Interview with Mel Harrison, author of Crescent City Carnage (An Alex Boyd Thriller)

 

Today it gives the Indie Crime Scene great pleasure to interview Mel Harrison, whose novel Crescent City Carnage had its debut on October 22^nd, 2024.

Crescent City Carnage is a stand-alone in your award-winning Alex Boyd series. Why did you choose to write a stand-alone story?

Like all of my prior five thrillers, Crescent City Carnage can be read as a stand-alone, although I have the same protagonist, Alex Boyd, and his wife, Rachel Smith, in each of them. The difference in this book is the domestic setting, with minimal interaction with the State Department or a US embassy. I choose the domestic setting because Diplomatic Security has a large presence within the United States and I wanted readers to understand this.

There are five installments in the Alex Boyd series so far. How does Crescent City Carnage relate to them?

I have three characters from earlier books, Susan Witt, Simone Ardoin, and Jim Riley. This shows the continuity of life and relationships in the Foreign Service, even if the settings are dramatically different. In each book, the reader can see the evolving bond that Alex and Rachel have for each other, the personal growth and added responsibilities that they have, and that life can be a dangerous struggle, no matter where you are.

Alex Boyd and his wife Rachel Smith are on vacation in New Orleans when a close friend is murdered. What makes them agree to pursue the investigation and why did you choose a US setting for this story?

Alex is a special agent with the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. It is natural for him help investigate a murder of a fellow State Department officer. Moreover, he knew and respected the victim personally. Since Diplomatic Security has a New Orleans office, he knows he can draw on them for support. For Rachel, this is personal. The victim worked for her in Washington and she needs to contribute to the investigation. Because all of my prior stories were set abroad, I wanted to challenge myself to write a story within the environment of the US.

What different challenges do you face researching a novel with a US setting, as opposed to one set overseas?

This is a double edged sword. I am personally familiar with New Orleans, so writing descriptive and factual scenes was not hard. On the other hand, portraying an authentic legal environment with so many US law enforcement agencies was a challenge. Who will take charge, NOPD, the FBI, Diplomatic Security? This was unfamiliar turf. How important are personalities in this setting?

You worked for the US Department of State Foreign Service, and travelled widely. How far has that given you a unique insight into the career of a Special Agent?

I spent the majority of my twenty eight year career as a special agent, either working abroad in US embassies in charge of security or in Washington DC as an office director in Diplomatic Security. I have been involved in counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, VIP protection, criminal investigation, and terrorism reporting. All of these skills are the bread and butter of being a special agent.

What made you decide to write a fictional series drawing on your experience?

I believed that what I worked on and where I lived would make intriguing stories. I felt that readers would love to learn about fighting terrorism or espionage in overseas settings such as Pakistan, Egypt, Italy, or England. They would be fascinated by descriptions of actual living and working conditions overseas, or operating within a diplomatic environment. For Crescent City Carnage, the allure of a unique American city, New Orleans, filled with its own history, food, and culture, is more than enough to kept readers turning the page.

To what extent is Alex Boyd based on you?

There are some similarities, namely a willingness to take risks to accomplish the mission, frustration with mindless bureaucracy and inept employees, professionalism, sporting background, and locations served abroad. But he is a fictional character. Alex is much tougher than me, and he overcomes situations that were much more dangerous than I experienced. And, oh yes, we do have one more thing in common. We both have very smart wives who worked in the Foreign Service, and who also are very good looking.

How do you weave facts together with imagination and what challenges does it pose?

I think weaving facts together is, in part, a gift. My brain just thinks up scenarios and I blend them with situations that I have experienced or that I know about. In all six books, I first write an outline, or at least a partial outline. This helps me stay focused and know where I am headed. It also helps in the creation of characters and their relationship to each other. The challenge is to keep the story fictional, always remembering not to divulge classified material or to bore the reader with facts that don’t move the story forward. Just because something is true doesn’t mean the author must inflict it on the reader.

Do you enjoy reading thrillers and crime novels yourself?

I do enjoy those genres. But I also mix in non-fiction espionage, history, and politics. Moreover, I have always been a current affairs news junkie.

What sort of reader will enjoy your books?

Readers who seek thrilling adventure novels, dangerous situations that protagonists must overcome, settings and food in foreign cultures, and romance between the protagonist and his/her partner.

You must have been present at the time of some world-changing events. How has that affected you as writer?

I realize that not all is as it appears. There is a secret world where deception is the order of the day. Seemingly virtuous people are sometimes lacking in ethics or morality. When faced with deadly or career ending challenges, some will become heroes while others will surprise you with cowardice or poor judgment.

What are you working on now?

I have two completely different book projects that I have written around ten chapters in each. The first is a continuation of the Alex Boyd series, again set in London involving a massive terrorist plot against the UK. However, the other project concerns totally new characters set in Sicily. Furthermore the Sicily book is written in first person rather than third person limited. For the latter, I want to test my ability to change point of view and to create a different protagonist and supporting characters.

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About Mel Harrison:

After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in Economics, Mel Harrison joined the US Department of State Foreign Service, spending the majority of his career in the Diplomatic Security Service. Over the next 28 years, he served in American embassies as either a Special Agent/Regional Security officer or Economic Officer in Saigon, Quito, Rome, London (twice), Islamabad, and Seoul. While in Islamabad, as the Senior Regional Security Officer, he won both the State Department Award for Valor, and its worldwide Regional Security Officer of the Year Award. Following government retirement, Mel spent ten years in corporate security and consulting work with assignments often taking him throughout Latin America and the Middle East. Mel met his wife, Irene, while both served in Quito. Irene, a Foreign Service Management Specialist, and Mel married in Rome, beginning their lifelong love of travel and all things Italian. They now reside in Florida.

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