by Jackson Burnett
We are delighted to welcome debut novelist Jackson Burnett as our guest.
He describes his new legal mystery, The Past Never Ends (Deadly Niche Press, July 2012 trade paperback and ebook formats), as "James Lee Burke meets Erle Stanley Gardner somewhere in Oklahoma."
Today Jackson tells us how he attempted to follow the structure of the old "Perry Mason" novels in his book. And, as a bonus, the Kindle edition of The Past Never Ends is free to download today and tomorrow!
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Perry Mason novels are still great mysteries to read because:
1. The books read easy and take little time to get through.
2. A good, puzzling whodunit resolves itself by the last chapter.
3. The stories usually turn on a legitimate legal issue.
4. The courtroom scenes were obviously written by someone who had actually been in court.
5. Justice is always served.
Perry Mason mysteries disappoint readers today because:
1. No one ever really stands up in a courtroom and confesses to murder.
2. While Perry Mason's pretrial antics are never technically illegal or unethical, today he'd spend so much time defending ethic charges and responding to grand jury investigations, he'd never have time to defend anyone in court.
3. Neither the legal system nor the law ever work as neatly as they do in a Perry Mason mystery.
The Past Never Ends, my recently published legal mystery, attempts to preserve the best of the Perry Mason novels for the generations that have grown more sophisticated; a result, in part, of having watched the O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony trials as they happened.
Set in the American Southwest in the days before 9/11, Attorney Chester Morgan agrees to assist a young man in obtaining the incident report about the death of a young man's only friend. The friend's name is Tanya Everly, a sex worker from the wrong side of the river. The public record, though, is sealed by order of the Chief of Police. Morgan finds himself on a quest to learn the truth of Tanya Everly's death, a journey that takes him into the seamy corners of sex for sale, the crooked connections between rich oilmen and public servants, and the troubled places of Morgan's own soul.
The Past Never Ends is longer than the typical Perry Mason novel. The whodunit and the prose are both more complex. Still, I tried to be faithful to the form Erle Stanley Gardner gave us when he created the magnificent Perry Mason.
Read The Past Never Ends and let me know whether you agree.
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Jackson Burnett is the name used by a writer, lawyer, and amateur fiddle player who lives in a Southwest American city. He is a fan of the roller derby, Italian opera, and old-time country and roots music.
Besides mysteries, Burnett writes short literary fiction and essays.
You can visit with him on his Facebook page.
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The Past Never Ends
Jackson Burnett
A legal mystery.
A simple task, Attorney Chester Morgan thinks. Get a copy of a public record for a young man whose only friend has died in an unexplained accidental death. Except …
The police file regarding the demise of sex worker Tanya Everly has been sealed by the order of the chief of police, and no one will talk. Warned to drop the matter, Attorney Morgan knows that if he doesn't speak for the dead young woman, no one will.
Haunted by his discovery of the body of a prominent local oilman, Morgan pursues a quest for justice that puts his reputation, career, and life at risk. A journey that takes him into the dark shadows of the sex-for-sale business, into the marble courtrooms of Oklahoma, and into the aching loneliness of his own soul.
The prologue and first chapter of the book may be read on either the Amazon.com or BN.com sites. The Kindle edition of the book is free to download Thursday and Friday, September 20th and 21st, 2012 only.
Important Note: Any prices mentioned above were correct as of the date and time of this post. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.
