Melissa Lenhardt
The Fisher King
November 1, 2016
Newsie James W. Ziskin, author of the Ellie Stone series writes, "In a town run by a powerful family, a new lawman arrives and tries to glue the pieces of his life back together. Melissa Lenhardt’s second Jack McBride novel, The Fisher King, is a terrific soap opera of an East Texas noir. Populated by shady characters, small-town gossips, and legions of folks with dark secrets, Stillwater tenses as a drug turf war looms. Chief Jack McBride, battered by his own personal crises, must get to the bottom of several killings before he’s drummed out of office. Drug gangs, broken families, and a reluctant hero walking the finest line between success and failure. Don’t miss The Fisher King. A riveting tale of disgrace, betrayal, and redemption. . . . Lenhardt writes a hard story with a soft hand. Evocatively descriptive and painfully believable, The Fisher King is Peyton Place meets The Godfather in small-town Texas. Politics, drugs, money, and sex. Lots of sex. Read it with Dwight Yoakam in your ear. Top notch."
Who is the Fisher King?
In her last newsletter. Melissa wrote about who The Fisher King isn't.
It's not Robin Williams.
"If I didn't get the title from the Robin Williams' movie, where is it from? Glad you asked!
Two places, as a matter of fact. When I was writing The Fisher King, I read an article on Salon about Joan Didion's 1989 essay, "In the Realm of The Fisher King," about the Reagan White House and the rise of neo-liberalism. The main idea of Didion's essay—Reagan was a figurehead while people behind the scenes ran things—struck a chord because it was exactly what I was writing in Stillwater's sequel. Curious about the title inspiration, I discovered the Fisher King grail myth about a wounded king whose kingdom is in ruin. When the knight, Percival, arrives and heals the king, the land flourishes again. Amazingly, that worked for the story, too! So, The Fisher King as a title works on two levels, but one is more direct than the other. Yes, there is one specific person who the title refers to. I'll be curious to see who you think it is after reading the book!"
Sign up for Melissa's newsletter and tell her who you think The Fisher King is here.
Sneak a peek at The Fisher King.
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a bit about Melissa
Melissa Lenhardt writes mystery, historical fiction, and women’s fiction. Her short fiction has appeared in Heater Mystery Magazine, The Western Online, and Christmas Nookies, a holiday romance anthology. Her debut novel, Stillwater, the first novel in her Jack McBride Mystery Series was a finalist for the 2014 Whidbey Writers’ MFA Alumni Emerging Writers Contest. Lone Star Literary Life described Melissa's Sawbones, the first novel her Laura Elliston Historical Fiction Series as "a thoroughly original, smart & satisfying hybrid, perhaps a new sub-genre: the feminist Western.” She is a member of the DFW Writers’ Workshop and vice president of the Sisters in Crime North Dallas Chapter. Melissa lives in Texas, with her husband and two sons.
Join her in in NaNoWriMo as she writes the first draft of a new novel. Will it be a Jack McBride, a Laura Elliston, or something new? Only Melissa knows for sure.
News
Previously in Mysterious News: Stillwater.
At left, Melissa shared the all important Mom review.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
4:00pm 5:00pm
Murder by the Book
2342 Bissonnet St
Houston, TX Map
Joint book signing with Rebecca Adler, author of A Taste of Texas mystery series.
The Fisher King select as MysteryPeople Pick of the Month.
Connecting in Person - Hank Phillippi Ryan | Hank Phillippi Ryan - Say No More | Melissa Lenhardt - The Fisher King | Bruce Cantwell - The Catalonian Candidate | Renee Patrick - Design for Dying | Get Out the Vote Edition Gratitude
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