We are delighted to welcome back author Rico Lamoureux to Omnimystery News.
Last week we spoke with Rico about his new crime novella Riker's Calling (DramaticNovellas.com; August 2016 ebook format) and we were so intrigued with its lead character that we asked him to tell us more. He frames this introduction as an interview with his character.
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Photo provided courtesy of
Rico Lamoureux
Private Investigator Jeremy Riker, the central character in the Crime Thriller Riker's Calling, has agreed to meet me for lunch at a Covina burrito walk-up restaurant called Alberto's. Before we even go up to the window to order, he claims a table in the far corner of the small dining space, tossing his jacket over the chair that will soon have his back against the wall.
I insist lunch is on me, and then, to my surprise, we end up ordering the same thing. A burrito with chicken, refried beans, cheese and rice.
As we head back to our table I realize why Riker has chosen it. It gives him a view of all the rest, as well as every person approaching the establishment.
Rico Lamoureux: Riker, first off I'd like to thank you for granting me this interview. I know the media has requested such from you over the years, going all the way back to your accident as a Police Explorer, and recently, in regards to The Sypderco Killer, they've really been hounding you. But up until know, you've refused to speak to anyone about it. May I ask why?
Riker: In most cases, the media is all about sensationalizing, with the pursuit of higher ratings being above all else, including, unfortunately, human life. It's not that I don't believe in keeping people informed, but with the platform they have they could do so much more in terms of positivity.
Rico Lamoureux: I definitely agree, but to play devil's advocate, don't you also choose to surround yourself with the negative, given the line of work you're in?
Riker: That's the word, "advocate". How far are we actually willing to go? It's a lot easier to spend a few point and clicks to sign an online petition against bullying than it is to go out there in person and be of assistance to a kid whose life is being shaped more on the way to and from school than in an actual classroom. I've never been one to talk over doing. I'm out there in the trenches, doing what I can to put a stop to the conflict that infests our streets.
For every "normal" person out there living a comfortable life of downloads and lattes, there are a number of victims who are just trying to survive. No one really understands how important an advocate is until they need one themselves.
Rico Lamoureux: I commend you for dedicating your life to such a cause, but doesn't it ever get exhausting? Always on the look out? Always having to watch your back? Don't you ever just want to step back and be normal? Go enjoy a weekend at Disneyland or something?
Riker: When the assholes of the world decide to take a vacation, I will too, although I'm not quite sure it'll be with Mickey.
Rico Lamoureux: Ah ha! Is that a little sense of humor I detect?! Like the kind you and your niece are known to partake in every now and then?
At the mention of Jamie, Riker can't help but show a little smile.
Riker: No matter how dark my days may get, when that cellphone vibrates and she's on the other end, let's just say that's my Disneyland.
Rico Lamoureux: If the assholes ever did take a break, where in the world would you like to go?
Riker: Japan. Back when I received my defense training as a teenager, much of what I was learning came from Ninjutsu, the country's oldest martial art.
Rico Lamoureux: Isn't that the art of the ninja?
Riker: Yeah, but there's a lot more to it than what Hollywood has depicted. It has a very deep history that goes back over two thousand years. It would be intriguing to go research it.
Riker's eyes never stop scanning, every bite he takes, every question he answers not distracting him from being in tune to our surroundings.
This includes a couple who now takes a seat a few tables from where we are, one of the chairs being pulled away from it with anger. From what I can gather the argument is about food, the guy cursing up a storm because his take-out from Jack in the Box has lost its warmth.
"You just couldn't get a fuckin' combo meal like me, could ya?!"
"I told you I was in the mood for tacos when we left the house."
"They fuckin' have tacos!"
"It's not the same. We only had to walk across the street!"
"Yeah, and use a goddamn light that takes forever!"
Rico Lamoureux: I know you really don't like to talk about your cases, but can you tell us a little about The Spiderco Killer?
I hear burger wrap being ruffled.
More cursing …
The girl's now trying to yell through a stuffed mouth, the thud of a fist hitting flesh sending Riker flying out of his seat and over to the domestic disturbance.
His agility is so smooth it's like watching a wild animal on one of those nature shows, and when he glides in to the guy doing the beating my mouth falls open, Riker dropping the perp's face down to the tiled floor like a thunderbolt with a swift movement that involves using the guy's forward momentum of swinging at the girl while simultaneously kicking his leg out from under him.
With a loud CRACK that must be the shattering of facial bones, it's no surprise that the guy's out cold, his mug a bloody mess, Riker already moving on to the girl, who's now choking on sour dough.
He gives her the Heimlich, and I watch, in what appears to be slow motion, clumps of the sour dough fly out of her mouth and over Mr. Jack in the Box's unconscious face.
A few minutes later and the police are taking our statements. My conversation with Riker may have been cut short, but it's an interview I'll remember for a long time, if not forever!
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Rico Lamoureux is an author who believes in substance over cliche writing, diversity over genre. He's a life-long lover of story, and has been a storyteller for over thirty years. His stories of substance engage, excite, and enlighten, as reflected by the critical acclaim they have received. "Great storytelling isn't easy to find. Whether it be in film, literature, music, or so on. I always feel grateful when I come upon a tale that moves me, and have made it my life's work to create such for those seeking the same."
For more information about the author, please visit his website at DramaticNovellas.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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Riker's Calling by Rico Lamoureux
A Jeremy Riker Crime Novel
Publisher: DramaticNovellas.com
From school bullies to the crime-ridden streets of his hometown of Los Angeles, Jeremy Riker has always felt the need to do something about the injustice surrounding him.
Just as he sets out on his journey as an urban warrior, he unknowingly gives rise to an obsessive adversary, who ends up becoming one of the most notorious serial killers the city has ever known. Dubbed by the news media as The Spyderco Killer, the methodical psychopath roots himself deep into Riker's life for the long haul, until his own madness propels everything into an intense climax.
— Riker's Calling by Rico Lamoureux
