About this item
Magnus "Steps" Craig is part of an elite three-man Special Tracking Unit of the FBI, charged with finding the lost or abducted and bringing them home. Dubbed "The Human Bloodhound," Steps is renowned for his incredible ability to find and follow trails over any surface. He has a special skill -- known only to his partner -- that has enabled his team to stop seventeen serial killers over the past five years. But now there's a new monster at-large, and the bodies are piling up. When the remains of one young woman are found, Steps recognizes the "signature" from another crime scene: the mark of a sad face. Meanwhile, a serial killer that Steps has been trying to track for over ten years, code name "Leonardo," is back in play -- and on Steps's trail.
About the Author
I started writing while serving in the Navy in the early 80s. I was a Russian linguist with the Naval Security Group at a time when the Cold War was still going strong. After my enlistment, I worked as an intelligence analyst and then a project manager for the Office of Naval Intelligence. You'd think this experience would have led me to write espionage novels, but it wasn't meant to be. Mind you I tried, but my heart wasn't in it. Instead, I wrote horror stories and tales of a dystopian future. There were plenty of short stories, attempts at novels, and then novels. And while I've always had an incredible imagination, my early writing skills were pathetic. It's been said that to become a master at anything, one need only practice that art for ten thousand hours. Well, it's taken three decades, but I've walked that road; I've done my ten thousand hours. I'm no longer afraid to share my work, and I find that my own words can make me smile, laugh, and even bring me to tears. Often, particularly when I'm supposed to be editing, I find myself being sucked into my own story. I finally quit the intelligence business in 1999, and, beginning in 2004, started a new career as a crime analsyt. And while I still enjoy writing a variety of genres, particularly young adult, my career in law enforcement prompted me to write "Collecting the Dead," the first in a series about the fictional Special Tracking Unit. Named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Books of 2016, and nominated for a Barry Award for Best Thriller, "Collecting the Dead" launched the new series with a bang. Best of all, I love the characters and the premise of the series, and look forward to writing these books for years to come.
