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“The Calling — The Making of a Veteran Cop” was so successful that publishing company Thunder Bay Press picked up the book and asked Marcou, who retired in late 2006 after 33 years as a police officer and still trains recruits nationwide, to begin work on a sequel.
In just six short weeks, Marcou finished the second offering — “S.W.A.T. Blue Knights in Black Armor” — that was released earlier this month.
The book continues the story of Dan McCarthy, who went from a rookie cop to a veteran in Marcou’s first book.
In his new book, Marcou follows McCarthy as he becomes part of the S.W.A.T. team with the fictional La Claire Police Department.
As he continues to follow other characters from the first book and introduces new characters, Marcou shuns the “crooked cop” stories found in most other novels, movies and television shows about law enforcement.
“Let somebody else write about the crooked cops. I’m going to write about the real cops that I’ve known,” Marcou said. “The best-kept secret with this generation is that most cops are honest and courageous, and that they need to have good stories told about them.
A year ago, Marcou said he’d achieved his goal of getting his book printed — even if it did not sell, he was satisfied.
Much to his surprise, the book drew an almost immediate reaction from police officers throughout the world.
Veteran officers praised the accurate way in which Marcou told fictional stories of real-life situations most cops experienced. Reader reviews posted at on-line booksellers called it a must-read for anyone interested in how cops really work.
Police trainers across the U.S. and even in Japan, Australia and other foreign countries began using the book to teach new recruits.
Marcou said he was unsure whether to attempt a second book until he began getting letters from readers asking for more about McCarthy and the other cops.
“It still feels strange, because this was an aspect of my life I never, ever thought was possible,” Marcou said. “When the first book came out and someone said they wanted to publish it, that was a surprise. And with that hurdle being crossed, getting the second one done and knowing it’s a story I wanted to tell was extremely satisfying.”
Want to buy it?
To purchase an autographed copy of Dan Marcou’s book, “S.W.A.T. Blue Knights in Black Armor,” e-mail Marcou at marcoudj@
charter.net or go online to www.ltdanmarcou.com. The book also is sold online by Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.
Dan Springer can be reached at (608) 796-0432 or dspringer@lacrossetribune.com.
