False Accusations (52 page)

The 7th Victim

What reader wouldn’t like a character who is tough, smart, funny, very believable, and compelling? That’s how literary giants Nelson DeMille and James Patterson describe Karen Vail, the first female FBI profiler. Vail, with a dry sense of humor and a closet full of skeletons, heads up a task force to find the Dead Eyes Killer, who is murdering young women in the Virginia/Washington, D.C. region—the backyard of the famed FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. Named one of the Top 5 Best Books of the Year (
Library Journal
),
The 7th Victim
is a psychological suspense thriller that packs a powerful ending no reader will see coming.
Learn more about
The 7th Victim
.

Crush

FBI Profiler Karen Vail travels to the Napa Valley for a vacation—but the Crush Killer has other plans. Vail and Inspector Roxxann Dixon lead a task force to find the architect of death who leaves his victims in exclusive wine caves and vineyards.
Crush
is not only a twisting and compelling read, but it brings the wine country to life in a story that
Publishers Weekly
describes as “addicting” and
New York Times
bestselling author Steve Martini calls a thriller that’s “Crisply written and meticulously researched,” and which “rocks from the opening page to the jarring conclusion.”
Learn more about
Crush
.

Velocity

A missing detective. A bold serial killer. And evidence that makes FBI Profiler Karen Vail question the loyalty of those she has entrusted her life to. Squaring off against foes more dangerous than any she has yet encountered, shocking personal and professional truths emerge—truths that may just be more than Vail can handle.
Velocity
was named to
The Strand
magazine’s Top 10 Best Books for 2010,
Suspense Magazine
’s Top 4 Best Thrillers of 2010,
Library Journal
’s Top 5 Best Books of the Year, and the
Los Angeles Times’
top picks of the year. Michael Connelly said
Velocity
is “As relentless as a bullet. Karen Vail is my kind of hero and Alan Jacobson is my kind of writer!”
Learn more about
Velocity
.

Inmate 1577

When an elderly woman is found raped and brutally murdered, Karen Vail heads west to team up with Inspector Lance Burden and Detective Roxxann Dixon. As they follow the killer’s trail in and around San Francisco, the offender leaves behind clues that ultimately lead them to the most unlikely of places, a mysterious island ripped from city lore whose long-buried, decades-old secrets hold the key to their case: Alcatraz. The Rock. It’s a case that has more twists and turns than the famed Lombard Street. The legendary Clive Cussler called
Inmate 1577
“a powerful thriller, brilliantly conceived and written.”
Learn more about
Inmate 1577
.

Hard Target
(late 2011)

An explosion pulverizes the president-elect's helicopter on Election Night. It soon becomes clear that the group behind the assassination possesses far greater reach than anything the FBI has yet encountered—and a plot so deeply interwoven in the country’s fabric that it threatens to upend America's political system. But as covert operative Hector DeSantos and FBI Agent Aaron “Uzi” Uziel sort out who is behind the bombings, Uzi’s personal demons not only jeopardize the investigation but may sit at the heart of a tangle of lies that threaten to trigger an international terrorist attack. Hailed by political thriller master Vince Flynn as “a smart, complex novel that explodes from the page,” and by Lee Child as “a great thriller” that’s “fast, hard, and intelligent,”
Hard Target
is a ticking time bomb that makes you think while keeping you clinging to the edge of your seat.
Learn more about
Hard Target
.

For a peek at recently released and new, soon-to-be released Alan Jacobson novels, go to
www.alanjacobson.com/books.html
.

A book of this nature required input and technical information that could only be provided by those practicing in the field. Sincere thanks goes to Victor Reeve, manager of the California Criminalists Institute (CCI), and Fred Tulleners, program manager of the CCI, for allowing me extensive use of the Bureau of Forensic Services Library, as well as for permitting me to audit the classes and labs reserved for criminalists, FBI agents, sheriffs, and other law enforcement personnel.

Thanks as well to Nancy Edralin of the Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement, for helping me establish contacts within the many departments of the Division of Law Enforcement. Terry Spear at CCI kindly counseled me on the intricacies of DNA testing. John Dehaan, Impression and Arson analyst at CCI, assisted me with the fine points of lip print analysis. Chuck Jones, Manager of the Attorney General’s Bureau of Investigation Intelligence Operations Unit, provided information on the process involving impropriety and penal code violations relative to the California State Crime Lab. Criminalist Mike Saggs assisted me with information on blood alcohol clearance rates.

Thanks also to Special Investigator John McVey of the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office for his time and information. In New York, Police Officer Norene Murray graciously expounded the workings and structure of the New York City Crime Lab and its forensic investigators.

Extensive assistance was provided by Professor Joshua Dressler, McGeorge School of Law, who literally wrote the book(s) on criminal procedure. I thank him for the many hours he afforded me.

Also at McGeorge, Professor Joseph Taylor, former Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney for Sacramento County and former Supervising Deputy District Attorney for Ventura County, provided valuable insight into the mind of a prosecutor. His prompt, helpful replies to my endless follow-up phone calls and e-mails were very much appreciated.

In addition, thanks to Michael Sands, McGeorge’s former Director of The Center for Legal Advocacy and a criminal defense attorney with invaluable experience in high-profile cases, helped me view the case from a defendant's perspective. He devoted many hours to this project, including reviewing and critiquing the manuscript. Without Don Aron, Esq., I wouldn’t have made the acquaintance of the above professionals.

Paul Joncich, anchor-reporter for KOVR-TV, gave me a no-holds-barred behind-the-scenes look at television news reporting. To a first-class individual and a top-rate newscaster, thank you. Additionally, thanks to Perry Ginsberg, Esq. whose concern, lawyerly advice and friendship I will always value; to John Lewis, who stood beside me as only a true friend would; and to David Altman, M.D., who without exception made himself available to answer any questions I had at the time.

Thanks as well to those people who have offered their time, contacts, and expertise in helping me navigate the turbulent waters of the publishing world: author Marion Rosen, Fred Bissinger, Norman Fassler-Katz, and Claude Choquette. I would like to extend a special thanks to Robert Youdelman, Esq., a truly gentle man whose assistance and work on my behalf I will always remember. To Colin Swift, thanks for your encouragement and unending support. And to Steve Gold, a good friend with a heart like his name…a long time ago you tried to expand my horizons—and years later you did so again by sending me my first copy of The Writers Market…(from all of us at
The Shea
), thanks.

I would like to express my sincere thanks as well to Justin Manus, Esq., and Canadian barrister Timothy S. Ellam, of McCarthy Tetrault.

Thanks also to Emily Bestler, my editor at Pocket Books, who added polish in just the right places to help make this novel shine.

All writers need a “sounding board” in whom they can trust and believe. My wife Jill fills that need and has sat (and sometimes stood over my shoulder) and listened, debated, and insisted at times...but I always knew that her only goal was to improve the manuscript. To my soul mate, thanks for being beside, behind, and in front of me. You made it all bearable. Further, all of the material regarding the Consortium for Citizens With Mental Retardation is based upon information provided by Jill, a special education teacher and resource specialist who holds a Masters in Education.

And finally, heartfelt thanks to Jillian Manus, my agent at the time that
False Accusations
debuted. Jillian is so full of energy I sincerely believe that if she were an automobile, other cars would be able to run on the fumes she leaves in her wake.

Errors of fact, if any exist in the book, are strictly my own responsibility, and should not reflect on any of the esteemed professionals noted above.

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