THE CONTINUATION OF A SERIES. THE CONTINUATION OF A DREAM.

When I was younger, in college, in my so-called salad days, or even in the beginnings of my creative re-emergence in Boston in the early 90’s, I could never have imagined writing novels in a series. I dabbled in contemporary crime fiction until discussions with my wife’s late uncle made me realize the rich history of small-town America in terms of criminal activity. It was a challenge to write historical crime fiction but I met it head on. It was upon returning from a writer’s conference after being told that series were the way to go that my literary development was just beginning.

That was the start of the Ark City Confidential Chronicles which went from 2017 to 2021. It ended only when the aforementioned uncle passed away. But while finishing the last installments, I had already begun fashioning a character that I could feel closer to, one who didn’t fall easily into the age-old hardboiled tropes. So, Harold Bergman, Jewish private detective caught between the laws of man and the laws of God, was born.

It is one thing to develop a series character and then allow that character to go through the rituals of solving cases in a crime/mystery series. But, as with Baron Witherspoon of the Ark City books, I learned there needs to be development, progression, growth of some kind for the main character to continue to be of interest. Otherwise, we are creating cut-and-paste narratives.

I don’t honestly believe I was conscious of Harold’s growth. I kind of just happened. Being the dear friend that I was, I allowed him to let me know what was going on in his life and how these cases were informing his belief system in the post-World War II world. Should he perhaps return to the police department, bad leg and all? Might it be more prudent to attend rabbinical college as his father had hoped he would? Is marriage in his future with his high school sweetheart who he has come to discover has turned into a fine woman?

This is where the series has kept me personally engaged. It is entertaining to create a crime of sorts and the resolution surrounding it. It’s not unlike a crossword puzzle. However, just as I have gone from a film student to a poet to a novelist, my character is developing as well. It fascinates me to learn of his life’s journey.

I suppose at some point this series will end for reasons unlike the prior one. And, truth be told, I’m at work developing a new historical crime fiction series with a main character I would just love to learn about.

I am enjoying myself. This is something I never expected I would be doing. Since I am, it’s important that I focus on the craft, learn as much about the main character as I can, and continue this dream for as long as possible.

***

Harold Bergman, Jewish shamus and WW II vet, is ready to settle down with his high school flame. When a society lady offers a job too simple, Harold winds up neck-deep in a 25-year-old murder tied to a dead gangster and secrets no one wants unearthed. Just as the dust settles, a regular job with an insurance outfit drags him into something darker and more sinister. Now the dead are whispering and the living are lying. He’ll need the strength of his five-thousand-year-old religion to survive the wickedness of the past.

The Crop of Wickedness, Volume 3 of The Wichita Chronicles, will be released October 8, 2025

“THE PAST HAS COME TO HARVEST”