Before I answer this question I’d like to say that Episode Five of The Twelve Shepherds is out today, available at you local Amazon.
I’m getting this question a lot more since the release of The Twelve Shepherds so I thought I would take a moment and offer up a road-map of sorts.
Short answer
Long answer
Everything starts with Closure. (FREE on all platforms)
In Closure you meet my main character Jack as well as his many henchmen Sydney, Larry, Greg, and Eric. These five, along with a few supporting characters such as Jacks wife Debra, his boss Deacon, and a young reporter named Danny, get the series started and appear in every book there-after.
Pestilence is next and picks up a few months after Closure ends. The story has a short time-line, covering only a couple weeks, but results in Jack being out of the picture for awhile, yet being promoted at the same time. You’ll have to read it to see how I managed to make that happen.
Scarcity comes next and while it still contains all the main characters their rolls are minor. Jack has a prominent roll, but the main focus of Scarcity is a new character by the name of Lenny who happens to work for Interpol. He and Jack are old friends and I used this story to bring Lenny into the Jack Randall world. Some were a bit disappointed at this until they read…
Time. One of my favorites, Time is a series of short stories that follow every character and their activities over the same 24hr period. It was a challenge I gave myself and I’m actually a bit proud of how it turned out. Holding seven stories together while also tying them into one another was something I didn’t think I could pull off. So don’t skip Time, you’ll get a good look at the daily lives of the main characters and discover something most didn’t see coming at the end. It also sets you up for…
Security. The forth novel, Security, contains all of the characters mentioned above and more. It’s also a rocket launch of a plot-line as the whole thing takes place inside two days. It’s a simultaneous international battle on several fronts with action happening in Canada, the US, Somalia, the UK, Cyberspace and several places at sea. I was actually tired after writing it.
While all of this is taking place, The Twelve Shepherds are quietly being born.
The Twelve Shepherds are a group of vigilante killers who take up the cause of Sam Shepherd, the antagonist in Closure. Their activity was downplayed by the politicians who hoped it would go away, instead it grew until a corrupt Federal Judge was gunned down. At this point those in charge thought The Twelve Shepherds were worthy of Jacks attention. Season one (12 episodes) is done and being published. This promises to be a battle like Jack has never faced.
*What about Insight?
Insight is a novella with only one of my main characters in it. Danny Drake, the young ambitious reporter I introduced in Closure, has finally landed his dream job at the Washington Post. Circumstances combine and he finds himself the only available reporter to accompany a veteran photographer to war-torn Syria. To say his eyes get opened would be an understatement. Insight can be read any time after Closure without giving any spoilers away. I recommend reading it after Time.
What about the next book?
Future novels will dive in and out of The Twelve Shepherds serial. I’ll try to publish them between seasons and I’ll drop a warning about when to read them so the timeline is not confusing. Some characters may have spin-off stand-alone novels as well. I have some ideas for both Lenny and Eric in this regard and we’ll both have to wait and see when and how they appear.
So that’s it. If you follow this road-map I’ve laid out you should have no problem navigating the Jack Randall world. Any questions are welcome, just email me at the address given in the contact page and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
I just read Closure on kindle and I couldn’t put it down. I’m 71 years old and rarely up past 9:00 PM but I found myself reading well past midnight. You make your reader really feel that your characters are real. You made me feel for them. I love your writing style, very easy reading. I plan to read all your books. Thank you for deciding to write fulltime. Your new fan. Jeanne
After reading Closure (which I couldn’t put down), I quickly bought the rest of the series. I also bought the The Twelve Shepherds series books that have been released so far. I have read Closure, Pestilence, Scarcity and Security. They are all great although I thought Pestilence started slow. I have read the first book of the Twelve Shepherds and am now reading Time. Please keep these coming. I can’t say I have read anything better than your books. Keep up the good work.