Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, so let’s meet Jo.

What is your name?
Jo Anna Larsen, but friends call me Jo.

How old are you?
Thirty-five.

What is your profession?
I’m one of two detectives on the Plainfield, Texas police force. My partner’s name is Hank Phelps. He’s a little like a demented Ward Cleaver: father of two young girls with a wicked sense of humor. He likes to keep me from taking myself too seriously. Sometimes it actually works.

Do you have a significant other?
I’m in a relationship with Adam McCaffrey. He’s a medical examiner for Dallas County. We met when I was a rookie cop for the city, but he was married (which I didn’t know at the time). I walked away when I realized what I’d gotten myself into. When Adam and his wife split, I’d already moved to Plainfield. He came to find me, to ask if it was too late for us to take a stab at things. It wasn’t.

Any children?
No, not unless you count Ernie, the six-toed cat that I took in after his owner died.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
None that I’m aware of.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Just Ernie, although sometimes Hank feels like a big puppy.

What town do you live in?
Plainfield, Texas, which is basically a far northern suburb of Dallas.

House or building complex?
Condo. Makes it easier since I don’t have the time to mow a lawn or worry about the roof leaking.

Do you rent or own?
The place is mine, although Adam’s over enough that I should start charging him rent.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
The bathtub. It’s where I go to think.

Who is your best friend?
Hmm. I think Adam would be unhappy if I said Hank, but they’re the two people I trust the most in the world. Maybe the only people I trust.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
I’m a police detective. I wouldn’t work this gig for free. But I wouldn’t do anything else. Victims need an advocate. I want to give them a voice and make things as right as I can, even when sometimes it feels like it’s too late.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Hank. I couldn’t do what I do as well as I do without him. I’d say he’s my work spouse, only I’m not sure his wife would like that.

Favorite meal?
Anything Adam cooks. I’m not much in the kitchen.

Favorite dessert?
I’d say the Nutter Butters that Hank took on our last stake-out, only I didn’t have a chance to eat one. Does bacon count?

Favorite hobby?
Reading. Sleeping. Hanging out with Adam and Ernie.

Favorite vacation spot?
I wouldn’t say I’m great at vacations, but Adam did take me once to a little B&B on a lake. I even caught a fish.

Favorite color?
A deep, dark green, like the forest at dusk.

Favorite author?
I tend to read nonfiction. I like to keep my brain clicking, learning new stuff. Though I do have a soft spot for Balzac. He gives good quotes. One of my favorites is this: “Solitude is fine, but you need something to tell that solitude is fine.” That kind of defines my life.

Favorite sports team?
I feel compelled to say the Dallas Cowboys, but I honestly don’t watch sports much.

Movies or Broadway?
Movies, especially ones that make me laugh or make me think.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Is it possible to be both? I’m not a great sleeper.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
If I’ve been up late working, I usually awaken to the sound of Adam in the shower. He has to leave before I do to get to downtown Dallas. Can’t be late for those case review meetings. I head to the station shortly after, usually beating Hank in by a good hour or so. When I in the middle of something heavy—like investigating the suicide of fifteen-year-old Kelly Amster—I start making phone calls, reviewing the ME’s report and any interviews, whatever will help me begin to piece together how someone so young could decide that life wasn’t worth living. I can’t stop thinking about the victims. I can’t rest. Not until I find out why. I don’t want to miss a beat when it means bringing truth to light…and maybe bringing a bad guy or two down.

Giveaway: Two readers selected at random will receive a either a print (U.S. residents only) or an audio (Open to everyone) copy of Walk A Crooked Line, winner’s choice. Leave a comment below for your chance to win. The giveaway will end July 11, 2018. Good luck everyone!

You can read about Jo in Walk A Crooked Line, the second book in the “Jo Larsen”  mystery series, coming July 10, 2018. The first book in the series is Walk into Silence.

In the follow-up to the #1 Kindle bestseller Walk into Silence, a young girl takes her own life. But what—or who—drove her to it?

When a teenager’s body is found at the base of the old water tower, Detective Jo Larsen is one of the first on the scene. Tragically, it appears to be a clear case of suicide.

But the more Jo learns about Kelly Amster, the more she finds herself needing to understand why the high school sophomore would take that fatal plunge. As they interview family and friends, Jo and her partner, Hank Phelps, begin to fit together the pieces of a dark puzzle. Something happened to Kelly in their small town of Plainfield, Texas—and it sent the young girl straight over the edge.

Haunted by the memories of her own childhood, Jo digs deep into the shadowy corners of a seemingly tight-knit community—to uncover a devastating secret. . .

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About the author
Susan McBride is the USA Today bestselling author of Blue Blood and the Lefty Award-winning, Anthony Award-nominated Debutante Dropout Mysteries, as well as the River Road Mysteries (HarperCollins/Avon). Her debut of Texas police detective Jo Larsen, Walk Into Silence, was a #1 Kindle bestseller in the US and UK, and #3 in Australia. Walk A Crooked Line, the next in the series, released in July from Thomas & Mercer. In addition to her mysteries, Susan has authored young adult novels for Random House and women’s fiction for HC/Morrow. Her books have been published in France, Bulgaria, Turkey, Lithuania, and Croatia. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and daughter.

All comments are welcomed.