My literary career has been marked by a number of events, none more significant than an accidental meeting 20 years ago while researching my first novel, "False Accusations," at the California Department of Justice's crime lab. I started chatting with FBI agent Mark Safarik, a profiler at the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, and Agent Safarik subsequently invited me out to Quantico to tour the Academy. My immersion in the world of serial killers, rapists, bombers, and arsonists was off to an eye-opening start. Over the course of seven years, I’d made numerous trips to the BAU, had countless hours of conversations with Agent Safarik and his partner, attended FBI training courses, shot submachine guns with the Academy’s head firearms instructor, edited four published FBI research papers on serial offenders, and parsed serial killer interviews with Agent Safarik. I was finally ready to write my third novel, the first featuring FBI Profiler Karen Vail—the national bestseller, "The 7th Victim." Oozing sharp wit and sarcasm, Vail means well but, like you and me, makes mistakes. Despite being a skilled profiler, she suffers unease about the decisions she makes because lives are on the line. Errors prove costly. Vail has resonated with hundreds of thousands of readers because she's real. The head of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers association described Karen Vail as “a cop you'd go through a door with"—a phrase used to describe a colleague with whom officers trust their lives when bullets are flying. Vail directs the action in "The 7th Victim,” “Crush," "Velocity," "Inmate 1577," and the short story “Fatal Twist.” She also has a meaty role in “Hard Target,” which brings back enigmatic covert operative Hector DeSantos (who debuted in my second novel, “The Hunted,” and who partnered with Vail in “Velocity”). My years of research and training with the FBI, DEA, US Marshals Service, Scotland Yard, and SWAT have shaped the stories I tell and the diverse characters that populate my novels. So sit back, crack the spine--or swipe the touchscreen--and immerse yourself in the gripping world of Alan Jacobson thrillers. Finally, FBI profiler Mark Safarik and I co-authored a 23-page personal safety booklet that’s available free on my website, AlanJacobson.com. It'll help you and your loved ones stay safe by avoiding the crosshairs of violent criminals. And be social--follow me on Facebook and Twitter. See you in cyberspace! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

""Hard Target" is Alan Jacobson's best work to date . . . Wow!" --"New York Journal of Books""Fast, hard, intelligent . . . this is a terrific thriller." --Lee Child, "New York Times"-bestselling author"Another rippin' good 'Alan Jacobson read'! Jacobson researches his books like a good newspaper reporter, and then pushes the envelope into reality more thoroughly than the typical crime novel would ever allow." --"San Francisco Chronicle""A . . . masterpiece . . . the inspiration for thriller writers in the years ahead." --"New York Journal of Books "on "Inmate 1577" --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.