Boca Knights by Steven M. Forman
Contributing editor Rebecca Cantrell discusses Boca Knights with author Steven M. Forman.Eddie Perlmutter, the main character in Boca Knights, has been called "one of the best new characters to appear on the literary horizon in years" by bestselling author Gayle Lynds. A retired Boston cop, he's traded the cold streets of Boston for the sultry ones of Boca Raton. But he's about to discover that warmer doesn't mean safer, and a man with a strong sense of justice can't ever really retire.
What drives Eddie to pursue justice for crimes large and small?
Eddie can't ignore injustice regardless its size or shape. It's in his DNA to defend everyone's right to live as they choose in peace. Also, in tracing his lineage, we find that he was born without a fear gene which helps if you're going to do something heroic. Eddie was a super cop in his youth and a baby boomer Batman at sixty.
How can I get Eddie to move onto my street?
Eddie Perlmutter probably does live on your street. Not everyone can be as invincible or obvious as Eddie, but there's a little bit of a heroic Boca knight inside of every suit of armor.
Boca Raton is almost another character in your book. I noticed that you
moved there yourself, after years in Boston. What drew your there, and
what drew Eddie?
I spent about fifty years of my life being the first footprints in the snow. I decided, at the top of a chair lift during a white out , on a frigid winter day in New Hampshire, that I would give warm a chance. I knew some people who had moved to Boca. So I moved to Boca. If a city can be described as a character, then Boca is that place. It's wonderful and weird.
Eddie moved to Boca for the same reasons I did. Winters were killing him and he had a friend who had a friend who got him a job working on a golf course. Eddie never played golf in his life but that didn't bother him. He took care of injustice on the golf course too.
Although Boca Knights has been praised for its humor, Eddie also takes on some weighty topics, from anti-Semitism to vigilantes. How do you walk that tightrope between witty and world weary?
Eddie isn't world weary because hatred, injustice and indifference never cease to amaze him. Through it all, he never loses his sense of humor, which is the only thing that stops him from being a vengeful vigilante.
I'm sure you're going to start hearing comparisons between Eddie and Walt Kowalski, Clint Eastwood's character in the recent movie Gran Torino. How would Eddie and Walt get along? What would they drink if they met at a bar, and who would they take down after?
They're very much the same and nothing alike. Their backgrounds are vastly dissimilar but their viewpoints and solutions bring them closer together. Eddie and Walt would probably take each other down after a few beers at a bar then go after anyone who has a problem with them becoming friends after the fight. Both men finish what they start.
Can you name the last book you finished, the book you're currently reading, and the next book on your list?
Hour game -- David Baldacci
The Longest Winter -- David Halberstrom
Anything written by Doug Preston
Contributing editor Rebecca Cantrell
sold her house, quit her high tech job, and moved to Hawaii to write a
novel. Her first novel, A TRACE OF SMOKE, starts a mystery series set
in Berlin in the 1930s. It will be released in May 2009. As of this
writing, she lives in Hawaii with her husband and son.
I spent about fifty years of my life being the first footprints in the snow. I decided, at the top of a chair lift during a white out , on a frigid winter day in New Hampshire, that I would give warm a chance. I knew some people who had moved to Boca. So I moved to Boca. If a city can be described as a character, then Boca is that place. It's wonderful and weird.Eddie moved to Boca for the same reasons I did. Winters were killing him and he had a friend who had a friend who got him a job working on a golf course. Eddie never played golf in his life but that didn't bother him. He took care of injustice on the golf course too.
Although Boca Knights has been praised for its humor, Eddie also takes on some weighty topics, from anti-Semitism to vigilantes. How do you walk that tightrope between witty and world weary?
Eddie isn't world weary because hatred, injustice and indifference never cease to amaze him. Through it all, he never loses his sense of humor, which is the only thing that stops him from being a vengeful vigilante.
I'm sure you're going to start hearing comparisons between Eddie and Walt Kowalski, Clint Eastwood's character in the recent movie Gran Torino. How would Eddie and Walt get along? What would they drink if they met at a bar, and who would they take down after?
They're very much the same and nothing alike. Their backgrounds are vastly dissimilar but their viewpoints and solutions bring them closer together. Eddie and Walt would probably take each other down after a few beers at a bar then go after anyone who has a problem with them becoming friends after the fight. Both men finish what they start.
Can you name the last book you finished, the book you're currently reading, and the next book on your list?
Hour game -- David Baldacci
The Longest Winter -- David Halberstrom
Anything written by Doug Preston
Contributing editor Rebecca Cantrell
sold her house, quit her high tech job, and moved to Hawaii to write a
novel. Her first novel, A TRACE OF SMOKE, starts a mystery series set
in Berlin in the 1930s. It will be released in May 2009. As of this
writing, she lives in Hawaii with her husband and son.ThrillerFest
ITW's annual celebration of the thriller world is the largest event of its kind, a meeting place for authors, readers, budding writers, and publishing industry professionals.
For 2010, we’ll be back in the heart of New York in July with the ThrillerFest conference including CraftFest and AgentFest.
ThrillerFest V will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.
The dates will be July 7-10, 2010. Watch this space for important conference and hotel registration information.
- ThrillerFest
- CraftFest
- AgentFest
- Latest News
- Special Guests
- Schedule
- Programming
- Attending ITW Members
- Prices
- Registration
- ThrillerFest Sponsors
- Thriller Awards
- Press
- Contact ThrillerFest
Support Independent Bookstores
