Moore, Harker

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Moore, Harker

PERSONAL: Male.

ADDRESSES: Home—LA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

CAREER: Writer.

AWARDS, HONORS: Booklist citation for one of the Top Ten First Novels in Crime Fiction, 2003–04, for A Cruel Season for Dying.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

A Cruel Season for Dying, Mysterious Press (New York, NY), 2003.

A Mourning in Autumn, Mysterious Press (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Harker Moore's talent as a crime novelist was recognized when his first book, A Cruel Season for Dying, was singled out as one of the top debut crime fiction offerings of the year by Booklist magazine. The novel introduced Moore's Japanese-American detective character, Jimmy Sakura. In A Cruel Season for Dying, Sakura must attempt to track down a serial killer who targets beautiful men and then sews swan's wings on their shoulders after the murder, making them look like angels. In counterpoint to the action and gruesome content of the murder investigation, readers also get glimpses into Sakura's life with his blind wife, Hanae.

Booklist reviewer Bill Ott approved of the way Moore brings a "remarkably multitextured depth" to all his characters, both those central to the story and those filling supporting roles, even the murderer. Ott also noted the author's deft and thoughtful use of a multicultural cast in his book. He observed that in this novel, the crime is eventually solved, but "the human drama remains shrouded in ambiguity." A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that while the plot is somewhat predictable, "assured prose" elevates the novel.

Sakura's adventures continue in A Mourning in Autumn. In this novel, Sakura is pitted against a modern Jack the Ripper who rearranges the internal organs of his victims. The author combines the classic structure of a police procedural with insights into the killer's psychological outlook. "Momentum never lags," according to Stephanie Zvirin in Booklist. Furthermore, she noted, just when the end of the book seems clear, readers are treated to "a final, quirky surprise."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2003, Bill Ott, review of A Cruel Season for Dying, p. 1650; May 1, 2004, Stephanie Zvirin, review of A Mourning in Autumn, p. 1514.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2003, review of A Cruel Season for Dying, p. 510; June 15, 2004, review of A Mourning in Autumn, p. 560.

Library Journal, May 1, 2003, Rex E. Klett, review of A Cruel Season for Dying, p. 158; July, 2004, Rex E. Klett, review of A Mourning in Autumn, p. 63.

Publishers Weekly, April 14, 2003, review of A Cruel Season for Dying, p. 51; June 28, 2004, review of A Mourning in Autumn, p. 34.