Q&A: 'One Night in Amboise' Legal Mystery Author Ken Malovos
Ken Malovos has been practicing law in Sacramento
for over forty years. He spent twelve years with the Public Defender’s Office
and twenty-five years as a business litigator. He now serves full-time as a
mediator and arbitrator. Ken has written two previous Mike Zorich novels and
both have been recognized by Chanticleer Book Reviews. Contempt of Court was a
First Place Category winner in the legal genre of the Mystery and Mayhem
competition in 2014. Fatal Reunion was a finalist in the
Thriller and Suspense competition in 2016. Ken and his wife live in Sacramento.
His latest book is the legal mystery, ONE
NIGHT IN AMBOISE.
Visit his website at www.malovoslaw.com.
About the Book:
JIM HANSEN AND CORINNE LARSON are overseas college students
at Amboise, France.
After meeting at a local bar they leave and encounter a drunk. JIM hits him and
the man may be dead. At the manor house where they live, they kiss and make
love. The next day she accuses him of rape but does not formally charge him. He
denies the charge. The police investigate the killing of the drunk.
After they return to California,
CORINNE struggles with the whole incident, wondering if she was at fault. She
talks to her sisters and then seeks professional help after turning to
alcohol. JIM goes to law school and
becomes a deputy district attorney, always wondering if the allegation of rape
will surface and whether he did the right thing. He marries another overseas
student from Amboise.
ALICIA OBREGON contacts JIM and asks him to dismiss the
criminal case against her husband. She informs JIM that she knows all about Amboise
and threatens to expose him. He throws the case, thereby allowing a guilty
person to go free. Over time he pays her money.
JIM is appointed a judge and ALICIA continues to blackmail
him. CORINNE’s husband comes to Sacramento
and confronts JIM in his chambers. JIM says he is sorry about the whole thing.
JIM goes to a rehabilitation facility but in a few weeks he leaves, feeling he
has resolved all of his concerns.
ALICIA is found dead. ALICIA’s husband is charged with her
murder but he implicates JIM because he knows all about the blackmailing
scheme. JIM then is arrested and must stand trial for the murder of ALICIA. The
prosecutor focuses on JIM’s motive. JIM asks noted trial lawyer MIKE ZORICH to
represent him. JIM turns down a plea
bargain and a sensational jury trial follows. JIM is not truthful with his
wife, his attorney or the jury. CORINNE’s husband testifies. The jury cannot
reach a decision and JIM must live with a tarnished reputation amidst unsettled
questions whether he killed ALICIA and raped CORINNE.
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Q: Welcome to The Writer's
Life! Now that your book has been
published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the
beginning? When did you come up with the
idea to write your book?
I started this book about two years. I attended an overseas college campus program, so was familiar with this type of setting that I wanted. Also, I wanted to explore the idea of a hidden secret shared by two people that might eventually affect their lives. Something along the lines of Dennis Hastert, the former Speaker of the House, or Bill Cosby. So I put the two together. How do people conduct themselves when running their lives with a secret they hope never sees the light of day?
Q: How hard was it to write a
book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make
the journey easier for other writers?
It is hard writing novels. I have asked for help from friends in reading my various versions and have just kept at it. Perseverance, in a word. I have tremendous respect for people who write historical novels, given the research needed.
Q: Who is your publisher and how
did you find them or did you self-publish?
I self-published through CreateSpace.
Q: Is there anything that
surprised you about getting your first book published?
Looking back, it was fairly easy to use the CreateSpace platform. This is now my third book with them. No big surprises. They offer a lot of help along the way.
Q: What other books are you
working on and when will they be published?
I am working with a couple of plot ideas right now, but nothing that I can say will be published on a given date.
Q: What’s one fact about your
book that would surprise people?
Women react to rape in many different ways. There is no set time for grieving or coming to grips with this horrible event. You might think that 30 years is a long time but each woman is different. No place for judgment.
Q: Finally, what message are you
trying to get across with your book?
A more balanced acceptance of an allegation of rape and its repercussions. When we do not know for sure what happened, how do we respond? What can and what should we do? Also, what does it feel like to carry a secret? How does it affect you?
Q: Thank you again for this
interview! Do you have any final words?
Thank you for this opportunity and I hope your readers enjoy this book. I am always interested in feedback.
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