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297 ratings | 243 reviews | avg rating:3.46

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Lance Charnes

Goodreads Author

Born

in California native, The United States

Website

https://www.wombatgroup.com

Twitter

lcharnes

Genre

Crime, Thriller, Suspense

Member Since

December 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/lcharnes

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I’ve been an Air Force intelligence officer, information technology manager, computer-game artist, set designer, Jeopardy! contestant, and now an emergency management specialist. I've had training in architectural rendering, terrorist incident response, and maritime archaeology, although not all at the same time. My Facebook author page (https://www.facebook.com/Lance.Charne...) features spies, archaeology, and art crime. ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

where do your characters come from?

Lance Charnes For my principal characters, I start by figuring out what they have to be able to do (and not do) in the story they'll live in. They'll need certain s…moreFor my principal characters, I start by figuring out what they have to be able to do (and not do) in the story they'll live in. They'll need certain skills or experiences that will eventually allow them to get through the plot, or to fail in a way that's useful to me. Then I figure out what kind of personal history will give them (or not give them) these skills or experiences. BTW, this goes for the villains, too; I try to make my bad guys real people rather than Snidely Whiplash. The best villain thinks he's the hero, and could be under other circumstances.

I'm not a fan of superheroes or the hypercompetent demigods that stock so many thrillers now. I'm much more interested in what a fairly normal person will do in the circumstances I'm throwing at them. My protagonists tend to have relatively normal day jobs and usually have families; I think this makes them more relatable, and that readers will become more invested in them because it's easier for the readers to see themselves in the characters.

I like strong, self-reliant women and tend to put them in my novels. Each hero gets a heroine who's a more-or-less equal partner. If there's rescuing to be done, it's as likely she will rescue him as vice versa. This means the women often get non-traditional backgrounds as well as the men: Miriam in Doha 12 was in the Israeli Border Police in her youth; Nora in South was a former Army MP and an FBI agent; and The Collection's Carson is a disgraced Toronto cop.

I also aim toward the middle as far as looks go, too. You won't find very many ravishingly beautiful women or drop-dead handsome men in my books, and they'll never be the heroes or heroines. Again, it's relatability: a female reader is going to be able to get behind a female character who's "attractive" or "pleasant-looking" a lot faster than one who's a bombshell, and I for one am way over male characters who are so devastatingly good-looking that every woman who sees them immediately drops her drawers. It just ain't real, folks.

People who read my books often comment on how real the characters seem, and some readers get particularly attached to one or more of them. I caught some flak for the way South ended because of this, for instance. I like to think it's because I build my characters from the inside out and try to make them as normal as possible for the story.

My characters aren't usually doubles for real people, but I do keep in mind who I'd cast in their roles in the movie or TV series based on the story. None of the male characters are me; sometimes they share one or more of my tastes or interests.

I hope that answers your question. If not, let me know. Thanks for asking!(less)

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Dear Lance, I read your very helpful review of Crime School and I was wondering if you ever found what you were looking for, i.e. a more specific, detailed narrative of how dirty money turns "squeaky clean"? Thanks in advance.

Lance Charnes Maybe. I finally found a copy of Money Laundering: A Guide for Criminal Investigators by John Madinger. It's supposed to be the leading textbook about…moreMaybe. I finally found a copy of Money Laundering: A Guide for Criminal Investigators by John Madinger. It's supposed to be the leading textbook about the subject.

I've read a couple parts of it and it certainly seems thorough; however, it's quite dense and not the sort of thing that's easily read all the way in one go, like Crime School was.

I'll eventually chip my way through it, then review it. Thanks for your interest.(less)

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Combine Editions
Lance Charnes’s books

Average rating: 4.03 · 216 ratings · 83 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Doha 12 3.97 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 2012 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Collection (The DeWitt Agency Files, #1) 3.57 avg rating — 47 ratings — published 2016 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chasing Clay (The DeWitt Agency Files #3) 4.30 avg rating — 30 ratings — published 2019 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Engaño (DeWitt Agency Adventures, #2) 4.41 avg rating — 27 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	South 4.42 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2013 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stealing Ghosts 3.93 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2017 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Zrada (DeWitt Agency Adventures, #1) 4.11 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2020 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Lance Charnes…

108 posts
Lance Charnes's Blog

Read the first five chapters of DOHA 12 free

“Doha 12 is an exciting and hard-to-put-down read of fiction, not to be overlooked.” — Midwest Book Review Small Press Bookwatch

Jake Eldar’s and Miriam Schaffer’s names may kill them.

Jake manages a bookstore in Brooklyn. Miriam is a secretary at a Philadelphia law firm. Both grew up in Israel and emigrated to build new lives in America. Neither knows the other exists…until the Israeli intelligence Read more of this blog post »

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Published on June 25, 2022 14:10 • Tags: doha-12, sample

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Series by Lance Charnes

DeWitt Agency Files (3 books)
by

Lance Charnes (Goodreads Author)

3.87 avg rating — 92 ratings

DeWitt Agency Adventures (2 books)
by

Lance Charnes (Goodreads Author)

4.33 avg rating — 36 ratings

Lance is Currently Reading

Lance Charnes is currently reading

Foley : The Spy Who Saved 10,000 Jews

by Michael Smith (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jul 11, 2026 03:39PM

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Lance’s Recent Updates

Lance Charnes made a comment in the group ~Readers Sharing Reviews~ — Lance Charnes' reviews topic " I had specific hopes for Last Call at the Hotel Imperial: The Reporters Who Took On a World at War , a group biography of half-a-dozen high-achievi ...more "
Jul 12, 2026 10:28PM
Lance Charnes is now friends with Beth
Jul 11, 2026 03:44PM · like
Lance Charnes rated a book it was ok Last Call at the Hotel Imperial: The Reporters Who Took on a World at War by Deborah Cohen (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Well, you already know the setup: buccaneering American foreign correspondents travel the world (at least, most of it) in the 1920s and 1930s, interviewing and analyzing the leaders of the day and trying to make sense of it all for their audiences ba ...more
Jul 11, 2026 03:34PM · 3 likes · like · see review
Lance Charnes rated a book really liked it Wedding Station (A John Russell WWII Spy Thriller) by David Downing	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 22, 2026 10:51AM · like
Lance Charnes rated a book it was ok The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dash Hammett's second Continental Op novel is also the second Hammett novel I've read, following The Maltese Falcon . That scheduling was probably a bad call; this one can't hold even an almost-burned-out candle to Hammett's immortal classic. As ex ...more
Jan 31, 2026 05:57PM · like · see review
Lance Charnes finished reading Night Flight to Paris (Kate Rees, #2) by Cara Black (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 24, 2026 04:01PM · like
Lance Charnes rated a book really liked it MI6: The Real James Bonds 1909-1939 by Michael Smith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 27, 2025 09:01PM · like
Lance Charnes rated a book really liked it Shadow and Light (Berlin Trilogy, #2) by Jonathan Rabb	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 14, 2025 05:01PM · like
Lance Charnes finished reading To Catch a Spy by Mark ONeill (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 07, 2025 06:17PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of To Catch a Spy by Mark ONeill. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — To Catch a Spy by Mark ONeill <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lance Charnes rated a book really liked it The Trap (Alias Emma, #3) by Ava Glass (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 07, 2025 06:14PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Trap by Ava Glass. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Trap by Ava Glass <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Lance Charnes (?)

“Does anything we do ever end it?”
― Lance Charnes, Doha 12

tags: futility, pessimism

2 likes

“A beautiful night with a beautiful woman is supposed to end that night; you’re not supposed to go work for her afterwards.”
― Lance Charnes, The Collection

tags: closure

0 likes

“People here notice when you have gunfights in train stations!”
― Lance Charnes, Doha 12

tags: discretion, subtlety

0 likes

See all Lance Charnes's quotes »

Polls

September/October 2013 Group Read

The Bone Collector / Jeffery Deaver

32 votes, 14.5%

Heat Wave / Richard Castle

18 votes, 8.2%

We Have Always Lived in the Castle / Shirley Jackson

16 votes, 7.3%

Rum Punch / Elmore Leonard

15 votes, 6.8%

The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession / Charlie Lovett

15 votes, 6.8%

Murder on Astor Place / Victoria Thompson

13 votes, 5.9%

Bone Thief / Thomas O'Callaghan

11 votes, 5.0%

Into the Darkest Corner / Elizabeth Haynes

11 votes, 5.0%

52 Pick Up / Elmore Leonard

10 votes, 4.5%

Honeymoon/James Patterson

10 votes, 4.5%

Doha 12 / Lance Charnes

8 votes, 3.6%

Aftershock: A Thriller / Andrew Vachss

8 votes, 3.6%

The Pawn / Steven James

7 votes, 3.2%

The Stranger You Seek/ Amanda Kyle Williams

7 votes, 3.2%

Wild Justice/ Phillip Margolin

7 votes, 3.2%

Out / Natsuo Kirino

7 votes, 3.2%

The Maid's Version / Daniel Woodrell

7 votes, 3.2%

Pentecost / Joanna Penn (J.F. Penn)

6 votes, 2.7%

Ash / James Herbert

4 votes, 1.8%

The Bridge of the Americas / Larry Seeley

3 votes, 1.4%

Close My Eyes/ Sophie McKenzie

2 votes, 0.9%

Head Boy/ Mark Wilson

2 votes, 0.9%

The First Wave/ James R. Benn

1 vote, 0.5%

Sleight of Hand / Phillip Margolin

0 votes, 0.0%

Zanzibar/ Giles Foden

0 votes, 0.0%

Harnessed Passions / D.T. Jones

0 votes, 0.0%

220 total votes

1 comment

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