Seatttle police captain turns expertise into thrilling books

True crime author Ann Rule put it best when she said no one can write about cops and robbers like a real police officer.

“When they are good, they are very, very good, and Capt. Neil Low is good,” Rule said.

Low, who lives in Everett, is a 42-year veteran with the Seattle Police Department. He has taken his nail-biting adventures working vice in that city’s underbelly and twisted and turned them into murder mystery novels that have become hot reads in the Puget Sound market.

His first book, “Thick as Thieves,” was the No. 3 best-selling trade mystery paperback in Seattle in 2008.

His second book, “Sign of the Dragon,” was the No. 2 best-selling trade mystery paperback in Seattle for 2009.

Kristen Morris of Tigress Publishing said that his soon-to-be-released third book, “Unreasonable Persuasion,” is in line to hit No. 1.

Low does have some “magical things” working in his favor, Morris said.

“He’s a real writer and a very good storyteller,” she said.

Low knew he wanted to be a writer during his early police academy years reading Joseph Wambaugh.

But he also knew he couldn’t begin without first accumulating some stories.

Throughout his lengthy police career, Low worked a variety of beats, including commander of homicide. But no beat was juicier than vice, where Low averaged two arrests a night for two years.

“Oh, God, that was a difficult time,” Low said. “I remember having night terrors … during that time. It was like being in a war zone.

“But I loved it, and I hated it when I got pulled out. That’s where I got my best stories.”

Low’s books are written as a murder mystery series based on a main character, Alan Stewart, with settings such as Seattle’s “exotic bordellos in Chinatown.”

In “Thick as Thieves,” Stewart’s private investigator father is killed at the hands of corrupt police officials. Stewart seeks revenge and answers, uncovering clues that lead all the way to the Lindbergh kidnapping.

In the sequel, “Sign of the Dragon,” Stewart uses his detective skills to track down Tiger Lee, a sexy American operative on a mission to disrupt the Japanese spy network.

Clearly, Low’s skill at writing was honed on the street and is showcased in the way Low captures dialogue and describes scenes. He remarkably abandons that “just the facts m’am” shtick that is archetypal of most police officers.

Low set these stories in the 1940s, an era that lends to that “film noir” feel that spews with lots of action and forbidden sex, during a time well before all the sophisticated CSI stuff. “I can show Alan applying the skills and being a bit scientific without it dominating the story,” Low said. “I wanted his skills and his interactions to be the focus, not something that happened in the lab.”

Low also said writing in the film noir style allows him to “capture the darkness,” like his hero Raymond Chandler did.

“I would love somebody to tell me that I remind them of Raymond Chandler, more so than Joseph Wambaugh,” Low said.

Low studied Chandler among other authors when he returned to school in 1995 to learn to write. In between a full-time job, family obligations and testing for a captain’s position, Low emerged eight years later, graduating in 2003 cum laude with a liberal studies degree from the University of Washington’s Bothell campus.

Now he produces about a book a year.

Low discovered that writing a book isn’t really the hard part when it comes to being a writer.

Low collaborates closely with independent publisher Morris in marketing his books. He attends book signings and participates in other marketing ventures.

One such venture is the murder mystery tours in which Low leads groups around Seattle’s most notorious crime scenes, many of them inspirations for his writing. The basic tour starts at $35 and includes a catered reception with Low, a signed book and a short reading.

“A lot of hard work takes place after the book is written,” Morris said. “It’s an uphill battle.”

So far, Low seems to have an edge in that battle as he gains readers and prepares to commit even more to his writing.

He and his wife, Lesley, are in the process of looking for a new house in either Everett or Snohomish. Low has commuted to his job for the past 18 years and now wants a home that’s big enough for him to have a home office.

Now, Low sometimes jockeys with one of his three daughters, who are 19, 17 and 15, for computer time.

Time to write is becoming more precious to him. His full time captain’s job in the advanced training unit is demanding. And he doesn’t forgo his daddy duties of attending soccer games. So ultimately, he doesn’t get enough sleep, tries to write at night when the house is quiet, or bangs out 10 to 12 pages a day on the weekends.

Up to this point, retirement is something Low’s always only joked about. “I have been telling people for 20 years I’ve got another five before I retire,” joked the 61-year-old Low. “I guess I’ll know it’s time to retire when the writing demands get greater.”

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.