Book # 1 - Book Description for They Never Die Quietly:
They Never Die Quietly tells the story of homicide Detective Sami Rizzo, who is assigned to head a task force investigating serial killings in San Diego. Simon, the highly intelligent, cunning, and deceptively charming villain, redefines the depths of human evil. He believes God has given him absolute authority to purify his unholy victims through a ritual that ends in a grisly crucifixion. Driven by warped religious beliefs and guided by his dead mother, very much alive in his subconscious, Simon abducts “chosen ones” and holds them captive in a Room of Redemption. There, the victims helplessly await their crucifixion. Detective Rizzo urgently yearns to solve the case and gain the respect of her male colleagues, but her obsession to apprehend the killer on her own clouds her thinking. When Simon outsmarts Rizzo and captures her, determined to make her his next victim, she must employ all her resources—both physical and intellectual—to outwit the villain at his own game.
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Book # 2 - Book description for Resuscitation:
Two years ago, Detective Sami Rizzo narrowly escaped a brush with death at the hands of a serial killer. After apprehending the killer and bringing him to justice, this life-changing event compels her to resign from the police force. In her heart of hearts, however, she struggles with the decision. But a second serial killer—a well- respected doctor gone astray—uses his charm to seduce his victims and then performs horrific surgical experiments on them. In a final act of depravity, he scatters their mutilated bodies throughout San Diego County. Feeling a sense of duty and obligation, Sami Rizzo appeals to the police chief and mayor, and they reinstate her as a homicide investigator. As the body count grows and the killer’s experiments become more and more brutal, Sami follows one dead-end lead after another, while trying to deal with a sickly mother and a turbulent relationship with her lover. But then the killer makes a crucial mistake: one of his victims survives. Sami does everything to protect the barely alive victim, but the killer has a different plan.
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Book #3 - Book Description for A Piece of You:
Homicide Detective Sami Rizzo is at it again! She never dreamed “America’s Finest City,” would be tormented by yet another serial killer, but for the third time in the last five years a depraved maniac is stalking the streets of San Diego. Based on her qualifications and prior successes dealing with multiple murders, who else would Captain Davison assign to head the investigation?
Different from Sami’s past experiences, this fanatic is like no other. His methods of killing defy everything profilers think they know about serial killers. As an intense investigation begins and bits and pieces of evidence emerge, no one can understand his motivation. He’s merciful, yet brutal. And just to make things even more confusing, all of his victims are blood-related. Is he settling a vendetta? Did he randomly pick a name out of the phone book and begin a rampage? Or is there a deeper story?
Based on very little evidence and a lot of gut instincts, Detective Rizzo pieces together a complex puzzle and narrows the field of possible suspects. She learns that the killings may connect in some way to powerful people within the judicial system and doesn’t know who to trust. Ultimately, she comes face to face with the killer for a battle of brain and brawn. Can she outwit the shrewd killer, or will she be his next victim?
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Daniel M. Annechino, a former book editor specializing in full-length fiction, wrote his first book, How to Buy the Most Car for the Least Money, in 1992 while working as a General Manager in the automobile business. But his passion had always been fiction, particularly thrillers. He spent two years researching serial killers before finally penning his gripping and memorable debut novel They Never Die Quietly.
His second book, Resuscitation (Thomas & Mercer 2011), a follow-up to his first novel, hit #1 in Kindle sales in the UK and reached #26 in the USA. He is also the author of I Do Solemnly Swear (Thomas & Mercer 2012) and Hypocrisy. A Piece of You is his fifth novel, the third in the Detective Sami Rizzo series. A native of New York, Annechino now lives in San Diego with his wife, Jennifer. He loves to cook, enjoys a glass of vintage wine, and spends lots of leisure time on the warm beaches of Southern California.
Interview with D. M. Annechine:
How did you do research for your
book?
Not too long ago, before the birth of the Internet, when I began writing a book I found myself sequestered in a library for hours upon hours. I actually spent more time researching than writing. And when a book was particularly complex and required fact checking to be sure legal protocol, medical practices or police procedures followed real-life guidelines, I practically lived at the library. But then the world was introduced to every author’s savior: the Internet and World Wide Web. I now have access to data at my fingertips on virtually any topic imaginable. I can find out the tensile strength of the frame on a 1962 Chevy pickup, or get instructions on how to build a gazebo. Having immediate and unlimited access to so much information has allowed me to complete a book in six to eight months rather than twelve months plus.
What made you write several books about serial killers?
The irony of me choosing to write such books still has me puzzled. I am, for all practical purposes, a total pacifist. I have zero tolerance for wars, animal abuse, or anything at all that involves violence. In fact, I don’t even kill bugs. When I encounter a daddy long-legs spider nesting in the upper corner of my living room, I use a plastic cup to gently trap it and then release it outside. Crazy? Perhaps. So, why do I write about serial killers? Simply put, I am fascinated with their twisted sense of right and wrong, how they expand the depths of evil. I enjoy exploring their minds to see what makes them tick. I search for ways to make my villains evil yet seductive. The biggest challenge is in creating villains that have some redeeming qualities that make my readers uncomfortable because they want to hate these killers completely and totally, but cannot.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
Inspiration may be the easiest part of novel writing. Plots and storylines are all around us. Read the newspaper, watch newscasts on TV, pick up a magazine, talk to your co-workers. The components for a juicy plot are everywhere: The husband who has two wives—one on the east coast and one on the west coast. The corrupt politician who accepts a bribe. A
national security leak. A conflict in the Middle East. For no particular reason a lunatic walks into a classroom and executes the students. An average Joe rescues a child from a burning building and becomes an overnight hero. If you have the skills to take a basic plot idea and enrich it with strong, real-life characters, your story could be about raising tulips and you’ll still engage your readers
.
What is your writing schedule?
Simply put, I don’t have a structured writing schedule. For me, once I start writing a book, I try to write every day. On certain days I can’t come up with one meaningful sentence. On other days my fingers can’t keep up with the ideas pouring out of my head. There never seems to be a rhyme or reason why I experience this phenomenon, but I’d be willing to bet that most writers face similar circumstances. If I’ve learned anything at all about the writing process I’ve learned that you just can’t force creative ideas. Either it’s working or it’s not. The few times I did try to write when my creative juices weren’t flowing resulted in prose that was absolute crap.
What advice would you give budding writers?
It took me four novels and fifteen years before I got published. Needless to say, it takes tenacity, resilience, patience, and most important, the ability to deal with rejection and harsh critics. But never forget that nearly every writer who ever enjoyed success understood that rejection is a necessary prerequisite to that success. If you love to write and are driven by the written word, keep writing even if you never sign a publishing contract. In the end, success is not measured in dollars and cents; it’s measured by personal satisfaction and accomplishment. One last thought: Remember: there is no such thing as good writing; only good rewriting. The editing process is your best friend.
Giveaway:
Prizes:
Win 1 of 20 print (or gifted Kindle) copies of A Piece of You: A Sami Rizzo Thriller
(open to USA & Canada)
