Traveling the World for THE PURSUIT

One of best parts of beginning a new Fox & O’Hare adventure for me is traveling to the locales where the story will take place. For our new, #1 New York Times bestseller THE PURSUIT, that meant heading off to Honolulu, Antwerp, Paris, Bois-Le-Rois, and Italy’s Amalfi Coast…and also drawing upon on my past experiences in Montreal and Lohr, Germany.

Exploring Honolulu for THE PURSUIT
Exploring Honolulu for THE PURSUIT

The Antwerp diamond heist at the opening of THE PURSUIT is loosely based on a real incident, so I read lots of articles and books on the subject, sought the advice of the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, and visited the scene of the crime for myself. It makes it much easier for me to write about a place and make you feel like you’re there, too, if I’ve experienced it first-hand. That’s because it’s the little details that I discover,  the things that stick in my memory, that make the locales come alive for me when I sit down to write..and, I hope, for you in the retelling.

Nick Fox breaks into that Antwerp building behind me...even though there is a police checkpoint right out front...
Nick Fox breaks into that Antwerp building behind me…even though there is a police checkpoint right out front…

For the two heists in Paris in THE PURSUIT, I scouted locations throughout the city (mostly on foot) before deciding on where all the events should take place…then took hundreds of photos, studied maps, and consulted experts, like an infamous “cataphile” who roams the city’s underground catacombs.

This spot in Paris plays a big role in THE PURSUIT
This spot in Paris plays a big role in THE PURSUIT

I also spent a lot of time in Sorrento, Capri, and Positano Italy soaking up the atmosphere (and plenty of limoncello) looking for the right location for the bad guy’s “vacation home.” I found it during a boat trip from Sorrento to Positano, then fictionalized it to suit my devious creative needs. A day trip to Capri gave me some great historical “background” for an an interesting obsession for the villain and his home. If you’ve read the book, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.  I never would have stumbled on either the location or the historical nugget without making the trip.

Sampling limoncello in Sorrento...one of the many sacrifices I make for my art.
Sampling limoncello in Sorrento…one of the many sacrifices I make for my art.
We didn't end up setting any sequences in Positano in THE PURSUIT...but it's bound to show up in future novels the same way my past trips to Lohr, Germany and Montreal made it into this one.
We didn’t end up setting any sequences in Positano in THE PURSUIT…but it’s bound to show up in future novels the same way my past trips to Lohr, Germany and Montreal made it into this one.

I recently returned from a nearly month-long research trip to Australia and New Zealand for the sixth Fox & O’Hare adventure and I can’t wait to take you there on the page…

Traveling the World for THE SCAM

The Scam, the fourth book in the globetrotting adventures of conman Nick Fox and FBI agent Kate O’Hare, is out this week and the reviews have been terrific. The action takes place in Honolulu, Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Macau… and I traveled to all those locales to get the details right for the book. Here are some photos…

Here I am in Macau...with the Grand Lisboa casino tower in the background
Here I am in Macau…with the Grand Lisboa casino tower in the background
Hong Kong from Victoria Peak
Hong Kong from Victoria Peak

In fact, I’m writing this blog post from a tiny village in France, where I am in the midst of a European trip researching The Pursuit, the fifth book in the series. The new adventure will take place in Honolulu, Antwerp, Paris, Italy and other exotic places…

Nick Fox is goin
Nick Fox is going to rob the Antwerp Diamond District building behind me… even though there is a police checkpoint out front
Arriving at Antwerp Train Station on a research trip for THE PURSUIT
Arriving at Antwerp Train Station on a research trip for THE PURSUIT

Nothing beats “boots on the ground” to get a real feel for a place, and to make it come alive when you’re writing a book…though I think I made the security people suspicious while I was casing the diamond district building in Antwerp. I don’t blame them. I was planning to rob their vault… only in fiction, not reality.

And although I am familiar with Paris (my wife is French), going back to Place Vendome, The Catacombs, and the area around the Pasteur institute really helped me with the details for scenes that Janet and I will be writing soon. I’ll be visiting the sewers soon to visit with a good friend who is the star of a hit French cop show that is shooting a murder scene there for an upcoming episode.

Then it’s off to Italy to do some more research. I travel the world so you don’t have to 🙂