David Putnam

https://booktrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/dave-5×7-reframe-1.jpg

David Putnam

Thriller/Mystery

During his law enforcement career, David Putnam worked on teams for, SWAT, Narcotics, Violent Crimes, Criminal Intelligence, Internal Affairs, Detective Bureau and as child protective services coordinator. He rounded out his law enforcement career with three years in the Hawaiian Islands as a Special Agent — part of a real-life “Hawaii Five-0″ team. He’s now retired from law enforcement and spends his time growing organic California avocados and writing, with his wife Mary and their dogs. His novels The Disposables and The Replacements were both finalists for the SCIBA award. 

For more on David, please visit his website. Read our review of The Heartless here, The Ruthless here, The Sinister here, and our in-depth Author Spotlight interview with him here.

https://booktrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/booktrib_david-putnam_bibliography2022.jpg

BOOKS:

The Disposables (2014)
The Replacements (2015)
The Squandered (2016)
The Vanquished (2017)
The Innocents (2018)
The Reckless (2019)
The Heartless (2020)
The Ruthless (2021)
The Sinister (2022)

Your biggest literary influences:

Larry McMurtry, John Sanford and John D. MacDonald

Last book read:

When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

The book that changed your life:

Probably the book that started me reading, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I laid down on the bed to read and was transported to another world. Time fell away. From that time on I have been in search of that same feeling, that “fictive dream.” I try to infuse that same feeling in the books I write.

Your favorite literary character:

A favorite character? It would be difficult to nail down to just one. Lucas Davenport is great as is Harry Bosch. Loved the character in Gold Coast by Demille, and the one in Young Blood Hawk. I like characters that live on in my thoughts after I’m done reading; they’re good friends who are always there waiting if I want to pick up a book and get reacquainted.

Currently working on:

The 12th book in the Bruno Johnson series, working title: The Scandalous

Words to live by:

Write on.

Advice for aspiring authors:

Persevere, never give up. If you love writing just keep on writing for the joy of it. The rest doesn’t matter (okay, not as much anyway).

REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS

Praise for The Sinister

“Riveting, scary, but with plenty of wit and humanity … In Putnam’s capable hands, the characters jump off the page — even the dog.” —Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Praise for The Ruthless

“Dark, disturbing, and all too believable, this is the tale of one man’s quest for atonement in a world where innocence is a liability.” —T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author

“Putnam is a master of the gritty realism of law and order at street level. I guarantee that The Ruthless will grab you by the throat, shove you against the wall, and won’t release you until the final, satisfying page.” —William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author

“This is a police procedural that dazzles with authenticity, sharply-drawn characters, crackling dialogue, and insider details that only a real cop could bring to the page. Putnam can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Joseph Wambaugh and Michael Connelly.” —Lee Goldberg, New York Times best

Praise for The Heartless

“With its incredible action, great characters, and engrossing, timeless story, [The Heartless is] a fast-moving page-turner that sizzles toward its fulfilling end.” —Foreword Reviews

“Putnam’s action-packed seventh Bruno Johnson mystery [The Heartless] hits the ground running. Those who like straightforward crime novels in which the good guys prevail and the bad guys get what’s coming to them will be satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly

“[The Heartless is a] cop-novel story of kidnapping and murder, told with Putnam’s usual high energy and a knack for description that makes words bloom on the page.” —Booklist

More Praise for the Bruno Johnson Series

“The scenes feel authentic and tense thanks to Putnam’s decades of law enforcement experience. Great reading for crime-fiction fans. —Kirkus Reviews on The Innocents

“I really loved The Disposables. It’s raw, powerful and eloquent. It’s a gritty street poem recited by a voice unalterably committed to redemption and doing the right thing in a wrong world. I’ll be first in line for the next one from David Putnam.” —Michael Connelly

“This novel gives off heat … [with] unique and startling plot twists. But what really recommends the book is the high octane presentation … [and] the sense of urgency and authenticity, the feeling that this is the real deal, set down by somebody who was there and still hasn’t gotten over it. The SWAT-like assault on the crime house is an impressive set piece.” —Booklist on The Disposables

“I am not big on reading, but I can never seem to put this book down. It’s nothing like I have ever read before. Sometimes when I am reading I feel like I am there in the situation first hand.” —A happy young reader (read the rest of this best-ever review for The Disposables here)

Index of reviews in Publishers Weekly for David Putnam’s work