David Hagberg
David Hagberg (* 9. October 1942 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American novelist best known for his techno-thrillers featuring super-spy Kirk McGarvey. Hagberg has also written under the pseudonym Sean Flannery, Nick Carter, David Bannerman, David James, Robert Pell, and Eric Ramsey. Hagberg's style has been described as a cross between Tom Clancy and Ian Fleming. His thrillers generally feature a combination of technical detail, timely plots and super-spy heroics that are sometimes almost prophetic in their accuracy . In the novel Joshua's Hammer, for example, written in 2000, Hagberg gives a chilling account of a mega-terrorist plot by Osama bin Laden to kill thousands of Americans on their home soil, published a full year before the World Trade Center Attacks. His scenario of McGarvey tracking bin Laden to his urban lair in Pakistan and shooting him in the head—far from Tora Bora’s caves—was described and executed in “Allah’s Scorpion (2007)” four years before the eerily similar event echoed Hagberg’s novel.
Like many "cloak-and-dagger" novelists, Hagberg has a professional background in espionage, having spent his stint of military duty as a cryptographer for U.S. Air Force Intelligence.[1]
Hagberg apprenticed as a spy writer by contributing more than 20 "work-for-hire" entries in the Nick Carter - Killmaster series of espionage novels between 1976 and 1987. He also wrote "work-for-hire" novels based on the Flash Gordon comic strip.
His work has been well received by his colleagues in the crime writing community. Three of his novels, The Kremlin Conspiracy, False Prophets, and Broken Idols, were nominated for Edgars by the MWA in the "Best Paperback Original Novel" category. Three of his McGarvey novels, Countdown, Crossfire, and Critical Mass, won American Mystery Awards, given by Mystery Scene Magazine, for "Best Spy Novel."
Hagberg wrote a short story titled "Genesis" in Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary.
Bibliography
Kirk McGarvey Novels
- Without Honor (1989)
- Countdown (1990)
- Crossfire (1991)
- Critical Mass (1992)
- High Flight (1995)
- Assassin (1997)
- White House (1999)
- Joshua's Hammer (2000)
- The Kill Zone (2002)
- Soldier of God (2005)
- Allah's Scorpion (2007)
- Dance with the Dragon (2007)
- The Expediter (2009)
- The Cabal (2010)
- The Abyss (2011)
- Castro's Daughter (2012)
- Blood Pact (2014)
- Retribution (2015)
Miscellaneous Novels
- Twister (1975)
- The Capsule (1976)
- Croc (1976) (writing as David James)
- That Winslow Woman (1977) (writing as Robert Pell)
- The Kummersdorf Connection (1978) (writing as Eric Ramsey)
- Heartland (1983)
- Heroes (1985)
- Last Come the Children (1987)
- Desert Fire (1993)
- Eden's Gate (2001)
- By Dawn's Early Light (2003)
- Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003)
- Burned (2009)
- Blowout (2012) (With Senator Byron L. Dorgan)
- Gridlock (2013) (With Senator Byron L. Dorgan)
Novels written as Sean Flannery
- Kremlin Conspiracy' (1979)
- The Trinity Factor (1981)
- Eagles Fly (1982)
- Hollow Men (1982)
- Broken Idols (1985)
- False Prophets (1985)
- Gulag (1987)
- Moscow Crossing (1988)
- The Zebra Network (1989)
- Crossed Swords (1989)
- Counterstrike (1990)
- Moving Targets (1991)
- Winner Take All (1994)
- Kilo Option (1996)
- Achilles' Heel (1998)
Flash Gordon Novels
- Massacre in the 22nd Century (1980)
- War of the Citadels (1980)
- Crisis on Citadel II (1980)
- Forces from the Federation (1981)
- Citadels Under Attack (1981)
- Citadels on Earth (1981)
Magic Man Novels (writing as David Bannerman)
- The Magic Man (1983)
- The Gamov Factor (1983)
- Pipeline from Hell (1984)
- Call of Honor (1985)
Nick Carter - Killmaster Novels (writing as Nick Carter)
- Sign of the Prayer Shawl (1976)
- Race of Death (1978)
- The Ouster Conspiracy (1981)
- The Strontium Code (1981)
- Deathlight (1982)
- The Dominican Affair (1982)
- The Puppet Master (1982)
- The Hunter (1982)
- Appointment in Haiphong (1982)
- Operation McMurdo Sound (1982)
- Retreat for Death (1982)
- The Damocles Threat (1982)
- The Istanbul Decision (1983)
- Earthfire North (1983)
- Zero-Hour Strike Force (1984)
- Death Island (1984)
- Death Hand Play (1984)
- The Vengeance Game (1985)
- The Killing Ground (1986)
- Death Orbit (1986)
- Operation Petrograd (1986)
- East of Hell (1987)