Saturday, July 7, 2007

Gregg Hurwitz's "The Crime Writer"

Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed, #1 L.A. Times bestselling author of The Tower, Minutes to Burn, Do No Harm, The Kill Clause, The Program, Troubleshooter, Last Shot, and, new this month, The Crime Writer.

From the book flap of The Crime Writer:
Drew Danner, a crime novelist with a house off L.A.’s storied Mulholland Drive, awakens in a hospital bed with a scar on his head and no memory of being found convulsing over his ex-fiancée’s body the previous night. He was discovered holding a knife, her blood beneath his nails. He himself doesn’t know whether he’s guilty or innocent. To reconstruct the story, the writer must now become the protagonist, searching the corridors of his life and the city he loves.

Soon Drew closes in on clues he may or may not have left for himself, and as another young woman is similarly murdered he has to ask difficult questions not of others but of himself.
So who does the author imagine playing Drew Danner in a film adaptation of The Crime Writer? Hurwitz:
I don’t write with actors in mind — ever. I’ve found when conversation turns to casting, whether hypothetical or actual, that I’m at the biggest disadvantage in the room. Because no one really fits the bill. The character is the character already, with his own look and sound. But what I’ve found, once ideas are tossed around and the list narrows, is that surprising candidates are often the best fits. The Crime Writer (my latest) features a protagonist who is, of course, a crime writer, and he’s pretty sharp, and a bit of a smart-ass. That leaves us a pretty good range. George Clooney? John Cusack? Matt Damon? Or do you play up the toughness, and seek out someone like a Colin Farrell? Rewrite him as black and choose Denzel Washington? Cast to type, or pick someone looking to cross genre, like Owen Wilson? The only two things I’m sure of are: The choices are endless. And you’d know as well as I.
Visit Gregg Hurwitz's website to learn more about The Crime Writer.

--Marshal Zeringue