Death by Misadventure by Daniel Kowalski-review & interview

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 29, 2026

Newly divorced, Detective Jennifer is one bad decision from rock bottom. Her next case? A prominent attorney gunned down in his garage.

The case grazes high finance and even higher egos, from a cutthroat airline to a neighbor with secrets and a fixer who smiles like a shark. As leads thin, Jennifer’s drinking thickens—and a chance reunion with an old flame becomes a reckless affair that slides her straight into danger.

Lawsuits and a second suspicious death soon follow. With a PI shadowing her, Jennifer’s badge and freedom are suddenly on the line. To save herself she’ll have to outmaneuver a predator and choose the one ally she can trust, before the evidence turns her into the perfect patsy.

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REVIEW:DEATH BY MISADVENTURE by Daniel Kowalski is a contemporary, adult, noir, police thriller focusing on forty-two year old police Detective Jennifer Aguilera.

Told from third person perspective DEATH BY MISADVENTURE follows Detective Jennifer Aguilera as she investigates the murder of a prominent attorney. Hard drinking, heavy smoking Jennifer Aguilera is in the process of divorcing her husband but meeting an old high school friend finds Jennifer indulging in an affair that is about to get messy. As Jennifer and her partner Detective Mark Hauser begin to piece together the events leading up to the murder of attorney Martin Barrows, our heroine finds herself embroiled with a man whose secrets threaten our heroine’s future. Corporate take over, lawsuits, private investigators and an affair all lead Jennifer and Hauser in search of the truth, a truth that is more fiction than reality.

The world building is detailed and focuses on Jennifer’s spiraling personal life, and the hunt for a killer. Estranged from her husband and daughter, and struggles with a recent case find Jennifer self-medicating with alcohol, an issue that threatens not only her job but friendships as well. As the murder investigation takes on a life of its’ own, not all is as it appears to be, and Detective Jennifer Aguilera is caught in the mire that is now her life.

The colorful secondary and supporting characters include Jennifer’s partner Detective Mark Hauser, PI Roy Ciangetti, Jennifer’s ex-husband Doug, former classmate and new love interest Tom Schmidt. The requisite evil has many faces but I quickly deduced the ‘guilty’ party.

DEATH BY MISADVENTURE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, murder and greed, power and control. The thought provoking premise is gritty, intriguing, dramatic and edgy but there was more telling than showing. The characters are desperate, determined and flawed. The epilogue felt a little rushed, I was hoping for a little more reflection and detail. I am hoping the author has plans for a series focusing on Detective Jennifer Aguilera and her partner Mark Hauser.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

TRC:  Hi Dan and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations of the release of DEATH BY MISADVENTURE.

Dan: Thank you.

TRC:  We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Social Media: Website/ Facebook/

Dan:I originally come from a film and TV background and worked in the industry during my twenties mostly as a lighting technician but I also directed a few small projects. In my thirties I took an opportunity to live overseas and what was supposed to be a few years ended up being a decade.

During that period, I began to focus on writing as it’s a way to tell a story and you can do it all on your own with the only cost being time. I was and still am primarily focused on writing screenplays and have a few original scripts in my personal library with some optioned by Hollywood production companies.

TRC:  What or who influenced your career in writing?

Dan:My interest in writing began during middle school. I had caught ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ on TV and was blown away by it. I started downloading screenplays from the internet and bought a few books about writing. I also started reading Stephen King’s novels since many movies were adapted from them. I do think that Shawshank Redemption the movie is way better than the book. Same goes for ‘Stand by Me’ which is based off his novella ‘The Body’.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about DEATH BY MISADVENTURE?

Dan:‘Death by Misadventure’ was originally a screenplay I wrote. My goal for that was to take the film noir trope of a femme fatale and twist it into a modern story where the main character is a woman and the toxic person manipulating her is a man she had romantic desires for. Sort of like ‘Body Heat’ or ‘Double Indemnity’ with the genders reserved.

This script didn’t sell but it did get me a manager. Last year I decided to revisit it by adapting it as a novel. My previous two novels ‘Suicide Bridge’ and ‘Family Feud’ were similar cases.

TRC: Is this book a standalone or do you have plans for a series?

Dan:It’s a standalone story but Detective Jennifer Aguilera could always return for a new case and adventure.

TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Dan:That’s a great question. I’m a big fan of outlining before I start writing a draft and I get pretty extensive with it. First, I write a treatment that follows an multi act structure. Because my background is screenwriting, each act turn needs to be a plot twist that sets the story in a new direction. Then I break that into a chapter-by-chapter outline.

Some writers find extensive outlining to be helpful while others find it restrictive and would rather free flow. For me, when being free flow I often paint myself into a corner and I also think my pacing becomes too slow. With the outline I know where to go and have a good idea of how long it should take.

And sometimes when the story becomes alive when writing the draft, the outline needs to change because the characters make different choices than what the plot wanted.

But writing is often rewriting so the most important thing for an author to do is to fill pages. You can always go back to make changes.

TRC: Are any of the events in DEATH BY MISADVENTURE based in reality or true crime ?

Dan:It’s a complete work of fiction.

TRC: Have you encountered any difficulties or problems publishing your novels?

Dan:With Amazon, anyone can publish a novel if they put in the work. Getting people to read it is another story. Marketing is a very hard process but it’s a grind and everyday an author should put something on their to do list to help get people aware of their novel.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers when selecting a new book or author?

Dan:Absolutely. The cover is the first impression and this is what will catch readers’ eyes.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception about authors?

Dan:Maybe that we are lonelily people. I’m more of an introvert but you need to experience life in order to write something dynamic that people resonate with. You can’t do that spending your entire days indoors without talking to other people.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Dan:For novels I am finishing up a crime thriller called ‘Our Thing’ about a dishonorably charged vet who comes to New York and ends up getting involved with organized crime. This one is being set up to be a series.

For scripts, I have a couple action/thrillers from last year to publish before sending out. I’m also working on a coming od age original adventure story about two friends in 1999 who go on a multi continental journey so that they could ring in the New Year at three different places.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Dan:Thank you for this interview. For all the aspiring authors out there, remember that writers write so sit down and do it. Even if you aren’t feeling inspired, something will come to you.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Too many to pick one favorite but a good burger with a beer always hits the spot.

Favorite Dessert: Malva pudding

Favorite TV Show: Probably The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, or Better Call Saul. I also love Bosch. All of these are shows that I enjoy rewatching.

Last Movie you saw: Eden. Really great movie directed by Ron Howard that I didn’t hear of until it was on Netflix.

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Dark

Favorite Flower: I usually go with my wife to buy them so I defer to her judgement and knowledge

Last Vacation Destination: Hawaii

TRC: Thank you Dan for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of DEATH BY MISADVENTURE