Hi everyone.
I’m pleased as punch to tell you that the Detective Temeke Crime series The 9th Hour and Night Eyes are being given two brand new faces. While there are no additions or subtractions to the books themselves, they will soon have a different look.
The third book in the series, Past Rites will also be available in eBook and paperback via all retailers by December 15. Most of all, I want to thank all those who helped spread the word and to the readers who have told me how much they love the series.
But what is it that makes these books so real? Is it the characters themselves, the unique New Mexico landscape, or the extensive research into the finer workings of law enforcement?
For me, I don’t want a book to just amuse me for a few hours. I want a book where my life becomes the book for days on end. If I find a fictional character who is brave, funny, charismatic and suffering from some kind of life trauma, it spurs me on to build an emotional bond with them. I enjoy the messes they create, the pain and the tears, and where I find their problems may not be so different from mine. The big difference is, how they were able to overcome them. How they became a better person in the end.
As I crack on with the fourth Detective Temeke novel, I am reminded how grateful I am to the brave men and women of the Albuquerque Police Department. For taking time out of their busy schedules to teach us about the police department and its many units. I thank God for their sacrifice, their dedication and for their professionalism. And for helping make these stories so real.
It was a privilege to attend the 50th Citizen Police Academy ‒ a tuition free, twelve-week program designed to introduce members of the community to the Albuquerque Police Department. The Academy is designed to teach citizens about the philosophy, policies, and guiding principles of law enforcement and ethical conduct governing police services in our community. Please see the website
This was a three month training which included units such as firearms training, special weapons and tactics, crimes against children, bomb squad, use of force, active shooter, violent crimes, crime scene investigator, K-9, reality based training and scenarios, and so many more.
The 9th Hour was inspired by a violent case involving a fugitive who exploited young female victims by impersonating an authority figure. He decapitated at least 8 women keeping the severed heads as mementos. This man, whose name has been changed for this book and whose MO was based on folklore, suffered from antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) a condition which describes many serial killers. But no matter how horrific the crime, we will never forget the victims.
Even though the past often casts a shadow over the present, the Detective Temeke series always sees each investigation in a whole new light.
A very big THANK YOU to all those who nominated the first in the series, The 9th Hour as a finalist for the 2016 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. I’m really chuffed! The awards dinner promises to include an auction and a fabulous menu at one of the most beautiful country clubs in Albuquerque.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Claire.
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