J. Carson Black

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About J. Carson Black
Hailed by bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker as "a strong new voice in American crime fiction," J. Carson Black has written fifteen novels. Her thriller, THE SHOP, reached #1 on the Kindle Bestseller list, and her crime thriller series featuring homicide detective Laura Cardinal became a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. Although Black earned a master's degree in operatic voice, she was inspired to write a horror novel after reading The Shining. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.
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Blog postI have good news for you. “Talent” comes from writing—writing a lot. And reading. Reading a lot. Whether you’re Tweeting or talking on Facebook, or emailing a friend, or writing a letter, you’re already training yourself to write. In fact, in this era, people are very likely writing more than ever. You can write yourself right in to “Talent.”
Thanks to Facebook, most people are writing at a very high level, a conversational level. And they’re comfortable doing it. It’s just like talki3 years ago Read more -
Blog postI had a great idea for a thriller, and even had the name for it: THE SURVIVORS CLUB. This would be my third book for Thomas & Mercer, the thriller publishing arm of Amazon.
I decided to start the story with a sky-diving accident. The problem was, I had no idea how that would happen. All I had was this: the chute didn’t open.
I was pondering this “aloud” on Facebook, wishing I could find a skydiving expert. I knew that one of my friends on FB had mentioned a skydive, so I a5 years ago Read more -
Blog postToday I read an article in The New York Times: “Hands Up, It’s Showtime.” In it, columnist Kurt Andersen explains how MRAPs and paramilitary stuff have grown in the police departments across the country—and many people, including some law enforcement, think it might just be over the top, and possibly dangerous.
The really crazy thing? The TV cop shows are taking their cues from the SWAT teams throughout the country. From police departments big and small. The movies and TV shows appare5 years ago Read more -
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Blog postOne of my dearest friends is a thriller writer I met back in 2003, when I ended up selling two books to the same publisher. (We met at a local Tucson bookstore.) Michael Prescott is a brilliant thriller and suspense writer.
Oddly enough, his protagonists are usually women.
Most authors write in the Third Person, so they can jump around in other people’s heads. I do it, and so does Michael Prescott. I have never worried about portraying a male character —it seems to come easily5 years ago Read more -
Blog postThe second book I ever wrote—and sold—was called DARK HORSE.
Zip Peterson in the Winner’s Circle at Rillito Park with Calymine Motion.
DARK HORSE was not just a blast to write, it was a blast to live. A friend of mine recommended a quarter horse trainer in Tucson, and that was how I met Zip Peterson, who agreed to give me the inside skinny on quarter horse racing.
The first day I went to see him at Rillito Park (The Birthplace of Quarter Horse Racing), it had rai5 years ago Read more -
Blog postI belong to a small and wonderful horde of authors called “The Twelve.” We came together to promote our books and one another. Our first joint effort was called Flight 12. Each of us contributed a novella featuring one of our main characters from a previous book. All of our characters were linked by this one thing: the flight they shared.
Coordinating a bunch of independent-thinking authors is like herding cats, so we kept it loose. We all started with the premise that each of5 years ago Read more -
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Blog postHow Cyber Crime has Evolved When I came up with the idea to write a police detective, I met with some friends who were cops and detectives. Their help was invaluable. One of them was a TPD cyber crime expert, Phil Uhal, who generously showed me how he dealt with cyber crime—particularly men who lured young girls over the internet.
The reason I’m bringing this up, was due to our one-night stay at a Gilbert, Arizona, hotel, where Glenn and I wound up watching a 48 Hours episode, showca5 years ago Read more -
Blog postThe Kentucky Derby is coming up at the end of this week. So… Anyone who knows me knows how much I love horses. From the time I was a child I was horse-crazy. After years of riding other peoples’ horses at the local Pony Club, my dream came true one hot August day when my parents took me out, at fourteen, to look for a horse of my own. That was how I got Cookie, a buckskin mare with a mind of her own. Fortunately for me, at 14.2 hands, she was close to the ground. All the kids I knew rode b5 years ago Read more
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Blog post
I wanted to write something new—something big. Something “high concept,” a term they use in television. Something big, bold, maybe even sexy. My husband and I were watching cable news over dinner one night and saw Jon Mark Carr’s plane coming in for landing. He had been extradited from another country (Sweden?) and he said he had a story to tell. He claimed he killed Jonbenet Ramsey. (He lied.)
The jet Jon Mark Carr came in on belonged to the Sheriff’s office in C5 years ago Read more -
Blog postWith all the talk about building a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, it brought to mind the scene I wrote with the help of former Special Forces operator John Peters, on trucks illegally crossing the border between the U.S. and Mexico. This is from my Cyril Landry thriller, SPECTRE BLACK, which came out last year.
In SPECTRE BLACK, the bad guys were smuggling goods into Mexico, not out. Here’s the scene:
Landry doubted that the semi trucks were empty. In fact5 years ago Read more
Titles By J. Carson Black
— L.J. Sellers, author of the Detective Jackson series
Laura Cardinal: Packs a SIG Sauer P226 9mm. Investigates homicides in small towns that have limited resources. Brings justice to murder victims--and to their killers. Laura’s job description: Criminal Investigator with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. But maybe it should just say “Troubleshooter”.
Tell me no lies.
Laura and her aspiring-film-director partner, Anthony, catch a homicide case where nothing is as it appears. When pathological liar Sean Perrin is found dead in his car at a trailhead in scenic Madera Canyon, he leaves behind a skein of lies and half-truths that are impossible to untangle. From violent death in a sordid motel room to a high-end prostitution ring in Las Vegas, Laura and Anthony follow Sean’s trail across a landscape of broken dreams and convincing lies—until they confront the true evil behind the mask.
Ten minutes to midnight:
A man waits in line at JFK International Airport to board Skyways Airlines Flight 12 to Rome. His face is impassive, his eyes bleak. His fists are clenched. The woman behind him has a bad feeling . . .
Months before:
A young woman approaches Arizona Department of Public Safety detective Laura at the fitness center they share, telling her that she is slated for death, and wants Laura to “investigate her murder” when it happens. Weeks later, the woman is found dead in her car—forcing Laura to revisit the most disturbing homicide case of her career. During the course of her investigation, Laura learns the truth about the killer she arrested long ago.
Cyril Landry has been a dead man since he escaped a firefight off the coast of Florida three years ago. In all that time, the former Navy SEAL has been living off the grid to protect his wife and teenage daughter, who have mourned him and moved on.
Five days a week, Landry watches from a distance as his daughter Kristal leaves school—his only chance to see her. One day a shooter in black unloads his M-16 on the students, killing eight kids—including Kristal’s boyfriend, Luke. Landry takes out the gunman with a single sniper shot before melting back into the city. But this wasn’t a typical massacre, and the clues add up to only one conclusion: someone knows Landry’s alive, and wants him dead—again. Teaming up with Detective Jolie Burke—a homicide cop who plays by her own rules—Landry must find a way to protect his family, and avenge Luke’s death.
In the second Cyril Landry thriller, black ops turn the world red.
Tombstone is home to Maggie O’Neil, intrepid probation officer, whose lover has just taken off for Nashville to make his fortune. Worse, Maggie has misplaced one of her probationers, Freddie Valenzuela. She figures Freddie is the best of the bunch—one of the few who might actually make it through probation and succeed in life.
Maggie doesn’t believe Freddie Valenzuela would skip town without his dog Blue. He might leave his girlfriend, since they had their share of troubles, but not Blue. Then Freddie’s girlfriend Shari Slater turns up dead. Not just dead, either—she’s been tortured. Freddie’s the main suspect until he’s found dead as well, his mashed-up pickup lodged in a tree. A crime wave has hit Cochise County, and before the body count rises higher than the number of burial plots on Boot Hill, Maggie must figure out what is going on and find a way to stop it.
When a valuable reining horse is stolen from a nearby ranch, Maggie discovers a strange connection between Freddie, his girlfriend, and the missing horse. She begins to suspect that the murders have the horse and its owners at the center. As the bodies pile up, Maggie realizes time is running out, and if she doesn’t do something soon, she might just be the next to die.
In Aspen, Colorado, a pop star and her entourage are brutally murdered in their luxury chalet. The lead assassin, ex-Navy SEAL Cyril Landry, has no qualms about carrying out his mission until the instant before he kills the young star—an intense, shared moment that will ultimately drive him to find out why these people had to die. Landry transforms from mercenary to hunter as he delves into the depths of The Shop, the shadowy organization that has hired him to execute people across the country.
Thousands of miles away, in a seedy motel in Gardenia, Florida, a local police chief is found shot to death. The scene has all the signs of a romantic rendezvous gone wrong, but Detective Jolie Burke isn’t so sure. As she digs for clues, the tangled threads of evidence lead to a disturbing place: Indigo, the lush tropical estate of the powerful Haddox clan and home of US Attorney General Franklin Haddox. As Jolie continues to pursue the truth, she quickly discovers that Haddox will do anything to protect his country’s ugly secrets—even kill.
Landry’s quest to uncover The Shop’s motives throws him into the dark currents of Jolie’s investigation, and they find themselves working together as an unlikely duo: a cop and a killer, joining forces to expose a shocking conspiracy that ascends to the highest offices in the land.
Intricate and fast-paced, The Shop is a breathtaking thriller in the vein of Nelson DeMille and David Baldacci.
When homicide detective Jolie Burke awakens to intruders in the dark of night, she’s forced to flee. Jolie’s nobody’s victim, but she cannot fight this faceless enemy alone. She reaches out to Cyril Landry, the ex–Navy SEAL who is long on special-ops skills and short on patience. He suffers no fools—ever. But when Landry rolls into Branch, New Mexico, Jolie is gone, and there’s nothing waiting for him but trouble.
As Landry hunts for Jolie, he becomes immersed in a quagmire of corruption—a toxic brew of graft, homicide, and the ominous shape of something much bigger. Framed for murder and dodging a sexy FBI agent and a suspicious sheriff, Landry finds himself pitted against a psychopath with secrets even blacker than his sinister sports car. Now Landry’s on a double-barreled mission: reach Jolie before the killers do and dig up some dirt on his enemies before they get the chance to dig his grave.
Tombstone is home to Maggie O’Neil, intrepid probation officer, whose lover took off for Nashville to make his fortune, and Maggie has renewed her on-and-off-again relationship with Dutch Earnhardt, a Cochise County Sheriff’s Deputy.
Maggie hosts the Sunlight Breakfast women’s cycling team at her house in Tombstone, a team competing in the prestigious bicycle stage race, La Vuelta de Bisbee. One cyclist on the team, Kat Dugan, is apparently being stalked by her ex-boyfriend.
On a La Vuelta de Bisbee road race stage, Kat is shot at by a sniper who escapes capture.
Maggie’s problematic probationer, Carmen Delaney, has suspicious connections to Kat’s ex-boyfriend who runs a shady auto body shop and auto lease operation. Maggie discovers his body, a victim of a homicide, and Carmen absconds.
A series of murders Dutch is investigating on the Mexican border may be drug hits, but when more people connected to Carmen are found dead or disappear, Maggie and Dutch plunge into the depths of a deadly conspiracy.
Laura Cardinal: Packs a SIG Sauer P226 9mm. Investigates homicides in small towns that have limited resources. Brings justice to murder victims--and to their killers. Laura’s job description: Criminal Investigator with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. But maybe it should just say “Troubleshooter.”
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN, Book 1
“A superb debut…Welcome to a strong new voice in American Crime Fiction”
—T. Jefferson Parker, author of THE BORDER LORDS
Used to be kids played outdoors until time for dinner, now social media’s the new game in town. These days, they play on their smartphones. But with more freedom comes greater danger. Mobile devices and computers are a conduit into a child’s life, not just for friends but for those who intend harm. This is the message of J. Carson Black’s Daphne du Maurier Award-nominated thriller, DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN.
When Laura investigates the murder of a fourteen-year-old girl left in a town’s park band shell, she knows immediately what she’s up against: a cunning sexual predator. But why is she plagued by the abduction of a schoolmate eighteen years earlier?
In a runaway case that propels Laura from a lavish Tucson estate to the secretive heart of a north Florida town, she must confront the ghosts of her own past. Then another child goes missing—and Laura must race the clock to find her.
“A dark, brilliantly-plotted police procedural.”
—Midwest Book Review
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, Book 2
When a young couple on their honeymoon is found shot to death in a campground in Williams, Arizona, the consequences go far beyond a simple murder investigation. As the investigation unfolds, Laura uncovers a chilling portrait of the dark side of love. And when she learns of one victim’s ties to an underground organization called the Earth Warriors, she is plunged into a high-stakes conspiracy played out against the unforgiving backdrop of the Mojave Desert—where there are no second chances.
"Dark Side of the Moon takes you on a perilous descent into a shadowy underworld where light cannot reach, trust can be fatal, and the deepest truth is only another lie. Once again J. Carson Black delivers a harrowing nonstop thrill ride that will eclipse every other suspense novel you read this year!”
—New York Times bestselling author Michael Prescott
“Black never lets up the pace for an instant.”
—SF Site
THE DEVIL’S HOUR, Book 3
“J. Carson Black's THE DEVIL'S HOUR is a superior mystery novel in all respects. Fine prose, terrific suspense, believable characters, and one of the most unexpected and satisfying conclusions I've read in a long time. Highly recommended."
—John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of DAMAGE
In 1997, the disappearance of three young girls rocked the city of Tucson, Arizona. Eleven years later, one of those girls—Micaela Brashear—comes home, alive.
Detective Laura Cardinal worked homicide for Arizona DPS, but now she's been moved to the Open-Unsolved Unit. With a new job and a new partner who questions her every move, Laura pieces together Micaela's fragmented memories in the hope she will learn the whereabouts of the other two children.
— John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of DAMAGE
Laura Cardinal: Packs a SIG Sauer P226 9mm. Investigates homicides in small towns that have limited resources. Brings justice to murder victims—and to their killers. Laura’s job description: Criminal Investigator with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. But maybe it should just say “Troubleshooter.”
In 1997, the disappearance of three young girls rocked the city of Tucson, Arizona. Eleven years later, one of those girls, Micaela Brashear, comes home—alive.
Laura Cardinal worked homicide for Arizona DPS, but now she's been moved to the Open-Unsolved Unit. With a new job and a new partner who questions her every move, Laura pieces together Micaela's fragmented memories in the hope she will learn the whereabouts of the other two children.
When a man walking his dog finds the bones of a child in a shallow grave on the mountain above town, it becomes clear to Laura that Micaela was the lucky one.
But the killer isn't through yet, and after the fiery death of someone close to Laura, she realizes she faces an implacable enemy.
— New York Times Bestselling Author MICHAEL PRESCOTT
Laura Cardinal: Packs a SIG Sauer P226 9mm. Investigates homicides in small towns that have limited resources. Brings justice to murder victims—and to their killers. Laura’s job description: Criminal Investigator with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. But maybe it should just say “Troubleshooter.”
When two newlyweds are found murdered at an Arizona campground, Laura Cardinal is enlisted to investigate. Still reeling from a tragedy of her own, teamed with a partner who's working her last nerve, and with no solid leads, Laura's already walking an emotional tightrope.
Then she meets the locals who greet her questions with silence and paranoia. The lies Laura uncovers create a chilling portrait of the dark side of love. And when she discovers one victim's ties to an underground organization, she is plunged into a high-stakes conspiracy played out against the unforgiving backdrop of the Mojave Desert, where there are no second chances . . . .
Praise for J. Carson Black’s DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN, the first book in the Laura Cardinal series:
“A superb debut…Welcome to a strong new voice in American crime fiction.”
— T. JEFFERSON PARKER, Edgar Award-winning author of CALIFORNIA GIRL
“Black can make you believe she is the first person ever to use the material she does.”
— Chicago Tribune
“Stunning!”
— New Mystery Reader
“A first-rate police procedural…A white-knuckled thriller…”
— Romantic Times
“A dark, brilliantly-plotted police procedural.”
— Midwest Book Review
“Black never lets up the pace for an instant.”
— SF Site
Detective Tess McCrae investigates a grisly crime scene in the ghost town of Credo, Arizona. To an ordinary investigator, the evidence suggests a cartel drug hit. But Tess, with a nearly faultless photographic memory, is far from ordinary, and she sees what others might miss: this is no drug killing. Someone went to gruesome lengths to cover up this crime.
The killer’s trail leads Tess from Tucson to California; from anti-government squatters in the Arizona mountains to the heights of wealthy society, including the rich and powerful DeKoven family, who’ve dominated Arizona commerce and politics since the 1800s. But as Tess follows the trail of gore and betrayal, perfect and indelible in her memory, she uncovers far more than one man’s murder, and solves much more than one isolated crime.
The Survivors Club is a serpentine, stay-up-all-night thriller from New York Times bestselling author and master storyteller J. Carson Black.
Used to be kids played outdoors until time for dinner, now social media’s the new game in town. These days, they play on their smartphones. But with more freedom comes greater danger. Mobile devices are a conduit into a child’s life, not just for friends but for those who intend harm. This is the message of J. Carson Black’s Daphne du Maurier Award-nominated thriller, DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN.
When Laura investigates the murder of a fourteen-year-old girl found in a town’s park bandshell, she knows immediately what she’s up against: a cunning sexual predator. But why is she plagued by the abduction of a schoolmate eighteen years earlier?
In a runaway case that propels Laura from a lavish Tucson estate to the secretive heart of a northern Florida town, she must confront the ghosts of her own past. Then another child goes missing—and Laura must race the clock to find her.
“A superb debut…Welcome to a strong new voice in American Crime Fiction”
— T. Jefferson Parker, Edgar Award winner and author of California Girl
“A complex, multi-layered, nail-biting Superthriller”
— Michael Prescott, New York Times and Amazon bestselling author of Dangerous Games
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