He credits athletics for contributing to his discipline. But after injuries halted his football career, Vitatoe honed his writing skills. Ultimately, he produced his debut novel, With These Hands, a compelling police drama set in Detroit with an improbable heroine. Currently living in Detroit, Vitatoe is a native of California and a devoted father of two daughters.

With These Hands

Title: With These Hands
Genre: Urban Mystery
243 Pages
ISBN: 9780976942627

Publisher: Nyack Books

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Six years ago a stray bullet made Madeline Harris a single parent. In an attempt to fight back, she the Detroit police department and is assigned their Sex Crimes Unit. She quickly proves herself an emerging star, who always gets her man. When a serial killer, dubbed The Midwest Strangler, begins preying on the women of Michigan University, Madeline is called on to bring him down. What begins as an undercover operation that can make or break her career lands Madeline in a fight for her life against a madman with score to settle.

Listen to Derek's Feature Interview

January 12, 2009
8:00 pm CST

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