J.J. Hensley graduated with a B.S. in Administration of Justice from Penn State University and a M.S. degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia Southern University before working as a police officer then a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. He is the author of the novels Resolve, Measure Twice, and Chalk’s Outline, with Resolve named one of the Best Books of 2013 by Suspense Magazine and a Thriller Award finalist for Best First Novel.
Hensley's latest crime novel, Bolt Action Remedy (Down and Out Books), follows former Pittsburgh narcotics detective Trevor Galloway, who's been hired to look into the year-old homicide of a prominent businessman gunned down on his estate in Central Pennsylvania. When Galloway arrives, he determines the murder could have only been committed by someone extremely skilled in two areas: skiing and shooting. He believes the assailant should not be too difficult to identify given the great amount of skill and athleticism needed to pull off the attack. When he discovers the victim’s property is next door to a biathlon training camp, the situation becomes significantly more complicated.
Galloway makes plenty of enemies as he sifts through stories about lucrative land deals, possible drug connections, and uncovers evidence suggesting the homicide may have been elaborate suicide. As he attempts to navigate through an unfamiliar rural landscape, he does his best not to succumb to an old drug addiction, or become confused by one of his occasional hallucinations. Oh, and a Pittsburgh drug gang enforcer known as The Lithuanian—if he’s even real—is tracking Galloway and wants to take his eyes. Galloway would rather keep those. For Galloway, the problems keep piling up and somebody out there believes problems should be dealt with by employing the most permanent of remedies.
J.J. Hensley stops by In Reference to Murder today to offer up some of the background into writing and researching the novel:
The epiphany hit me like a shot. Ever since the publication of my first novel in 2013—which had been set against the backdrop of a marathon—I knew I wanted to write another mystery that was somehow tied to an endurance sport. However, with Resolve I had drawn upon my personal experiences with both distance running and law enforcement and the research I had to conduct was minimal. For my subsequent novels, I had to do research on addiction, sniper training, blacksmithing, and a variety of other topics, but most of the research could be conducted online and through short interviews with subject matter experts, without breaking much of a sweat. As my latest revelation settled into my mind and I decided I to integrate the sport of biathlon into a novel, I realized it would allow me to create characters who not only participated in an endurance sport but already carried guns! Perfect. A mystery in which nearly everyone has access to, and in trained in the use of, weaponry!
I thought things out and the plot for Bolt Action Remedy came into focus. Former Pittsburgh narcotics detective, Trevor Galloway, would be asked to look into a cold case in which a prominent businessman was murdered by someone who displayed great skill in two areas: skiing and shooting. Galloway would pull into the small town of Washaway Township, PA and initially conclude the suspect pool would be small, given the skills needed to pull off the crime. However, he would discover the crime scene was adjacent to a biathlon training camp, where everyone could ski and shoot, and his list of suspects would grow exponentially. Perfect.
Biathlon combines cross-country skiing and incredibly skillful shooting with highly-specialized biathlon rifles. I had first been exposed to biathlon when I was with the U.S. Secret Service and working protective operations for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. I knew from my years as a police officer and as a Special Agent with the Secret Service that shooting after running, controlling your breathing, and focusing on hitting a target when adrenaline is pummeling your physiology is beyond challenging. Needless to say, I was mesmerized by a sport in which people could ski at a breakneck pace and then fire a rifle with the goal of hitting small targets with incredible accuracy. Biathlon was perfect for what I had planned. Speed! Guns! Skill! No problem.
Well… small problem.
After my initial excitement ebbed, I realized the research I would have to conduct would be more extensive than anything I had done previously. In my previous books, I had at least a cursory knowledge of the subject matter. Bolt Action Remedy was going to present several challenges.
For one thing, I can’t ski. I don’t mean “I can’t ski” as in I am only mediocre and am somewhat uncomfortable on difficult courses. I’m not trying to be modest about my abilities. I mean “I can’t ski” as in “I CAN’T ski”. Not a bit. Also, although I have extensive experience with pistols, shotguns, and submachine guns, I have zero experience with shooting from a distance and certainly no expertise with specialized lightweight biathlon rifles.
My research for Bolt Action Remedy was going to require me to do a little more digging than I had done while writing my previous novels. I mean, this is the United States. It’s not like I can walk down to the local Biathlon store to chat about the latest ANSCHÜTZ rifle models. While biathlon is popular in certain parts of the world, it has yet to reach a wide audience in the U.S. and, while there are some online resources available to research the sport, those resources didn’t give me the depth of knowledge I was looking for to complete the book. To cover my knowledge gap, I contacted Curt Schreiner who competed in biathlon for the United States in three separate Olympic Games. Curt is with the Saratoga Biathlon Club and has forgotten more about biathlon than I could ever know. Through a series of conversations with Curt, I was able to get a feel for the sport, a sense of the camaraderie that exists among the competitors and the hard work and precision that goes into each event. I also learned that high-level biathletes have Ski Technicians who focus on things like waxing the skis to achieve the optimal result. I didn’t even know ski wax was a thing, so obviously I learned a lot from Curt. When I completed a very rough draft of Bolt Action Remedy, I sent it to him and he provided invaluable feedback that kept me from embarrassing myself in print.
Typically, I really enjoy conducting research for a book and this was no exception. I find it maddening when I’m reading a book and come across an error that could have been avoided easily if the author had conducted even minimal research. Even to this day, I conduct research on law enforcement matters even though policing is in my background. Technologies and methodologies change and crime novelists should do their best to provide an element of authenticity to their work. I’ve always believed that crime novelists can create better fiction by trying to be a bit more real. Hopefully, that is the result with Bolt Action Remedy.
You can learn more about Hensley and his books via his website and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and his blog. His books are available from Down and Out Books and all major booksellers.
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