Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3A7Swnr
On June 21st, I celebrated summer solstice by authorizing the early release of the paperback of SITTING DUCK (Patrick Flint #7)! Ebook release date is June 29th — moved up a whole month! Woot! Hardcover and large print should be showing up all over the inter webs any day now. Our only logjam is audio. I don’t even have BIG HORN done yet (about to miss my extended deadline, sigh). Look for audio mid-August.
Here’s the scoop on the book:
With the mysteries in my Patrick Flint series, I like to kick each off with something laugh-worthy that the IRL Patrick Flint (my dad) really did. ** Newsflash: I based the lead character on my father’s life in Buffalo, Wyoming in the 1970s, when he was young and adventurous! ** In SITTING DUCK, it’s an incident that occurred in his mountain climbing days. While he was training for a big climb, he was rousted by cops because a neighbor called in a report of a vagrant casing their home. It was just my dad, wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt (in the middle of summer), plus ankle and wrist weights and a backpack filled with rocks, tromping around their neighborhood. He didn’t have any ID with him, so he had to accept a ride home from the police, where my mom (very) reluctantly vouched for him. Ultimately, the incident is foreshadowing of the plot and a very shady character, so it worked well for me. Thanks, Dad!
As for that plot and the general pace and tone, the last few Patrick Flint mysteries have been adventures with a capital A, which I love, but I was in the mood for something different. Think a PG-rated, non-horror homage to the taut suspense of Steven King’s THE SHINING, complete with extreme weather and a plethora of suspects and victims locked into a space the Flints had believed was safe: the hospital.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Flint family drama without sub-plots involving Susanne, Trish, and Perry. Look for Susanne to parry inappropriate, pre-#MeToo advances by her professor, Perry to start spring training for high school football with the big boys, and Trish to have her recovery from the departure of Ben (her first love) to be setback … and then some. There’s also a top-secret sub-plot. I won’t spoil it, so you can pick up and enjoy your very own copy of SITTING DUCK.
Things that are true in the book (besides the mountain climbing training story):
- Susanne taking classes at Sheridan College
- Perry making a splash in high school football as an undersized player with enormous heart
- “Encyclopedia Flint” trying out for cheerleader
By the way, the Flints’ home in Buffalo is based on the home of dear family friends IRL Dick and Debi Rehm. They left it years ago, but it made a big impression on me.
My editor and proofreaders loved this book. I think you will, too. Happy reading!
