1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
LAPD Detective Kara Quinn, currently on loan to the FBI, returns to Los Angeles to testify against the human trafficker who took a hit out on her last year. But when the suspect is killed and a government whistleblower disappears, Kara realizes there’s a deadly conspiracy reaching into the highest branches of city government, and possibly the FBI.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The Missing Witness is the fifth book in the Quinn & Costa series. I always knew that one of the books would bring Kara back to LA. In book one (The Third to Die), Kara is on administrative leave because of an officer involved shooting. When she’s set to return, she learns her partner was killed and her identity leaked by the press – effectively putting a price on her head. So she was loaned to the FBI’s Mobile Response Team. Now, she has to return to LA to testify.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
The Quinn & Costa series has an ensemble cast. While Kara Quinn and Matt Costa are the main protagonists, the team works closely together. I would probably be most likely to hang out with Michael Harris, Kara’s partner. He has a lot of my sensibilities. Or maybe Jim Esteban, the forensic expert.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Street smart, determined, private.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
While I knew a lot about the homeless crisis and the rampant waste and fraud in the system, I spent weeks interviewing experts and realized that there was a lot I didn’t know. The government could have solved the homeless crisis for the amount of money (hundreds of billions of dollars in California alone) they have already spent, but the system is set up to fail and perpetuate the crisis because there is so much money involved that entire industries have been built on the backs of the homeless. One of the people I interviewed called it the “Homeless Industrial Complex” and I ended up agreeing with his analysis.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I go, then when I’m done, I’ll go through and do a clean-up edit.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I used to have my own office, but when my grandson was born I converted it to his play and nap room since I babysit him two days a week. Since, I have taken over the living room. I have a basic desk, several bookshelves, a loveseat, and a large picture window that looks out onto our front porch. It’s a very nice, comfortable place to write!
10–Who is an author you admire?
Lisa Gardner.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
I don’t really know. I read a lot growing up, so I could say Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew, which is probably why I write mysteries. Or The Stand by Stephen King because I read it when I was 13 and knew I wanted to be a writer. But I’d probably say two books – The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner and The Search by Iris Johansen. I read them while I was on maternity leave with my son back in 2001 and that’s when I realized what types of stories I wanted to write. Suspense, complex thrillers with strong but flawed female protagonists. It was after reading those, I started seriously writing.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I wrote 5 books in 2 years while working full time and raising 5 kids. It was my 5th book that landed me my first agent, and two months after she signed me, we sold The Prey in a three book deal to Ballantine. It was absolutely surreal. But I didn’t really feel like I’d sold until the book came out two years later.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Suspense/thrillers
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Just one? Nope. Star Wars, Die Hard, The Matrix, Casablanca, It’s a Wonderful Life, and North by Northwest are just a few of my all-time favorite movies.
15–What is your favorite season?
Fall
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With my family.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka – such great world building!
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Watch my grandson, read, watch TV, hike, go to baseball games, hang with the family.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
The first book in my new Angelhart PI series You’ll Never Find Me which comes out this June.
THE MISSING WITNESS by Allison Brennan
When a key witness goes missing, Quinn & Costa must find her before a killer silences her for good…
Detective Kara Quinn is back in Los Angeles to testify against a notorious human trafficker, finally moving past the case that upended her life. But when the accused is shot in broad daylight, the chaotic scene of the crime turns up few reliable bystanders. And one witness—a whistleblower who might be the key to everything—has disappeared.
After another person close to the case is killed, it’s clear that anyone who knows too much is in danger, and tracking down the witness becomes a matter of life-and-death. But as explosive secrets surface within the LAPD and FBI, Kara questions everything she thought she knew about the case, her colleagues and the life she left behind months ago.
Now with FBI special agent Matt Costa’s help, she must race to find the missing witness and get to the bottom of the avalanche of conspiracies that has rocked LA to its core…before it’s too late.
Thriller Crime [MIRA, On Sale: January 23, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780778369653 / eISBN: 9780369748713]
Buy THE MISSING WITNESS: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Love’s Sweet Arrow | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Allison Brennan
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Allison Brennan believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five children and writes three books a year. Reviewers have called her “a master of suspense” and RT Book Reviews said her books are “mesmerizing” and “complex.” She’s been nominated for multiple awards, including the Thriller, RWA’s Best Romantic Suspense (five times), and twice won the Daphne du Maurier award. She lives in Arizona with her family and assorted pets.
No Comments
Comments are closed.