Pulp Fiction discussion

Open Book Society hosts a giveaway of The Past Never Ends, a legal mystery by Jackson Burnett published by Deadly Niche Press, that ends this Saturday, October 6.

Here's the story line:

After Attorney Chester Morgan finds the official incident report sealed regarding the death of a young sex worker from the wrong side of the river, the lawyer finds himself in the mystery of the dark shadows of the sex for sale business, a secret police force, and the loneliness of his own soul.

Here's the link to the giveaway: http://openbooksociety.com/article/up... The giveaway is easy to enter.

Thanks for taking a look and hope you consider entering.

Jackson Burnett
Author of The Past Never Ends, noir from the Southern Plains

A free paperback copy of The Past Never Ends will be given to any rural and small community libraries serving populations under 25,000 and not attached to a larger urban area. If interested, send Jackson Burnett the name and address of the library by message or a reply here.

The Past Never Ends is a legal mystery set in a fictional Oklahoma city. T. Connor in his Amazon review of the book writes: "While the protagonist becomes emotionally entangled in a crime worthy of NY, Chicago or LA, the author serves up the characters with doses of sanctimonious hypocrisy and quirky kindness that make this a tale unique to Oklahoma."

You don't have to be from Oklahoma to like the book, though. The Past Never Ends has gotten good reviews here at Goodreads and at Amazon.com.

This offer is limited to public libraries in the United States and to one book per library. If the existence of the library can't be confirmed or the library does not take donations, no book will be donated. This is a no-strings attached offer. The offer may be revoked at any time.


Jackson Burnett
Author of The Past Never Ends, a legal mystery

Book Group Discussion Questions for The Past Never Ends:


1. Attorney Chester Morgan works with two competent assistants: Marylin, his secretary, and Shawn, his office manager. The mystery posed by The Past Never Ends would have never been solved without Marylin and Shawn becoming involved in the investigation. Is it realistic that both these women did so on their own without the knowledge or urging from the lawyer for whom they worked? If it's not realistic, does that detract from the story?

2. Who, if anyone, is your favorite character in the novel and why?

3. Does Chester Morgan change over the course of the book? If so, in what ways? In what ways does he remain steadfast? Do changes in his character help him solve the mystery?

4. Chester Morgan befriends Maria, an exotic dancer who was Tanya Everly's best friend. What is Maria's function in the book? Did you like her? If not, why not? Did she seem like a real person?

5. Place plays a major role in The Past Never Ends. The city of Vivia is on two sides of the Cottonwood River. The prosperous side of town was settled on land claimed in an Oklahoma land run. On the other side of the river, Old Vivia grew from a trading post in the old Creek Indian Nation. What is the significance of the setting? Could this book be set in another state or another place?

6. The image of William Harrison's dead body haunts Morgan until he uncovers the truth about the oilman's death. Is this resolution a major event in Morgan's life or simply another step in his career?

7. Why is this book titled The Past Never Ends?

8. Alan Kinman is a mystery throughout the story. Why does the author leave the reader with such a mystery about Alan Kinman?

9. Did the result of the trial to obtain the incident report surprise you? What other famous fictional lawyer from south of the Mason-Dixon line had a similar outcome?

10. Was Eldridge Powers a good judge, a bad judge, or a paid-off judge?

11. Is it significant that The Past Never Ends takes place before 9/11? If so, why?

12. What are the major themes of the novel?

13. To whom, if anyone, would you recommend this book?



Jackson Burnett
Author of The Past Never Ends, noir from the Southern Plains

Check out this week's blog post showing how Erle Stanley Gardner used legitimate legal issues in his Perry Mason novels and how The Past Never Ends follows that tradition. Here's the link: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

Thanks.

Jackson Burnett
Author of The Past Never Ends, noir from the Southern Plains

Deadly Niche Press has, for a limited time, lowered the price of the Kindle and Nook versions of The Past Never Ends to 99 cents.

Melki, one of our moderators, reviewed the book and called it "a fine and absorbing mystery."

Deadly Niche Press is traditional publisher of quality crime fiction for the electronic age.

Where can I get a copy? Amazon still shows it for 2.99. (Sorry, I'm watching my budget closely.)

George, it looks like the reduced price ended today. Sorry about that.

Looks like my bad. Do you have an excerpt available?

The Past Never Ends is available in ebook format at no charge at Amazon on May 22 & 23, 2016.