INTERVIEW: John R. Lindermuth

John R. Lindermuth is a retired newspaperman, author of several short stories and articles as well as eight novels (to date), including four in the popular Sticks Hetrick series. John's work is well written and highly entertaining, and I have reviewed some of the Hetrick novels here on this blog and elsewhere. In this new year John will be branching out into Westerns with his upcoming novel, Fallen From Grace.
I caught up with him over the holidays and conducted the following interview which I trust you will find interesting and entertaining.


WD:   John, you are a retired newspaper editor/writer. Prior to that you had intentions of entering art school but then served a hitch in the Army and were stationed in Korea. How did you make that transition? Did your time in the Army in any way lead to your newspaper career rather than pursuing art school? 

JRL:   The Army was actually responsible for my newspaper career. Initially, as a result of a battery of tests, the Army determined I had the makings of an investigator and had me as a candidate for CID (Criminal Investigation Command). A pre-qualification was going through military police training. After basic, they sent me to Ft. Gordon, GA, for the training—where I was promptly belt-lined (rejected on grounds I didn’t meet height and weight requirements). I can’t explain why they didn’t know that in advance. I do regret missing out on CID. It would have made a great background for a crime writer. After a short stint of infantry training, it was decided I had the makings of a reporter and they sent me to J-school at Ft. Slocum NY. It was a lucky break for me.

WD:   Can you tell us a little bit about your newspaper career --- i.e. what papers you worked for, and were there any particularly memorable or significant stories you covered?

JRL:   I had some good assignments in the Army and was offered a job on Stars & Stripes if I re-upped. But I’d had enough of the military routine. I managed to get my discharge in South Korea where I was last assigned. My first civilian gig was as copy editor for North Asia Press, one of several businesses of an American entrepreneur. I also did some stringing for a variety of U.S. media. Returning to the states, the best I could do at first was a reporter spot on my hometown weekly—a job which provided more excellent training. After that I had a year on The News-Dispatch (now News-Item), the local daily. This was followed by 20 years with the Daily News in Lebanon PA and some stringing for the Patriot-News of Harrisburg PA. I finished up my career with The News-Item. Over the years, I worked every reporter beat and posts as education editor, farm editor, wire editor, county and city editor. All of these have provided grist for my fictional mill. One of the more unusual murder cases I did work on was that of Susan Reinert, whose body was found in Harrisburg. Dr. Jay Smith got the death sentence in that case, which was the subject of Joe Wambaugh’s book, Echoes In The Darkness.

WD:   Now that you're retired, what occupies your time aside from writing and your work for the local historical society?

JRL:   Family, walking, lots of reading. I’ve made a vow to also get back to drawing, which had been neglected in recent years.

  

WD:   You have said that your grandfather was a natural storyteller and your father had an extensive library. So you were exposed to storytelling, both verbally and in written form, early on and this led to your interest in writing. During your newspaper time, did you also pursue writing fiction? (I ask this because in the past I spent some time doing stringer work for a newspaper and almost every reporter I got to know had at least one fiction manuscript or work-in-progress stuffed in a drawer somewhere).

JRL: You’re right—every reporter has at least one novel in the drawer. I was no exception. I churned out short stories and a few novels (which didn’t sell) and did interest an agent at one point. I succeedED in publishing a lot of articles in a variety of magazines, though, and also did PR for a little theater, a business and several charitable organizations.

WD:   In your Sticks Hetrick series, you write about the town of Swatara Creek, which is fictional. But there is a Swatara Township. Is this the actual setting you draw upon, as far as the physical terrain, types of people, local characters and/or places?

JRL:   In Something In Common, the first of the Hetrick novels, I included an author’s note stating there is a Swatara Creek, but no town of that name in central Pennsylvania. The Swatara Creek of the novels is solely my invention, though it’s representative of many of the older Susquehanna River towns which have become bedroom communities for the more metropolitan areas. I am familiar with Swatara Township, but it’s a much more affluent and cosmopolitan place than my fictional town.

WD:   You write so vividly of Pennsylvania's coal region, both in the Sticks Hetrick series and in other novels. And you are the librarian of the local historical society. You obviously have a deep affection for the area. Care to comment on that, perhaps give us some insight on your deep feelings for the area?

JRL:   Perhaps it’s partly due to my knowledge of the history and folklore of the area, but I’ve always had a deep affection for this, my homeplace, though its attractions may be less obvious to outsiders. It’s probably not something I can put into words. I’ve just not felt as content elsewhere, though there are other places I like to visit.

WD:   Can you give us some background on the Sticks Hetrick character? Many series authors invest a good deal of themselves into their main character --- is there some of John Lindermuth in Sticks?

JRL: I guess it would be impossible for a writer to create an on-going character without imbuing him with some comparable traits. Hopefully they’re more latent than obvious. Sticks is a good man (which I hope I am, too), loyal, compassionate, dedicated, tough when he has to be. I know he’s much braver than me. I play at chess, but he’s a real gamesman. He’s pretty much a steak and potatoes kind of guy while I’m a bit more adventurous in the culinary area.

WD:   I know you have a Western novel coming out next year. Can you give us a preview of what that's about? Also, what's next for Sticks Hetrick and, in general, what does the future hold for John Lindermuth?

JRL:   Fallen From Grace might be described as an historical mystery, but Oak Tree Press is billing it as a Western. Sylvester Tilghman is the third of his family to serve as sheriff of his small hometown. His biggest problems have been lack of a deputy and the reluctance of his longtime girlfriend to acceptance his many marriage proposals. When two newcomers are murdered in short succession, his life becomes much more complicated.                                                                                             
As to Sticks, I’m well along on the fifth in that series. Sticks and new girlfriend Anita have gone on a cruise prior to assuming his new job as county detective. In Jamaica he runs up against murder, which appears to have a connection back home. Meanwhile, Aaron Brubaker and crew are doing their best with crimes of their own. For the future, I’m hopeful of many more stories and readers for them.


Thanks, John. I encourage readers who haven't already discovered this talented writer to check out some of his work with all haste. I know that I, for one, am looking forward to Fallen From Grace as well as the next Sticks Hetrick adventure.


Persevere --- WD

MY NEBRASKA: MASSACRE CANYON

One of my favorite things since moving to west central Nebraska is taking road trips and exploring points of interest related to the rich history of the area. One such place is located about a hundred miles due south of where I live, down almost to the Kansas border. It is called Massacre Canyon --- the name alone being enough to intrigue anyone with an ounce of imagination. I spotted the name on a map shortly after moving out here and immediately made plans to drive down and visit it. I also immediately knew that one day I wanted to use that name as the title of a book or short story. I --- like most writers, I suspect --- always have an assortment of names, titles, situations, random scenes, story ideas, quotations or exchanges of colloquial dialogue I've overheard, etc., filed away in a "some day" compartment of my brain; meaning that some day I will find the right circumstances in which to use one or more of these items in my writing.

One Sunday a couple weeks back I had the urge to take a long drive. At the same time I also had the need to come up with a short story idea. I decided to combine the two and make a return visit to Massacre Canyon, where I hadn't been for several years, and see if the trip could inspire me to finally make use of the title and come up with a story to fit it ... And, lo and behold, it worked. By the time I returned home I had the whole story roughed out in my head and even a few notes I'd stopped to scribble down along the way.
I wrote it and fine-tuned it in less than a week and subsequently have been able to place "Massacre Canyon" at a popular webzine where it will appear shortly into the new year ... More on that when the time is closer.

In the meantime, let me tell you a little bit about the true historical events that gave Massacre Canyon its name:
The battle of Massacre Canyon took place on August 5, 1873, in what is now Hitchcock County, Nebraska. It marked the last large scale battle between two Indian tribes of the West --- the Pawnee and the Sioux.
The Pawnee, who for many years had been very cooperative with the white man and had often served as Army scouts (including to such notables as George Custer and William F. Cody), were living peacably on a reservation in southern Nebraska. Each summer they were allowed to form a large hunting party and roam off the reservation in order to hunt buffalo. They were accompanied by a white guide or "trail agent" and promised protection from the Sioux, who frequently raided into Pawnee territory, sometimes killing and destroying crops and property but usually just stealing horses.
In the summer of '73, a Pawnee hunting party of about 350 men, women, and children left the reservation for their annual. As usual they were accompanied by a trail agent, this time a young man named John Williamson, and given to believe that cavalry troops were nearby to provide protection if needed. They started out in early July and began to have luck tracking a sizable buffalo herd. At one point they encountered a party of white buffalo hunters who warned them that Sioux were in the area, but neither Williamson nor the Pawnee chiefs took the warning seriously, believing the white hunters were trying to trick them into leaving the area so they could have better hunting for themselves.
As it turned out, the warning was true. There was a party of nearly 1,000 Sioux in the area and they were tracking both buffalo and Pawnees. When the Sioux attacked in August, the Pawnees fought a running battle down the low canyon running southwest from present-day Highway 34. The braves held back and fought while the women and children fled down the canyon. The Sioux divided and took control of both banks of the canyon, firing down on their adversaries. This advantage, on top of their superior number, quickly won the day for the Sioux. So convincingly were the Pawnees defeated that remaining members of the tribe were left demoralized to the point of shortly thereafter leaving Nebraksa altogether (where they had been the dominating force for more than a century before the coming of the white man) and relocating permanently to the Indian Territories of Oklahoma.
None of this, by the way, is meant to paint the Sioux in a bad light. Their actions were simply reflective of the way things were back then between Indian tribes --- they fought, harrassed, stole, and generally made life miserable for one another.
The real bad guys of this episode may have been (surprise) certain members of the Indian Agency overseeing the Pawnee on their Nebraska lands. Americans love a good conspiracy theory, right? So here goes:
On previous summer hunts the trail agent assigned to accompany the Pawnees had been "Texas Jack" Omohundro, a veteran plainsman and contemporary of Buffalo Bill. Jack probably would have done a better job of advising the Pawnee when the buffalo hunters tried to warn them, and also likely would have verified that the promised cavalry protection was nearby (which it was not). Williamson, who was substituted at the last possible moment and did his best, including fighting bravely during the battle, was a recent arrival to the frontier from Wisconsin and was simply too inexperienced for the assignment. So, were these last-minute changes in personnel, the failure of the Army to know about the large party of Sioux present in the area, and the "mis-cue" as far as having a cavalry troop in closer proximity to the Pawnee all unfortunate coincidences? Or was the whole thing allowed to happen as part of a plan calculated to encourage the Pawnee to leave the fertile grazing and farming lands of Nebraska (where vast cattle ranches quickly flourished) and flee to the Indian Territories? Conjecture continues, but only the mists of time know the real answers ...

As a final note, the marker that indicates the battle site has a bit of a history all its own. It is the first Federally-funded such marker in Nebraska, and its distinct obelisk column design contains many fascinating designs and symbols. The faces in relief on the sides of the column are representations of the Indian cheifs who fought in the battle.

All in all, a fascinating place with a fascinating history.


Persevere --- WD

RECOMMENDED READING: BEING SOMEONE ELSE by J.R. Lindermuth

BEING SOMEONE ELSE is the fourth entry in the popular Sticks Hetrick series set in the fictional town of Swatara Creek, Pennsylvania. Like previous titles in the series, this one is packed with local color, memorable characters, and a complex plot with some nifty twists and surprises. All told in Lindermuth's deft style.
High marks from this corner. If you like fast-paced mysteries with a rural setting, you'll be cheating yourself of an enjoyable read if you miss this one.

For more details, plese check out my full review on Amazon.

Persevere --- WD

RECOMMENDED READING: The STONEY CALHOUN Series by William G. Tapply

Sadly, author William G. Tapply passed away in July of last year.
He is best known for his 26 novels featuring lawyer/sleuth Brady Coyne. (Three of these were collaborations with friend and fellow author Philip R. Craig, featuring Coyne in alternating chapters with Craig's series character JW Jackson; Mr. Craig passed away in 2007.)

While I read a few of the Coyne novels and liked them well enough, for whatever reason I never really got "into" them. Such was not the case, however, when I discovered Tapply's second series character, Stoney Calhoun, in his 2004 debut novel, Bitch Creek. Truth to tell, it was the title that first attracted me. After that, however, it was the setting of the tale, the plot, the crisp writing style, and as much as anything the character of Calhoun  himself that hooked me and kept me on the lookout for more.

Stoney Calhoun is a true man of mystery. After surviving a lightning strike, he leaves a hospital in Arlington, VA, with only fragments of his memory intact. He is told his name is Stonewall Jackson Calhoun and that he grew up in South Carolina. He is discharged with $25,000 in his pocket, along with a Visa credit card in his name. Further, he is promised that monthly deposits of money --- enough so that he will never have to work another day in his life if he doesn't want to --- will be made in a bank of his choosing as soon as he settles down somewhere ... The people telling him these things avoid clearly identifying themselves, leaving Calhoun (and the reader) to speculate they must be some kind of government spooks and that Stoney, in his former and forgotten life, must have served them in some way that leaves them highly indebted to him.

Despite his alleged ties to the south, Calhoun feels irresistably drawn to Maine and it is there that he heads and there that this series becomes anchored. He takes on a part-time job (and eventually co-ownership) of a small bait-and-tackle shop on Casco Bay near Portland, mainly because he is attracted to the shop's proprietor, lovely Kate Balaban.

Altough there are huge gaps in Stoney's memory there also are flashes of deeds, faces, and skills from his past. He can't associate any direct links to the deeds or faces, but certain skills that he possesses --- self-defense capabilities, knowledge of firearms and criminal investigation techniques --- indicate he's had extensive training by some sort of law enforcement agency. This, in addition to his proficiency at mechanics, carpentry, tying lures, fishing, boating, and other outdoor activities.

All of these skills --- especially in the area of his criminal investigation abilities --- are brought into play as this series of three books unfolds.
In the first, Bitch Creek (2004), Stoney helps investigate the murder of a fellow guide as he all the while fights a gnawing suspicion that he himself may have actually been the intended victim.
In Gray Ghost (2007), the local sheriff asks for Stoney's assistance investigating a series of grisly murders where the victims' bodies are set on fire and left to be found as charred remains.
In Dark Tiger (2009), the mysterious government spook who has periodically been checking up on Stoney to see if any significant parts of his memory are returning, shows up once again. Only this time his purpose is more than just to check up --- he coerces Stoney into going undercover as a fishing guide at a high-end fishing lodge in remote Maine. Once in place he is to determine what a government operative was doing at the lodge --- where he wasn't supposed to be --- and what brought about his death, which has been rigged to look like a murder/suicide.

All of these books are finely plotted, the writing is terrific, and the locales and characters are distinct and memorable. But most intriguing of all, as mentioned above, is the character of Calhoun himself.
One can only wonder how Stoney's character would have further evolved and what future adventures Tapply may have had in mind for him.
These novels are available through Amazon, AbeBooks, etc. If you haven't read them, they are definitely worth tracking down. Highly recommended.

Persevere --- WD

RECOMMENDED READING: THE WEIGHT by Andrew Vachss

The Weight is Andrew Vachss's latest powerful novel. There are crime and mystery elements here, to be sure, but as much as any of that it is a character study and, ultimately, a love story. Its central character and narrator is Tim "Sugar" Caine, an old-school professional thief who takes the weight for a crime he didn't commit rather than provide an alibi that would have blown the whistle on others who were involved with him in a big-money jewel  heist. It is Sugar's narration of this sequence of events and then his subsequent reflections while serving  his prison time that give the reader a deep insight into the people and prior events that have shaped him into what he is --- a man on the wrong side of the law, yet someone with a very strict set of values and rules that he adheres to at all cost. Further complicatons stemming from the long-past jewel heist arise after Sugar has served his time and his subsequent efforts to tie off this loose thread forces Sugar to face danger and duplicity --- yet at the same time find trust and love --- in ways he never expected.
As usual, Vachss's prose is scalpel-sharp, his characters are memorable, and his descriptions of the intricacies of criminal life are fascinating.
For more details, you can read my full review of this book on Amazon.

If anyone hasn't guessed by now, I am a big fan of Andrew Vachss and I'm also proud to count him as a personal friend.
This has been a very busy Fall for Andrew. In addition to the newly released THE WEIGHT, as mentioned above, you'll also remember his novel HEART TRANSPLANT as covered in my October 20 blog.
Furthermore, his very first novel, A BOMB BUILT IN HELL, was released by Amazon Kindle on October 26. This novel was written in 1973, prior to his success with FLOOD (the beginning of his popular Burke series) and never saw print publication. At the time it was deemed unprintable, "too unrealistic", "a political horror story" ... because it predicted things like the turmoil in Haiti, the rise in sex predators, and school shootings such as Columbine and the rest that have followed. It is the story of Wesley, whom readers of Vachss will remember from the Burke books, and it is as hard-hitting and memorable as anything you will ever read --- made even more so by the timing of when it was written.
Finally, if you need just a little more of a Vachss fix, you can check out http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/ where you will find an original Vachss short story, "As The Crow Flies", as well as a lengthy review of The Weight and an in-depth interview (both by Ken Bruen).

Vachss's life work is combating abuses against the young and the weak in our society --- and thereby short-circuiting the "monsters" who grow out of these abuses and end up threatening society in return. His voice is strong, his message is strong --- Heed what he has to say.

Persevere --- WD

THE GENTLEMEN'S HOUR by Don Winslow

The Gentlemen's Hour is Winslow's second novel featuring surfer/PI Boone Daniels. The first book in the series --- The Dawn patrol --- came out in 2008 and introduced the cast of recurring characters we encounter again in Gentlemen's Hour. They are the Dawn Patrol, a crew of hardcore surfers centered around Daniels, all with individual lives that sometimes intersect out of the water, but it is their daily early-morning gatherings on the surf that truly bonds them.
The writing is scalpel-sharp, the chapters come bullet-quick, and the action is relentless. San Diego and vicinity, especially Pacific Beach and (in this book) the Rockpile break at La Jolla, are the settings. Winslow paints these backdrops and the people who pass through them vividly. The plot is intricate and contains a number of surprises. The characters are multi-dimensional and their motives are never quite what t hey appear to be.
Plenty of good stuff here for the PI mystery fan, and a whole different slant on the California PI than most of what we've seen before.
For more details about this book check out my full review on Amazon.

Persevere --- WD

RECOMMENDED READING: THE BAD KITTY LOUNGE by MICHAEL WILEY

This is the second book in the Joe Kozmarski series. The first, The Last Striptease (2007) was a winner in PWA's Best First PI Novel competition and a Shamus Award nominee for that year.
Kozmarski is a fairly laid-back Chicago PI with an estranged wife, a nosy mother, a live-in teenaged nephew, and a new female partner who's made it clear she is willing for their partnership to be more than strictly business.
At the start of Bad Kitty, Joe's current client turns from a seemingly mild-mannered guy who suspects his wife is cheating on him into a confirmed arsonist and then a suspected killer. The murder victim, discovered by Joe, is Sister Judy Terrano, aka the Virginity Nun. In death, Sister Judy also becomes a link to the Bad Kitty Lounge, a little-known Maxwell Street hangout where, back in the 1960s, drinking, partying, doing drugs, and having sex were its main attractions. But, as everybody knows, the past has a habit of sometimes catching up in ways that can be very unpleasant ...
Wiley's writing is fast-paced, the plot is full of twists and turns, and the action keeps coming.
Both of these books are highly recommended and one is left definitely wanting to see more of Joe Kozmarski.
For a more detailed review of The Bad Kitty Lounge check out my write-up on Amazon.

Persevere --- WD