David Putnam's Blog

Big news I have a new book coming out called The Obsessions of Harvey Usher. There is a Goodreads giveaway running right now: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

The book is also up on Netgalley.

At eighty years old, Harvey Usher lives a quiet, reclusive life, still grieving the loss of his beloved wife, Sylvia. But when a stunning redhead named Rita shows up, claiming to be his wife of two years, Harvey's carefully constructed world begins to crumble.

As Harvey struggles to expose Rita's deception, dark figures from his past emerge from the shadows, forcing him to confront the violent secrets he's kept buried for five decades. With the help of his elderly neighbor Esther and a troubled PI named Eddie Gurski, Harvey races to uncover Rita's true motives before it's too late.

But in this deadly game of cat and mouse, nothing is what it seems. As bodies start piling up and long-buried truths come to light, Harvey must decide who he can trust - and whether some sins can ever truly be forgiven.

A gripping tale of deception, redemption, and the price we pay for the secrets we keep, The Obsessions of Harvey Usher is a masterful thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

This is a review I found on Goodreads and it looks like it's going to be published in Suspense magazine.

The Diabolical
David Putnam
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


Embark on a thrilling roller coaster ride through the streets and alleys of Tamarindo, Costa Rica with David Putnam’s eleventh Bruno Johnson novel. In this gripping tale, Bruno will stop at nothing to ensure justice for his family and friends. This book stands alone, thanks to Putnam’s skill in weaving necessary backstory seamlessly into the narrative.



Bruno’s complex history began over thirty years ago with the violent crime task force in Los Angeles. Revered by his adversaries, he was known for his tenacious and sometimes violent approach to justice. His past includes a stint in prison for avenging his daughter’s murder. Now, he resides in Costa Rica with his wife, Maria, and their thirteen rescued children, saved from abusive homes in Los Angeles. Their efforts are legendary, likened to an underground railroad for abused children. Despite his fear of extradition and outstanding kidnapping warrants, Bruno remains unchallenged. Known for skirting the line in pursuit of criminals, he currently works under the alias ‘Gaylord’ at the Punta Bandera Hotel and Beach Club, ever vigilant against threats of extradition.

Bruno’s life takes a turn when his best friend, Karl Drago, marries his beautiful bride Layla on the beach, accompanied by his faithful Rottweiler, Waldo, trained to respond to German commands. Unbeknownst to Bruno, Karl entrusts him with Waldo’s care. Shortly after, he’s summoned to a crime scene by Chief Hernandez.

Chief Hernandez, aware of Bruno’s skills, requests his assistance at the scene of Tamarindo’s first-ever murder – a brutal shootout at the nightclub El Gato Gorda. Recognizing two of the victims, Bruno is drawn into the investigation, offering insights to help solve the case.

Meanwhile, Bruno contends with Otis Brasher, a regular at the bar, who hires him for protection. Bruno suspects Otis’s slovenly appearance is a disguise, doubting his story of being a white-collar criminal hiding out in Costa Rica. Complications escalate when the Russian mob mistakes Bruno for “The Genie,” a notorious diamond thief.

David Putnam proves his storytelling prowess, skillfully intertwining complex plotlines in this fast-paced, engaging novel. The book’s multidimensional characters add warmth, humor, and authenticity, reflecting Putnam’s deep understanding of law enforcement. This memorable tale, rich with well-crafted characters and a compelling plot, will linger with readers long after the final page.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publication for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.
Published at MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE MAGAZINE.COM

https://techannouncer.com/beyond-the-...

Greetings
For those interested in the Bruno Johnson series, book number 11 The Diabolical is now up on Netgalley. Take a look its a killer story.

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FYI
Check out the book giveaway on Goodreads for the second book in the Dave Beckett, Bone Detective series called, A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun. The book comes out Oct. 15th. The first book in the series is, A Fearsome Moonlight Black. Both are traditionally published.

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5. Halloween Story

When writing the Bruno books sometimes it’s difficult to differentiate between the real world and what the readers expect in their fictional worlds. In my travels I have come across events that are truer than fiction and I cannot by any means put them in a story. No one would believe it. And as an author I’d risk my credibility. I put real-life stories of my career in every Bruno book. But there is a fine line that is sometimes difficult to navigate. For an example, the story written below I could never put a book because no one would believe me. This story resides in the far end of the spectrum of believable…and yet is absolutely true.
My story begins on a cold Halloween night in Yucca Valley. I know you are already rolling your eyes. But I have the call history on paper to prove it.
A gentleman dope addict had increased his tolerance to Soma, a muscle relaxer. As a user continues to abuse a drug their tolerance increases. Afterward, based on the prescription, we figured he’d taken about thirty tabs. He was walking across his front yard on this cold Halloween night when he went into organ failure and he died right there. In the cop world we call it DRT, Dead Right There. The cute little costumed trick or treaters thought the dead gentlemen a prop and stepped over him to get to the front door to get their treat.
Long about midnight his wife who also liked to take drugs, sat in the living room watching the big screen tv and looked out the open front door. This, even though it was very cold outside. She saw that her husband and DFOed, (Done Fell Out). She went outside, took him by the boot and dragged him into the house, bumping and banging his head and tearing his shirt.
Once inside she could see that he was terribly cold. She became distressed as a good wife should. She gets a thermometer and tries to stick it in his mouth…But his teeth are clamped closed from rigor mortis.
She rolls him over, pulls down his pants and sticks the thermometer in the nether region …yes his buttocks, (I’m trying to stay away from the word rectum, seems a little crass for this audience).
She checks the thermometer and finds her husband is too cold. She pulls off all his clothes, gets a hair dryer and tries to warm him up.
She has left the front door open and a poor deputy doing his job was driving by slowly in the neighborhood. The wife runs out yelling, “Deputy. Deputy my husband’s sick. Hurry.”
The deputy tells dispatch and asked for code-three medical aid. He runs into the house to find a dead guy on his stomach with a thermometer sticking in his buttocks (rectum) and a woman trying to warm him up with a hairdryer.
Now that I put it down on paper it doesn’t sound as bad. Maybe I could make it work in a story. What do you think? Would love to hear from you.

Law enforcement presented many different kinds of opportunities for fodder to fill out my novel storylines and not just the cop stuff.
I rarely worked extra duty assignments called, “ot details.” I loved working patrol too much. I once had the unique opportunity to work the 84 Olympics. Everyone on the department was ordered to go on twelve-hour shifts. They gave us a choice, work site security, crowd control, traffic control or work the station on overtime to cover for the deputies who did work offsite. I chose the station.
When budgetary restrictions caused overtime to dry up on patrol I was forced outside my comfort zone. I took an overtime slot in Hollywood working security at a movie shoot. I was far from star-struck…well at least I thought I wasn’t.
I wore my Los Angeles County Sheriff’s uniform and arrived at the movie site in Hollywood (I don’t remember the street name) in my own truck, a blue Ford Ranger. There was a Mexican food place right off the sidewalk with a healthy clientele where everyone in the movie stood in the side street. I waited away from everyone waiting for my orders.
Soon Jane Fonda arrived already in make-up dressed as a homeless person; wig, dirt make-up and ratty clothes. Martin Sheen was the director. I was told by the staff this was an afterschool special. That same staff member, probably some kind of assistant to the director asked if I would help with the traffic for one particular shot.
I was supposed to stop traffic when a bus came south at a T-intersection just west of the Mexican food place. I was to stop the traffic, let the bus make the turn, and let a few cars go by for background space them out. The bus would pull to the curb in front of the Mexican restaurant and the homeless woman, Jane Fonda would get on the bus. Seemed simple enough.
The first take, Martin Sheen yelled, “Action,” the bus came down the perpendicular street. I was supposed to stop the eastbound car traffic but let one slip through. The bus had to slam on the brakes to keep from crashing. My mistake. Almost a huge one.
Martin Sheen yelled, “Cut,” and walked out into the street right toward me. Yikes.
He wore a gray velour sweat suit, and had one hand on his forehead, destressed. He came up and put his hand on my shoulder and looked me right in the eye. “Son, you have to pay attention.”
I promised to do better, and he got the shot on the next go round.
I tell friends who are not yet tired of hearing my stories that I once helped Martin Sheen direct a movie.

The Plinko Bounce by Martin Clark just went up on Amazon. His last book was an absolute killer. Loved it. I just ordered the new one.

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Here's another Karl story. In case you're new to my newsletter --when I was still in the field chasing crooks, I wore work shirts with a patch that said "Karl" as a disguise because I looked too much like a cop.
Those Karl shirts also got me into places I never could’ve penetrated with just a badge and a gun. On one such incident I was running down a murderer with a warrant. I knocked on the door of a house and a woman answered. Before I could say anything she says, “Oh, are you the Terminix Man? You’re a day early.”
I looked around for the candid camera because this was too good to be true, and simply nodded and agreed. “Yeah, I’m the Terminix Man.” She stepped aside to let me in, which is what I wanted in the first place to search for my wayward murderer. Once inside, I reached under my “Karl,” shirt and pulled one of my .357’s.
The woman grabbed my arm, “What are you doing?”
I said with a straight face, “You could have some big cockroaches in here.”
She hesitated, then said, “Oh.”
I continued on looking for my crook and the giant cockroaches
This incident goes a long way in proving we don’t ever catch the smart crooks.

This is a continuation of stories that have informed my writings. A reprint from my Newsletter. If you're interested and like these stories let me know and I'll connect you with the newsletter. :-)

So, I’m back writing on Bombs and Dumbshits.
As I’m writing this more bomb stories keep bubbling up. I might even have enough for a short book. Anyway, I digress. In this other incident. I was working dope, a majors crew at Ontario Airport. My crew had responded to the UPS annex on airport property for a possible dope package. While we were in back having the dog alert on the package, there was a ruckus out in the lobby. This was a pretty large operation, lots of folks out in the lobby. I stuck my head out to peek, see what was going on. Someone had identified a package abandoned on the counter no one knew who owned it. A small panic started.
The manager was in the process of evacuating everyone. I said, “What the hell.” Came from around the back, picked up the package, (gingerly mind you) and carried it out to the parking lot. The bomb squad arrived a short time later. I didn’t know these guys they were from OFD. I stood by with my hands in my jeans pocket just watch. Before they started they got the skinny from the UPS manager. I could see them talking the manager pointing over to me. The bomb squad fire captain came over to me, stood next to me for a few seconds. We just stood there when he finally says. “You know how that package got from inside there to out here in the parking lot.” I shook my head, “No, don’t think I do.”
He smiled, said, “I’m told some dumbshit carried it out here.”
I said, “Yeah, I think I heard the same thing.”
His reply was, “Hmm.”
He went to work. He set up another one of those graphite and plaster cannons and blasted that package to pieces while I watched. I helped him pick up the pieces. Some father in too big a hurry, had mailed his son some matchbox toy cars. Those cars now looked like they’d been in a big freeway pile up.
The next one I was working as a sergeant out in Morongo Valley, sitting in the briefing room. This was an annex, a double-wide mobile home attached to the station. I was the watch commander on swing shift, the lieutenant and captain having gone home. I was it.
When in walks a deputy, who worked for me on my shift. He had a half-quart jelly jar filled with a clear liquid. I didn’t have to ask I could smell it. Ether.
Heat, the fumes anything could ignite it.
I said, “What the hell are you doing bringing that in here?” I’d been trained on the devastating explosive power of ether. That jar had the ability of leveling the mobile home annex, literally blowing it to smithereens. The deputy said it was given to him while on a call. He had driven all the way back to the station with it. I knew better than to move it. Least I thought I did.
But then I got to thinking if I left it sitting on the briefing room table I’d have to evacuate the jail that adjoined the building. I’d have about a hundred crooks corralled out in a field by four deputies with shotguns. Not good, in fact it was a recipe for an even bigger disaster. So, I picked up the jar and carried it out to the parking lot and had dispatch call the fire department.
They responded. I stood by with my hands in my pockets watching them. They took this one real serious. I watched the fire captain talk to the field deputy and like before the deputy pointed over to me. This was a totally different fire crew, one from Cal Fire.