STEPHEN J. CANNELL
THE PALLBEARERS
(March 2010)
by Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen J. Cannell’s bestselling crime novels are acknowledged page-turners, yet there is always something deeper at work in his stories. His ninth book in the Shane Scully series, THE PALLBEARERS (St. Martin’s Press; March 2010), is no exception. Taking readers into the imperfect world of foster homes and abandoned children, Scully’s latest adventure is his most personal. Forced to confront his own history as a cast-off orphan, Scully must come to terms with his guilt and sadness, before finally moving forward.
Scully rarely talks about his miserable childhood. In and out of foster homes, the only constant in his life was Walter "Pop" Dix, executive director of the Huntington House Group Home, where the unmanageable boy returned time and again. Now Pop—the closest thing to a father Shane had ever known—is dead, felled by an apparently self-inflicted shotgun wound. But a verdict of suicide doesn't jibe with the life force of a man that Scully knew, and the seasoned cop knows it is up to him to determine the truth. When he meets the five other pallbearers who help him carry Pop's coffin, Shane forges a sense of solidarity with these other damaged souls from the orphanage. He embarks on an investigation that takes him places he never imagined, and pits him against a dangerous and influential adversary.
Cannell is one of our most accomplished writers, an always honest and relevant storyteller who has left his stamp on both the screen and the page. His multifaceted accomplishments extend far beyond writing to include television and film production, as well as acting. Having appeared in numerous films and TV shows, he now has a recurring role as one of Richard Castle’s poker buddies on the hit ABC TV series, Castle. In an interview, this award winning writer can discuss many aspects of his work, including:
• The flaws in our child protective services program that inspired him to write THE PALLBEARERS
• The underground world of Mixed Martial Arts fighting, which takes a central role in the novel
• The role southern California’s iconic surf culture plays in the novel
• The much-anticipated feature film of the classic 80s’ show The A-Team, coming this summer from Fox, starring Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson, and Jessica Biel, which Cannell is producing with Ridley Scott and Jules Daly.
• The circumstances that launched his new venture as actor on Castle
With more than a fifteen bestselling novels, including the Scully novels On the Grind, Three Shirt Deal, White Sister, Cold Hit, Vertical Coffin, Hollywood Tough, The Viking Funeral, and The Tin Collectors, and more than forty TV series to his credit, including The Rockford Files, Baretta, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street, The Greatest American Hero, The Commish, Hunter, and Wiseguy, Stephen J. Cannell has consistently proven himself a versatile and prolific storyteller. His many awards include the Emmy, the People's Choice Award, the Saturn Award, the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Writers Guild of America, the NAPTE Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, the 2008 Final Draft Hall of Fame Award, the Producer of the Year Award from the Caucus, and numerous others.