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Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas releases new novel

By Brittany Frederick

NBCUNIVERSAL EVENTS -- "One Chicago Day" -- Pictured: (l-r) Taylor Kinney, "Chicago Fire"; Derek Haas, Executive Producer at the "One Chicago Day" event at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Chicago, IL, on October 30, 2017 -- (Photo by: Parish Lewis/NBC)
NBCUNIVERSAL EVENTS -- "One Chicago Day" -- Pictured: (l-r) Taylor Kinney, "Chicago Fire"; Derek Haas, Executive Producer at the "One Chicago Day" event at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Chicago, IL, on October 30, 2017 -- (Photo by: Parish Lewis/NBC) /
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Chicago Fire co-creator Derek Haas’s new novel hits shelves today as he continues the Silver Bear series with the ominously titled The Way I Die.

Derek Haas isn’t just the co-creator and showrunner of Chicago Fire; he’s also an accomplished novelist, and One Chicago fans can pick up his latest book today.

The new novel is entitled The Way I Die and is the fourth book in Haas’s Silver Bear series, which follows his anti-hero known only as Columbus.

Hopefully that doesn’t mean Columbus is being killed off, but you’ll have to read to find out! As One Chicago viewers know, Derek Haas likes to keep taking his audiences by surprise. This latest novel should be no exception.

Here’s the book’s official description from publisher Pegasus Books:

"The way I die is two taps to the head, stuffed in the trunk of a rental sedan, my body set on fire. The way I die is both arms broken, both legs broken, tossed off a cigarette boat in the middle of Lake Michigan, bricks in my pockets to weigh down the corpse. The way I die is acid in a bathtub, pushed out of an airplane, strung up and gutted in an old textile warehouse in Boston. My name is Copeland. My name is Columbus. The way I die is a shotgun in my mouth, my finger on the trigger.It is the middle of February on Mackinac Island, a tiny community off the northern Michigan coast. But Columbus isn’t here to enjoy the picturesque surroundings. Reeling after the death of his wife and relinquishing his son, he lives in isolation—in self-imposed punishment and exile. Forgotten and alone. Nameless to his neighbors. But even if he runs and hides, Columbus is never alone for long."

This is Derek Haas’s fifth novel, all of which have featured the Columbus character. The Way I Die follows The Silver Bear, Columbus, Dark Men and A Different Lie. Fans can learn more about his novels here.

While writing a novel is completely different from writing for TV, Chicago Fire viewers will get a similar adrenaline rush from reading Derek Haas’s new book. He’s created a lasting character in Columbus, and he has the same eye for suspense as he does with Firehouse 51.

The only difference is that he gets to dig deeper into characters and plot, because instead of having to tell a story in 42 minutes (the length of a Chicago Fire episode without commercials), he has 224 pages.

And of course, telling a story about a killer is far different than telling them about a team of firefighters and paramedics who save lives—but that’s the fun of it and why you’ll want to give this book a read!

You can get your copy of the new Derek Haas novel now through Amazon or at any major online or physical bookseller.

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