Yes, it has many of the same characters and takes place two years after The Hubley Case. But while it would logically make sense to read The Hubley Case first, you certainly don’t have to. The Silent Cardinal was written to be standalone, meaning you could read it first and still enjoy the story.
Why did you decide to write a sequel?
It actually started with the fans. I got a lot of notes from people asking me if they’d see these characters again, specifically Ben Siebert, Tom Fedorak and Nikki Benton. Originally my next novel was not going to be a sequel, but I got enough inquiries that it inspired me to think about what these characters might be up to and what that story might look like.
Was it hard to write a sequel?
Harder than I imagined. At first I thought it’d be easier because much of the characters’ backgrounds had already been developed. But finding the balance between making The Silent Cardinal independent of The Hubley Case while also not regurgitating much of what was in The Hubley Case was challenging for me. I wanted those who’d read The Hubley Case to get more insight to the characters they already liked, while also introducing those characters to new readers in a meaningful way. I imagine that’s a common goal for writers who have a series…and I credit them – it’s a lot harder than it looks.
