An Entertaining Serial Killer Crime Novel

An Entertaining Serial Killer Crime Novel

Bruce Von Stiers

In 2002, I reviewed a humorous book about bank robbers and robberies titled This Here's A Stickup: The Big Bad Book of American Bank Robbery. It was written by Duane Swierczynski. Three years later I reviewed his gritty crime novel, The Wheel Man.

Since that time Swierczynksi has written several other novels. He also became the writer for several DC comics, including X-Men, Punisher, Judge Dredd, and Marvel comics such as Black Widow.

This year finds Swierczynski with a brand-new novel. This one is part thriller, part crime novel and part amateur sleuth. The title of this new novel is California Bear. It was published by Mulholland Books.

The book is set up as separate narratives for the lead characters in the book. There is the Bear, a serial killer who's been dormant for quite some time. There is the Girl Detective, a teenager who is trying to prove that her father isn't a killer, even though he was sent to prison for it. Then there is the Killer, who has been released from prison on a technicality. He just wants to spend time with his daughter.

Cato Hightower is a retired cop and the guy who got the Killer, whose name is Jack, out of prison. Cato has a scheme going. There is a documentary in the beginning stages about the California Bear. Cato thinks he knows who the California Bear is. And he wants in on the money that will be made due to the documentary. Cato is going to need Jack's help to accomplish this.

The book takes place over about a ten-day period, from the end of May, 2016 to June 10 th of that year. And it wraps up on that following July 4 th .

There is an eclectic cast of characters in the book. The California Bear is in poor health and hides sweets from his wife. The Girl Detective learns she has cancer and there's a whole lot to unpack with that plot device. Her best friend Violet acts as her Archie Goodwin, Watson, or some other worthy fictional sidekick. Cato is a drunk and is all over the place with his ideas about squeezing money out of either the California Bear or the other people involved in the documentary. Cato's wife Gene Jeanie gets involved as does the California Bear's wife. And there's Jack, who just wants to spend time with his daughter Matilda, the Girl Detective.

The book has a lot of sideways humor in it, basically unfolding as a series of mishaps. There are a couple of kidnappings, an accidental death, some stalking, an attempted murder or two and the California Bear maybe making a comeback.

California Bear is a terrific crime novel. From the first sentence, where the reader learns that the California Bear wants a cookie, to the very end of the novel, I was thoroughly entertained.

California Bear is available at most book retailers including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

To find out more about this novel, and other works by Duane Swierczynki, visit his official website at https://www.gleefulmayhem.com/

Back to the BVS Reviews Main Menu

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _