In the college town where I live, we’re enjoying the last quiet days before the students come back to town and double our population. The last two weeks of August are crazy around here, with returning students outfitting their apartments, catching up with friends, and looking for jobs before school starts. We try to stay away from big box stores until everyone settles in.

So here we are savoring the so-called dog days of summer. “Dog days” makes me think of crime thrillers that involve dogs, which reminds me of Robert Crais’ novel Suspect, which concerns police officer Scott James and his K-9 dog. You may know Robert Crais for his Elvis Cole/ Joe Pike books, but this thriller was the first one of his I ever read. Lots of fun, and an interesting take on how dogs think. If you haven’t read it, you might want to check it out, particularly if you’re a dog lover.

Over the last month, while doing research about phone tapping for the new Travelers book, I came across the use of fake cell towers to compromise a target’s cell phone. These devices are called Stingrays, and they’re used by law enforcement and bad actors. They put out a strong signal in a small area, so they have to be placed near the target (A drug house, for example). The target’s phone thinks the Stingray is a regular cell tower, and the cops (or crooks) can gain access to the info on the phone. Here’s an article: https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/stingray-tracking-devices-whos-got-them

Finally, I found another free ebook opportunity. Fill Your eReader With Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense eBooksis running until 15 August. There are over 40 eBooks on this list, all free with an email list signup. Three or four of these books may be repeats from another giveaway, but most I haven’t seen before. So here’s a chance to get some free reading to carry you through the rest of summer. https://books.bookfunnel.com/free-thrillers-mystery-suspense-ebooks/1hxolxti9f

Happy reading!

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