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The Dangerous Fringe Of The City
Last Stop Slumberland follows an average guy trying to get by who gets mixed up in a horrific crime and murder thanks to his deceased sister’s cryptic message. What was your inspiration for the mystery that must be unraveled?
One of the inspirations for the mystery was the old true detective magazines and a true-life serial killer in the 1950s who posed as a photographer for these periodicals to lure young models. At the time, Hollywood desperately tried to stay relevant as television took a huge bite into the movie business. I wanted to paint this picture of the golden era of Hollywood sinking into obscurity while a darker element of the town rose to the surface. My main character works at a movie studio among movie stars, as I did for several years, while his sister lived among addicts and criminals on the dangerous fringe of the city.
Did you create an outline for the characters in the story before you started writing, or did the characters’ personalities grow organically as you were writing?
I don’t really create outlines. So, my characters grow organically. I try to make them as colorful as possible. I get a concept in my head and hear the voice of a damaged but likable character, then jump in and see where it takes me. On the main character’s journey, I try to make the characters as colorful and interesting as possible. This leads to a lot of backtracking and revising, which consumes a lot of time. But it’s the way I like to work.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I do my best to make them the same thing. I think the twist in the story should propel the action, revealing something we weren’t aware of, which either explains the events or raises their stakes.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
My next novel is entitled; You Gotta Die Sometime. Set in the 1930s, during the great depression, a mild-mannered salesman goes to Los Angeles one weekend to receive an award from his employers. But things go sideways when someone breaks into his hotel room and tries to kill him. When his assailant dies in the attack, our man goes on the run, knowing that his dark past may have finally caught up with him. TBR April 2023
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Matthew Brooks is just a Tinsel Town nobody trying to keep a roof over his head and a loaded flask in his pocket. When his estranged sister dies, leaving nothing behind but a locked handbag and the address of a horrific crime scene, Brooks finds himself caught in a Hitchcockian plot built on obsession and murder.
Matthew’s spellbinding odyssey twists through the backlot of a major movie studio, the dark, dangerous streets of Los Angeles, and a notorious boneyard called Slumberland. A savvy detective and a group of daring women become entangled in the nightmare as they try to clear Matthew’s name.
Meanwhile, Brooks fights to stay one step ahead of brutal cops, an enthusiastic lynch mob, and a psychopath.
Last Stop Slumberland
Last Stop Slumberland is a thrilling tale set in the dark streets of 1954 Los Angeles by author Jay Cameron Parker. In the dark alleys of vintage L.A., regardless of whether you were a star or a nobody, your last stop in Hollywood was destined to be the “slumberland” cemetery. In Matthew Brooks’ life, he navigates obstacles well enough until the day his sister dies. She leaves him nothing but a locked bag and a crime scene address. Brooks unknowingly steps into a puzzling murder mystery, and not long after, he finds himself entangled in a web of false accusations and deception.
Jay Cameron Parker’s Last Stop Slumberland is a riveting historical fiction novel that shows readers a well-known location through a unique lens. Parker’s explicit writing skills enabled me to live vicariously through Matthew throughout the entirety of this crime thriller.
I enjoyed the slow piecing together of the mystery as everything felt like it came about organically and revelations felt momentous. The endless events that took place in theatre basements, haunted tents, and dark alleys of Los Angeles encircled the web, but it was never difficult to keep up with them. Even with all his plot twists, Parker always ensures readers can follow the storyline.
The cast of characters was intriguing as well, which always helps to make a mystery novel so much more compelling. From the sharp-witted detective, and two fearless women, to brutal antagonists. Parker did each character justice and gives them plenty of depth and provides just enough time for their character to develop naturally. Matthew Brooks’ ability to always plot ahead of his nemesis was truly mind-blowing.
I would highly recommend Last Stop Slumberland for its alluring mystery and sharp storytelling. Crime fiction fans looking for Hitchcockian noir novels will find plenty to be enthralled within this constantly evolving story.
Pages: 323 | ASIN: B09ZD48R5B
LITERARY TITAN 