Management Alternatives

The Doug Carlson Fan Club

"everything you ever wanted to know about a fictional character"

Doug Carlson, O'Neal's lovable main character, is finally getting well-deserved attention.  He is 40-ish and pretty much an average guy.  Doug was a Marine when he served in the undeclared war in Vietnam, but that was a longtime ago.  Since then, much has changed.  When the trilogy begins, Doug is a banker who's life seems to be going nowhere; that is until he meets Mr. C, a Mafia boss from Los Angeles. 

The following is a collection of often asked questions about Doug, and why he did what he did in the series.  Most questions have been answered by the author, except when the answer is cleverly hidden in the story.  In those cases the reader will have to email the author with their comments and the author will discuss the issue privately (so as to not give away that particular point to other readers who have not arrived at that point).  (NOTE: WGA = What Goes Around, Pact = The Pact With Bruno and CTK = Choosing To Kill.)

How do you come up with the titles for you books?  I think they're so cool.

As you'll read elsewhere, the original title was to be The Dying Game for the death that occurs in the first three books.  Later, when the plans changed and the trilogy was born, I sought titles that conveyed the bigger message of each story.

What Goes Around was chosen because of my vision of the world.  I believe there is something very metaphysical about our existence.   We refer to those kinds of happenings as strange and seldom look behind them.  Over the years, I've investigated such things a bit, but only enough to believe that something of substance exists there that is beyond us and our current mind set.  Getting back to reality, I picked that title for the repetitive nature that life seems to bring to us.  The saying, what goes around, comes around, may have been with us for centuries.  My story in that particular book has multiple examples of it.

Near the end of book 1, a scene with Bruno makes it clear why such a title, as The Pact With Bruno, was chosen.  For the most part, the pact is unspoken between these men and it signifies the bond that men (and probably women) make to those around them that they learn to love.

Again, in book 1, Doug spends a bit of time discussing his first-kill in Vietnam with Catherine and over the years since Vietnam, he had decided that even that battlefield death involved a choice by him.  For me the title, Choosing To Kill, was the only way Doug would have conducted the missions that eventually become the subject of the story in book 3.  

In the beginning of the series, why did Doug fail to go to the police about his conflict with the Mafia?

In the first part of WGA, Doug commented more than once in dialogue or internal dialogue that getting the police involved was too much trouble.  Also, he thought the whole thing was over after each of the primary incidents.

I've heard that there's a lot of foreshadowing in the series.  Can you explain where it happens?

There is a significant amount of it in my work, and I won't tell you where to find it.  That'll take all of the fun out of reading the books and finding those connections yourself. 

However, I will give you some clues.  1. How was Doug's love interest after WGA foreshadowed?  2. Why did Doug save Jerry's life?  3. How many examples of 'what goes around, comes around' can be found in the trilogy?  4. What's the significance of Mr. C in the trilogy?  5. What's Doug's middle name?  6. Which mission in CTK becomes the subject of book 4?  Why and what went wrong?  7. Each of the Vietnam flashbacks precede another scene.  What do they each tell us about Doug or about what is expected to happen?  8. What was Doug's service number in the Marines?  9. What does 'brass' mean?  10. How any of Bruno's properties can you name?  

Can't find answers even with these clues?  You still stumped?  Contact author at , but with only one question per email.

After everything Doug suffered in WGA from the Mafia, why does he still get involved with Bruno?

If you remember, Bruno was quite insistent.  Doug's direct refusal at the end of WGA and his inner conflict in the Pact was clear.  Even as Bruno pulled him into the same type of bear hug he had just shared with his son, Doug struggles to reconcile his feelings.  Eventually, Doug decides to make things happen on his own terms and is surprised to see Bruno agree to most of what he asks.

What drove Doug to become a vigilante hit man in CTK?

In the Pact, readers quickly discover along with Doug that both the Mafia and the Los Angeles Police Department are corrupt in many ways.  By that time, even Jerry is opting out of the Don's chair that he is about to inherit because of such feelings and growing pressure from his wife.  Together, they form a new alliance (that's shared with their wives) to conduct the missions of CTK.

In the Kely/Doug/baby situation, it seems she was totally disrespectable of the feelings of her three closest friends.  What caused her to be so inflexible, insisting that everything be done her way?

Kely's history with Doug goes all the way back to WGA, where they were as close as two people could be without being romantically involved.  On the cruise they come close to having an affair, but each decides to let it pass.  Kely was never as assertive as her sister, but when she began aiding Doug to get Mr. C, she began to change.

Later, when she and Sammy go into business, the assertiveness continues to grow.  By the 3rd book, Kely is doing what she thinks is correct, but eventually, she says, "I've been a total bitch with my rants for a baby at your expense."  I think that says it all.

If you have other questions about your reading of the Doug Carlson novels, it's easy to get an answer, just ask the author.  Contact him at