Seamus sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we, the readers, can get to know him better.

What is your full name?
Seamus Anselm McCree

How old are you?
I do not know how this happened, but when I do the math, I am now 60.

What is your profession?
I’m retired. Here’s a sketch of my career. I was a professional soccer player for part of one year until an opponent ruined my ankle. I became a top-rated bank stock analyst on Wall Street. After quitting in disgust, I set up the Financial Crimes Division of Criminal Investigations Group and was its go-to forensic accountant. Now I work as a director for various charities and do independent merger and acquisition consulting for a few clients.

Do you have a significant other?
Alas, no longer.

Meaning?
Meaning I’m many years divorced (and fortunately we’ve become friends again). I was in a long-term relationship with a professional bodyguard, but she died a while back.

Do you have any children?
I have one very excellent son. I call him Paddy; everyone else calls him Patrick. He has an exceptional granddaughter named Megan. She is eight now. We lead each other into trouble.

Do you have any siblings?
I have an older sister who has estranged herself from the rest of the family. Recently, I discovered I have a half-sister with whom I share my mother. There’s a story there, but it has not yet been told.

Are your parents nearby?
I moved away from them. My father was a sergeant in the Boston Police Department and was killed on duty when I was eleven. Mom, who still performs at exhibition darts tournaments at 83, lives in Boston.

Who is your best friend?
I was afraid you might ask that. I have many acquaintances, but I don’t know if I have a best friend. Probably Niki, who is an undercover agent, comes closest to fitting that role. But I never learned to share my feelings well, and if you can’t do that with someone, can you really call them a friend no matter how close you are to them?

Do you have any pets?
I live alone and travel too much to have pets. I have grand-pets: a Golden Retriever named Atalanta and twin cats, Cheech and Chong.

What town do you live in?
The closest town—unincorporated village, really—is Amasa, located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I live 15 miles from Amasa, deep in the woods on a 250-acre lake.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
I grew up in Boston, lived in New York City, moved to Cincinnati after quitting Wall Street, but after criminals tried to burn down my house, I gave up cities for the simple life in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I own 80 acres with a house and guest cabin.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
Hands down, it’s the front deck. Just this week, three eagles, a mother (Martha), father (George), and fledgling (Gonzo), entertained me for hours as they cavorted over the lake.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Oh gosh, I’m an eat-to-live rather than a live-to-eat kind of guy. My favorite meal is eating on the deck (or screened porch if the bugs are bad) with someone else cooking it. Left to my own devices, I’d make a large salad, have a pepperoni and black olive pizza topped with homemade applesauce. Not that I can create it, but if dessert happened to be a great carrot cake, that would be delish. Otherwise, if it’s sweet, I’ll like it.

Do you have any hobbies?
I love being outside and use birdwatching as an excuse if I need one.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I am truly blessed to live in the place that was my place to vacation. While I enjoy traveling, I agree with Dorothy. There is no place like home, even if it is black and white.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Man, this is so lame. I love exploring the natural world with Megan, my granddaughter. Nothing is too small or too large to attract her attention, and I delight in her joy at learning new things.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
I like the play on words of Shamus Seamus. It would need a subtitle. “How a man who was too smart not to notice and too dumb not to get involved stayed alive through wit, instinct, and an author who refused to let him die.”

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur and sleuth may give me too much credit. The local sheriff’s department periodically deputizes me to use my financial crimes expertise (or if they need a pair of hands), but mostly when I stumble into a situation I think I need to investigate, I rely on friends and family. My son, Paddy, is a computer expert. His wife is an investigative reporter. My friend—well, I guess without thinking I called her friend, so maybe she is my best friend—anyway, Niki’s former FBI and now works hush hush undercover assignments for the feds. She has weapon skills that have saved my butt and has access to intelligence that . . . Um, I’m not actually supposed to tell what she does, so let’s just say she has awesome skills. I brought my half-sister into the forensic accounting profession. Even my mother occasionally butts in—I mean—offers to help.

What is a typical day in your life like in general and when you are on a case?
I won’t bore you with my life when I’m not solving a puzzle. When I’m on the case, I’m usually trying hard to figure out who the bad guys are before they kill me. It’s exhausting. (But I wouldn’t have it any other way.)

Granite Oath, A Seamus McCree Mystery #7
Genre: Traditional
Release: August 2022
Purchase Link

On a Thursday afternoon, Kat Serrano leaves work early, briefly returns to her remote trailer deep in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula woods, and drives off with no explanation to her family. Two days later someone ransacks the trailer.

Kat is a Dreamer, and her mother won’t talk to the police for fear she’ll be deported and lose her 8-year-old granddaughter, Valeria.

Valeria is devastated by the events. She and her best friend from summer camp, Megan McCree, employ a “Pinky-swear” to get Megan’s grandfather Seamus McCree to learn what happened.

Seamus uncovers a tangled web of drugs, prostitution, and dummy corporations, and soon finds himself the target of killers. Anyone sane would wash his hands of the mess or turn it over to the police.

But Seamus has given his word, his granite oath, to learn the truth . . . even if it kills him.

About the author
James M. Jackson authors the Seamus McCree series. Full of mystery and suspense, these thrillers explore financial crimes, family relationships, and what happens when they mix. You can sign up for his newsletter and find more information about Jim and his books at jamesmjackson.com.

All comments are welcomed.