Read Bonnie Toews

DID YOU KNOW . . . ?

The fingerprints of koala bears are indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.

According to Wikipedia, "the koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates) that has fingerprints. Koala fingerprints are similar to human fingerprints; even with an electron microscope, it can be quite difficult to distinguish between the two.^[12]"

Mysteries are about solving crimes. Thrillers are about preventing them. GARY BRAVER

Suspense bears no relationship to fear. Suspense is waiting for something to happen. ALFRED HITCHCOCK 

Thrillers are fearful. A thriller is villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome.[2] The genre is a fascinatingly flexible form that can undermine audience complacency through a dramatic rendering of psychological, social, familial and political tensions and encourages sheltered but sensation-hungry audiences, in Hitchcock's phrase, "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like." WIKIPEDIA 

The reader cannot know the outcome of this until the end. If the reader guesses it before the ending and it is predictable, then the author made a mistake. CHERYL HAYNES, PUBLISHER, FUTUREWORD 

SOME TERMS SPIES USE:

Black Bag--covert entry into a facility either to plant surveillance or to copy highly confidential data by taking photos or downloading data into a computer disk

Dangle--triple agent

Uncle--slang for the headquarters of any espionage service

Of the more than 200 published articles I've written, here are a few that may add fodder to your research into war and investigative technology.

Canadian Security, November 2000

Vigilant and versatile, today's video camera has become a high performance private eye in the digital world of surveillance.

Canadian Transportation Logistics, October 1994

This whole issue is a tribute to the Canadian Armed Forces and private contract operations distributing humanitarian aid to Rwanda and around the world. Our world is an insignificant tick in time if we do not connect to each other.

Looking into the traumatized eyes of 11 to 15-year-old Rwandans carrying Uzi machine guns tells the story of the savage massacres they have witnessed. These children stand guard outside the entrance to the airport terminal. They are incapable of responding to a loving smile. The journalist in me wants Al to snap their picture. The mother in me won't allow it. It is enough to realize they can kill us at the slightest provocation. This is our introduction to Kigali, Rwanda, and Central East Africa.

Canadian Transportation Logistics, August 1995

My cover story was based on a fascinating interview with retired Gen. Lewist Mackenzie on his experiences with Canadian peacekeepers in Bosnia and the Balkans where he unearthed atrocities conducted by the Croats equally as brutal as those publicized about the Serbs, but his main concern was about the ability of military logistics to meet increasing demands.

Canadian Security, October 2002

North American merchants are losing up to $62.3 billion a year to theft as shoplifters turn retailers' shrinkage into a profitable industry, but some organizations are tackling the problem.

Canadian Security, February 2001

A critical look at today's locksmithing and security hardware.

Locks are key to your overall security system, but against skillful intruders, how well do they actually work?

E-mail: bonnie.toews@rogers.com

VISIT BONNIE'S BLOG