Book Title: TRACK OF COURAGE
Character Name: Dawson Mulligan
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
We were solid until my fifteen-year-old sister Aven was murdered by a serial killer while I was away at Boy Scout camp. That pretty much destroyed everything – my parents divorced, Mom moved to Montana, and we all just scattered to the winds. Before that though, we were close. My grandfather was a huge influence, taught me to work with my hands and have faith.
What was your greatest talent?
Reading people and situations. I had good instincts as a cop – could sense when something was off, get people to trust me, connect dots others missed. My fellow officers came to me with their tough cases. At least, that’s how it used to be before I stopped trusting my gut.
Significant other?
Caroline died five years ago in a plane crash. We were flying to Copper Mountain so she could meet my dad, hit ice, had to hike out. She got hypothermia during the trek and didn’t make it. I promised I’d keep her safe and get her home. That didn’t work out so well.
Biggest challenge in relationships?
I compartmentalize everything. Build walls so high you need climbing gear to reach me. I thought I was protecting Caroline from the ugly parts of my job, but really I was just protecting myself from being vulnerable. And now? I’ve got this controlling thing where I need to protect everyone, which probably gets old fast.
Where do you live?
Anchorage, in a townhome I bought with Caroline. Three bedrooms, decent kitchen, view of Campbell Lake. It’s comfortable but doesn’t really feel like home. More like a place I crash between cases.
Do you have any enemies?
Maybe some people from my last case who think I screwed up. There’s this woman whose daughter I failed to save – she might not be sending me Christmas cards.
How do you feel about the place where you are now?
Frustrated doesn’t begin to cover it. I’m stuck on medical leave with a blown-out knee, can’t do the job I was born for, and I’m questioning everything about myself. It’s like being benched when the game’s on the line.
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
Just Caspian, this German Shepherd-Lab mix I inherited from my buddy Shep. The dog’s got more emotional intelligence than I do—constantly leaning on me, following me around, sleeping in my bed. He’s needy, but maybe I am too.
What do you do for a living?
Was a detective with SVU in Anchorage. Now I’m on medical leave and honestly don’t know if I’m going back. Hard to be a cop when you can’t trust your own instincts anymore.
Greatest disappointment?
My last case. A five-year-old girl named Kiana died in my arms because I didn’t act on my gut feeling. I knew the perp was going to kill her, but I waited for SWAT instead of moving. She’s dead, and it’s on me.
Greatest source of joy?
Used to be solving cases, protecting people, making sure the good guys won. Now? Maybe it’s watching Caspian discover snow. Or a really good cup of coffee. I’m working on rediscovering what joy looks like.
What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun?
I do PT three times a day—it’s torture, not fun. Sometimes I’ll read, work on Caspian’s training, though he’s terrible at fetch. Used to enjoy hiking and camping with my grandfather. Fun’s been in short supply lately.
What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?
I didn’t listen to my instincts when it mattered most. I second-guessed myself, followed protocol instead of doing what I knew was right, and a child died because of it. Now I can’t seem to trust myself with anything.
What keeps you awake at night?
Hearing Kiana cry. Feeling her blood on my hands. Replaying that moment over and over, wondering what would have happened if I’d just moved when my gut told me to. Caspian usually wakes me up from the nightmares—funny how he’s always there, like he can read my mind.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
Figure out if I can still be a cop. My knee needs to heal, but more than that, I need to figure out if I can trust myself again. And what to do if being a cop is over for me.
Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have?
A sense of purpose. The ability to protect people again without everything going sideways. Maybe some peace with the past and hope for the future. And honestly? Someone who believes I’m still worth something.
Why don’t you have it? What is in the way?
My own head, mostly. I’m stuck in this loop of anger and guilt and frustration. Plus there’s this PTSD thing I probably have but don’t want to admit. It’s easier to just say I’m fine and keep everyone at arm’s length than deal with the mess inside.
A Note from Susie May
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Dawson Mulligan! His journey from wounded hero to finding hope again was such a joy to write. In Track of Courage, Dawson discovers that sometimes the very thing that breaks us can also be what leads us to exactly where we need to be—and to the people who will help us heal.
When a plane crash strands him in the Alaskan wilderness with mysterious passenger Keely Williams, Dawson finds himself facing more than just survival. With his loyal dog Caspian by his side, he’ll have to confront his past trauma, learn to trust his instincts again, and discover that sometimes the greatest courage comes not from saving others, but from letting yourself be saved.
TRACK OF COURAGE is the first book in my new Call of the Wild series, where faith, love, and second chances collide in the breathtaking landscape of Alaska. If you love stories about wounded heroes, strong heroines, faithful dogs, and the healing power of community, then this series is for you!
You can find TRACK OF COURAGE wherever books are sold, and be sure to watch for book two, (Scent of Hope!) coming soon. Trust me – you won’t want to miss what happens next in the Last Frontier!
Keep reading and keep believing in happy endings,
Susan May Warren
TRACK OF COURAGE by Susan May Warren
A Clean Romantic Suspense K-9 Thriller with Action and Adventure in Alaska
A hijacked plane. A pursuing killer. And a K9’s instinct to help them make it out alive.
Pop Singer Keely Williams’s search for her biological mother in Alaska has been painfully unsuccessful. Now she just wants to escape this wild frontier and never look back. But when her plane is hijacked, she’s suddenly plunged into a race against not only an Alaska blizzard but also a killer who’s on her tail.
After a career-ending injury, ex-cop Dawson Mulligan has only one friend–Caspian, the stray dog he adopted. Dawson just wants to figure out how to get his life on track, but during a flight home to Copper Mountain, he spots a downed plane and stops to help. Except when his not-a-rescue dog runs off into the woods and discovers the trail of a missing survivor, it’s up to the former cop to stage a rescue.
But Dawson has no idea he’s being pulled into a deadly pursuit, or that Caspian is more than he seems. There might be redemption and second chances waiting for both Dawson and Keely if they have the courage to face their wounded pasts and fight for their future.
Join master storyteller Susan May Warren for a propulsive ride through the Alaskan wilderness, where love might be the riskiest–and most rewarding–adventure of all.
Prepare to experience edge-of-your-seat action combined with heart-stirring romance and heroic K9 companions in this exhilarating romantic suspense that will thrill fans of Lynette Eason and Elizabeth Goddard.
Romance Suspense | Action | Fiction Adventure [ Revell, On Sale: January 6, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780800746056 / eISBN: 9781493452835 ]
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About Susan May Warren
Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 85 novels with more than 1 million books sold, including the Global Search and Rescue and the Montana Rescue series, as well as Sunrise and Sunburst. Winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as well as the HOLT Medallion and numerous Readers’ Choice Awards, Susan makes her home in Minnesota.
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