--- title: Anthony Eddolls on His FBI Thriller Series and Where Agent David Stilley Goes Next description: Crime novelist Anthony Eddolls on writing from Maui, his two FBI thriller series, book seven and the scams that target independent authors. author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-10-17T07:45:03.456Z updated: 2026-10-17T07:46:18.822Z canonical: https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/anthony-eddolls-fbi-thriller-series-interview image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/anthony-eddolls-maui.webp categories: Authors & Writers, Thrillers content_type: Interview region: United States, Hawaii publication: Rich Books schema_type: Article about: - type: Person name: Anthony Eddolls description: Anthony Eddolls is an independent crime fiction author and the founder of Robert Anthony Books LLC. He came to fiction after a four-decade career in finance that began on Wall Street and moved into mortgage banking. He lives and writes in Kula, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. He has published six novels across the Elliott Murphy Adventures and the Special Agent David Stilley Adventure Series, with a seventh book due in November 2026. jobTitle: Author and founder worksFor: Robert Anthony Books LLC sameAs: - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BXLSY1QM - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1537328.Anthony_Eddolls - https://www.facebook.com/people/Anthony-Eddolls-Author/100089669482348/ - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyeddolls --- Anthony Eddolls, who writes from his home in Kula, in Upcountry Maui, has published six crime novels since 2022 through his own company, Robert Anthony Books. Three follow Special Agent Elliott Murphy. The other three make up his FBI thriller series about Special Agent in Charge David Stilley, and the latest, [Call Out The Dogs](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/call-out-the-dogs-review), came out this year. A seventh novel is due in November. He answered our questions by email. **You write your books from Kula, in Upcountry Maui. What does a writing day actually look like for you there?** My studio is upstairs in the southeast corner of the home we built in Kula, so when I look away from my screen, I gaze up at Haleakala, Maui's dormant volcano. Native birds are always chirping… no traffic noise, nothing to distract, and the tranquility is incredible. For years, I lived in Manhattan, and the constant barrage of sirens, trucks, and other noises became the city's anthem, but trust me, I will take this tranquility any day. So, my venue and the absence of distraction are my starting point, and the pace of our life in Hawaii is another factor. I can't think of a setting more relaxed and writer-friendly, but I am sure plenty of authors would say the same about their venue. I think we make our individual environments work, and mine just happens to be paradise! What more can I say? **You run two series, the Elliott Murphy adventures and the David Stilley adventures. How do the two relate, and do they share one universe?** Stilley first appears in The Lines We Cross, which I believe is my best procedural FBI thriller. I intended to feature Murphy as my protagonist in a three-title series, which I accomplished. Stilley appears and doesn't have a huge role because, when I wrote the book, I had yet to decide to feature the character as my protagonist in future work. But in the third title of the Murphy series, The Final Cross, Special Agent in Charge Stilley takes on a much larger role. After I finished the third novel, I decided Stilley would be my protagonist moving forward, and in fact, he would anchor my next series. Each of the three FBI books in the first Stilley series is unique, and trust me, no one can accuse me of recycling the same themes, plots, twists, and so on. The end result of the cases I developed is used to illustrate Stilley's maturity and the strength he has built emotionally, bringing him to the end of the journey with the FBI. My next title continues to feature Stilley, but under entirely different, surprising circumstances. **Readers compare your pacing to a film. How do you build that, chapter by chapter?** When I am in development, when I am writing the unedited manuscript, which I approach organically, there is no AI involved, or human editors – I fully immerse myself in the story. As a result, I can really feel the pace, and if I don't see it on the screen, if the story isn't developing visually for me – I can't expect my readers to see it… and that is what I expect from a decent thriller. Pacing is directly intertwined with visualization, at least in my mind: when the momentum slows, the picture blurs, and readers' interest and attention wane… and I am after the opposite. **Call Out The Dogs ends with a decision that you have said seeds your next series. What can you tell us about it?** Yes, the finale of the book includes Stilley leaving the Bureau for new and different horizons. More importantly, with this novel I took the leap into co-opting controversies that are present today in real life – political corruption, improper international relationships and profiteering by leaders, the underbelly of Black Ops and CIA dirty deeds – the explosive nature of Stilley's final case is a disheartening glimpse into the very people that lead his agency – but he leaves for his marriage, to use more of his credentials and experience, and also, to cash in by moving into the private sector. Everything fits, and that is where the story and this series end. It sets everything up for Stilley and his partner to experience life in crime-fighting, without a badge. Spoiler Alert: A highly successful expat, living in London, someone Stilley met in Call Out The Dogs, someone he protected, and the character whose actions unraveled a threat that was considered to be impenetrable – anyway, as a result, he offers Stilley a job – actually, he offers him a partnership to build a top-tier international security and investigations business; except, Stilley no longer has his badge. So I am going to have a blast with this; the part of this adventure I enjoy most is creating a new manuscript when the storyline is flowing. **Book seven is due in November. What can you reveal now?** Without revealing the storyline, I think the point where I left off answering the previous question will make weaving the entire series so interesting, especially this book. Private security and defense contracting are common sectors for top agents to move into and earn exponentially higher paychecks in real life. Stilley enters the business not as an employee, but as a partner to a billionaire who invests tens of millions just to launch the venture. Furthermore, he insists on paying Stilley a massive salary. This provides the Stilley family with a challenge, as they find themselves in the 1% overnight. But despite the income, private jets, and unlimited resources at his disposal, he no longer has a badge! He can't arrest anyone, use his gun, or even drive above the speed limit! He faces the realities of hunting down bad guys, corporate thieves, and even the mob – as a private citizen. I will face numerous challenges writing this role, and I can't wait. **You came to publishing with forty years of entrepreneurial experience, yet you have described the indie market as brutally competitive. What has worked for you in reaching readers?** I am getting there, but yeah, Indie authors face a massive uphill battle to accumulate an audience, and despite the critical reception each title has received, and the six-figure investment I have made in advertising and promotion, I am just beginning to gain traction. Over 1,500 self-published books are published on Amazon every day! Mind-blowing. So I have begun investing in SEO, paying close attention to site traffic, and trying everything I can to convert visitors into readers and purchasers of my books. But reaching an audience and selling enough books to make a living is nearly an impossible mountain to climb in self-publishing. I went into this to satisfy my creative itch and write and publish fiction. I am fortunate that I don't need income, and I have resources to advertise and promote my work. So when one of my books hit #75,000 in a category over the summer, it wasn't until I realized that there were over 7,500,000 other titles that I was in the top one percent! However, readers would have to scroll past 75,000 titles to find my book if they looked in descending order. So you advertise and promote, which I have done ad nauseam. But now I rely on organic SEO, and my sales are the same, but I am actually making money! **What would you tell a new independent author about protecting themselves from the predatory side of this industry?** This quickly became my reality, and as my reviews and titles have grown, I deal with it every single day. I have received emails from imposters representing every major publishing house, from a fraudster posing as David Muir, the ABC anchor, Daniel Silva, the blockbuster writer with numerous bestsellers, the BBC, too many radio stations to count – but the worst approach, which I know succeeds often, is the emails purporting to offer marketing and publishing assistance to new authors: formatting, converting the manuscript to eBook, and for many new writers, the world of online marketing is intimidating and the ridiculous claims they make sound like the solution. Fraudsters begin by requesting a small payment, then raise it, leaving the victim with nothing but failure and fraud. I have often compared the level of fraud and deceptive schemes in self-publishing to what the public often sees and thinks of the securities industry or the mortgage business. The number of attempts to defraud, and the number of schemes I have been directly confronted with as an Indie author, make my old industry, Wall Street, look like preschool. It is unfortunate, and it really shocked me. Now, when I have the chance, I will pass the intel along to the good guys, people like Stilley and Elliott Murphy! ### Books by Anthony Eddolls - [Crossing Over](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C54CC22S) by Anthony Eddolls - [The Lines We Cross](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C54D69DF) by Anthony Eddolls - [The Final Cross](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6C9GGBB) by Anthony Eddolls - [The Beast Within Us](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY7S1TKN) by Anthony Eddolls - [The Sleeper Among Us](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H678RZ3G) by Anthony Eddolls - [Call Out The Dogs](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H44ZM4RQ) by Anthony Eddolls **About Anthony Eddolls** Author and founder, Robert Anthony Books LLC Anthony Eddolls is an independent crime fiction author and the founder of Robert Anthony Books LLC. He came to fiction after a four-decade career in finance that began on Wall Street and moved into mortgage banking. He lives and writes in Kula, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. He has published six novels across the Elliott Murphy Adventures and the Special Agent David Stilley Adventure Series, with a seventh book due in November 2026. **About Robert Anthony Books LLC** Robert Anthony Books LLC is the independent publishing company of crime fiction author Anthony Eddolls, publishing his Special Agent David Stilley series and the ebook editions of his back catalog. Its titles are sold in ebook, paperback and audiobook formats, primarily through Amazon. [Website](https://eddollsbooks.com)