Bay Area resident Robert K. Lewis has been a painter, printmaker, and a produced screenwriter.His latest book is Innocent Damage, the third novel featuring ex-cop and recovering junkie Mark Mallen.
From the author's Q & A with Midnight Ink:
MI: Do you have a favorite murder case from a book (either yours or another author’s)?The Page 69 Test: Innocent Damage.
RKL: The Abbey Grange, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is not only my favorite murder mystery, it’s also one of my favorite Sherlock Holmes stories. The Abbey Grange is actually one of the inspirations for Mark Mallen, because this is where Holmes really becomes judge and jury, and by doing so, gives us a glance into his great heart. This story is Holmes in one of his finest moments.
MI: What was your inspiration for this series?
RKL: Ah, that’s a large question. Mallen is made up of so many things that I’ve watched, read, and witnessed. There are, of course, the classic detectives: Sam Spade, Marlowe, Johnny Liddell, and Mike Hammer. Then there are the New York cop films of the 1970s: The French Connection, Serpico, The Seven Ups, The Warriors, Taxi Driver, and Death Wish. Also on that list would be other gritty films such as Panic in Needle Park and Midnight...[read on]
Writers Read: Robert K. Lewis.
My Book, the Movie: Innocent Damage.
--Marshal Zeringue