Bookmark Interview: Wayne Arthurson: Fall from Grace

Edmonton writer Wayne Arthurson has managed a somewhat rare feat for a largely untried new author–he went to New York and landed a two-book deal with MacMillan Publishing subsidiary Forge. The first book was published in April this year–a murder mystery set in Edmonton and notable for its unusual protagonist, a recently rehabilitated journalist named Leo Desroches, a man almost destroyed by his gambling addiction and who now robs banks in his spare time in order to control his urges.

The novel, called Fall from Grace, opens with reporter Desroches being invited by a police officer to view the body of a young native woman found murdered in a farmer’s field. Covering the story of the woman’s death leads Desroches down a dangerous path as he begins to unravel the secrets of a serial killer whose identity is truly shocking. Wayne Arthurson sat down with Bookmark in May, 2011, to talk about his story. I opened by asking Arthurson if Desroches was based on anyone he knew. You can listen to that interview by clicking on the Title of this Blog Entry.

A second Leo Desroches novel will be released next year by Forge, this book entitled A Killing Winter.