Charlie Morrell
Created by Alex Abella

An oddly compelling detective novel, with a hint of the supernatural, reminiscent of William Hjortberg's Fallen Angel, although nowhere near as extreme. Once a golden boy, a Cuban immigrant with a firm grab of the American Dream, an Ivy League education, a thriving law practice, and a wife and child, CHARLIE (CARLOS) MORRELL now has a mind-numbing, thankless job as a court-appointed investigator for the Los Angeles criminal justice system, thanks to a scandal involving a female murder suspect that cost him his practice and his marriage.

Cynical, disillusioned, and still guilt-ridden over the death of his father, Charlie is drawn deeper and deeper into the defense of two expatriate Cubans accused of a botched armed robbery that ended in a massacre. And then things turn weird, as its revealed the two suspects are followers of Santéria, and Charlie's long-dead dad startsmaking cameos. Like it or not, the thoroughly-Americanized Charlie must face his Cuban past, which is haunting him both figuratively and literally.

An excellent novel. Too bad the conclusion makes a sequel unlikely, because, haunted or not, Charlie's an intriguing character, one of the few Cuban-born PIs around, and his insights into Cuban culture are fascinating. And, damn it, the story's good, too.

UPDATE

So, what did I know? In 1998, Charlie returned in Dead of Night, and then in 2000 with Final Acts. Following the events detailed in The Killing of the Saints, Charlie's gained a reputation of being something of a cult expert. Final Acts sees Charlies teaming up with Rita Carr, a sexy Mexican/American lawyer to clear his name, when he's accused of murder. Eventually, Charlie is forced to return to his native Cuba.

Cuban-born and living currently in Los Angeles himself, author Abella has worked as a reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle, a foreign correspondent for The Pacifica News and Time, and as a producer for television news.

UNDER OATH

• "To walk into Abella's world is to say goodbye to the one we think we know, and to see what the powers of darkness can make real."
  (T.Jefferson Parker)

NOVEL

• The Killing of the Saints (1991) ...Buy this book
• Dead of Night (1998) ...Buy this book
• Final Acts (2000) ...Buy this book

RELATED LINKS

• Alex Abella: The Official Site
  With John Engelke and his partner Erica Oh at FreePath Digital Frontiers pushing the html around, author Alex Abella takes charge of his own site, offering us the usual writerly goodies (books, excerpts, bio) plus his own "View of the City of Angels," an illustrated tour "through the eyes of Alex Abella as he tours the landmarks and locales that enfuse his text with local color. Visit the Criminal Courts Building, Mulholland Fountain, Frogtown and other sites, alongside quotes from (the) novels."