Austin S. Camacho talks with contributing editor Janice Gable Bashman about Russian Roulette, the fifth book in the Hannibal Jones series.
Libby Fischer Hellman, author of the Ellie Foreman suspense series, states, "Russian Roulette delivers a whipsaw of a plot with more layers than a Vidalia onion. Camacho gets it right with solid storytelling and compelling characters, all set in the off-beat neighborhoods of the Nation's Capital." Why is Russian Roulette so compelling?
In Russian Roulette, Washington DC PI Hannibal Jones is forced to take a case for a Russian assassin who will kill Hannibal's woman if he refuses. What makes the story so compelling is the characters: Hannibal, the African American detective driven by fear for his woman's life; Alexandr, a professional killer trying to protect the woman he loves; Gana, the wealthy Algerian who has stolen Alexandr's woman but has more secrets than he can contain; and Viktoriya, the woman the two men are fighting over. She's a Russian femme fatale with secrets of her own.
What triggered the idea for Russian Roulette?
I wanted to humanize Hannibal by showing what happens to him emotionally when someone attacks his Achilles Heel - his long time girl, Cindy Santiago. He's separated from her through the entire book. At the same time, I was fascinated by the idea of a detective being forced to take a case he doesn't want. Also, I had this assassin who is kind of a funhouse mirror reflection of Hannibal Jones who describes himself as a troubleshooter. I had to see how they'd interact.
Your protagonist Hannibal Jones describes himself by saying, "I'm not really a detective, although I do have a private investigator's license. And I'm not a bodyguard, although I have been known to protect people from danger. And I'm not a strong-arm man, but I do sometimes have to fight on the job. I'm a troubleshooter. I help people out of tight spots." Why do readers love Hannibal Jones so much, and what makes him a good protagonist?
Hannibal is an anachronism, a traditional hero out of the 1940s, dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Women love him because he clings to the old values - chivalry, honor, honesty, that whole code most pulp era detectives had. Men love him because he believes in the direct approach, but is confused (as many of us are) by the shift in gender roles that took place in the last half of the 20th century.
Libby Fischer Hellman, author of the Ellie Foreman suspense series, states, "Russian Roulette delivers a whipsaw of a plot with more layers than a Vidalia onion. Camacho gets it right with solid storytelling and compelling characters, all set in the off-beat neighborhoods of the Nation's Capital." Why is Russian Roulette so compelling?In Russian Roulette, Washington DC PI Hannibal Jones is forced to take a case for a Russian assassin who will kill Hannibal's woman if he refuses. What makes the story so compelling is the characters: Hannibal, the African American detective driven by fear for his woman's life; Alexandr, a professional killer trying to protect the woman he loves; Gana, the wealthy Algerian who has stolen Alexandr's woman but has more secrets than he can contain; and Viktoriya, the woman the two men are fighting over. She's a Russian femme fatale with secrets of her own.
What triggered the idea for Russian Roulette?
I wanted to humanize Hannibal by showing what happens to him emotionally when someone attacks his Achilles Heel - his long time girl, Cindy Santiago. He's separated from her through the entire book. At the same time, I was fascinated by the idea of a detective being forced to take a case he doesn't want. Also, I had this assassin who is kind of a funhouse mirror reflection of Hannibal Jones who describes himself as a troubleshooter. I had to see how they'd interact.
Your protagonist Hannibal Jones describes himself by saying, "I'm not really a detective, although I do have a private investigator's license. And I'm not a bodyguard, although I have been known to protect people from danger. And I'm not a strong-arm man, but I do sometimes have to fight on the job. I'm a troubleshooter. I help people out of tight spots." Why do readers love Hannibal Jones so much, and what makes him a good protagonist?
Hannibal is an anachronism, a traditional hero out of the 1940s, dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Women love him because he clings to the old values - chivalry, honor, honesty, that whole code most pulp era detectives had. Men love him because he believes in the direct approach, but is confused (as many of us are) by the shift in gender roles that took place in the last half of the 20th century.
On top of all that, Hannibal is a man of mixed race, so he is the ultimate outsider, not really comfortable in the White or African American culture. That fact offers me myriad ways to explore the issues in American society.
When asked what kind of detective he is in a previous book, Hannibal jokes that he is like the illegitimate son of Spencer and Hawk, if it was possible for them to do such a thing. He's a great protagonist because he combines action with detective skills. He's dogged and determined but not so smart that he figures everything out too soon. So the reader can follow along with his investigations and occasionally get ahead of him. We share in his surprises and revelations.
Hannibal Jones' background includes three years as a patrolman for the Manhattan Police Department and seven years as a special agent for the United States Treasury Department. He is also an expert kick boxer. Why did you give him these skills, and how do they benefit him in his current position as a "troubleshooter"?
I wanted Hannibal to be able to conduct an investigation realistically, hence the police background. He needed to have federal law enforcement connections to work in DC, and Marshalls learn things about finding people that city police would never know. And he needed to be a man of action because what's a thriller without an occasional fight scene?
How has your background as a broadcast journalist for the Army and the Department of Defense informed your writing?
Writing broadcast copy you learn that people have short attention spans. Really, if you're listening to the radio you can't go back if you missed a couple words. All that training manifests in a sharp, snappy writing style built of short sentences, short paragraphs and short chapters. It drives a strong pace. I try to cut out anything you don't need to read to keep the story, and move my reader from cliffhanger to cliffhanger to keep the suspense up.
How do you keep the series fresh for both you and the readers?
First, there is no formula for a Hannibal Jones novel. I tend to alternate between character based "save someone" stories and multi-clue corkscrew mysteries. As long as someone is in trouble it can spark a story, and there's no end to the kind of trouble people can be in. Also, Hannibal as a character is evolving and advancing. The events of each book affect him. That keeps the series fresh because people want to watch how his personality and relationships evolve.
What's next for Austin S. Camacho?
I'm shopping the next book in my adventure series about mercenary Morgan Stark and jewel thief Felicity O'Brien. The next Hannibal Jones mystery is about half written. I'll have a short story in an anthology called "Bad Cop, No Donut" from Padwolf Mysteries in 2010. Folks who want to know the latest should check out my web site at www.hannibaljonesmysteries.com.
Contributing editor, Janice Gable Bashman, writes for leading
publications, including "Novel & Short Story Writer's Market," "US
Industry Today," "Food & Drink Quarterly," "The Wild River Review,"
"Bucks," and others. Her serial feature "Thrill Ride: The Dark World of
Mysteries and Thrillers" (co-written with Jonathan Maberry for the
"Wild River Review") includes interviews with Barry Eisler, Lawrence
Block, Steve Hamilton, and other thriller and mystery writers. She is
working on a thriller, "Vengeance," and her writing won multiple awards
at the 2007 Philadelphia Writer's Conference.
When asked what kind of detective he is in a previous book, Hannibal jokes that he is like the illegitimate son of Spencer and Hawk, if it was possible for them to do such a thing. He's a great protagonist because he combines action with detective skills. He's dogged and determined but not so smart that he figures everything out too soon. So the reader can follow along with his investigations and occasionally get ahead of him. We share in his surprises and revelations.Hannibal Jones' background includes three years as a patrolman for the Manhattan Police Department and seven years as a special agent for the United States Treasury Department. He is also an expert kick boxer. Why did you give him these skills, and how do they benefit him in his current position as a "troubleshooter"?
I wanted Hannibal to be able to conduct an investigation realistically, hence the police background. He needed to have federal law enforcement connections to work in DC, and Marshalls learn things about finding people that city police would never know. And he needed to be a man of action because what's a thriller without an occasional fight scene?
How has your background as a broadcast journalist for the Army and the Department of Defense informed your writing?
Writing broadcast copy you learn that people have short attention spans. Really, if you're listening to the radio you can't go back if you missed a couple words. All that training manifests in a sharp, snappy writing style built of short sentences, short paragraphs and short chapters. It drives a strong pace. I try to cut out anything you don't need to read to keep the story, and move my reader from cliffhanger to cliffhanger to keep the suspense up.
How do you keep the series fresh for both you and the readers?
First, there is no formula for a Hannibal Jones novel. I tend to alternate between character based "save someone" stories and multi-clue corkscrew mysteries. As long as someone is in trouble it can spark a story, and there's no end to the kind of trouble people can be in. Also, Hannibal as a character is evolving and advancing. The events of each book affect him. That keeps the series fresh because people want to watch how his personality and relationships evolve.
What's next for Austin S. Camacho?
I'm shopping the next book in my adventure series about mercenary Morgan Stark and jewel thief Felicity O'Brien. The next Hannibal Jones mystery is about half written. I'll have a short story in an anthology called "Bad Cop, No Donut" from Padwolf Mysteries in 2010. Folks who want to know the latest should check out my web site at www.hannibaljonesmysteries.com.
Contributing editor, Janice Gable Bashman, writes for leading
publications, including "Novel & Short Story Writer's Market," "US
Industry Today," "Food & Drink Quarterly," "The Wild River Review,"
"Bucks," and others. Her serial feature "Thrill Ride: The Dark World of
Mysteries and Thrillers" (co-written with Jonathan Maberry for the
"Wild River Review") includes interviews with Barry Eisler, Lawrence
Block, Steve Hamilton, and other thriller and mystery writers. She is
working on a thriller, "Vengeance," and her writing won multiple awards
at the 2007 Philadelphia Writer's Conference.
