An Unapologetic Christmas Message from The Night Police

There’s something about Christmas that slows the world down—if only for a moment. The streets get a little quieter, the nights feel a little softer, and even the hardest of us can’t help but look back and take stock of the road behind.

For us, that road began in the Bay Area, sharing a beat on the night police shift, answering tough and nonsense calls, and learning—sometimes the hard way—what real partnership meant. Those memories show up in our books, in our characters, and in the impossible choices they face. And as we head into a new year with more novels on deck—Blood Brothers, Twilight at Wolfie’s, and The Judas Game—we’re reminded how much of our past still shapes the tales we tell.

But Christmas has a way of shifting the focus. It reminds us that the holiday looks very different depending on the badge you wear, the uniform you button up, or the oath you’ve taken.

Because while most folks are settling in with family, pouring eggnog, or trying to remember where they hid the last roll of wrapping paper, there’s still a thin line of people out there keeping watch.

This Christmas season—like every Christmas—first responders of all kinds, dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics, correctional officers, and police officers of all stripes, will trade their place at the dinner table for a radio, a patrol car, or a callout they can’t ignore. And across the world, our military service members will spend the holiday far from home, so the rest of us can relax in the glow of our own living rooms.

We’ve been there. We remember the Christmas shifts that ended in laughter, the ones that ended in tragedy, and the ones where all you wanted was a hot cup of coffee and a quiet hour to think. Those nights never leave you.

So this Christmas, we want to say something simple, something old-school, something we mean from the gut: Thank you. For keeping the peace. For doing the job when the rest of the world goes still. For carrying the weight so others can celebrate in their own ways.

And to our readers—those who’ve been with us since The Night Police: Beyond the Line of Duty and those just joining us—thank you for riding along. Your support lets us bring the world of The Night Police to life and push deeper into the next wave of stories coming your way in 2025.

From our families to yours, may your Christmas be warm, your New Year be bright, and may the coming months bring more courage, more kindness, and just enough trouble to keep things interesting.

And above all, may the hope at the heart of Christmas—the hope born in Bethlehem, the light the darkness could not overcome—guide your steps in the year ahead.

Merry Christmas, and God bless.

Chris Berg & Paul James Smith The Night Police

Join us at https://www.nightpolice.com.

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