Common Disaster

Natalie Dvorak #13:Sergeant Natalie Dvorak of the Vermont State Police is the investigating officer at the scene of a traffic fatality. It is an unpleasant yet routine duty and the person killed at the scene of the accident was a prominent citizen. The man's wife has survived but is in critical condition. The accident itself is an easily closed case but the victims' family gathers for a vigil around the injured woman. Control of a big company and a life insurance payout are at stake. When a second death occurs the cause is unnatural but who committed murder? There are several people with a motive but the instrument of death is not a handy, household item. Natalie and her partners on the detective squad find rivalries among the survivors, anger and resentment, power struggles and mutual suspicions. Meanwhile, the police have to deal with public outrage against one of their own, something that threatens to distract Natalie from her murder investigation. 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.