BLEEDER review: The Catholic Company

Here's a review I received today from The Catholic Company (photo at right: insurance agent Selena De La Cruz, a minor character in BLEEDER):


I love reading about the Catholic faith. I love reading mysteries. To be able to combine the two makes for a very happy person. So when I saw a new mystery, titled Bleeder by John Desjarlais, I thought I should give it a try.

I'm glad I did.

The author, a former producer of Wisconsin Public Radio, now teaches journalism and English at a small college in northern Illinois. Although this is his first mystery, he has a couple of novels to his name and has written for a variety of Christian and secular periodicals. All this writing experience comes to use in his first mystery novel with a very complex plot, multi-issue characters and an amazing climax scene when the mystery is solved.

The basic premise? Reed Stubblefield, a "sort of" Presbyterian (in other words, he went to the Presbyterian church when he was younger, but no longer believes in much of anything) and Artistotelian scholar heads to a small town in Illinois to recuperate from a gunshot wound which has left him with a shattered hip and the need for a cane, which he calls "Citizen Cane". To further exacerbate Reed's health issues, his wife died of cancer two years earlier and so he has episodes of depression and grief. On strong pain medications and anti-depressants, Reed is easily disoriented and his almost-50-year-old body is in pretty bad shape. His older brother lends him a cabin in the Illinois woods in a small town where there is a priest who allegedly bears the signs of the stigmata -- the five wounds of Jesus -- and is credited with miraculous healings. Reed knows nothing about the "healing Padre" and ends up limping into a hornet's nest of issues in this small town.

The writing is taut and well-researched, with appropriate quotes from Aristotle scattered throughout, tons of medical information, and well-defined characters. The supporting cast of characters span the spectrum from heretical charlatans to well-meaning cynics to good Catholics trying to understand the events occuring in their little town.

Desjarlais obviously spent much time and effort to build a mystery around the premise (stated by Fr. Ray Boudreau, the healing padre):

"There are no coincidences, Mr. Stubblefield. Coincidences are just God's way of remaining anonymous. "(pg 41)

That quote really sums up all that occurs in this many-threaded plot. A plot that at times seems completely disjointed, until I turned the page and it came together again.

I have a couple of small quibbles, though: Reed knows too many of the technical liturgical symbols, items, and traditions of the Catholic Church -- seemed far-fetched for a self-described "sort of Presbyterian". I also thought the author tried too hard to include a budding romance; it just didn't read naturally. Also, the text of the "newspaper" articles quoted in the book read like creative writing rather than fact-based (and usually quite terse) journalism.

The quibbles aside, I'd recommend this book for adults, especially those who like a good, fair mystery with lots of red herrings, plot twists, and side issues. Bleeder is a mystery that plays fair with the reader by hiding-in-plain-sight the clues that lead to the solution. I particularly love the last page ... wonderful!

(OK, the newspaper articles were proper for their respective venues: a tabloid report is going to be over-the-top sensational. The Weekly Observer stories are exactly as they typically appear in small town weeklies. But I don't want to sound too defensive. My thanks to the reviewer for a considered evaluation).

Wisconsin Book Festival

I’ll be part of the Wisconsin Book Festival in two events on Saturday, October 10. First, I’ll participate in a mystery writer panel at the Mount Horeb Public Library, 105 Perimeter Road (in Mount Horeb, of course), at 1 p.m. Later, I’ll be at Booked for Murder, 2701 University Avenue in Madison at 3:30 p.m., as part of an afternoon-long series of presentations by regional mystery authors. I’ll have copies of BLEEDER for signing at each event. Hope to see some of you there!

Amazon Reviews

The first reviews are coming in to Amazon.com. Here's the latest one:

5 stars. Smart, Suspenseful and Soulful, September 16, 2009
By Lisa M. Hendey "Lisa, CatholicMom.com Webmaster" (Fresno, CA United States) - I just finished reading John Desjarlais' fascinating work of fiction, Bleeder. From the initial pages of the book through its great conclusion, this novel was action packed and quite thought provoking. The main character, Reed Stubblefield, finds himself in a small town looking to heal from his physical and emotional wounds. He strikes up a begrudging friendship with Father Ray, a priest who is widely believed to be a stigmatic and a miracle healer. When Father Ray dies suddenly during the Good Friday service, Reed finds himself accused of the murder of this beloved priest. This book is incredibly well written, and enhanced by the inclusion of quotations and teachings of Aristotle - these fit into the story since Reed is a professor, on sabbatical, looking to write about Aristotle. The novel's Catholic setting is never heavy handed or preachy, but rather contributes to the richness of the story told and the mystery that unfolds. Reed, a skeptic who finds himself surrounded by believers, must question some of his long held beliefs and philosophies. I loved Bleeder and raced to the end to learn "whodunnit". At this point, I will likely go back and reread the book again to enjoy Mr. Desjarlais' stunning writing and the intricacy with which he creates and shares the lives of his characters. Strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great mystery!

How's the book doing?

Friends and colleagues are politely asking me "How's the book doing?" - BLEEDER, that is - in terms of sales. The polite answer is 'there's really no way to tell, especially this early.' The title was released 4 weeks ago and today its Amazon.com ranking was 122,000 (at about 7:30 pm Central). I guess that's pretty good since Amazon lists 3.5 million titles. The rankings are updated every hour at Amazon, and hardly anyone has figured out how to translate the erratic rankings into real sales numbers. There is a terribly expensive computer program that publishers use to track the numbers, but they are guarded with the figures and authors rarely learn the sales figures until quarterly or semi-annual royalty statements arrive in the mail. So I just do the next thing and don't think about it, except to note that Amazon last week said the title was out of stock and more were being ordered. But I wonder how many they order? 5? 50? It's a mystery.

Aristotle on Single and Double Action Plots

To continue with Aristotle on storytelling, a discussion begun earlier...

Plots can have a single or double action, Aristotle says in "Poetics." In a 'single', one character is changed, whereas in 'double,' two are changed, generally in opoposite directions. He uses the Odyssey as an example of a double action plot. Odysseus comes to a good end, while the suitors come to a bad one. A good biblical example is in First Samuel, where Saul descends into self-pity and despair, while David ascends to power and the throne.

As much as Aristotle admires the Odyssey, he prefers the single action plot where a good and noble man comes to ruin through an error or personal flaw he doesn't recognize, as in Oedipus Rex, his favorite play. When an audience experiences such a downfall, there is a strong emotional reaction that Aristotle calls 'Catharsis,' the subject of the next posting.

BLEEDER signing tonight

I'll speak about mysteries and sign copies of BLEEDER tonight at the Byron Public Library, 6:30 pm. C'mon by!

BLEEDER on blogtalkradio

I'll discuss BLEEDER on the Ken Hudnall Show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ken-hudnall this Tuesday, September 8, at 8 pm Central. It's an hour program.