Steven M. Thomas
From A Q & A with Steven M. Thomas, author of Criminal Paradise (2008) and the recently released Criminal Karma:
Describe “Criminal Paradise” in a nutshell.Read an excerpt from Criminal Karma, and learn more about the book and author at the official Steven M. Thomas website.
It is Ross MacDonald meets John MacDonald with some Elmore Leonard thrown in.That sounds like quite a combination. Can you elaborate?
The writing aims for the kind of literary quality you find in Ross MacDonald’s classic series of Lew Archer detective novels, but the plot revolves around hardcore characters and action more like those in John MacDonald’s Travis McGee adventures. Robert Rivers, the protagonist of “Criminal Paradise,” operates outside the law, same as Travis McGee does much of the time, but the book is set in Southern California, the home turf of straight arrow Lew Archer. Both Archer and McGee are men who pack a conscience as well as a pistol, modulating the inevitable violence of their professions with a strong moral compass. Robert Rivers fits the same mold.
What is the Elmore Leonard connection?
The book’s...[read on]
The Page 69 Test: Criminal Karma.
--Marshal Zeringue
