Invisible Dead at Seven

Some thoughts on the first Wakeland novel

Invisible Dead came out June 14, 2016, seven years ago. As my promo season for Sunset and Jericho winds down, I thought I’d share a couple of memories.

• The original title was Chelsea Loam. I thought the name had a Mildred Pierce resonance, and it put Chelsea’s character up front. It was her story more than Wakeland’s.

• I don’t remember when I came up with the title Invisible Dead, but I do remember where: Pulp Fiction on Main, which recently celebrated its 23rd anniversary. The book launch was there, too.

• As far as I know, Invisible Dead is the only crime novel nominated for a City of Vancouver book award. I got to meet the mayor. (For more on mayors see Sunset and Jericho).

• Random House Canada has done a second printing with a different cover blurb, Quercus USA put Invisible Dead out in hardcover and trade paperback before the imprint folded, Blackstone has handled the audio editions, and Harbour recently re-published it in the US with a new and improved cover.

  

• In the first mock-up of the Quercus edition, the hind leg of the dog’s silhouette was positioned diagonally, creating an enormous dog bulge. (Their cover concept was inspired by the lime green Girl With the Dragon Tattoo cover, which as far as I know did not feature a generously endowed canine.)

• Invisible Dead has been read by cops, lawyers, PIs, one percenters, former sex workers, librarians, book clubs, historians, journalists, harm reduction workers…the most notable criticism I heard, secondhand, was that a member of a biker gang found the character of gangster Terry Rhodes “a little over the top.”

• The process for all four novels has been the same: write by hand, type as I go, then print it out and revise several times. Pretty prosaic.

• There was no series planning, no “this is the sidekick and here’s the love interest and this guy will show up in every book for comic relief.” I think that’s been to the series’ benefit. You can read the Wakeland books out of order, but the characters also evolve. Wakeland especially. Dave is 29 in Invisible Dead, makes mistakes, learns from them in later books. An educable brute.

• I also made a couple of mistakes. There’s a left hand turn on a one way street…oof.

• Blackstone gave me a choice of three narrators for the audiobook. I chose the one with the clearest voice and the most Law and Order credits. I am not an audio engineer, did not produce the recording sessions, nor did I consult with the actor how to pronounce any words. I think he does a good job. Any complaints about Wakeland saying ‘Ca-nooks’ and ‘Simon Fray-see-ur’ etc. are for you to take up with Blackstone.

• The music references are mostly female artists, and most have some connection to Vancouver or the Pacific Northwest. I used to see Ingrid Jensenplay around town, and her album Vernal Fields is still excellent.

• The characters of Shay and Dolores Gunn were two of my favourites, and I never brought them back. I don’t know why. Shay gets a brief mention in Sunset and Jericho.

• My agent at the time asked if it was necessary to kill off one of the bad guys, if it wouldn’t be better to keep him alive for further books. With the stupid confidence of a writer in their twenties, I said I could come up with new bad guys just as good.

• A mystery series differs from other genres in that it isn't a book plus sequels, or one sequential story. They're usually self-contained books with some character progression. Often the later books are better. In terms of career and series sustainability, a sale of book 3 or 4 means more than a sale of book 1 does. (I'm proud of Invisible Dead and I'm grateful for everything, but if you can only buy one, please make it Sunset and Jericho.) (Actually, don’t let me tell you what to do.)

You can pick up Invisible Dead from Harbour (US) and Penguin (Canada) and in audiobook.

"I don't know why this city sees fit to kill its women."

Chelsea Loam vanished eleven years ago. When Vancouver PI Dave Wakeland is hired to find what happened to the missing woman, he soon uncovers a trail leading towards career criminals and powerful men. Taking the case quickly starts to look like a good way to get killed.

Whatever ghosts drive Wakeland, they drive him inexorably, addictively toward danger and the allure of an unsolvable mystery. Invisible Dead marks the debut of one of the most acclaimed and authentic contemporary detective series.