A Historical Crime · Thriller · Mystery Saga
The Callaghan Series
By Deborah Ettinger & Tom Johnson
Bound by blood. Divided by the law. Hunted by the city that made them.
From the orphanages of early New York to the smoky speakeasies of Prohibition, a brother and sister claw their way to power on opposite sides of the law — until betrayal, a murder charge, and the electric chair threaten to tear apart everything they built.
About the Series
One Loyal Family. A City That Hunts.
Bound by blood and forged in the crucible of a brutal New York orphanage, Sean and Colleen Callaghan share a loyalty nothing can break. From the eve of the First World War to the smoke-filled aftermath of the Second, their story tears through a raw, unapologetic city — where survival is bought with grit, ambition, and every moral compromise in between.
As the decades turn and the nation reshapes itself, the siblings build rival empires on opposite sides of the law — one fortune raised in the shadows, one in the light — until a single act of violence sends them both running for their lives.
“Vivid imagery, colorful characters, gangsters, waterfront toughs and crooked cops — this is New York at its most raw and alive.”
Inspired by True Events
Books in Series
Decades Spanned
Fiercely Loyal Rating
Sean Callaghan
King of the Waterfront
From petty street theft to Prohibition-era bootlegging, Sean claws his way up until he commands the city’s rough-and-tumble waterfront docks — building an empire in the shadows, one dangerous deal at a time.
Colleen Callaghan
Queen of the East Side
Colleen turns an illicit back-alley speakeasy into the most coveted address on the East Side — pouring drinks for high-society elites, crooked politicians, and underworld kingpins at the very same tables.
When Loyalty Becomes a Death Sentence
Their rise collides with catastrophe when Sean is framed for murder and sentenced to the electric chair. Saved at the last hour by Colleen’s daring gambit, he vanishes into exile with a target on his back — hunted by a vengeful NYPD detective, a ruthless contract killer, and the Mafia. When they can’t find him, they come for Colleen, dragging her into a shadow war against mob boss Frank Costello and a web of corruption that runs all the way to City Hall.
In the dark heart of mid-century New York, every alliance has a price — and loyalty is the only currency worth dying for.
The Books
The Callaghan Series
Two novels. One unbreakable bond. A city that wants you dead.
Fiercely Loyal
Where the Streets Draw Blood
Irish tough guy Sean Callaghan and his sister Colleen carve out rival empires in the criminal underworld of early-twentieth-century New York — until a beautiful woman betrays him and a crooked cop sets his sights on revenge.
A sprawling, propulsive crime epic drawn from the real lives of the authors’ mother and uncle: a brutal orphanage, Sing Sing prison, the Spanish Flu, Prohibition bootlegging, and the gangsters who ruled the waterfront. Spanning the eve of the First World War to the smoke-filled aftermath of the Second, it is a story of family, betrayal, and the fierce loyalty that binds two siblings against a city determined to break them.
“I was gripped from page one. Prose, pace, tone and plotline were all excellent.”
— Lenny, Amazon
“A classic story with vivid imagery and feeling for New York City. I felt transported back in time.”
— Gus, Amazon
Fiercely Hunted
When the Hunted Becomes the Hunter
Framed for murder, Sean Callaghan narrowly escapes the electric chair through the grit and determination of his sister, Colleen. Hunted by a ruthless assassin, a vengeful NYPD detective, and the FBI, he becomes the most wanted man in New York.
When Sean flees the city, his enemies turn on Colleen — a successful Upper East Side restaurateur. As she races to protect her business, her budding romance, and her life, she uncovers a web of corruption stretching from City Hall to the highest ranks of the NYPD.
Read MoreWhat Drives the Story
Themes at the Core
The series doesn’t flinch. These are the forces that shape every page.
Fierce Loyalty
Blood before everything. The bond between Sean and Colleen is the spine of the series — tested by danger, betrayal, and the weight of survival.
Betrayal
The deepest wounds come from those closest to us. Sean’s world is undone not by his enemies, but by someone he trusted with his heart.
Resilience
From an orphanage run by cruel nuns to the prisons and waterfront gangs of Depression-era New York — the Callaghans do not break. They adapt.
Identity
Who are you when the world tries to define you? Sean and Colleen refuse the roles forced on them — and build their own.
Power & Corruption
The cops are crooked, the bosses are ruthless, and power is the only currency that counts on the waterfront.
Survival & Love
There is love woven through the danger — the love between siblings, the pull of romance, and the fierce will to stay alive.
What Readers Say
Fiercely Loyal Reviews
“It was not easy putting Fiercely Loyal down but considering the book is 417 pages I had to. I was gripped from page one on. Prose, pace, tone and plotline were all excellent.”
“So New York. This is a classic story with vivid imagery and feeling for New York City. I felt like I had been transported back in time.”
“By the end I was rooting for the criminal and his sister and I am awaiting more on this saga. Love it. Great story and storytelling. Definitely a GOOD READ.”
“A compelling blend of historical fiction and family drama. Characters well developed, the setting vividly depicted. Keeps readers engaged. A must read.”
“Good storytellers and excellent writers. A powerful story line — they have crafted a compelling read.”
“An inspirational tale of two siblings’ journey — nail biter at times! Fun to read as a New Yorker hearing about places I have been. Highly recommend.”
“It was not easy putting Fiercely Loyal down but considering the book is 417 pages I had to. I was gripped from page one on. Prose, pace, tone and plotline were all excellent.”
“So New York. This is a classic story with vivid imagery and feeling for New York City. I felt like I had been transported back in time.”
“By the end I was rooting for the criminal and his sister and I am awaiting more on this saga. Love it. Great story and storytelling. Definitely a GOOD READ.”
“A compelling blend of historical fiction and family drama. Characters well developed, the setting vividly depicted. Keeps readers engaged. A must read.”
“Good storytellers and excellent writers. A powerful story line — they have crafted a compelling read.”
“An inspirational tale of two siblings’ journey — nail biter at times! Fun to read as a New Yorker hearing about places I have been. Highly recommend.”
The Co-Authors
A Sister & Brother Writing Team
Just like the siblings at the heart of their series, Deborah and Tom bring different strengths to the same unbreakable bond — in life, and on the page.
Deborah Ettinger
Native New Yorker · Debut Novelist
A native New Yorker and the emotional core of the partnership, Deborah is a graduate of St. Vincent’s School of Nursing and Hunter College. She began as an ICU nurse in New York City and Dallas before rising into senior healthcare leadership, serving as a Division Vice President at Tenet Healthsystem and Senior Vice President at CHA. Fiercely Loyal is her debut novel.
Her instinct for character and for the interior lives of people under pressure brings dimension and humanity to every page.
Tom Johnson
Native New Yorker · Veteran · Storyteller
Deborah's brother and a fellow native New Yorker, Tom studied English Literature at Fordham University before serving as a U.S. Army infantry officer in Vietnam, where he earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Bronze Star. He went on to become a Registered Respiratory Therapist and an Associate Professor at Long Island University — a decorated veteran and published academic author.
That lived experience gives the series its gritty pulse — the waterfront, the neighborhoods, the gangs, the grief. Writing from the true story of his mother and uncle, Tom sets out not just to tell a story, but to honor the people who survived what most couldn’t. Together, Tom and Deborah have built a series that is as much a family memoir as it is a crime saga — a tribute to resilience, loyalty, and the city that forged them both.
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