It’s here! Rick’s newest novel, Orchestrated Murder, is now available.

“A vibrant closed-room police procedural sure to resonate with readers.” —Library Journal

“A finely-tuned gem of a story built on the powerfully political dynamics of today’s highly-strung orchestras.”—Don Graves, Hamilton Spectator

The concept behind these novels is quite intriguing. They’re written for adult readers with literacy challenges, those for whom English is not their first language, but also for people who might enjoy a fast-paced, well-written novel that can be read in one sitting. Within those boundaries it’s possible to craft a very satisfying story. “It was an interesting experience to be aware of the project’s limits while I was writing,” Rick said in a recent interview. “I had to keep the storyline, simple, straightforward and short. The vocabulary had to be around a 4th-5th Grade level and yet the final results had to be as polished as anything else I’ve ever done. It was actually quite freeing, and at times exhilarating to strip down my usual prose style. I enjoyed the whole process very much and Orca was great to work with.”

Orchestrated Murder is Rick’s first police procedural and introduces Pratt and Ellis, two homicide detectives thrown together to stick-handle a very tricky murder investigation. Seems that, down at Symphony Hall, the orchestra’s star conductor has been murdered. By the time Pratt and Ellis arrive on the scene, they find that the entire orchestra has confessed to the crime! How will they sort it all out when the mayor, the police chief and their own boss are all demanding a quick resolution to the crisis?

If you’d like to read the first chapter, please click HERE. If you’d like to find out what Rapid Reads are all about, click HERE. If you'd like to order a book directly from the publisher, click HERE.

Now this is more like it! The Fallen One is to be released in October 2012.

Dundurn Press has scheduled the release of Rick’s new full-length novel for October 1st.

The publicity machine is getting cranked up and an author tour is in the first stages of planning now that there is a definite date to shoot for. Our intrepid author is looking forward to working with his new publisher to make the launch of this book a great success. If you’re in Toronto, there will most definitely be a launch party with lots of good food, music and maybe even a reading. While this book has opera as it’s background, rest assured that we’ve made Rick promise not to sing. There may be a few arias, though, as he has a number of friends who are very accomplished singers. Stay tuned because there will be further announcements as the date approaches!

The Fallen One is set in Paris, Montreal and Toronto, the story is about an opera singer who has never achieved the greatness of which she is capable until her beloved husband is killed in a tragic house fire. Since it’s set in the opera world, the storyline is, well, operatic, but also intensely interesting because of this. We’d love to tell you more about the plot, but we’re going to tease you just a bit longer. The few authors and editors who read the manuscript so far have declared The Fallen One to be “vintage Blechta” with all the elements readers have come to expect, as well as some interesting twists and turns. Throw in “The City of Light” as a major location, and there’s lots of anticipation building for the release of Rick’s first novel with Dundurn Press.

An interview with Rick in 2010:

A Case of You

Rick’s sixth novel, A Case of You, was released in spring 2008 by RendezVous Crime. This time, our intrepid author writes about the jazz world with a piano trio taking centre stage. Also included is an odd, but brilliant vocalist and rounding out the cast of characters is the return of some old friends from previous books. Click HERE to browse a bit of it for yourself.

The book has received a number of reviews and they’ve all been uniformly excellent. The first appeared in the Hamilton Spectator on March 2nd. We’re all really pleased about that! Click HERE to read it. The next review came on March 8th in the London Free Press by no less a person than author Joan Barfoot. Click HERE to read it.

We also have other reviews posted. Click HERE to read them.

There have been a lot of great comments about the design of the cover. Once again it’s a collaboration between Rick and ace photographer (and good friend) Andre Leduc. They feel it’s their best cover yet.

Look for the book in your favourite bookstore. If it’s not in stock, order it there – or online!

Rick has embarked on a new career as a food writer and commenter.

Visit A Man for All Seasonings on blogspot.com to see what he has to say. Having worked in kitchens during his early years, he has a lifelong passion about all things food. On the new blog, he’ll be sharing his thoughts about the food we eat, cooking tips, and, of course, recipes he’s collected over the years, as well as some he and his wife have made up. A Man for All Seasonings, always in good taste. Drop by today!

WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER IS STILL AVAILABLE IN MANY BOOKSTORES. WANT SOME INFO ON IT? CHECK OUT THE BOOK’S COOL ECARD:

Click HERE to view it. This is very cool technology and a great way to present a book. Think of it like a "literary movie trailer". Your browser will need Flash Player (Version 8 or above) to view this. If your browser doesn’t have it, you can download the plug-in by clicking HERE.

If you would like to read more about the book, check out our When Hell Freezes Over page. Click HERE or use the menu bar at the top of this page (under Writing). We’ve also posted the handout Rick used at book signings and other events. Click HERE for that.

BETTER HURRY IF YOU WANT TO GET A COPY OF RICK’S 4TH: CEMETERY OF THE NAMELESS!

We’ve been told by the publisher that there are very few copies left, and knowing the publishing business, you never know when new copies are going to be available again. The novel is still very orderable if your favorite bookstore doesn’t have copies and probably all the mystery bookstores in Canada have copies, but you’d better act fast! We also have some here, so if you want a personally inscribed book, you know where to go.

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE WEBSITE

We now have some photos that Rick took as part of his research for When Hell Freezes Over. These can be found under PHOTOS on the menu bar. If you go to the When Hell Freezes Over page, you’ll find a link for our new “Deleted Scenes” page which we think is really cool. Think of those additions you get on DVDs these days.

Rick Blechta is a crime novelist and musician living in Toronto and this site is dedicated to his twin passions in life: crime writing and music. He’s had five novels published and the sixth, A Case of You, was released in March of 2008. It is available worldwide at bookstores or online.

The fifth, When Hell Freezes Over was released by RendezVous Crime in the fall of 2006. His first novel, Knock on Wood and his third, Shooting Straight in the Dark, are still available, but generally only at Sleuth of Baker Street or through this website. Rick’s 2005 novel, Cemetery of the Nameless is available in most bookstores in Canada, many in the U.S, as well as all the online ones. His second novel, The Lark Ascending, is out of print, but it’s occasionally available from used book sellers but can be priced high because of its rarity.

After numerous requests, rickblechta.com added a guestbook and we’d like to invite anyone who visits the site to sign it. We especially welcome questions and comments about the books or Rick’s musical endeavors. Please click on the two links below to view the guestbook or to add your own entry. Come on now; don’t be shy!

VIEW the Guestbook
SIGN the Guestbook

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