It seems the hardened sensibilities of the cops and criminals he writes about have rubbed off a little on author James Swain. Talking about his latest book, The Night Stalker, which was inspired by a real-life event, Swain has said, “Yes. A little boy in Florida was taken from his bedroom two years ago. The boy’s grandfather was sitting on death row for murder…I thought this was a terrific premise for a thriller, and used that as my starting point.” (“Terrific premise?” Surely, you meant to say, “a tragedy, the worst thing that could happen to a family,” right, James?)
But slight indiscretions aside, Swain is one of today’s best suspense writers. Like its real-life inspiration, The Night Stalker centers on the abduction of a boy who just happens to be the grandson of a serial killer. Some of the victim’s bodies were never found, and as his execution date grows closer, the condemned man is cooperating with authorities to try and find the missing cadavers. On the day his grandson goes missing, the man receives a note telling him to stop cooperating with the authorities or the boy is dead. Knowing there are very few people he can trust and even fewer that would be willing to help him, he reaches out to Jack Carpenter, the head of the local missing-persons unit. If anyone can find the boy, Carpenter can.
Is the kidnapping somehow payback for the grandfather’s crimes? But who would want the killer to stop cooperating with the authorities? Did the boy’s dad fake the kidnapping as a way to delay the execution? Or did the grandfather sacrifice the boy in one more sick mind game? See what clues James Swain drops during today’s reading and discussion. 6:30 p.m. Murder by the Book, 2342 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-524-8597 or visit www.murderbooks.com. Free.
Thu., Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m., 2008
This article appears in Oct 23-29, 2008.