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A veteran of over 20 years
in law enforcement, Burcell joined the Lodi Police Department at the age of 23. At that time, she was the
first woman police officer in the department. As a police officer, she worked a variety assignments including
patrol, detectives and as a hostage negotiator. After leaving Lodi, Burcell, an expert in forensic art,
fingerprints, and child abuse joined Sacramento County as a criminal investigator Her first book, When Midnight Comes, was a romance novel about a police officer.
It was a finalist in both the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart for Historical and the prestigious Rita for Best
First Book. Burcell then picked up her pen and began the first in a series of police procedurals featuring the character Kate
Gillespie, a homicide inspector in San Francisco, California. According to the book description of Fatal Truth, “A
homicide inspector with the San Francisco Police Department, Kate Gillespie worked hard to get where she is. But a frantic
phone call from a snitch threatens to destroy everything she is and everything she's earned. Pulled from the bright lights
of the Homicide office onto the shadowy night streets, she arrives at a clandestine meet just in time to see the frightened
informer shot dead ... by another cop. Now Kate is a target, on a trail of dirty deals, corruption, and escalating violence
that reaches back into her own troubled family history and deep into a department riddled with dark secrets and truths that
kill. Suddenly Kate Gillespie is teetering on a "blue wall of silence" and being set up to take a long, fatal fall
-- by a relentless killer who's hiding in plain sight.”
According to the book description
of Deadly Legacy, “San Francisco P.D. Homicide Inspector Kate Gillespie's investigation
into a bizarre apparent murder/suicide is threatening to careen out of control. A dead man might not be dead. The families
of the deceased are hiding something. And there are blood-soaked threads reaching into some very lofty places. But most perplexing
of all are the shocking revelations of one of the "victims" dark and dangerous history -- the more Kate learns,
the less she knows. It's a case that has placed Kate Gillespie on the hot seat as her investigation gets bigger by the
moment -- and puts her perilously high on a rabid killer's hit list.” Harriet Klausner, an Amazon reviewer, commenting on Burcell’s book Deadly Legacy
remarked that it was “an exciting tale starring a strong cast of characters. Kate is an ethical lead protagonist whose
conscience reminds her that she tampered with evidence when she removed the photo. Though everyone insists that Eve was a
highly ethical person, Kate knows first hand otherwise. Rocky provides a steady balance and an internal affairs cop adds a
romantic angle. The who-done-it is complex as the so-called loving relatives of the victims do everything to avoid exposure.
As she did with Every Move She Makes and Fatal Truth, Robin Burcell provides the audience with a strong mystery.”
Publishers Weekly said of Every
Move She Makes, “Kate Gillespie, the first female homicide detective in the San Francisco Police Department,
and her partner, Sam Scolari, are investigating the discovery of a dead body in a freezer when Sam's wife, the coroner
on the case, is murdered, perhaps by a serial killer who has been terrorizing the city. Sam suddenly disappears, leading everyone
to think he is the murderer--and leaving Kate to solve the mystery and prove his innocence. She is thwarted, however, by three
men competing for her attention: Mike Torrance, the Internal Affairs investigator following Kate in the hope that she'll
lead him to Sam; her devious ex-husband, Reid Bettencourt; and Nicholas Paolini, a local crime boss against whom Kate is about
to testify and who has been making threats on her life. Real-life police officer Burcell's (When Midnight Comes) latest
thriller is fast-paced but overly complicated and lacks focus. Kate's motivation for believing in her partner's innocence
and risking her own career to prove it is unclear. Kate is a well-developed character, and the details of police investigation
are interesting, but by the end of the story, the central mystery has been lost in the myriad subplots.”
According to the book description
of Cold Case, “Three years ago SFPD Homicide Investigator Kate Gillespie was in pursuit of
a suspect who murdered a hooker in a sleazy motel, and she nearly lost her own life in the process. The shooter escaped into
the San Francisco shadows and the trail went colder than the grave. Now Kate's appearance on a Bay Area "crime stoppers"
TV show produces new leads that carry her back into the sordid world of drugs and prostitution -- and point her toward a local
crime boss whose missing wife is possibly linked to multiple men and multiple murders. But when a dangerous knot of betrayals,
secrets, and criminal cover-ups starts unraveling, Kate can only hope she'll be as lucky as she was on that black night
at the Twin Palms Motel. Because the only way to the truth leads directly into the line of fire.” Robin Burcell donates a portion
of her royalties to COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors), in memory of men and women who have given their lives in the line
of duty.
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