A New Detective Crime Novel!!

Her scream echoed off the rotunda walls of the near empty Oregon State Capitol Building. This was not the conclusion to her life that she had expected or deserved. She had worked so hard to graduate from law school, to pass the Bar exam, and to land a prestigious job with a powerful state senator. Her dream was to live a fulfilling life that included a career, marriage, and children.

An early death was not something that 25 year old Melissa Walker had ever contemplated -- until now. As she continued her sickening 100 foot free fall through the air, she felt as though she had been catapulted into a state of near timelessness. Her entire life seemed to flash before her eyes.

She remembered the little black lamb that her daddy had brought home one Sunday afternoon when she was barely two years old. Her daddy, Albert Walker, was the Sunday school superintendant at her church. He had borrowed the lamb from the local zoo. He wanted to create a memorable Sunday school lesson for the church children. The lesson was about Jesus being a good shepherd.

Her mind then flashed to riding in the old Studebaker pickup truck that her daddy used to drive. She recalled looking through the holes in the floorboard near the gear shift lever and seeing the pavement fly by underneath her feet. Once in a while, her daddy would place her in his lap and let her steer. He took her to all kinds of places when she was a kid -- to the hardware store, to the plant nursery, to his office, and to the Dairy Queen for a soft ice cream cone.

She then flashed to her big brother. Sure, they fought like cats and dogs in their adolescence, but underneath their sibbling rivalry there was loyalty. She loved her brother. "How will he cope with my death?" she wondered. She felt empathy for him.

Of course, her mamma flooded her thoughts too. She could remember her mamma holding her against her soft chest. Her mamma would often rescue her when she had trouble falling asleep at night. She'd carry her in her arms down the first flight of stairs and into the kitchen. She'd then hold her on her hip with one arm while standing in the front of the Sears Kenmore stove to heat some milk for her.

The movie of her life neared conclusion as it displayed her high school and college years, her graduation from law school, and her recent passage of the Bar exam. She was glad that her family had celebrated those moments with her.

Just before impact, she found herself at peace. She imparted these thoughts: "I am ready. I accept my fate. I forgive my transgressor."

Interviewer: How long did it take you to write the book?
Kirk: Surprisingly, not long at all. I started it in October 2006 and was finished in February 2007. The initial writing was the fun part. I found that it was a creative process that took hold. The subsequent editing and refining was the not so fun part and it took much longer -- over two years!

Interviewer: The plot is interesting, how did you develop it?
Kirk: Like I said, it was a purely creative process. I just had the idea of a mysterious murder of a young woman in the Oregon State Capitol Building. I also had the vision of a certain type of protagonist -- a local cop about my age, who was tough as nails, but who was also vulnerable and jaded.

Interviewer: Could that be a description of you?
Kirk: (Laughing) Well, yes and no. But, that's an interesting question. You know, what are the building blocks of a person's imagination and creativity? Even though it's fiction, to succeed it has to be believable. Personally, I know that I've got a good book in my hand when I find myself identifying with the emotions and actions of the characters -- even the villain. I think that's how people get hooked. And I also think that the essence of good fiction is to entertain and to provide the reader with a pleasant escape from the humdrum of life.

Interviewer: So, are the characters based on real people or experiences?
Kirk: It's fiction, purely from my imagination. So, no, the portrayals are not based on actual individuals. But, like any author, my imagination and ideas are a product of my life experiences. So, I've woven in real life events and some of my traits, as well as things that I've experienced, imagined, or observed over 51 years.

Interviewer: The book has a lot of dialogue that seems very real.
Kirk: Thanks. I just tried to write the exchanges as I imagined that they'd really take place. To do that, I had to sometimes force myself to write as we talk. When we talk, the words come rolling out and we often use slang.

Interviewer: You've also included themes other than classic "whodunit" crime solving, such as aviation.
Kirk: Yes, that's right. There are elements of aviation, romance, and even a bit of mysticism. One of my favorite parts of the book is the section near the end involving the old Indian shaman. Honestly, it gives me goose bumps everytime I read it -- and I wrote the book!

Interviewer: Do you plan on future books featuring the protagonist, Detective Jack Davis?
Kirk: Yes, in fact, I have another book started. I've received very positive feedback about Capitol Crimes. So, if the book does well, you'll be seeing more books featuring 'ol Jack.

Interviewer: I see that you've self published the book. How has that worked for you?
Kirk: Pretty well, thanks. Initially, I traveled down the traditional path of sending out dozens of cold query letters to agents that I'd never met. The one agent that I did meet expressed interest in Capitol Crimes and actually reviewed part of the manuscript. But, in the end, I was left with a file full of rejection letters. Today, there are a ton of self publishing and internet options that extraordinary authors didn't have access to just a few short years ago. In fact, while deciding to self publish I learned that John Grisham was initially forced to publish A Time To Kill with a small outfit that printed only 5,000 copies. He apparently bought many of the copies himself and then drove around the State of Mississippi selling them out of the trunk of Honda!

Interviewer: When can we expect to see your book in print and how can it be purchased?
Kirk: It should be available by the end of July 2009. The publisher will print the book on demand. It can be ordered through its website, authorhouse.com, through on-line sellers such as Amazon, or through bookstores. Readers can save money, however, buy ordering it through the authorhouse.com site.

Interviewer: Okay, well, I enjoyed reading the book and I'll look forward to another book featuring Jack Davis.
Kirk: Hey, thanks. I guess I'd better get workin' on it.

Capitol Crimes was published in late August 2009. Here are the early book reviews:

(1) "Life passed through her eyes as she fell 100 feet to her death. What a great line. Melissa Walker, only 25 and already a legislative intern -- a gal that was going places. In this story Jack a homicide detective and his partner Eva make a great crime fighting team going against all the mystery and intrigue. This book has everything from politics, sex, drugs, espionage, and . . and . . and to keep you reading and turning pages until the end. Capital Crimes by KL Spangler is one you won't be sorry you picked up.

(2) [T]he story line/book was excellent -- liked the idea of a murder of a 25 year old that actually plunged 100 feet to her death -- this was an excellent way to open the book -- especially since you know that this type of murder is going to, absolutely, garner lots and lots of attention! The basic nitty-gritty storyline was great, I enjoyed the relationship between Jack and Eva and the story is a real thriller moving at a quick and fast pace. * * * [T]his was an entertaining read.

(3) The book Capitol Crimes by KL Spangler is a fast paced, action packed journey into the world of politics, drugs, sex, and murder. * * * Just when you think you know who has committed this horrible crime, there is another plot twist and you are left guessing again. This exciting pager turner draws you in and doesn't let go until the very end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to read a good murder mystery.

(4) I will put this detective novel in the category of comfort food and I love comfort food! The characters and the fast paced action remind me of the detective stories that I grew up with. They gave me peace of mind then and still do. I found myself being drawn in by the mystery , intrigue, and suspense that KL Spangler has created with these pages. If you like good detective stories and the action to move at a rapid pace, then you should like this novel.

(5) I enjoyed the book. I can usually figure out 'who done it' before I get half way thru the book, but, I was unable to figure it out until I read it in yours. You did an excellent job of keeping that fact covered up. * * * I really liked the book and am now looking forward to the sequel.

(6) Capitol Crimes was "gifted" to me as I was forced to spend a few days in the hospital! Little did I know (having never spent a night in a hospital!), how PERFECT this gift was to become. Kirk Spangler has had a career around law enforcement and the justice system and it shows in this, his first novel! Capitol Crimes unfolds with one amazing twist after another. The plot takes one turn in the very first chapter and, by the second chapter I was hooked! Considering Mr. S' experience, I suppose I should not have been surprised!
I needed fast action and a compelling story to keep me reading while I was punctured and queried by various professionals! THIS BOOK DID IT!! I managed to travel along with Jack, get to know his partner, Eva, enjoy a cup of coffee and ponder "who done it?". . . all the while never leaving my "hospitality bed."
Let it be known, I would NEVER have guessed who really did it . . . AND I did wait tho' I was tempted to turn to that last chapter many times during this read! Thanx, Mr. Spangler, for helping me thru a challenging time . . . I look forward to your next publication!

Discover High Flying Crime in "Capitol Crimes"

What do you get when you mix a powerful state senator and a fresh intern? The perfect setting for murder, political intrigue and a gruesome killing that set the stage for "Capitol Crimes", this season's newest thriller from first time author K.L. Spangler.

Law school graduate Melissa Walker had a bright future in front of her. With the ink still drying on her law degree and an internship in place with a powerful state senator, she was going places. Nobody expected her to wind up dead in the middle of the Oregon State Capitol Building, least of all Salem homicide detective Jack Davis.

Detective Davis hates killers -- almost as much as bureaucrats. This murder reeks of both, and before long the cynical detective finds himself tied up in a distasteful web of lies, political cover-up and government espionage.

When the senator flees to Bogota, Columbia, all fingers point at him. As Jack and his partner, Eva Tolento, follow the trail of evidence they quickly discover, however, that everything isn't as it appears. The search for an elusive killer, and the truth of what really happened the night the innocent young intern was killed, leads Jack and Eva into the heart of Zuni, New Mexico and the doorstep of an Indian Shaman who knows a lot more than he's letting on.

Returning to Oregon, Jack and Eva discover that the investigation has taken some interesting and unexpected turns -- and the two of them might not be the hunters anymore.

A former commercial pilot and flight instructor and a graduate of the University of Washington and the Willamette College of Law, K.L. Spangler currently serves as an administrative law judge in Salem, Oregon.

The word is, there's another book in the works for Detective Jack Davis and his lovely partner.

"I've received very positive feedback about Capitol Crimes," say Spangler. "So, if the book does well, you'll be seeing more books featurning ol' Jack."

Capitol Crimes is available through Authorhouse.com, Amazon.com and anywhere book are sold. For more information visit http://www.squidoo.com/salem-oregon-detective-crime-novel.

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