Book 1, Rosslyn Station, finds Detective Kiki Diaz making her way to federal court in Washington, D.C. for the start of a human trafficking trial that she was the lead undercover detective on. Her commute on the D.C. Metro should have been the easiest part of the day until all hell breaks loose at Rosslyn Station - last stop in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alternating chapters follow Diaz's ten year career in the growing Fairfax County Police Department, leading to a final standoff at the courthouse and a struggle for survival. Out now.
In Book 2, Fairfax Station, Detective Sergeant Kiki Diaz is newly assigned to the Robbery - Homicide squad at headquarters when she gets the ticket on the assassination of the Governor of Virginia who was just murdered in his Fairfax Station home. Not only is she facing a growing list of suspects, she must battle the state police who are claiming jurisdiction over the investigation. The problem is, they had a protective detail on the Governor, so all is not as it appears. Drops 7/9/2024, pre-order now.
This is Book 1, Department Echo, in my flagship CJ Hawk - FBI Thriller series with Zulu Center due to arrive in late 2024 or early 2025. Book 3 Washington Field will follow. Department Echo finds CJ Hawk as the first police officer on the scene when Dr. David Richards is assassinated answering the door to his Old Town, Alexandria townhouse late one night in 1984. Despite the fact his estranged spouse was seeking custody of their children who lived with him, there was little evidence, and the case went cold for years. By 1990 Hawk has joined the FBI and was in command of a SWAT team when a bank robbery takedown went tragically wrong resulting in the death of a fellow agent. He finds himself “removed from the rolls of the Bureau,” and working boring cases as a PI. Hawk is unexpectedly retained by a prominent attorney to solve the murder once and for all, although who the client is remains a mystery.
His investigation spirals in directions Hawk never saw coming. His sometimes girlfriend Kori West married a flawed attorney on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee. A sketchy K Street lobbying firm with ties to members of Congress and Iranian Intelligence is uncovered. Most challenging, Hawk trips into a rogue Department of Defense (DoD) intelligence office codenamed Department Echo that operates in the Black. Officially, it doesn’t exist - it’s off the books, and then these scenarios collide in a powerful ending that delivers justice for all that deserve it – except maybe Hawk.
Department Echo was inspired by an actual assassination of a prominent doctor in Old Town Alexandria in 1984, and many of the scenes and action come from the author’s experience during his more than thirty year career in law enforcement. Drops 6/25/2024, pre-order now.
Thanks to Jeff Clark for having me on his Course of Action Podcast where we talked about all things thriller books, FBI, and Section 702 of FISA.
Thanks to the terrific thriller and western crime writer Terrence McCauley for having me on his fast-growing podcast, Spies, Lies, and Private Eyes, to talk about writing, crime, and the FBI. Go to www.terrencemccauley.com and click on episode 70.
Did I ever think I would be reviewed in the same week as cats like James Patterson and Andrews & Wilson by Best Thriller Books? Heck no! What an honor.
This might be my most controversial newsletter because emotions are high on many sides of the issue. However, I tried to call this as I see it based on my many years of training and experience. I hope you enjoy the analysis and tell me what you think. Read it at https://fxregan.substack.com
Honored to be a guest on the Author Ecke Podcast with Travis Davis! Great conversation about books, the military, police work and more. Check it out.
https://authortravisdavis.com/my-podcast
If you are signed up for my Substack column, you would have had the first chapter of ROSSLYN STATION in your inbox Monday for FREE! You can still jump over to https://fxregan.substack.com and catch it there. Sign up for the newsletter while you are at it.
AREA 51: Project Series Volume I just dropped in Audiobook on Audible, Amazon, and Apple on October 25th! Superbly narrated by the multi-talented Ed Bejarana, you will enjoy listening to the travails of Detective John "Black Jack" Morrison as he goes back to Area 51 three times to help solve complicated murders. The murders are the easy part for Jack, it's the otherworldly events he finds there that scares the spit out of him.
FISA Section 702 is up for renewal in Congress and being debted as we speak. I spent about a month putting together this analysis of Section 702, including my recommendations on how to both renew and amend it. You can read the article on my Substack page at https://fxregan.substack.com .
I recently wrote an article on my Substack page (https://fxregan.substack.com) about what Hollywood gets wrong (a lot,) and right (not so much,) about cops. As part of my research for this project, I reviewed a list of 340 TV and streaming shows, and rated a number of them good, bad, or ugly, based on their portrayl of law enforcement. Take a look, and then let me know what your favorite cop show are. (Spoiler alert - I rated Bosch one of the best ever!)
My recent Substack article from November 20th is probably the most controversial. Here, I take on TikTok and describe them as a Foreign Intelligence Platform, mostly over how they monitor, manipulate, and promote data that is divisive to America. The latest example comes from the videos of young Americans last week defending Osama bin Laden's attack on the U.S. on 9/11, and concluding that, maybe he had a good point. This all occurred while Chinese Chairman Xi was in San Fransisco where U.S. businessmen paid $40,000 to hear him speak. https://fxregan.substack.com