Dan Decker's Blog, page 7

WRITING UPDATE: Working on next legal thriller and loving how it’s coming.

I’d say that I’m about 32% of the way done with my next legal thriller!

And now….

After teasing it for a LONG TIME….

I’m finally getting close to publishing Lost Cause, Jake Ramsey #4!

This book has been done for awhile but I’ve been working on rebranding the other three books and it’s been a slow process because I have many balls in the air. (The Last Mile, Only The Guilty, and Cold Revenge, to name a few!)

But I’m now finally closing in on that and should have more on that in the next few months. In the meantime, the first chapter of Lost Cause is up on Patreon. All Patron’s subscribed at the $1/month level and up will have access to that and the other Work in Progress posts that I’ve put up!

Patrons on Patreon can also read samples of the current legal thriller that I’m working on.

The Last Mile and Only The Guilty are still doing VERY well!

Thank you so much for making those books so successful!

Now, back to work.

WRITING UPDATE: The next legal thriller is coming along.

I’d say that I’m about 25% of the way done with my next legal thriller!

Patrons on Patreon can read several samples of what I’m currently working on and the other interesting things I’ve posted such as a deleted scene from Cold Revenge and another.

Not much else to say this week, just that my head is down working away!

WRITING UPDATE: Moving forward on the next legal thriller.

My next novel, a yet to be named legal thriller, is coming along. This one is a little bit different than what I’ve written in the past and I’m having a lot of fun with it.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the WIP (Work in Progress) post I put up last week:

The young deputy district attorney on the other side of the table reminded me of a hawk. His name was Dominick Barnard. He was tall, bony, and his face was covered in sweat. His dark hair had enough gel that his purposefully messy hair might stay in place all day, even with the rainstorm dumping buckets of water just outside the diner door. Barnard’s skin was pale, probably because he never went outdoors for long. They worked him hard at the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office.

We were at Denny’s and I’d waited to drop the bomb until after we’d ordered breakfast.

Barnard’s hand trembled as he read the affidavit I’d just given to him. I was following his eyes and could see he was now halfway through the first page.

My Patrons on Patreon can read the rest and the other fun stuff I’ve posted there. Last week I posted a deleted scene from Cold Revenge.

The Last Mile and Only The Guilty are both doing very well right now!

If you haven’t yet had a chance to take a peek at them, what are you waiting for?

Here’s an excerpt of my favorite UK reader review so far on Only The Guilty:

Really enjoyed this legal thriller and I sincerely hope there is more than one book for Burke Wyatt. Kept me on the edge of my seat and always wanting to read a bit more before I closed the kindle down – Even at 2am.

ICYMI – The Verdict Audiobook is now out and it is available here!

WRITING UPDATE: BACK IN THE SADDLE!

I hope everybody had a great holiday break!

I’m now back in the office and back at the desk, working away on the next book, an untitled legal thriller! I just posted a sample yesterday of the first few pages over on Patreon for patrons, you can find it here! The first draft of this book has been done for sometime and I’m excited to be working on it again. It’s a wild ride featuring a never before seen main character.

In other news, ICYMI, Mitch Turner #5 is out and is doing VERY well!

See below:

Also The Verdict Audiobook is now out and it is available here!

The next Mitch Turner Legal Thriller the Last Mile is now out! Here is Chapter 1.

Hey everybody, Dan here! I just wanted to give a quick shout out to signing up for my newsletter.

Everybody who signs up get a free copy of the Mitch Turner short story The Arraignment in both the Ebook and Audiobook formats!

You can sign up here:

Sign up for Dan Decker’s Newsletter

Now, onto Chapter 1 of the brand new Mitch Turner legal thriller The Last Mile:

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My heart raced as I walked into my office, remembering the day I’d been attacked from behind. It was dark as I looked over my shoulder through the glass door while shutting it. Even though I knew nobody was there, and we’d upgraded our security system, a part of me hadn’t yet gotten over that night when one of Clyde Montague’s men had assaulted me.

If he didn’t do it himself, I thought. It seemed Montague derived pleasure from hurting others, so it was likely him. Montague was now in prison, and if it hadn’t been Montague, my attacker had probably been swept up in the arrest of Montague’s men.

But I didn’t know for sure.

It was something I thought about at night when my logical mind seemed to have the least amount of sway. The police had questioned Montague and his cronies, but nobody fessed up. I got the feeling the cops hadn’t tried hard to close the case because they had better things to do than track down the person who’d attacked a defense attorney they all hated, especially since there was a solid chance the guy was already behind bars.

My head had healed, but for the first time in my life, I was experiencing anxiety about my physical safety. I’d considered seeing a therapist but was giving it time, hoping it just went away on its own.

I took a deep breath as I went into my office.

After a long day in court and a tense meeting with a client who wasn’t yet ready to accept the fact he was going to prison, I’d gone out to grab dinner. I’d missed lunch, so I’d been famished, ordering more than I usually did. I was returning to start a motion for a nonurgent matter that I needed to finish within the next week.

I looked up two hours later to a knock on my door.  

“Mr. Turner, I have a Mrs. Gloria Claybourne out here,” Alvina Hansley said. “She’s looking for a lawyer.” Alvina was tall, heavyset, blonde, and in her midfifties. She was my most recent secretary and had worked with me for only two months and was doing a great job.          

She hadn’t replaced Ellie, but she was the best I’d found so far. She normally didn’t work late, but she was helping my partner Veronica with a matter that would keep her here well into the night. I’d already told Alvina I didn’t expect to see her until tomorrow afternoon but suspected she’d be in by 7:45 AM.

I frowned as I considered the request.

After 6:00 PM, the door was supposed to be shut and locked. Ellie had seen to it with religious fervor, but Alvina sometimes forgot. I made a mental note to remind her about locking the door in our next weekly meeting.

“She says it’s urgent,” Alvina continued before I could respond. “I told her you might not be available and that she should make an appointment, but she’s insisting I check to see if you’ll meet with her now.”

I hesitated as I studied my monitor.

“Show her in.” I turned off the screen and pulled out a yellow notepad.

The woman who entered my office was in her early forties, but she already had gray streaks running through her dark-brown hair. She was well dressed but not in fashionable clothing. She seemed keen on keeping a clean appearance, but it didn’t look like she was anxious to attract attention.

There was something about the woman I trusted.

Which made me uncomfortable.

Anybody who I felt I could trust upon first meeting made me suspect they were trying too hard or that there was something they were doing to manipulate me into feeling that way.

I decided this wasn’t the case as I studied Gloria Claybourne, trying to puzzle out my feeling of confidence. Maybe it was because she reminded me of my long-since-departed grandmother. Gloria had a friendly countenance that was at odds with the fear on her face.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” I said as I walked from around my desk and extended a hand, giving her a firm handshake before returning to my seat. “I’m Mitch Turner. Alvina didn’t get a chance to tell me what you need.”

“I have a huge problem, Mr. Turner. My son was just arrested.”

She seemed afraid I wouldn’t be able to help her as she sat in a guest chair, so I gave her what I hoped was a comforting smile.

“Well, Gloria, how about you tell me about it?” I leaned back in my seat and put my hands behind my head.

“They’re charging him with murder.”

I could tell she expected this to shock me, but I didn’t bat an eye.

She obviously didn’t know much about me.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know a lot about the situation yet. I was his one call. He just asked that I retain your services as soon as possible.”

She looked at me as if to get some sort of commitment, but I just gave a small shake of my head. I didn’t know enough to decide if I’d take it.

“Tell me what you know. Let’s see if I can help.”

“My son, Gilbert, works for Thane Westbrook. Have you heard of Mr. Westbrook?”

The name sounded familiar but didn’t fully ring a bell. “No.”

“I’m not certain, but I think the term millionaire applies. He has numerous properties around the state as well as the country and is always flying somewhere on a jet. My son is an executive for his company.”

“Did something happen to Westbrook?” I asked, thinking I already knew the answer. It would have been headline news if a high-profile millionaire had been murdered, making it impossible to miss.

Gloria shook her head. “No, it was one of his employees. A female staffer. Sheena Tillman.” There was hesitation as she said the name, and I got the feeling she knew Sheena or had at least heard of her before her death. “She was found several weeks ago at one of Westbrook’s properties. I believe it was his mansion, but I’m not sure. I wasn’t following the case until an hour ago.”

“How was she killed?”

“She was stabbed.” Gloria dabbed at her eyes. “My son and I are close. He told me about her death when it happened. He was really shaken up. At the time it seemed the police believed it was due to a burglary. I didn’t even have a clue the police were looking at him until he was arrested.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Did this happen here in Chicago?”

“Buffalo Grove.”

I’d been through but had never stopped. It was a small town that was a suburb of Chicago. I didn’t know much else about it.

“That’s where Westbrook has his home?”

“Yes.”

“Gilbert lives in Buffalo Grove too?”

“Yes, he has his own place. They took him to the Buffalo Grove police station. His arraignment is set for tomorrow morning. Will you handle it?”

I frowned. “It might be best if you found somebody from Buffalo Grove. Much of what I do hinges on relationships I’ve established at the local level. I know most of the prosecutors and many of the cops here in downtown Chicago. I don’t think I’d be a good fit to handle a situation out there. I’m sure it will just be a matter of locating the right counsel if we look around.”

“You don’t understand. My son is innocent. There’s no way he could have done this! I’m sure after you meet him, you’ll see what I mean. Gilbert couldn’t hurt another living being. It’s just not in his nature. It’s not who he is.”

I nodded reassuringly. “Of course.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“As I was explaining, there’s nuances to the way the justice system works. Oftentimes, the truth, as important as it is, takes a backseat to politics, both internally at the State’s Attorney’s Office and sometimes even at the city level. If I represent your son in Buffalo Grove, there’s a good chance I’d miss nuances that a local attorney might recognize. I’m going in blind if I go up there.”

“He asked for you because he says you’re a fighter! I know you can do this. Will you at least meet with him? Please, at least do that. Just hear his side of the story and then make the decision.”

I glanced at my watch. It was 7:47 PM. Traffic shouldn’t be too bad.

“I’ll meet him, but I make no promises.”

Announcing The Last Mile

WRITING UPDATE: AUDIOBOOK FOR THE VERDICT IS OUT!

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Festivus, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

I’m done with my review of The Verdict Audiobook and it is available here.

Next up is my latest Mitch Turner legal thriller The Last Mile!

The editing process is almost done!

Much more on that soon!

Also, anybody who is a Patreon Subscriber can now get a sneak peek at the first five chapters of The Last Mile!

The Verdict Audiobook is now out!

I’m pleased to announce that The Verdict audiobook is now out!

You can find it here.

Mitch Turner’s Next Case

Is coming very soon!

Stay tuned.

WRITING UPDATE: AUDIOBOOK FOR THE VERDICT IS ALMOST OUT!

I am almost done with my review of The Verdict Audiobook.

That should be all done in the next week or so and then it will be a week after that before it’s available in the various outlets!

I will of course be letting everybody know here when that is available.

Early access to the sample of the upcoming audiobook is available to subscribers over on Patreon!

The editing process for The Last Mile is going very fast and very well!

Much more on that soon!

Also, I have a new project that I’m working on. I don’t yet have a title for the book so for now I’ll just refer to it as New Legal Thriller 2024.

That is currently at about 25%.

Also, anybody who is a Patreon Subscriber can now get a sneak peek at the first four chapters of The Last Mile!