I love a good book.  There’s nothing better than reading a book that you just can’t put down.  Don’t you love it (and hate it!) when you finish one that is so good, you wish you could read it for the first time all over again?  I remember feeling like that when reading novels by Wally Lamb, Jane Smiley and even Michael Connelly.  The best thing, in my opinion, about Michael Connelly, is that he has written a ton of books featuring many of the same characters.  You can then pick up (or download) any other in the series and dig in and enjoy.

Recently, one of our friends wrote a book and asked me to read it.  I was skeptical at first, I have to admit.  He’s a brilliant, funny and well-read guy, but I was worried that the book would not live up to my expectations.  I read a lot.  A lot.  I’m obsessive.  He’s a great friend to our family, so I gave it shot. I hoped I wouldn’t have to lie about liking the book.

I am so excited to tell you that ’12 Days’ by Chris Frank is a fantastic read.  It’s a thriller/murder mystery about a serial killer with a sick sense of humor that is terrorizing Los Angeles.  I read the book in about 24 hours.  Seriously!  It is that good.  It’s funny and really well-written.  I did not foresee most the plot twists and turns, which made reading the book all that more fun.

I asked my friend, Chris, a few questions about 12 Days:

How did you come up with the concept for 12 Days?

Chris: I am a voracious eater, as well as reader. I love mysteries and noir. I always had ‘writing a novel’ on my bucket list so I wanted to write something that combined my appreciation for Dan Brown, Michael Connelly, James Elroy and authors of their ilk. By the way, I love the word ilk and everything that rhymes with it. A few years ago, during the post Thanksgiving pre Christmas period, I was getting overwhelmed by the constant barrage of Holiday songs on the radio and the incessant advertisements. In a dark moment, I wished evil upon that partridge in the pear tree and voila…’12 Days’ was born.

Give us a synopsis of the 12 Days plot:

Chris:  A serial killer is murdering people in Los Angeles at a very rapid rate during the holiday season. The police are at a loss as to the ‘why’ and how to stop him. A local cop, Detective Jim Jovian, and his television producer girlfriend help solve the puzzle but at a great cost to their own lives.

Who is your favorite character from the book?

Chris: I would have to say the ‘hero’, Detective Jim Jovian. He is a regular guy with little ambition who is thrust into a position of responsibility and performs admirably. But he, like all of us, is flawed. In the future we will see Jovian battle his demons both external and internal.

While the book is a dark thriller, it’s often laugh-out loud funny.  What is your favorite line from the book?

Chris: “Excuse my French, Ms. Klein, but you are being a real
asshole.”  The cameraman chimed in, “That’s not French. French would
be abruti.”

I like that because I want my readers to have options when they curse someone out.

Will there be a follow up to ’12 Days’?

Chris: Yes. I am about one third finished with the follow up book, titled ‘The Colony’. It is  the further adventures of Detective Jovian as he tries to solve a rash of mysterious deaths that occur behind the gates of the Malibu Movie Colony. I see a long series of detective novels to follow with Detective Jovian. Los Angeles is fertile for noir and I have a sturdy hoe.

I was surprised that you wrote this book using a pseudonym.  It’s a little odd for me to call you “Chris.”  Tell me why you chose to write the book under a psuedonym:

Chris: First, I respect gravity. I have a three inch vertical leap. I also love The Miller from Fresh Brothers. I am a father of seven, an orthopedic surgeon and the Chief Executive Officer/Chairman of the Board of a publicly traded company. I chose to write ’12 Days’ using the pseudonym ‘Chris Frank’ because I wanted this endeavor to have some separation from my life. I wanted the author to stand apart and fend for himself so he needed his own name.

Where can people purchase your book?

Chris: ’12 Days’ is available as a hardcover through Amazon for $14.99 and as a ebook through kindle  for $4.99.

And where can readers connect with you?

‘12 Days‘ and ‘Chris Frank‘ each have a Facebook page.

As a bonus, we are giving away one signed copy of ’12 Days.”  Leave a comment here within the blog and we’ll pick one reader using Random.org on Tuesday, June 21st at 5 pm, pst.  The book will be mailed to you to enjoy!

If you love a great book, I highly recommend ’12 Days!”  (And I look forward to reading ‘The Colony’ when that comes out!)

*I was not compensated for this post.