Robert Bailey is the bestselling author of the McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers series, which includes The Final Reckoning, The Last Trial, Between Black and White, and The Professor. The first two novels in the series were Beverly Hills Book Awards legal thriller of the year winners, and Between Black and White was a finalist for the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year.

Q: What five words would you use to describe The Boomerang? 

Robert: Emotional, frightening, hopeful, thrilling and inspiring. 

Q: The Boomerang is your 11th novel. How is writing your 11th novel different from the first few books you wrote. Is the process easier, smoother, different? 

Robert: The process is different. In some ways, it’s easier because I feel I’ve improved as a writer and storyteller. On the flipside, it is also harder because I read my own work with a more critical eye now, and when a scene doesn’t pop like I want it to pop, I’m much more aware of it. My process has evolved from being a total pantser when I wrote my first novel to now writing a fairly loose synopsis that gives me a general roadmap for the story before beginning my first draft.

Q: The Boomerang is a political, conspiracy thriller that features a fast-paced road trip across the country. What kind of research was involved to get all the pieces into place for the road trip? 

Robert: I went to New Mexico to make sure the scenes in that region felt authentic. I wanted to feature some landmark spots in Albuquerque. I also did some research on the role of the chief of staff in the White House and the different departments of government so that I would have the right people involved in the fictional Project Boomerang. Finally, I had to do some research on helicopters, because Nester Sanchez has an arsenal at his disposal. 

Q: The Boomerang is a personal story for you as well. What scenes were difficult to write, without giving away spoilers? 

Robert: All the scenes with the James family learning and dealing with the aftermath of Bella’s cancer diagnosis, obtaining treatment options, waiting for scan results, etc. were difficult as those emotions are feelings that I had during my father and wife’s battles with lung cancer. 

Q: Which character was the most fun to write and why? 

Robert: Nester Sanchez was fun, because it is always cool to make the bad guy the good guy in a story, and his honorable qualities were allowed to shine without losing the roughness around the edges. I also loved the scenes involving Eli’s mother, Foncie James, as that character was inspired by a wonderful friend of ours who has the name “Foncie” as well as my mother. 

Q: What are you currently reading? 

Robert: The Late Show by Michael Connelly, who is one of my favorite authors. I recently finished A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Bachman, which was amazing. 

Q: What can readers and fans expect from you next? 

Robert: My next book, The Mediator, returns to my southern roots and features suspended trial lawyer, Max Ringo, who is trying to make a comeback as a mediator. Max is thrilled when she is assigned to mediate a high-profile divorce case that involves two of the most powerful people in town. But her excitement turns to terror when her estranged son is kidnapped by one of the parties and she is blackmailed to negotiate the terms of the settlement on his terms. Caught in a nightmare with the clock on her son’s life ticking, Max must use all her skills and face down her demons to settle the case and save her son.