Arts & Entertainment

Former Secret Service Agent Pens Thriller Set at Pittsburgh Marathon

Runner J.J. Hensley draws on his background in law enforcement to create a fictional tale of suspense.

Cranberry resident J.J. Hensley has an unusual way of pushing himself through the miles of his long distance runs—he gets creative inside his own head.

A former police officer and special agent with the U.S. Secret Service, Hensley was training for the 2010 Pittsburgh Half Marathon when he began to plot the outline for a fictional murder-mystery during runs

“Because, what else are you going to think about when you’re running one to two hours at a time?” he joked.

Find out what's happening in Pine-Richlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Once back at his computer, Hensley began to type out the story lines he came up with during training. Pretty soon, he had a novel on his hands.

When it was complete, he began to show the novel to friends, who gave their feedback, and eventually garnered a literary agent.

Find out what's happening in Pine-Richlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Now, three years later, here we are,” he said.

Resolve, Hensley’s first novel, was published in March to positive reviews, including accolades from Luke Watson, a three-time U.S. Olympic trials competitor

"One need not be a runner to enjoy the thrilling story of crime and drama.  RESOLVE gives the reader the chilling sensation that the story could happen to anyone, making it all the more real," Watson wrote.

The thriller follows Dr. Cyprus Keller, a former police officer and professor of criminology at the fictional Three Rivers University who is an expert in criminal behavior and victimology.

When a female student of his is murdered—and his graduate assistant attempts to kill him—Keller finds himself frantically swinging back and forth between being a suspect and a victim.

Told over the 26.2 mile course of the Pittsburgh marathon, with each chapter representing another mile, Keller recounts the events leading to his current dilemma—and how he’s using the race to pursue the person behind the killing.

“It’s a first person story, told throughout the course of the marathon through a series of flashbacks, with the premise being the protagonist says he plans on committing a crime during the course of the marathon,” Hensley said.

Now a training supervisor with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Hensley said he drew on his own background in law enforcement, including coordinating security for large-scale events like the marathon, for the novel.

“There are mentions of different vulnerabilities and threats on course,” Hensley said. “That has, unfortunately, become very relevant.”

Hensley is, of course, referring to the Boston Marathon bombings April 15 that killed three people and wounded many others.  

It’s a matter of coincidence that his novel deals with a crime set at the Pittsburgh Marathon at the same time the Boston bombings continue to make headlines around the world, Hensley said.

"While the plot of Resolve does not directly involve terrorism, it does revolve around the premise of violence at a marathon," he said. "I chose this concept for the very reason that the prospect of violence at such a positive-energy event like a marathon is such a glaring contradiction."

Hensley said he believes the positive stories of people helping one another during a crisis will outweigh the negatives of that day.

"I would expect that will be the case here, as the citizens of Boston, the running community, and all Americans will unite and refuse to let fear dominate their everyday lives," he said.

It certainly won’t stop him from running.

Hensley is again participating in the Pittsburgh Marathon taking place Sunday, May 5. He also will be signing copies of Resolve at the Mojo Running & Multisport booth set up at the marathon.

“The local support I’ve gotten is great,” he said.

Resolve is available online on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. It may also be purchased at independently owned bookstores. To learn more about Resolve, click here.

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Pine-Richland