Sunset and Jericho is launched now, available at bookstores, online retailers, and directly from the publisher’s website.
(Also available: the new US editions of Invisible Dead and Cut You Down)
I mention this—I mention all of what follows—because to not mention it does a disservice to the book. A novel is produced by a great many people—agents, editors, copyeditors, publishing staff, cover designers, marketers, booksellers, reviewers, all the way to readers who mention to their friends or post a rating on Goodreads.
Some books are an easy sell. These generally affirm things we like to believe (or feature royalty on the cover). And some are harder, because they’re about harder things. This sounds like back-patting, but it’s about intent. A Mickey Spillane novel and a Raymond Chandler novel are trying to do two different things.
Sunset and Jericho is about wealth, violence, and real estate. As I said in my Q and A with Dana Gee of the Vancouver Sun:
Q: Why do you think people love crime stories so much?
A: Crime stories speak to the dark, secret, uncomfortable desires and fears we all have. We’re in a fantasy-heavy, superhero-heavy culture right now, and a lot of the angles are being sanded off to present characters and stories that are simple and nice. The kind of crime fiction I respond to, that I aspire to write, is about human nature: honest, messy, and vital.
There are reviewers who get the Wakeland series. One of these is Brett Josef Grubisic from The BC Review:
To begin, though, there’s Wiebe’s writing. Elegant but unfussy and poetic without growing gnomic or precious, Wakeland’s narration compels us to listen to his weary voice and see through his wizened eyes…He can quip, exhort, describe, and philosophize but he’s always economical. He says what he needs to say, and not a whole lot more.
Another is Steve Aberle from Great Mysteries and Thrillers:
Sunset And Jericho may be author Sam Wiebe's best work; it is undoubtedly his most profound and thoughtful.
The book launch was last week, and I was gladdened to see so many friends back in the Irish Heather. Sunset and Jericho squeaked onto the BC Bestseller list the week before its release, and it’s at number five this week. A small accomplishment.
I’m lucky.
Please pick up a copy, rate/review it if you do, and check out the previous books.