12/09/2019
LAPD rookie detective and former history PhD candidate Marcus Tullius Jarsdel, the hero of Schneider’s uneven first novel, is called to Thailand Plaza, a restaurant-market complex, where a burned corpse is curiously posed in front of a pagoda. One clue is a 1996 quarter painted red and glued to the hand of the victim, later identified as Grant Wolin. Aided by his veteran, wise-cracking partner, Detective Morales, Jarsdel learns that Wolin worked several odd jobs in Hollywood and had few friends but apparently no enemies. A subplot, which involves the pursuit of a serial dog killer, serves mainly to introduce Aleena Andreotti, an inquisitive and irritating love interest for Jarsdel. Though readers will be intrigued by the atypical detective (he’s half Iranian and was raised by two professor fathers who disapprove of his career change), the book is filled with unrelated philosophical tangents. The parts of the plot that involve real detective work lead to an utterly terrifying conclusion. Hopefully, any sequel will have fewer detours. Agent: Eve Attermann, WME. (Feb.)
"An auspicious and engaging debut. Mr. Schneider conjures up an original protagonist in LAPD Homicide Detective Tully Jarsdel-and prestidigitates a thoroughly thrilling narrative ride through the mean streets and glittering boulevards of Los Angeles. The reader looks forward to many more Jarsdel mysteries in the coming years." - Eric Overmyer, executive producer of Bosch
"A brilliant first novel. Joseph Schneider's contemporary writing evokes some of Hollywood's most classic crime stories, from Chinatown to LA Confidential." - Dick Wolf, creator of Law & Order
"One Day You'll Burn is much more than just an intriguing Hollywood mystery, it's a captivating character study of a unique academic/historian-turned-police-detective who can't keep his deep intelligence from bubbling out — often to his own embarrassment and the reader's delight. Joseph Schneider has created a very appealing character whom readers will definitely want to see more of." - Kenneth Johnson, bestselling author of The Man of Legends
"Schneider redefines the detective genre while giving us a history lesson of Hollywood, the town of dreams it was, and the nightmare it has become." - Jim Hayman, executive producing director of NCIS: New Orleans
"Tully Jarsdel joins the gumshoe greats in this whipsmart riff on sunbaked L.A. noir." - David Stenn, author of Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild and Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow
"One Day You'll Burn knocked me out. It's a riveting, richly-layered detective novel that satisfies and surprises on every single page. Joseph Schneider is a major new talent in the world of crime fiction." - Lou Berney, Edgar Award-winning author of The Long and Faraway Gone
"Schneider's debut enlivens the police procedural with offbeat characters and an appealingly complex hero." - Kirkus Reviews
"The solid debut police procedural is an homage to Hollywood and its history, with descriptive details of corners of Hollywood, classic films, and even traffic jams. The atmospheric mystery introduces a fascinating new detective who will appeal to fans of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch" - Library Journal
"There's a lot of good detective work and excellent characterization in this debut procedural that features one of the most original heroes to come out of the genre in a long while. " - Criminal Element
"ONE DAY YOU'LL BURN... stars a memorable character who you will want to see more of very soon." - Booklist
" Fans of James Ellroy or Raymond Chandler will enjoy the vibe of One Day You'll Burn, the first in a projected series. " - Shelf Awareness
"Under its Poisoned Press imprint, Sourcebooks packs a debut police procedural from Joseph Schneider that dips into the grotesque and bizarre, while walking through what at first seems like ordinary Los Angeles life. LAPD Detective Tully Jarsdel, a former academic who's not yet trusted by his colleagues, snags a case that hangs on both a screenplay and some of the most twisted tortures of the past — the LONG past (think Greek mythos, even). Jarsdel himself, protagonist of a promised series, is a surprisingly sweet guy who tangles in an affectionate way with one of the crime victims along his path — made miserable and lonely by the work of a serial pet killer who strikes during the weddings of the pet owners. ONE DAY YOU'LL BURN is a grim title and threatens horrendous torture along the way, but includes a lot of pure LA "camp" with a lot of film fun — and I couldn't put it down. I kept hoping Jarsdel might prove himself and "get the girl" at the same time. There's even a moment when "He now knew, in painstaking detail, how G —- had died." But instead there's a highly satsifying and grim ending ahead. Make room on the bookshelf for the sequels" - Kingdom Books
02/01/2020
DEBUT Det. Tully Jarsdel joined the LAPD instead of staying on the PhD path. His partner, Oscar Morales, and his lieutenant aren't fans of the new program to advance high-scoring rookies into the homicide division in Hollywood. Yet, Tully's history background proves invaluable when he and Morales catch the case of the corpse that was burned to death in some sort of oven, and dumped in Thailand Plaza. With no identification, and a fried corpse, it takes a great deal of time for the DNA to come back. After the initial footwork, Jarsdel and Morales's work on the cold case of the "Dog Catcher," an ongoing case in which dogs are poisoned on the owners' wedding day. The graphic details of the murders and crimes are in stark contrast to Tully's philosophical musings about his role in changing the world for good as a police officer. VERDICT The solid debut police procedural is an homage to Hollywood and its history, with descriptive details of corners of Hollywood, classic films, and even traffic jams. The atmospheric mystery introduces a fascinating new detective who will appeal to fans of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
2019-11-11
Hollywood detectives catch the strange case of a brutally burned body.
Detective Tully Jarsdel is a former academic, leading his partner, Morales, to call him Professor. When he fights his way through multiple news crews to reach a corpse one day, it's unlike any he's ever seen. The body is twisted, partially ravaged, and burned so badly it's unrecognizable. Jarsdel and Morales intensely question Dustin Sparks, the horror-movie special-effects expert who found the body. He eventually admits that he saw the body being dumped from a van, but his addiction to OxyContin makes him a compromised witness. While waiting for DNA results, Jarsdel and Morales watch missing persons reports closely. An odd red disk glued to the victim's palm turns out to be a 1996 quarter painted red: the case's first clue, albeit a murky one. DNA connects the victim to grizzled convict Lawrence Wolin, who identifies the man as his brother. The pieces of Grant Wolin's life come together via interviews prompted by a search of his dirty apartment. He sold jars of "genuine Hollywood dirt" on the street, smoked marijuana occasionally, and was apparently asexual. A dinner scene at the home of Jarsdel's scholarly parents provides insight into his psyche and his sense of isolation. Though he fits in with neither the gritty world of police work nor the ivory tower of academia, he has a passion for justice.
Schneider's debut enlivens the police procedural with offbeat characters and an appealingly complex hero.
