Boston Giant

Natalie Dvorak #18:A sleazy motel in rural Vermont becomes the focal point for a series of crimes including a robbery-homicide that brings Detective-Sergeant Natalie Dvorak onto the scene. The killing seems unusually brutal and physical evidence indicates the murderer was a giant of a man. Meanwhile a motel guest becomes another victim but survives the encounter. Whether to involve the police when the chance to recover stolen property becomes the question the crime victim must decide. Back in her small town home, Natalie's husband gets involved when a stalker apparently returns to threaten his friend and colleague in local government. What can he do as the only police officer in town when the intruder might turn violent? Another robbery goes beyond the motel crime in a scale of violence that shocks the community. The killer's connection to organized crime in Boston comes to light, raising the stakes further as a gang boss reaches across the state line to seek revenge. Can Natalie and her husband defend their state and town's citizens against psychopathic outsiders? 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.