Win a free copy! And help choose the new cover

Win a free copy! And help choose the new cover

The time has finally come! No, not your vaccine appointment—the July 27 release of THE LOST GIRL, which introduces new characters to the Alan Jacobson canon, including Mickey Keller, a fixer with a complicated past. Keller finds himself conflicted regarding what his...
Is America systemically racist?

Is America systemically racist?

I have some experience with racism, including growing up in Queens, NY, during some racially volatile times. I experienced racism firsthand—and was at the short end of black hate against whites (see my bio for some background). I lived through “white flight” and...
9/11: When Cops Were Heroes

9/11: When Cops Were Heroes

Nineteen years ago today, my brother called me in the early morning hours on the west coast and told me to turn the on the TV. He said a plane had flown into one of the twin towers. Having grown up in the city, and worked from time to time in the towers with my...
A Legend Passes

A Legend Passes

I met Tom Seaver in 1969. I was just a kid in New York City and he was doing a promotional appearance at a furniture store in Manhattan. My dad had a business in the city and we had just come from a job, so we arrived late. Just about everyone had left except for Tom...
Black and white, black and blue

Black and white, black and blue

I have been digesting the events of the past week with a heavy heart, deep sadness, and tremendous disappointment. Heavy heart for the family of George Floyd. Deep sadness for our country—we are supposed to lead the world in civil rights, in the rule of law, in...

The Brilliant Minds at PG&E

Someone at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) came up with a brilliant idea: rather than causing or contributing to damaging fires when the weather turns dry and windy, they will shut off power to over 800,000 of its customers. For how long? They don’t know—it...
Governor Newsom, why should I bother voting?

Governor Newsom, why should I bother voting?

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced plans to sign an executive order suspending the death penalty. While there hasn’t been an execution in the state since 2006, there are over 700 inmates on death row. How serious is the governor about this? He ordered that...

Current Trends in Publishing: Where do authors go from here?

If there’s one article you read about publishing this year, this should be it ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN SUSPENSE MAGAZINE (November/December 2018 issue) By Alan Jacobson and Peter Hildick-Smith USA Today bestselling author Alan Jacobson has been writing novels...
David Wright: dealt a hand, forced to play it

David Wright: dealt a hand, forced to play it

I’ve been a Mets fan for 49 years. (I feel old just typing that.) I’ve seen scores of players come and go. Some made their mark, while most didn’t. David Wright obviously did—not only in the record books but in the hearts of baseball fans, Mets fans, and his fellow...

Naming characters

Choosing the proper names for my characters is something I have focused on my entire career–which now spans more than two decades. I remember reading books early on where the character names were so close to one another that I got mixed up who was who. As a...

The Climax, Alan Jacobson-style

Both readers and authors know how important the beginning of a book is: if it doesn’t grab you right away, there are other things you could be spending your time doing. Conversely, the ending is the last impression that you leave the reader with, so obviously that’s...
Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity. FBI.

Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity. FBI.

As part of the ongoing research for my new book, I spent a few hours last week meeting with the Special Agent in Charge at one of the FBI’s busiest, and largest, field divisions in the country. And although I’ve been working closely with the Bureau for almost a...

Government waste is not a partisan issue

I saw an article yesterday about Vice President Pence flying cross-country on Air Force Two to attend the San Francisco 49ers game. Only he left during the national anthem–before the game began. And he told his secret service detail to keep the cars where they...
Evil Exposed

Evil Exposed

The Darkness of Evil: what happens when a daughter discovers her dad is a serial killer? A couple of years ago I started wondering what it would be like for a daughter to discover that her father is a heinous murderer of women. What would she feel? Denial?...