The
Critics Weigh In on
The Famous and the Dead
“...highly impressive...entertaining and provocative...”
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“...part elemental morality play, part
fire-and-brimstone mythmaking, all of it inimitably
Parker...”
– Kirkus
“...a standout series...”
– Booklist (starred review)
“…T. Jefferson Parker has burgled the crumbling palace
of Edgar Allan Poe for inspiration in The Famous and the
Dead…”
– The Wall Street Journal
Hello Friends and Readers!
I'm happy to tell you that Charlie Hood will be riding
into action on Thursday, April 18 in The Famous
and Dead.
This book is Charlie's last stand against the estimable
forces that have lined up against him for years -- gun
smugglers, cartel heavies, treacherous "friends" and
co-workers, and the humorfully malicious Mike Finnegan.
Now, in The Famous
and Dead, Charlie is also in the crosshairs of a
furious domestic terrorist who makes the word
"dangerous" seem mild. And all the while Charlie is
trying to keep his love, Dr. Beth Petty, in his life but
out of harm's way, even as the dark forces aligned
against him pry them further and further apart.
But there's more than just Charlie's "history" in this
novel. As part of an American Heart Association
fundraiser, a reader donated a sizable sum of money to
have a character in my new book named after her. Her
name is Mary Kate Boyle, and as I talked to her over the
phone to get some feel for her as a person, I was struck
by her good humor and can-do practicality (she's a
former ER nurse, so those qualities makes sense in
her!). I wrote the opening Charlie scene with my version
of Mary Kate Boyle in it. "My" Mary Kate is a poor girl
from Missouri with a sad and violent story, and she
comes all the way to LA on Trailways to tell it to
Charlie and his ATF brethren. By the time I was done
writing that scene, I knew I had a wonderful character
on my hands -- Charlie knew it, too -- and she goes on
to play a large and important part in this story.
Thanks, Mary Kate Boyle -- both of you!
And so, in The
Famous and the Dead, all mysteries are resolved.
Some justice is done, and some vengeance taken. Devils
get their due and angels tread lightly. It's all just
another day in the saddle for Charlie.
I hope to see some of you on tour over the next days.
To view my upcoming schedule of appearances,
click here.
Enjoy the tale.
