Ep37: Retired Special Operations Soldier Sean Hagerty brings us the Dane Cooper series: Jones Point, and Cabal

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Meet the Author: Sean Hagerty is a retired Special Operations Soldier with over 25 years of experience. He spent his younger years training and conducting combat operations with the 1st of the 75th Ranger Regiment. After nine years, in 2005, he was selected for and assigned to a Special Operations unit at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. There he spent sixteen years and finished his military career, retiring as a Sergeant Major. He received several awards and decorations throughout his career including three Bronze Stars. Sean retired from the Department of Defense Science Board as the Senior Advisor to write full-time.

Of the Defense Science Board (DSB), he explains: “It is charged with solving tough, technical, national security problems for the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretaries of Defense, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior Department officials.”

Author Sean Hagerty with his wife Misty

Sean has combined over 25+ years of service in the Special Operations community and deep-rooted research instincts from years of academic pursuits in history to tell this story. This story was written mostly in the plush seats of the daily Tacketts Mill/Pentagon commuter bus and the shaky bucket seats of the Franconia Springfield/Largo blue metro line. However, a few chapters were written while traveling for work, taking advantage of uninterrupted thoughts on an airliner. One chapter was even written during an evening break while on a business trip aboard the USS Nimitz CVN 68 aircraft carrier out in the Pacific Ocean.

Sean’s wife, Misty, is an Executive Officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Their children, Courtney, Travis, Samantha, and Delaney, all live in the Washington D.C. area and are thriving, growing, and traveling along their own paths.

“Our grandchildren, Rowen, Jameson, and Wren, keep us busy,” Sean shares, noting Cabal came together during evening edits in his home shared with Misty, in Lakeridge, Virginia. Jones Point was the first novel in the Dane Cooper series. Cabal is the second. Learn more here.

About Sean’s new book — Cabal: A Dane Cooper Novel, Book 2 Longlisted for the 2025 Chanticleer Clue and Cover Design Awards

Dane Cooper beats against the tide to continue the search for his abducted daughter, Angela. His involvement with The Cabal, a mysterious group of grieving parents, intensifies as their efforts become bolder and more brazen. From a high-profile assault upon sex traffickers in Savannah to a clandestine military operation in Somaliland, Dane brings the fight to those who would harm children. At every turn, members of The Cabal must stay out of the crosshairs of Carl Blanchard’s new FBI task force and Virginia Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agents Patterson and Stills. And this time, the Keeper and his disciples are fighting back. The hunters have become the prey as Cabal members are viciously attacked in their homes. The savage killer is a ghost, torturing and murdering them one by one as he moves his way up the hierarchy. Dane, Sam, and Jack race against time to protect their members before the club is eradicated. Nobody is safe. Buy the book.

Jones Point: A Dane Cooper Novel First-place winner of the 2025 Clue Award (Chanticleer International Book Awards)

By day, we’re your neighbors. Your boss. Your teacher. By night, we hunt the monsters who hunt our children. As a Special Operations soldier, Dane Cooper was trained and tested to handle the toughest, most dangerous situations around the world. He was not, however, prepared for the abduction of his daughter. That kidnapping sends him into a downward spiral, the depths of which are unknown even to Dane. But a lifeline is thrown to him by a mysterious cabal, which sees his skills as paramount to helping others. Now investigating other grieving parents’ cases, Dane must conceal his efforts from the zeal of an FBI agent hot on the trail of the vigilante cabal, a dedicated Virginia Bureau of Investigation team, and an elusive network of monsters at the center of it all. Punishing the wicked while searching for his little angel, Dane must also overcome the struggle with his own demons. Buy the book!

About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host, Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.com

Find more of Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com.

Elaine’s Literary Salon

About Elaine’s Restaurant: A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selections is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are inspired by exquisite food from Alexandria, Egypt — a blend of Middle Eastern and French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s grandmother and is based on a promise she made at the age of 12, growing up in Cairo. “I promised my grandma I would someday own a restaurant and name it after her,” shares Cynthia, who is also an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” Located in an 1880s building, it was the previous home for 38 years of the beloved bistro Bilbo Baggins. The newly renovated restaurant is located in the heart of Old Town’s Historic District within sight of the Potomac River and Founders Park, just a few blocks from The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and Old Town Alexandria Waterfront. Make a reservation today: elaines-restaurant.com.