Rubric by Glenn A. Bruce

Detective and family man Mark Young seems to be losing his mind as the bodies pile up around him. He stalks young women, unloads his duty weapon at shadows in the night, and worst of all, finds hacked-up children in his neighbor’s yard with no clue as to who killed them. His family has abandoned him, his neighbor is nuts, and his captain wants his badge. Everyone seems to be against him—but they all have their own secrets as well.

Will Mark uncover the secret hidden deep inside himself in time—or will everyone he cares about end up dead? Only Mark Young knows. He just doesn’t know he knows.

Evolved Publishing Presents a pitch-black Crime Thriller, perhaps Glenn A. Bruce’s darkest yet. With his trademark gallows humor, Bruce has created a world of dark obsessions and multiple murders, laced with jokes only a homicide dick could make.

Glenn A. Bruce recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing his latest thriller, RUBRIC:

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

Having gone a wild ride with lots of unexpected twists and turns leading to a satisfying conclusion.

Glenn A. Bruce

What attracts you to this book’s genre?

I find writing thrillers to be even more fun than reading them!

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

It takes place in Any City, USA, so the readers can imagine their own towns for the most part, which makes it fun in its own way. And it makes identifying the real killer difficult because of the many twists and surprises.

Without spoilers, are there any genre conventions you wanted to upend or challenge with this book?

I enjoyed blurring the line as to ID-ing the killer and having the two main male characters see their families destroyed because of their unyielding natures and actions.

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

Some social commentary (as with all my novels) as well some medical background influences.

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?

Hammett because Red Harvest is perfect. The Magus because it is mindbogglingly complex with endless twists. Heller because he found humor in war horrors with Catch-22. Chuck Palahniuk because he tells extremely dark stories that are immensely readable. Vonnegut because he infused humor in everything, no matter how sensitive or outlandish the topic. Steinbeck because of his empathy and love for humanity in all its forms.

*****

Longtime WGA and ITW member Glenn A. Bruce, MFA, is the author of the political thrillers Last Blast and The Pull (World Castle Publishing, 2021-2022), My Worst Nightmare: The Dead of Night, Hanging House, and They Swim (Raven Tale Publishing, 2021-2022), the six-part Lawrence Taylor Western Adventure (Dusty Saddle Publications, 2020-2021), Banana Republic and Race! A Heist Story in 2021 with RUBRIC, The Man, and Versions of the Truth coming in 2022 from Evolved Publishing, and the three-part series Morse & Vasquez in 2022 from DSP. Glenn has had over 50 short stories, essays, and poems published in the US, Britain, Canada, Australia, France, and India, and has won awards for writing, screenwriting, and directing. He wrote the hit movie Kickboxer, episodes of Walker: Texas Ranger, Baywatch, the original G.L.O.W. Show, and Cinemax’s Assaulted Nuts. He taught screenwriting at Appalachian State University for 12.5 years. He lives in Florida, where he just completed his 31st novel.

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