Caine: Rapid Fire is here!
Cold Kill launches this week, and the re-branding of Devil’s Due is complete. The original, fast paced Caine adventure is back with new covers, and a newly edited edition for 2018! But what exactly is Caine: Rapid Fire?
A few people have asked me what this new series is about. And the answer is… Just about anything!
I know that may sound like a joke, but the truth is, I started the Rapid Fire series for a few reasons, and the biggest one was flexibility… I wanted a series of books where I could tell any story that sprang to mind about Caine, his allies, or even his enemies. And I wanted the ability to get them to readers as fast as possible!
The result was a series of lightning-paced, fast reading tales of espionage, crime, and revenge. I’ll still be writing longer Caine novels, of course, like Red Phoenix and Fire and Forget (I’m working on Caine novel #4 right now!) But these Rapid Fire books are quick reads you can devour in a single sitting, or sip a few pages at a time on the way to work, or before bed. These aren’t short stories… each novella is around 140 pages. Just enough, I think, to dive in, take a quick mental vacation, and enjoy some thrills and suspense.
And it all started with the idea for Cold Kill… I have been dying to tell this story ever since I finished writing Devil’s Due. When I typed the final words of that story, I instantly knew that Caine would be traveling to Russia in the near future. But that story was set in Caine’s past. The following novels all took Caine’s search for redemption forward in time. I thought it might seem confusing or anti-climatic to jump around, and go back to Caine’s exile in Thailand.
But a separate series could do that. Each Rapid Fire book is self contained, and they will all be set before the events of Tokyo Black. The novella format allows me to fill in the gaps of Caine’s mysterious past, and explore other characters that have drifted in and out of his life. And I can jump to any part of his history I like… His time working as a smuggler in Thailand, or as a paramilitary officer in the CIA’s Special Operations Group. Or even his years spent undercover in Tokyo, Japan.
And finally, having a new series gives me the ability to collaborate and work with other writers… there are so many awesome thriller authors out there, and some of them have pitched me ideas for Caine stories that I know you guys will love. These shorter books are the perfect place to experiment, and experience new styles and viewpoints that will keep Caine’s world fresh and exciting for years to come.
Many of you know I’m a huge fan of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond novels. Well, the other day, I was checking the print proof for Cold Kill, and I realized its almost exactly the same length as Casino Royale, the spy novel that started it all! That wasn’t something I did on purpose, but I do think it’s the perfect size for a relentless action tale like this. So at least I know I’m in good company…
I hope you all enjoy Cold Kill. And stay tuned – more Caine novels, and more Caine: Rapid Fire action are heading your way very soon!