The Deposition

Of all my books, The Deposition receives the most interesting responses. People either like it or they don’t. Few readers have an indifferent opinion. When I began writing fiction I made a conscious effort to push the stories toward greater obscurity. Judging from the responses, I’d say this book achieves that goal.

The Deposition is told from multiple points of view that switch with each chapter but events continue to happen to the characters between the chapters. So, for instance, you read about Tatiana in one chapter, then don’t see her again until four chapters later. By then she’s moved on from where you saw her last and something has happened to her in between, perhaps something significant. You didn’t see what happened but you learn about it from the dialogue in that later chapter. All of the main characters in the book except Father Scott are treated that way.

Some of the characters, John Somerset for instance, have experiences that are important to the storyline but are never mentioned or explained in the book and only evident through nuance. Other characters enter the story without introduction or explanation, then just as abruptly disappear. The chapters with Father Scott are a string – perhaps a thread – that holds the story together, sometimes just barely. The chapters covering his deposition are plodding, tedious and slow because that’s the nature of a deposition.

The Deposition turned out to be very subtle and quirky but I hope it’s not the last of the series. I have ideas for two more stories I would like to tell through Mike Connolly.

Thanks for your interest in my work.

Told in real time, The Deposition continues the story of Mike Connolly, the-down-and-out attorney you came to know in Joe Hilley’s previous novels, Sober Justice, Double Take, and Electric Beach. This time, Mike’s story is told through the eyes of his friends – and his enemies. The woman he rescued from a life of prostitution. She has a lot to say, if she can stay alive long enough to say it. The lawyer who wants to make certain she never does. And the priest who won’t talk even if it means losing his life. They’re locked in a high-stakes race to see who lives to tell the dark secrets of men in powerful places, and who dies to keep them quiet.

The Deposition will be available August 2007. Read more about it and Joe Hilley at www.joehilley.com