Michael A. Jacobs recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing his latest thriller, Trackrs:
Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?
Plot. The book is 100 percent nonfiction, so the story was there. The only issue was how to tell it.
What attracts you to this book’s genre?
Criminal law. It’s what I know and practiced for 30 years.
What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?
Scope, insofar as how many issues I wanted to cover. Besides the story, there were issues about law enforcement information databases, DNA and DNA profiling, other unsolved homicide projects, statistics of unsolved homicides in California and the rest of the country, etc. I decided to try to cover them all.
Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?
Yes, information about existing databases locally and nationwide, facts about the Green River Killer Project in Washington, the unbelievably high statistics of unsolved murders locally and nationwide, details about the Palantir Project and its growing applications to criminal law, war, and private enterprise.
No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?
There were a number of scenes or incidents that took place during the investigation, a meeting with a surviving victim, and courtroom testimony that were quite moving emotionally and might help make for a movie or streaming TV series.
What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?
John Grisham, Joseph Wambaugh, and Martin Cruz Smith. Grisham for the way he makes a story move, a page-turner; Wambaugh for detail and the way he can paint a scene; and Smith for his style of writing and showing his knowledge of what he is writing about.