Blog Post How to Write Police Mystery Thrillers: Getting it Right! 500
Posted inArticles Writing Advice Articles

How to Write Police Mystery Thrillers: Getting it Right! By John Schembra

Are you writing police mysteries thrillers? Want to get it right? I do, too, though I may have an advantage, having been a police officer for 30 years. Although the home setting for my books is the San Francisco PD, sometimes protagonists must seek the help of other police or federal agencies. This presents a problem, as not all law enforcement agencies conduct investigations the same way. Each agency has their own set of procedures and though general investigative protocols…
A Vince Torelli Mystery, Book 3: Blood Debt 3d covers
Posted inMystery/Thrillers/Suspense Books

A Vince Torelli Mystery, Book 3: Blood Debt by John Schembra

A former soldier who becomes a San Francisco police homicide investigator after the war, Vince Torelli is dedicated, intelligent and highly principled--all skills that serve him well given the difficult, almost impossible murder investigations he's assigned that force him to the razor edge with equally resolute, extremely ruthless masterminds.   Continue the Series: Chapter 1   Vince paced back and forth in front of his desk, hoping for the call from the Department Operations Center advising that the tactical team…
A Vince Torelli Mystery, Book 2: Diplomatic Immunity 3d cover
Posted inMystery/Thrillers/Suspense Books

A Vince Torelli Mystery, Book 2: Diplomatic Immunity by John Schembra

A former soldier who becomes a San Francisco police homicide investigator after the war, Vince Torelli is dedicated, intelligent and highly principled--all skills that serve him well given the difficult, almost impossible murder investigations he's assigned to handle that force him to the razor edge with equally resolute, extremely ruthless masterminds.         Continue the Series: Chapter 1   This is my rifle.  There are many like it, but this one is mine.  My rifle is my best…
A Vince Torelli Mystery, Book 1: Retribution 3d cover
Posted inMystery/Thrillers/Suspense Books

A Vince Torelli Mystery, Book 1: Retribution by John Schembra

A former soldier who becomes a San Francisco police homicide investigator after the war, Vince Torelli is dedicated, intelligent and highly principled--all skills that serve him well given the difficult, almost impossible murder investigations he's assigned to handle that force him to the razor edge with equally resolute, extremely ruthless masterminds.   Continue the Series:   Chapter 1   Retribution  n.  To repay; punishment for evil done; requital   He looked at his watch, noting it was 10:34 pm.  He…
A Vince Torelli Novel: MP - A Novel of Vietnam 3d cover
Posted inHistorical Books War Books

A Vince Torelli Novel: MP – A Novel of Vietnam by John Schembra

  Continue the Series:   PROLOGUE 3 June, 1968 2127 hrs. The sprawling air base at Bien Hoa was lit only by the runway lights which the controllers turned off as soon as the plane came to a stop. The only other lights were evenly spaced along the perimeter wire a half mile away, and the lights from the terminal building south of the runways. The pilot shut down the plane's running lights as a jeep arrived at the boarding…
John Schembra
Posted inAuthors

John Schembra

John Schembra was born Jan. 3, 1948 and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He retired Feb. 2001 from a small northern California police department as a Sergeant after almost 30 years' service. Prior to becoming a police officer, he was a Military Policeman assigned for a year to the 557th MP Co., Long Binh, Bien Hoa, South Vietnam, where he had several "adventures" that provided the basis for his first novel, MP. He has earned a B.A in…
A Vince Torelli Mystery 5 Book Boxed Set
Posted inMystery/Thrillers/Suspense Books Series Books

A Vince Torelli Mystery Series by John Schembra

A former soldier who becomes a San Francisco police homicide investigator after the war, Vince Torelli is dedicated, intelligent and highly principled--all skills that serve him well given the difficult, almost impossible murder investigations he's assigned to handle that force him to the razor edge with equally resolute, extremely ruthless masterminds. A Vince Torelli Mystery, Book 1: Retribution There's a vigilante killer loose in San Francisco, and when the justice system fails, he doles out his own brand of justice.…
Sin Eater 3d Cover 2025
Posted inFantasy Books Mystery/Thrillers/Suspense Books

Sin Eater by John Schembra

;   [wp_social_ninja id="217179" platform="reviews"] Sin Eater; In folklore, a person who would take on the sins of a dying person through ritual means and for material gain, thus absolving the dying of their sins while taking on the burden of the same. Prologue   He clung tightly to his mother's hand as they walked down the dimly lit hallway toward the bedroom. He could hear the soft sobbing of his aunts in the living room, punctuated once in a…