Since I could read, I have been a thriller buff -- I'm not that big into mysteries because I don't like the plot twists that either don't make a lot of sense, or they come out of no where and "save the day" with some sort of miracle happening in the nick of time -- hate that. I don't like the nice little ribbon at the end because murder can't be tied up and solved that easily. It affects people for years, and it lingers on those who commit it, and the family and friends of the victims.
In my books, I try to add stories about the victims and their families, how they're coping with the heartbreaks, the sorrows, and the circumstances that surround them after their loved ones have been taken from them. I try to add a bit of humanity to the mix; and it really does help when you think of it from that point of view.
I started reading darker stories, biographies, and such when I entered junior high school. It may have had something to do with my first-grade teacher, who still lived across the street from me, being married to a 2nd cousin of the very famous Earp family; yes, those Earps. When I got older, she told me stories, and I began reading about the good and bad guys. I always liked the good guys more, and when I could, I borrowed and read everything about the brave men (mostly men) who caught the gangsters, the mobsters, and those train-robbing, bank-robbing thugs of the Old West.
Oklahoma, being Oklahoma, had quite a few historic novels written about the gangs and villains in our state; so if gangs and villains are running around, and they ended up dead or in prison, there had to be a bunch of good guys too! There were. I read as many books about these guys as I could. Stepping into and out of high school, I began reading about the Chicago hitmen and how they differed from the NYC hitmen. I learned the differences between ethnic groups; the Jewish mobsters vs the Italian mobsters, and then there were the Irish and the others who made their mark(s) on society.
Right in the middle of it, some writers told stories and made movies. I remember watching Peter Falk before he was Columbo, in a movie called "Murder, Inc." I didn't remember much about it; I thought it was an Eliot Ness type film, but it wasn't. I decided to watch it tonight, to give me some insight for my new book "Cask". My character Nick Posh is much like Ness and other private detectives from the Depression Era who fought justice the only way they knew how, with their fists clenched or wrapped around a revolver.
The book "Murder, Inc." written by two men, one of whom was an attorney against the mob, Burton Turkus, is available on Kindle for $9.99, so yeah, I bought it. I hope it's better than the film, but even the film had good points to take note of. I was able to see my characters do what needed to be done to catch the crooks and make them pay for their ruthless ways. It's fun to see the way people acted, dressed, talked, and thought back in those days -- to think it's been almost 100 years since the creation of Dick Tracy is crazy!
Dick Tracy is only one character influenced by Eliot Ness and brave men like him who dedicated their lives to solving crime; keeping the rest safe from organized crime. I'd say Nick is far better looking than Dick Tracy. He's half Native, which also gives him another point of view. He's been in the military, on his own, and now he's married with a kid, so yeah, he's pretty well-rounded. I hope he can hold his own in "Cask" when he meets and talks with Burton Turkus about some of the lowlife scum he's being forced to face.
I think Nick may just be the link Turkus has been looking for -- it could be that Nick saves the day -- what do you think? Too cheesy? In Nick's day they would have said it's "off the cob".
Photo Credit: Amazon.com
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