Between police work and pickleball, SFPD sergeant finds voice as a writer
By day, Adam Plantinga works as a sergeant in the San Francisco Police Department . By night, the author is preparing his third book in a bestselling thriller series about a retired Detroit cop.“I don’t play golf,” he said.
“When you don't play golf, it opens up huge, yawning swaths of time in your evenings and weekends.” If you ask Plantinga a question, you’re liable to get a deadpan response. This relaxed approach seems to have served him well: Plantinga has been with the San Francisco Police Department since 2008, and his second fiction novel, “Hard Town,” hit bookstores in April. “Hard Town” tells the story of retired Detroit cop Kurt Argento, who works to unravel a mystery in a small desert community. It is a direct follow-up to Plantinga’s 2024 thriller, “The Ascent,” which cracked the USA Today bestseller list and to which Universal Television acquired the development rights that February. “Hard Town” is set in a different milieu compared to the first book. Since the earlier one took place mainly inside a maximum-security prison, Plantinga thought it would be interesting to situate Argento outdoors — in this case, the Arizona desert. The writer himself said he likes the desert — he called it “clean” — and said he has been there a few times. So far, the reaction to the book has been positive. Kashif Hussain of Best Thriller Books told The Examiner that Plantinga’s writing has “no wasted words” and is emotionally resonant. Author and podcast host Douglas Brunt said Plantinga “writes with great authority, and gets the humor and vernacular really well,” reminding him of author Nelson DeMille, whose service in the Vietnam War influenced his writing much as Plantinga’s police experience does. “You’re with a storyteller who knows exactly what they’re doing and where they will take you,” said Meg Gardiner, author of the popular Evan Delaney novels. She said she likes the small moments Plantinga captures, and she was delighted to discover a writer working in the narrative tradition of the hard-boiled private investigator updated for the 2020s. Plantinga said he draws heavily in his fiction from his patrol experiences, during which he spends a lot of time around wanted felons who say and do things that give him ideas. The San Francisco Police Department has been short-staffed, he mentioned, but that’s part of a national problem. However, police academies lately have been filled, which is cause for optimism.What do Plantinga’s fellow officers in the SFPD make of his writing adventures? Ex // Top Stories A 77-year-old poem explains protestors' ICE anger Seventy-seven years ago, a plane carrying 32 people crashed over Los Gatos Canyon, killing everyone aboard. Young Mozart's 'Idomeneo' makes SF Opera debut Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 1781 masterpiece “Idomeneo,” his early venture into the then-prevalent opera seria style of grand themes, historical figures and mythological… How fast will upzoning lead to new SF homes? Critics fear current proposal will rapidly result in dramatic changes to the cityscape. But past experience suggests new developments could be slow in comingSome will buy the book, he said, which is nice. He sometimes uses coworkers’ actual names for minor characters, which they get a kick out of. Plantinga has been asked if his profession influences his portrayals, and he said a few bad cops always get the press, but “nearly all do a good job.”Plantinga said he studied both criminology and English in college, and he comes from a long line of authors. He said he’s had the writing bug since he was a child and grew up reading books centering on tough-guy heroes. Plantinga joked that he penned five works of fiction prior to his first novel that are unpublished — and should really remain that way. The problem, he said, was that the earlier works imitated the styles of other novelists — he was trying to be them, but he wasn’t them. It took a while for Plantinga to find his own voice. In terms of his creative process, Platinga said that once he has an overall concept, he puts it down on paper. He gives early versions to his editor, his agent and his wife, all of whom always check his drafts. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck kind of thing,” he said — his team will find 50 ways to make his book better. The approach appears to be working: The publisher has agreed to two more books, and Plantinga has begun writing another Argento story, this one taking place in South Dakota.With all he has on his plate, lately the writer has even taken up pickleball. He and his wife compete against their two daughters, and enjoy the fast pace. Does the activity take valuable time away from efforts on the novels?“In a strange way, it enhances my writing,” he said.
San Francisco San Francisco Police Adam Plantinga
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