book details

Book: One Small Victory by Maryann Miller

categories: Book, Female Sleuth, Family, Drugs, Police, Mystery, Suspense Thriller

Maryann Miller

about this book: Life can change in just an instant. That's the harsh reality that Jenny Jasik faces when her son is killed in an automobile accident, but never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to be working undercover as a member of a drug task force. She is, after all, just a mom. But don't discount what a mom can do when the safety of her children is at stake.

One Small Victory started as a film project back when Movies of the Week were popular. Remember those? I had an "in" to a production company in California that was open to anything I pitched, so I sent them a proposal for the true story that inspired this book. For a lot of reasons, the project never went ahead, as so often happens in the film business, but I couldn't let go of the story. When I read the news item about a single mother who infiltrated a drug ring and helped get rid of drugs in her small town, I was captivated, as a mother and a writer.

I chose the title, One Small Victory, because I know that shutting down one drug ring does not make much of a dent in the overall problem of drugs, but this was a tremendous victory for Jenny. In the story she loses her son in a car accident, and she channels her grief into action.

I did extensive research so I would know how the drug business operates - it really does operate like a legitimate business - and I rode patrol with police officers to see the drug culture from their point of view. The book was first published in hardback and the e-book came out in 2010. It still continues to get favorable reviews, and I am thrilled that so many readers are meeting Jenny and sharing her story.