Not one to shy away from tough social issues of the day, Boynton Beach author Robert Brink tackles racism, police brutality and issues of legal justice in his latest legal thriller, “Blood on their Hands,” set in South Florida.
Inspired by a true-life meeting with a black man who came to repair his computer and recounted a story of being roughed up by the police for sporting an Obama bumper-sticker, Brink uses the incident as the catalyst for his suspense-filled narrative that is at once compelling and surprisingly humorous.
“This is a tale replete with both pathos and humor, steeped in sex, suspense, intrigue, and violence all leavened by a tragic love affair,” says Brink. “Perhaps most important, it is a story of redemption.”
Brink took inspiration from two of his favorite films, the 2008 Clint Eastwood film, “Gran Torino” and the 1992 classic, “My Cousin Vinnie,” (“my favorite comedy of all time”) starring Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei. He borrowed themes from both films and used them as inspiration for this novel.
Brink’s previous books include the coming-of-age novel “Breaking Out,” “The Way It Was: Short Stories and Tall Tales,” and “A Tale of Two Continents,” a ghost-written memoir.
“I’m fascinated by true crime stories,” says Brink, whose last book was “Murder in Palm Beach: The Homicide That Never Died,” about a Standard
Oil career executive, Richard Kreusler, who was gunned down at the front door of his Palm Beach home in 1976.
In “Blood on Their Hands,” a racist attorney (Hiram Garbuncle) eventually finds redemption when he defends his client, an immigrant from Trinidad, brutally beaten by police. While it goes against the defense attorney’s grain to defend a black man from a charge of violently resisting arrest, he discovers incriminating evidence on the two cops, and rises to the challenge to keep himself and his client alive pending a new trial.
With police shootings of unarmed black men making headlines on a regular basis, “Blood on Their Hands” is a timely exploration of how bigoted feelings and perceptions play a role in racial profiling.
“It personalizes the issue of racial discrimination, helping the reader to comprehend the makeup of a bigot,” Brink says. “The book also provides a glimpse into how the legal system may be stacked against minority members of our society.”
Brink exploits a quirk in criminal law and his character makes use of this controversial tactic, one in which the defense attorney serves as a witness for the defendant.
“It’s very rare, but can be done,” says Brink, who spent hours researching the issue and speaking to criminal attorneys about the issue.
A mid-westerner by birth and temperament, Brink is a former journalist and worked for the Palm Beach Post where he covered police and criminal trials. He’s also written for Palm Beach Illustrated magazine and The Associated Press in Chicago.
Brink received two offers from traditional publishers and chose Touchstone Press he says, because several of their authors have won awards.
What advice does he have for other would-be authors?
“Get the basics right first, and move on to such salient elements as showing versus telling, point of view (which still baffles me), and command of dialogue.”
By Jan Engoren
profession (which she does as research for every “Dead-End Job” novel) was an escapade itself. She even volunteered as an official greeter for the museum.