Local author Dana Haynes to give readings

Have you ever read a thrilling novel and wished you could hear the tension and surprise in the author's voice? Portland author Dana Haynes, who held various positions in the Statesman Journal's newsroom, will read from his latest thriller, "Gun Metal Heart," at three upcoming readings. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Haynes will read at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton. Haynes also will read at 7 p.m. Thursday at Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 SW Capitol Highway, Portland. If you don't feel like driving to Portland, then mark your calendar for Haynes' reading at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Salem's Downtown Book Bin, 450 Court St. NE.

"Gun Metal Heart" is Haynes' fourth thriller to feature his character Daria Gibron. After alienating the world's law enforcement agencies and agreeing to stay off the radar, freelance operative Gibron encounters a Serbian hit squad that is attempting to steal state-of-the-art weaponry. This lands her in the former Yugoslavia, where she faces off with another operative.

For 20 years, Haynes worked for Oregon newspapers. His print writing career reanimated toward the end of his tenure at the Statesman Journal. He is currently the communications director for Portland Mayor Charlie Hales. A 2012 trip to the former Yugoslavia influenced Haynes' writing of "Gun Metal Heart."

"Driving around 20 years after the civil war over there, seeing machine-gunned walls and where mortar shells had crashed through walls," Haynes said, "driving through Bosnia and Herzegovina and seeing a sign that said, 'Mine Field,' that was really an eye opener for a guy like me from the Northwest. I'd never been around that kind of enmity before."

"Gun Metal Heart" is published by St. Martin's Press. For more information, call Powell's Books at (800) 878-7323, Annie Bloom's Books at (503) 246-0053 or Book Bin at (503) 361-1235.