Dictionary of Imaginary Places

 

My new favorite used bookstore find courtesy of the Second Story Books used book warehouse in Maryland (they also have a smaller DC location) is...The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, by Alberto Manuel and Gianni Guadalupe. More fantasy than mystery, I still find it fascinating. 

This heavy reference book features fictional places from fantasies including maps and detailed descriptions of places. The copy I found had an artist who used a highlighter to color certain maps. 

You can find descriptions of Eastwick, as detailed in John Updikes, The Witches of Eastwick; Earthsea as depicted in Ursula LeGuin's, A Wizard of Earthsea; and Jurassic Park from Michael Crichton's novel of the same name. 

This edition was published in 2000, and I've been unable to find a reference to a more recent edition. 

Q&A with Paul D. Marks

Paul Marks joins us today to talk about his new book, The Blues Don't Care. Paul D. Marks is the author of the Shamus Award-Winning mystery-thriller White Heat. Publishers Weekly calls White Heat a “taut crime yarn”. Betty Webb of Mystery Scene Magazine calls its sequel Broken Windows “Extraordinary”. His short story “Ghosts of Bunker Hill” was voted #1 in the 2016 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Award. And “Fade-Out on Bunker Hill” came in second in the 2020 Ellery Queen Readers Poll. “Windward” was selected for the Best American Mystery Stories of 2018, and won the 2018 Macavity Award for Best Short Story. He has written four novels, co-edited two anthologies and written countless short stories, including many award winners and nominees. His short fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Akashic’s Noir series (St. Louis), Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Hardboiled, Switchblade, Mystery Weekly, and many others. He has served on the boards of the Los Angeles chapters of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. 

How is the Blues Don't Care different from your other novels?

The Blues Don’t Care is different from my other novels. First, it’s set in 1940s Los Angeles during World War II and second, it’s more expansive and goes into a lot more description of the setting. I wanted to immerse the reader in the time period—really make them feel like they’re there listening to swing music, inhaling the smoke from a cigarette and feeling the rhythm of the band playing. And I wanted to dig deep into the main character, Bobby Saxon, as I find him unique and interesting.
The character of Bobby was challenging to write in that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Bobby’s on a mission. He wants to play piano for the Booker ‘Boom-Boom’ Taylor band, the house band at the famous Club Alabam on Central Avenue in the heart of Los Angeles. But there’s a problem: he’s young and he’s white. So if he gets the gig he’d be the only white player in the otherwise all-black band. That’s not the only thing standing in his way. In order to get the gig he must first solve a murder that one of the band members has been accused of. And if that’s still not enough there’s another big thing standing in his way…

Where did you get the idea for THE BLUES DON'T CARE? What made you decide to tell this story in the past rather than the present?

I had previously written three short stories with the Bobby Saxon character, but they were published quite a long time ago, so I don’t think most people remember them. The general inspiration for Bobby came from a real person. But everything else about Bobby is fictional. 

One of the elements of this story was the attitude of society at that time towards people who were different from the mainstream. Bobby doesn’t fit into the society of the 1940s and by joining an all-black band he becomes an outsider among outsiders and that gives the story another layer of depth. 
I’ve always loved the 1940s era and wished I’d been born in the 20s so I could have lived then. I think the time period is fascinating and full of conflict, both in terms of the war and in terms of changes happening in society at that time. Conflict in real life maybe isn’t so good, but it’s good for writers. It’s the engine of your story. And I think telling this story in the past allows us to view things that are happening today through the prism of the past.

What was it about the music scene that called to you? Do you have a background in jazz/swing/other music yourself?

Although I’ve always loved music, I didn’t always love swing music. My dad loved it and any time we went somewhere in the car he would play it on the radio—his car his rules. I wanted to listen to rock. Later, my dad took us to see Benny Goodman, and I was bored. But I was a dumb kid.

Then something strange happened: as I got older, I started to like it. Maybe having been exposed to it as a kid gave me an appreciation for it that came back to me later on. 

Also, as an adult I started watching old movies from the 30s and 40s and the swing music in some of them started to appeal to me. My friend Linda and I would go to swing dances and concerts at various venues and even went to see many bands and singers from that era that were still around. We got to see Bob Eberly and Helen O’Connell sing Tangerine and Brazil. We saw Tex Beneke lead the Glenn Miller Orchestra. I got to see Johnny Otis, who took over as band leader of the house band at the Club Alabam, though I would have loved to have seen him there.

My musical background, at least as a player, is rock. Bass player. I was in a few bands when I was young, but knew I didn’t have the talent to do it professionally. But that didn’t stop me from trying. And, of course, I can always listen to various kinds of music.

What did you do to research THE BLUES DON'T CARE?

I love research. It’s a downfall of mine. I just like learning stuff and love history. General history and L.A. history in particular. Blues is set on the Los Angeles home front during World War II. 
I start with the usual sources, books and the internet. But also the music of the period gives you a feel for it and for what people were thinking. As do the movies. Watching movies from the time can show you how people dressed and talked, etc. Same with reading fiction written at the time. But I also had another source that was terrific: my mom and her friends, who remembered L.A. from when they were young during the war years. So I had first-hand sources to go to. And they had things to say that you normally wouldn’t find in books or other second-hand sources.

And one question I had was how to get the characters from Point A to B. Because in those days not only were there no freeways, but some of the roads were different as well. So one of the best resources I found were old 1940s maps of Los Angeles on eBay. I bought several. And I figured out how to get Bobby and his ad hoc partner Sam from L.A. to Long Beach on surface streets. Today we’d just take the freeway, but not back then. So maps are something I highly recommend as research tools.

What was the most challenging part of dealing with several controversial subjects such as race and gender?

It’s always challenging dealing with controversial issues because writers aren’t like journalists. We’re not always trying to be objective observers. We’re trying to tell a story from our characters’ points of view and we have to get inside their heads and see things the way they would have seen them. There’s always a temptation to look at things from our modern POV but if you do that you lose authenticity.

I think the main thing is that you want to be true to the time period but at the same time realize that we’re living in a different age with different sensitivities. So things that people (characters) might have said or done back then can be hurtful today. That said, I want to be true to the time and the characters, so my way of dealing with it is to put an author’s note—or what these days might be called a trigger warning—at the head of the story so people know what to expect and can decide not to buy or read the book if they think it will upset them.

If Bobby was actually a real person, would you be friends? Why or why not?

Interesting question and one I hadn’t thought of. Yes, I think we’d be friends. I enjoyed writing Bobby in all his aspects. I think I’d enjoy his music and empathize with his struggles as an outsider.

I like Bobby because he’s trying to find his way in the world. He’s on a mission, he knows what he wants. And is willing to do almost anything to get it. I’m kind of the same.
Also, I think we’d relate on the level of our love of music, though he’s a much better musician than I could ever hope to be. We’d also relate re: detective movies. There’s also things that we wouldn’t have in common, but that goes for anyone. 

Do you share any traits with your protagonist? Which traits?

I share traits with pretty much all of my characters because they’re filtered through me. In terms of Bobby specifically, we both love big band music. Both like detective movies. And I wish I could rock a fedora and a trench coat. I don’t smoke like he does. But I do sometimes feel like an outsider and Bobby is an outsider. In fact, he’s an outsider among a group of outsiders in the society of that time. I think we’re both struggling to find our way in the world. Like Bobby, I didn’t have a good relationship with my father and needed to look outside for role models. And I think, like him, I had certain screen characters that I found that in. And later musicians and some others. 

I’m also like him in that we’re both on missions. He to become a musician in the club band at the Club Alabam. And me to make something of myself as a writer. So even if Bobby and I are different in some ways I think in others we’re very similar. Driven. Dedicated. Sacrificing other things to do what we want. And trying to make our way in this crazy world.

What was the last mystery novel you read, other than your own, that you LOVED? Why did you love it?

This is a tough question because I know a lot of contemporary authors and if I mention someone then someone else’s feelings might be hurt if I leave them out. So I hope you don’t mind if I dodge this at least a little. I’ll talk about some books that I really like by well-known authors so no one feels snubbed. So these might not be the latest books I’ve read and loved, but they are definitely books I love.

Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye and The Big Sleep (and pretty much all of his novels). He’s a master of description and really puts me in the Los Angeles of another time. I feel like I’m there. And Philip Marlowe is the epitome of the cool, cynical P.I. Michael Connelly’s The Poet. I read it when it came out but it’s stuck with me and I’m ready to read it again. I like it because it’s so well written and plotted that you never see the twists coming. It’s my favorite of his books and blew me away when I read it.

Kem Nunn’s Tapping the Source. A hardcore look at the dark side of the LA sun, sand and surf scene.

Walter Mosely’s Devil in a Blue Dress. Mosley brought back the P.I. novels of the 40s and 50s but from a new perspective. Easy and Mouse are memorable, well drawn characters.
David Goodis’ Down There (renamed Shoot the Piano Player after Francois Truffaut’s move of that name, based on the Goodis book). It’s been said that Goodis is the “poet of the losers” and that couldn’t be more true. But there’s something about his losers that keeps me coming back for more.
All of Carol O’Connell’s Mallory series. Mallory is a near-sociopathic NYC detective. She had a tough life and is a hard as nails cop. I turn almost everyone I know onto this series and people either love it and her or hate it. What I like is that even though Mallory is intense, the stories are poignant and touching. It’s almost like Mallory’s lack of empathy and warmth brings out the more human elements of the other characters.
James Ellroy. Particularly his L.A. Quartet (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential and White Jazz). His stories are tough. They don’t particularly conform to reality. And if you’ve ever been to one of his signings he’s whacko. And I guess that’s part of what I like about him.

What is your favorite book of all time?

My favorite book of all time isn’t a mystery. It’s The Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham. It’s about someone trying to make sense of the world and where they fit into everything, which is something I relate to and which also comes through in Bobby’s character. Another favorite book is Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. I like revenge stories and that’s the revenge story to end all revenge stories. My favorite mystery would probably be Chandler’s The Long Goodbye. Just so good.

What is the best thing that has happened to you as a result of your novels?

There’s a lot of good things, but if I had to pick one it’s getting to know people in the writing community. I’ve met a lot of terrific people. I’ve made some good friends and what more can you ask for? And I feel like there’s almost no state that I can’t go to and have dinner with someone. Someone maybe I’ve met already in person or someone that I only know online. That’s pretty cool. And it goes for some foreign countries too. 

What are you working on now?

I have several things going. I’m working on the third novel in my Duke Rogers series that began with White Heat and Broken Windows. I’m also working on a stand-alone that’s set in New York City. I’m known, to the extent that I’m “known,” as an LA writer. But I write things in other locales too. And I’m really excited about this NY novel. I think it’s pretty high concept and can’t wait to finish it. I’ve also had a series of stories running in Ellery Queen—the Howard Hamm stories—and I’m working on a new one in that series, which I hope they’ll like. Have recently completed a couple of short stories for anthologies. So there’s always something happening.


Paul D. Marks is the author of the Shamus Award-Winning mystery-thriller White Heat. Publishers Weekly calls White Heat a “taut crime yarn”. Betty Webb of Mystery Scene Magazine calls its sequel Broken Windows “Extraordinary”. His short story “Ghosts of Bunker Hill” was voted #1 in the 2016 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Award. And “Fade-Out on Bunker Hill” came in second in the 2020 Ellery Queen Readers Poll. “Windward” was selected for the Best American Mystery Stories of 2018, and won the 2018 Macavity Award for Best Short Story. He has written four novels, co-edited two anthologies and written countless short stories, including many award winners and nominees. His short fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Akashic’s Noir series (St. Louis), Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Hardboiled, Switchblade, Mystery Weekly, and many others. He has served on the boards of the Los Angeles chapters of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. 

Fault Lines Editor Margaret Lucke Answers Our Questions

Editor and author, Margaret Lucke joins us today to talk about Fault Lines: Stories by Northern California Crime Writers, a short story anthology published by the Northern California chapter of Sisters in Crime. She is the author of three mystery novels: A Relative Stranger (nominated for an Anthony Award), House of Whispers, and Snow Angel. She has taught writing classes for more than 20 years, and she has published two how-to books on the craft of writing.

Margaret will be appearing at the Book Passage bookstore this Sunday at 4pm on a panel called "A is for Anthology: the Writing and Publishing of Short Stories." Also appearing on the panel are Robin C. Stuart, Deborah Lacy, JJ Lamb, and Judith Janeway. 

What do you want to tell readers about the anthology? What can they expect when reading it?

Sisters in Crime NorCal has long had a goal of producing an anthology to showcase its talented members, and we’re very excited to see it become a reality. Fault Lines contains 19 stories of crime, justice, guilt, and innocence. There is plenty of suspense, a touch of humor, and fascinating characters that readers will be glad to meet. Some of the stories are by well-established writers, while others are new voices. If you’re a fan of crime fiction, Fault Lines has stories you’re sure to enjoy.

Not only are you the editor of the anthology, but you also have a story in it. How did it feel to be both a writer and an editor? Was switching hats hard?

While this is the first anthology I’ve edited, I have a lot of experience as both a writer and an editor. Both of those functions are necessary to produce the best possible story. They require different kinds of skill and attention, they are two sides of the same creative coin. So when I go from one to the other, I don’t think of it as switching hats so much as flipping one hat inside out.

In this case, I wrote my story, “Two Hundred Miles,” well before the editing process for the anthology began. Reading it during the editing phase was almost like reading someone else’s tale. But at that point I had other people read it with their sharp editorial eyes.

What was your biggest challenge with this anthology?

Wrangling all of the many tasks and details. In addition to being the editor, I’m the chief project wrangler, coordinating the entire project, from chairing the first planning meetings to arranging for some of the publicity. SinC NorCal choose to act as its own publisher, and that has meant become familiar with the demands and techniques of indie publishing. 

But I did not do it alone. One of the most rewarding aspects has been working with a wonderful team of talented and enthusiastic people—our submissions manager, the selection panel, the proofreaders, the interior designer, the cover coordinator, and many more who contributed their efforts and ideas.

What was the most fun?

Celebrating the publication of the book! We introduced Fault Lines at Left Coast Crime in Vancouver in March and had a festive book launch party last month at Borderlands Books in San Francisco. It was very exciting to finally hold a copy in my hand after all of the hard work.

But much of that work was fun too. I enjoy editing and helping authors achieve their stories’ full potential. And working with the team—the brainstorming, the idea exchange, all of the assistance, support, and friendship we gave each other: that was perhaps the most enjoyable part of the project.

Where did you get the idea for the Fault Lines theme?

It seemed like a natural theme for a Northern California anthology, and it was one of the first decisions that the planning team made. The most obvious reference is to the earthquakes and seismic activity and susceptibility that many people associate with our region. But the phrase Fault Lines has various meanings and nuances, and a writer’s imagination could take it in many directions. These stories explore the faults that exist not just in the earth but in people—the flaws and failings that lead us to commit grievous acts against someone else, and the guilt and culpability we bear. They also examine the lines that we draw to connect clues, expose secrets, establish bonds, and lead us to justice.

What short story writers inspire your work?

Oh, so many! A well-crafted short story is a small treasure. They make different demands on a writer than a novel does, and I admire writers who can do them well. In terms of mystery and crime stories I’ll mention the one of the classics—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. For a more contemporary short story master, there’s Lawrence Block. And of course all of the authors in Fault Lines.

What is the best thing that has happened to you as a result of your writing?

It’s impossible to single out one best thing. Here are a few things that I love about being a writer:

* The spark and excitement when a new idea takes hold.

* Getting to know my characters as they gradually reveal themselves to me.

* Coming up with just the right plot twist.

* Those (rare) days when the writing goes so well that time flies and dinnertime arrives five minutes after breakfast is over.

* The many interesting experiences I’ve had while doing research and going to conferences.

* Friendships I’ve developed with fellow writers.

* Hearing a reader say, “I loved your book.”

What are you working on now?

I’m putting the final touches on House of Desire, a follow-up to my haunted house mystery, House of Whispers. While attending a fundraising party in a grand San Francisco Victorian, reluctant psychic Claire Scanlan runs into a mysterious young woman in old-fashioned garb whom no one else can see. When a murder occurs in the mansion, the invisible girl—a time-traveling “soiled dove” from the 1890s—is the only witness. To find her and solve the crime, Claire must risk a perilous journey into the past from which she may never return. The book will come out later this year.

I’m also putting together a series of handbooks of fiction craft, based on the writing classes I teach. The first one, on creating characters, is almost ready to go.

Poe Birthday Bash, Jack Reacher Mashups, and Gigi Pandian's Healthy Drinks

Edgar Allen Poe's birthday is this Saturday, and if you're near Richmond, VA you can hop on over to the Poe Museum's Birthday Bash from noon to midnight. It's free for members ($25 a year). If you live close to Baltimore, you can head over to the PoeZella Birthday Bash at Zella's Pizzaria. 

If you're closer to Sullivan's Island, SC, head on over to Poe's Tavern and grab a Poe-themed burger. 

How are you celebrating Poe's birthday?

Reacher Mash-Ups Gone Wild

If Poe isn't your thing and you just want to relax and enjoy best-selling author Lee Child making up fake mashups for Jack Reacher, check out this video of Lee going wild. 

Healthy Drinks with Reads

I'm still on my 2019 health kick, and so I thought I'd share two blasts from the Drinks with Reads past with healthy drink options from author Gigi Pandian. She has two healthy drink recipes to match her novel, Elusive Elixir and a fabulous smoothie called the Green Smoothie Alchemy to match her novel The Accidental Alchemist. Worth checking out. 

More mystery fun next week...

- Deborah Lacy

Mystery Themed Calendars

2019 is right around the corner and how can one plan one's busy mystery reading schedule without the perfect mystery or book themed calendar? 

No worries. We have you covered with the best of the best, starting with the Reading Woman calendar from Pomegranate Press, filled with 12 works of art featuring a woman in the middle of our favorite past time. 

If you miss our favorite Sherlock show, then the BBC Sherlock calendar above might be perfect, or the wall calendar with the floor plan of 221 B below.

Or how about an NCIS calendar? Or this fabulous Bodelian Libraries wall calendar from the Oxford Library.

Which one will you choose? 

Mango Margaritas and The Trouble with the Truth

Kathy Krevat joins us today on Drinks with Reads to celebrate her book, In Trouble with the Truth with a mango margarita. Kathy knows how to pick fun topics for her books. Her first series, the Chocolate Covered Mysteries (written under the name Kathy Aarons) were a delight. And her new series is such a fun concept for cat lovers. Let's dig in...

In the Gourmet Cat Mystery series, Colbie Summers, owner of the Meowio Batali Gourmet Cat Food Company, loves the margaritas at Pico’s Restaurant, set in the fictional town of Sunnyside, California.

In THE TROUBLE WITH TRUTH, Colbie is tryingto balance her hectic family life with her growing business. But when a Sunnyside resident is found dead in his garage, she takes on a new role: harboring a suspected killer.
 
The eighteen-year-old murder suspect, a former foster kid and Colbie’s part-time chef, had a powerful motive to snuff out the high-profile businessman. The real question is, who didn’t? Sifting through the victim’s sordid history unearths a cat’s cradle of crimes, including money laundering and abuse. Now, to clear an innocent girl’s name, Colbie must sniff out the truth before a killer who smells trouble goes on the attack again.

Colbie and her best friends Lani Nakano and Detective Norma Chiron celebrate Margarita Wednesdays at Pico’s where they discuss family, friends and the latest murder mystery in Sunnyside. 

Here’s a recipe of one of their favorites: Mango Margaritas.

1 cup of ice

2/3 cup of diced frozen mango

1-1/2 oz tequila

1/2 oz triple sec

2 TB agave or simple syrup

Lime juice squeezed from half a lime 

Blend it all in together until smooth and serve immediately.

Kathy Krevat is the author of the Gourmet Cat Mystery series by Kensington/Lyrical and the Chocolate Covered Mystery series by Berkley Prime Crime. She’s also president of the board of Partners in Crime – the San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime; president of the board of Playwrights Project, a nonprofit that teaches literacy through playwriting; and an advisor to the CCA Writers’ Conference, the only free writing conference for high school students in the US. Find her at www.kathykrevat.comor on Facebook or Twitter. 

Peter James and the Dead if You Don't Gin and Tonic

International bestselling thriller writer, Peter James, joins us today on Drinks with Reads to celebrate the release of his latest Roy Grace novel, Dead If You Don't. James is a New York Times bestseller, has had twelve consecutive Sunday Times No 1s, and is published in 37 languages. Hi DS Roy Grace crime novels have sold 19 million copies worldwide. 

Prior to becoming a full-time author, he was responsible for 26 movies. In 1994 Penguin published his novel, 'Host,' on two floppy discs as the world's first electronic novel. He is Overseas Vice=President of International Thriller Writers in the US. His novels have won numerous awards, most recently the coveted 2016 CWA Diamond Dagger for sustained excellence, and he was publicly voted by WH Smith - Britain's biggest bookselling chain - the Best Crime Author of All Time. 

Here's the synopsis for DEAD IF YOU DON'T...

A PARENT'S WORST NIGHTMARE IS GRACE'S DEADLIEST CASE . . .Roy Grace, creation of the CWA Diamond Dagger award winning author Peter James, faces his most complex case yet in Dead If You Don't. 

Kipp Brown, successful businessman and compulsive gambler, is having the worst run of luck of his life. He’s beginning to lose big style. However, taking his teenage son, Mungo, to their club’s big Saturday afternoon football match should have given him a welcome respite, if only for a few hours. But it’s at the stadium where his nightmare begins. 

Within minutes of arriving at the game, Kipp bumps into a client. He takes his eye off Mungo for a few moments, and in that time, the boy is gone. Then he gets the terrifying message that someone has his child, and to get him back alive, Kipp will have to pay.Defying instruction not to contact the police, Kipp reluctantly does just that, and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is brought into investigate. At first it seems a straightforward case of kidnap. But rapidly Grace finds himself entering a dark, criminal underbelly of the city, where the rules are different and nothing is what it seems . . . 

And now let's hear from Peter...

I have a writing ritual.  My best creative time is 6-9.30pm Monday-Saturday, that is when I write at my best, and in the mornings, I review what I’ve done.  It was Hemingway, one of my heroes, who famously said, Write drunk, edit sober.  So, OK, I don’t go as far as getting drunk, but I do like to kick my writing evening off with a stiff cocktail and music blasting – that really gets me into the zone!

In addition to this ritual, I have a second one, and that is, to change my drink with each new book I write!  Dead If You Don’t is about a kidnap that turns out not to be at all what it seems.  A father takes his 14-year-old son to a big football game.  The father bumps into a business client and they chat for a couple of minutes.  When he turns around, his son has vanished.  An hour later he gets texted a ransom demand for $2m in Bitcoins, if he and his wife ever want to see the boy again.

The criminal element in the story is very much set in the Albanian criminal fraternity of Sussex and back in Albania itself.  It is close to the heel of Italy, so a long way south and very warm.  So, what more appropriate than a cooling Gin and Tonic?

Here’s my recipe:

1. Use a large glass, like this wide-mouthed red wine glass.  All gins have a fragrance, and breathing that is part of the joy of this drink.

2. Choose your gin.  I am very partial to Tanqueray, which I think makes the most perfect Gin and Tonic of all.  Keep the gin in the fridge for 24 hours, at least.

3. The glass must be really cold.  Keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours before deploying!

4. Begin with pouring in the measure of gin you want, big or small.

5. Now shake in just a few drops of Angostura bitters.

6. Add ice cold tonic water.  My favourite is Fever Tree, but Schweppes is good, too.  The measure of Tonic water is critical – do not drown the gin or all you will taste is the tonic water.  I advise no more than six parts tonic to four parts gin.

7. Avoid adding ice as it dilutes the drink rapidly.

8. Add a small handful of blueberries.  They look pretty and they taste yummy infused with G&T.

9. Finish with a slice of lemon.

10. Enjoy!

Peter has a fun channel on YouTube where he interviews other writers in what he calls, the Author's Studio. 

Q&A with Paul Levine

Award-winning author Paul Levine joins us today to talk about his new book, Bum Deal, the third book in the series. Paul's books have been translated into 23 languages. Let's hear about the latest...

Please tell us a little about BUM DEAL.

Jake Lassiter, my old warrior of the courtroom, fights for justice – and his life – in his final adventure. The series began in 1990 with TO SPEAK FOR THE DEAD, my first novel, which thankfully is still in print. In BUM DEAL, Lassiter, a second-string linebacker turned criminal defense lawyer, finally switches teams. As the appointed special prosecutor in a high-profile murder case, he vows to take down a prominent surgeon accused of killing his wife. There’s just one problem…or maybe three: no evidence, no witness, and no body. Complicating Jake’s life is CTE, the lethal brain disease he may have contracted banging heads in the NFL. So, when I say this is Lassiter’s last trial...well, maybe it’s REALLY his last trial.

BUM DEAL and the novel preceding it, BUM LUCK, both touch on CTE. When did you start developing the idea to include this in your Jake Lassiter narrative? Also, how did you come up with such clever titles for this series?

A close friend of mine, a former football player and international rugby player, died of CTE a few years ago. It affected me deeply, and I decided to visit that horrific plague on my hero of a dozen novels. In BUM LUCK, Lassiter, who suffered multiple concussions playing football, begins showing symptoms of brain damage: confusion, irritability, memory lapses. In BUM DEAL, his medical condition worsens and he undergoes experimental treatments that are based on actual medical procedures. 

The likelihood that Lassiter has the disease, which is always fatal, changes his outlook on life. Perhaps that why he wants to seek justice – that illusory, shadowy concept – on the other side, i.e., the state. Now he prosecutes an accused murderer, instead of defending him.

As for titles – BUM RAP, BUM DEAL, BUM LUCK – I like their crispness. In the era when people search for books on their iPhones, it’s a lot easier to read a two-word title. I loved the book, “Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All,” but I’m not sure you could do that now.


For new readers, tell us a bit more about Jake, as well as his unlikely best friends, lawyers Victoria Lord and Steve Solomon. Where did these characters come from? Who are they?

I started writing “To Speak for the Dead” in 1988, when I was 40 and going through a mid-life
crisis. I was a partner in a large (1,000 lawyers) international law firm. My cases, primarily commercial litigation, bored me. Judges, clients, and partners irritated me. Instead of seeking therapy, I created Jake Lassiter, a guy who would punch out a witness who lied and happily be held into contempt to prove a point in court. “A lawyer who’s afraid of jail,” he says, “is like a surgeon who’s afraid of blood.” In other words, Lassiter would do things I would not. I found his conduct (and misconduct) oddly satisfying.

The recurring themes of the series are the precarious nature of justice and the difficulty (or impossibility) of achieving true justice. Lassiter has long approached the job of the criminal defense lawyer with a certain amount of cynicism. 

“A good lawyer is part con man, part priest—promising riches if you pay the fee, threatening hell if you don’t.  The rainmakers are the best paid and have coined a remarkably candid phrase: We eat what we kill. Hey, they don’t call us sharks for our ability to swim.”

Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord stem from my love of the battle-of-the-sexes dramedy.  Dashiell Hammett’s “The Thin Man” books with squabbling detectives Nick and Nora Charles and of course, television’s “Moonlighting” with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis.

In “Solomon vs. Lord,” Steve Solomon, a street-smart graduate of Key West School of Law, teams up with Victoria Lord, a Chardonnay and pâté Ivy League grad. They defend a woman on charges she killed her filthy rich husband. It’s lighter, funnier than the Lassiter novels. Victoria plays by the book.  Steve burns the book. He has immense respect for justice but little respect for the law, which he sees as insensitive and inflexible and enforced by people who are vain and corrupt.  His own code:  "If the law doesn’t work...work the law." And, “Choose a juror the way you choose a lover.  Someone who doesn’t expect perfection and overlooks your bullshit.” And, “Lie to your priest, your spouse, and the IRS, but always tell your lawyer the truth.” 

Did you always plan for Jake to meet Steve and Victoria? How has the trio surprised you?

I thought Solomon and Lord would spice up the Lassiter series, and I think they have. 

Your previous experience as an athlete and a lawyer obviously informed your plots and the characters. Has your past experience as a screenwriter also informed your novels? How? Will you ever write another screenplay? Why or why not?

Writing for television (“JAG” and “First Monday”) sharpened my dialogue skills. Believe it or not, I’m writing a spec feature script set in 1930's Hollywood.

If Steve, Jake, and Victoria were actually real people, would you be friends with each of them (even Steve!)? Why or why not?  

What? They’re not real?  Seriously, I created these characters. They’re already my best friends!

What is the best thing that has happened to you as a result of your novels? 

I got away from perjurious witnesses, inept judges, and obstreperous opposing lawyers...except for ones I made up.

What was the last mystery novel you read, other than your own, that you LOVED? Why did you love it?  

“The Woman in the Window” by A.J. Finn. Slick combination of intricate plotting with smart writing. Really nice wordsmithery.

If you could be any character in a book, who would you be and why?

Sherlock Holmes, without the cocaine and morphine use. Doesn’t everyone want to be the smartest guy in the room?  

Over It or Still buzzing? (the imperfect assimilation of a recent immigrant)

Catriona McPherson, a Scottish author who now lives in Northern California, has a new book out this week called, Scot Free. This makes her ideally suited to deliver this novel, right now. You may have seen Catriona's many Drinks with Reads posts, watched her win one of her many book awards or noticed that she's the Toastmistress for this year's Malice Domestic Convention. We'll have our book review tomorrow, but for now, let's hear from Catriona about what still amazes her about living here in California.


When Lexy Campbell (heroine of SCOT FREE) moved to California, she was charmed not only by her handsome husband-to-be but also by “the exotic allure of gas-station coffee, drive-thru burgers (with a U!), and right on red”. But when Mr Handsome turns out not to be husband-quality at all, some of the other charms wear off too. “…there I was, drinking gas-station coffee that tasted like fried shoes and eating heinous burgers flipped by people who could neither cook nor spell. Right on red is a wonderful thing but it’s not enough to build a life round.”

Today at Mystery Playground I thought I’d take stock of which exotic wonders are still amazing me, eight years after I arrived in California, and which I’ve got used to. Guess which of these can still make my heart skip a beat: mailboxes, water fountains, two sinks, a big fridge and public holidays.

Mailboxes
I spent the first forty-odd years of my life with my post coming through a hole in the front door and dropping onto a mat.  But now, there’s a mailbox on a stalk down at the end of the county road where the tarmac turns to gravel. I can put stuff in it and raise the wee flag and, when Dan the mailman can’t cram a parcel in, I get a peach-coloured billet doux summoning me to the post office.

Over it or still buzzing?

Buzzerama. I LOVE MY MAILBOX! It’s so cute. It looks like a dovecote, or a little free library. It makes me happy every day.

Water fountains
I love water fountains even more than I love my mailbox, but I’m over them too. I use them most days and I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be without them. Now, in Scotland, it feels wrong to have to take water when you go out for a run. Or buy water if you’re thirsty. Chuh! Water fountains are genius. Thank you, America.

Two sinks
I knew early on in the process of house-hunting that I was probably going to have an en suite bathroom, for the first time in my life (outside hotel stays). This was amazing. And it turned out even more amazing. Because in my en suite bathroom were . . . two sinks! One for Irish Spring scum, beard bits, frogs, snails and puppy-dogs’ tails and one for sugar, spice, and this soap here. 

But am I over it or am I still buzzing?

Are you kidding? I’ll never get over the wonder of this. I deliberately wait until the scientist is shaving and then pad over to soak a little facecloth in cool, clear water and use it to wipe of my cucumber cleanser. We catch one another’s eye and say “Two sinks! Get us!” regularly.

A fridge you could live in
This house was foreclosed when we bought it and so it was completely empty. Boy, the hole for the fridge looked huge. I couldn’t believe there was a fridge that could fill it. I was wrong. People have come down the Zambezi in smaller vessels than my current fridge. Eddie Izzard’s probably planning to cross the Atlantic in something that would fit inside my fridge. And is it empty? Nope, because everything in it is huge too: ten pound bags of local oranges, quarts of milk (pints look dinky now), more yoghurt than anyone has ever eaten in a human lifetime, pickles of a range and number beyond all comprehension . . . 

But am I over it or am I still buzzing?

I’m completely over it. I’m used to it. When guests arrive from Scotland now and open the fridge they ask “Who’s all coming?” and I say “What?” They say “Who’s going to eat all that yoghu- Jeez! What was that noise?” (It was the automatic icemaker. Tee-hee.)

Holidays!

My yearly rhythm was set for long weekends at Christmas, New Year, Easter, May Day, Spring Bank, August Bank, and (recently) St Andrew’s Day. And what a long haul it sometimes was between Hogmanany and Good Friday. But here in California, you’ve no sooner got the tree down on the 6th of January than it’s Martin Luther King Day. And you’re still coasting from that on Presidents’ Day. Easter’s a sore point but Cesar Chavez Day coincided this year. Then Memorial/Labor (Which one’s which? Dunno), the fourth of July, Labor/Memorial (the other one – white gloves back in the drawer), Remembrance Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas again.
 
Buzzing?

You bet. Most of these holidays still come as a complete surprise. The scientist arrives home from work, saying: “University’s shut on Monday.” “Oh?” I say. “Why?” “Someone great but dead?” was one notable explanation a few years back. By now, I can name them all except Labor and Memorial. If anyone knows a trick for that, can you clue me in, please? Ta. 

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