DV Berkom Books

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  • Kate Jones Thrillers
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  • Leine Basso Crime Thrillers
    • A Killing Truth
    • Serial Date
    • Bad Traffick
    • The Body Market
    • Cargo
    • The Last Deception
    • Dark Return
    • Absolution
    • Dakota Burn
    • Shadow of the Jaguar
    • A Plague of Traitors
    • Fatal Objective
  • Claire Whitcomb Westerns
    • Retribution
    • Gunslinger
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  • Audiobooks
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    • Leine Basso Thriller Series, Vol. 1
    • Leine Basso Thriller Series, Vol. 2
    • The Leine Basso Thriller Series, Books 1-8 Boxset
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    • Kate Jones Thrillers, Vol. 2
    • Claire Whitcomb Collection

Researching the Wild West

Write a Western set in the 19th century, they said. It’ll be easy, they said.

Sheesh.

When I set out to write Retribution, a Western set in 1880s Colorado, I went in with the optimism of a writer with 15 books under her belt. I’ve researched plenty of different subjects, from dirty bombs to picking locks to witch doctors and Voodoo priestesses to submarines and drug cartels. I figured the Wild West would be a breeze. So much information available! So many sources!

Yeah. Well. Turns out those sources tend to contradict each other. Not only that, but the year I chose, 1880, turned out to be pivotal for both Leadville, Colorado, the town in which the story takes place, and for one of the historical figures we meet in the book, Marshal Mart Duggan.

But once I commit myself, I am doggedly determined.

Well, at least I’m dogged.

Leadville, Colorado was a booming mining town in 1880. Horace and Augusta Tabor and Horace’s partner, August Rische, discovered silver there in 1877. Once word got out, miners, investors, and all kinds of enterprising folks soon followed. Leadville’s population swelled from a small tent city to a thriving metropolis of 15,000 in a matter of months. A vacant lot that was worth $250 one morning might be re-sold for $10,000 that night.

Leadville, 1880 (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Day drinking was the norm for many of the citizens of Leadville, being a rough and tumble kind of town, and fisticuffs and gunfights were common. Needless to say, the town’s lawmen didn’t last long.

The first Leadville marshal was run out of town a few days after he was appointed, and his replacement was shot dead within a month. Realizing that Leadville required a firmer hand, Horace Tabor sent to Denver for someone with a fearsome reputation.

Enter Mart Duggan.

Described as a feisty Irishman with ice-blue eyes, Duggan preferred to render justice in his own way. Often, the most effective lawmen had experience on the other side of the law. Wyatt Earp certainly landed in that group. So did Duggan.

Mart Duggan (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Underappreciated in Western lore, Mart Duggan was known at the time as one of most feared gunfighters around. He was also multi-talented, having been a bronco rider, a bull-whacker, a member of a variety act, and a thief.

When Duggan took over as marshal of Leadville, his first order of business was to fire every deputy that had anything to do with the unsavory elements in town and hire all his own men. He skirted the law, but that’s the kind of law Leadville needed. He stood down mobs and arrested anyone he thought he should, rich or poor. He also protected those who needed it, like the time a conman cheated a group of dance hall girls by selling them fake jewelry. Duggan hunted the man down, pistol-whipped him (a favored method of persuasion), and made him return every cent, using what money the man had left to pay for drinks for everyone at the dance hall until he was broke. Duggan then ran the swindler out of town.

Mart Duggan had his flaws, of course. What great character doesn’t? It’s said he had quite a fondness for the bottle along with a nasty temper, especially when liquor was involved. He quit his job as marshal several times, but Tabor kept luring him back. At one point, Duggan quit and bought a livery stable, but that soon failed because of his penchant for killing people he didn’t like, but that others did.

Claire Whitcomb, the main character in my new Western Retribution, meets up with Marshal Duggan when she’s accused of murdering her family. He believes her story and takes her under his wing, teaching her how to defend herself. After what I learned about Mart Duggan, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what he would have done.

In April 1888, Mart Duggan died of a gunshot wound to the back of the head, allegedly fired by a man employed by his enemies. As he lay dying, someone asked who’d shot him. Duggan refused to say, taking the name of his assassin to the grave.

Although not as well-known in Western lore as, say, Wyatt Earp or Bat Masterson, Mart Duggan was larger-than-life, and definitely deserves a place in the pantheon of Wild West lawmen.

Retribution: A Claire Whitcomb Western, Book 1

***Want to read more? Retribution is available now! Click dvberkom.com/book/retribution/ for links.

They took everything. Now she wants revenge.

Spring 1880: Claire Whitcomb and her family are building a good life near the boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, when tragedy strikes: a group of renegades attack, killing everyone but Claire and burning their home. Not knowing who to turn to, Claire teams up with Mart Duggan, the town’s tough-as-nails marshal, to track down the outlaws responsible. Duggan and his friend, Thomas, a local Ute, skirt the law to get results, but that’s fine by Claire.

She’s gunning for the men who destroyed her life—and won’t settle for anything less than retribution.

Launching During a Pandemic…

cover for Shadow of the Jaguar

So. Here we are.

In the middle of a pandemic, the likes of which has not been seen in over 100 years.

Covid-19 is a bitch and a half. Life has changed immeasurably—we’re scared, we’re confused, hanging on every news story that’s out there, hoping to get at the truth. (That can’t just be me, right?)

We’re suiting up to go to the grocery store, bleaching the crap out of everything coming into the house. We’re having Zoom parties, Facebook parties, Skyping and Face Timing with whoever wants to connect that way. We’re keeping our distance—6 feet away—afraid of our neighbor.

No meals out (unless you count ‘out’ as my backyard), no going to the movies, no hugs and kisses for/from my parents, who live in an apartment in that backyard. There are shortages of toilet paper, bleach, disinfecting wipes, and hand sanitizer. Possibly soon there will be a scarcity of food as supply chains break down due to infections.

There are lies, and happy talk, and obfuscation. There are people who will believe everything one person says, yet when confronted with the truth (facts, science) they dig in their heels and cross their arms, and refuse to be moved.

I get it. I really do. In this scary, unprecedented time, clinging to our closest held beliefs is comforting, a way to feel in control in an out of control situation.

But here’s the thing. When you cling to beliefs that can harm you and those you love, THAT’S the time to get humble.

Maybe you don’t know what’s right or what’s wrong.

Welcome to the club.

We’re in this thing together.

And launching a book is probably the absolute wrong thing to do.

Or the absolute right thing.

Don’t we need escapism? I know I do. When I’m especially freaked out, whether because of the news or some other problem that comes up, I escape by reading. And writing. Most of the time, I’ll sink my teeth into a thriller—the heart-in-the-throat excitement of someone else defying the odds—that’s where I’m all in. I know things will work out, somehow, for our heroine/hero. It mostly does, in fiction.

Or I write one. In my thrillers, I can absolutely control how things work out.

So, I’m going ahead with the launch, not because I want to stick my head in the sand and try to soldier on as usual. Not because I’m trying to trick myself into believing life will return to normal.

Is normal.

I’m launching Shadow of the Jaguar because I want to share what I do to get past real life when it sucks. I create jeopardy for my characters and help them find the resourcefulness to come roaring back, to vanquish the evildoers, or the ticking time bomb, or the terrorist threat.

Whatever. I want things to go right, right now.

When this is all over, I have a feeling life will not get back to normal. I kind of hope it doesn’t. I’d like to believe that this Great Pause, this collective slowdown, will help people remember what we as human beings hold dear: life, time with our family and friends, with ourselves. Clean air, clean water, less rushing around, less trying to do too many things, forgetting why we do what we do in the first place.

Call me naïve or overly optimistic, but I believe in us—even those I don’t agree with. Maybe especially them. Because when it comes right down to it, we really are in this together. When things get bad, we put aside our differences and help each other. I see it every day—on the news, in my community, wherever.

I try to be grateful every day, especially for the things we normally take for granted. Where would I be without my family, my friends? My community? Or all the amazing health care workers, grocery store clerks, Post Office workers?

The virus has given us a gift—the gift of time.

I hope I use it wisely.

One last thing—buy my book 🙂

image of book with Indiana Jones hat

Former assassin Leine Basso is back in Shadow of the Jaguar, an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning action-adventure thriller!

A lost civilization. A woman’s abduction. The promise of unimaginable treasure.

Deep in the heart of the Amazon, an expedition finds evidence of a fabled lost city of gold. It isn’t long before a ruthless drug trafficker learns of the possible find and kidnaps an expedition member, threatening to kill her and the rest of the expedition unless he’s given the coordinates to the city.

Leine Basso and her daughter are called in to rescue the kidnapped woman, who also happens to be a good friend’s niece. But in the jungle, danger lurks at every turn, and nothing is as it seems…

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon DE

Amazon CA

Amazon AU

A Week of BADASS Women – Day #6

Welcome back to BADASS Women Week! Today’s the BIG DAY – DAKOTA BURN is live! I can’t stop myself from being excited–launching a new book never gets old.

Currently, Dakota Burn is available for Amazon, Nook, KOBO, and iBooks, but you need to hurry. On Friday, October 4, the book will go into Kindle Unlimited (good news for KU members!) and will no longer be available at other retailers. Here are the links to purchase your copy:

Apple Books 

KOBO

Barnes & Noble

AmazonUS

AmazonUK

AmazonCA 

AmazonDE 

AmazonAU

AmazonFR

AmazonES 

stay up all night graphic

As promised, I’m giving away a signed paperback copy of Dakota Burn, AND a limited edition Dakota Burn T-Shirt to one lucky winner (US or international). Fill out the form below and be entered to win (I promise I will only use your email address to notify you if you’ve won):

Congratulations Tom! Check your email for the particulars.

I’ll be resting tomorrow (Day 7, get it?), so thanks for coming along for the ride that was BADASS Women Week! I had so much fun, I think I’ll have to do this again…

Until then, have yourself a BADASS weekend, and don’t forget to pick up Dakota Burn!


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A Week of BADASS Women – Day #4

Welcome back to day #4 of the Week of BADASS Women! Today I’d like to introduce you to badass thriller author, Kristi Belcamino. She writes fierce women characters–her latest series features Eva Santella, badass protector of the innocent, and a woman you don’t want to cross. Ever.

graphic of One-Eyed Jack

To celebrate BADASS Women, Kristi’s giving away a signed paperback (US) or eBook (international) of her new thriller, ONE-EYED JACK, to one lucky winner. Just fill out the form at the bottom of this post to be entered to win. (Your email address will only be used to notify you if you’ve won. I promise not to put you on a mailing list unless you ask me to 🙂 )

ONE-EYED JACK launched this week and is the second in the series. Here’s the description:

The men, mostly virgins, gather in the darkest corners online, drawn together by a common bond: hate.

They hate the way they look.

They hate their disastrous sex lives.

They hate alpha males.

They hate themselves.

There is only one thing they hate more: women.

Even before they first hear about her, Eva Santella, independent, beautiful, confident, represents everything they despise.

So they get together online and feed on each other’s rage and disappointment and frustration. And there, in their shadowy forums, they plot revenge.

On a massive scale.

It’s been done before and they can do it again. 

When Eva tries to stop them, they turn their deadly sights on her.

Links to buy:

Kindle: https://geni.us/One-EyedJackAms

Nook: https://geni.us/One-EyedJackNook

Kobo:  https://geni.us/One-EyedJackKobo

iBooks: https://geni.us/One-EyedJackiBooks

CONGRATULATIONS, TAMARA! You’ve won a copy of ONE EYED JACK. Kristi will be getting in touch with you via email!

author photo
Kristi Belcamino

Kristi Belcamino is a USA Today bestselling author, an Agatha, Anthony, Barry, & Macavity Award-nominated author, a newspaper cops reporter, and an Italian mama who makes a tasty biscotti.

She writes books featuring strong, fierce, and independent women facing unspeakable evil in order to seek justice for those unable to do so themselves.

Sign up for her newsletter HERE.
Follow her on Bookbub for information on new releases, free books and deep discounts.
Find out more at http://www.kristibelcamino.com.
Find her on Facebook  or on Twitter @KristiBelcamino.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for Day #5 of BADASS Women! Until then, have a badass kind of day!

Pre-order Dakota Burn:

graphic for Dakota Burn preorder

BADASS WOMEN WEEK!

Welcome to BADASS WOMEN Week! Where we celebrate all things BAD ASS. What makes a woman a true badass? Is it fearlessness? The ability to kick some serious ass? An indefinable something that you can’t quite put your finger on?

***Feel free to add your thoughts on badass women in the comments.

Many of you are familiar with my character, Leine Basso, who is as badass as they come. Throughout the week, I’ll introduce you to a couple of other badass characters and their badass creators (with giveaways), as well as give you a sneak peek of the latest Leine Basso thriller, DAKOTA BURN.

graphic for pre-order

Pre-order Dakota Burn here.

On Friday, September 27, DAKOTA BURN launches into the world, in both print and ebook (audio will be coming soon). To celebrate, I’m going to give away a signed print edition of the book along with some awesome swag to one lucky winner. Be sure to stop back here on Friday to win!

Today I’ll leave you with an excerpt from DAKOTA BURN. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

image of paperback copy of Dakota Burn

They were several feet from the back porch when a car door slammed shut in the front yard. Leine gestured for Mimi to freeze as she withdrew her gun and moved where she could see the driveway.

Four men in tactical vests had just exited a shiny black four-door pickup. The man in the lead had a semiautomatic pistol with a suppressor. The other three were armed with AR-15s. They headed for the door.

The lead gunman made it to the front porch first and signaled the second man, who hung back and waited for the other two to make their move. The first gunman eased his way up the concrete steps, gaze riveted on the door. He paused for a moment, then slowly turned the handle. Cracking the door open, he hesitated, then slipped inside. The second man followed while the third took a position on the steps, face out, scanning for threats. The fourth headed around the side of the house.

Leine sprinted back to Mimi.

“Come with me.”

Mimi’s face drained of color. “Who is it?”

Leine propelled her toward the barn. “Not sure, but they aren’t friendly.” Her terse comment left the young girl silent.

They raced across the yard and around the side of the barn. Leine stopped outside the broken window.

“Derek,” Leine called, her voice low and urgent.

Derek appeared out of the gloom. “What’s wrong?”

“Four gunmen. I’ll hide Mimi, then you and I need to set up.”

He glanced at Mimi. “You okay in the dark?”

“I guess,” she said, the wariness returning. “Why?”

He turned to Leine. “Storm cellar—north side of the barn. She’ll be safe there.”

Scarf craned his neck, trying to see behind him.

“The fuck’s going on?” he said.

“We’ve got company.”

He stilled. “It’s them.” The fear in his voice serrated the air. “They fuckin’ found me.”

Absolution is Live!

ABSOLUTION, the latest Leine Basso thriller, is finally here! It’s been a long process to publication, and yes, I’m stoked. Early reviews have been off-the-charts–a ginormous thank you to everyone who read and reviewed an early copy! (See below for special pricing on the Leine Basso thriller series.)

cover for Absolution

This novel has been such funto write. I’m hugely attached to Leine and the characters in her life, and can’t think of a better crew to work with. I get emails from readers almost daily telling me how much they’d love to meet/have a drink/hang out with her. Me, too 🙂 This installment pits Leine against her alter-ego, Salome, from The Last Deceptionand Dark Return. I wanted both the protagonist and the main antagonist to be women, which was unsurprisingly easy to do 😉 

Absolutionis the eighth novel in the Leine Basso world, and my intention is to continue the series as long as readers like it. I’m not a fast writer, but promise to give everything I’ve got to each book. Some of the stories came together quickly, like AKilling Truth. Some practically wrote themselves (I’m looking at you, Serial Date). I agonized over Cargo, hoping like hell to get daily life in Africa right, and bring to light the horrors of ivory poaching and canned hunts. 

We all know I love to travel. With Kate Jones, I had a blast writingYucatán Deadafter visiting that region. Ditto for A One Way Ticket to Dead, Cruising for Death, Death Rites,and Dead of Winter. (Absolution, Dark Return, and The Last Deception too.)

cover for Yucatan Dead
cover for A One Way Ticket to Dead

The biggest influence on my writing, though, is a burning desire for justice–the devastation wrought by greed,. crime, and ignorance knows no bounds, and I aim to do my admittedly small part in bringing awareness. Bad Traffick and The Body Market were my first forays into the hell that is human trafficking, and set the tone for the series.

cover for Bad Traffick
cover for The Body Market

When I first started writing, my initial aim was to show people how strong they couldbe. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard women talk about how powerless they felt in different situations (men, too, but the majority have been women–and this was long before #metoo). I was brought up to believe in myself and to defend who and what I hold dear. It was eye opening to realize how many people felt as though they couldn’t or shouldn’t fight back. As a writer, I did the only thing I could think of and wrote about it, trying to understand the dynamics of fear, of feeling “less than,” and then turn the tables and rewrite the narrative.  The Leine Basso series is my way of righting wrongs and exacting justice–she’s good at what she does and isn’t afraid to kick ass when the situation demands it. 

That being said, I do my best to avoid preachy, soap-box-y diatribes–just try to provide well-researched information so readers can make up their own minds. Nothing turns me off faster than someone shoving their views down my throat when I’m reading for entertainment. 

And ultimately that’s what we thriller writers produce: entertainment. The day writing becomes less than entertaining for either the reader or myself is the day I find something else to do with my time.

Links to ABSOLUTION (on sale for $3.99 for a limited time):

Amazon

Apple Books

Barnes & Noble

KOBO

Smashwords

SPECIAL PRICING:  

*Serial Dateis on sale through February for 99c. Bad Traffick, The Body Market,and The Last Deceptionare on sale for $3.99 during February. Absolutionis $3.99 for a limited time.

Merry Christmas!

And Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a wonderful, peace- and joy-filled holiday season, and an absolutely fantastic start to 2019. I’m certainly ready for a new year!

Christmas tree

PS: What would a holiday post be without a gift? YUCATAN DEAD (A Kate Jones Thriller) is on sale for .99 through January 4th.  Click here for links to all available platforms. It’s the closest thing I’ve got to a Christmas story 🙂

cover for Yucatan Dead

 

Winter is coming…

Okay, well, it’s pretty much already here where I live.  I almost biffed it on the ice today on my walk. But the sky is clear and the sun is gorgeous, so I’ll take it! 

Today I wanted to let y’all know about some special deals just in time for the holidays:

cover for Serial Date

First up, Michael over at Free Kindle Books and Tips is running a contest for signed paperbacks (the first Leine Basso thriller, SERIAL DATE, is included in the lineup) and a new Kindle Paperwhite.  There are some amazing reads by fabulous authors, including M.A. Comley and Debra Burroughs. Click here to enter. (contest ends Friday, 8 Dec.)

 

Next, 50 fast-paced, page-turning thrillers and a brand new eReader are up for grabs over at Booksweeps. (And you get free ebooks just for entering, so a great deal all the way around). An e-copy of the latest Leine Basso, THE LAST DECEPTION, is one of the prizes, so if you haven’t read it yet, get yourself on over there and enter the contest! (ends Sunday, 10 Dec.) Click here to enter.

 

FREEBIES: Two of my novels, THE KATE JONES THRILLER SERIES, Vol. 1, and CARGO: A Leine Basso Thriller, are FREE! Kate’s only available on Amazon, but you can download the app and read it on just about any device (free through midnight tomorrow, 8 Dec.). CARGO is available wherever eBooks are sold, and will be free through next week. See links below:

Cover for Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 1cover for Cargo

Click here for the Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 1

Click here for Cargo: A Leine Basso Thriller (link goes to my website which lists all retailers)

 

And last but definitely not least, I’m honored to have THE BODY MARKET: A Leine Basso Thriller, included with 24 NYT, USAT, and Amazon bestsellers in a fantastic box set of 25 full-length thrillers, with 100% of royalties going to One America Appeal for hurricane relief. The charity was spearheaded by five former US presidents in response to the devastating hurricanes that ravaged Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands this fall, and 100% of all donations go straight to supporting these hard hit areas.

 

 

There’s something for everyone in the set; crime, espionage, sci-fi, post apocalyptic, you name it, we’ve got you covered. I downloaded my copy and believe me, you’re going to love what’s inside. It’s available on Amazon through the end of December for $9.99 USD before it disappears forever. It’s definitely a “great deal wrapped in a good deed,” since the books combined are worth over $100. Like one of the organizers, R.E. McDermott, explained, it’s like donating $10 and getting over $100 back. Click here to download.

That’s all I have for now. Good luck with the contests, enjoy the free eBooks, and a huge, heartfelt thank you to those who decide to donate to such a worthy cause. Here’s wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and wonderful holiday season. Thanks for being here!

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