Do you ever get nightmares that include your characters?
Lisa: Wow. Never has one of my fictional characters shown up in my dreams, thank goodness. How freaky would that be?
How has your writing changed over the course of the series?
Lisa: Oh, of course. I’ve aged as have my characters and times have changed. Just think about the advances in technology, criminology, psychology and medicine. I hope I’ve evolved with the times!
Who would cast to play Bentz and Montoya?
Lisa: Yikes, that’s a toughie. Ten years ago I would’ve picked different actors than now. But I think Titus Welliver who played Harry Bosch in the Michael Connelly series would be a great Bentz. Or Guy Pearce who I find a great actor and have loved him since the first time I watched Memento. As for Montoya, what about Benjamin Bratt or Ryan Guzman? Both fabulous and would be great in the role!
What has been your favorite thing about being an author?
Lisa: Oh, there are so many things. I love to write. I just love it! But also, it’s wonderful to be flexible with my time (as long as a deadline isn’t looming!) so I have time to spend with family and friends.
What was it like returning to this series after such a long time?
Lisa: It’s always great returning to the series. I love reacquainting myself with old friends–kind of like stepping into a pair of long-worn favorite slippers. That said, it’s tough to remember all the details of the characters’ lives and what they’ve gone through. That’s a challenge book to book and especially if I’ve been writing other books and other series. But I love it! Montoya and Bentz and the city of New Orleans are always fun to reunite with!
Did you always have this end in mind when you started this series?
Lisa: No. I don’t even know sometimes if a book will be part of a series. Usually by the end of the first, I think about a second, if it’s a possibility or if the story for those particular characters is over (at least for the moment.) That said, I always know the end of a book before I sit down to write it.
Lisa Jackson’s New York Times bestselling series featuring New Orleans homicide detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya began with a strangled prostitute in a seedy French Quarter hotel room and a demented killer disguised as a priest. Now evil comes full circle, as Father John returns to terrorize The Big Easy in this highly anticipated series finale!
There are killers so savage, so twisted, that they leave a mark not just on their victims, but on everyone who crosses their path. For Detectives Bentz and Montoya, Father John, a fake priest who used the sharpened beads of a rosary to strangle prostitutes, is one such monster.
Bentz thought he’d ended that horror years ago when he killed Father John deep in the swamp. But now there are chilling signs he may have been wrong. A new victim has surfaced, her ruined body staged in deliberate, unmistakable detail. Either it’s a terrifying copycat, or Father John, the detective’s own recurring nightmare, has come back to haunt New Orleans.
Another death, and another. Bentz is growing convinced that Father John isn’t just back. He’s circling closer, targeting those Bentz loves most.
And this time, he won’t be stopped until the last sinner has paid the ultimate price…
“Jackson definitely knows how to keep readers riveted.” —Mystery Scene
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