Blackout by Marco Carocari

After a drug-fueled encounter with a random hookup leaves Franco DiMaso the only witness to a murder, he not only makes a most unreliable witness, but quickly graduates to being the cops’ favorite suspect. And the trick who could alibi him has vanished into the anonymity of the Internet. Unsettled and confronted with forty-year-old memories, when Franco’s father was murdered in front of him during Manhattan’s infamous blackout, things get worse when a shocking revelation finally unmasks the man who pulled the trigger that night. And painting Franco the perfect suspect. The cops are closing in, and someone out there will do anything to keep their secrets buried. With a target on his back and time running out, the truth will set Franco free, or earn him a toe tag at the morgue.

Marco Carocari recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing his debut thriller, BLACKOUT:

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

A great time with characters they can fall in love with (and a new author they want to read again in the future).

Marco Carocari

What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?

That I couldn’t write from actual experience, having grown up in a small town in Switzerland, and relying on books, documentaries, and movies. I have visited NYC over 200 times since 1990 (I was a flight attendant for 12 years), but even when I did so for weeks at a time, I was still only a visitor and didn’t have to make a living there.

The biggest opportunity was getting to know NYC better through the aforementioned research, and by making and talking to friends who had the real life experiences I did not.

Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?

When I started this novel seven years ago, I thought I had it all figured out. Yet the story took on a life of its own and kept evolving, bringing with it changes and realizations about the characters I did not have back then.

No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?

Both Franco and I are music junkies, and I hope readers will enjoy a funky, soulful trip down memory lane, or find something new to add to their music library (a companion playlist exists on Spotify and YouTube for those craving a soundtrack while reading).

*****

Marco Carocari grew up in Switzerland, where he traveled the globe working for the airlines and later as an internationally published photographer. A lifelong avid crime fiction fan, he’s a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters In Crime, The Crime Writers’ Association, and International Thriller Writers. In 2016, he swapped snow-capped mountains, lakes, and lush, green pastures for the charm of the dry Californian desert, where he lives with his husband. BLACKOUT is his first novel.

To learn more about the author and his work, please visit his website.