I’ve been researching my next novel and have met and talked to some amazing people. I often think I am receiving a free education from the immense amount of information people have shared with me. Until I started researching my new novel I was not aware that the Los Angeles Police department has the nation’s only full-fledged art theft investigative unit. They have a web page reviewing the many incidents they have solved. Interesting reading for any mystery enthusiast. Now that the majority of my research is winding down, I am excited about how the new book is beginning to unfold. It is amazing how weeks and weeks of research goes into a single chapter, but I have to admit I truly enjoy the research.

A friend of mine introduced me to an author, Lawrence Sanders, that very possibly writes the best detective stories I’ve ever read. Since he gave me Sanders book, The First Deadly Sin, I haven’t been able to put it down. He is a must read for anyone who loves a good mystery.

My web site wwwkenfainbooks.com will be updated in about a week, to include my new novel Cassidy’s Justice. Until next time. Ken

Mystery and suspense, lust and power—Ken Fain’s follow-up to The Russian Connection takes you through the streets of Chicago’s South Side. In Cassidy’s Justice, fairness and impartiality are up for grabs as a mole inside the Federal task force and the Russian mob try to block Cass’s murder investigation.

Detective Alexandra Cassidy knows violence. Having grown up in the ganglands of Chicago, she’s been witness to thugs, drugs, drive-bys, rapes, and murder, but when thirteen-year-old Latoya Albertson is shot in the head—so promising and so young—she’s livid. She realizes that not much has changed: gangs still rule the turf, and if it’s the last thing Cass does, she’ll track down Latoya’s killer. To that end, she joins forces with playboy newspaper reporter Matt Ellis, a man born with a silver spoon and a nose for the truth, whose investigative skills happen to prove to be key to Cass’s investigation. It helps that Mark has an old friend named Brian—with connections in the gangs and that his brother Latrell is a gang member; something that breaks Brian’s heart, but nevertheless comes in handy. What Brian doesn’t know is that Latrell is an undercover Federal agent, working a case involving the Russian mob, and that the mob’s case is tied to Latoya’s murder. Meanwhile, Cass’ team uncovers a mole inside the Federal task force who has a nasty habit of feeding information to the mob. With no other options, Cass enlists the aid of a retired detective and his retired partner to track down leads on the elusive mole. Ultimately, justice won’t come cheap—and those who pay for it must escape an assassin’s bullet in order to secure the truth.

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Just finished writing my new manuscript on Friday, May 7th.  There were a lot of feelings running around in my head as the story was coming to a conclusion.   Happy to be wrapping up the finishing touches on my next book, but a little sad to say good-bye to the characters I have come to enjoy writing about these past few months.  After writing the final few pages I found myself  wondering, now what will be the next case for Detective Cassidy ‘Cass’ to solve;  she is the  heroine in my next book.  Then I picked up Saturday’s paper and there it was looking at me on the front page, a story that has to be told.  Now  it’s on to the next case and another story to write.

I was reading Wildcat, a book by Craig Thomas that came out in 1989 .  If you have not read any of his books you are missing out on storytelling that will grip you from  the first page.  I have read ten of his books and some of them several times, Firefox being one of those.  You may remember the movie Firefox, staring Clint Eastwood adapted from Craig Thomas’ book.   If you enjoy the suspense or thriller genre,  you will definitely find this author to be someone you should check out.

Spring is getting closer, the snow has finally melted and the newspaper is full of baseball predictions from spring training camps.  For me NASCAR and baseball are the true indicators that spring is just around the corner.  Even my Kansas City Royals have hope during spring training.  So with a smile on my face, dreams of my Royals in the World Series and another Fantasy NASCAR victory, I set about tackling the many projects I have drawn up over the winter.  Isn’t it crazy what a little warm weather does to someones thoughts after a long cold winter.

There is an author that everyone who likes a good thriller should check out.  His name is Andrew Britton.  He has written four great books:  The American, The Assassin, The Invisible, and Heart of Betrayal.  Britton has received great reviews, some saying his writing rivals the greats in this genre such as Brad Meltzer and Tom Clancy.  That is some high standards to be grouped with but Britton lives up to the praise, delivering a fast paced suspense filled story that will keep your attention all the way to the end.  Look him up on Amazon.com.  You’ll be glad you did and while you’re there take a look at my new book The Russian Connection.

As I have said before I want to thank everyone for the many comments I have received on my web page.  I also hope that I have answered everyone’s questions and that you will continue to follow me here on my blog.  Pass the word to your friends to follow my blog where I will share my thoughts on books that I have read and enjoyed.  Until next time.

2010 is here and with it some of the coldest weather this winter.  That should be good for writing since I am not a cold weather person and tend to find myself in front of the fireplace a lot this time of year.  By the time spring gets here I should have my next book about done.  I will give you some hints about the story in upcoming blogs.

I would like to take a minute and share something that  has been on my mind.  Occasionally a person comes into your life that makes a differene.  Someone who’s leadership, caring and mentoring changes your life forever, and you are forever grateful they took the time to reach out and touch your life.  That individual in my life was my High School Coach.  Over the years Coach Harris stayed in touch and always encouraged me and I know he made a difference.  Hundreds of other young people were fortunate to have been blessed by this leadership over the many years he taught and coached.  Unfortunately we lost this wonderful man this past weekend and I will foever feel fortunate to have known him.  You live on in all the students whose lives you influenced.  Thanks Coach.

If someone has touched your life and made a difference let them know.  Too often we seem to get so busy in our day to day living that we don’t take the time to say thank you to that special person.  Maybe it was a friend, neighbor, aunt, uncle, your parents, or like me a high school teacher who truly made a difference.  Today before you forget call them and say thank you.

I want to thank everyone who has contacted me and for your kind words about The Russian Connection.

I was out on a photo shooting trip with my friend, Art and we captured some interesting wildlife shots that I have posted on www.imagesbykenkc.com  You can find them on the hobby link of this web site.  Thanks for stopping by the site and come back soon.

Ken

I am deep into the first draft of my next book, a murder mystery that takes place in Chicago.  I find myself wondering if the old saying that the second book is much harder to write than the first will be that way for me.  So far, I don’t find that happening. Instead, I find myself completely caught up in the research and eager to write each day.

I hope you will find this blog interesting and enjoyable and will come back to the web site often to follow the progression of the new book as it comes to life.  However, for this first writing I wanted the message to be a birthday wish to my fellow Marines and to let everyone know the blog is up and active.

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• Smashwords.com (eBook)
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• BooksInPrint.com
• GlobalBooksInPrint.com

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