I've led a pretty good life as a security executive, traveling the globe for some of the largest corporations in the world. And I've had some very interesting experiences resolving incidents many believe might not even be true, including murder, kidnapping, extortions, international theft and espionage.
On occasion, I've shared some of those stories with others, who frequently said something like, "Dude, you should write a book." I always smiled inwardly and moved on from those thoughts as I charged to my next mission, "fixing" corporate problems. And besides, writing a book is not the same thing as making diary entries in your personal day-planer. I've also related some of those escapades to my grandchildren who, at tender ages, sat attentively, eyes wide in amazement and asked, "Really, grandpa?" And I thought I should write. But there was also the frequent frustration with those who just thought I was embellishing the truth. They couldn't grasp the reality that my experiences were different (and maybe a bit wilder) than theirs. One disbeliever's comment was, "Mike will never let the truth get in the way of a good story." That kind of feedback dampened my enthusiasm for writing. Now I'm retired, and the memories of those experiences, combined with the suggestions of my friends, have moved me to write about some of those escapades. More specifically I want to use the actual adventures to create a fictional series about life as a security executive. And yes, since they are fiction, I can embellish the truth, while I tell it. My real life travels now serve as the basis for the fictional Michael Christian Mystery thrillers. In A DAY LATE you meet security executive Michael Christian. He's a former Detroit cop who brings those instincts and some of those no-nonsense attitudes with him as he travels. But most of all, he is a security professional and a businessman with broad accountabilities. It falls on him to unravel matters of employee theft and internal fraud, and of graft and corruption. Of course there are also the external threats he must resolve like kidnapping and extortion, hijacking, assault, international theft and fencing, and bribery and espionage. These are all crimes for sure, but they are also corporate crimes. His boundaries are not those of a city, or even the United States, but of the world.
In A DOLLAR SHORT we kick it up a notch combining the intrigue of Perestroika Russia, the Russian Mafia in Moscow and a former KGB agent who may (or may not be) an ally for Christian as he goes up against the Mob. Complicating matters is his unwitting but life-threatening probe into the darker world of international espionage.
In Carte Blanche, Christian travels to London to investigate a large theft. The scope of the investigation quickly explodes, teaming Christian with a local Detective Inspector and a charming but devious agent from MI5, the British Domestic Intelligence group, when Christian becomes the target of an assassin.
My goal is to reveal to you what goes on (or doesn't) in the minds of some business executives as they set up operations in hostile environments, where bold and evil characters exploit the company and the employees Christian must protect, and where crooked employees try to beat the system from within. I want you to experience the intrigue and thrill, the anxiety and the pressure Christian faces, as he discovers and closes in on the perpetrators. I want you to feel the exhilaration of getting the job done in extremely dangerous circumstances, or the crushing defeat when it doesn't come out the way it should. And in the process, I hope to thoroughly entertain you. I've also written an entire series of unpublished short stories about my time on the Detroit Police Department. Some are dark and some are humorous, but they are all similar to the experiences of every man and woman who puts on the badge each day. I've shared some of them in my blog section.
On the other hand, there are thousands of security professionals around the world dealing with similar threats to their lives and safety. They intervene on behalf of their companies and employees on an entirely different level. Their stories are rarely told. Michael Christian will share his thoughts, fears, anxiety and courage with you. And he'll give you a glimpse into the heroes you never hear much about. In my second Michael Christian Mystery, A DOLLAR SHORT, a former KGB agent conducts a background check on Christian and asks, "So ... Felder thinks you might be a spy ... are you?" I'll leave that up to you to decide.
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