Axel
Brand is the nom
de plume
of award-winning historical-fiction novelist Richard S. Wheeler. He
uses Brand for his crime/mystery series featuring Milwaukee Police
Lt. Joe Sonntag. The
Homicidal Saint,
the most recent in the series, is the first Sonntag novel I've read.
I have some catching up to do. (Incidentally, the 25¢ "price" on the cover is in keeping with the '40s look of the new Crossroads Press digital editions of the Lt. Sonntag series. The Kindle versions are $3.99.)
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The Homicidal Saint is
narrated in a lighter voice than the historical novels, which might
sound odd considering it opens with a man shooting his wife to death
in the basement of a Lutheran church during a potluck dinner. Lt.
Sonntag and his wife witness the murder along with the rest of the
congregation attending the dinner. The killer willingly surrenders.
He is polite and accommodating. He tells Sonntag and anyone who is
willing to listen that he killed his wife to protect others from her.
He claimed she killed their four children. The killer claimed his
wife was a religious fanatic who ruled the household while he spent
most of his time in a laboratory making false teeth.
Sonntag,
who is chief of detectives for the Milwaukee PD, enlists Frank Silva,
one of his best investigators, to help him determine if the children
are in fact dead. They learn one boy died of polio at age eight. They
locate a daughter, married and living in Arizona, who claims her
mother disowned her and sent her away when she reached adolescence.
Two brothers, however, are missing. The investigation leads Sonntag
and Silva to a mysterious “institute” where wayward boys are sent
to “have the Devil beaten out of them” and turn them into
God-fearing men.
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| Axel Brand (aka Richard S. Wheeler) |
I
especially enjoyed The
Homicidal Saint
because of its setting. I grew up in Wisconsin, as did Wheeler, and
felt right at home in the tableau. The story is set during the Truman
administration, a time I remember as a young boy. As Axel Brand,
Wheeler brings to this novel the same eye for detail and commitment
to accuracy as in his fictionalized histories.
Lt.
Sonntag is a believable honest cop from this period. He and his wife,
Lisbeth, who helps him think through his cases, are a loving couple
with heartaches of their own. Living modestly on Sonntag's meager
pay, their day-to-day concerns near the end of World War II will ring
true to any reader who remembers those years. The Sonntags lost one
son to polio and have another in the Navy. They're real people.
I
found The
Homicidal Saint
a welcome break from the heavier noir mysteries that seemed most
popular during that time.
I need to start reading Wheeler's crime fiction...perhaps he was someone I should've mentioned in response to Patti's query about who we haven't yet read. Sounds like this series is a fit companion to Ed Gorman's similarly historical mystery set...
ReplyDeleteNot as sprightly as Ed's style, Todd, and maybe a tad more realistic in the characterizations. I've read several of Wheeler's historical and biographical novels. His autobiographical The Accidental Novelist is most interesting.
ReplyDeleteMathew, thank you for this kind review. It was my first attempt to write after suffering a grand mal seizure, caused by a benign brain tumor, in 2014; a seizure that left me unconscious in a Livingston hospital for five days. I feared I would never write again, but forced myself to tackle this story. I found solace in being able to hide behind my pseudonym in the event that the story was a disaster. There are problems in it I couldn't resolve, but at least it is a start on the road back. I am 81, and hope I have a few more stories in me. Thank you for your thoughtful review and interest in my historical and biographical novels, as well as this venture into detective fiction. I am a lucky man. I have lived by writing fiction for over three decades, and haven't had a paycheck for much of my life.
DeleteI miss your blog, Richard. Was worried your health might have taken a downturn. Glad to have this generous comment, and I surely hope you are well.
DeleteThis series sounds very interesting, Mathew. I will keep a look out for the author's books. I like the setting of the 1940s and many years ago used to go to potluck dinners at a small church.
ReplyDeleteWheeler's a master craftsman, Tracy.
ReplyDeleteMathew, in the past I have enjoyed reading Mr. Wheeler's blog and look ahead to reading some of his historical fiction. His views on western fiction, that they are much more than saloon brawls and gun battles, are interesting.
ReplyDeleteI discovered him fairly recently, Prashant, through Ed Gorman. His historical fiction is so rich and layered it's easy to forget you're reading fiction.
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