Broken Angels
by Russell Heath
Genre: Mystery
beautiful, unpredictable, violent, and unforgiving. Broken Angels is
a compelling debut by a talented new writer.” -Elaine Ford,
winner of the Michigan Literary Award.
intimate knowledge of Alaska, its people, its coastal communities and
its interior uniqueness and crafted a character-rich, page-turning,
murder mystery.” -An Alaskan
Nine years since she stepped over her mother’s drunken body and into
a cold Alaska night running south, leaving her mother forever. How
did she find me? She hesitates, knowing the letter inside will drag
her home; back into the bleakness of a life with no exit. Kris
Gabriel, Alaska Native, and fierce like a wolverine, returns to
Alaska–to find her mother murdered. Guilty she abandoned her in
life, Kris only knows to fight. Relentlessly, she tracks a trail of
pain, of lost love, of lives ripped apart by the frozen north’s
unyielding laws, never suspecting that she has far more at stake than
just finding her mother’s killer.
ย Heath Interview: Broken Angels
Please give us a short introduction to what Broken Angels: A Novel is about
Kris Gabriel, an Alaska Native, 24, reluctantly returns to Alaska at the request of a mother she hasnโt seen in nine years. She finds her murdered; shot in the face by the double-barreled blast of a shotgun. Driven by anger and guilt and only knowing how to fightโshe sets out to avenge her motherโs death. Relentlessly, she tracks a trail of pain, of lost love, of lives ripped apart by the frozen northโs unyielding law of survival, never suspecting that she has far more at stake than finding her motherโs killer.
What made you decide to write a novel?
Hubris. I was kayaking with a friend around Baranof Island in Southeast Alaskaโa 3-week trip. Sheโd just finished a mystery by an Alaska author and I asked her if it was any good. She said, yesโso I read it. It was beyond dreadful. I complained to my friendโ
โYeah, I know,โ she said. โBut I didnโt want to influence your opinion.โ
โI want my opinion influenced. I wasted hours of my life reading this.โ
That night we were weathered in by a blow. I was snugged up in my sleeping bag still pissed that a book could be so bad. And then I stepped off the edge. I said to myself that I could do better.
How did the idea for the novel originate?
That was a problem. I hadnโt a clue how to start. I so hapless, it was almost comical. Thousands of books written every year and I didnโt what to do after picking up a pencil.
Then, one random day, I remembered a novel that was a scene by scene rip-off of Shakespeareโs Lear. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley. Youโd think sheโd be hauled off for plagiarism, but noโsheโd won the Pulitzer. I cast about for a play where the author had been dead long enough he wouldnโt be coming after me for stealing his stuff.
Since I was writing a mysteryโthe play to use was obvious. The first mystery in western literature was Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Fortunately, Sophocles has been dead for 2,500 years and I figured he wouldnโt much care that I was taking his best work. That was my start.
Why murder mystery? What drew you to this genre?
I have no love for mysteriesโgenerally because they are so contrived: a bunch of unlikely events strung together to produce an outrageously improbable outcome that has next to zero psychological plausibility: she killed him because of a hang-nail? I chose a mystery because I was on automatic: the book that kicked it all off was a mystery, so I was going to write a mystery.
Soโis Broken Angels a bunch of unlikely events strung together to produce an outrageously improbable outcome that has next to zero psychological plausibility?
No. This story is the story that I wanted to read. Itโs psychologically real, the characters are driven by who they are; they make bad decisions that lead to horrific outcomesโbut each step of the way you get why they are doing what they are doing. The story is rich and complex and, at times, emotionally challenging for the reader. And it ripsโyou will not be able to put this book down.
Tell us more about Kris Gabriel. What makes her tick?
At the outset, it looks as if Kris is driven by vengeance to find her motherโs killer. Maybe, but maybe also by guilt. Sheโd abandoned her mother when she was 15 and when she left, her motherโs life fell apart. Then sheโs Alaska Native and she, like her mother, was cast aside by the white world. She grew up on the streets Fairbanks with an alcoholic mother, no father, and even now, she is living a meager existence on the bleak edges of society. Sheโs crusted by anger and resentment and all she knows how to do is fight. So thatโs what she doesโfight. But then, as she uncovers her past, we see that what sheโs truly searching for is love, for connection, for her humanity. Because Broken Angels is taken from a Greek tragedyโyou know itโs not going to turn out well.
In your teens, you hitchhiked to Alaska and lived in a cabin on the banks of the Tanana River. How has this influenced your writing?
Alaska is not a normal place; it is not like some random suburb where stubbing your toe on a busted sidewalk is the highest adventure on offer. Alaska roughs you up and scours your soul; it lifts you and rings you like a bell; it punishes you in its endless nights, its searing cold, and its vastness so threateningly silent you cower in awe.
Most novels set in Alaska caricature the stateโ50 below and your spit freezing before it hits the snow. Yeah, but what do you think that does to a personโs psyche? What do you think a landscape so stunning, so unrelenting, so overwhelming does to a person? In Broken Angels, Alaska it isnโt a setting, itโs is an enveloping presence that stalks each characterโand no one escapes.
What have been readersโ reactions to Broken Angels?
Alaskans get the story and the Alaska portrayed in it. Some non-Alaskans are annoyed by Alaskaโs presence, as if it were an unnecessary character. Kind of like Woody Allen in his later movies: whatโs he doing there?
People who love the way mysteries tie everything into a tight tidy bundleโorder is brought to the universeโare often frustrated by the ending. Those who revel in the psychological and the emotional are moved by the ending.
For the tight tidy bundle folksโa sequel is coming.
- Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?
I was still a callow teenager when I decided my lifeโs trajectory was going to be erratic: No career, family, house in the suburbs. Since then I have been twice around the worldโonce in a sailboat, written novels, crusaded for Alaskaโs rainforests, smuggled gems, climbed mountains, lived in Florenceโwhatever. My secret skills are a willingness to fly high and the foolishnessโafter a crashโto give it another go.
- Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I have always wanted to be a writer in the same way Iโve always wanted to be president, or Spiderman, or a supermodel. A daydream to lift me out of the daily grind.
- What are you working on right now?
Iโm readying my second novel, Rinnโs Crossing, for publicationโitโs due out at the end of November, 2019. And Iโm working on a sequel to Broken Angels. And Iโve got a TV writer in LA intent on turning Broken Angels into the next Breaking Bad.
- Where can our readers discover more of your work or get in touch with you?
I super enjoy hearing what folks have to say about my novels even if to excoriate themโshoot me an email, give me a ring. You can find me at russellheathauthor.com
the banks of the Tanana River; in his twenties, he lived in Italy and
then traveled overland across the Sahara, through the jungles and
over the savannas of Africa and into southern Asia; in his thirties,
he sailed alone around the world in a 25 foot wooden boat; in his
forties, he wrote novels; and in his fifties he bicycled the spine of
the Rockies from Alaska to Mexico.
Alaska Legislature, and run a storied environmental organization
fighting to protect Alaska’s coastal rainforests. Several years ago,
he moved to New York City to dig deep into leadership development and
coaching. He now coaches business and non-profit leaders intent on
making big things happen in the world.
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This is an interesting interview, Jacquie. I am sure Alaska is a harsh place to live, just like Africa, only cold not hot. I like the sound of this book.
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Agreed, Robbie. Both would change a person’s perspective on life!
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Great interview. I know someone who did an Forest Ranger stint in Alaska. Best time of his life by listening to his stories. I can see how the Alaskan wilderness becomes a major player in a novel.
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Not sure I could handle all that immense silence- or the cold! ๐
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Sounds like a very interesting read Jacquie. Russell has led a very interesting life.
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Much more interesting than mine, lol. The way he describes Alaska is stunning. Thanks for dropping by, Brigid!
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An interesting background of how the book came to be. I’ve read a few novels set in Alaska and am always drawn by the setting. It makes for great reading, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
All the best to Russell. Wow, does he have a fascinating bio!
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Lol, that’s what I thought! Makes mine looks sad ๐
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Mine too, LOL!
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Alaskan Noir. What a specialized niche. The book sounds riveting.
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His description of Alaska is captivating!
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The cover looks a little bleak, but it’s still beautiful.
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Now I remember why I moved to an island, lol
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Hi All,
Jacquie–thanks for hosting my novel. Great crew you have here. Roberta! Yes, less chance of frostbite in Africa (tho the top of Kilimanjaro gets chilly), but in Alaska–less chance of dysentery. And about my bio–the good stories comes out after a couple of bourbons. But read the book–it’s about a powerful (and difficult) young woman struggling for her heart…
And let me know what you think.
Best
Russell
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It’s on my TBR list, Russell ๐ Thank you so much for dropping by the blog!
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