When I started writing the Al Pennyback mystery
series, I didn't have a specific sub-genre in mind. It’s not a hard boiled mystery with a hero who
is always battling bad guys; nor is it a procedural mystery – I go light on the
technical aspects of crimes, criminals, or police procedures. I was just going for a good story that had a
crime as a central element, which the hero, Al Pennyback, would then set about
solving.
My main motivation for writing this particular
series was the fact that I live in the Washington, DC area, and have for more
than 30 years, and most of the stories set in this locale are about
politicians, spies, or high-powered lobbyists.
I know that the average Joe and Jane who happens to call the Washington
metro area home lives a life that can be just as exciting as the K Street
crowd, or the boys across the river in McLean, so, about ten years ago I
started drafting.
My first, Color
Me Dead, went through more than six years of rewriting; the title changed,
the central plot changed, and most importantly, the name and background of the
main character changed. I no longer
remember what I called him at first, but, one day as I was sweating over the
tenth or twentieth draft, Al Pennyback was born. He’s an African-American; after all, the area
is predominantly African-American; he’s retired military; being retired
military, I can relate to that, and the area also has loads of retired military
people; and he’s a sucker for puzzles and unsolved mysteries. Despite, or because of, his military
background, he hates guns, preferring to use his wits or his martial arts
ability to get out of tight spots. He’s
a widower; gives him an air of sympathy; but, has a girl friend. The sex scenes are only hinted at. I think too many modern mysteries go
overboard on the sex. And, the language
is mostly mild. On occasion, Al or one of the characters lets fly with an
earthy expletive, because that’s the way people talk after all, but you won’t
find curse words on every page.
That’s sort of the definition of a cozy mystery;
cosy in British English; but, I didn't set out to write cozies. Despite that, one of my British readers has
decided that’s the sub-genre of at least one of the stories in the series, Dead Man’s Cove. He gave it such a good review, I don’t have
the heart to argue the point.
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written
cosy crime mystery, November 2, 2012
By
This
review is from: Dead
Man's Cove (Al Pennyback Mysteries) (Kindle Edition)
I've never read an Al Pennyback mystery before and I'm
pleased there are others since this one set the benchmark. It was a laidback
cosy read and thoroughly enjoyable.
Al, a private eye, gets to spend the weekend
with his girlfriend Sandra on a small island, Dead Man's Cove at the invitation
of his good friend Quincy (who had previously encouraged him to open up his
detective agency) on a client's yacht with a few other friends including two
married couples. Al suspects these couples are putting on a front (as many
unhappy couples do) but it has nothing to do with him as he's more than content
with Sandra and while he's a bit of wimp when it comes to sailing, he goes
along for her benefit if it makes her happy. It transpires that his wife and
young son died some years ago and it's been a long trawl to get back to some
form of normality, and he is grateful for his good fortune at getting a second
chance at love. However, what should have been a leisurely relaxing weekend
soon turns into a busman's holiday for Al.
It's hard not to give too much away, but as the
story progresses, the drinks are poured, the sun beats down and all seems right
with the world, the unexpected happens - one of the party is murdered. All of a
sudden all central characters are put under scrutiny and all kinds of secrets
and lies are unearthed as Al tries to find the truth and, out of the unlikely
bunch, a cold-blooded killer.
I liken this to the male version of Murder She
Wrote (sleuth encounters murder while minding his own business), and I'm happy
to say I'll be purchasing every Al Pennyback thriller/mystery I can get my
hands on if Dead Man's Cove is anything to go by. It well deserved my five star
rating.
Now, this is the type of review you want to get.
I tend to write stories in scenes, a lot like a
movie, so that the reader can ‘see’ what’s happening. A few readers have taken notice of this. Here’s what one reader had to say about Till Death Do Us Part:
5.0 out of 5 stars First
Review, July 17, 2012
By
This
review is from: Till
Death Do Us Part (Al Pennyback Mysteries) (Kindle Edition)
This book reads like a
T.V. episode of a crime/adventure show.The author developed his plot slowly and
effectively.His characters were interesting and well defined.It was a good
read.
Following the advice given in most books on writing,
I try to show, not tell. I let the
characters’ dialogue and action move the story rather than filling page after
page with exposition or descriptions.
Now, the question one might well ask is; where do
the ideas for this series come from? The
answer is – everywhere. I read newspapers,
print and online, and every edition has at least one story idea. Till
Death Do Us Part, for instance, came from an article I read in a South
African newspaper on a flight from Capetown to Copenhagen a few years ago about
a couple who’d come to Johannesburg on vacation and been victims of a
carjacking. The wife was killed, but the
husband escaped unharmed. It turned out
later that he’d arranged the incident in order to get rid of his wife. I changed the setting to Jamaica and was off
to the races.
I've done two books about radical militias, Dead, White, and Blue and Deadly Intentions. The proliferation of militias and other hate
groups in the U.S. over the past several decades has always concerned me, so
this was a natural.
Deadline
started out as a story about scams against lonely women, but about one-third
into the first draft I decided to throw a ghost in just for the heck of
it. I’m a bit agnostic about ghosts – I don’t
know that they are real, but I don’t know that they’re not, so there you are.
Whatever motivates the story idea, my main objective
is to write a story that keeps the reader wanting to turn the page to see what
happens next. According to two readers, I've succeeded:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, July
30, 2012
By
This
review is from: Till
Death Do Us Part (Al Pennyback Mysteries) (Kindle Edition)
This was a great book.
Fast paced, I couldn't put it down. You really want to read this book. I loved
it.
5.0 out of 5 stars My
new hero....Al Pennyback!, October 23, 2012
By
This
review is from: Till
Death Do Us Part (Al Pennyback Mysteries) (Kindle Edition)
Just finished "Til
Death Do Us Part" and really enjoyed Charles Ray's Suspense
novel....completing it in just two sessions. His characters ring true and I
felt as though I too were fighting for "right vs wrong" along with
Pennyback. Ray has the vernacular down pat for all walks of life and proves
that having more experience with life and humanity has its' advantages.
Well done you, Charles Ray!! Keep them coming.
There you
have it; that’s where story ideas come from.