Crime Fiction THE OBJECT OF OUR DESIRE with David William Pearce

After his brother Sterling disappears one too many times, Monk is asked to find him. But what starts as a simple case of a man cheating on his wife, becomes more problematic when a detective shows up asking questions, piquing Monk’s curiosity, but is later found murdered. Complicating matters, the detective, like Sterling’s lover, is black and transgendered. A world Monk knows little about. He knows Aisha, Sterling’s lover is out there, feeding him clues, but unwilling to come out in the open. Sterling claims he doesn’t know where she is but offers to seek counseling from a famous LA pastor, whose name has come up before along with someone named Flavius. Monk starts to believe the pastor, like his brother, isn’t being honest. This concern only deepens when he finds that three other women tied to both Aisha and the pastor are missing.

To make things worse, government figures and Russian interests are asking questions about a dead assassin Monk had confronted the year before, wanting answers and threatening violence.

David William Pearce

David William Pearce recently sat down with The Big Thrill to discuss his latest crime fiction, THE OBJECT OF OUR DESIRE.

Can you pinpoint a moment or incident that sparked the idea for this book?

It was because of an advice column, where a woman was trying to understand how her husband could be involved with a transgendered woman, and a black one at that. I had already hinted through previous books that Monk’s brother, Sterling, was up to something, and decided to go in this direction. I feel there’s much that’s misunderstood about trangendered people and how people react to them, whether family, friends, associate, and I wanted to explore that through my characters.

When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character?

I wanted an oddball who had given up on big dreams and disappointment, who basically wanted to roll with the tide. I gave him an unusual childhood, growing up on a commune, and put him in situations where he had little control, but had to work his way out of a potentially bad scene.

Were there any particular books, movies, or songs that were knocking around in your head while you were writing this one?

Because this is the sixth book in the series, and because I don’t want to write the same story over and over, I try to infuse each book with the writing soul (versus a straight copy) of a favorite of mine from the lexicon of this genre; in this case, Chandler’s The Long Goodbye. There’s a certain weariness, understanding that humanity is what it is, however it tries to disguise it, and yet, people will surprise in ways both good and bad.

In addition to a great read, what do you hope readers will take away from this story?

That there are many sides to any story. Part of the reason i wanted to explore the issue of gender is that we all come to it with our own beliefs, impressions, and prejudices. I also believe people are people, and any community has all kinds, good and bad, straight-forward and complicated. The reason I like writing mysteries and crime fiction is you can explore all these facets of the human experience.

A novel is such a major undertaking; there’s the writing of it, of course, then you’re spending months and months revising, polishing, and then promoting it. How did you know this was the book you wanted to spend the next couple of years on?

Book series always come out because of the characters; they become a part of you, and after a few books you know them intimately. So, as a devious sort, I like to put Monk in situations I know he has no interest in, but feels, either through obligation or duty or need, to take care of.

What can you share about what you’re working on next?

Three interweaving stories about the end of humanity. I think we should all write one.