Derek Catron

Introducing

My newest book

FINAL DEADLINE

When the day starts, newspaper editor Becket’s publisher wants to fire him. His staff lives in dread of the next layoff. And the woman he loves may be leaving before he can tell her how he feels.

Then three men brandishing AR-15s burst into his newsroom, demanding the newspaper print a manifesto reeking of conspiracy theories—or they will kill everyone. Can Becket outwit his foes and unpeel the mystery over what’s really behind the attack before the night erupts into murder?

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A modern suspense-thriller

YOSEMITE LIES

Two women camping in the vastness of Yosemite National Park seek an escape from worldly troubles: disappointing job and love prospects for Kate, a pending divorce with a fortune at stake for Veronica. Yet menace stalks them from the outset. They cross paths with a handsome hiker with a mysterious past. Two strangers intrude on their isolated campsite. As the danger ratchets up, Kate and Veronica realize the secrets they’ve kept from each other may pose the greatest threat of all.

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First Josey Angel Novel

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Second Josey Angel Novel

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Third Josey Angel Novel

AVENGING ANGEL

When a rash of shocking raids threatens the hope for peace on the Bozeman Trail, Josey and Annabelle ride into the fray to seek an accord with the rising Sioux leader Crazy Horse. The wary Sioux pose but one threat; also lurking is a gunfighter who blames Josey for the death of his son in the war, and a scientist whose views of human origins are as disturbing as his hulking henchman and army of mercenaries. All forces converge in a bloody, fiery climax, where Josey and Annabelle will need more than their fast-firing rifles to protect those they love and solve a mystery that threatens to betray all their efforts.

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Derek's Catron wrote the Josey Angel trilogy of historical Westerns — with more books on the way.

Derek Catron

2 weeks ago

I love meeting with book clubs when I can, and this group is always a good time, filled with inquisitive and thoughtful readers. While it’s fun to talk about my books, it’s also instructive to hear which characters and aspects of the story move them the most. With “Final Deadline,” I’ve been surprised how enthusiastically book club members responded to sections about private equity firms and the corporate ownership of newspapers. For a book that’s intended to be, as Kirkus called it, an “exhilarating thriller,” I was wary of testing readers’ patience by going too deeply into the economic theories that motivated some of the action. Turns out these are issues that resonated with book club members — so many had personal stories about effects they’ve seen in their own lives. Hearing from them has been a wonderful validation that there is a market for smart books that leave readers with something to ponder even after they’ve finished the last page. ... See MoreSee Less

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Derek Catron is attending an event.

4 weeks ago

To prepare for the Valentine’s Day-themed Boozy Book Fair Wednesday night at Ormond Brewing Company, we’re counting down the most romantic moments from my five novels. Last up, from “Final Deadline,” after fearing for their lives during a hostage situation, Becket confesses his feelings for Laura.“Laura, I should have asked you out weeks ago. I told myself I didn’t want you to compromise your ambitions for me, but, honestly, I was just scared of how much it would hurt when your job took you away. I realize now, and I’m no longer afraid to say it: even a day spent loving you would be worth whatever heartache I risked if I had to let you go.”She turned her face from his, and her silence extended long enough for him to wonder if his whispered words went unheard or, worse, unwelcomed. When she looked back to him, her eyes brimmed with emotion. Her hand on his arm pulled him closer.“No one’s asking you to let go.”There was nothing left to say, even for people who cherished words as much as they did. She so absorbed his thoughts that he forgot where he was. He closed the distance between them. Their lips met in the lightest of kisses, lingering, breath mingling, tasting the sweet anticipation of the next one and not wanting to deny themselves even that pleasure.On looking into her eyes, Becket saw his own face reflected there—wearing an expression of delight to be so close to her. Her face was drawn and pale. Her loose hair hung about her head in a frenzy. She appeared as exhausted as he felt. No one had ever looked more beautiful to him. ... See MoreSee Less

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1 month ago

To prepare for the Valentine’s Day-themed Boozy Book Fair Wednesday night at Ormond Brewing Company, we’re counting down the most romantic moments from my five novels. Next up, from “Yosemite Lies,” Kate begins to trust Nash, who’s been hiking the country to escape from the worldThough she’d known this man less than twenty-four hours, she felt she understood him better than she did many of the people she called friends. He was certainly more interesting than most of them. Yet it was her habit to shy away from easy intimacies, in the same way she questioned the value of a sales item with a suspiciously low price.“I should have asked before we started if my health insurance covers this much therapy,” she quipped. Feeling the second-guessing part of her brain clicking on, she sought to change the subject, hoped he might begin talking about himself.Nash reached out and took her hand. He said, “Don’t.”“What?”“Don’t stop talking now.”His dark eyes reflecting the firelight looked as big as a setting sun over the ocean, and she felt a pull like gravity toward him. It might be smart to stop talking about my boyfriend, she thought. She had been wrong before about the people she opened herself to. Thad, she understood now, was a mistake, but a benign one. There had been no dramatic break, no betrayal, just a steady erosion of expectations until Kate had to compromise who she was to be with him. Thad had never tried to hurt her, and she’d rewarded him as if that earned him some kind of credit in her affections. It didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t give her what she wanted, that she deserved more from a man than to not be hurt by him. Thad could talk all day, pleasantly, often entertainingly, yet for all his words he never shared as much of himself as Nash had done last night. When they spoke, Nash felt present in the moment in a way Thad never did.“You have to be tired of—”“No. I’m not.” She cupped his cheek in her hand and studied his face. He didn’t avert his gaze. She was so used to men who stood at angles so a woman saw only what they wanted to display, an image of manufactured perfection that left them annoyed if anyone tried to peek beyond what they presented to the world. Here was a man who readily confessed his gravest sins, without asking for forgiveness, only understanding.His lips compressed before he spoke, hesitantly, as if the words he sought floated over him like the ash swept up by the fire’s rising heat. “I wish I knew why you act like you owe something to the world, Kate, when it ought to be the other way around. You’re stronger than you think. Braver than you imagine.”“You’re just saying that because you want to see me naked.”As he laughed, he looked away, and Kate chided herself for the need to defuse such a promising moment with humor. She nudged him with her shoulder, a playful touch, though her body felt it like a jolt of electricity. When he faced her again, the gravity took her. She closed her eyes, glad she had brushed her teeth after dinner. His hand brushed a strand of hair from her face.“Are you sure about this? You hiked to get away from the world.” She regretted the question before all the words were even out of her mouth. She felt like she couldn’t stop sabotaging the moment. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why—”Before she could finish the thought, he leaned in for the lightest of kisses. “Maybe I’ve been away long enough.” ... See MoreSee Less

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1 month ago

To prepare for the Valentine’s Day-themed Boozy Book Fair Wednesday night at Ormond Brewing Company, we’re counting down the most romantic moments from my five novels. Next up, from “Avenging Angel,” Josey reflects on what it means to be a man besotted.Give a man everything he ever wanted and you hand him something else unwelcomed—the fear that comes from knowing he can lose it all.No one had ever explained this contradiction to him, had even told him it existed. Before meeting Annabelle, Josey felt his life had been spent learning all a man could know about death, so love was a continuous revelation. It still seemed unreal at times that she could love him. Even after two years, he still had much to learn about even the most natural aspects of relations between a man and woman. His parents had been affectionate but not demonstrative, so the rules of engagement were unfamiliar to him. When was it appropriate to touch or squeeze or any of the other things he longed to do? Alone in the dark it was easy to discern boundaries, but these weren’t the only times he desired her. At dinner with her family, for instance, he found pleasure in watching how she moved. He longed to draw her close and feel her body through her thin calico dress. He submersed himself in his desire, like diving into a deep pool, allowing the pressure to build until he felt his lungs would burst from it, anticipating its release like the first sweet draw of breath. At times like these, all she had to do was reach out and touch the bare skin at his wrist and he felt a charge through his body. She knew it, too, and delighted in drawing him on, a brush of fingers against his trousered leg, a musical laugh that led her to lean her head close to his so that he could feel her breath on his neck. His eyes followed wherever she went.When she was feeling delightfully indecent—or merely sympathetic to his pangs—her eyes would find his in an implicit invitation. She would invent an excuse to slip away from the room where company gathered while he bided his time, pulse racing, breath shallow, before following. He would find her waiting in another room and they would come together in a breathless rush. His hands caressing her face, pushing her hair back, lips sealed so that their breaths became one. Her body pressed to his as if to defy the cloth that separated them. A stolen moment or two. He was never certain if she meant to whet his appetite or if she sensed his need for some release of the building pressure. For when she pulled away, he could not discern whether sweet sympathy or playful wickedness infused her smile. Either way, it left him jelly-legged and drunk with the happiness of a man besotted. ... See MoreSee Less

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1 month ago

To prepare for the Valentine’s Day-themed Boozy Book Fair Wednesday night at Ormond Brewing Company, we’re counting down the most romantic moments from my five novels. Next up, from “Angel Falls,” Annabelle and Josey’s reunion after fearing they might be killed.Josey stroked Annabelle’s thigh, watching the skin dimple beneath his touch in the cool air. He wasn’t certain how much time had passed. The oil was low in the lamp. The light from the window had shifted across the room, transforming from gold to silver.“I’ve walked halfway across the country and survived capture by Indians, yet you touch me like I’m made out of china or something precious and fragile.”“You are precious to me.”“Stop.” She rolled her eyes, an expression that told him: don’t stop.“I mean it.” He used all the fingers on one hand now, tracing the ridge of muscle that extended from her knee. “How many times have you touched your leg? A thousand?”“In my lifetime? I don’t know.”“If you had a thousand emeralds, no single one would be precious to you. If you had just one, you would cherish it.”“I don’t think it’s the same thing.”“Close enough.” He closed his hand over her thigh, feeling the skin alive beneath his stroke. “I haven’t touched your leg a thousand times. Every time I do feels like the first.”“My leg is no different than any other.”“It’s unique to me by the fact that I may touch it.”“You’ve never touched another leg?” Her voice held a playful quality, but he tacked away from that shoal.“Every time I caress you, I notice things I hadn’t before. Like how soft the skin is at first touch. How taut the muscle is beneath the skin when I grab hold.” He held her thigh with a soft grip that turned into another stroke.“I had no idea legs fascinated you so.”“It’s not just legs.” His hand moved in demonstration. The sound she made reminded him of a purr. … ... See MoreSee Less

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Derek Catron

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FINAL DEADLINE

YOSEMITE LIES

TRAIL ANGEL

ANGEL FALLS

AVENGING ANGEL

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