My forthcoming thriller, Oath of the Osprey, follows a brilliant and emotionally complex anthropology professor with perfect recall whose anxious mind rarely quiets. Doug seeks control through intensity, grounding himself with the bite of consensual pain, the addictive clarity that comes from adventurous sex, and the deep mental discipline of puzzles that demand his full attention. When his brother’s murder collides with the disappearance of a child, the habits he once kept hidden become unexpected weapons, sharpening his focus and giving him the raw, concentrated resolve needed to face the danger ahead.