Colin Conway and Frank Zafiro are excited to reveal the cover of their new crime thriller CHARLIE 316, scheduled for publication on June 10th by Down & Out Books in trade paperback and ebook formats.
“I had such a great time working with Colin on this book,” said Zafiro. “Though we’re both former police officers, our careers since are very different, so we each brought something new to the storyline, and the book is stronger for it.”
“Frank really understands the collaborative process,” added Conway, “and the result is a seamless narrative that I couldn’t be more proud of.”
“This is a white-knuckle thriller in the best tradition of James Ellroy, Ed McBain, and Elmore Leonard,” said Eric Campbell, publisher of Down & Out Books. “The plot twists kept me mesmerized and I never saw what was coming next. A solid winner from start to finish.”
CHARLIE 316 is the second book co-written by Zafiro and Conway. On March 18th, Down & Out Books will be reissuing SOME DEGREE OF MURDER, in which a police detective and a murdered girl’s father race along parallel—and sometimes overlapping—paths, each using his own tools of the trade, to find the killer before it is too late.
Synopsis of CHARLIE 316 … Tyler Garrett is a model SWAT officer whose good looks, education and familial status add to that image. The fact that he is a black man in the predominately white Spokane Police Department only adds to the city administration’s pride in one of their own. He’s often pointed to as an example of the department’s best and brightest—a young man on the rise.
One summer evening, Garrett stops a reckless driver. It’s something he’s done a thousand times except this time, gunfire erupts from a nearby house. As Garrett dives for cover, the driver turns and begins shooting as well. Garrett survives the ambush by killing the driver and chasing off the additional shooter.
The legend of Tyler Garrett grows and the community rallies around him.
Until the initial investigation determines the driver was shot in the back and his gun has somehow disappeared. Suddenly, the police department, city hall, and even the national news media are wondering just what happened that night? In a nation where police brutality dominates the headlines, Garrett’s case has suddenly become a flashpoint.
Now, Officer Tyler Garrett must take matters into his own hands. Time is quickly running out for him to find the second shooter and to clear his name.
Advance Praise for CHARLIE 316 …
“Charlie 316 is the real deal. Ripped from today’s headlines, it is an intense tale of corruption, suspense and humanity that is impossible to put down. One of the best cop books I’ve read in years.” —Terrence McCauley, award-winning author of The Fairfax Incident and Sympathy for the Devil
“A ripped-from-the-headlines police procedural so real that you’ll almost think you joined the force. Conway and Zafiro effortlessly weave intricate investigative details together with raw human emotion to deliver a truly gripping read.” —S.W. Lauden, Anthony Award-nominated author of Crosswise
“In Charlie 316, Conway and Zafiro, two master storytellers, have punched a hole in the blue wall in this compelling tale that offers the reader a no-holds barred, insider’s view of corruption in a mid-sized American city.” —Charles Salzberg, author of Second Story Man
“Few books have the ambition to cover the scope attempted here; fewer can pull it off. Charlie 316 does more than pull it off: it succeeds. Not since The Wire have I seen a better mixture of crime, law enforcement, politics, and media.” —Dana King, Shamus Award-nominated author of the Nick Forte and Penns River series
About the Authors …
Frank Zafiro was a police officer in Spokane, Washington, from 1993 to 2013. He retired as a captain. He is the author of numerous crime novels, including the River City novels and the Stefan Kopriva series. He lives in Redmond, Oregon, with his wife Kristi, dogs Richie and Wiley, and a very self-assured cat named Pasta. He is an avid hockey fan and a tortured guitarist. You can keep up with Frank at FrankZafiro.com.
Colin Conway served in the U.S. Army from 1987-1991. He later served on the Spokane Police Department for five years. He’s currently active in the commercial real estate field, both as a broker and an investor. He owned and operated a karate school for several years, a childhood dream that finally came to fruition. He began writing in earnest while working as a patrol officer. He found it a creative outlet and continued putting words to paper after leaving the department. Learn more about Colin at ColinConway.com.