Good As Gone by Douglas Corleone

By Cathy Clamp

Following on the heels of his award winning Kevin Corvelli legal thriller series, former New York defense attorney and author Douglas Corleone introduces a new series featuring U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk, a man haunted by the disappearance of his daughter. He now recovers kidnapped children for a living—specifically those who were taken by their own estranged parents. He only has one rule: he won’t touch stranger abduction cases. They hit too close to home.

But when six-year-old Lindsay Sorkin disappears from her parents’ hotel room in Paris, he’s given an ultimatum by the French police: he can spend years in a French jail, or he can take the case and recover the missing girl. Simon sets out in pursuit of Lindsay and the truth behind her disappearance. But Lindsay’s captors did not leave an easy trail, and following it will take Simon across the continent, through its ritziest nightclubs and seediest back alleys, into a terrifying world of international intrigue and dark corners of his past he’d rather leave well alone.

The BIG THRILL sat down with the author to find out more about this new series:

This appears to be the first novel featuring Simon Fisk. Will he be a repeating character?

Yes, I’m happy to confirm that the second Simon Fisk novel is already under contract with Minotaur Books and slated to be released in 2014.

Was Simon inspired by anyone you met in real life? If not, what gave you the idea for the character?

The character of Simon Fisk was inspired by a one-page online article about a Tampa private investigator who specializes in retrieving children abducted by estranged parents and brought overseas to countries that don’t recognize U.S. custody decisions.  I’d read the article a few years ago and stashed it in the bottom of my filing cabinet.  When it came time to create a new series, I went digging for it, hoping I hadn’t absently thrown it away.  Fortunately, I found it.

Is this series tied in any way to the characters in your Kevin Corvelli reality?

No, this book is very different from the Kevin Corvelli novels in pace and tone, and I don’t anticipate any crossovers.  But I would love to bring Kevin Corvelli back some day.

The timing of this book is somewhat eerie, what with the Madeleine McCann abduction in the news again. Did the case give you the idea for this plot?

The Madeleine McMann abduction is actually mentioned in the book by a French police lieutenant.  But, as I mentioned earlier, GOOD AS GONE was inspired by a person rather than an event.  I do follow the Madeleine McCann story very closely, and I’m hoping Scotland Yard’s new leads will result in their finding the girl alive.

Have you ever visited Paris, or did you primarily research the setting?

Yes, I spent weeks in Paris years ago and I’d always wanted to set a novel there.  When I began developing the story for GOOD AS GONE, Paris seemed to be a natural place to start.

What’s the most interesting thing you discovered during your research for the book?

By far, the most interesting things I discovered in my research were facts about an event that occurred nearly thirty years ago.  Unfortunately, I can’t reveal the event here because that would spoil the ending.

Will you be doing a signing tour for the release? If so, where can readers find a schedule of your appearances? If you’ll be attending any conventions, where and when?

Yes, there will be signing events in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, California, and Hawaii.  I’ll also be attending Bouchercon 2013 in Albany.  Readers can find a schedule of my appearances on my website.

Living in Hawaii must be great. Have you, or do you plan to, set any books there?

Yes, the Kevin Corvelli novels are set in Hawaii.  Kevin Corvelli is a former New York criminal defense lawyer who experienced a professional free fall in the Big Apple and fled to Honolulu to start over.

Where can readers find you online (Facebook, Twitter, Website, Pinterest, etc.)

My website, Facebook and @douglascorleone on Twitter.

Sounds like a terrific series start. I’m sure our readers are going to love it.

*****

Douglas Corleone is the author of contemporary crime novels published by St. Martin’s Minotaur. A former New York City criminal defense attorney, Douglas Corleone now resides in the Hawaiian Islands where he is at work on his next novel.

To learn more about Douglas, please visit his website.