Among Friends

Natalie Dvorak #9Detective Sergeant Natalie Dvorak of the Vermont State Police was an experienced homicide investigator. Yet there was one murder case that she never talked about. Twenty-five years before, seven young people shared a cabin in the woods. One of them was murdered, another was convicted of the crime. Now only two of the seven remain alive. When evidence of a hit list is uncovered at the site of a fatal car accident, Natalie discovers she has been targeted by a hidden killer. The other target is the man who was once Natalie's high school sweetheart. Can Natalie save them both when the only person with a clear motive is already dead? I was born fifty-seven years ago in the Bible belt but grew up in a Massachusetts college town. I am married and my wife and I have moved frequently since we met. We've lived in Minnesota, Massachusetts, and New Mexico, as well as a brief residency in Berlin, Germany. I have worked peripherally in health care, banking, and insurance. In addition to writing, I have done a bit of amateur acting and comedy performances. I am afraid of heights but public speaking doesn't scare me. My wife and I live in Albuquerque with our chihuahua. Natalie Dvorak is a detective sergeant with the Vermont State Police in the 1980s. She's short but tough, more likely to subdue criminals with Taekwondo than by discharging her service revolver. Mature and experienced, Natalie solves crimes through interviews and observation. She is ethical and incorruptible, tenacious and courageous. As one of the first women recruited to the State Police, Natalie has had to win the respect of her male colleagues, whether or not she outranks them. Wrongdoers who underestimate Sergeant Dvorak put themselves in peril while victims have her commitment to finding justice for them. Natalie's personal life is complicated by her own insecurities and a sometimes difficult personality.