Murder, he writes

Sheriff’s first mystery mixes police procedure and literary aspirations

By BRIAN KELLY

Herald Writer

Thup! Thup! Thup! Thup!

Sheriff Mike Hawley’s blue-and-white Adidas call out a crunchy but quiet cadence as he jogs along a South Whidbey road, the early morning sky dark but freckled with a thousand stars.

Island County’s top cop is on the trail of a killer, a brutal slasher who’s left a pretty coed dead in a pool of blood.

Thup! Thup! Thup! Thup!

Sweat soaks his gray running gear as a cold coyote calls. Hawley goes over the details of the murder mystery in his mind. He already knows who the killer is, but now he’s more concerned about Leah Harris and her love for coffee. Seems that Harris, the hotshot Seattle PD investigator who’s probing the murder, can’t live without the inky go-juice that forms the center of Seattle’s universe.

Coffee. She loves coffee.

Thup! Thup! Thup! Thup!

Hawley plods on. But there’s no big rush to solve this crime. It’s a phantom menace, a made-up murder.

Seems that Hawley is not only a full-time crimefighter, but a part-time mystery writer.

His first book, "The Double Bluff," has just hit bookstores.

A longtime murder mystery buff, Hawley has been writing since his college days at Western Washington University in Bellingham. He taught high school social studies in Cle Elum after he graduated, but went into law enforcement 15 years ago to get police experience he could later use in his novels.

"The irony was, I found out that I was a better cop than I was a writer. And I still am," said Hawley, who has been Island County sheriff since 1996.

"This is a hobby," he added. "I’m not going to be quitting my day job here."

"The Double Bluff" was five years in the making. It’s set in Seattle, where Hawley grew up, and the characters are composites of people he’s met over the years.

"The names have been changed to protect the innocent," he deadpanned. "And to protect me from getting sued."

Although the paperback has passed the crucial mother-in-law test — she said she likes it — Hawley still has jitters when someone cracks open his debut novel.

"I can’t be in the same room," he said. "Now that it’s in a book form, I can’t even crack it open until I get some feedback. I’m just so nervous about the whole thing."

Hawley is the second author in the family. His wife, M’Liss Rae, has penned several books on quilting techniques.

"We were having a race to see who got published first. And she beat me."

But the sheriff’s holster isn’t empty already. He’s got three other books that are just about finished; he hopes the next is out by January.

His mysteries are what’s called a "police procedural," heavy on the nuts-and-bolts details of police work, like "describing what happens when a bullet hits somebody, rather than what you see on TV."

"It’s different; it really is," Hawley said.

"If a cop reads this, they’re going to go, ‘Oh, there’s someone who knows what they’re talking about.’ And that’s what I’m shooting for," he said.

Published by Writer’s Showcase and iUniverse.com, the book is available at Barnes &amp Noble, Amazon.com and other outlets. A portion can be read on Hawley’s Web site: www.murderhewrites.com.

Hawley gets up at 5 a.m. six days a week and starts writing before his home, located on a South Whidbey hazelnut farm, is filled with the sounds of two teen-agers, five cats and four dachshunds.

"It’s the only time I have peace and quiet from the family and from my job," he said.

He’ll also crank out pages on a laptop while waiting in the ferry lines. Other times, it will take a three-mile run to jog free the perfect passage.

"That sets the next day’s writing, because I actually plot while I’m running," Hawley said. "Even the dialog, I’ll run over in my mind."

But the pace sometimes quickens when he has that perfect plot twist, from "Thup! Thup!" to "THUP! THUP! THUP!"

"I have sprinted home. It’s kind of like: Eureka!"

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.