Former Austin police Capt. Curt Rude is drawing on his experiences as a police officer and writing a crime fiction novel.

The novel, titled “Just This,” is a thriller, according to Rude, and has no holds barred.

“This is a peak at the dark, dark side of the human experience,” Rude said. “When I started writing it, I promised myself I wasn’t going to hold back and try to be politically correct.”

While the novel itself is completely written, Rude is still busy working on edits and making publishing decisions. He said he’s undecided as to whether he’s going to e-publish or work with a print publisher.

The novel is a work of fiction, but Rude said he used his experiences as a police officer for ideas.

“I’ve had all these experiences I can draw on,” he said. “It’s not your typical policeman tale, like CSI where the heroes rush in and look for fingerprints and it ends happy with everyone hugging.”

Look to the Daily Herald next week for more details about Rude’s novel and how he views it as an honorable departure from his position as captain at the Austin Police Department.