My older daughter regularly wins at family games of Clue. I find this disconcerting because I have 20 years of experience investigating violent felonies whereas she is 11.

If you like books and ferries, I've cleverly figured out a way you can combine those two passions.

I'm hanging out with writers this weekend at Bouchercon in Calgary. It's a time of camaraderie, trenchant reflections on the industry, and shared wisdom. One guy suggested I give Kurt Argento a magic cat in my next book. So it's not all wisdom. But still, good times.

When you’re on an ICAC unit working a child pornography/exploitation case, you hope you get closure on it, because otherwise maybe you lost a sliver of your soul for nothing. But then you wonder if the soul repairs itself. I come home to the familiar melodious sound of my wife’s laugh and see my daughters all bright-eyed and gussied up for Homecoming and watch my dog bound across a field and I think maybe it does.

I'm used to seeing guys walking around the city with cigarettes tucked behind their ears but for the first time today I saw a guy with a cigarette tucked inside his ear. Like lodged in there deep. Know you can always come here for more insights into fashion & lifestyle choices.

So I'm not a former cop, as I remain actively employed as a sergeant in, I think, good standing, but hopefully the rest of this kind Publishers Weekly review of Dark Country is accurate.

I put the uniform on to work an overtime shift the other day and passed a co-worker who asked what I was up to. I told him. “Turning and burning, baby,” he said. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but you know what? I was freakin’ turning and burning.

Someone recently asked me when I write and asked if I write during lunch. I do not write during lunch. Lunch is a sacred time of meats and cheeses. I eat lunch during lunch.

I lived in Milwaukee for a while, including being a cop there, so I’m happy to see the Brewers in the series. Last time this happened was 1982. Here are some of the players on that legendary team. Rollie Fingers Stormin’ Gorman Thomas. Had his own BBQ sauce. Ben Oglivie Don Money Bob Skube Pete Vuckovich Moose Haas It was a time of mustaches and baseball excellence. It was a time, my friends, when giants walked the earth.

Psyched that the ultra-talented @Charlie_Halford is back as the voice of Kurt Argento for the audiobook of Dark Country! This time he's teaming up with the first-rate narration of @ZachVilla and Kiff VandenHeuvel. Thank you, gentlemen!

An instructor teaching effective communication at police in-service presented a list of synonyms for persuasion. Coaxing, convincing. One was cajolery. “When’s the last time you used cajolery in a police report,” he joked, and my old Lt. who was at my table, looked right at me questioningly, sir, there’s 30 people in this class may I ask why you're focusing on me.

A co-worker told me that yesterday was Arthritis Awareness Day. I looked down at my creaky knees and informed him I was already aware and no such day was required.

The ratio of compressions to breaths in one rescuer CPR can be hard to remember. 15 to 2? 30 to 2? Which one is for adults? What about infants? Heard an instructor use this memory device: "30 to 2 no matter who if it's only you."

I attended a strategic communications class recently so henceforth, all my correspondence will be Purpose Driven, Situationally Aware, and Outcome Focused instead of the weak directionless missives I usually push on you good people.

I've just been informed that Tac and SWAT cops don't say "eye protection." They say "eye pro." Feel free to continue to come to me for these police-related insights.

Was in a training class and saw a police video where officers were chasing a gunman who tossed his gun and immediately after was shot by the cops. Bad shoot? Not necessarily, the instructor pointed out. There are limits to how fast the human brain can process information, especially under high stress. If an officer identifies a deadly threat and decides to fire, they may never see that gun being discarded. They're already locked in. Mentally braking in a split-second at that point may be beyond the realm of human capability. We aim at the present, the instructor said in summary. We shoot at the past.

I'm on meds for high blood pressure. My wife is a lot more concerned about it than I am. I tell her high blood pressure won't kill me, for I will die in battle and when I do, there will be a sword in my hand and then she tells me to just settle down.

Police work has been a decent fit for me, but I've been thinking about sliding doors and what other jobs I might have ended up in besides law enforcement. One field I don't think I would have been all that good at is selling fragrances.

I enjoy playing pickleball from time to time, which isn't as silly as it sounds. A co-worker recently told me about a friend of hers who has the pickleball nickname of Sweet Hand. I want that nickname for myself. how do i accomplish this immediately is there a form

There comes a time when conversation turns to the gym & you find yourself less interested in talking about what you bench press now than what you used to bench press. Do believe I have reached that point. I'm craftier now though, that's gotta count for something, the craftiness