David E. Fessenden is our guest today.

He wrote a book called The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy.

Today, he will share the story behind his story.

Thomas Watson left London two years ago and crossed the Atlantic to become a newspaper reporter in Philadelphia — 1920s Philadelphia, a city that rivals Al Capone’s Chicago for its crime and corruption. Why would he go so far from family and friends? Admittedly, he was trying to get away — away from the shadow of his famous father, Dr. John Watson, and his father’s even more famous friend, Sherlock Holmes. Shortly after Thomas leaves London, Sherlock dies, and Dr. Watson takes on the responsibility of caring for Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft.

After two short years in which Thomas finds little success in journalism, Dr. Watson dies suddenly. Thomas is devastated, and he wonders: who will take care of poor old Mycroft?

Wrapped up in his grief, Thomas is walking home when he suddenly finds himself caught up in the biggest story of his career: a suspicious explosion at a speakeasy, which kills the owner and his card-playing buddies. But when he returns home to write up the story, he finds Mycroft Holmes puttering around his apartment, ready to move in and be taken care of.

Needled into making a bet with a rival reporter that he can solve the mystery, Thomas is immediately hampered in his investigation by his editor, who fires him for spending too much time on a “dead-end” story. Then he is escorted against his will to a meeting with bootlegger “Boo Boo” Hoff and his goons, who also want to know who the killer is and provide their own unique form of motivation. The pressure is on for Thomas to solve the mystery or lose his money, his job, maybe even his life.

From the scanty clues that Thomas compiles, Mycroft is able to solve the mystery, but he is tight-lipped about the solution. After all, the old man reasons, Thomas should be able to figure it out himself! But can Thomas discover the murderer — before he becomes his next victim?

Learn more and purchase a copy.

What inspired you to write this book?

The inspiration for The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy comes from both real-life history and literature. I piggybacked on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries by Arthur Conan-Doyle, bringing one of his lesser-known characters to be a crime-solver: Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s brother. Since he was notoriously sedentary, I needed someone to do Mycroft’s legwork, so I created a new character, Thomas Watson, Dr. Watson’s son.

So much for the literary inspiration; on to history. I set the story in 1926 in America because I have always been fascinated by the Prohibition era. (Besides, if a speakeasy explosion is the gist of the mystery, it had better be set in the 1920s!) I originally planned to set it in Chicago, with Al Capone as a character.

But I was living in the Philadelphia area at the time, making research on Chicago a problem. So I started looking at the history of Prohibition in Philadelphia and discovered that the “city of brotherly love” rivaled Chicago for gangland activity. There was even a Capone-type figure in Philly at the time: Max “Boo-Boo” Hoff, known as “the king of the bootleggers.”

A short, portly man, Hoff differed from Capone in that he did not cultivate a violent reputation. Instead, he portrayed himself as a simple businessman — a boxing promoter with the largest stable of prizefighters in the nation. He had a fondness for wearing bow ties and a straw boater’s hat, giving him the look of a member of a barbershop quartet.

One of Hoff’s cronies is also included in the novel — Hugh “Hughie” McLoon, a little person (midget) who had the distinction in his teen years of being the bat boy and mascot for the Athletics, Philly’s major-league baseball team at the time. Having outgrown the mascot job, McLoon moved into criminal activity. He ran a downtown club called The Dry Saloon (but it wasn’t, of course).

In the novel, Hoff and McLoon ask Thomas to investigate the explosion and murders at the speakeasy, promising that when they learn who the culprit is, they’ll “take care of it.”

The sequel (currently in progress), The Case of the Boomerang Body, is set in 1927, and Hoff and McLoon figure prominently in that story, as well. I have further novels planned for the series, but if they go beyond 1928, I won’t be able to remain historically accurate and include Hoff and McLoon. In a warm July evening in that year, Hughie was standing in front of his nightclub talking with friends when a car came around the corner and gunned him down.

Hoff was suspected in the murder because he had often complained that McLoon couldn’t keep his mouth shut about Hoff’s activities — and in fact, the murder investigation revealed that McLoon had been a police informant.

Hoff was never charged with the murder; however, the investigation put a spotlight on his finances, and he was sued by the IRS for back taxes. With the end of Prohibition, his bootlegging operation collapsed, and his wealth evaporated. He died of a heart ailment in 1941, at the age of 46.

Wow! Your story sounds mysterious and intriguing! Thanks for sharing the inspiration behind it.

David E. Fessenden is a literary agent with WordWise Media Services and an independent publishing consultant with degrees in journalism and theology, and over 30 years of experience in writing and editing. He has served in editorial management positions for Christian book publishers and was regional editor for the largest Protestant weekly newspaper in the country.

Dave has published seven books, written hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, and edited numerous books. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences. Writing the Christian Nonfiction Book: Concept to Contract, and A Christian Writer’s Guide to the Book Proposal, both published by SonFire Media, are based on his experience in Christian publishing. The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy, Dave’s first novel, reflects his love for history and for the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan-Doyle.

Dave and his wife, Jacque, live in south-central Pennsylvania and have two adult sons.

Follow David on social media:

Business website – www.fromconcepttocontract.com

Personal website – www.davefessenden.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/AuthorFessendenDave

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/davefessenden

Twitter – https://twitter.com/davidefessenden

David is giving away a copy of The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy. Follow the directions below to enter. 

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