What is the title of your latest release?
KNIFE IN THE BACK
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Burke Broussard’s story is the fourth in my New Orleans series. Several years ago, Burke left the NOPD due to the corruption he found there – and barely made it out alive. Today, he’s a private investigator, getting justice for those victims who’ve been failed by the system. Victims like Naomi Cranston, a former cop who was framed for stealing drugs from the evidence room and who was sentenced to thirty years in prison. A technicality got her sentence overturned, and she’s lived free for a year. But those who framed her are back and this time they’re using her son to force her to bow to their demands. Can Burke help her? Will Naomi find herself after her life was destroyed? Join my New Orleans crew in the final installment of the series!
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I love New Orleans. The atmosphere, the architecture, the food! Back in 2019, I decided to set a series here, thinking that I could take a lot of fun trips for research. And then the pandemic and lockdown happened. I finally got my research trip to New Orleans as I was writing book three – BURIED TOO DEEP. It was two weeks before Christmas and we thoroughly explored the city!
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Oh yes. I really liked Naomi Cranston. She’s quiet and elegant but in a downhome way that would make me feel comfortable. And she knits. We could sit together and knit for our friends
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Loyal, smart, fierce
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a lot about programs offered in prisons. Naomi was part of the agriculture program at the Louisiana prison where she was incarcerated. She tended a garden and learned to flower arranging skills, which led to her getting a job when she was released. I’ve long been interested in programs which give non-violent offenders a skill they can use once they’ve paid their debt to society. Studies show these programs greatly reduce recidivism.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Both. As the plot twists and turns, I will sometimes have to go back and rewrite portions. I try to hold the major revisions until I’m totally done, though. I write in Scrivener and keep a running commentary of changes in the sidebar.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Fried chicken. It tastes like home.
Describe your writing space/office!
A spare bedroom with a desk, bookshelves, a LOT of yarn, and my 3-D printer.
Who is an author you admire?
Christine Feehan. I’m fortunate enough to know her well and her writing process is so disciplined, her mind a fantastic place. I love her books! We tend to turn to the topic of murder a little too often, though, LOL. We’ve raised eyebrows in restaurants a few times. Once we even cleared out a small bar while discussing the best way to murder a character.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I don’t think there’s a single book. I’ve always been a voracious reader and there are just so many stories I’ve adored.
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 was at work, back in December, 2001, packing up my desk to leave for the day. I had a client dinner I was required to attend and I really did not want to go. My agent called and said that I’d gotten a two-book offer from what was then Warner Books (became Grand Central Publishing). She detailed the advance and the offer and said, “I think we should take it.” I wanted to scream and shout, but my first agent was not a scream and shout woman, LOL. So I primly said, “Yes, we should accept.” I then had to go to that client dinner, sitting calmly and discussing business, when all I wanted to do was call EVERYONE I knew with my news! I started as soon as I left the restaurant, calling my husband first, then my best friend, who was driving at the time and was so excited for me that she missed her exit off the interstate.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love paranormal romance—vampires and dragons are my favorites.
What’s your favorite movie?
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (it’s my go-to when I’ve had a bad day)
What is your favorite season?
Winter. I like it cold and cloudy. I live in the PNW, where it rains about 80% of the time, so it’s perfect for me!
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Dinner with my family and friends. Very low key.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Poker Face – if you haven’t watched this show, do yourself a favor and binge it. Charlie Cale is a human lie detector, and the show is a mix of The Fugitive and Columbo where she solves murders wherever she goes.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Comfort food. Meatloaf is a fave.
What do you do when you have free time?
I knit/crochet, read, and play with my dog, Sasha.
What can readers expect from you next?
More San Diego stories! After KNIFE IN THE BACK, the next book will be FAMILY LIES, a Kit McKittrick mystery which will be released in the spring.
KNIFE IN THE BACK by Karen Rose
Officer Naomi Cranston was framed for stealing cocaine from the evidence locker and coerced—through threats to her young son—into not fighting the charges. After five years in prison, she has tried to put the ordeal behind her, but the crooks who framed her have returned, this time demanding she move drugs along with her flower shop’s deliveries. They threaten her son once again, but this time she’s not capitulating quietly. She hires Broussard Investigations to protect her and her son, to prove her innocence, and to put the real bad guys away.
As a former cop, Burke Broussard is well aware of the corruption in the New Orleans police department. He had always believed Naomi Cranston to be guilty and isn’t inclined to take her case. Until he sits down to listen to her side of things. Until he sees her tortured innocence written all over her beautiful face…
A relationship born amid an investigation is a fragile thing. Will it survive the danger and the threats? Will it survive the truth?
Mystery | Romance [Berkley, On Sale: August 12, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593638613 / eISBN: 9780593638620]
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About Karen Rose
Internationally bestselling, RITA-award winning, author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn’t concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”
A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Washington State with her husband of more than thirty years.
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