The Pattern

Natalie Dvorak #16:Detective-Sergeant Natalie Dvorak of the Vermont State Police is confronted with a series of homicides in which the victims are people she might have arrested had she known what they were doing. Has someone decided they deserved to die? The circumstances surrounding the killings bring back memories for Natalie of a time when she was a victim. Can she uncover the plot and prevent more extra-legal executions in a state that doesn't have the death penalty? When there is no sympathy for the targets of vigilantes can there be justice? 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.