Prolific author Austin Camacho gives us insight into his Hannibal Jones Mystery Series

Meet the Author: Austin S. Camacho is the author of seven novels in the Hannibal Jones Mystery Series (including The Troubleshooter, Blood and Bone, Collateral Damage, Damaged Goods, Russian Roulette, Pyramid Deception and The Wrong Kind) five in the Stark and O’Brien adventure series (The Payback Assignment, The Orion Assignment, The Piranha Assignment, The Ice Woman Assignment and The Lost Art Assignment) and the detective novel Beyond Blue.

His short stories have been featured in four anthologies from Wolfmont Press, including Dying in a Winter Wonderland – an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Top Ten Bestseller for 2008 – and he is featured in the Edgar-nominated African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey.

He was born in New York City but grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York. He majored in psychology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. After three years, he enlisted in the Army as a weapons repairman but soon moved into a more appropriate field. The Army trained him to be a broadcast journalist. Disc jockey duties alternated with news writing, video camera and editing work, public affairs assignments, and news anchor duties.

During his years as a soldier, Camacho lived in Missouri, California, Maryland, Georgia, and Belgium. He also spent a couple of intense weeks in Israel during Desert Storm, covering the action with the Patriot missile crews and capturing Scud showers on videotape. While enlisted, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree at night, began his Master’s, and rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class. In his spare time, he began writing adventure and mystery stories set in some of the exotic places he’d visited.

After leaving the Army he continued to write military news for the Defense Department as a civilian until his retirement. He is still deeply involved with the writing community. He is a past president of the Maryland Writers Association, past Vice President of the Virginia Writers Club, and is an active member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. The Camacho family has settled in Upper Marlboro, MD. Learn more here: ascamacho.com

About True Target: Skye Maddox is a ruthless yet principled professional assassin who lives by a single rule: the target must deserve it. When a wealthy shipping magnate hires her to avenge his son’s death at the hands of a brutal gang, Skye takes on a contract unlike any other-a ladder of escalating targets leading to the mysterious kingpin known only as Hetman.

From seedy motel rooms to high-end hotels and lavish suburban estates, Skye infiltrates, disguises, and strikes with lethal precision. Her first hit, an MS-13 enforcer, sets in motion a chain of events that draws the attention of Judge Jacob Goldsmith, a compromised jurist whose hidden connections put him in Skye’s path, and Detective Orson Rissik, a dogged investigator piecing together threads of a shadowy criminal empire.

Even as she eliminates targets and uncovers layers of corruption, Skye wrestles with her own haunted past-childhood trauma, the murder of her brother, and her fragile attempts at self-understanding through secret therapy sessions. Each encounter tests her discipline, her humanity, and her vow to strike only where justice has already failed.

But Hetman’s vision is more dangerous than personal vendetta: he is uniting rival gangs and global mafias into a single cartel with reach across continents. As Skye closes in, allies and enemies blur, and the line between avenger and criminal grows razor thin. To complete her mission, she must decide whether she’s truly an agent of justice-or just another weapon for hire.

Click here to learn about all of Austin’s books.

About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host, Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.com

Find more of Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com.

Elaine’s Literary Salon

About Elaine’s Restaurant:  A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selections is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are inspired by exquisite food from Alexandria, Egypt — a blend of Middle Eastern and French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s grandmother and is based on a promise she made at the age of 12, growing up in Cairo. “I promised my grandma I would someday own a restaurant and name it after her,” shares Cynthia, who is also an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” Located in an 1880s building, it was the previous home for 38 years of the beloved bistro Bilbo Baggins. The newly renovated restaurant is located in the heart of Old Town’s Historic District within sight of the Potomac River and Founders Park, just a few blocks from The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and Old Town Alexandria Waterfront. Make a reservation today: elaines-restaurant.com.