"Dragon" Author Publishes 3rd. Book

Online, May 7, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Frederick Price, a retired detective lieutenant from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, has published a new mystery novel, Magic Dragon, (Amazon KDP, pp 220). Price's latest novel continues the exploits of former Sheriff's detective Chad Belmontes in another adventure packed thriller on the island of Oahu.

Price's new novel, the third in a series of Chad Belmontes detective mysteries, is now available as a Kindle book though Amazon .com. It follows on the heels of his first two mysteries, Lair of the Dragon and Dragon's Ghost, both of which are available in paperback and Kindle editions.

After discharge from the military, Price joined the world's largest Sheriff's Department. Over a 33-year career, he served in a variety of law enforcement assignments including patrol, vice and special investigations. His last five years with the department were spent monitoring and investigating cases involving casino gaming, Asian organized crime, and terrorism.

Price draws upon his background to lend realism to his writing, borrowing attributes from people, places and personal experiences. "It's easier to write about something you know," Price said of his penchant for mystery novels.

Price's career provided the opportunity to work with a wide variety of individuals. Because of that, Price said he has no problem in creating believable characters.

"Chad Belmontes isn't your typical hero," Price said of his main character, "but he is lovable in spite of his failings. I did not want to portray him as a super-cop, but rather as a man who does brave things because they need doing-which pretty much defines the character of every good cop I've worked with. The one thing that stands out is Belmonte's basic sense of honesty and decency ... even to the point of putting his life on the line for something that he believes in."

Belmontes was introduced in "Lair of the Dragon," Price said. "A weary cop, behind in his paperwork, who fakes a report that leads to murder. We met him again in "Dragon's Ghost," now retired but still unable to stay out of trouble. Here he is suspected of committing a murder, and while the police are hunting him, he hunts for the real killer. In "Magic Dragon," the kidnapping for ransom of a seven-year-old Chinese girl reunite the retired detective with his old partner, Homicide Detective Sergeant Bob Stanny, in a new investigation on the island of Oahu.

While his books are thrillers, they closely follow police procedure and realistically portray human behavior, forensics, and crime detecting techniques.