The One

The federal law enforcement agency of Canada is called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP, one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the world, and one which is famous for several notable things:

Their motto, "We always get our man".

Their famously red riding jackets, black yellow-striped pants and blackjack boots and western style hats, mounted on big horses, which they still use to this day.

And lastly, if you are stupid enough as a terrorist, domestic or otherwise, to cross their paths, they probably won't hesitate to put a bullet in you - essentially, a no-tolerance policy when it comes to such threat levels.

The Keeno Crime Thriller Novels follow in this tradition, minus the riding outfits and horses of course, and are based on a special unit of the RCMP called the ATU or Anti-Terrorism-Unit, headed by Keeno McCole. This small team is called into play as point-man when it comes to taking on domestic terrorism or large-scale criminal rings. Keeno McCole is a maverick crime-fighter, rarely listening to authority, but certainly no less passionate about getting his man as the saying goes. He's deadly with a throwing knife, which never leaves his side. He wears blue jeans and cowboy boots to work. He drinks copious amounts of coffee along with bear claws. He loves one woman, and none other. When it comes to crime fighting, he is fearless to a fault, testimony to that fact are the large number of scars covering his body. Along with his crime-fighting partner, Jake Williams, and two brilliant forensic and think-tank team members, Janene and Kelly, the ATU is relentless in searching down and removing the criminals on their radar - where ever that takes them in the world.

In The One, book three of this series, as a large freighter is passing through the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, a canal system that allows some 10,000 ships annually to connect to Lake Superior, a deckhand screams into his radio to stop the ship. News soon reaches the top tier of Canada's government, as the Prime Minister is told that his niece's body has just been found snagged to the side of a freighter. It doesn't take long for investigators to make a connection to a strange sect, one which the girl was a part of. The PM himself, knowing about the ATU's reputation, calls on Keeno McCole to take up the investigation, suspecting more than just murder. Keeno and Jake fly to Winnipeg, the headquarters of the sect called The One, the last known location of the Prime Minister's niece, and what ensues is a bizarre thriller, one that will challenge Keeno and push him and his team to the very edge as they take on a seditious and serpentine cult leader.

"If you are familiar with and enjoyed Louise Penny's Three Pines mysteries, you'll love The One." - Russell Warnberg, author of 2064
"There is no doubt that Réal Laplaine can create a nail-biting mystery." - Red City Review
"I enjoyed this novel very much. I love Keeno, his awesome personality, his guts, integrity and abilities."