I had first met David Rabin through our publisher, Black Rose Writing. He had asked me to review his first book, In Danger of Judgment, and I was so taken with the book and his exceptional writing, I wanted to do an interview with him. You can find that interview here.
We’ve stayed in touch over the years, and because he has won competitions as an expert marksman and knows weaponry, especially rifles, I consulted him on a book I am writing. If you enjoy thriller-mystery-crime (my writing genre), you will certainly love his two books, In Danger of Judgment and Summary Judgment.
I asked to do a short interview with him, just to update on his writing life since his first book. He graciously agreed. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
How did you come up with the plot of Summary Judgment?
Summary Judgment is the second book in the series. When I conceived the first book, I envisioned a larger story that would need two more books to tell properly. I wanted each book in the trilogy to have a self-contained story, while also having the three books together tell the larger one—basically the same structure as the first three Star Wars movies.
The first book, In Danger of Judgment, established the characters and the background. As the middle book in the trilogy, Summary Judgment is the transition to the last book.
Knowing that transition would be critical, I started planning Summary Judgment by asking myself what’s the best way to get from that book to the last one? And so, I first figured out how to end Summary Judgment and worked backward from there.
Your characters are unique and quirky, and they play off each other perfectly. How did you come to “invent” them? Was there someone you modeled them after?
I didn’t model them after real people, though in hindsight, I realized one of them is modeled after an ideal person. I’ll get to that in a second.
My books have an ensemble of three principal characters. I wanted three people with distinct personalities and behaviors who would complement one another and be entertaining to readers.
Chicago Police Detective Marcelle DeSantis is a thirty-something who’s the only female detective in the department’s Violent Crimes Division. She has three main characteristics: whatever room she’s in, she’s the smartest person in the room; she can be whoever she needs to be to get the job done; and she takes no grief from anyone.
I created the characters after my wife and I had had two sons and knew we wouldn’t have more children. Long after I wrote the first book, I realized I had created Marcelle as the daughter I would have wanted.
Marcelle’s partner, Bernie Bernardelli, is a long-time CPD veteran who has seen it all but has managed not to get jaded. He’s Marcelle’s mentor, though he’d never describe himself that way. He and Marcelle have a kind of uncle-niece relationship. He’s the moral center of the stories and the glue that holds the three characters together.
John Shepard is an Internal Revenue Service Special Agent assigned to the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. Though he’s an accountant by training, he has additional skills that aren’t apparent to the naked eye. He’s also neurodivergent. Bernie’s effort to help John come out of his shell is one of the dynamics in the books.
I enjoyed the addition of Bernie’s mother and his “second family.” What made you decide to add them?
I try to tell stories that could happen in real life. In real life, people have family and friends. Bernie’s mother adds a human dimension that helps the reader understand Bernie. His second “family,” Chicago’s Mafia family, serves two roles. It’s one of several moral ambiguities in the books—in this instance, how a law enforcement officer can be close to a family of criminals. It also gives Marcelle and Bernie access to information and assistance they wouldn’t otherwise have.
You hid one of your villains until the very end. How did you come up with that ending?
I wanted to resolve a plot thread that would also lead us straight into the last book. My apologies for being cryptic here. I don’t want to spoil it for the reader!
When does Summary Judgment hit the bookshelves? And when can we expect to get our hands on your follow up?
Summary Judgment will launch on March 16, 2027. As for the third book, well, I’m a slow writer. The first one took me around twenty-four years and Summary Judgment around four years. I hope to publish the third within two years after Summary Judgment.
Here is my review of Summary Judgment by David Rabin:
I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into Summary Judgement, the second novel by award-winning author David Rabin. I had previously read and reviewed his book In Danger Of Judgement, so when Rabin’s new book came available, I snatched it up. I was so engrossed in it that I neglected my writing to see what came next.
A witness sees a murder in a park of a member of a prominent Chicago family in the wee hours of the morning. On the trail are two of my favorite characters in all of fiction: Detectives Marcelle DeSantis and Bernie Bernardelli. Along for the ride is their sidekick, John Shepherd, a brilliant IRS investigator. Shepherd is neurodivergent and has so many endearing quirks that make him both loveable and scary. Besides his quirks, he has a unique set of skills honed from his days in black ops.
The investigation leads down a trail of greed, coverup, and revenge. Bernie’s, Marcelle’s, and John’s deaths are a bullet or an explosion away more times than not. The witness who saw the murder in the park is placed in witness protection, and you’ll never guess who is doing the protecting. Even the witness’s life is in danger from an unknown, unseen, highly talented, and motivated assassin.
Rabin portrays a slice of Chicago and small town Georgia unseen by many of us. His setting is as much a character as the individuals within the story. He keeps the pace fast and tense all the way to the ending. I had guessed wrong on the outcome so many times that I gave up and simply enjoyed Rabin’s fine storytelling. I am already on the lookout for book number three, as this story leads the reader into it. I can’t wait to get it in my hands! I am a thriller-crime-mystery author, and I most highly recommend David Rabin’s Summary Judgement. I can’t express how much I enjoyed it. Summary Judgement is fantastic. Rabin did an incredible job with pacing, action- all the elements that go into fine fiction. It is a really outstanding 5 Star Must Read. You will not be disappointed, and like me, you’ll be looking forward to reading his next.
Review by Joseph Lewis, Author of Black Yéʼii; Fan Mail; and Blaze In, Blaze Out
If you are in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area on Saturday, November 21, I hope you will visit the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival that takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Riverfront Park on Sophia Street. Admission is FREE! I will be there selling and signing my ten books. I am also giving a talk on Creating the Thriller at Noon.
I would love to hear your thoughts, and I welcome your comments. Please use the form at the bottom for this. As always, I thank you for following along on my writing journey. So until next time …
