Before Evil

Authors Note

Authors NoteI never intended to write a series. I know that may seem difficult to believe, especially now after twelve books featuring FBI Special Agent Maggie O’Dell—fifteen, if you consider the Ryder Creed series which includes Maggie.

Many of you have heard me talk about this before. When I wrote my debut novel, A Perfect Evil, I intended for it be a standalone novel. To be honest, I didn’t even read series novels back in those days. A Perfect Evil became an international bestseller, and suddenly, my publisher at the time, insisted I write a followup novel. If that’s what readers wanted, then of course, that’s what I’d write.

But here’s the catch—I had no clue how the write a sequel. I had already handed in the proposal for another standalone and was a third of the way into that novel when I was asked to put it aside and write a sequel. But I put it aside, and I wrote Split Second. After that, I was told we needed one more Maggie O’Dell novel. After all, trilogies were popular back then. So I wrote The Soul Catcher. Understand that while I was writing these books I was literally learning how to create a series, and I have to tell you, I felt like I was doing it by the seat of my pants.

Now, as I look back, I truly believe this method—though it seemed like pure madness at the time—was actually a blessing. It definitely kept the character of Maggie fresh and dynamic. I got to know Maggie alongside my readers. Together we watched her grow and mature. We learned what she was capable of doing, and each time I gave her something new and different to deal with. I burned down her house, locked her in a chest freezer, exposed her to the Ebola virus, threw her into the path of a hurricane, and left her stranded in Blackwater River State Park.

Little by little, I came to understand who Maggie O’Dell is. What her flaws and vulnerabilities are as well as her greatest strengths. Why we cheer on this stubborn lone wolf, who as a professional will do whatever it takes to do the right thing. She doesn’t think twice about racing toward danger but quickly runs away from personal relationships.

Many of you readers have asked for a prequel to this series for a long time now. My early career was driven—and made—by what my readers wanted. But it’s taken me some time to write this for two reasons.

First, I needed to get to know Maggie well enough before I could even tell you about her early life experiences that helped shape who she is today. I needed to be able to answer some questions. What happened to bring her and Dr. Gwen Patterson to be close friends? What about her marriage? When did her nightmares begin? Why does she look up to Director Cunningham?

The second obstacle for me was that I never understood why anyone would want to revisit Albert Stucky, let alone read about his early cat and mouse game with Maggie. After all, if you’ve read the first two books, you already know how that first chase ended. It’s documented in A Perfect Evil and in Split Second.

Or is it?

Maybe, just maybe, Maggie never did share all the details.

So let the chase begin!

To those of you who are new to this series—this is a great place to start.

To my dear readers who have been alongside me on this incredible journey since the beginning, I hope you enjoy this.