We’ve launched a new series over here called Book Shots. It features some of the top mystery writers working today. No one has time to doom scroll endlessly to find a YouTube clip of an interview. We’re giving you quick Book Shots of authors and their newly released books.

Some may be familiar faces, and others–well, you might just find your new favorite author. You may have caught the interview with Nancy Cole Silverman.

So, sit back, relax, and pour yourself the libation of your choice and enjoy Book Shots with Author Bruce Robert Coffin.

Bruce Robert Coffin is an international bestselling novelist and short story writer. A retired police detective sergeant with more than twenty-seven years in law enforcement, Bruce supervised all homicide and violent crime investigations for Maine’s largest city. Following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, Bruce spent four years investigating counter-terrorism cases for the FBI, earning the Director’s Award, the highest award a non-agent can receive.

He is the author of the Detective Byron Mysteries, co-author of The Turner and Mosley Files along with bestselling author LynDee Walker, and author of the new Detective Justice Mysteries.

Winner of Killer Nashville‘s Silver Falchion Awards for Best Procedural, Best Investigator, and the Maine Literary Award for Best Crime Fiction Novel, Bruce was also a finalist for the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. His Anthony Award nominated short fiction appears in more than fifteen anthologies, including Best American Mystery Stories 2016.

Bruce has a new series, and the first title in the Detective Justice stories is Crimson Thaw. The second in the series, Bitter Fall, is set for release in January. What better time to get to know this great new police procedural series.

Q: I enjoyed your Turner and Mosley Files series of action-adventure novels. They had a very cool Clive Cussler vibe going on. But I’m thrilled to see you back in the police procedural space. Detective Brock Justice makes his appearance in Crimson Thaw, and he’s very different from the John Byron novels, isn’t he?

Thanks! LynDee and I really enjoyed writing the Turner and Mosley Files.

As for Detective Justice, yes, I think he is a much different character from John Byron, and on a completely different career trajectory. When we first meet Brock he is the rising star of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South, solving homicides and earning respect from his fellow troopers and detectives alike. But then he makes an ill fated decision that nearly costs him his life. The result is Brock testifying in court against a friend and fellow trooper then being reassigned to northern Maine, the last place he wants to work.

Q: At the core of Crimson Thaw is Detective Justice’s assignment to a remote unit after crossing what some call the Thin Blue Line. I’ve experienced the Green Wall in my former life. How would a detective like Justice respond to this phenomenon?

It really depends on the detective. Some might throw in the towel, or continue in the job but give the bare minimum. But Brock is a fighter and he maintains a high moral standard when it comes to policing. While he understands that not everything is black and white, in his mind there is little room for moral ambiguity in policing. The end result of his decision is that he finds himself a pariah among the MSP rank and file. As in real life the doing right thing often proves costly.

Q: Maine’s frigid setting becomes a character in Crimson Thaw to the point I had to put on a heavier sweater while I was reading. How important is setting as you’re writing, and why did you choose Maine?

I think setting is extremely important, especially when it is an interesting one. I’m not sure I fully appreciated setting until I began reading James Lee Burke’s Robicheaux series and subsequently fell in love with Burke’s descriptions of New Iberia Parish. The Robicheaux series is literally a love letter to Louisiana and the Greater New Orleans region.

I chose Maine because it’s my home. I’ve lived here my entire life and can truly say there is no place quite like the Pine Tree State. We have everything from popular vacation destinations, majestic mountains,  pristine beaches, and some of the most remote unincorporated townships imaginable. Maine’s weather, terrain, even its people are hardy and unpredictable. I had explored Portland with my Byron series, but with Justice I wanted to branch out and shine a literary light on the less populated areas of the state. Some of these locales will be familiar to readers, while others will feel more like distant lands.

Q: You definitely have the street cred to write a complex police procedural. Have you found that knowing how the systems and processes actually work gets in the way of writing crime fiction?

It’s funny that you would ask that as it has been a topic of recent discussion. The short answer is yes. While I try and stick as close as I can to the way real cases are investigated, sometimes I’m forced to take liberties in order to fit the story into the confines of four hundred or so pages. As I’m sure you know from your own law enforcement experience, if I wrote it exactly as it happens the stories wouldn’t be nearly as exciting.

Q: What was the hardest part about writing a new character to kick off a new series?

Probably getting to know Brock Justice and Chloe Wright. As with John Byron, I knew who I wanted Brock to be, but he didn’t truly reveal himself until I began to write him on the page. I suspect we will learn something new about Brock and Chloe in every book.

Q: What’s coming next for you?

Up next is the January 13th release of Justice #2, Bitter Fall, set in the town of Greenville. Following that will be the May release of the final Turner and Mosley novel, The Emperor’s Palace.

Finally, my readers can look forward to a long run of Justice novels as we just finalized the details on a contract with Severn River Publishing to extend the series from four books to eight!

Here’s where you can find your copy–and you should!

Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop.org

Let Bruce know what you think about his latest, or leave a question for him in the comments below.

Hope you enjoyed Book Shots, please keep checking back and give me your recommended mystery authors for a future session. Up next will be Daniella Barnett with her new mystery, Secrets Lie in Wait.

Book Shots

Illusion of Truth pre-orders available now. Releases on January 6th, 2026

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org