Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Subtle Felonies by Austin S. Comacho @GoddessFish

SUBTLE FELONIES

by Austin S. Comacho

GENRE: Mystery/Thriller

BLURB:

Is retired basketball star Xander Brown missing, or kidnapped? His crazy family and dangerous friends draw DC detective Hannibal Jones into a deadly chase to find – or rescue – a complex man. In public, Xander is a husband, father, partner, friend, but who is he in private? Which role took him away? The search moves at breakneck speed across the posh suburbs and angry alleys of the nation’s capital, forcing Hannibal to confront tough truths and deadly risks. Will DC’s troubleshooter save a life or lose his own?

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Excerpt:

Hannibal saw the five inches of stainless-steel arcing toward his stomach and managed to swing his right arm down fast enough to stop Cawfee’s arm, wrist against wrist. He gripped Cawfee’s knife hand with both of his own and twisted hard. It didn’t break Cawfee’s grip on the weapon, but he did release Hannibal’s jacket, waving his free arm to keep his balance.

Hannibal let go and jumped back away from Cawfee. Wrestling with a knife in the hand of a bigger man was a losing proposition. He back pedaled, trying to get more distance from that knife, but Cawfee kept charging at him.

“I seen your gun,” Cawfee said, “but I saw how you acted around the women and I figured you wouldn’t go around strapped here at the house. Not so stupid now, huh?”

At that moment, Hannibal felt stupid, thinking Cawfee might make the rational choice. Now he faced a man who looked like he knew what he was doing with a blade, making short feinting slashes at Hannibal. He would have to wait until Cawfee committed before he tried to disarm him.

Cawfee’s eyes lit up and he leaped forward faster than Hannibal thought he could. The blade swished past in front of him, but he lost his footing and fell. His back thudded into the turf and Cawfee dropped on top of him, switching his grip to stab down. Hannibal crossed his forearms, stopping Cawfee’s arm between his fists. Cawfee applied all his weight, forcing the knife down to within an inch of Hannibal’s throat. Both men panted hard with the opposing effort, Hannibal gearing up to push hard to one side.

Then there was a short whoosh and a loud crack sound. The impact sounded to him just like a man driving a ball down the fairway.

Interview with Austin S. Comacho

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I’ve written 14 novels and honestly, my favorite is the latest, Subtle Felonies. I think I get a little better every time I sit down to do this.




If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?

Subtle Felonies is the 8^th novel featuring Hannibal Jones, my African American private eye in Washington DC. I haven’t even finalized the outline for the next one yet, but so far it looks like one of Hannibal’s good friends will be seduced by a femme fatale who puts the whole team in danger.




Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

There are certainly connections that flow through all of the Hannibal Jones mysteries. He is growing and changing. The series is really about the rising and advancing of one man’s spirit.




How did you come up with the title for your book?

In High School I read A Sense of Where You Are, by John McPhee. The book profiles basketball great Bill Bradley. He had a gift for fouling opponents without getting caught by the refs. In the book, McPhee quotes Bradley as calling basketball a game of subtle felonies. The phrase hid somewhere in my brain until I was writing a crime novel featuring a basketball star.

How long did it take you to write this book?

A little over a year passed between the basic idea, outline, writing a draft and a couple of rewrites to get it right.




What does the title mean?

The best fictional villains commit their crimes without them even being noticed. If your crime is subtle enough you will never be suspected. In this book, the killer almost gets away with it.




What did you learn when writing the book?

Watching my characters I learned a lot about what it means to be in someone’s posse - how it affects a person long term, and how it changes the person who is being followed by admirers.




What surprised you the most?

The book is partially about how it affects athletes who literally go from rags to great riches. As I did research I was startled by how they react to the sudden great wealth, how rare it is for the team to help them deal with it and how seldom these young players hire professionals to help them handle all that money.




Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

Not so far. I love these characters too! But if the storyline called for it, I think I could.




What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?

I sometimes write a character into a scene that has nothing to do with my story. Watching how the character starts their day, watching them going grocery shopping or other day-to-day activities helps me feel them from the inside.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Austin S. Camacho is the author of eight novels about Washington DC-based private eye Hannibal Jones, five in the Stark and O’Brien international adventure-thriller series, and the detective novel, Beyond Blue. His short stories have been featured in several anthologies and he is featured in the Edgar nominated African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey. He is a past president of the Maryland Writers Association, past Vice President of the Virginia Writers Club, and one of the directors of the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity literary conference - now in its 10th year. The 8th Hannibal Jones mystery, Subtle Felonies, is scheduled for a September 27 release.

Connect with Austin S. Camacho

FACEBOOK ~ WEBSITE ~ Amazon

 

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon/BN GC 

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