https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B67Y94K4
Detective Jesus looks like an exciting story. What can you tell us about it?
Thanks, I like to think it’s exciting anyway. The Bible is one of the most popular books of all time, so I’m going to assume people have read it, but if not I’m going to be giving spoilers here so be warned. At the end of the New Testament, Jesus rises from the dead and spends forty days reconnecting and hanging out with his friends before finally ascending in Heaven. It totally sets up a sequel with all the main characters other than Judas really still around. Unfortunately, there was no third testament. I attempted to tell the long-awaited sequel myself. Jesus returns to present day Chicago as the kind of maverick cop that drives every lieutenant crazy, but gets results. He’s part Bullitt! Part Mannix! And part Serpico!
Any plans to turn it into a series?
I called it Detective Jesus#1 because my plan is a series starting with the Ten Commandments before moving on to the Beatitudes and then possibly some other list of rules. I admit, though I’m having a lot of issues plotting out stories based on some of these sins. Murder and robbery are easy, but keeping holy the Sabbath day and not worshiping graven images are stumping me right now.
How long did it take you to write Detective Jesus?
It actually was a long time in progress. I got most of it finished during November of 2019, but editing and making those kind of changes always seem to paralyze me a bit. I don’t have writer’s block, but I feel like I have editor’s block.
What inspired you when writing Detective Jesus?
Everything seems to be a police procedural lately. I look at a television show like Lucifer and I have to chuckle that the first thing the devil does when he returns to Earth is to solve crimes. I thought it was fun to imagine Jesus doing the same thing. I really love 70s detectives like Cannon and Streets of San Francisco. I started imagining what the Bible would look like if it had been a Quinn Martin Production
What will readers get out of your book?
It’s not a religious book and it’s not really an anti-religious book. I didn’t try and tell the Bible story in modern times and I didn’t try to make fun of Christianity, but I think that it’s a book that has a lot of heart in addition to a sense of humor.
How did you come up with the story and ideas in Detective Jesus?
Many years ago I wrote a roleplaying game adventure about the murder of a politician’s daughter. I was trying to write the kind of story that would be at home in one of those television detective shows I like so much. I thought it had a great plot to use for this particular story.
Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when writing Detective Jesus?
There were issues in the news that I wanted to address, but that didn’t fit into this particular story and I wanted to keep things light and irreverent without being preachy in favor or against Christianity. It’s also not easy writing for a detective who is supposed to be omniscient. I think I made it work.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I’ve been representing California’s 54th District in Congress since 2006 and it’s very rewarding. It also allows me the opportunity to sneak in some writing anytime there’s boring legislation. It is much easier to sneak in a notepad or laptop than to watch a Tik-Tok dance video with the volume loud enough to hear it, but not loud enough to get busted.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
My first book entitled Profiles in Courageousness came out almost a decade ago. I’m going to revise it this fall for a second edition and I can’t wait. It’s more about politics and a lot has happened since 2013. I’m very active on Twitter at @Repjackkimble and my web page is https://JackKimble.com