Sundstrand, David

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Sundstrand, David

PERSONAL:

Married; wife's name Jacquelyn.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Reno, NV. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Worked previously as a teacher of English in high school and college, and as a longshoreman, soldier, railroad brakeman, and merchant marine.

WRITINGS:

Shadow of the Raven (novel), Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

David Sundstrand's first novel, Shadow of the Raven, concerns a mystery discovered by Francisco ‘Frank’ Flynn, a ranger with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Flynn, whose ancestry is a mixture of Irish, Mexican, and Paiute Indian, is keenly interested in the biology of the Mojave Desert. While out in the Mojave searching for bighorn sheep, Flynn discovers the rotting corpse of a poacher. He joins forces with Linda Reyes, a reporter, to try to unravel the circumstances surrounding the murder. The poacher's three brothers are also searching for the killer, but their way of going about the investigation is brutal and violent. They confuse Flynn with someone else, and force him to guide them on a hunt for the man they think is responsible. Booklist contributor Sue O'Brien found Flynn to be ‘an endearingly human main character,’ and a Publishers Weekly writer had praise for the author's rendering of the three brothers, who are ‘skillfully painted lowlifes.’ BookLoons reviewer Tim Davis found the action in this story ‘spell-binding,’ and recommended Shadow of the Raven as a ‘powerful tale’ that is ‘enriched by a narrative style of distinctive clarity.’ The author's writing style was also appreciated by a Kirkus Reviews contributor, who commented: ‘Sundstrand writes beautifully, particularly about the unique beauty and life rhythms of the Southwest."

Sunstrand told CA: ‘I'd like my readers to expunge the word ‘wasteland’ from their vocabulary and view the deserts of the Southwest as vast and astonishing treasures. That would be best for us all."