THE BREACH - Diane and David Munson - One Free Book

Welcome, Diane and David. How did this book come about? When we began writing The Breach eighteen months ago, the working title was Justice Unmasked. It is our twelfth novel featuring Federal Agent Eva Montanna and her FBI partner, Griff Topping. Although each of our novels stand alone, our readers have watched Eva adjust to life’s events for the past fifteen years as we’ve written about her exciting and dangerous job, and her devotion to her husband Scott and her three kids. In The Breach, we show what happens when Eva is doxed and the challenges she faces in tracking down her enemies. We show Eva, and Griff too, growing in their Christian faith in the age of corruption, cyberhacking, and cell phone texting, all while they are pursuing justice and trying to protect their families. Because we wrote this during the Covid pandemic, we believed readers would be weary of hearing about masks, so we changed the title from Justice Unmasked, to The Breach. It really fits the storyline perfectly, and we are glad we made the change. Jesus stands in the breach!

Tell us about the book’s cover and what makes it unique. The cover draws the reader into Eva’s fight and also into David’s career as an NCIS and DEA Special Agent where he often wore aviator sunglasses. These sunglasses have become a trademark of Federal agents. Can you picture those dark glasses worn by the Presidential Secret Service Agents? The aviator sunglasses on the cover of The Breach are a special touch, reflecting green (the color of money) computer programming code in one lens and “access granted” in the other. The cover features the U.S. Supreme Court building and the American flag because this thriller peels back layers of intrigue involving a Federal court case and judge as Eva and her fellow agents battle hackers gaining access to our government secrets, Eva’s cell phone, and that of her teenage daughter.

Please explain and differentiate between what’s fact and fiction in the book. In our earlier thriller, The Camelot Conspiracy, which sprang from David’s contribution to the investigation of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, we fictionalized the retelling of the events leading up to Lee Harvey Oswald’s involvement in the killing of Kennedy. So, on the last page of Camelot, we listed the events which were true and those we fictionalized. We did the same thing in Stolen Legacy which included the Monuments Men during WWII. Since we write about real cases and David’s experiences as a Federal agent and Diane’s as a Federal prosecutor, our books are all based on real cases and events, but we fictionalize them by changing names, places, and dates. Much of what we write in our latest novel actually happened to us and/or our colleagues, and is still happening today.

How much research did you have to do for this book? Readers might assume because of our legal/justice careers we’re able to write realistic crime stories without much research. But in fact, all twelve of our thrillers have required considerable research. We want readers to have the most authentic experience possible. This new release incorporates research we did while visiting Israel, our experience of living and working in Washington, DC, as well as our travel and research to Amish communities in Berlin, Ohio, and Nappanee, Indiana. Because John Lapp, a new character who enters the life of our main character, Eva Montanna, we researched a new topic. John Lapp is an agricultural college instructor in Ohio and a computer expert too. We delved into organic farming practices, cybercrime, and also life and customs on Amish farms. Eva discovers John was born into an Amish family and that he advises Amish farmers regarding raising organic crops. We consulted with a cybercrime experts, and were blessed by an Amish friend reading through the Amish portions and suggesting changes.

What are some of the most interesting things you found about this subject that you weren’t able to use in the story? When John Lapp visits an Amish farm for the first time in his life to advise Eli Miller how to grow the best possible organic produce, John learns much about the life he would have known had his mother not left him with an urban Christian family to raise due to her terminal illness. We enjoyed our brief venture into Amish life, but because we write thrillers, this aspect needed to blend in seamlessly with the other sub-plots in The Breach. We cut out several farming scenes though they were vivid reminders to David of his grandfather and wonderful times spent as a child on Grandpa’s farm.

What inspired and surprised you while you were writing the book? The time we spent in Israel, and especially in the Galilee region, the land where Jesus lived and spent much of his ministry, inspired and motivated us throughout the writing of this novel. Also, John Lapp’s character took on a life of its own! We had planned to include him in this thriller, but we were surprised by how much he added.

And on a lighter note, this project brought us each an interesting dynamic. As we wrote about John Lapp helping Eli to learn about growing organic food, Diane became more aware of the benefits of eating organic, especially for a woman’s need to avoid GMO’s and milk additives. At the same time, David’s curious mind saw organic foods as a means for unscrupulous business persons to make increased profits on fraudulently-labeled foods. Now it takes us twice as long to shop for groceries, as there are ongoing tugs-of-war between the grocery shelves and our shopping cart.

What do you hope the reader takes away from the story? Our careers were hectic and at times frightening. We saw threats against ourselves, others, and against the safety of our societal underpinning on a regular basis. In our latest thriller, we write about Eva and Griff facing similar challenges as well as Judah, their Israeli Mossad counterpart. We’ve just celebrated Christmas, and we look forward to Easter, which would not have happened but for Christ coming as an infant. Thankfully, because Jesus the Christ came to redeem mankind, He stepped into The Breach, and we know at the end of each day that God is bigger than any threat and He is in control. He is sovereign. What a wonderful God we serve!

What is the next project you’re working on? We wrote The Breach during the recent pandemic, and we praise God for His help and direction. Our future projects are in His hands. While our careers have given us a seemingly endless supply of danger and excitement from which to launch thrillers, we are praying about the next book as several ideas are germinating. May the Holy Spirit water them and make them grow!

What do you do when you have to get away from the story for a while? When we are not writing, David is a fiddler. He finds endless projects on which to fiddle. Meanwhile, Diane loves to read and do Bible studies. Together, in addition to singing in past church musical productions, we both enjoy driving to new country settings and photographing God’s creation.         

Please give us the first page of the book.

“Guilty! Darin Hilton is guilty!” Judge Reginald Ginsburg pronounced the verdict in such a loud voice, his words bounced around the crowded courtroom like a boomerang.  

“The defendant is guilty on all counts!” the judge bellowed again.

 “I think Ginsburg likes saying the word guilty,” FBI Special Agent Griffin Topping whispered to the federal prosecutor sitting beside him. “But not nearly as much as I enjoy hearing it.”

An eerie silence filled the federal courtroom. Finally, the truth seemed to sink in, with the bevy of court watchers coming alive and gasping, “Arghh!” all at once.

A shrill female voice shouted from behind Griff, “Darin, no!”

“Quiet in the courtroom!” Judge Ginsburg commanded. “Or you will be cleared.”

Griff had been the case agent during the swift two-day trial, and was seated at the prosecutor’s table on the other side of the courtroom from Hilton and his defense lawyer. Reporters dashed out to file reports before the noon news. Griff suppressed a smile in the midst of the swirling chaos.

He glanced at Patrick O’Rourke, the Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA), who’d just chalked up another conviction.

 “Ginsburg gave me fits that he might find Hilton not guilty,” Griff confided to Patrick. “I kept track of how many times he ruled for the defense during the trial.”

The way Patrick stared straight ahead without flinching, Griff decided the AUSA expected the guilty verdict all along. Then Patrick surprised him by saying, “Me too.”

Patrick clenched his hands on the table, his knuckles white, which told Griff the guilty verdict also caught the seasoned AUSA off guard. Griff had even shared with his wife over a hurried cup of coffee this morning that he was concerned the judge might let Hilton off. Dawn shone with her usual beacon of encouragement.

Her words, as she’d filled his coffee mug, floated through his mind: Take heart, darling! I’m praying the judge will discern the truth of the evidence and find justice.

Griff’s wife often prayed for him to be safe while doing his dangerous job, and she lived out her faith in the trenches, too. As a federal probation officer, she worked for Judge Ginsburg and other judges in the courthouse to ensure convicted defendants adhered to judicial orders of incarceration and supervision. Dawn would be thrilled to know her prayers were answered.

How can readers find you on the Internet? Our website at http://www.dianeanddavidmunson.com/ contains more information about us, as well as a subscription link for our newsletter, a description of our earlier books, and the option to get autographed copies of each one. For those who want to get an iTunes or Nook version they are available at iTunes, Barnes and Noble, or the Kindle and print version are available at Amazon.com.

Our FaceBook author page is: https://www.facebook.com/Diane-and-David-Munson-143446772367345

Thank you, Diane and David, for once again allowing me to feature one of your wonderful suspense novels with my blog readers. I’m eager to read it, and my husband will red it as well.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/3pB9NwR - Paperback

https://amzn.to/2WTSyu6 - Kindle

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