Book Talk with Leslie Wolfe

Leslie Wolfe is a bestselling author whose novels break the mold of traditional thrillers. She creates unforgettable, brilliant, strong women heroes who deliver fast-paced, satisfying suspense, backed up by extensive background research in technology and psychology.

Leslie released the first novel, Executive, in October 2011. It was very well received, including inquiries from Hollywood. Since then, Leslie published numerous novels and enjoyed growing success and recognition in the marketplace. Among Leslie’s most notable works, The Watson Girl (2017) was recognized for offering a unique insight into the mind of a serial killer and a rarely seen first person account of his actions, in a dramatic and intense procedural thriller.

What is Las Vegas Crime about?

A detective’s worst nightmare comes true when his daughter is daringly kidnapped from her school, minutes after being dropped off, a frenzied search begins, involving the entire police force of a city that never sleeps. But for Detectives Baxter and Holt this isn’t a crime like any other; it is personal.

This team of Las Vegas detectives trust each other with their lives, only not with their deepest, darkest secrets. Together, they frantically search for the missing teenager, while all the leads take them to a serial killer’s gruesome killing fields.

What would readers remember after they finish reading the book?

There’s a hidden side to every one of us, a part that only we know about, that’s important to us, and that we wish to keep a secret. That hidden side of us is what makes us who we are, what makes us great at what we do. And that hidden side of us is what we, on rare occasions, allow into the open as a sacrifice needed to help those we care the most about.

Your writing style is fast, filled with dialogue, almost at the expense of descriptives and narratives. Why is that?

This is how human beings interact, especially when under pressure or stress. We stop paying attention to our surroundings, and focus on the task at hand. People interact with one another, talk to one another, and have feelings for one another and for everything we do. That’s what I’m focused on, rather than specifying each article of clothing someone wears, or the color of the flower vase in an office somewhere. This technique isn’t necessarily good or bad; just somewhat different from mainstream.

What’s the biggest compliment you received from a fan?

It’s when readers tell me they stay up all night to finish the book, because they couldn’t put it down. That’s music to my ears J Like any other artist and entertainer, I thrive knowing that I deliver that escape into the fictional world in a grasping, addictive, and memorable way.

You mentioned science, technology, psychology. How do you keep it real?

I do extensive amounts of research for my work, and I’m fascinated by what I have the opportunity to learn. Additionally, sections of my books go through a process of validation at the hands of several fantastic partners who are law enforcement officers, attorneys, scientists, doctors in medicine. In Dawn Girl, for example, there are sections that speak about using certain plant extracts and animal venoms to achieve certain goals. Despite the extensive research, my hands were shaking a little as I wrote them, metaphorically speaking, and I was relieved when my research “passed scientific review.”

In the entire Las Vegas Crime Series, I had the privilege to enjoy the assistance of three fantastic friends: New York’s best criminal attorney, an expert in casino gambling who spent his entire career in Las Vegas, and the most talented fashion director I’ve ever met. I’m grateful to all of them for lending me their edge.

Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

Apart from social media and email interactions, I’m a veritable recluse. Email is the best and quickest way to reach me, and I was fortunate to build true friendships with readers over email. The majority of my readers ask me when’s the next book coming out, not when I’m getting out of the house, so I get the hint and keep on writing.

Is Las Vegas Crime going to be continued?

This book is the third in the Las Vegas Crime Series, and I left room for a sequel, if the public will demand it. So far, this series has been very well received by the readers, and my fans have been adamant: they want more.

About the Book

Las Vegas Crime Baxter and Holt Book 3 by Leslie Wolfe
Genre: Crime Suspense Thriller

Synopsis

Detectives Laura Baxter and Jack Holt are members of the elite: Las Vegas Metro PD, one of the toughest and most respected law enforcement agencies in the United States. In the middle of a city with two million residents and 43 million annual visitors, they’re searching for a missing girl and the ruthless killers who snatched her.

The girl: gone

When a teenage girl is daringly kidnapped from her school, minutes after being dropped off, a frenzied search begins, involving the entire police force of a city that never sleeps. But for Detectives Baxter and Holt this isn’t a crime like any other; it is personal.

The crimes: terrifying

A bold and merciless serial killer preys on young girls and leaves them out to die in the cold and dreadful expanse of the Mojave Desert, unable to move, to scream, to fight for their lives.

The choice: impossible

Now Detective Holt is faced with an agonizing decision: he can sacrifice all that he holds dear or jeopardize the life of an innocent girl, his own flesh and blood. The man holding all the cards in this game of life and death isn’t willing to negotiate; he’s only willing to kill.

In Las Vegas, few things end well.

Two mavericks form an intriguing team. Baxter and Holt trust each other with their lives, just not with their secret plans.

Raves!

“Simply love Leslie Wolfe! The Baxter-Holt series is one of the best in the genre! This was a great story that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Cannot wait until the next one, Las Vegas Crime, coming in November. Keep writing them, Leslie!”

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