David Freed: On the Intersection of Personal History and Mystery

David Freed is a produced Hollywood screenwriter, author of the Amazon- and Audible- best-selling Cordell Logan series of mystery novels, and a former investigative journalist for The Los Angeles Times. He served as The Times' lead police reporter, was an individual finalist for the Pulitzer Prize’s Gold Medal for Public Service, the most prestigious award in American journalism, and shared in a Pulitzer for the newspaper’s coverage of the 1992 Rodney King riots.

David reported from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, and later worked in the intelligence community for the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency, among other federal agencies. An active, instrument-rated pilot and aircraft owner, is byline has appeared frequently in national magazines, including Air & Space Smithsonian, where he was a contributing editor, and the Atlantic, where his story, “The Wrong Man,” was honored as a finalist in feature writing by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

After graduating from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Technical Journalism, David spent three years working for the Colorado Springs Sun, covering police and military affairs, before moving on to the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, where he spent another three years as a roving regional correspondent, investigative reporter, and covering the Statehouse. He joined the staff of The Los Angeles Times in 1983. After leaving The Times in 1995, David worked briefly as an investigator for the Los Angeles bureau of CBS News, helping cover the OJ Simpson trial, before selling a screenplay at auction to 20^th Century Fox. He subsequently spent 10 years writing mostly made-for-television movies.

He has taught various journalism courses as a special assistant professor at Colorado State University and is a member of the university’s Media Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was honored as the university’s College of Liberal Arts’ Distinguished Alumnus. David holds a Master of Liberal Arts degree in Extension Studies from Harvard University, where he teaches creative writing via live webinar. He lives in Santa Barbara, California. Follow him on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

In this interview, author David discusses the simple question that led to his new mystery novel, Deep Fury, his hope for readers, and more.

Name: David Freed
Literary agent: Jill Marr, Dijkstra Literary
Book title: Deep Fury
Publisher: Blackstone
Release date: December 17, 2024
Genre/category: Mystery/thriller
Previous titles: Flat Spin, Fangs Out, Voodoo Ridge, The Three-Nine Line, Hot Start, The Kill Circle
Elevator pitch: A former fighter pilot falls naked out of the night sky and crashes through the roof of a mobile home, sparking a baffling murder investigation that will lead ex-government assassin Cordell Logan from California to Mexico and straight into harm’s way as he fights to uncover the shocking truth behind the man’s death.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

I've always been fascinated by the intersection of personal history and mystery—how the past shapes our present, often in ways we don’t fully understand. In this book, I wanted to explore the notion of personal loyalties, the complexities of old friendships, and how buried secrets can resurface in the most unexpected and dangerous ways. Deep Fury essentially began with a simple question: What if a person you thought you knew turned out to have a much darker side?

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

It normally takes me about nine months from conception to completion of a showable draft of a new Cordell Logan book. In this case, however, it took me much longer, only because I decided to change publishers. I felt the series needed a new home, one with broader reach and more resources. That required me to reacquire the publishing rights to my books by buying them back. The negotiations took the better part of a year, but they were worth it in the end. Blackstone Publishing, which has produced all of my books on audio, has acquired the print and digital versions of the series, and I couldn’t be happier. They’ve repackaged and re-released my previously published Logan titles, while throwing their full weight behind Deep Fury. As to the question of whether the crux of the book changed from the initial idea to publication, the short answer is, not much. I tend to outline pretty heavily before sitting down and writing that first page. Certainly, things change dramatically in the process of completing a manuscript. You discover that some stuff doesn’t work until you get down in the weeds with it, and you come up with better ideas. Your outline is bound to change along the way. But no, there wasn’t much fundamental variance between concept to completion.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

I learned a lot about contract law! The book contract is where your literary dreams meet legal nightmares. Lawyers swoop in like homicide detectives, dissecting every clause as if it were a murder mystery. They’ll rewrite "worldwide rights" to clarify that "worldwide" means everything except Antarctica (because, you know, penguins don’t buy books). By the end, you’ve signed away every conceivable right—except, of course, the right to understand what you’ve just agreed to. But hey, at least you’re protected from the perilous threat of international lawsuits.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

As with every book I’ve ever written, this one seemed to have a life of its own. I went into it with a clear vision, but as the words began to flow, the story started to evolve in subtle ways I hadn’t anticipated. Characters made decisions I hadn’t planned on, and themes emerged that felt as if they were being whispered to me from some deeper part of my subconscious. It was as if the story was guiding me at times rather than the other way around. In that sense, writing it became less an act of creation and more an act of discovery—uncovering something that was already there, waiting for it to be realized. It reminded me that the creative process is less about controlling the narrative and more about being open to where it leads.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

More than anything, I hope they find themselves both captivated and entertained by the twists and turns of the story. But I also hope they think about the deeper themes of trust, betrayal, and the consequences of our past actions. Ultimately, I want them to walk away questioning how well they really know the people around them—and maybe even themselves—and to remember that nothing is ever quite as simple as it seems on the surface.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Write the story that excites you—the one that you’d want to read, not the one you think others want to read. Mystery and thriller readers are a savvy bunch; they can tell when an author is truly vested in the plot and characters. Trust your instincts. Take risks. Don't be afraid to explore the more unexpected corners of your imagination. And, perhaps most importantly, develop thick skin. Rejection is the handmaiden of a professional writer’s life. It’s true that everyone’s a critic. Take seriously the criticism that makes sense to your objective self and round-can the rest. Do not be discourage. And never, ever quit. As they say in Hollywood, keep giving them you until it’s you that they want.