Daniel P. Douglas has released Blood Wing: A Cold War Noir Thriller, the second entry in his Jack Morrison's Blood & Bourbon Mystery Files series, following its selection as a finalist in the inaugural ProWritingAid Novel Beginnings Contest. The novella, available in eBook and paperback, explores themes of justice, McCarthy-era repression, and the erasure of truth by the federal government.
Blood Wing centers on ex-LAPD detective turned private investigator Jack Morrison, who is hired by the family of a Black janitor killed at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach in January 1951. The company dismisses the death as an industrial accident without interviewing the widow, but Morrison's investigation uncovers a Cold War espionage operation and a murder the government will classify out of existence. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the McCarthy era and the Lavender Scare, which purged suspected homosexuals from federal and defense employment.
Douglas, a pen name shared with his identical twin brother Paul, draws on his experience as a U.S. Army veteran and former senior analyst in the U.S. intelligence community to lend authenticity to the conspiracy and thriller elements. The author was a 2014 Foreword Reviews IndieFab Book-of-the-Year Award Finalist in Science Fiction and a Readers' Favorite Award winner.
Selected from 14,570 entries worldwide, Blood Wing advanced through a longlist of 183 to become one of ten finalists in the ProWritingAid Novel Beginnings Contest, judged on opening pages, voice, and character. "Being a finalist for the Novel Beginnings Contest is one of the most meaningful moments in my writing life," Douglas said. "I'm grateful to ProWritingAid, the contest readers, and the judges for recognizing Blood Wing."
The novella, roughly 25,000 words, is a complete story readable in a single sitting and works as an entry point to the series. Readers who want Morrison's first case can find it in Blood Tide: A Harbor Noir Thriller, set on the Los Angeles waterfront. For more information, visit the author's website at https://www.danielpdouglas.com.
