Enemy at the Helm follows the aftermath of coordinated attacks on U.S. harbors that leave investigators scrambling to determine who is responsible. Where did the idea for this novel come from?

My wife and I were departing port on a cruise ship when I saw a Defender-class U.S. Coast Guard vessel off our rear flank mirroring our heading and speed. When I casually mentioned I knew why he was there—and how to defeat it, she looked at me like I had two heads. Once I quickly fleshed out a hypothetical story, she suggested I should write it. So it was all her idea, actually!

Did you find anything in your research for this book that surprised you?

The physical dimensions of the channels and canals are publicly available and are really quite small. When you have a large ship like the ones that are commonly used today, it can easily cause a blockage of all transit. I’ve been to the Miraflores locks on the Panama Canal, and I can confirm that any long-term blockage would be disastrous. We’ve seen what happens with temporary blockages in Baltimore Harbor, the Panama Canal, and the Suez Canal. With today’s Iranian war already disrupting global economies, I hope the Yemenis don’t read this and get any ideas!

When writing characters who work inside high-pressure investigative environments, how do you make sure their personal reactions still come through?

I’m a trauma surgeon. I’ve been threatened and have had to subdue people. I also do a lot of tactical and combatives training and have practiced many of the maneuvers I described in the novel. In fact, I’m currently training for SWAT team qualification. Even though we train for and have experience in stressful situations so that muscle memory kicks in, we are still always thinking of the lives we are responsible for. Every situation has its own unique challenges. Adapting to something you haven’t seen before creates its own stress. So, it’s a matter of recalling and recording those feelings.

Can you give us a glimpse inside the next book in this thriller series?

Sure! Pursuit and Pain delves into the backstory of the people behind the original attacks, set among a backdrop of ongoing nationwide trials and tribulations and leadership challenges caused by the global trade shutdown. Favorite characters return, and new ones emerge in the international search for the ultimate mastermind.

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