Where's Wardo

This month I traveled to Nashville for Bouchercon, the annual publishing industry convention. I always enjoy connecting with readers, editors, and other industry professionals. I also get a chance to hang out with my fellow writers. I’m pictured above with good friends Simon Gervais and Taylor Moore. If you’ve ever wanted to meet your favorite thriller authors and have them sign your books, Bouchercon and Thrillerfest are the places to do it.  My publisher even gave away two cases of signed books, including advance copies of Dark Vector which arrives next February. If you didn’t make it to Nashville, stay tuned to my social media for a chance to get a sneak peak at Dark Vector.

Where's Wardo

There’s no better way to come up with settings for books than to get out and see the world. I recently visited Isafjordur, Iceland and Nuuk, Greenland. It’s a beautiful part of the world, especially in summer. I was very close to the Arctic Circle…so stay tuned for some cold weather action in Dark Vector!

Ward Recommends: In The Garden Of Beasts

I found this account of a diplomatic family’s front row seat to the rise of the Third Reich fascinating. Larson has a knack for digging into historical turn points and presenting them with the aura of a thriller. In the Garden of Beasts details not only the rise of the Nazi Party, but also the world’s blindness to what was happening in 1930’s Berlin.  

The atmosphere of the period, in all its bizarreness and impending horror, is captured brilliantly.

Back In Black Has A Mystery For Everyone

I had great fun coming up with a contribution for this short story anthology. Inspired by the songs from AC/DC‘s bestselling album, Back in Black  contains ten murder mysteries, including a new Jack Reacher original by Andrew Child. The third collection of the Murder and Mayhem series, Back in Black features one story for each of the songs on the seminal hard rock album. My own contribution: What Do You Do for Money Honey.

This book showcases ten brilliant mystery writers at the top of their game, including Reed Farrel Coleman, Heather Graham, Tori Eldridge, and Andrew Child. Back in Black has a mystery for everyone!

My Next Novel: Available February 2025

I’m really looking forward to the release of Dark Vector next February. This is still a David Slaton book, but I’m introducing new characters. My research took me to some interesting locales, and I also incorporated a few technologies that I think everyone will find fascinating.   

In the wilds of Siberia, a top-secret Russian fighter goes missing on a test flight. The Russian Air Force begins a search, oblivious to their error: they are looking in the wrong spot. The pilot, Colonel Maksim Primakov, has crash landed during an attempted defection.

The new chief of CIA clandestine operations, David Slaton, wants desperately to find him, but only one man is in a position to reach Primakov—Tru Miller, a rookie operator. Slaton plots a rescue deep inside Russia, not realizing that he will have to outfox the one other man who knows the truth. Victor Strelkov is a general in Russian intelligence. His search for Primakov is deeply personal—and if he doesn’t succeed it will cost him his life.

Soon a small group of Americans, including its top female test pilot, Kai Drake, find themselves hunted in the wilds of Russia. Their survival will depend on one thing—just how resourceful and lethal they can be.

PREORDER YOUR COPY!

A New Anthology: Back In Black

This anthology was a really fun project. Ten short stories are drawn loosely from the song titles of AC/DC’s iconic album. There’s a new Jack Reacher story from Andrew Child, and entries from bestselling authors like Heather Graham and Tori Eldridge. My own entry is a stand alone tale of a DNA heredity test gone wrong. It’s an easy read and available for preorder now!