When Two Paths Diverge: Crafting Parallel Stories and a Dual Narrativ

When Two Paths Diverge: Crafting Parallel Stories and a Dual Narrative

For years, Keegan's wife, Pauline, has nudged me for more space in the novels. So, in The Fallen, she gets it, taking a bigger role in the story. But that didn't satisfy the call for more attention. I felt she deserved something more detailed, that she had a larger story to tell. So, I took a shot at doing something I thought I might regret. Turns out, I hit on something that rang true.

One of the most exciting turns in writing the John Keegan Mystery Series arrived with The Lies That Bind Us. In that novel, I experimented with a dual narrative—shifting between John Keegan’s investigation and Pauline McCrory Keegan’s covert search for answers. It created an immediate tension: two detectives (though Pauline technically isn’t one) entwined in the same case, yet walking very different roads. The challenge was to capture both perspectives within a single book without diminishing either character’s depth or motivations. After finishing it, I was left with the itch to expand on this approach further, asking: What if I gave each character their own dedicated novel, exploring the same timeline from two angles?

Enter Ghosts of Days Gone By (told from John’s perspective) and To The Bone (told from Pauline’s perspective), two concurrent books that offer parallel storylines. They will release in May and June 2025 respectively. If The Lies That Bind Us gave readers a taste of their diverging paths, Ghosts and To The Bone plunge each character fully into their own worlds. They’re experiencing roughly the same stretch of time—John in New York City, grappling with political fallout and a murder that resurrects old ghosts, and Pauline in a coastal Maryland town, wrestling with her guilt over leaving her family while tackling a missing-person case. For me, it felt reminiscent of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, where we see a different vantage point of a well-known narrative, minus the existential comedic spin. The principle, though, remains: show how each character’s life and revelations intersect in big or small ways, even when they’re not in the same room. It's a hard balance, having two narrators, and it took a lot of work to get it right. I'll probably want to edit it in a few years.

Finding Pauline’s voice was a significant shift. Pauline has always had an interior life independent of John’s cases, but I’d never let her hold the full narrative reins. The moment I started writing To The Bone solely from her viewpoint, I discovered all these nuances in how she perceives guilt, ambition, and her place in the world. I let her voice flow in a more introspective way—something John doesn’t often permit himself, given his pragmatic, procedure-first outlook. Seeing similar events (like the fallout from the mayor’s murder or the tension with certain politicians) through Pauline’s eyes added fresh layers to the series’ overarching plot. While John charges forward with sheer determination, Pauline questions, dissects, and ultimately decides on a new direction for her life.

Meanwhile, Ghosts of Days Gone By stays true to John’s familiar tone—cynical at times, driven by a sense of duty, and unflinching when faced with crime’s darkest corners. Yet, in this book, he’s haunted by the loss of Pauline, the reappearance of old relationships, and the constant political pressure that makes him reevaluate who he is both at work and at home. The TV show based on his career has taken off, offering an escape. Does he take it, leaving behind everything that identified him for two decades? When a case brings him back to the height of his career, the choice looms before him. The interplay between his personal regrets and his public responsibilities colors the entire investigation, leaving him more vulnerable than ever.

Ultimately, Ghosts and To The Bone converge again in the next and final Keegan novel, The Takedown. That book returns us to a single narrator: John, once more in the spotlight, as the ramifications of both concurrent stories come crashing down on him. Writing with the knowledge that these three books form a cycle meant I could sow seeds in Lies, water them in Ghosts and To The Bone, and harvest them in The Takedown. That's set for a December 2025 release. It will include some shocking reveals and will be fast-paced as Keegan and Pauline face enemies on all sides.

And what happens after The Takedown? Without spoiling anything, let’s just say both John and Pauline find themselves standing at crossroads. Their new directions each deserve a spotlight, so two fresh series will spin out: one tracking Pauline’s life and investigations post-To The Bone, and another that follows John into a new phase of his career (which I won’t detail yet). Each series stands on its own, yet they stem from the same root: the complex world of the Keegans—two imperfect people shaped by the city, politics, and the pursuit of truth. Below is a concept of the next Keegan novel. Promises to the Dead will mark a shift in the storyline. It's in the idea stage right now, so it likely won't see release until 2026. Wow, that's a hard number to look at. Time flies.

Splitting a story in two, then bringing it back together, has been both thrilling and daunting. It enriches every character’s journey, allowing them more room to grow and surprising me (and hopefully readers) with the ways they collide and separate. The best part? The series itself evolves, reflecting the twists and turns of lives spent chasing justice in a place where nothing is ever black-and-white.