Bruce Robert Coffin was our guest author at our regular monthly meeting on Friday, June 30, 2023.
We read the first book in his series of four police procedurals – Among the Shadows. It was generally well-liked by the group as indicated by the fact that at least 8 participants (of 12 reporting back) said something about wanting to read another in the series. Compared to the group’s feeling about other books, this is a high percentage.
He enjoyed writing short stories in high school, he said, and envisioned himself becoming a writer. But a college professor basically demoralized him, so he looked for another way to make a living. He had a family member that was a police officer, so he thought he would try that.
When he first applied at the Portland Police Department, he was one of more than a hundred applicants for about 6 positions. He said nowadays, the department has vacancies they cannot fill for lack of qualified applicants. They have signing bonuses to get applicants! A surplus of media attention on negative stories about the police do not help recruitment.
He worked for the PPD first as a foot patrol officer, then in car patrol, and so on. But he had an interest and talent for investigation and worked as a detective in many capacities including Internal Affairs and a period of four years where he helped investigate counter-terrorism cases for the FBI, earning the Director’s Award, the highest award a non-agent can receive. Most importantly, he spent some years as a Detective Sergeant (Supervising Detective) of the PPD’s Homicide and Violent Crimes Unit– a position that parallels that of his literary creation, Sergeant Detective John Byron, the series protagonist.
Bruce mentioned that after retiring from law enforcement, he greatly missed having the close camaraderie with fellow officers. There is a tight fellowship for the brothers and sisters in blue. And when you leave… you’re outside the fellowship.
Nevertheless, gradually somewhat replacing that was a community of fellow writers in Maine. Some of these mentored him as he began work on Among the Shadows, after writing a novel he said was of poor quality, not published – a learning experience.
That friendship with other mostly crime fiction writers has gradually spread across the country. In that connection, Bruce mentioned attending crime fiction book events like the New England CrimeBake, Malice Domestic that awards the Agathas, Bouchercon, Left Coast Crime and others.
Following the meeting, eight club participants, along with Bruce Coffin and his wife Karen retreated for more conversations at the Village Restaurant. Unfortunately, we didn’t think of a group picture until nearly all had left.
All Jun 30 activity photos, courtesy of Karen Coffin.
Blurb for Among the Shadows
Fall in Portland, Maine usually arrives as a welcome respite from summer’s sweltering temperatures and, with the tourists gone, a return to normal life—usually. But when a retired cop is murdered, things heat up quickly, setting the city on edge.
Detective Sergeant John Byron, a second-generation cop, is tasked with investigating the case—at the very moment his life is unraveling. On the outs with his department’s upper echelon, separated from his wife, and feeling the strong pull of the bottle, Byron remains all business as he tries to solve the murder of one of their own. And when another ex-Portland PD officer dies under suspicious circumstances, he quickly realizes there’s much more to these cases than meets the eye. The closer Byron gets to the truth, the greater the danger for him and his fellow detectives.
Scenes from Among the Shadows:
Learn More About Coffin and His Books
A Reading Guide with List of Characters and Portland Police Org Chart for Among the Shadows
A review of all of Coffin’s books from a huge fan of Michael Connelly.
