding them hand and foot in zip ties. They are members of the paramilitary group known as Sinister 13, seeking the release of their imprisoned soldiers. Their leader wears a vest covered with C-4 plastic explosives, threatening to detonate it if their demands are not met.

To save the hostages, Gemma persuades their captors to allow her to negotiate with law enforcement on their behalf without revealing her identity. As she earns their trust, Logan plots to free himself to take on the gunmen. But time is running out. The abductors are growing more impatient and violent with every passing moment. With their NYPD colleagues on the outside, Gemma and Logan must use all their negotiation experience and tactical skills to prevent the situation from escalating into a bloodbath . . .

TERMINAL IMPASSE releases May 20, 2025! I'll post pre-order links when they go up in a few months...

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

TERMINAL IMPASSE Cover and Copy Reveal and a LOCKDOWN Sneak Peek

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