Last Call Reviews
The reviews are coming in, and I'm thankful! 
Last Call: A True Crime Novel. “Weber’s star has continued to rise since the publication of his first two thrillers, Murder Book and The I-94 Murders. His latest, once again inspired by real events- starts in Brainerd, when 19-year-old Audrey Evans disappears…”
Lake Country Journal October/November 2019
Author Frank Weber releases third True Crime Thriller
‘Last Call’ Author releases third book in series involving Investigator Jon Fredrick; a launch event of his new book is scheduled Saturday
Written By: Brainerd Dispatch | Oct 16th 2019 - 1pm.
An unthinkable evil is preying on young women in a tight-knit northern Minnesota community in a book written by author Frank Weber. It's a terrifyingly twisted case that will alter the lives of everyone close to Investigator Jon Fredrick -- and maybe even end the lives of a few, according to a news release about the book’s release.
Using his understanding of how predator’s think, knowledge of victim trauma and actual court cases, author Frank Weber’s newest novel, “Last Call” published by North Star Press, is the third book in his highly-acclaimed award-winning Investigator Jon Frederick series that includes “Murder Book” and “The I-94 Murders.”
Weber will appear for the official launch of “Last Call” from 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at Roundhouse Brewery in Brainerd. The launch includes a 5 p.m. book talk with an author, with a question and answer period to follow. The event is free and open to the public.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune, in a news release, stated Weber is “An author who knows his material.”
As a 25 year veteran of the forensic psychology profession, Weber has spent a large portion of his life in service to those in need. As the clinic director at CORE Professional Services, his work has ranged from assessing murderers chained to the cement floor in the basement of a prison to providing therapy for wealthy professionals who’ve engaged in multiple affairs. Weber has testified as an expert witness in numerous sexual assault and homicide cases and has received the President’s Award from the Minnesota Correctional Association for his forensic work.
To relieve some of the stress he encountered during his forensic career, Weber turned to fiction writing as a way of detaching from the human tragedies that are routinely part of his caseload. Weber released his first true-crime novel, “Murder Book,” in 2017. His second book and a Midwest Independent Publishers Association winner,” The I-94 Murders,” was published in September 2018. His third book released this month -- “Last Call” -- continues the saga of the flawed but brilliant protagonist, Jon Fredrick, the news release stated.
In “Last Call,” Fredrick is encased in a cloud of suspicion and fear as the sinister acts of abduction and murder wreak havoc in a rural community. To protect his family, his friends and even his enemies, Fredrick must use his wits, old-school police work, cutting-edge forensics, and his own specially created algorithm to identify and catch a terrifying predator criminal who is preying on his community. The story begins as 19-year-old Audrey Evans suddenly disappears during a bitterly cold winter’s night after leaving a convenience store in Brainerd. As a BCA investigator, Fredrick is called in and is determined not to let the young teen end up one of the 40,000 missing women in the U.S.
Described as a “spine-tingling thriller that tests an investigator’s tender compassion and the gritty resilience of a soft-spoken young woman,” Weber has crafted yet another riveting thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Fans of true-crime thrillers will be pleasantly surprised that “Last Call” can be read as a stand-alone novel without needing to read the prequels. Readers will also be drawn into the story by the continued conflict and torment in the main character’s life, the news release stated. The chaos of the young investigator’s work spills over into his personal life as a deceptive past lover puts his relationship with his long-time love, Serena, in jeopardy. The fuse of an explosive situation ignites after the investigator’s name is used to solicit a woman, and one last call will detonate it all.
“I filled the story with hometown characters that every rural Minnesotan can identify with,” Weber shared. “’Last Call’, as with all of my books, also has a broader appeal that fans of fiction thrillers and true-crime novels can connect with and enjoy.”
Weber revealed his two decades of experience as a forensic psychology profession has given him an insight into human behavior and violent acts that few authors possess. Having counseled women who have been abducted and abused has given him a front-row seat to understanding the victim’s turmoil and thought processes. That insider knowledge, and understanding of violent crimes, is deeply steeped into the pages of “Last Call.”
“In the book, character Jon Frederick states early on that ‘even killers are heroes in their own stories,’” Weber added. “That is an example of the gritty insightfulness that comes with being a veteran forensic psychologist for over 25 years and I feel it adds an unbeatable authenticity, suspense and realism to the story.”
“Last Call” is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Book Review of Last Call
Charles Johnson. Charlie/sixty October 2109
In a style Frank Weber employed in his first two books, each chapter is from the viewpoint of any of these characters. As you read of their actions, you learn their inner thought as well – and though one might expect the language to be quite “adult” and “blue” or “unsavory” for such dealings in the crime world, Mr. Weber deals out the vocabulary in a more literary and refined manner. The reader can also expect a few engaging moments of comic relief to counterbalance the otherwise dour nature of the book.
So, despite the dark and graphic topics and the myriad of characters ranging from youthful innocence to total rancor, author Frank Weber spins a tale that finds the experienced law enforcement community using the best of their wits to narrow down the list of suspects – and yet, it is not that easy when those suspects are no slouches at achieving their nefarious goals as well. Call it a high-tech game of cat and mouse, or call it hide and seek with no rules, but for sure you can call it a good bit of writing from Mr. Weber. It is an effective way to deliver such a tale as LAST CALL.
Mystery lovers: Get your questions answered by local author
Clairissa Baker, St. Cloud Times
Published 2:29 p.m. CT Oct. 19, 2019
ST. CLOUD — Mystery lovers, it's time to get answers to your questions about criminal investigations and novel writing.
Local forensic psychologist Frank Weber will be speaking about his latest book, "Last Call," and his day job Monday night at Beaver Island Brewing Co.
Weber, who conducts assessments of people convicted of murder and sexual assault, published his third mystery book, "Last Call," this month. The book, set in Brainerd and ending in the St. Cloud area, details the disappearance of a young woman and includes real forensic techniques and backdrops of Minnesota towns.
"I have a lot of fun with my stories," Weber said. "Nothing is in my book by accident."
After each of his last two books, Weber said he planned to take two months off from writing. Within a month, however, he had already written around 100 pages.
He hopes to keep publishing one book per year, he said, and is already writing his fourth.
More: Local forensic psychologist published second novel, has third planned
What has helped Weber while writing books?
Start writing in the middle.
Often, writers will go from the beginning of a story and get stuck on the details later. For Weber, that is not how stories happen. Weber said he will write the scene that comes to him and work the rest of the book around that.
"It's OK to just write the middle, and come back and pull it together later," Weber said. "I've had a lot of people tell me that's helped."
Make notes.
More often than writer's block, Weber struggles to find enough time to write as ideas occur to him.
He recently organized his home, he said, and found notes with little sentences and ideas written on them. When he does struggle with writing, he will step away from the book for a week or two and come back to it.
View the writing in a different way.
It helps to listen to his writing out loud, according to Weber. Weber travels throughout the state to work as a forensic psychologist. During his drives, he said, he listens to a recording of the book he is working on.
"It helps me process it differently," Weber said, and it gives him time to think about how he is presenting the story.
Base characters on real life.
"Everyone of us has people around us that would be a good story," Weber said. He gets ideas for his stories from cases, but he also gives his characters features of people he knows.
One character, called Ray-Ray, repeats everything he says twice.
"They know rural characters like that," Weber said of readers.
Upcoming EventsSaturday, October 26, 2019. Signing books at Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble is located at 3940 Division Street, St Cloud, Minnesota, 56301October 28, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. presenting on the newest thriller, Last Call at Northern Lakes Senior Living center in Baxter. Frank will be speaking from 4:00 to 5:00 and will be signing books after. This is a free event open to the public! Northern Lakes is located at 8186 Excelsior Road, Baxter, Minnesota.November 1, 2019, speaking on the writing of true crime novels and the latest thriller, Last Call at the King Library and San Jose State University Library from 12:00 to 1:30 at 150 East San Fernando Street, San Jose’, California.November 9, 2019, Frank will be signing books at the Fall Into Books Event, at the Museum of Visual Arts, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Museum is located at 500 North Main Avenue, in Sioux Falls.November 11, 2019, testify as expert witness at civil commitment hearing in Washington county, Stillwater, Minnesota.November 20, 2019 discussing Last Call at 3:30 p.m. with the Pierz Book Club at the Brickyard Bar in Pierz. This discussion is for people who have read Last Call. It is open to the public. November 30, 2019 (the Saturday after Thanksgiving). Frank will be signing books from 10:00 to 1:00, at Beagle and Wolf Books & Bindery in Park Rapids. Frank will also have the MN Murder Trilogy signed, shrink wrapped, and wrapped with crime scene tape as a gift package. Beagle & Wolf Books is located at 112, 3rd Street West, Park Rapids, Minnesota.December 10, 2019, Frank will be speaking to Brainerd Rotary Club on forensic work and writing True Crime mysteries from 12:40 to 1:00 p.m. This meeting will take place at The Blue Room at Yesterday’s Gone, 219 South 9th Street in Brainerd, Minnesota (Next to the ‘new’ Brainerd water tower).December 14, 2019, Frank is speaking to the Maple Grove Critical Thinking Club on “Forensic work and writing True Crime mysteries,” from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., in room #133 of the Maple Grove Community Center, Maple Grove, Minnesota.
After only a couple weeks on the market, Last Call is going into its second print.
Thank you!
Frank
Last Call: A True Crime Novel. “Weber’s star has continued to rise since the publication of his first two thrillers, Murder Book and The I-94 Murders. His latest, once again inspired by real events- starts in Brainerd, when 19-year-old Audrey Evans disappears…”Lake Country Journal October/November 2019
Author Frank Weber releases third True Crime Thriller‘Last Call’ Author releases third book in series involving Investigator Jon Fredrick; a launch event of his new book is scheduled Saturday
Written By: Brainerd Dispatch | Oct 16th 2019 - 1pm.
An unthinkable evil is preying on young women in a tight-knit northern Minnesota community in a book written by author Frank Weber. It's a terrifyingly twisted case that will alter the lives of everyone close to Investigator Jon Fredrick -- and maybe even end the lives of a few, according to a news release about the book’s release.
Using his understanding of how predator’s think, knowledge of victim trauma and actual court cases, author Frank Weber’s newest novel, “Last Call” published by North Star Press, is the third book in his highly-acclaimed award-winning Investigator Jon Frederick series that includes “Murder Book” and “The I-94 Murders.”
Weber will appear for the official launch of “Last Call” from 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at Roundhouse Brewery in Brainerd. The launch includes a 5 p.m. book talk with an author, with a question and answer period to follow. The event is free and open to the public.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune, in a news release, stated Weber is “An author who knows his material.”
As a 25 year veteran of the forensic psychology profession, Weber has spent a large portion of his life in service to those in need. As the clinic director at CORE Professional Services, his work has ranged from assessing murderers chained to the cement floor in the basement of a prison to providing therapy for wealthy professionals who’ve engaged in multiple affairs. Weber has testified as an expert witness in numerous sexual assault and homicide cases and has received the President’s Award from the Minnesota Correctional Association for his forensic work.
To relieve some of the stress he encountered during his forensic career, Weber turned to fiction writing as a way of detaching from the human tragedies that are routinely part of his caseload. Weber released his first true-crime novel, “Murder Book,” in 2017. His second book and a Midwest Independent Publishers Association winner,” The I-94 Murders,” was published in September 2018. His third book released this month -- “Last Call” -- continues the saga of the flawed but brilliant protagonist, Jon Fredrick, the news release stated.
In “Last Call,” Fredrick is encased in a cloud of suspicion and fear as the sinister acts of abduction and murder wreak havoc in a rural community. To protect his family, his friends and even his enemies, Fredrick must use his wits, old-school police work, cutting-edge forensics, and his own specially created algorithm to identify and catch a terrifying predator criminal who is preying on his community. The story begins as 19-year-old Audrey Evans suddenly disappears during a bitterly cold winter’s night after leaving a convenience store in Brainerd. As a BCA investigator, Fredrick is called in and is determined not to let the young teen end up one of the 40,000 missing women in the U.S.
Described as a “spine-tingling thriller that tests an investigator’s tender compassion and the gritty resilience of a soft-spoken young woman,” Weber has crafted yet another riveting thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Fans of true-crime thrillers will be pleasantly surprised that “Last Call” can be read as a stand-alone novel without needing to read the prequels. Readers will also be drawn into the story by the continued conflict and torment in the main character’s life, the news release stated. The chaos of the young investigator’s work spills over into his personal life as a deceptive past lover puts his relationship with his long-time love, Serena, in jeopardy. The fuse of an explosive situation ignites after the investigator’s name is used to solicit a woman, and one last call will detonate it all.
“I filled the story with hometown characters that every rural Minnesotan can identify with,” Weber shared. “’Last Call’, as with all of my books, also has a broader appeal that fans of fiction thrillers and true-crime novels can connect with and enjoy.”
Weber revealed his two decades of experience as a forensic psychology profession has given him an insight into human behavior and violent acts that few authors possess. Having counseled women who have been abducted and abused has given him a front-row seat to understanding the victim’s turmoil and thought processes. That insider knowledge, and understanding of violent crimes, is deeply steeped into the pages of “Last Call.”
“In the book, character Jon Frederick states early on that ‘even killers are heroes in their own stories,’” Weber added. “That is an example of the gritty insightfulness that comes with being a veteran forensic psychologist for over 25 years and I feel it adds an unbeatable authenticity, suspense and realism to the story.”
“Last Call” is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Book Review of Last CallCharles Johnson. Charlie/sixty October 2109
In a style Frank Weber employed in his first two books, each chapter is from the viewpoint of any of these characters. As you read of their actions, you learn their inner thought as well – and though one might expect the language to be quite “adult” and “blue” or “unsavory” for such dealings in the crime world, Mr. Weber deals out the vocabulary in a more literary and refined manner. The reader can also expect a few engaging moments of comic relief to counterbalance the otherwise dour nature of the book.
So, despite the dark and graphic topics and the myriad of characters ranging from youthful innocence to total rancor, author Frank Weber spins a tale that finds the experienced law enforcement community using the best of their wits to narrow down the list of suspects – and yet, it is not that easy when those suspects are no slouches at achieving their nefarious goals as well. Call it a high-tech game of cat and mouse, or call it hide and seek with no rules, but for sure you can call it a good bit of writing from Mr. Weber. It is an effective way to deliver such a tale as LAST CALL.
Mystery lovers: Get your questions answered by local authorClairissa Baker, St. Cloud Times
Published 2:29 p.m. CT Oct. 19, 2019
ST. CLOUD — Mystery lovers, it's time to get answers to your questions about criminal investigations and novel writing.
Local forensic psychologist Frank Weber will be speaking about his latest book, "Last Call," and his day job Monday night at Beaver Island Brewing Co.
Weber, who conducts assessments of people convicted of murder and sexual assault, published his third mystery book, "Last Call," this month. The book, set in Brainerd and ending in the St. Cloud area, details the disappearance of a young woman and includes real forensic techniques and backdrops of Minnesota towns.
"I have a lot of fun with my stories," Weber said. "Nothing is in my book by accident."
After each of his last two books, Weber said he planned to take two months off from writing. Within a month, however, he had already written around 100 pages.
He hopes to keep publishing one book per year, he said, and is already writing his fourth.
More: Local forensic psychologist published second novel, has third planned
What has helped Weber while writing books?
Start writing in the middle.
Often, writers will go from the beginning of a story and get stuck on the details later. For Weber, that is not how stories happen. Weber said he will write the scene that comes to him and work the rest of the book around that.
"It's OK to just write the middle, and come back and pull it together later," Weber said. "I've had a lot of people tell me that's helped."
Make notes.
More often than writer's block, Weber struggles to find enough time to write as ideas occur to him.
He recently organized his home, he said, and found notes with little sentences and ideas written on them. When he does struggle with writing, he will step away from the book for a week or two and come back to it.
View the writing in a different way.
It helps to listen to his writing out loud, according to Weber. Weber travels throughout the state to work as a forensic psychologist. During his drives, he said, he listens to a recording of the book he is working on.
"It helps me process it differently," Weber said, and it gives him time to think about how he is presenting the story.
Base characters on real life.
"Everyone of us has people around us that would be a good story," Weber said. He gets ideas for his stories from cases, but he also gives his characters features of people he knows.
One character, called Ray-Ray, repeats everything he says twice.
"They know rural characters like that," Weber said of readers.
Upcoming EventsSaturday, October 26, 2019. Signing books at Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble is located at 3940 Division Street, St Cloud, Minnesota, 56301October 28, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. presenting on the newest thriller, Last Call at Northern Lakes Senior Living center in Baxter. Frank will be speaking from 4:00 to 5:00 and will be signing books after. This is a free event open to the public! Northern Lakes is located at 8186 Excelsior Road, Baxter, Minnesota.November 1, 2019, speaking on the writing of true crime novels and the latest thriller, Last Call at the King Library and San Jose State University Library from 12:00 to 1:30 at 150 East San Fernando Street, San Jose’, California.November 9, 2019, Frank will be signing books at the Fall Into Books Event, at the Museum of Visual Arts, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Museum is located at 500 North Main Avenue, in Sioux Falls.November 11, 2019, testify as expert witness at civil commitment hearing in Washington county, Stillwater, Minnesota.November 20, 2019 discussing Last Call at 3:30 p.m. with the Pierz Book Club at the Brickyard Bar in Pierz. This discussion is for people who have read Last Call. It is open to the public. November 30, 2019 (the Saturday after Thanksgiving). Frank will be signing books from 10:00 to 1:00, at Beagle and Wolf Books & Bindery in Park Rapids. Frank will also have the MN Murder Trilogy signed, shrink wrapped, and wrapped with crime scene tape as a gift package. Beagle & Wolf Books is located at 112, 3rd Street West, Park Rapids, Minnesota.December 10, 2019, Frank will be speaking to Brainerd Rotary Club on forensic work and writing True Crime mysteries from 12:40 to 1:00 p.m. This meeting will take place at The Blue Room at Yesterday’s Gone, 219 South 9th Street in Brainerd, Minnesota (Next to the ‘new’ Brainerd water tower).December 14, 2019, Frank is speaking to the Maple Grove Critical Thinking Club on “Forensic work and writing True Crime mysteries,” from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., in room #133 of the Maple Grove Community Center, Maple Grove, Minnesota.After only a couple weeks on the market, Last Call is going into its second print.
Thank you!
Frank
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