Alan Russell Books

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Alan Russell is an American author that writes mystery, thriller, and suspense novels. He started in sports before turning his attention to the fields of writing and publishing. Born in 1956 to Mark and Carolyn Russell, Alan comes from a family of four children.

He was the youngest. His childhood was spent in Sunnyvale, California. His father was a political man, a City Councilman, and mayor. He wasn’t the first person to take the political route. Older members from the family had also served as mayors.

Alan’s father was in the navy. It was during this period of his adult life that he met Alan’s mother. She was working as a naval flight nurse. She was also counted as a member by the Ninety-Nines. Mark, on the other hand, was 2nd in command of an Alaskan tug.

Alan was an avid basketball fan who played the game for two years. A student at UC San Diego, he was just a freshman when he made the varsity basketball team, the first Triton player to record this achievement at such an early stage. But any dreams of furthering his career were dashed when he suffered a back injury.

It was quite late in the season when he left the court. This occurrence was an unexpected blessing in disguise. It took Alan Russell a while to heal. During that period, he found comfort in the student newspaper which gave his creativity an outlet.

He began by writing for The Triton Times. By the time he left the university, the author had become editor-in-chief. After graduating, Alan continued to pursue his writing ambitions. Over the course of two decades, while working in the hospitality industry, Alan wrote for newspapers and magazines as a freelancer.

He also took every opportunity that came his way to write his novels. His time in the hospitality field was far from a waste. Rather, it gave him plenty of storytelling material to use in his novels.

The author’s big break came when he wrote ‘Married to a Murderer’. The short story did not necessarily set the publishing field alight. But it attracted enough attention to propel the author’s career forward.

Admittedly, he had also garnered some attention years earlier when his novel was reviewed by The New York Times. No one event precipitated the success the author eventually received. Rather, it was a long series of achievements that slowly built Alan Russel’s writing and publishing career.

He has been fortunate enough to have many of his novels optioned for film. On the personal front, Alan’s wife, Laura, is a clinical social worker. They have three children.

Alan Russell Awards

Russel won the Lefty Award and the Critic’s Choice Award early in his career. He was also nominated for an Anthony and Macavity Award.

Best Alan Russel Books

Russell writes novels that force readers to place themselves in the shoes of ordinary characters that have stumbled into absurd situations; some of the best books in his bibliography include:

Burning Man: Michael Gideon and his police dog partner captured the attention of the public when they brought a notorious killer to justice. Their celebrity status convinced Gideon’s superiors to assign them to a new unit tasked with solving extraordinary cases.

This time, Gideon and Sirius must make sense of a teenager that was crucified in a park. Gideon knows that time is of the essence. He knows that people are counting on him to save lives from a demented enemy. But he has his own demons to fight. No one knows that he is struggling with PTSD, and neither do they realize that the fire left him with more than a few scars.

It gave him a level of prescience that he must learn to trust if he wants to solve the case.

Guardians of the Night: A reluctant hero saved lives. He appeared just before the worst could happen, tackling the shooter and putting him out of commission before disappearing. But this hero’s identity isn’t Gideon’s only priority. He must also investigate Ronald, a homeless man that supposedly witnessed the murder of an angel.

Someone killed Ronald. The two cases make no sense but Gideon knows that they are probably connected. Along with his canine partner, Gideon is the only member of a unit that solves bizarre cases.

When Does The Next Alan Russell book come out?

Alan Russell doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Last Good Dog and was released on April, 27th 2021. It is the newest book in the Gideon and Sirius Series.

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