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WORK TITLE: Among the Dead
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.jrbacklund.com/
CITY: Jacksonville
STATE: FL
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born NC; married.
EDUCATION:Attended University of Florida.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and novelist. Previously worked in construction management.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
J.R. Backlund was born in North Carolina but spent most of his young life in Florida. He studied journalism in college and then had a career in construction management. In his debut novel, Among the Dead: A Rachel Carver Mystery, Backlund introduces readers to Rachel Carver, a former North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) agent. It turns out Rachel has still not moved on from a tragic case she was working, one that resulted in the death of an innocent woman. She resigned when a superior tried to institute a cover-up for Rachel, who accidentally shot the innocent woman. “Rachel is an interesting character,” wrote Kathy Martin for the Inside a Dog Website, adding: “She is an excellent investigator who tends to get too involved in her cases to the detriment of all the other parts of her life.”
Rachel is contacted by her former partner, Danny Braddock, who has joined a sheriff’s department in western North Carolina in the small town of Asheville. It turns out that Danny does not believe the department has the resources to investigate a recent murder, and he has gotten his boss to agree to hire Rachel as a consultant to work on the case. Rachel, who misses being an investigator, quickly agrees. Heading up the team of inexperienced detectives, Rachel instills the team with confidence as she instructs them in the right procedures to build a case.
The dead man is Dean McGrath, who was stabbed to death. Rachel realizes that the crime scene inside Dean’s home is unusually clean of evidence and that Dean was hit on the head before being stabbed. A baseball bat is suspected to be the initial weapon, and Rachel is intent on discovering a motive for the killing. Initially, a county commissioner, who is under threat of being fired, offers up his belief that the murder is related to drugs and biker gangs. The SBI eventually joins in on the investigation and believes the death is connected to the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Rachel, however, does not think there is any evidence for this scenario.
Shortly after Dean’s death, another man is found murdered under similar circumstances. There is DNA evidence at the scene, but it is going to take a little time to determine who it belongs to. Meanwhile, Rachel is convinced the two deaths are related and that there is some reason these men were targeted. Eventually, she begins to suspect something from the men’s past, when they were in school, may have led to the murders. More murders follow while Rachel and Danny embark on an affair.
In an interview for the Big Thrill Website, Backlund noted that he conducted extensive research for the book, from reading Practical Homicide Investigation by Vernon J. Geberth to interviewing people in law enforcement. “I was constantly surprised at how terrible people can be toward one another,” Backlund noted in the interview, adding writers may “sometimes hold back” in creating a villain for fear of making them “too extreme or brutal or sadistic.” In reality, noted Backlund, people are far worse in real life than in most writers’ imaginations. Backlund also expressed that one of his goals was to make the sometimes tedious operations of a police investigation a driver of the story and interesting to the reader.
Calling Among the Dead “a procedural with a complex heroine and a torrid pace,” a Kirkus Reviews contributor went on to note: “This series kickoff is at once credible, moving, and suspenseful.” A Lesa’s Book Critiques Website contributor commented: “It’s somewhat graphic. It’s violent. But, Among the Dead is a strong debut that introduces an intriguing character.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2017, review of Among the Dead: A Rachel Carver Mystery.
Publishers Weekly, June 12, 2017, review of Among the Dead, p. 43.
ONLINE
Big Thrill Online, http://www.thebigthrill.org/ (July 31, 2017), “Among the Dead by J.R. Backlund,” author interview.
Inside of a Dog, http://inside-dog.blogspot.com/ (August 10, 2017), Kathy Martin, review of Among the Dead.
J.R. Backlund Website, https://www.jrbacklund.com (April 24, 2018).
Lesa’s Book Critiques, https://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/ (August 7, 2017), review of Among the Dead.
While J. R. Backlund's heart resides in North Carolina, where he was born, his parents transplanted him to the Sunshine State before he was old enough to put up a fight. Prior to writing his first novel, he studied journalism at the University of Florida, then took a thirteen-year detour in construction management before getting back to telling stories. He lives in Jacksonville with his wife and their furry children -- they don't like it when he calls them dogs.
Among the Dead by J. R. Backlund
JULY 31, 2017 by ITW 0
Rachel Carver blames herself for the death of an innocent woman in her last case as a special agent for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Unable to accept her superior’s attempts to cover up the incident, she turned in her badge. But when a former partner asks her to consult on a new murder case, she reluctantly agrees, traveling to a small mountain community, where she’s tasked with leading a group of detectives on a hunt for the killer. What seems to be the act of a loner proves to be much more as Rachel’s team comes under attack—and a detective is killed in the fallout. Rachel’s old employers at the SBI step in to take over the investigation, but Rachel, convinced they are on the wrong track, continues to work the case alone. As she delves into the town’s past, she discovers a secret history that connects the victims—one that makes her the target of a man who would kill to keep it a secret.
J. R. Backlund, author of AMONG THE DEAD, spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing his debut novel:
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
Ultimately, I just want the reader to be entertained, but at the heart of this book is a character who is struggling with anxiety and depression, questioning her career choice and, consequently, how she has chosen to live her life. She doesn’t always handle them perfectly, but she decides to confront her issues head on. Though she considers it a work in progress, she’s able to find a certain amount of strength and contentment in that decision.
How does this book make a contribution to the genre?
I wanted this to be a book that was easy to read and hard to put down, and according to all the comments I’ve received so far, I may have achieved that goal. Having said that, a lot of the “action” in the book is the process of criminal investigation, and sometimes there is a lot of detail inserted. I think, or hope, I managed to transform the often tedious process of police investigations into interesting scenes—ones that drive the plot forward while informing readers, but without getting them bogged down in exposition.
Was there anything new you discovered, or surprised you, as you wrote this book?
I did a ton of research for this book, which started by reading Vernon J. Geberth’s Practical Homicide Investigation. Then I read other texts and interviewed friends in law enforcement. I was constantly surprised at how terrible people can be toward one another. As writers, we sometimes hold back when we construct our villains, afraid that if they are too extreme or brutal or sadistic, the reader may not find them plausible. The sad truth is that there are worse people out there than even the darkest parts of our imaginations can create. As a side note: if you are planning to write a novel that includes homicide investigation, Geberth’s book is the best place to start, but be warned—there are things in there you can never unsee.
No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?
Rachel Carver studies Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and she’s good at choking fools out.
What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?
Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men; Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club; and Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas all destroyed my previously held notions about how stories can be told. They also taught me the power of simplicity.
*****
While J. R. Backlund’s heart resides in North Carolina, where he was born, his parents transplanted him to The Sunshine State before he was old enough to put up a fight. Prior to writing his first novel, he studied journalism at the University of Florida, then took a thirteen-year detour in construction management before getting back to telling stories. He lives in Jacksonville with his wife and their three furry children—they don’t like it when he calls them dogs.
To learn more, please visit his website.
While J. R. Backlund’s heart resides in North Carolina, where he was born, his parents transplanted him to The Sunshine State before he was old enough to put up a fight. Prior to writing his first novel, he studied journalism at the University of Florida, then took a thirteen-year detour in construction management before getting back to telling stories. He lives in Jacksonville with his wife and their three furry children—they don’t like it when he calls them dogs.
jrbacklund.com
No bio
Backlund, J.R.: AMONG THE DEAD
Kirkus Reviews. (June 15, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Backlund, J.R. AMONG THE DEAD Crooked Lane (Adult Fiction) $26.99 8, 8 ISBN: 978-1-68331-273-4
Murder and politics make uneasy bedfellows in this gripping debut.Rachel Carver was a crack homicide investigator for North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation until guilt over a death in her last case caused her to quit. Even after Rachel shot a woman who may have been wrongly accused of murder, her devotion to her boss kept her from speaking out. Now, a desperate plea from Danny Braddock, her former partner from the Raleigh Police Department (where she worked before moving up to the SBI), brings her to a small town west of Asheville that's immersed in a tough murder case. Danny's boss, whose county commissioners have targeted him after a botched investigation, hires Rachel as a consultant. The small department is eager to learn, and Rachel's expertise, especially in how to keep meticulous records that will hold up in court, gets them up and running on the homicide. Dean McGrath has been found stabbed to death in his home. The crime scene is suspiciously clean, and an autopsy reveals that McGrath was hit with a round object before he was stabbed. Rachel's discovery of a baseball bat proves pivotal, but she's more interested in motive. One of the county commissioners is convinced that the death had something to do with drugs and biker gangs, a theory the SBI adopts when it finally sends in an agent to investigate, but Rachel isn't convinced. When another victim is found murdered in very similar circumstances, a hair and blood traces from the bat may provide the evidence needed to convict their suspect. Once more, however, Rachel wants to know why the two men were targeted and returns to their school days looking for answers. Her romantic entanglement with Danny is sidelined when more murders follow. This time, Rachel resolves, political pressure won't keep her from finding the truth. A procedural with a complex heroine and a torrid pace. This series kickoff is at once credible, moving, and suspenseful.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Backlund, J.R.: AMONG THE DEAD." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495428020/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7b7319f8. Accessed 14 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A495428020
Among the Dead: A Rachel Carver Novel
Publishers Weekly. 264.24 (June 12, 2017): p43+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Among the Dead: A Rachel Carver Novel
J.R. Backlund. Crooked Lane, $26.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-68331-273-4
Rachel Carver, the heroine of Backlund's exciting debut and series launch, resigned from North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation after fatally shooting a young mother in the line of duty. Rachel misses being a homicide investigator, though, and she welcomes the offer of her former partner, Danny Braddock, now Lowry County's chief deputy, to consult on a murder case that has sowed panic in his small, peaceful mountain community. A bartender was found with a knife in his chest, lying on his kitchen floor. The police have no witnesses or suspects. Soon after Rachel arrives in the area, another man is murdered, this time with a knife in the back of his head. The authorities want a speedy resolution to the killings, which they believe are both drug related, but Rachel has her own ideas and insists on pursuing the investigation until it's properly completed. Along the way, she's romantically drawn to Danny. Readers will look forward to seeing more of the complex, capable Rachel. Agent: Rachel Ekstrom Courage, Irene Goodman Literary Agency. (Aug.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Among the Dead: A Rachel Carver Novel." Publishers Weekly, 12 June 2017, p. 43+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495720660/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=fa9e4eee. Accessed 14 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A495720660
MONDAY, AUGUST 07, 2017
Among the Dead by J.R. Backlund
If you're a fan of Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder mysteries, you'll want to try J.R. Backlund's debut, Among the Dead. Meet Rachel Carver, former police officer, former agent for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. She's an investigator who feels an obligation to the victims, to the point of obsession.
After resigning from the SBI when a case ended badly, Rachel is available when her former partner, Danny Braddock, calls. He's now with a sheriff's department in western North Carolina, a small unit with few resources to investigate a recent murder. Danny's boss is willing to hire Rachel. The victim was killed inside his house, with no signs of forced entry. There are no suspects. Rachel signs on, and works with Danny's team so they follow procedures and look for answers in the victim's past. And, then another man is killed. The method is different, but the precise timing, and the lack of other murders in the recent past leads Rachel to suspect the same killer. And, without any clues as to what the two men had in common, there are fears there may be other deaths.
Among the Dead is a fascinating police procedural as Rachel, Danny and the rest of the team track a killer, and study the victims for possible links. Even when they believe they've found their killer, there are unexpected twists. Rachel's skills, her ability to study the victims and dig into the past, are definitely needed in this intense, character-driven story.
It's somewhat graphic. It's violent. But, Among the Dead is a strong debut that introduces an intriguing character. Let's hope Rachel Carver finds her niche in the world of strong female investigators.
J. R. Backlund's website is www.jrbacklund.com
Among the Dead by J.R. Backlund. Crooked Lane. 2017. ISBN 9781683312734 (hardcover), 304p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure - I received the book to review for a journal.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
ARC Review: Among the Dead by J. R. Backlund
Posted by Kathy Martin at 6:30 AM
Among the Dead
Author: J. R. Backlund
Series: A Rachel Carver Mystery
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (August 8, 2017)
Description: Ex-SBI agent Rachel Carver must hunt a group of killers on her own before time runs out in this gripping debut.
Former North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent Rachel Carver blames herself for the collateral death of an innocent woman in her last case. Unable to accept her superior’s attempts to cover up the incident, she turned in her badge. But when a former partner asks her to consult on a new murder case, she reluctantly agrees, traveling to a small, remote mountain community, where she’s tasked with leading a group of inexperienced detectives on a hunt for the killer. The trek has hardly begun when what seems to be the act of a loner proves to be much more as Rachel's team comes under attack―and a detective is killed in the fallout.
Now that the stakes have risen, Rachel’s old employers at the SBI step in to take over the investigation. But Rachel, convinced they are on the wrong track, continues to work the case alone. And just as she delves into the town’s past, she discovers a secret history that connects the victims―one that makes her the target of a man who would kill to keep it a secret.
My Thoughts: Rachel Carver has quit the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation after she shot and killed a woman in the course of an investigation. Her superiors quickly closed the case by stating that the woman was guilty of killing her boyfriend. Rachel had her doubts and quit. She's been watching the woman's small child and stoking her own guilt.
When Rachel gets a call from an old friend to help in an investigation in rural North Carolina, she agrees. There her job is to make sure that the police force crosses its t's and dots its i's so that the case isn't thrown out of court. The Chief of Police is under pressure from the town council who wants to fire him.
The case quickly gets complicated when one victim becomes two and then three and the SBI gets involved. Their focus turns to meth labs which Rachel doesn't think actually has anything to do with the murders. Soon Rachel is working around the SBI and even the department that hired her to find out the truth about the murders
Rachel is an interesting character. She is an excellent investigator who tends to get too involved in her cases to the detriment of all the other parts of her life. I liked her and her obsession with energy drinks.
I thought the mystery was nicely twisty. I recommend this book to people looking for a woman sleuth and an interesting mystery.
Favorite Quote:
She looked over her shoulder and bounced ont the balls of her feet like a small child needing a potty break. "She made me promise that, if I saw you here, I'd tell you...I mean, it ain't me sayin' it...but she said for me to tell you that you all should be out tryin' to find that murderer instead of sittin' here eatin' barbecue."
Braddock laughed. "Is that exactly how she said it?"
Amber looked around nervously. "Not exactly. She said you should be out tryin' to find that muderer instead of sittin' her stuffin' your faces."
"Yeah, that sounds more like her."
I received this one in exchange