This is the online home of David Healey, author of thrilling historical fiction and regional histories. Over the years, quite a lot has been added to the site, so this page will help you get started with navigating HealeyInk. Please start by getting your audiobook or your free story!
Recent releases and re-releases
Deadly Anthem Time Reich Pirate Moon
The Caje Cole sniper series
Ghost Sniper Iron Sniper Gods & Snipers Ardennes Sniper
Get started with the Caje Cole series audiobooks
Jungle Sniper (Pacific Sniper Book 3)
Deacon Cole and the rest of Patrol Easy hoped that they had seen their last combat for a while, but they soon find themselves in the first wave during the invasion of the Philippines in October 1944. They witness the bold military leader General Douglas MacArthur wading ashore even as Japanese bullets still fly. After taking the beach, they return to Hill 522 to help knock out the enemy bastion there. Deke soon joins a patrol fighting its way across Leyte island in an effort to link up with US forces that have a toehold on the opposite shore. All that stands between Deke and the American outpost are miles of jungle, mountains, monsoon rains, fanatical Japanese troops, and an enemy sniper with a grudge. What could go wrong?
New Releases
In December 1941, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor plunges the United States into war. On farms and cities nationwide, lives are upended as young men and women volunteer for the war effort.
One of these young men is Deacon Cole, fresh from the hardscrabble mountains of Appalachia. He’s never been good at much except hunting and hard work. He soon finds himself sent to the Pacific Theater to join the fight against Imperial Japan.
Deacon hits the beach for his first test against the enemy. He will use all his skill with a rifle against a deadly Japanese marksman. Across the beaches and jungle, they take part in the savage battle for control of a Pacific island. Can he protect his squad, or will they fall, one by one, under the enemy’s crosshairs?
Now available … RISING SNIPER
The fight for victory in the Pacific continues, this time at Leyte in the Philippines. Deacon Cole and the rest of Patrol Easy are sent as an advance unit to help crack the formidable Japanese defenses before the American invasion. To make the mission even more difficult, the Japanese have deadly snipers of their own. If Deke and the others can’t bring down the enemy defenses in time, there will be a terrible price to pay when US troops hit the beach.
REBEL DAWN: A Civil War Novel
An April morning in Baltimore turns bloody and violent as the first Union troops arrive in the border state of Maryland, where adventurer Tom Flynn soon finds himself forced to choose sides. Will his skills as a soldier best serve the North or the South?
Called to return to the Southern capitol of Richmond, Flynn must work to save an idealistic Union spy. His journey takes him to the first Battle of Bull Run. In the midst of the battlefield, Flynn must fight to save the spy, protect new friends, and settle old scores.
SNIPER’S JUSTICE
Just when it looks like Allied troops are finally winning the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes forest, German forces launch a devastating counter-attack called Operation Nordwind.
Just when it looks like Allied troops are finally winning the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes forest, German forces launch a devastating counter-attack called Operation Nordwind.
Surrounded in the wintry hills, the odds seem impossible, but the defenders have Cole and his rifle on their side. For Cole, the battle leaves some unfinished business. Years later, Cole will have to settle the score once and for all to satisfy his “Sniper’s Justice.”
Fallen Sniper
Deep in the Korean mountains, U.S. sniper Caje Cole and his squad are on patrol when they witness a dogfight that ends with a pilot being shot down over enemy territory. Cole leads the rescue effort that puts him in conflict with a deadly Chinese sniper, but that turns out to be the least of his worries. Chinese forces are on the move, starting with the capture of an outpost just forward of the American line. To stop a large Chinese force poised to smash the American line, Cole joins a makeshift unit sent to hold an ancient fort at a mountain pass. These misfits plan a desperate fight to the last man against overwhelming odds as Cole faces a showdown with the enemy sniper.
Sniper Ridge
At the Battle of Triangle Hill, Cole and his squad find themselves in a stalemate with Chinese forces, fighting to capture and then regain a strategic foothold. To make matters worse, a deadly enemy shooter has positioned himself on the hill known as Sniper Ridge, picking off the defenders and outshooting Cole. To defeat this enemy, Cole must return to his mountain roots as a hunter, tracker, and jaw-dropping marksman.
Sniper Ridge is the the seventh Caje Cole novel, now available in ebook and print. Click here to get your copy.
Civil War novels
Sharpshooter Rebel Fever Rebel Train
Mysteries and more
The House That Went Down With The Ship Beach Bodies Deadly Anthem
First Voyage Ship of Spies The Duelist
Regional History (non-fiction)
Rediscovering 1812 Great Storms Delmarva Legends
Blog Posts & News
Getting started with your creative project
Coming up in March, I will be leading a workshop called “First Lines,” where we’ll have some fun looking at the opening lines for several novels. After that bit of warming up, the real focus will be your own first lines. We’ll have some exercises for brainstorming, or at least getting fired up about your…
Read ‘The Gift of the GI: A Caje Cole Christmas Story’
From the title, you will probably recognize that this holiday story was inspired by “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. Growing up, I used to enjoy those classic short stories by the likes of O. Henry, H.H. Munro or Saki, Richard Connell (“The Most Dangerous Game”), and Somerset Maugham. Most of them had…
Book Lover’s Marketplace
The Book Lover’s Market is just a few short weeks away! Meet a dozen local authors (including your own local author David Healey), shop a few bookish vendors and a used book sale, and check out the pre-sale for this year’s Holiday Cheers Party-to-Go bags! Book Lover’s Market will be held at our North East…
Jungle Sniper coming soon
Deacon Cole and the rest of Patrol Easy hoped that they had seen their last combat for a while, but they soon find themselves in the first wave during the invasion of the Philippines in October 1944. They witness the bold military leader General Douglas MacArthur wading ashore even as Japanese bullets still fly. After…
Rising Sniper reading
At 7 pm on June 29, I will be giving a 10-minute reading from Rising Sniper. If you’d like to listen in, please sign up at the link. Thank you! https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSeaOKH7QTcvam…/viewform
Interview on the Tory Gates podcast
I enjoyed being a guest on Tory’s podcast recently, talking about books, writing, World War II, and the Civil War. After we wrapped up, Tory and I talked for nearly another hour off recording. That’s what happens when you get two writers together! https://www.blogtalkradio.com/bookspeak/2021/11/12/pacific-sniper-author-david-healey-is-torys-guest-on-the-bpp-show#
When Heroes Flew: The Shangri-La Raiders
By David Healey for The Big Thrill Magazine In the fight against Imperial Japan, the early months of 1942 were some of the bleakest and most uncertain. The Japanese had already pummeled the United States with their devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. In swift order, outposts from the Philippines to Guam quickly fell to…
A Civil War substitute
This seemed like a good story to share as we get into Independence Day celebrations and the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Sometimes I actually get out from behind the keyboard and that was the case this week when I went exploring and visited Bethesda Methodist Episcopal, a country church and old cemetery near…
Does it hit the mark?
This is a sneak peek of a detail from an upcoming book cover. Thoughts? Comments are welcome. Thank you!
Join us for a fiction reading!
Please join me and other local authors for a fun reading on Thursday, May 27, 7:30 pm on Zoom. It’s free and you can sign up here https://www.easternshorewriters.org/event-4324911 I’m not sure what I will read yet and may play it by ear depending on the audience, but I am leaning toward a chapter from Sniper’s…
After Alice Fell
By David Healey In the summer of 1865, the nation is just beginning to heal from the bitter Civil War. The signs of the war are everywhere—in the man with one arm on the street corner, the empty chair at the table, the still-bitter ring of names like Shiloh and the Wilderness. As if this wasn’t…
My favorite rock videos on YouTube
These are better than a cup of coffee … it’s impossible to watch these videos and not feel energized and even a little amazed. Your results may vary, but these work for me. Richard Ashcroft 2019 singing Bittersweet Symphony live. This song was a hit in the ’90s but he’s still got it. Lucky Man love…
Get to know the Borinqueneers
Fallen Sniper was inspired by several unconnected events from the Korean War that came together here for the story. In the late stages of the war, the conflict entered the stalemate phase described by historian Max Hastings. Instead of fighting back and forth, the two opposing sides were now facing each other across a wide…
Author Lee Gimenez on Blacksnow Zero
The following article appears in The Big Thrill. By David Healey Author Lee Gimenez is one of those rare writers who still uses a pen and paper to craft his stories, often in a coffeeshop or sometimes in the backyard during these pandemic times. Day by day, word by word, those pages have added up…
David Healey author 