Daniel P. Douglas, an indie author from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has released Blood Wing: A Cold War Noir Thriller in eBook and paperback formats. The novella, approximately 25,000 words, is the second entry in the Jack Morrison's Blood & Bourbon Mystery Files, following Blood Tide: A Harbor Noir Thriller. Blood Wing was named one of ten finalists in the inaugural ProWritingAid Novel Beginnings Contest, selected from 14,570 entries worldwide.
The story follows ex-LAPD detective turned private investigator Jack Morrison as he probes the death of a Black night-shift janitor at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach in January 1951. The company dismissed it as an industrial accident and closed the case without interviewing the widow. The family hires Morrison because the dead man's brother once shared a foxhole with him in Italy in 1944 during the Gothic Line campaign. As Morrison digs deeper, he uncovers a Cold War espionage operation and a murder that the federal government will classify into official nonexistence. The investigation moves through the McCarthy era and the Lavender Scare, a period purge of suspected homosexuals from federal and defense employment.
Douglas, a pen name shared with his identical twin brother Paul, is the author of multiple works across genres including space operas, supernatural westerns, and hardboiled thrillers. His background as a U.S. Army veteran and former senior analyst in the U.S. intelligence community lends authenticity to the conspiracy and thriller elements in his stories. He was named a 2014 Foreword Reviews IndieFab Book-of-the-Year Award Finalist in Science Fiction and is a Readers' Favorite Award winner.
The ProWritingAid contest, run by the writing-software and education company, advanced Blood Wing through a longlist of 183 to a shortlist of ten finalists judged on opening pages, voice, and character. "Being a finalist for the Novel Beginnings Contest is one of the most meaningful moments in my writing life," Douglas said. "I'm grateful to ProWritingAid, the contest readers, and the judges for recognizing Blood Wing."
Blood Wing is a complete story readable in a single sitting and requires no prior reading, making it an entry point to the series. Readers interested in Morrison's first case can find Blood Tide, set on the Los Angeles waterfront.
The implications for the indie publishing world are significant. Blood Wing's recognition in a major contest highlights the growing visibility of self-published works and the importance of niche genres like historical noir. For readers, the novel offers a lens into a turbulent period of American history, exploring themes of justice, persecution, and the hidden costs of the Cold War. Business leaders may find parallels in the story's examination of corporate secrecy and government overreach, relevant to modern discussions of ethics and transparency.
