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Books by Ray Collins

  • Setup

    Setup

    Detective Andrew (“Book”) Booker chases Franco Moretti, a killer on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, into a dark alley one night in Washington, DC. But rather than apprehending the fugitive, it is Book who is arrested, supposedly for murdering a Black teenager. Despite claims he’s been framed, Book is forced to resign from the DC police and narrowly escapes a conviction for murder.

     

    The emotionally shattering disgrace destroys his career and family life. As he veers toward alcoholic dependency, his wife demands a separation. With the help of his former Special Forces Commander in Afghanistan, Jeb Bronson, Book takes a job as a detective in Jefferson County, Virginia. Now retired, Bronson runs the county and heads up Ares Worldwide, a family-run military contracting corporation worth billions. Book soon discovers the rural area conceals threats every bit as deadly as the mean streets of the big city.

    As Book navigates his new life, figuring out who set him up and why is never far from his mind. From rural Virginia to Geneva Switzerland, Book finds himself drawn into an international web of murder and bribery and must fight to save his life, protect his family, and figure out the setup once and for all.


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  • Motive for Murder

    Motive for Murder

    In Motive for Murder, rookie detective Hana Brown’s traumatic past puts her front and center of the Fairfax County Police Department’s media push-and gets her assigned to the gruesome murder of an Asian woman. At first the death is considered a routine gang killing. By the time the FCPD realized the victim is the first in a series of Chinese American women being murdered by someone who signs their notes “Jack the Ripper,” it’s too late to replace Hana.

     

    An FBI agent chosen as her deputy-despite his protests-endorses the belief that the culprit is a serial killer. But everything changes when Hana finds herself attracted to an intrepid news reporter who has advanced a competing theory: that political intrigue is the true motive behind the murders.


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  • The General’s Briefcase

    The General’s Briefcase

    When General Winston invites a beautiful woman to his hotel room in Tysons, Virginia, he expects a romantic sexcapade. But Dana Hussein al-Sadi turns the tables, assassinates the general, and steals his briefcase, which contains a blueprint for terrorism. Dana’s elite terrorist cell is soon off to Europe to acquire nuclear weapons from the Russian Mafia.

    Though Alex Werth initially suspects Jolene Martin, author of the blueprint report, of the murder, he realizes her expertise will be crucial in the hunt for Winston’s killer and stopping the impending disaster. Everything comes to a head in rural Virginia, where the fate of the world will be decided.


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Ray Collins grew up in the Midwest. An Army combat veteran, he attended Yale and Princeton, earning an MPA, a mid-career fellowship, and a PhD in public affairs. He was a nonresident fellow at Yale's Zigler Center for Child Development and Social Policy. He was a Japanese language and East Asia specialist with the Department of State and later worked in the poverty program. He's written publications focused on Head Start, child care, and policy toward children and families. Recently, he's written on white supremacy's resurgence and the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. He currently lives with his wife, Betty Ann, in Vienna, Virginia, and enjoys spending time with family (four children plus offspring), working out at the Fairfax County rec center, and looking forward to future trips to Hawaii.

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