How many times has the Watergate story been told, retold, regurgitated? All the President’s Men. Nixon. Countless books, documentaries, and really bad TV movies. G. Gordon Liddy’s radio show. So how does one do a fresh take on this dark chapter of American history? Well, you tell it from the Plumbers point of view. And…
As TS Hottle, my main focus was science fiction for around eight years. I also spent a longer-than-planned interval going through Stephen King’s canon. (I’ll have finished in the fall when Holly debuts. By which time, he’ll have announced ten more books.) But I missed crime. And since signing with Down & Out Books, I’ve…
A lot of people tell me Monticello in Holland Bay and The Dogs of Beaumont Heights feels real. Little details like the odd way the Shoreway hovers over Lake Avenue, the names and condition of various neighborhoods, and even the history in places of the city conspire to make it seem like I took a…
If you read The Dogs of Beaumont Heights, you might get the impression I’m afraid of pit bulls. In reality, I tried to underscore how sometimes these dogs are abused. Pit bulls, which are actually four breeds of terriers grouped together, are strong animals with powerful bites. Hence, they’re used for dog-fighting rings and often…
They are the most enigmatic band in the history of rock. I actually have a hard time calling much of their music rock. Maybe because only a smattering of their songs owe any allegiance to the blues. Perhaps “Ladies of the Road,” of which lyricist Peter Sinfield says was inappropriate for 1972, never mind 2022,…
When I shopped Holland Bay around, many people pointed out how real the city of Monticello seemed. My brother-in-law swears I based it on Cleveland, where I’m originally from. (Spoiler alert: He’s never been to Cleveland.) In reality, some of its based on Cincinnati with bits and pieces taken from other cities. For instance, take…
A lot of people ask me who the main character of the Holland Bay series is. It is, of course, Jessica Branson. In Holland Bay, she’s not the first person we meet, though she does show up in Chapter 1. When we do meet her, she’s lost a drunken bet with a friend, resulting in…
The Dogs of Beaumont Heights is now available. Jessica Branson returns riding high off the end of Ralph Smithers, Monticello’s notorious drug lord. However, the tenants paying for the house she can’t afford drag her toward the center of the city’s drug war. To an ambitious police commander, it’s a chance to get rid of…
It’s here! The Dogs of Beaumont Heights, Book 2 of the Holland Bay series! Special Investigations has gone from the department dumping ground to the mayor’s pet project. And Detective Jessica Branson is its star. She’s in the MPD’s good graces and living with her nerdy boyfriend. But the house she can’t afford except as…
The dogs are coming. January 16th. The Dogs of Beaumont Heights arrives, Book 2 of the Holland Bay series. Jessica Branson has made her comeback as a Monticello Police officer, but like all best-laid plans, there’s always a monkey wrench. In this case, the tenants from hell in a house she owns overdose and trash…