It’s been an exciting few days as I comb through the manuscript of DRAGONY RISING, the next Frank Nagler Mystery.

I got the edits back from my publisher, Imzadi Publishing, after our copy editor Katherine Tate completed her work. Kate brings to her work the sharp eye of an editor and the voice of an accomplished author. Frank is in good hands.

The title of this piece is the comment she left at the end of Dragony. (THANK YOU, Kate!!)

It is gratifying to hear her enthusiasm, but also exciting because it means my effort to pull together  a 5-book subterranean story apparently worked.

Readers of the series know the books tell the story of the city of Ironton, N.J., a troubled manufacturing center, and the investigations of Detective Frank Nagler.

Each book has its own crime story and Frank Nagler deals with sets of trouble in his person life.

But underneath each separate story has been the long-running saga of historic corruption and manipulation that I decided to bring to the surface in DRAGONY RISING.

The under story comes to life as Frank Nagler battles the Dragony, a shady organization of  thugs, politicos, financiers and followers. The organization traces its beginning   back to the iron mining days of  Ironton and in modern times has it tentacles into all parts of life in the city.

Of all the Nagler books, DRAGONY RISING has the strongest sense of being ripped from the headlines, as they say.

So in order to prepare yourself for DRAGONY RISING, due later this year,  I strongly urge you to read the other four books in the series: THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY, A GAME CALLED DEAD, THE WEIGHT OF LIVING and  THE RED HAND.

You can read them in order of  publication  starting with THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY.

Or you can read them in the chronological order of Frank Nagler’s story and begin with THE RED HAND,  a prequel to the series. In this sense. DRAGONY RISING chronically follows THE WEIGHT OF LIVING.

Kirkus Reviews called Nagler, “One of  modern fiction’s expertly drawn detectives.”

All the books are available in paperback and e-book formats.

THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY is available in an audiobook read  by Lee Alan.

And A GAME CALLED DEAD, and THE RED HAND are available in audiobooks, read by Dane Petersen.

Available at:

Amazon.com: Michael Stephen Daigle: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Online Bookstore: Books, NOOK ebooks, Music, Movies & Toys | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com) (Search for individual titles).