Three

 I've come to realise something important: I currently have three writing projects underway.

The first is The Bukowski Files, featuring Asset Denied, which is already live. This is an espionage thriller series featuring a character who has been with me for a long time. I have plans for a six-novel series, with each instalment being a short novel.

The second series, SARCOM, co-written with Michael Lavoice. The proof of concept for this series was a short story, also co-written with Michael, which appears in the Face the Storm anthology. You can find the anthology linked here, or by clicking on the cover to your right.

The third project is Dragoon, which I first self-published before it was picked up by Three Ravens about two years ago. This is a military science fiction series that depicts a worldwide alien invasion from the perspective of the New Zealand Defence Forces' mech pilots. You can find the first book here, on the column to your right of the blog:

I really enjoyed writing this series and hope to return to the characters in the future. As for the release dates? They will be coming soon. I know Three Ravens has other titles in the pipeline, so it’s just a waiting game.

Looking backward to go forward, fourteen years on

I recently had a really interesting conversation with the editor and publisher at Defiant House—the team behind the scenes who turned Gene Bukowski’s adventure into the ebook you may have already heard about. We talked about the kinds of topics I could share on this blog, especially now that I’ve come to value my privacy more over the past couple of years.

Truth be told, I think I’ll make it up as I go along.

That conversation got me thinking, and I found myself revisiting some of my old blog posts—mainly because, well, I had some time on my hands and it was lunchtime. In doing so, I came across a real gem: my very first blog post, written back in 2012. Have a look.

That year was a particularly interesting time in my life. The post reflects on a difficult period marked by self-doubt and unemployment after completing my Master’s in Social and Community Work. Despite having strong qualifications and sending out countless job applications, I couldn’t secure work. It led me to question my worth and abilities.

Now, fourteen years on, things have improved on all fronts.

The central insight from that post still holds true: running away doesn’t solve underlying challenges. Instead, it’s about facing them head-on and moving forward. Life, after all, isn’t meant to be lived by constantly looking backward.

Feel free to check it out.

A quick look back

 

I believe it’s been about a week since "Asset Denied," the first book in The Gene Bukowski Files, went live on Amazon. I thought it would be a good time to share where it all started and why.

The first question you might be asking is, who is Gene Bukowski? He is a legacy character who has been with me for a very long time. My editor can confirm that they first encountered him twenty-five years ago as the main character in a story set on Mars, where he chased bad guys and drove buggies. In a way, Bukowski was a version of me—how I envisioned myself if I were not a wheelchair user, or more accurately, how I saw myself without the limitations of disability.

You could say that Bukowski’s initial appearance was little more than a "Mary Sue" character; he represented me in a way.

Over time, I evolved. I finished university, earned a master’s degree in social and community work, worked, fell in love, got married, lost my job, faced health challenges, secured another job, encountered more health issues, and eventually found stable work again. Throughout this journey, I continued writing. Bukowski finally made it into a book, but while it was decent, the rights reverted back to me after a year, and the book was taken down. Once again, Bukowski was buried. During this time, I had "Dragoon: First
Strike" was published through Three Ravens, and I also collaborated on a short story that is now being developed into a trilogy with Michael Lavoice.

I wanted to revisit Bukowski and decided to rewrite his story with a different setting. After I completed the rewrite, I asked Michael to read it, secretly hoping he would advise me to put it away. Instead, he loved it. When I discovered that my old mentor was an editor at another small press that favoured short-length works, I submitted the manuscript to them. You can read their feedback here.

So, who is Bukowski now? He’s still an undercover agent, but his character has much more depth than it did twenty-five-plus years ago. I really hope you’ll enjoy "Asset Denied." Please consider leaving a review once you’ve finished, as I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Explosive New Espionage Thriller "Asset Denied"

 A gripping new voice in international crime fiction has arrived with the release of Asset Denied: The Gene Bukowski Files, a high-stakes short novel by Peter Stanley that blends global intrigue, political corruption, and deeply human storytelling.

Set across Washington D.C., Mexico City, and Miami, Asset Denied follows Special Agent Gene Bukowski—a hardened FBI investigator and former military operative—who is pulled into a spiralling international conspiracy after a joint U.S.–Mexico operation collapses in violence. A senior Mexican official is assassinated, multiple officers are killed, and Bukowski’s partner takes his own life, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions.

As Bukowski becomes the focus of a Senate inquiry and is suspended from active duty, he is drawn into a covert, off-the-books mission that pushes him beyond the limits of law enforcement—and into the shadows of intelligence warfare. What begins as a failed investigation quickly unravels into a far-reaching network tied to the powerful cartel La Sombra Negra, implicating corrupt officials, criminal syndicates, and international agencies.

At its core, Asset Denied is as much about people as it is about power. The novel explores fractured loyalties, institutional failure, trauma, and the cost of doing the right thing in a system built to bury the truth. Through complex characters—including analyst Sia Alofa, Bureau leader Wolfgang Keller, and the enigmatic antagonist Manuel Lukamba—the story delivers emotional depth alongside relentless action.

“We are all broken—that’s how the light gets in.”
This guiding sentiment underscores a story about survival, redemption, and the fine line between justice and vengeance.

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Key Highlights

• Genre: Espionage thriller/crime fiction
• Themes: Corruption, loyalty, trauma, global crime networks, moral ambiguity, redemption
• Setting: United States, Mexico, and beyond 
• Protagonist: Gene Bukowski — a lone-wolf agent navigating both personal loss and institutional collapse 
• Conflict: A failed international operation exposes a cartel with deep political influence and global reach 

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About the Author

Peter Stanley draws on decades of storytelling, international perspective, and lived experience to craft a narrative that is both authentic and emotionally grounded. Asset Denied marks a significant entry into the espionage thriller genre, combining procedural realism with character-driven storytelling.

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Availability

Asset Denied: A Gene Bukowski Espionage Thriller is available now on Amazon.