Local books: Not your typical bedtime story

Growing up in the Soviet Union, Alexander Rosenberg experienced a sense of persistent pressure and stress, living constantly in survival mode, he said, which fostered a kind of fight-for-life dynamic. That all changed when he emigrated to the Monterey Peninsula in pursuit of a job.

“I have a lot of love for this country. I think, for us immigrants,” he said, “it's really easy to develop. A lot of us come from difficult circumstances which, in comparison, enable us to appreciate what we have here. A lot is going on in the United States, but that said, I have nothing but love for this country. I'm actually a big fan.”

In Monterey, Rosenberg shifted from survival mode to an exploration of what’s possible within a community where he feels he can explore ideas and be welcomed into a conversation with just about anyone. That inspired him to sit down and write a book, “Fat Killer and the Pomeranians.” Not his memoir but a thriller with a moral message and a most unexpected premise.

Imagine. Ivan Donetsky, an aging Russian assassin, is sent to Los Angeles to track down a guy for his boss but ends up working with him. Having failed his assignment, he believes his boss is punishing him by pairing him with a local contractor who happens to be a flamboyantly gay drag queen who goes by “Foxy.”

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. That they need to work through their sociocultural differences is the least of their problems.

“Perhaps the whole underlying message,” Rosenberg said, “is if a Russian mobster can get over preconceptions, so can we.”

Even if it is delivered through what he calls a raunchy, violent look at radical crime, based on a really old, unsolved murder in West Hollywood, at a restaurant run by an Eastern European expat.

The premise is this: Although a passersby reports having seen no one go into the restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard., ultimately five bodies, all from Eastern Europe, are found inside. Having actually read about the crime, Rosenberg thought it sounded both suspicious yet typical of the era, and definitely worth exploring as the storyline of his book.

“As I started developing the story,” he said, “I had an image of my uncle and characterized my protagonist as a slave to a Russian mob, who was required to work for them to pay off his debt for being brought to L.A. ”

It worked. The book took off, mainly, he believes, because people found it ironic-a homophobic Russian guy who doesn't understand the concept of homosexuality. But will.

“He goes at it his own way and fails,” said Rosenberg, “so the mobster forces him to work with a colorful character. They hate each other on sight but have to work together to mitigate the violence.”

‘Turns out each has something to contribute–in their own way.

The story takes readers on quite a ride, says Rosenberg, as he urges all to “buckle up” for the experience as the storyline rises and falls, at its lowest but most dramatic point when characters have to battle with Mexican Narcs to solve the crime, at all costs.

“There is no happy ending on this one,” he said. “That doesn't always sell books, does it?”

Yet fear and anticipation seem to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

“When my preview readers read the book,” he said, “I kept hearing the same response: ‘Well, what happens next?’ That’s when I knew I’d needed to spend another six years writing a sequel: ‘Fat Killer and the Latvian Predicament’–although it ended up being nine years because all writers know how that goes.”

Because the story is rooted in actual crimes and involves a suicidal mission that goes awry, it's a lot grittier than a typical action-adventure thriller, says Rosenberg. And perhaps it asks a lot more.

“Who said there's nothing truer than fiction?” he said. “Twain said, ‘Truth is stranger than fiction,' but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities? I tend to subscribe to the same notion.”

Hard writing yields easy reading

Rosenberg says he sat down to write his novels because he was having a hard time finding a smart, international crime thriller that was easy to read.

“Someone read my first novel, what took me six years to write," he said, "in one weekend. When I asked why she read it so quickly and she said it was an easy read. I felt all the crafting and editing and efforts were worth it. Since she basically didn't put it down till she finished it, I sensed this must mean it was a good read, as well.”

Although he was aware that the subject matter is not light, Rosenberg now imagines it may have turned out a little heavier than he intended.

“When, my friends read it,” he said, “they kind of questioned my character. Yet what I write doesn't make me a horrible person. It's not about me, this book. So maybe it came out a little grittier than I thought it would.”

He admits his are not innocuous books, but apparently they hold attention.

“At least they’re not in the horror genre,” he said, “so you don't have to keep the lights on."

Alexander Rosenberg’s “Fat Killer” books are available in local bookstores and via Amazon.

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