Anthony Eddolls

I’ve always been a fan of crime procedurals and writers such as John Patterson, David Baldacci, and Lee Child. Don’t worry; I also profoundly appreciate literary writers such as Hemingway.

I’m also not too shallow to admit that I enjoy the series Criminal Minds, which revolves around the Behavioral Analysis Unit, which actually exists within the FBI.

Finally, I’m an aviation buff, and my son is an Airbus captain with a major international airline.

Combining those three influences, I had the framework for The Beast Within Us.

The story asks the question, do we all have the ability to take another life? At least, that question plagues the villain in this book, Captain Matt Kolis. Given his profession and a position of extreme trust within our society, we are forced to explore the possibility that just about anyone is capable of murder.

In fact, most serial killers are intelligent, crafty individuals as opposed to just violent men – yes, most all serial killers known throughout the globe are male. Anyway, the more intelligent, the longer they seem to remain in society, evading capture by law enforcement and chalking up their victims.

The Beast Within Us takes the reader on this ride, allowing one to develop their opinion of this killer, cloaked in a respectable veneer. Is he a tragic figure, alone in the world, only seeking vengeance for his lost love? Or is he simply a psychopath with few redeeming qualities other than his prowess as a pilot?

As for the protagonist, Special Agent in Charge David Stilley, we see a man who juggles family life with his demanding career and strives hard to lead law enforcement professionals in the shadow of his mentor, the retired Elliott Murphy. Murphy is featured in my first series, and while I wrote The Beast independently of The Elliott Murphy Adventure Series, it wouldn’t hurt to read those three books first.

But Stilley is based on a real-life friend of mine who also leads a team as a corporate executive in the tech industry. He, too, sometimes wrestles with his professional position, but just like his fictional persona, in the end, he excels.

Feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts, questions, or comments at tony@eddollsbooks.com. I love chatting with you, my readers!