Q&A with Robert Dugoni

 

 

 

Robert Dugoni is the author of the new novel Beyond Reasonable Doubt, the sequel to his novel Her Deadly Game. He lives in Seattle.

 

Q: Beyond Reasonable Doubt is your second novel featuring your character Keera Duggan. Do you think she’s changed from one book to the next?

 

A: Yes. She’s acknowledged her situation. She’s acknowledged that alcoholism runs in her family and it’s best that she not drink. She left a toxic relationship and is finding her way on her own. Discovering who we are is a process and she is finding that out through the cases she takes. I’m not sure where she’ll go, but I’m eager to find out.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Keera and Jenna Bernstein?

 

A: Initially, they were childhood rivals and that’s hard to let go, even as an adult. I’ve seen it many times. In my life, there was a guy in high school who was always trying to one up me. When I think of him, I still think of not letting him get the better of me.

 

That’s Keera and Jenna, though Keera can now see how unhealthy that relationship can be, and is reluctant to even get involved.

 

Q: Did this novel require any research, and if so, did you learn anything especially surprising?

 

A: I wanted a startup company on the cutting edge but the science is not quite there.

 

I have a friend who is a doctor and brilliant but has Parkinson’s. So I asked him and he sent me some articles including the one on Tissue Nanotransfection, the changing of skin cells into other cells that can dispense dopamine and other chemicals for people with Parkinsons and Alzheimers and dementia. It is revolutionary and fascinating, but the science is not quite there yet.

 

Q: What inspired the plot of Beyond Reasonable Doubt?

 

A: I read somewhere about startups and the “fake it until you make it” mentality and I thought, but what about when the company is faking it about something that could impact and change people’s health, their lives? Where is the morality and the ethics in something like that?

 

Q: What are you working on now? Will there be more novels about Keera?

 

A: I’m actually working on Keera 3 at the moment. I have a World War II novel called Hold Strong out December 2024 and then the 11th book in the Tracy Crosswhite series out early 2025. I’m hoping that Keera will also be a long-running series.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Robert Dugoni.