FBI handler Meg Jennings and her black Lab Hawk are part of the FBI’s elite Human Scent Evidence Team, a sub-section of the Forensic Canine Unit. Their job―find the missing, lost, escaped, or dead. The team as a whole can be deployed at a moment’s notice around the nation to search for missing children, escaped convicts, or to find the victims of natural disasters. With a little under-the-table help from crack Washington Post investigative reporter Clay McCord, Meg is joined by her colleague Brian foster and his German shepherd Lacey, her sister Cara, and her partner Todd Webb, as they tackle a spree bomber, track down a twisted serial killers, crack a human trafficking ring that is uncovered when a vicious hurricane hits the east coast, and take on the Philly Mob.

Lone Wolf

FBI K-9s #1

In the first book in a thrilling new series, FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and Hawk, her loyal search-and-rescue Labrador, must race against time as they zero in on one of the deadliest killers in the country . . .

Meg and Hawk are part of the FBI’s elite K-9 unit. Hawk can sniff out bodies anywhere—living or dead—whether it’s tracking a criminal or finding a missing person. When a bomb rips apart a government building on the National Mall in Washington D.C., it takes all of the team’s extensive search-and-rescue training to locate and save the workers and visitors buried beneath the rubble.

But even as the duo are hailed as heroes, a mad bomber remains at large, striking terror across the Eastern seaboard in a ruthless pursuit of retribution. As more bombs are detonated and the body count escalates, Meg and Hawk are brought in to a task force dedicated to stopping the unseen killer. But when the attacks spiral wide and any number of locations could be the next target, it will come down to a battle of wits and survival skills between Meg, Hawk, and the bomber they’re tracking to rescue a nation from the brink of chaos.

Read an excerpt - LONE WOLF – Chapters One to Three

Find it on Goodreads here.

Reviews and Interviews:

RT Book Reviews: "An exciting angle for genre fans." 4 stars - Book Review: LONE WOLF

RT Book Reviews Author Spotlight: Sara Driscoll

Publishers Weekly: "wonderfully readable series launch" - Fiction Book Review: LONE WOLF

Writers Who Kill Blog: Interview with Jen J. Danna about LONE WOLF and her writing partnership with Ann Vanderlaan

Crimespree Magazine: Jen and Ann talk about their rescued pets

Steph's Book Blog: "a fantastic new series". Book Review: LONE WOLF

CrimeBookJunkie: "This book was highly emotive, gripping, intense and full of suspense from the beginning straight on through to the end! Would I recommend it? OMFG that is a no brainer! Hell yeah, I would!! I loved it so much, it is my current #BookOfTheMonth!" 5 stars

Not a Book Snob: "I enjoyed Lone Wolf tremendously, so much in fact that I was up way past my bedtime reading." - Book Review: LONE WOLF

The Reading Room: "The characters are fresh and interesting including the canine ones, the plot is all too plausible in our world today, and the story unfolds in a chilling atmosphere of well-measured suspense." Book Review: LONE WOLF

Bibliophile Book Club: "Pretty much full of action from the outset, I found myself having trouble putting it down. I didn’t want to stop reading it once I started, which is always a good thing." Book Review: LONE WOLF

Campaign for the American Reader: Coffee with a Canine - Ann Vanderlaan and her dogs

Page 69 Test: LONE WOLF

Gumshoe Reviews: "A non-stop narrative." Book Review: LONE WOLF

Patricia Stoltey's Blog: An interview with Jen - Starting All Over From Scratch

Off-The-Shelf Books: "The excellent writing is intense, engaging and fast paced, with vivid and highly emotive descriptions." Book Review: LONE WOLF

Grab This Book: "Dog lovers will adore it. Thriller fans should grab it. Lone Wolf is highly recommended." Book Review: LONE WOLF

Before It's Too Late

FBI K-9s #2

In this powerful K-9 crime thriller, FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her trusted search-and-rescue Labrador, Hawk, must race against the clock before a diabolical killer strikes again…

Somewhere in the Washington, D.C., area, a woman lies helpless in a box. Beneath the earth. Barely breathing. Buried alive. In Quantico, the FBI receives a coded message from the woman’s abductor. He wants to play a game with them: decipher the clues, find the grave, save the girl. The FBI’s top cryptanalysts crack the code, and Special Agent Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, scramble to follow a trail of false leads to the scene of the crime. By the time they solve the puzzle, it’s too late. But the killer’s game is far from over . . .

Soon another message arrives. Another victim is taken, and the deadly pattern is repeated—again and again. Each kidnapping triggers another desperate race against time, each with the possibility of another senseless death. That’s when Meg decides to try something drastic. Break the Bureau’s protocol. Bring in her brilliant sister, Cara, a genius at word games, to decipher the kidnapper’s twisted clues. Meg knows she’s risking her career to do it, but she’s determined not to let one more person die under her and Hawk’s watch. If the plan fails, it could bite them in the end. And if it leads to the killer, it could bury them forever . . .

Read an excerpt - BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE – Chapters One to Three

Find it on Goodreads here.

Reviews and Interviews:

Publishers Weekly: "In Driscoll’s fine follow-up to 2016’s Lone Wolf... [she] nicely incorporates various Civil War locations and trivia into the mystery, while Meg and Hawk prove themselves a formidable team that readers will want to see more of." - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

The Reading Room: "The authors have blended story, character, and setting into gripping accounts of high stake, life and death moments. Before It's Too Late is edge-of-your-seat reading at its best." - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

RT Book Reviews: "Driscoll’s latest, with its clever premise and chilling suspense, will keep readers turning the pages. Smart, solid storytelling, plentiful action, and good pacing help move the story along. With a strong, intelligent, clever heroine in Meg and an equally strong yet sinister, cunning villain, Driscoll creates high-stakes conflict that enriches the plot…A thrilling procedural. 4 Stars." - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Booklist: “A kidnapper is sending FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings a series of ciphers…If Jennings doesn’t find them in time, they will die.” - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

CrimeBookJunkie: "Wow! Wow! Wow! Do I recommend this book? Hell-to-the-yeah, I do! I am absolutely LOVING this series; clever plots; interesting characters; twisted killers and suspense throughout – and Hawk! Well you #GottaLoveHawk" - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Bibliophile Book Club: "Before It’s Too Late is a great read. It is full of action and it will definitely keep you turning the pages!" - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

The Story Behind the Story with Alli Sinclair: Behind the Story - Jen J. Danna writing as Sara Driscoll

Gumshoe Reviews: Driscoll provides a rollercoaster ride as Meg and Hawk along with other FBI K-9 teams fight to save lives. - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Fresh Fiction: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE is a carefully and cleverly written thriller by Sara Driscoll, a pen name for a two-woman team. They emphasize teamwork and in their case, it certainly pays off. - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Steph's Book Blog: Hopefully this will be a long running series. Murder, abduction and violence, yes, but there is also the contact with human and canine which makes it special. Fantastic and humbling. - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Off-The-Shelf Books: "The book is filled with thrills, action and suspense, and I'm sure I barely took a breath for most of it. A great lesson in pacing and plotting." - Book review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Grab This Book: "The FBI K9 novels have been a welcome and refreshing addition to my kindle. I love the dynamic between Meg and Hawk." - Book review; BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Reviewing The Evidence: "Probably the greatest strength of this author's approach is her deep understanding of the relationship between a person and his or her service dog." - Book Review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Avonna Loves Genres: "An edge-of-your-seat FBI K-9 crime thrill ride! 5 out of 5 Stars!" - Book Review: BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Storm Rising

FBI K-9s #3

The heart-pounding thriller of a series continues as FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 companion confront the fury of nature—and the more dangerous nature of man . . .

In the wake of a devastating hurricane, Special Agent Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—invaluable members of the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team—have been deployed to Virginia Beach. They have their work cut out for them. Amid graveyards of debris, and the buried cries for help, the search and rescue operation begins. The most alarming discovery is yet to come—a teenage girl hiding in the Great Dismal Swamp. Shaken by the storm, she has reason to be scared. But this young survivor is terrified of so much more.

Her name is Emma—a disheveled runaway lost to the sordid underbelly of a Virginia sex-trafficking ring. Its leader has disappeared in the chaos—along with other victims. With so much evidence, and so many witnesses, seemingly washed away, Meg joins forces with Special Agent Walter Van Cleave to ensure no further harm comes to their vulnerable charge. They soon discover that this is no small-time localized syndicate. Its branches are rooted in some of the most influential powers in Virginia. Now as Meg’s investigation digs deeper, she’s making some very dangerous enemies. And one by one, they’re coming out of the storm to stop her.

Read an excerpt - STORM RISING - Chapter One

Read a deleted chapter: STORM RISING Original Chapter Six

Find it on Goodreads here.

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly (Starred Review): “Exceptional… The descriptions of the teamwork between dog and human are detailed and dramatic, and the interactions between Meg and Todd as their relationship develops are convincing. Readers will hope this series has a long run.”

Library Journal: “Driscoll’s third thriller offers an action-packed story combining the drama of a post hurricane search and rescue with the suspenseful investigation of a human trafficking case.”

The Reading Room: "This book covers so much, but it is at its core a story of rescue... Storm Rising is not only a great piece of storytelling; it is an important read for awareness."

Open Book Society: "There are not enough adjectives to describe how much I like this novel! It is 3rd in the FBI K-9 series, and the best to date... This is a breathtaking, fast-paced novel. The plot is tight and finely-executed with twists that frequently change the course of the investigation. Five Stars!"

Fresh Fiction: "A powerful and moving read, showing us that when all is devastated, we have to hold on to our humanity."

May 6, 2019

Reviewing the Evidence: "This episode is my favorite so far. STORM RISING shares with its two predecessors the fast pacing, solid plotting, and strong writing skills Driscoll brings to her work. The central characters are developing well and not too quickly. And the setting appears to be well-known and definitely well-drawn. Great job!"

Off-The-Shelf Book Reviews: "I loved this book! Storm Rising is well written and well plotted with an amazing sense of place."

Crime Book Junkie: In a nutshell, would I recommend this book? Oh that would be an absolute HELL YEAH from me. I simply adore this series! BOOM! – Thrilling, fascinating and absolutely unputdownable – I raced through the pages of this superb read!

No Man’s Land

FBI K-9s #4

Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue dog are on the trail of a killer hiding where others fear to tread…

For Meg Jennings and her K-9 companion, Hawk, exploring the ruins of a deserted building is an exciting way to sharpen their skills without the life-or-death stakes they face as part of the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team. But deep in the echoing rooms of an abandoned asylum, Hawk finds the body of an elderly woman. The victim couldn’t have made her way into the derelict building on her own. Before forty-eight hours pass, Meg learns of more cases of elders found dead in neglected urban structures.

There’s not enough evidence to link the deaths—yet. But Meg scents a pattern, and when she gets word of another senior gone missing, she and Hawk don’t hesitate. Meg is sure a murderer is hunting the elderly, and she can prove it if she can just find a connection. It will take the expert coordination of her whole team, along with help from Clay McCord and Todd Webb, to uncover the means, let alone a motive. And to stop someone who has operated in the dark for so long, Meg will need to risk more than she has to give . . .

Find it on Goodreads here.

Reviews:

Booklist: "This is the sort of crime novel that gives readers a little bit of everything: it's a thriller, a procedural, and a detective story—and a good yarn, too, featuring a smart heroine."

Publishers Weekly: “Perilous adventures inside derelict buildings add texture and excitement to Driscoll’s solid fourth FBI K-9 novel featuring search-and-rescue expert Meg Jennings and her Labrador retriever, Hawk…Will appeal to dog lovers!”

Kirkus Reviews: "When FBI agent Meg Jennings and her K-9, Hawk, explore the ruins of an old hospital, they think they’re just practicing their skills—until the discovery of an elderly woman’s body leads to something more serious and sinister."

The Reading Room: "It’s truly like Criminal Minds with dogs. I highly recommend No Man’s Land and the entire F.B.I. K-9 series. It’s an adventure you don’t want to miss. Endlessly captivating!"

Reviewing The Evidence: “The mystery unfolds with the usual masterful handling of this author – this is a compelling plot line.”

Rosepoint Publishing: “I was definitely due to have a major, knock-my-socks off novel and this one rang all the bells. The novel hooks you immediately and gathers speed in an impossible to put down race to the conclusion–and a heart-stopping climax.”

Crime Book Junkie: “Another winning read from Sara Driscoll and the K9 series! Would I recommend this read? Oh hell yeah! I am hooked on this series – authentic, riveting and clever – No Man’s Land was another gripping read in this addictive series!"

Crimespree Magazine: “This interesting premise has a subject matter that is endlessly captivating. Strong, confident, and likeable characters work together to help unmask danger and murder.”

Avonna Loves Genres: I love this series of books and this is another great addition. The plot was interesting as it intertwined the urbex information and culture with the surprising motive for the murders. I highly recommend this book and series! 5 out of 5 stars!

Kings River Life: “Great characters, history of the buildings in their heyday and present dilapidated condition, explanation of urbexing, and a darn good mystery, take storytelling to the next level. Definitely a page-turning thriller of the best kind.”

Leave No Trace

FBI K-9s #5

Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 partner are heading south where it’s hunting season. But this time the prey is human.

One arrow through the heart could be a tragic hunting accident. A second one, within days, looks more like a crime. That’s when Meg Jennings and Brian Foster of the FBI’s Forensic Canine Unit head to Georgia to investigate. With their dogs Hawk and Lacey, Meg and Brian are enlisted to follow the scent of a killer. At first, nothing seems to connect the two victims–a county commissioner and State Patrol officer. But the blood sport around the southern town of Blue Ridge is just beginning.

As the body count rises, the compound bow killer becomes even more elusive, appearing and vanishing like a ghost. However, with each new slaying, Meg is beginning to suspect the grim design that’s escalating in the shadows. At its heart, a tragic event that reaches back nearly two centuries in Georgia’s history is now turning Blue Ridge into a hunting ground. But as Meg gets closer to solving the puzzle, the closer she is to stepping into the crosshairs of an elusive murderer with deadly aim, and motives as deep and dark as the woods . . .

Find it on Goodreads here.

Reviews:

Kirkus Reviews: “The action sequences, juiced by heroine’s fear of heights, are terrific, and the interplay between the dogs and their handlers is deeply felt. Dog-in-action junkies will be transported.”

Publishers Weekly: “An enjoyable fifth FBI K-9 novel. Fans will look forward to Meg’s further adventures.”

Library Journal: "A growing list of suspects and a quickening pace of killings make this a tense and fast-paced investigation for both the human and canine investigators. VERDICT: Fans of the series and fans of dog-focused mysteries will enjoy this outing with plenty of details of the workings of search dog teams as well as lots of local and historical color."

Rose Point Publishing: “The well-plotted and fast paced narrative grabs the reader in scenes of extreme danger and pushes the pulse-pounding experience to start flipping pages faster. The ride is non-stop and immersive, the characters engaging, and the narrative wholly entertaining and thought-provoking. Totally recommended.”

The Reading Room: “An original, thrilling adventure. Readers say that a book is page-turning exciting, but Leave No Trace is as compelling a read as I have encountered.”

Cathy’s World: “Gripping, action-packed, who done it that I thoroughly enjoyed. Every book in this series has been a winner!”

Under Pressure

FBI K-9s #6

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, are drawn into a case that involves a fortune in uncut gems, and an enemy whose power and ruthlessness know no bounds...

Diamonds are no one’s best friend when the jewels in question are smuggled conflict gems. Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk, have undertaken many search-and-rescue missions, but this case has an unusual twist. A Philadelphia syndicate is importing diamonds from war-torn African nations and selling them with fake certificates to Stateside dealers. Agent Finn Pierce of the Organized Crime Program is embedded with the syndicate, but being caught with a wire or tracking device would mean instant execution. If Meg, her partner Brian Foster, and their dogs can track Pierce to a deal location, they can break the smuggling chain while maintaining Pierce’s cover.

With the syndicate monitoring every move, it’s a risky operation with more players than Meg and Brian first assumed—on both sides of the law. And when one of their own gets caught in the line of fire, the team embarks on a desperate rescue mission, knowing that mere seconds are all that separate life and death...

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly: “The FBI assigns two agents and their canines who ordinarily do search and rescue—Meg Jennings and her dog, Hawk, and Meg’s partner, Brian Foster, and his dog, Lacey—to a case involving blood diamonds…The stakes rise when the Mafia comes after Meg in her home—and it turns out there’s more than gems involved.”

Kirkus Reviews: “Driscoll’s niche—think Margaret Truman meets the mob—is all her own.”

Mystery Scene Magazine: "This nonstop, adrenalin-infused novel gives readers an interesting Cliffs Notes version of the forced labor and violent conflicts associated with African blood diamonds, as well as a short but robust lesson in Mafia 101.

Driscoll, the pen name of Jen J. Danna and Ann Vanderlaan (authors of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries), has a wonderful way of presenting personal and professional aspects of the series’ engaging characters. The writing team does a great job of highlighting relationships (whether romantic, familial, or friendship) between both people and animals—but it’s definitely Meg and Hawk who are the stars— and Under Pressure has both bark and bite as their K-9 team goes up against the mob."

"The novel never flags, slows down, no sags in the middle. There are action packed scenes, the dogs are in the thick of it, and the tension ramps up as further discoveries are made and pieces come together. The conclusion, gritty and gripping, is satisfying. The novel is an easy one to fly through—you don’t want to put it down!" - Rosepoint Publishing

"The plot, the pacing, and the characters (both human and animal) work seamlessly together to keep the reader reading just a little bit more and then a little bit more. Under Pressure is another unmitigated success in this series of brilliant storytelling." - The Reading Room

Still Waters

FBI K-9s #7

A training session in the Minnesota wilderness becomes a fight for survival for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner . . .

Keeping their search-and-rescue skills honed isn’t just a job requirement for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—it’s essential to saving lives. A water search training weekend in the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota has attracted participants from all levels of law enforcement, each vying to win. The races are challenging, the rivalry is intense, and Meg is already under pressure when Hawk alerts to a scent in the water—and discovers the fresh body of one of Meg’s fellow competitors.

The contest is called off, but Meg’s still feeling the heat. The victim had made an unfounded complaint about her, one that could cost Meg her job and see Hawk removed from her care. The field of suspects is daunting, and all of them are experts in throwing others off the trail. And though Meg’s team flies out to Minnesota to help uncover the truth, they’re on unfamiliar territory, pitted against a killer with the skills, and the motivation, to stay hidden in plain sight . . .

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly: “Driscoll’s entertaining seventh FBI K-9 novel touches a chord with those who deeply love and respect their pets. A happy personal development for Meg will delight series fans.”

Library Journal: “VERDICT: Fans of the series will enjoy this entry, which includes fascinating details about search dogs and their work as well as a unique settings and a colorful cast of recurring characters.”

Rose Point Publishing: “A new, unique storyline; the conclusion swept the narrative into a climactic and dramatic operation that included both dogs and law enforcement and provided a satisfying closure to all open threads.”

Kirkus Reviews: “A routine training weekend for FBI search-and-rescue dog handler Meg Jennings and Hawk, her black Lab, turns out to be anything but….Reams of logistical detail about the training and handling of these superskilled canines.”

The Reading Room: "Every time I read a book in Sara Driscoll’s F.B.I. K-9 series I fall completely into the world of its story. I am all in, trying to keep pace in a high action story where danger is never far away. The combination of human handlers and their canine partners is thrilling to see, or read about, in how it works."

Books of My Heart: "I really appreciate the blend of smart police work, the supportive circle of family and friends, the K9 culture and a romance in the foundation. The mystery and investigation are the primary focus but the rest is there in every page."

That Others May Live

FBI K-9s #8

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 partner, Hawk, race to find survivors after a building collapses, and find that the stakes are higher than ever before.

There are situations that fill even the most seasoned FBI K-9 handlers with shock and horror. Meg Jennings is preparing for another work day when she gets words of a catastrophic scene in downtown Washington, D.C. Part of a twelve-story condo building has collapsed, and the rest of the structure could soon follow. Every search-and-rescue worker and K-9 team is needed on-site immediately to find survivors—and assess the casualties.

Putting aside her fears for her firefighter fiancé, who’s already inside the unstable building, Meg turns to the task at hand. If anyone is still alive within the rubble, she and Hawk, working alongside other K-9 teams, must find them. Every hour, every moment counts—and a wrong move could trigger a deadly chain reaction for those buried beneath. But beyond the present danger is a deeper threat, as evidence indicates that this wasn’t a random tragedy, but an act of domestic terrorism. And identifying the culprit and motivation, in time to stop another attack, means taking on an enemy with terrifying skills—and nothing left to lose.

Reviews:

Kirkus Reviews: “Guaranteed to satisfy fans of the franchise.”

Fresh Fiction: “Continuous tension and emotional distress are evident, making THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE a powerful novel.. An extremely well-written thriller.”

Rosepoint Publishing: “Sara Driscoll writes with clarity and authority. 5 stars!”

Mystery and Suspense Magazine: “Dynamic characters, unparalleled devastation, and great descriptions drew me in to this heartbreaking and intense story. This tense, engaging, and tragic thriller gripped me from the beginning. It was difficult to put down.”

Aunt Agatha’s": “Very emotional and engaging. An in-depth procedural thriller first and foremost.”

Summit’s Edge

FBI K-9s #9

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, vie to rescue plane crash survivors from a Colorado mountain—and contend with a hijacker determined to stop them.

As long as there’s hope of finding life, no mission is too dangerous for Meg Jennings and her colleagues in the FBI K-9 unit. But locating the wreckage of a hijacked private plane high in the Elk Mountains of Colorado is treacherous in a multitude of ways—some of them impossible for even a seasoned team to predict.

The plane, carrying the board of directors of Barron Pharmaceuticals, crashed on a rocky peak and was cleaved in two. Perilous weather means the rescuers have to ascend on foot, with their dogs unleashed in case of falls. It takes hours to locate the wreckage, but miraculously, Meg and Hawk find half a dozen passengers and crew still alive. The hijacker also survived, and has fled into the wilderness with the CEO’s son in pursuit.

As soon as day breaks, the K-9 teams set out to find both men, and the dogs quickly pick up a scent trail. Meg has used her connections with an investigative reporter to learn as much as she can about the hijacker, hoping to use it when they apprehend him. But first, they must contend with the mountain’s savage fury, and an adversary who will destroy as many lives as possible rather than face justice . . .

Reviews:
Mystery and Suspense Magazine: “Fantastic and suspenseful, this tense, engaging, suspenseful, and tragic mystery gripped me from the beginning. It was difficult to put down.”

Rosepoint Publishing: “I have read all of the series and never get tired of the relationship between Meg and Hawk and the other handlers and their K-9s. Heartily Recommended.”

Red Book Reviews: “An amazing read with suspense, teamwork, K-9s and so much more. I loved this book a lot and would recommend it to any reader especially if you love a good mystery or suspense book.”

Aunt Agatha’s: “Sara Driscoll writes in such a way that readers won’t be able to put the book down until they know Meg, Hawk, and any survivors there may be are all home safe and sound, and if the hijacker is brought to justice.”

Deadly Trade

FBI K-9s #10

Coming November 2025 from Kensington Books